“ … and who but my lady Greensleeves?” Bethancourt sang at her.
“How on earth did you get out there?” she demanded.
“I bribed the woman downstairs,” he responded. “Are you tired of ‘Greensleeves’? I wasn’t sure how well you could hear through the window.”
Marla squinted out in the darkness at the man behind Bethancourt, who was still playing the tune.
“Who is that?” she asked.
“This is Jim, a friend of mine’s younger brother.” Jim smiled and nodded as he continued to play. “He’s at university and is an aficionado of English folk music. Perhaps,” he added to Jim, “we had better go on to the next one. She doesn’t seem too taken with ‘Greensleeves.’”
“I think,” said Marla, “you had better come in. It’s going to rain.”
Bethancourt bowed. “My lady,” he said, “we had not hoped for so great an honor.”
“Oh, yes, you did,” she said, standing aside as they climbed in. She paused while Jim politely closed the window behind him. “The necklace is beautiful, Phillip,” she said softly.
He shrugged. “Less than you deserve after the disgraceful way I behaved,” he answered, but he eyed the necklace as he spoke. It had not come cheap, nor had the roses or the scarf, and even Jim had had to be bribed before he would consent to drag his guitar out on a damp night and spend his evening perched on a fire escape. No one, Bethancourt reflected, seemed to believe in romantic love anymore.
“Excuse me,” said Jim, “but if we’ve finished playing, I think I’d better get on. It was very nice to meet you, Marla.”
“Delighted,” said Marla vaguely, while Bethancourt thanked his musician and ushered him swiftly out the door. As he turned back, he found Marla standing close beside him, a smile playing about the corners of her perfect mouth.
“Phillip,” she said, “I think I’ve decided to forgive you.”
“Have you, Marla?” he replied. “I’m awfully glad.”
But his last words were lost as she reached to kiss him. And as he gathered her into his arms, he decided that winning her back had not really been so expensive after all.
ALSO BY CASSANDRA CHAN
The Young Widow
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
VILLAGE AFFAIRS. Copyright © 2006 by Cassandra Chan. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
eISBN 9781429934664
First eBook Edition : February 2011
First Edition: November 2006
Village Affairs Page 35
