you have to say that ?' hissed Megan. 'Now he's bound to think you're up to no good. Oh, dear !'
From the silence outside, Alain had gone to retrieve the key.
Ten minutes later they were standing outside the pavilion. Megan looked around for Chas. 'He's home,' Alain said curtly. 'I took him when I collected the key.'
`Oh,' said Megan. 'Did you hear him howling? He really is a clever dog, he wouldn't leave us.'
`It was just as well he didn't,' said Alain sourly. `I called on Mrs. Jones and she told me you weren't back.' He looked hard at Ray. 'What were you doing in the pavilion anyway ?'
Ray spoke casually, but Megan sensed he did not like the way the question had been asked. 'My fault entirely,' he said mildly. 'I wanted to see the inside.'
`Did you now ?' said Main, a wealth of meaning in his voice.
Megan started. Main's stance looked forbidding; he was spoiling for a fight. 'And I stupidly didn't
remind him to leave the door on the catch,' she said quickly. She then attempted to bring a light note into the strained atmosphere. 'It's all right, Alain,' she said airily, 'Ray did offer to make an honest woman of me if we had to stay the night.'
Instead of helping, it appeared to make things worse. 'It's as well I called on Mrs. Jones, then, isn't it?' Main said through clenched teeth. He looked at Ray. 'Megan,' he said quietly, 'is apt to let her tongue run away with her. I can only advise you not to take her seriously.'
Megan gasped and glared at Main. 'In other words I'm a liar, am I ?' she ground out.
Ray answered smoothly, but Megan knew he was grinning. 'I can assure you I have our Megan weighed up,' he said infuriatingly, 'and I'm much too fond of her to take advantage of her, if that's what you had in mind,' he added quietly, then turned to her. 'Come on, I'll see you home.'
Main barred the way. 'Thank you, Mr. Hallett, I'll see Megan back. I want a word with her father.'
To Megan's sensitive ears, this sounded ominous. `Father's got company,' she said quickly. 'Ray's going my way and I'm not in the mood for a lecture,' she added belligerently.
`In that case, we'll both see you home,' said Main determinedly.
One on either side of her, they started off. Megan
felt awful, like a small girl who had been caught out in some dreadful misdemeanour, now being marched to the headmistress's office by the prefect. It was an uncomfortable journey. Ray had tried once or twice to introduce a casual topic of conversation, mostly addressed to Megan and once to Alain, the result being an offhand answer bordering on a deliberate snub.
Megan marvelled at Ray's patience, and had a feeling that he was only biding his time until she was out of earshot before giving Alain a piece of his mind. She wished fervently she could be present. It would make a nice change for Alain to be on the receiving end. To think she had longed for him to be home again.! She had forgotten the way he used to treat her as a small child, and the way he used to order her around. She had got used to her independence, and here he was trying to take up where he had left off. Well, she wasn't going to let him! It would be a good thing when he married Iris, she thought crossly. Iris would not let him spend his time harassing her; she wasn't one to take a back seat.
When they reached Megan's home, Alain did not carry out his threat of seeing her father. He might, of course, have changed his mind after she told him he had a visitor—on the other hand, Megan had a feeling he had sensed Ray's determination to have things out. Knowing Alain, Megan was sure he would
welcome such a confrontation with relish. She devoutly hoped it would not come to a fight between them, for she was very fond of both of them and it was all so ridiculous.
She resisted the temptation to stand back a little way in the hall after the door had closed on her. If they had it out there and then, she could have heard what was said, but Megan was no eavesdropper and she went to her room
From the silence outside, Alain had gone to retrieve the key.
Ten minutes later they were standing outside the pavilion. Megan looked around for Chas. 'He's home,' Alain said curtly. 'I took him when I collected the key.'
`Oh,' said Megan. 'Did you hear him howling? He really is a clever dog, he wouldn't leave us.'
`It was just as well he didn't,' said Alain sourly. `I called on Mrs. Jones and she told me you weren't back.' He looked hard at Ray. 'What were you doing in the pavilion anyway ?'
Ray spoke casually, but Megan sensed he did not like the way the question had been asked. 'My fault entirely,' he said mildly. 'I wanted to see the inside.'
`Did you now ?' said Main, a wealth of meaning in his voice.
Megan started. Main's stance looked forbidding; he was spoiling for a fight. 'And I stupidly didn't
remind him to leave the door on the catch,' she said quickly. She then attempted to bring a light note into the strained atmosphere. 'It's all right, Alain,' she said airily, 'Ray did offer to make an honest woman of me if we had to stay the night.'
Instead of helping, it appeared to make things worse. 'It's as well I called on Mrs. Jones, then, isn't it?' Main said through clenched teeth. He looked at Ray. 'Megan,' he said quietly, 'is apt to let her tongue run away with her. I can only advise you not to take her seriously.'
Megan gasped and glared at Main. 'In other words I'm a liar, am I ?' she ground out.
Ray answered smoothly, but Megan knew he was grinning. 'I can assure you I have our Megan weighed up,' he said infuriatingly, 'and I'm much too fond of her to take advantage of her, if that's what you had in mind,' he added quietly, then turned to her. 'Come on, I'll see you home.'
Main barred the way. 'Thank you, Mr. Hallett, I'll see Megan back. I want a word with her father.'
To Megan's sensitive ears, this sounded ominous. `Father's got company,' she said quickly. 'Ray's going my way and I'm not in the mood for a lecture,' she added belligerently.
`In that case, we'll both see you home,' said Main determinedly.
One on either side of her, they started off. Megan
felt awful, like a small girl who had been caught out in some dreadful misdemeanour, now being marched to the headmistress's office by the prefect. It was an uncomfortable journey. Ray had tried once or twice to introduce a casual topic of conversation, mostly addressed to Megan and once to Alain, the result being an offhand answer bordering on a deliberate snub.
Megan marvelled at Ray's patience, and had a feeling that he was only biding his time until she was out of earshot before giving Alain a piece of his mind. She wished fervently she could be present. It would make a nice change for Alain to be on the receiving end. To think she had longed for him to be home again.! She had forgotten the way he used to treat her as a small child, and the way he used to order her around. She had got used to her independence, and here he was trying to take up where he had left off. Well, she wasn't going to let him! It would be a good thing when he married Iris, she thought crossly. Iris would not let him spend his time harassing her; she wasn't one to take a back seat.
When they reached Megan's home, Alain did not carry out his threat of seeing her father. He might, of course, have changed his mind after she told him he had a visitor—on the other hand, Megan had a feeling he had sensed Ray's determination to have things out. Knowing Alain, Megan was sure he would
welcome such a confrontation with relish. She devoutly hoped it would not come to a fight between them, for she was very fond of both of them and it was all so ridiculous.
She resisted the temptation to stand back a little way in the hall after the door had closed on her. If they had it out there and then, she could have heard what was said, but Megan was no eavesdropper and she went to her room
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