by Betty Neels
‘Come after you, of course. But it wouldn’t have been quite the same.’
‘No. Oh, no, Constantijn, darling Constantijn. I’m so ashamed of myself; I’ve been such a fool—I thought you and Susan…’ She frowned. ‘You might have told me…I wouldn’t have blabbed it around.’
‘Yes, I might. I did try, but if you remember, my darling, you were on at one, and not off until nine, and no hope of a weekend.’
She had the grace to blush. ‘Oh well, I thought—but there were four days after that.’
‘I had to go to Cumbria again—you know now that James and Mary live there. I took Susan there just before the dance—a desperate thing to do, but I was a desperate man.’ He took a step towards her. ‘I had no right to involve you—I hadn’t even asked you to marry me.’ He came a little nearer, smiling. ‘Are you still angry?’
‘Yes—no. I thought you didn’t love me.’ She drew an unsteady breath. ‘You never said you did—not once!’ she burst out.
He pulled her gently into his arms. ‘I have been gravely at fault,’ he remarked on a laugh. ‘It shall be remedied immediately.’
It was quite some considerable time later that Augusta asked into his shoulder, ‘You don’t mind that I’m not beautiful?’
He put a hand under her chin and stared down at her with real astonishment. ‘My dear love, you’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen or ever shall see.’
She blinked her green eyes, for she could hear by his voice that he really believed what he was saying. What was it he had once said? ‘Beauty was in the eye of the beholder.’ She gave a small contented sigh and arranged herself more comfortably against his shoulder, and then lifted her head once more to inquire, ‘Must you really go back to Alkmaar on Monday?’
He kissed the top of her head. ‘Yes, my darling, and what is worse, surgery is half an hour earlier this evening. Will you wait in the sitting room for me?—and while you’re there you’d better decide what you’re going to wear at our wedding, for that’s all the time you’re going to get.’ The buzzer on the desk sounded and he took her by the shoulders and pushed her gently towards the door. ‘Out of my sight, my darling Miss Brown,’ he said in a voice which suggested otherwise. ‘You distract my thoughts.’
Augusta walked obediently to the door. Her hand on the handle, she paused and looked at him over her shoulder. ‘I’ve always liked the idea of living in Alkmaar,’ she said, and went out, blowing him a kiss as she went.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-3953-1
TULIPS FOR AUGUSTA
Copyright © 1971 by Betty Neels.
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