His Diamond Bride by Lucy Gordon Page B

quarrel.
    Dee constantly braced herself for news of the engagement, but it never came. As the weeks passed, her nerves became more strained until it would almost have been a relief to know that he’d finally proposed to Sylvia, even set the date. If only it would happen soon, before she fell totally in love with him and it was too late.
    And all the time she knew she was fooling herself. The spark of love had ignited in her the night they’d met, but she’d been too inexperienced to know it. Over the next few days it had flared and grown stronger. Now it was already too late. It had always been too late. It had been too late from the first moment.
    Day after day, she waited for the axe to fall but, mysteriously, it never did.
    There wasn’t always time to worry about her own life. As the early months of 1939 passed, the news from Europe grew more ominous and war more likely. Hitler continued to invade weaker countries, annexing them in defiance of the Munich Agreement that he’d signed with Neville Chamberlain the previous September, until even Chamberlain announced that negotiations with him were impossible.
    â€˜Mark can’t talk about anything else,’ Sylvia said sulkily. ‘He’s set his heart on the Air Force, and he just takes it for granted that I’ll stick around.’
    â€˜But of course,’ Dee said, shocked. ‘You couldn’t leave him when he was doing his duty to his country.’
    â€˜To him it’s fun, not duty. I can’t even get his attention long enough to make him jealous.’
    â€˜Is that what you’ve been trying to do?’ Dee asked curiously.
    â€˜Just a little. It worked at New Year but—oh, I don’t know. I have to make him realise that I’m here and he’s got to notice me.’
    â€˜Don’t do anything stupid,’ Dee warned.
    Sylvia’s response was a wry look that she didn’t understand until later.
    Tom, the young man from three doors down who’d danced with Dee on New Year’s Eve, began to invite her out. Without encouraging him too much, she agreed to the odd trip to the cinema because she was blowed if she was going to spend her time pining for Mark Sellon, thank you very much!
    Tom wasn’t brainy, but he had a cheeky humour that appealed to her. Laughing with him wasn’t the same as laughing with Mark. There was none of the edgy excitement that made it so much more than humour. But Tom could tell a joke well, and they were chuckling together the night they arrived at her home to find Mark there, looking troubled.
    â€˜Is something the matter?’ Dee asked quickly.
    â€˜No, I’m just waiting for Sylvia. She’s a bit late tonight.’
    â€˜I thought she was meeting you in town,’ Dee said, frowning.
    â€˜Did she say that?’ Mark said easily. ‘I must have got it wrong. Sorry to trouble you.’ He was out of the door before they could reply.
    â€˜Your sister’s got them all running around after her,’ Tom said admiringly.
    â€˜Funny,’ Dee mused. ‘I’m sure she said she wasn’t coming home early. Oh, well.’
    Looking back, it was easy to see this as the first ominous sign. The second came later that night when Sylvia returned, beaming and cheerful, and seemed delighted to know Mark had been looking for her.
    â€˜Was he very upset?’
    â€˜He certainly wasn’t happy. Do you want him to be upset?’
    Sylvia shrugged. ‘It won’t do him any harm to worry about me for a change. He winks at every girl who passes.’
    â€˜But that’s just his way.’
    There was a brief pause before Sylvia said, ‘That’s what I used to believe, but now I think it’s more than just a bit of harmless fun. There’s something in him—something I can’t reach because he won’t let me. He seems so outgoing and friendly but it’s an illusion. He keeps the important part of