point of bursting into leaf. Green grass showed itself under the hedge bottoms and he thought to himself how fresh and lovely the
countryside looked.
Mary’s mind whirled. Duret’s short letter had upset her dreadfully. After her row with Victor le Page she had endeavoured to push him from her mind but, always before she fell
asleep, she had been aghast to see his handsome face loom in her memory. Then Duret’s letter had arrived saying all was quiet on the front at the moment. He had enclosed a short poem and it
was this that worried Mary. Try as she might, she had been unable to make head or tail of it. It did not rhyme, it lacked sense and sudden doubts had arisen about Duret. There had been no mention
of wedding plans for which she had been thankful, yet piqued. Now that she was on his island, did he presume it was all settled? Had she failed to make him understand that their engagement was
simply a loose arrangement? She knew she had to talk to someone or she would burst and who else was there but Sam?
She flashed a look at him and he caught it, lifting an eyebrow in a silent question.
‘Homesick?’ he asked gently.
‘I wish it were as simple as that,’ Mary sighed miserably as they reached the far hedge and a five-barred gate.
Sam stopped and leaned against the gate to face her. Mary looked towards him with misery in her eyes. Two cows in the field stared back at her with great interest and one lowed a question,
thought better of it and went back to chewing her cud.
Mary took a deep breath. ‘I think I may have fallen in love with someone else, Sam!’ she blurted out and waited with considerable trepidation.
Sam was taken aback with shock. This was something he had never expected in his wildest thoughts. He paused to sort out delicate words that would neither encourage nor condemn.
‘It’s someone I met the day after I arrived here and we met twice in the one day. On the last occasion we had a thundering row yet—’ her voice tailed away for a moment.
‘I cannot get him out of my mind. There is something about him which attracts me. I am drawn to him against my will and do nothing but think of
him
—not Duret.’
Sam took a deep breath and considered all this. ‘What about Duret and your feelings for him?’
Mary’s shoulders sagged unhappily. ‘The trouble is, Sam, although I like Duret and wear his ring, I do not love him. I’m under some moral duress. He was so begging, so winsome
and I wanted to get right away from England so I agreed to become engaged though I did make it clear that this arrangement was a loose one, capable of being broken by either party at any time.
Certainly nothing would be decided until after the war. Probably I acted wrongly but it’s done now. I’ve had a short note from Duret and, reading between the lines, it all appears to be
settled by him. It’s as if he’s taken it—and me—for granted. He sent me a poem which I cannot understand. What kind of person is he, really?’
Sam turned away, disturbed now. He could feel her eyes riveted on him for the truth.
He turned back with a sigh and little shake of his head. ‘Duret? He’s a dreamer. He wanders through each day in a different world to us and he’s always been like that—the
complete opposite to his dead brother Charles. If Duret had not been such a dreamer he could have done better at school because he is no fool. It was the same with girls here before he joined up.
You’ll have gathered now that young Noyen is a good, financial catch for any girl but Duret was incapable of seeing this even when a girl flung herself at him,’ he explained
carefully.
Mary frowned with bewilderment. ‘As soon as he saw me, he chased me with a vengeance. I made no running!’
‘Is that so?’ Sam replied and looked at her anew. ‘Well, knowing Duret as I do, he was paying you the highest compliment. Naturally you could not appreciate this, lacking the
background. You have that magical something
countryside looked.
Mary’s mind whirled. Duret’s short letter had upset her dreadfully. After her row with Victor le Page she had endeavoured to push him from her mind but, always before she fell
asleep, she had been aghast to see his handsome face loom in her memory. Then Duret’s letter had arrived saying all was quiet on the front at the moment. He had enclosed a short poem and it
was this that worried Mary. Try as she might, she had been unable to make head or tail of it. It did not rhyme, it lacked sense and sudden doubts had arisen about Duret. There had been no mention
of wedding plans for which she had been thankful, yet piqued. Now that she was on his island, did he presume it was all settled? Had she failed to make him understand that their engagement was
simply a loose arrangement? She knew she had to talk to someone or she would burst and who else was there but Sam?
She flashed a look at him and he caught it, lifting an eyebrow in a silent question.
‘Homesick?’ he asked gently.
‘I wish it were as simple as that,’ Mary sighed miserably as they reached the far hedge and a five-barred gate.
Sam stopped and leaned against the gate to face her. Mary looked towards him with misery in her eyes. Two cows in the field stared back at her with great interest and one lowed a question,
thought better of it and went back to chewing her cud.
Mary took a deep breath. ‘I think I may have fallen in love with someone else, Sam!’ she blurted out and waited with considerable trepidation.
Sam was taken aback with shock. This was something he had never expected in his wildest thoughts. He paused to sort out delicate words that would neither encourage nor condemn.
‘It’s someone I met the day after I arrived here and we met twice in the one day. On the last occasion we had a thundering row yet—’ her voice tailed away for a moment.
‘I cannot get him out of my mind. There is something about him which attracts me. I am drawn to him against my will and do nothing but think of
him
—not Duret.’
Sam took a deep breath and considered all this. ‘What about Duret and your feelings for him?’
Mary’s shoulders sagged unhappily. ‘The trouble is, Sam, although I like Duret and wear his ring, I do not love him. I’m under some moral duress. He was so begging, so winsome
and I wanted to get right away from England so I agreed to become engaged though I did make it clear that this arrangement was a loose one, capable of being broken by either party at any time.
Certainly nothing would be decided until after the war. Probably I acted wrongly but it’s done now. I’ve had a short note from Duret and, reading between the lines, it all appears to be
settled by him. It’s as if he’s taken it—and me—for granted. He sent me a poem which I cannot understand. What kind of person is he, really?’
Sam turned away, disturbed now. He could feel her eyes riveted on him for the truth.
He turned back with a sigh and little shake of his head. ‘Duret? He’s a dreamer. He wanders through each day in a different world to us and he’s always been like that—the
complete opposite to his dead brother Charles. If Duret had not been such a dreamer he could have done better at school because he is no fool. It was the same with girls here before he joined up.
You’ll have gathered now that young Noyen is a good, financial catch for any girl but Duret was incapable of seeing this even when a girl flung herself at him,’ he explained
carefully.
Mary frowned with bewilderment. ‘As soon as he saw me, he chased me with a vengeance. I made no running!’
‘Is that so?’ Sam replied and looked at her anew. ‘Well, knowing Duret as I do, he was paying you the highest compliment. Naturally you could not appreciate this, lacking the
background. You have that magical something
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