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correspondingly, until now it barely exists. Rosana pretends it does a
little, perhaps, because it's an old friend, and it helped her in her time
of need. But now She's more than able to stand on her own two feet
again, and we'll find she will do just that, with dignity, when the time
comes. Which it has. Do you understand, sweetheart ?"
Ginny nodded. With understanding came a sincere and adult
compassion for Rosana and what she had been through.
"Yes, I do see, Jas. I understand much better now. Little Mona has had
rather a miserable time over it all, hasn't she? But it will be better
now."
"Much better all round," he asserted positively. "You will find Rosana
will build up a much more intimate and affectionate relationship with
her, as I drop but of the scene."
He stood up, leaning over her, his eyes on her upturned face.
"I'll have to go back, darling. Wait for me at Billoola. The house is safe
now, and so are those trees. It's a mere matter of time before we have
the fire out altogether, but until then I'll have to be there. We caught it
up at the top, as we'd hoped. One can always get at it so much better
when it's burning side-on and the front is reduced. The countryside
looks black and ravaged just now, I know, but when rain comes the
grass will appear sweeter than ever. A bush-fire has a curiously
cleansing effect on grassland, and it comes up really lush afterwards.
I'm not belittling the devastation it causes when I say that. It's the loss
of feed and fencing that's the curse in a season like this. Those trees,
though, it would have cost them their lives, and years of work and
clearance to replant and bring the next ones to this stage again."
He drew her tenderly into his arms.
"Darling, I've some apologies to make before I go back out there -
about several things," he admitted gruffly. "I've wanted to say this for
some time, and then I thought there was no point in speaking at all,
when you seemed to be so wrapped up in that Barratt chap. Most of my
misapprehensions about you were the result of sheer, blind jealousy.
That very first day, when we had our skirmish in the sea, I think I fell
in love with you then - d'you know that? It was a bitter blow to find
that fellow there when I took you home. I didn't want to believe, even
then, that you were that sort of girl. When I got to know you better,
here, I realized I'd been wrong. By then, though, I'd got the impression
that you'd fallen for him, and I was plagued by jealousy all over again.
I've been a brute, haven't I ? It didn't need Ted to tell me you'd had a
pretty raw deal, one way and another, and there was I, adding to it.
You never so much as confided in me about your musical career and
how you'd had to give it up, did you ?"
"Hush, Jas," she whispered softly, gazing up at him adoringly. "I don't
know what Ted said to you, but it's all behind me. It doesn't matter any
more."
"Well, you can't have a musical career now, either," he said firmly.
"Being Mrs. Jas Lawrence is enough of a career for anyone, but you
can play a tune softly, now and then - just for me."
He kissed her with swift intensity and put her from him.
"Dear heaven! We'll have to end this 'half-way house' state of affairs. I
can't stand it. We'll get married as soon as I can arrange it. And" - he
looked down at her, suddenly quizzical - "do you think you'll possibly
manage to keep your promise to love, honour and obey ?"
"I'll try, Jas," she offered meekly.
"Well, if you default, you shall be punished - like this, " he told her
sternly.
Ginny returned his kiss with fervour. It was quite the nicest
punishment anyone could wish for, as far as she was concerned. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]