by Corrie, Jane
Mr. Shaw still looked slightly bewildered, then his brow cleared. 'Oh, Alain's courting, you mean ? Well, it's about time he settled down, I suppose. Who did you say the girl was?'
She supplied the name again.
Her father frowned. 'Iris?' he said. 'Have I met her ?'
Megan sighed. Her father rarely came down from
the clouds to meet anyone. 'The fair girl who called on Friday,' she said patiently.
`Oh, that one,' he said. He didn't sound awfully impressed, Megan thought. Iris would be pleased !
On Sunday evening Megan collected Chas, Mrs. Jones's dog. It had become a ritual for many weeks now. Mrs. Jones was afflicted with arthritis, and in the past had depended on a neighbour's help in giving the dog the exercise he needed. Mrs. Holm was not too sprightly herself and had willingly bowed out when Megan offered to help out. Chas was a very lively boxer, and had at first proved a bit of a handful for Megan's slight five foot two to cope with; however, after a few skirmishes, Megan had come out on top and Chas, with tongue lolling and eyes rolling, acceded her authority. They had now got to the stage when he came when she called him to heel, rushing up at a great rate of knots liable to test the strongest nerve. It had also taken Megan quite a while to get it into his head that the object was to come to heel, not to knock her flying.
As he rushed hither and thither, sniffing and snuffling in high delight at every new scent that presented itself, Megan walked ahead down the lane. She was quite proud of her prowess with him. She knew she had only to call, or indeed hide behind one of the huge old oak trees, and within minutes he would be frantically searching for her. She often
talked to him on the way, such comments as, 'I don't know why Mrs. Jones keeps you. You couldn't guard a worn-out mat. You're an old softie if I ever saw one !'
On this particular evening, however, she was proved wrong. A voice hailed her from across the wooded section they had just passed. It was Alain. At first, Megan decided she would carry on as if she had not heard—she was still very annoyed with him —but she sighed, and then turned towards him.
He walked towards her, his long loping stride seemed to cover the ground twice as fast as anyone else she knew. He wore a thick navy blue polo-necked sweater and dark grey tapered slacks. His fair hair was worn in the current fashion but not too long, and Megan grudgingly had to admit it suited him. It reminded her of the medieval knights. Alain would have made a fine knight.
She pulled herself together. She was daydreaming again—as Alain had once said, she was beginning to live in the past as her father did.
Alain came one way and Chas the other. Chas reached her first and stood with curling lip in front of her, daring Alain to come closer.
`What the devil are you doing with that ?' he demanded irritably. 'What's the matter with the brute ?'
`His name is Chas,' said Megan, very much on her
dignity. She could have hugged Chas. He was a
watchdog, after all. `I think he's guarding me,' she confessed, and found she was quite unable to keep up her haughty front. 'Isn't he clever? she grinned. `Honestly, I've quite maligned him. I thought he was hopeless.'
Alain did not share her enthusiasm. He made an attempt to move closer, but Chas, having decided to adopt a protective pose, was playing it for all he was worth. A low growl broke forth.
`I'd have it muzzled if I were you,' Alain said. `Haven't you got a lead for it ?'
`Of course I have,' retorted Megan, and produced it from her jeans pocket. She clipped it on Chas, who threw her a half-startled, indignant look. 'Good boy,' she said. 'Friend, Chas. Come and make friends with him,' she invited Alain.
`No, thank you,' he replied caustically, 'I prefer to visit it behind bars, where it belongs. Who owns it, anyway ?'
`Mrs. Jones,' Megan answered haughtily. 'If you remember, she suffers from arthritis, so someone has to walk him. And stop referring to him as "it". His name is Chas,' she added indignantly.
`So Chas it is,' he replied with some amusement. `Come on, I'll see you both get safely back to the village.'
Megan bristled. 'We've not finished our walk,' she said crossly. 'You go on. I'll not let him off the lead
until you're out of sight,' she added with a certain amount of relish in her voice. Alain was a great one for giving orders, but those days were past.
His grey eyes surveyed her with mixed exasperation and amusement. 'All grown up, are we ?' he teased.
