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sounded anxious, to Melanie's ears. It never occurred to her that he
might be carelessly indifferent as to how Romaine should spend her
time.
'Yes, I might do that,' languidly from Romaine, whose lovely eyes
were resting on Luke's face. 'Then I shall feel brighter when your
friends come this evening for a sundowner.'
'Friends--?' Melanie glanced at Luke. 'You have friends coming in
this evening?' She felt hurt that he had not mentioned this to her but
yet had done so to Romaine. 'Who are they?'
'Charles and Jancis, and one or two others. You've met them all at the
Club.' He was subjecting her to a searching scrutiny and she did
wonder if he noticed the dark rings under her eyes which, a few
minutes previously, she had endeavoured to camouflage by the
application of a little face powder. Her eyes, she knew, still wore that
dull expression and altogether she felt glaringly inferior to her
beautiful sister. That Luke must be aware of this played so deeply on
her mind that she retreated into a sort of defensive silence which was
maintained throughout the drive into Rayneburg and when the car
was parked Luke turned to her and said, his eyes narrowed and faintly
cold,
'What's wrong with you, Melanie? Why the protective armour again?
I believed I'd broken through it, but now you're right back to where
you were at the beginning.'
'I'm all right.' Unconsciously she injected a note of aggression into
her voice. 'I don't know why you should trouble yourself about me
and my my moods.'
''Moods is certainly right.' He looked away for a second to where
Deborah was standing, staring at a dog that was sitting in the back of
one of the parked cars. 'Snap out of it,' he said, and this was almost an
order, spoken with an authoritative inflection in his voice. 'Romaine
won't be here much longer, if that is what's upsetting you.'
'She won't?'
'No, she won't.' Frowning at her, Luke added, 'Why do you ask that?'
'Deborah seemed to think that she was staying for some time.'
His eyes opened wide.
'It's the first I've heard of it. As far as I'm concerned she leaves
immediately the doctor declares her to be fit to be moved.'
'You don't believe she's fit to be moved now?'
'I do, but I can't very well order her out, can I?' He sounded impatient
and his mouth had hardened. Undoubtedly he was not feeling in the
best of moods himself. 'The doctor will call tomorrow and I
hope will say that Romaine can leave for the hotel in Rayneburg.'
Melanie said nothing; she was mentally listless, so convinced that
Romaine had already progressed more than half-way towards her
object of drawing Luke's interest to herself. Luke sighed impatiently
at her silence and, calling Deborah to him, took her hand and began to
stride away towards the street in which the shops and the bank were
situated.
'Shall I take Deborah?' asked Melanie as they came from the car park
into the tree-lined road. 'You'll be better able to do your shopping
then.'
'Have you anything to buy?'
'One or two items, yes.'
'Very well.' He arranged to meet them at the hotel, where, he said,
they would have afternoon tea. His tones were curt, his whole manner
aloof. Melanie told herself that he had not adopted such an attitude
with her sister. No, with Romaine he would be all softness and
concern, just as he was when asking if she would like to rest in her
room during the afternoon.
'Can we go to the toy shop?' Deborah wanted to know when Luke had
left them. 'I want to buy some chairs for my dolls' house.'
This was a pleasurable task and Melanie entered into it with
enthusiasm. There were several types of chairs from which to choose
and both she and Deborah took some time to make up their minds. In
the end both agreed that the upholstered ones were the best, but when
it came to paying Melanie found to her discomfort that she had not
enough money; she had left her purse at home and all she had with her
was a small sum which had been dropped into the centre pocket of her
handbag.
'We'll come back,' she was saying, when she became aware of Robin
standing at the end of the counter, his face turned towards her, his
ears alert. 'The little girl's uncle will pay--'
'Allow me to pay!' Robin took a few steps to reduce the distance
between them. 'I have a note here. Is it sufficient?'
Melanie was shaking her head, but the assistant had already taken the
note.
'I prefer to wait,' she snapped. 'Luke will pay.'
'Melanie, please let me pay. It's for the child, not for you.'
She turned from him and said, 'I want nothing to do with you, Robin.
I shall be obliged if you'd go away.'
He remained at her side.
'I love you,' he said simply, and there was no mistaking the catch in
his voice. 'For God's sake, give me another chance! I've been through
purgatory these past couple of days.'
She turned then, and flooding over her was the memory of the happy
days they had spent together. She recalled those week-ends when she
had become so welcome a guest at his parents' home. Having no
home or parents of her own she had been ever grateful for the security
which those week-ends had provided. She had had an anchor at that
time; now she had nothing and she floundered, lonely and dejected.
Robin seemed suddenly to be a straw to which she could cling ... a
straw that could perhaps lead her to the anchor for which she craved.
'It could never be quite the same,' she murmured, not meaning him to
hear this uttering of her thoughts. 'One can never completely mend a
break such as that--'
'I love you,' he repeated, and although this time there was a distinct
note of eagerness and hope in his words he was careful to hold back
any trace of confidence that might otherwise have crept into his
voice. 'That, surely, is the important thing.'
She looked into his eyes and said with a deep and trembling sigh,
'I don't love you, Robin not any more.'
He swallowed hard.
'You did once and you can again,' he stated. 'I'd take the chance on it,
Melanie.'
'I can never love you not now.' Her thoughts flew to Luke and she
knew that he and he only could have won her heart completely.
'The lady's giving you your change.' Deborah, tugging at his trouser
leg, brought Robin's attention from Melanie and he held out his hand
for the money the assistant was offering him. He thanked her,
speaking well above the whisper he had been using when speaking to
Melanie. 'Shall we go now?' asked Deborah, her small parcel clutched
in her hand. 'I'm ready for my tea.'
'It's too early yet.' Melanie smiled down at her and took hold of her
hand. 'We'll go and do my shopping and then it might be time to meet
Uncle Luke.'
'May I come along with you?' Robin's voice pleaded and, unable to
infuse him, Melanie said yes, he could come along with them.
'This evening,' he was saying about an hour later when, the shopping
finished, they were on their way to the hotel. 'Will you let me take you
to the Club? There's a dance on, and you do remember how we used
to enjoy dancing together.' He stopped rather abruptly as he noticed
the sudden stiffening of Melanie's features. 'That wasn't tactful, was
it? I'm sorry, dear, if I brought back memories that hurt.'
That, she thought, was even less tactful, but she made allowances for
his present emotional condition. He was unsure as to whether or not
she would in the end be persuaded to take him back, to promise that
she would try to recapture the happiness that had been theirs before
Romaine had decided that she wanted Robin, as she had previously
wanted Giles.
'I don't think I want to go to the dance this evening,' she said after a
long moment of indecision. 'I feel I ought not to make any
arrangements without consulting Luke.'
'Luke? But surely he doesn't control your evenings your leisure
time?'
'No, of course not--' She trailed off, reflecting that of late the evenings
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