through her heart.
“He is? Well,
I’m very happy for him. He is a good man, despite his pedigree, and I know you
would never behave in a way that was immoral.”
Bella waited,
sensing Andrew had something else to say. “But that’s not all, dearest. They
say you’ve taken on a Chinese man to help on the vineyard. You know the Chinese
are very unpopular here. The problem is so serious, they’ve had to bring in a
law to get rid of them.”
“Everyone who’s
skin is not whiter than white is unpopular here,” said Bella. “Shen is a good,
hard-working man. But it should comfort you to know he’s at least sixty years
old and already married, so you’ve no worries on that score.”
“Now, don’t be
facetious, dearest.”
Bella folded her
arms. She was getting shrewish again and hated herself for it. “I suppose May
is going to be next on your list.”
“She’s…”
“Family.”
“She’s not my
family.”
“Well, she’s
mine. I wouldn’t be eating if not for her.”
“She’s done
little for me.”
“You mean she
hasn’t financed your gambling. If she’d done that, you’d care very little about
her personal preferences. The truth is, Andrew, you don’t like May because
she’s not a woman you can twist around your little finger.”
“I’ll ignore
that. All I want you to think about is that if you were sensible, you could be
married to a powerful man. You have the beauty and the brains.”
Bella’s eyes
widened as realisation took hold. She remembered Andrew saying that he had some
business with Griffiths. “Is that what all this is about? Griffiths?”
“He’s very taken
with you.”
“The feeling
isn’t mutual.”
“You know people
in our position seldom marry for love. That comes later.”
“I can promise
you, Andrew, that I will never love Mister Griffiths now or later.”
“That’s a pity,
because he asked me and I said I’d approach you on his behalf.”
“In that case,
it’s a definite no. I would never marry a man who didn’t have the courage to
tell me how he felt himself, instead of using my brother as a medium.”
“Let us put that
aside for now, dearest. You probably just need time to get used to the idea.”
Andrew tied the reins to the buggy, but made no move to get down. “Bella, you
haven’t told anyone the truth have you?”
“The truth?”
“You know. About
the vineyard.”
“No. I don’t
know if May knows, but she hasn’t said anything.”
“Good, because
I’d rather people didn’t know. A man has to keep some pride, especially around
here.”
“I told you
before we came that it makes no difference to me.”
“Well it
wouldn’t, would it? After all …”
There was a low
cough behind them. Bella turned in her seat to see Vance standing at the side
of the buggy. “Good evening.”
“Good evening,”
she whispered, wondering how much he had heard. “You have a dreadful habit of
sneaking up on people,” she said lightly, forcing a smile. It hurt her to
realise that she enjoyed her time in America much more when her brother was
absent.
“It must be my
pedigree,” he said, glancing at Andrew. Bella’s heart hung heavily in her
chest. So he had heard. “Here, let me help you down.”
He lifted her
from the buggy in one easy movement, his strong hands warm through the thin
fabric of her gown. “You look very nice tonight, Miss Tennyson.” Bella wondered
why she had suddenly become Miss Tennyson to him. He let her go so quickly it
was as if she had burned his hands.
“Thank you …
Mister Eagleson,” she said, not sure if she wanted to cry. Did he think she was
as bigoted as her brother? “You look very nice too.”
He wore a black
suit, with a crisp white shirt with a black shoestring tie and stood head and
shoulders above every other man in the vicinity.
“So,” said
Andrew, who had climbed down from the buggy and walked around to them. “When
are we going to meet the lucky lady, Vance?” He seemed unaware
“He is? Well,
I’m very happy for him. He is a good man, despite his pedigree, and I know you
would never behave in a way that was immoral.”
Bella waited,
sensing Andrew had something else to say. “But that’s not all, dearest. They
say you’ve taken on a Chinese man to help on the vineyard. You know the Chinese
are very unpopular here. The problem is so serious, they’ve had to bring in a
law to get rid of them.”
“Everyone who’s
skin is not whiter than white is unpopular here,” said Bella. “Shen is a good,
hard-working man. But it should comfort you to know he’s at least sixty years
old and already married, so you’ve no worries on that score.”
“Now, don’t be
facetious, dearest.”
Bella folded her
arms. She was getting shrewish again and hated herself for it. “I suppose May
is going to be next on your list.”
“She’s…”
“Family.”
“She’s not my
family.”
“Well, she’s
mine. I wouldn’t be eating if not for her.”
“She’s done
little for me.”
“You mean she
hasn’t financed your gambling. If she’d done that, you’d care very little about
her personal preferences. The truth is, Andrew, you don’t like May because
she’s not a woman you can twist around your little finger.”
“I’ll ignore
that. All I want you to think about is that if you were sensible, you could be
married to a powerful man. You have the beauty and the brains.”
Bella’s eyes
widened as realisation took hold. She remembered Andrew saying that he had some
business with Griffiths. “Is that what all this is about? Griffiths?”
“He’s very taken
with you.”
“The feeling
isn’t mutual.”
“You know people
in our position seldom marry for love. That comes later.”
“I can promise
you, Andrew, that I will never love Mister Griffiths now or later.”
“That’s a pity,
because he asked me and I said I’d approach you on his behalf.”
“In that case,
it’s a definite no. I would never marry a man who didn’t have the courage to
tell me how he felt himself, instead of using my brother as a medium.”
“Let us put that
aside for now, dearest. You probably just need time to get used to the idea.”
Andrew tied the reins to the buggy, but made no move to get down. “Bella, you
haven’t told anyone the truth have you?”
“The truth?”
“You know. About
the vineyard.”
“No. I don’t
know if May knows, but she hasn’t said anything.”
“Good, because
I’d rather people didn’t know. A man has to keep some pride, especially around
here.”
“I told you
before we came that it makes no difference to me.”
“Well it
wouldn’t, would it? After all …”
There was a low
cough behind them. Bella turned in her seat to see Vance standing at the side
of the buggy. “Good evening.”
“Good evening,”
she whispered, wondering how much he had heard. “You have a dreadful habit of
sneaking up on people,” she said lightly, forcing a smile. It hurt her to
realise that she enjoyed her time in America much more when her brother was
absent.
“It must be my
pedigree,” he said, glancing at Andrew. Bella’s heart hung heavily in her
chest. So he had heard. “Here, let me help you down.”
He lifted her
from the buggy in one easy movement, his strong hands warm through the thin
fabric of her gown. “You look very nice tonight, Miss Tennyson.” Bella wondered
why she had suddenly become Miss Tennyson to him. He let her go so quickly it
was as if she had burned his hands.
“Thank you …
Mister Eagleson,” she said, not sure if she wanted to cry. Did he think she was
as bigoted as her brother? “You look very nice too.”
He wore a black
suit, with a crisp white shirt with a black shoestring tie and stood head and
shoulders above every other man in the vicinity.
“So,” said
Andrew, who had climbed down from the buggy and walked around to them. “When
are we going to meet the lucky lady, Vance?” He seemed unaware
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