Megan flushed. He could so easily throw her off balance. She had never yet won a battle of words with him. You didn't argue with Alain, not unless you were prepared to take either a shaking or a walloping. She gritted her teeth. If she hadn't grown up now, she never would ! 'I wish you would stop treating me as if I were still fourteen,' she said crossly. `For your information, you're five years behind the times.'
`Doesn't time fly ?' he enquired provokingly, with a wicked grin. 'However, you're still a plaguey menace to me, Tuppence.'
The use of his pet name for her did not help matters. Megan could only stand on her dignity. `Well?' she said belligerently. 'Are you going? Mrs. Jones will be worried if we're not back by dark.'
His brows shot up at her determined attitude. 'She has every reason to be worried,' he said quietly. 'As for finishing your walk, not on my land you don't. I'm not having the brute flushing the chicks we've been rearing all winter.'
With a guilty start Megan had to admit the truth of this. On two previous occasions she had had to call
him to heel when they had reached that particular section of the wood, where the pheasants were watched over ready for the start of the game season. Alain ran two shoots a year on a commercial basis. It was prohibitively expensive to take part, but nevertheless he was never short of guns. Business men came year after year, and in spite of the cost there was a waiting list. 'I keep him on the lead,' she said defensively, 'when we get to the hatchery.'
A rabbit shot out across the lane at that precise moment, and Chas had a lapse of memory where the guard dog part was concerned and shot after it, dragging Megan with him. After a short struggle and a good talking-to, Megan won the day. Slightly breathless, she looked up to find Alain still standing by with a sardonic expression on his face.
`I see I shall have to get Mrs. Jones to find someone who can control him,' he said, and took the lead from Megan.
It was too late for Chas to try and reinstate his position, and Alain's sharp, 'Down, sir !' took him quite by surprise, and he automatically obeyed. Megan thought he was a traitor.
`Might make something of him yet,' Alain commented. 'Not much more than a year old, I'd say. With proper training he could be a good dog.' He looked at the fuming Megan. 'Shall we go ?' he queried, and went ahead anyway,
After a few minutes, he said, 'I hear you've got yourself a job.'
Megan, trailing after him, uttered a short, 'Yes.'
He looked back at her, and his eyes had that amused look again. 'You don't sound too enthusiastic about it. Your boss is a bit of a recluse, Iris tells me.'
The mention of Iris did not help, either. Megan's feelings were decidedly ruffled. 'Yes,' she repeated abruptly.
He sighed, and turned to face her. 'Come off your high horse and stop turning that apology for a nose up at me,' he said, grinning. 'Is it really as bad as all that?'
Megan surveyed him dispassionately. Once, she would have grinned back and launched into a narrative. Not now, she thought sadly. A few well-chosen words from Iris had ended a friendship she had valued all her life. Even if she had been tempted to tell him about Ray, she knew she couldn't. Whatever she told him now, he would later discuss with Iris; besides, she would be letting Ray down.
The work's interesting,' she said quickly, and that, she told herself, was all he was going to get.
They came to the outskirts of the village and Alain
stopped and looked at her. 'All right, let's have it.
What's biting you? If you say nothing, I'll shake you
until your teeth rattle. I haven't been away that long.'
Megan drew herself up to her full five foot two.
`Chas,' she said icily, 'may just take exception to that.'
He chuckled. `If you think you can hide behind him for the rest of time, you'd better adopt him, then I'll really take him in hand. Now what's got into you ? You might as well tell me now as later.'
Megan was a great one for the truth herself. He wouldn't like it, but he had asked for it. 'All right, Alain Drew,' she said, glaring at him. 'Did you or did you not hint to Iris Markway that you'd welcome a brief respite from my presence?'
To her fury he just chuckled. `So that's what's biting you,' he grinned.
`Did you ?' persisted Megan, determined not to be put off.
He pulled a wry face. 'Well,' he said, 'there are times, young Tuppence, when two's company, if you see what I mean.'
Megan's eyes sparked. 'Why couldn't you have said so, then ?' she demanded. 'For goodness' sake, we know each other well enough, don't we? It doesn't matter a whit to me if you want to seduce all the village maidens. You only had to say you were courting and I'd have kept out of the way.'
