Page 154 of The Fortunes of Ashmore Castle

‘Afraid of me?’ He was appalled.

‘I thought you were going to shout at me.’

‘I’m sorry. Forgive me. I’m a brute. But, Rachel, you must admit—’

‘Oh, now you’re going to lecture me!’

‘I’ve hardly seen you this whole year.’

‘Whose fault is that? You’re always working!’

‘For us! I’m working for us. Then you went to Germany—’

‘My mother sent for me. I had to go.’

‘Did you have to go to the South of France? And then Scotland? And since you got back, you’ve been spending so much time at Ashmore—’

‘Only the weekends. I’m in London all week.’

‘When I’m at work. You know I only have Saturday afternoon and Sunday free.’

‘But that’s when Kitty and Giles have parties.’ She looked at him anxiously, and saw not just pain but resignation in his face, and that frightened her more. She didn’t want him to give up on her. ‘I’m just trying to have a little fun,’ she said pathetically. ‘That’s not wrong, is it?’

‘No, it’s not wrong,’ he said sadly.

‘I want to enjoy myself while I can,’ she protested. ‘Before—’ She broke off.

‘Before you marry me? You don’t think there’ll be any more fun after that?’

She wriggled. ‘Oh, don’t look like that, Angus! Everyone likes parties and dancing and—’

‘Flirting?’

‘I don’t flirt!’ she said indignantly. ‘I can’t help it if men are attracted to me, and pay me silly compliments.’

‘Rachel, I don’t want to hold you against your wishes. If you’ve changed your mind about marrying me, I’ll release you. But you must be honest with me.’ She said nothing, chewing her lip, frowning. He spoke very gently. ‘I think you wanted to marry me because you were forbidden to. As soon as your mother withdrew her opposition, you lost interest. Isn’t that the case?’

‘No!’ she cried. ‘I didn’t know there’d be opposition when I said yes to you.’

‘In the heat of the moment, at a ball,’ he said. ‘It was my fault. I should never have proposed to you in those circumstances. And without finding out how our parents felt about it.’

‘Well, if everyone had to ask their parents first, no-one would ever propose to anyone,’ Rachel said crossly.

He took her hand. ‘Tell me – and I promise I won’t be angry whatever you say – do you love me?’

‘Yes, of course,’ she said.

‘Not “of course”. You love me?’

‘I just said so.’

‘And do you want to marry me?’

She hesitated the merest fraction of a second, but it was enough. She saw he had noticed. ‘Yes, I do,’ she said hastily. ‘Of course I do. I mean – I do. But you know I can’t marry you until I’m of age. And you can’t expect me to sit with my hands in my lap until then. It’s another eight months!’

He lifted her hand to his lips, and gave it back to her. ‘I understand. I’ve been a brute.’

‘No!’ she said, afraid now.