only because they could go right away out of one another’s lives and never see one another again! If they married they would stay together always ... Or so he had said!
“Backing out, Chloe?” he asked, regarding her queerly. She shook her head. She tightened her fingers about the ones that were holding hers, and holding them very strongly.
“No ... No, Pierre! I don’t want to back out! Let us ... be married. It was what your aunt wanted above everything else, apparently!”
CHAPTER THREE
The next morning Eunice came for her in a spectacular long cream car, and within a matter of a quarter of an hour or so she had been whisked away from Trelas and was passing beneath a white archway into the courtyard of another house clinging to the edge of a cliff.
At the moment of Chloe’s arrival with Eunice, David was standing on the terrace that was rather like a platform poised in space, but he came quickly to greet her, and although his greeting was warm, his eyes were reproachful.
“Chloe, what is this?” he demanded. “ All this talk about your marrying? You can’t be engaged as suddenly as this, and in any case I won’t have it!” His hands were warm and strong, and Chloe felt tempted to cling to them suddenly. They were the hands of a man she could trust—a man she had known since she was in her early teens—and although his station in life and hers had always seemed far apart, now his vivid blue eyes were telling her things as they gazed down into her green ones, and there was no doubt about it, he was intensely concerned.
“Chloe, that old woman Albertin is at the back of this, isn’t she? I always knew she was a schemer! And, in any case, you can’t marry a Frenchman!”
Chloe felt the nervous tension creeping back to her throat, making it noticeable when she swallowed, and the muscles tautened, and she knew that she dared not meet the eyes of either David or his sister—certainly not Eunice’s, for they were the shrewdest eyes she had ever encountered in her life, and in spite of their beauty they had a disturbing hardness—while she discussed Pierre. He was a subject she was going to find it terribly difficult to discuss in any case, but now that she was being subjected to a close and persistent scrutiny, and direct questions were being put to her, she was desperately afraid that she would give away the truth.
They would find out for themselves eventually, of course, for such things as wills were published, and speculation and comment would be everybody’s right; but for the time being Pierre hoped to keep the truth back from those who might be genuinely interested, and he was visiting the solicitor that morning with the object of trying to pull wool over people’s eyes for a little while, at least.
“You forget that I’ve heard about Pierre—heard about constantly!—for months,” she said, looking anywhere but at her hosts. “Madame Albertin was so fond of him that he was her favourite subject, and it’s not really so surprising that—when he came — ”
Chloe looked down into her drink, and David said sharply.
“She isn’t the Vicomtesse de Ramballe yet, and until I’ve had a good talk with Chloe I shall decline to believe that there’s even a remote possibility that she’s going to be,” he said.
Eunice looked at him a trifle pityingly, and then shrugged her shapely shoulders.
“Afraid you’ll have to get used to the idea, brother dear, whether or not you have your cosy talk with Chloe! The Vicomte is coming here to dinner tonight, and I’m sure he’ll do his best to convince you. His own mind seems to be very much made up, and Chloe and I are going shopping for the wedding immediately. By the way, Chloe,” looking at her through slightly slanting eyes, “I can let you have some cash, you know, if you want it. You won't want to feel too dependent on Pierre, will you, and borrow from him? Bad enough when you’re married and he has to provide you with every penny
“Backing out, Chloe?” he asked, regarding her queerly. She shook her head. She tightened her fingers about the ones that were holding hers, and holding them very strongly.
“No ... No, Pierre! I don’t want to back out! Let us ... be married. It was what your aunt wanted above everything else, apparently!”
CHAPTER THREE
The next morning Eunice came for her in a spectacular long cream car, and within a matter of a quarter of an hour or so she had been whisked away from Trelas and was passing beneath a white archway into the courtyard of another house clinging to the edge of a cliff.
At the moment of Chloe’s arrival with Eunice, David was standing on the terrace that was rather like a platform poised in space, but he came quickly to greet her, and although his greeting was warm, his eyes were reproachful.
“Chloe, what is this?” he demanded. “ All this talk about your marrying? You can’t be engaged as suddenly as this, and in any case I won’t have it!” His hands were warm and strong, and Chloe felt tempted to cling to them suddenly. They were the hands of a man she could trust—a man she had known since she was in her early teens—and although his station in life and hers had always seemed far apart, now his vivid blue eyes were telling her things as they gazed down into her green ones, and there was no doubt about it, he was intensely concerned.
“Chloe, that old woman Albertin is at the back of this, isn’t she? I always knew she was a schemer! And, in any case, you can’t marry a Frenchman!”
Chloe felt the nervous tension creeping back to her throat, making it noticeable when she swallowed, and the muscles tautened, and she knew that she dared not meet the eyes of either David or his sister—certainly not Eunice’s, for they were the shrewdest eyes she had ever encountered in her life, and in spite of their beauty they had a disturbing hardness—while she discussed Pierre. He was a subject she was going to find it terribly difficult to discuss in any case, but now that she was being subjected to a close and persistent scrutiny, and direct questions were being put to her, she was desperately afraid that she would give away the truth.
They would find out for themselves eventually, of course, for such things as wills were published, and speculation and comment would be everybody’s right; but for the time being Pierre hoped to keep the truth back from those who might be genuinely interested, and he was visiting the solicitor that morning with the object of trying to pull wool over people’s eyes for a little while, at least.
“You forget that I’ve heard about Pierre—heard about constantly!—for months,” she said, looking anywhere but at her hosts. “Madame Albertin was so fond of him that he was her favourite subject, and it’s not really so surprising that—when he came — ”
Chloe looked down into her drink, and David said sharply.
“She isn’t the Vicomtesse de Ramballe yet, and until I’ve had a good talk with Chloe I shall decline to believe that there’s even a remote possibility that she’s going to be,” he said.
Eunice looked at him a trifle pityingly, and then shrugged her shapely shoulders.
“Afraid you’ll have to get used to the idea, brother dear, whether or not you have your cosy talk with Chloe! The Vicomte is coming here to dinner tonight, and I’m sure he’ll do his best to convince you. His own mind seems to be very much made up, and Chloe and I are going shopping for the wedding immediately. By the way, Chloe,” looking at her through slightly slanting eyes, “I can let you have some cash, you know, if you want it. You won't want to feel too dependent on Pierre, will you, and borrow from him? Bad enough when you’re married and he has to provide you with every penny
Similar Books