He caught her arm roughly, and to her delight a low growl broke out from Chas. She glanced at Alain. He was absolutely furious, she had rarely seen him look quite so angry. 'Don't you dare speak like that
again,' he said harshly. 'You always were outspoken, but by heaven, it appears I've been away too long. If I hear you make any more remarks like that, I'll give you the tanning of your life ! You were right in one thing, though—what I do is no concern of yours. Just remember to keep that tongue of yours still if you've nothing more enlightening to talk about.'
Megan stood stunned. Whatever she had thought the result of the confrontation with him would be, it was not this. She had not meant to be spiteful or condemning, surely he must have known that ? No one knew her as well as he did, not even her father. She gulped. He would know he had hurt her, but he hadn't cared. She stared at him, now striding in front of her with that determined walk of his. Once upon a time he would have laid an arm around her shoulders and apologised. Not now.
She swallowed convulsively. Iris had been right. `What I do is no concern of yours,' floated back to her. She squared her shoulders and followed him back into the village. So be it.
The following evening Megan had her walk with Chas all mapped out. They would not touch Alain's land, but cut across the village to the recreation ground, once used by the local cricket team. It would not be such an interesting walk—no wooded scenery, but there would not be the risk of running into Alain.
He had changed beyond all measure, she told herself sadly His sense of humour had completely deserted him. Was this what falling in love did to you? If so, she devoutly hoped it would never happen to her. She didn't know much about men in love, but she had once heard the village butcher trying to excuse his errand boy's shortcomings by explaining that the poor lad was in love. Perhaps she ought to feel sorry for Alain too; being in love didn't sound a particularly happy state of affairs.
This state of mind did not last long. Having got their walk organised, Megan was absolutely furious to find that Alain had had his threatened talk with Mrs. Jones, who proved most reluctant to let Megan walk Chas. 'Oh, dear, I felt so bad after Mr. Drew had spoken to me. It never occurred to me that he might have been a bit of a handful for you. You were so good in offering, I'm afraid I just took you up on it,' Mrs. Jones explained in her slightly fluttery way. `He said he would ask the bailiff's son Sammy to take it on for me. Awfully good of him, I thought.'
Megan's lips straightened. 'I'm afraid Mr. Drew's got the wrong impression of Chas,' she said. 'He thinks he's vicious.' Mrs. Jones's eyes widened. Megan nodded. `So you see why he doesn't think I can control him,' she grinned at the perplexed woman. `Chas wouldn't let him approach me, you see, he
stood on guard. I do wish you'd been there, I thought it was awfully clever of him.'
Mrs. Jones beamed. 'I knew he had it in him,' she said. 'Fancy that !' She patted Chas, who was standing beside her looking hopefully at Megan.
`Besides,' went on Megan, 'I doubt if Sammy would take him further than the pub. I can't see him tramping over the fields with Chas, can you ? And I'm quite happy to do it, in fact I really enjoy our walks. He really is a pet. We'll keep out of Mr. Drew's way. To be honest I think he's just worried Chas will flush his birds, so I'm taking him across the recreation ground.'
Mrs. Jones looked relieved. 'I must say I wasn't too keen on Sammy taking over,' she confided. 'He's not what you might call dependable, is he ? But as Mr. Drew had been so kind I more or less felt obliged to accept.' She collected Chas's lead and gave it to Megan. 'Now you're sure you don't mind, dear? I can find someone else, I expect. With Mr. Drew home I don't suppose you'll have all that much time on your hands,' she added coyly.
There was a glint in Megan's eyes as she clipped, the lead on to Chas's collar. 'Mr. Drew being home won't make the slightest difference to my programme, Mrs. Jones,' she said grimly, and walked to the door.
The idea was born as she walked across the field. No wonder Main had lost his sense of humour I She
was in great danger of losing hers. Even little Mrs Jones, who was no gossip and more or less confined to her home, had assumed a romantic attachment between her and Alain. For heaven's sake, she thought wildly, how had it all begun?
