Holmes assured her. “To suggest that I am afraid!” She tossed her head. “If Pericles says I may start painting again then I shall do so!”
“I’ll buy some you paints next time I go to Athens,” he promised.
His mother was far from pleased. “I shall buy my own paints! Afraid! Why should I be afraid of my own son?” She gave Morag a look filled with malicious amusement. “If anyone is afraid, Morag Grant, it is you, and well you might be if you always behave so freely with young men as you did with Takis on the beach. If you were my daughter, you would spend the rest of the evening in your room to teach you to be more circumspect! Such a sight! I’ll leave you alone with Pericles and you can explain to him what you were doing!” She rapped Morag sharply over the knuckles with her open hand. “And then tell me you’re not afraid of him!” she added in a low fierce whisper, and laughed a laugh so like her son’s that Morag could only stare at her, hoping that Pericles hadn’t heard her.
But Pericles had. One look at the mocking expression on his face was enough to convince her of that!
“I - I think your mother would be much happier if she could paint again!”
“Yes, I think she might be.” “And Peggy needs to collect something. If she can’t collect stones there isn’t any reason why she shouldn’t collect stamps, is there?”
“None at all.”
“Then you don’t mind?” she pressed him.
“Did you think I would?”
“N-no.”
He came and sat down beside her. “Are you afraid of me, Morag?
She looked away from him. “Of course not!” The colour rose in her cheeks. “Your - your mother thinks that all women should be afraid of some man. But I am not! Why should I be?”
He sat back thrusting his legs out in front of him, looking the picture of ease and comfort. “Why are you?” he countered softly.
“I’m not - not really! I mean, it doesn’t matter to me what you think of me. I don’t have to stay here!”
She sought in vain for some kind of answer. “I don’t know!” She threaded her fingers together, giving vent to her feelings in the only way she could think of. “I-I’m n-not!” she asserted.
His hand closed over hers. “Not at all?” She could feel his amusement and wondered why he could be so heartless.
“Why should I be?” she compromised.
“My mother is not unobservant,” he remarked. He gave her a humorous look. “She likes you, did you know that?”
“She has a strange way of showing it! She needn’t have mentioned Takis at all!”
He laughed and put an arm round her shoulders, pulling her close to him. “If she hadn’t, I would have done. What did you mean, he’s like David?”
She tried to ignore the feel of his arm about her, but it was hard when she could hardly breathe, let alone move, in case he should take it away again.
“He looks like David when he smiles,” she said. He was silent for a long moment, then he said, “Morag, will you marry me?”
Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs. She struggled upwards, but
his arm pulled her back against him.
“Why?” she whispered.
“You can’t marry David - and I don’t suppose Takis
will oblige - ”
“Why should I want to marry Takis?” she burst out. “I didn’t want him to - to try to kiss me! I only meant that he likes to be admired and David did too! He couldn’t bear it if people ignored him.”
“Yet you loved him?”
She struggled with her conscience, more than half decided to lie to him. “I - I thought I did. I don’t think I know very much above love. He was nice, though, Perry, and very handsome - just like Takis!”
“I see,” he said.
“No, you don’t! I thought nothing mattered when he was dead. Nothing did matter!” She bit her lip. “I like it here. I don’t want to go home. They were glad when I left. They didn’t say so, of course. They didn’t have to! David would have taken me away from them - ”
“Then stay here and marry
“I’ll buy some you paints next time I go to Athens,” he promised.
His mother was far from pleased. “I shall buy my own paints! Afraid! Why should I be afraid of my own son?” She gave Morag a look filled with malicious amusement. “If anyone is afraid, Morag Grant, it is you, and well you might be if you always behave so freely with young men as you did with Takis on the beach. If you were my daughter, you would spend the rest of the evening in your room to teach you to be more circumspect! Such a sight! I’ll leave you alone with Pericles and you can explain to him what you were doing!” She rapped Morag sharply over the knuckles with her open hand. “And then tell me you’re not afraid of him!” she added in a low fierce whisper, and laughed a laugh so like her son’s that Morag could only stare at her, hoping that Pericles hadn’t heard her.
But Pericles had. One look at the mocking expression on his face was enough to convince her of that!
“I - I think your mother would be much happier if she could paint again!”
“Yes, I think she might be.” “And Peggy needs to collect something. If she can’t collect stones there isn’t any reason why she shouldn’t collect stamps, is there?”
“None at all.”
“Then you don’t mind?” she pressed him.
“Did you think I would?”
“N-no.”
He came and sat down beside her. “Are you afraid of me, Morag?
She looked away from him. “Of course not!” The colour rose in her cheeks. “Your - your mother thinks that all women should be afraid of some man. But I am not! Why should I be?”
He sat back thrusting his legs out in front of him, looking the picture of ease and comfort. “Why are you?” he countered softly.
“I’m not - not really! I mean, it doesn’t matter to me what you think of me. I don’t have to stay here!”
She sought in vain for some kind of answer. “I don’t know!” She threaded her fingers together, giving vent to her feelings in the only way she could think of. “I-I’m n-not!” she asserted.
His hand closed over hers. “Not at all?” She could feel his amusement and wondered why he could be so heartless.
“Why should I be?” she compromised.
“My mother is not unobservant,” he remarked. He gave her a humorous look. “She likes you, did you know that?”
“She has a strange way of showing it! She needn’t have mentioned Takis at all!”
He laughed and put an arm round her shoulders, pulling her close to him. “If she hadn’t, I would have done. What did you mean, he’s like David?”
She tried to ignore the feel of his arm about her, but it was hard when she could hardly breathe, let alone move, in case he should take it away again.
“He looks like David when he smiles,” she said. He was silent for a long moment, then he said, “Morag, will you marry me?”
Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs. She struggled upwards, but
his arm pulled her back against him.
“Why?” she whispered.
“You can’t marry David - and I don’t suppose Takis
will oblige - ”
“Why should I want to marry Takis?” she burst out. “I didn’t want him to - to try to kiss me! I only meant that he likes to be admired and David did too! He couldn’t bear it if people ignored him.”
“Yet you loved him?”
She struggled with her conscience, more than half decided to lie to him. “I - I thought I did. I don’t think I know very much above love. He was nice, though, Perry, and very handsome - just like Takis!”
“I see,” he said.
“No, you don’t! I thought nothing mattered when he was dead. Nothing did matter!” She bit her lip. “I like it here. I don’t want to go home. They were glad when I left. They didn’t say so, of course. They didn’t have to! David would have taken me away from them - ”
“Then stay here and marry
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