anything
to help.'
'My God!' Morgana muttered blankly, and fell silent, remembering
her hasty assertion of concern.
Elizabeth Pentreath's mouth trembled. 'It would only be for a year,
darling. He promised that. He's having proper contracts drawn up
for Leonard Trevick to look at.'
'Then I hope he reads the small print.' Morgana's voice shook, and
she turned away.
'Lyall's trying to be kind.' Her mother's voice followed her. 'He's in
a difficult position. He feels very strongly that you should have a
breathing space here to decide what you want to do. He doesn't
think you should do anything hasty so soon after poor Daddy's
death.'
'Oh, that's so good of him,' Morgana said savagely. 'And his
motives are so pure, naturally.'
'Darling!' Mrs Pentreath shook her head bewilderedly. 'I don't feel
I know you when you're like this. Are you implying that Lyall has
some ulterior reason for making this offer?'
For a crazy moment, Morgana wondered what would happen if she
said baldy, 'He wants to seduce me.' But she couldn't say it. For
one thing, it would sound so utterly ridiculous. After all, she was a
girl of her own time, not a hysterical Victorian miss who couldn't
fend for herself.
She said quietly, 'I wouldn't know what his motives are, but I think
it's obvious that he hasn't made this offer out of the goodness of his
heart.'
'He is related to us,' Mrs Pentreath observed fairly.
'Very remotely, and I'm sure that old chestnut about blood being
thicker than water doesn't apply to him.' Morgana's tone was bitter.
'But he has made the gesture,' Mrs Pentreath persisted. 'It's a
wonderful opportunity, for both of us. Surely you can bring
yourself to meet him halfway over it? You know how much it
would mean to me to be able to stay here. And Lyall won't be here
that much, you know. Van Guisen-Lyall is a world-wide
corporation. He'll have far more important things to occupy him
than us. We probably won't see him for weeks on end.'
Morgana sighed. 'There are other jobs,' she said gently. 'But I do
know how much Polzion means to you.'
'It does,' Elizabeth Pentreath said eagerly. 'Won't you try, for my
sake?'
Morgana was silent for a tortured moment, while through her mind
went all the very cogent reasons why she shouldn't spend a minute
longer in Lyall's company than she was forced to. And then she
saw her mother's face, suddenly small and vulnerable, her eyes
mirroring her anxiety and disappointment, as she waited for her
decision.
Impulsively she went to her mother's side and put an arm round
her shoulders.
'I'll try,' she said. 'I can't promise more than that, but I will try.'
'Bless you, darling!' Mrs Pentreath smiled mistily. 'You won't
regret it, I know.'
'Won't I?' Morgana's tone was ironic. 'I think that remains to be
seen.'
'And you'll come down for lunch now? We're having it in the
kitchen so that Lyall can talk to us.'
Morgana felt frankly as if food would choke her, but she knew her
mother would be upset if she refused to go downstairs, so she
acceded reluctantly and followed her out of the room.
Lyall was standing in the hall waiting as they came down the
stairs. Morgana avoided looking at him directly, but she was aware
just the same that he was watching her.
As her mother hurried on ahead, to make sure the preparations for
the meal were complete, Morgana felt his hand on her arm. He
said softly in her ear, 'My game, I think.'
She shrugged, still not meeting his gaze. 'But not the match. And I
warn you, I'll fight you at every step.'
She heard him laugh. He said, 'I wouldn't have it any other way,
little witch. It will make the eventual victory even more satisfying.'
'For one of us,' she said shortly.
His hand shot out, tangling in her hair, bringing her to halt with a
little cry of pain, and forcing her to face him. Mutinously she
stared up at him, loathing his sardonic smile and the frankly sexual
appraisal in his eyes.
'For both of us, Morgan le Fay,'
to help.'
'My God!' Morgana muttered blankly, and fell silent, remembering
her hasty assertion of concern.
Elizabeth Pentreath's mouth trembled. 'It would only be for a year,
darling. He promised that. He's having proper contracts drawn up
for Leonard Trevick to look at.'
'Then I hope he reads the small print.' Morgana's voice shook, and
she turned away.
'Lyall's trying to be kind.' Her mother's voice followed her. 'He's in
a difficult position. He feels very strongly that you should have a
breathing space here to decide what you want to do. He doesn't
think you should do anything hasty so soon after poor Daddy's
death.'
'Oh, that's so good of him,' Morgana said savagely. 'And his
motives are so pure, naturally.'
'Darling!' Mrs Pentreath shook her head bewilderedly. 'I don't feel
I know you when you're like this. Are you implying that Lyall has
some ulterior reason for making this offer?'
For a crazy moment, Morgana wondered what would happen if she
said baldy, 'He wants to seduce me.' But she couldn't say it. For
one thing, it would sound so utterly ridiculous. After all, she was a
girl of her own time, not a hysterical Victorian miss who couldn't
fend for herself.
She said quietly, 'I wouldn't know what his motives are, but I think
it's obvious that he hasn't made this offer out of the goodness of his
heart.'
'He is related to us,' Mrs Pentreath observed fairly.
'Very remotely, and I'm sure that old chestnut about blood being
thicker than water doesn't apply to him.' Morgana's tone was bitter.
'But he has made the gesture,' Mrs Pentreath persisted. 'It's a
wonderful opportunity, for both of us. Surely you can bring
yourself to meet him halfway over it? You know how much it
would mean to me to be able to stay here. And Lyall won't be here
that much, you know. Van Guisen-Lyall is a world-wide
corporation. He'll have far more important things to occupy him
than us. We probably won't see him for weeks on end.'
Morgana sighed. 'There are other jobs,' she said gently. 'But I do
know how much Polzion means to you.'
'It does,' Elizabeth Pentreath said eagerly. 'Won't you try, for my
sake?'
Morgana was silent for a tortured moment, while through her mind
went all the very cogent reasons why she shouldn't spend a minute
longer in Lyall's company than she was forced to. And then she
saw her mother's face, suddenly small and vulnerable, her eyes
mirroring her anxiety and disappointment, as she waited for her
decision.
Impulsively she went to her mother's side and put an arm round
her shoulders.
'I'll try,' she said. 'I can't promise more than that, but I will try.'
'Bless you, darling!' Mrs Pentreath smiled mistily. 'You won't
regret it, I know.'
'Won't I?' Morgana's tone was ironic. 'I think that remains to be
seen.'
'And you'll come down for lunch now? We're having it in the
kitchen so that Lyall can talk to us.'
Morgana felt frankly as if food would choke her, but she knew her
mother would be upset if she refused to go downstairs, so she
acceded reluctantly and followed her out of the room.
Lyall was standing in the hall waiting as they came down the
stairs. Morgana avoided looking at him directly, but she was aware
just the same that he was watching her.
As her mother hurried on ahead, to make sure the preparations for
the meal were complete, Morgana felt his hand on her arm. He
said softly in her ear, 'My game, I think.'
She shrugged, still not meeting his gaze. 'But not the match. And I
warn you, I'll fight you at every step.'
She heard him laugh. He said, 'I wouldn't have it any other way,
little witch. It will make the eventual victory even more satisfying.'
'For one of us,' she said shortly.
His hand shot out, tangling in her hair, bringing her to halt with a
little cry of pain, and forcing her to face him. Mutinously she
stared up at him, loathing his sardonic smile and the frankly sexual
appraisal in his eyes.
'For both of us, Morgan le Fay,'
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