She sighed. It was no use going back to the past. Now she could see Alain's point of view. It must be pretty embarrassing for him. She was in no doubt as to who had opened his eyes to the rumours; she was pretty certain that, like her, he had been in blissful ignorance of the village talk. Well, he'd done his best to scotch the rumours, she thought sadly, and all she could do to help was to keep away, as he'd more or less implied she should do.
If only she had Iris's looks, she thought miserably, recalling how the young men had flocked around her at the young farmers' dances in the winter. Megan had only gone to keep Iris company, but she needn't have bothered. She nearly always ended up talking to the older members of the community, or helping with the refreshments. She sighed again. There was no beau she could produce at the drop of a hat, proving once and for all she had no designs on Main. No new devastating young man in the village she could cast sheep's eyes at...
She stopped suddenly in her tracks. But there was! Not young, but certainly devastating, she thought with a grin. Ray I
She thought of Iris's forthcoming visit in the hopes of meeting him, and her eyes narrowed. She was almost certain that Ray would find some excuse for not seeing her, probably leaving some money for the fund with Megan to give her. Her eyes sparked. If only she could get him to see her, Iris would do the rest ! All Megan had to do was to look dreamy-eyed whenever Ray's name was mentioned. Iris was not slow on the uptake !
The more she thought of it, the more she liked the idea. No harm could come of it. She would join Ray's fan club with a bang ! Her step lightened, and she called Chas to heel, making an extra fuss of him when he complied. She looked at his eyes as he lapped up the praise. 'I must cultivate that look of yours, Chas,' she told him gravely, 'I'll need it.'
CHAPTER FOUR
ON the Tuesday morning, Megan remembered with a guilty start that he had not mentioned Iris's visit. To be truthful she had not wanted to put Ray on his guard. He would answer the door and therefore have to meet her whether he wanted to or not. Her conscience won in the end, and she warned him of the impending visit, adding, 'If you like, I'll see her for you and say you're busy.'
There was something in her tone that alerted him. `What's she like?' he asked curiously. 'Apart from the fact that you don't like her,' he added.
His intuition surprised Megan; she didn't realise she had been so obvious. In all fairness she had to admit grudgingly, 'Well, she's all right really. She takes herself too seriously, if you know what I mean—she's the village femme fatale and I think it's gone to her head.'
Ray burst out laughing. 'Th
at's something that will never happen to you, Megan,' he said with amusement.
`I should hope not' she retorted quickly. 'Trouble is, she's no sense of humour.' She stared at the blank
piece of paper she had just inserted in the typewriter. `I can't see what Alain sees in her. Well,' she grinned, `apart, that is, from her face and curves, I mean.'
`Main?'
`Alain Drew,' she explained. 'Lives at Clock House. He's been away for a year, and has only just come back.' She frowned. 'Really Alain should have called on you first. He's the nearest thing the village has to the old days' country squire, and owns most of the land around here. Still,' she added, 'he's been busy catching up on chores around the estate.'
`And this Iris is his girl-friend, is she?' Ray queried.
Megan grinned again. 'Well, it's debatable,' she said. 'No one tells me anything these days, but from the way he's been acting it certainly looks like it.'
`And you're not too happy about it ?' murmured Ray. 'Do I detect a certain touch of jealousy ?' he teased her. 'I suppose he's young and good-looking?'
Megan looked astonished. 'Jealous?' she squeaked. `Whatever gave you that idea? Alain's like a brother to me—or he was,' she added slowly. 'One of us has changed, and it's not me. He seems to have lost his sense of humour too. I expect that's what love does to you.'
He chuckled again. 'It's plain to see you've never suffered from that malady.'
Megan shuddered. 'No, thank goodness !' she said hastily.
`Nor even had a crush on someone?' asked Ray.
`No,' Megan said abruptly. 'But I know what you mean. The verger's son had one on me, and followed me about like a puppy-dog. I think he's given up now, he joined the Army last week.'
Ray's shoulders were shaking. 'Megan,' he said, `you're as good as a tonic.'
A peal of the front-door bell reached through to them. Megan looked at Ray. 'That will be Iris,' she said. `Do you want me to see her for you?'
Ray grinned back at her. 'Not after you've aroused my curiosity like that,' he said, and went to answer the summons.
