Rainbow for Megan

by Corrie, Jane

  She collected Chas from the kennels, and with a heart as heavy as lead, walked over the heathland surrounding the kennels. She wanted to see him dash ahead as he used to, busy on exploring his surroundings, but he was much more subdued these days. He didn't understand why he had been shut away all day, and was pathetically pleased to see her each

  evening. He no longer sniffed around in high delight, but kept close to her side as if afraid she would suddenly vanish out of sight.

  Eventually they came to a clearing in a small wood, and Megan sat on the trunk of a fallen tree, and Chas sat close beside her.

  She stroked his head. 'We're both losers, Chas,' she murmured. 'I guess some of us are born losers.'

  Chas growled, and Megan broke off from her philosophic musings. Looking up, she found Alain standing in front of her.

  `So this is where you've been hiding yourself, is it ?' he said. 'How long have you had that in kennels?'

  Megan was too low even to resent him referring to Chas as 'that'. She looked at him, then looked quickly away again. She didn't even bother to answer his question. 'Go away, Alain,' she said quietly. 'You'll probably find it amusing, but it's our last evening together and I'm trying to tell him it won't be painful.'

  `Well, I'm damned !' he exploded. 'How long have you had this on your mind?'

  She shrugged despondently. At least he hadn't laughed. 'Seems like years,' she said slowly.

  `Why didn't you ask me for help ?' he demanded. Her lips twisted wryly. As if she had had the opportunity !

  He changed the subject abruptly. 'Why the devil didn't you tell me where you spent that weekend?'

  Megan just couldn't see the point of bringing that up at a time like this. 'It's not important,' she said haltingly, desperately wishing he would go away. Soon it would be time for ...

  `Not important,' he said softly yet somehow menacingly. 'You put me through hell and it's not important! If it hadn't been for the Major showing me that photograph of Hallett he'd saved to show his wife, I'd still be there. It was taken during that weekend, wasn't it? I also saw the lovely by his side.' His hands clenched into fists. 'Where did you go ?' he asked again.

  Megan sighed. 'To Devon,' she said slowly. To see Mary and Kevin. I thought they might take Chas.'

  He groaned. 'Of all the first class idiots !' he said, striking his forehead. 'Well, it's the last time you do anything like that without consulting me, got that?'

  Megan knew anger, a cold deep anger. She had been through too much to land herself back under his protection again, if that was what bullying was called. She got up. 'I'm managing very well, thank you, Alain Drew, without your assistance ! Go and find someone else to bully.'

  He caught her wrist as she attempted to sweep past him. 'And what,' he said softly, 'have you "managed" about that?' He pointed to Chas, standing looking bewilderedly from one to the other of them.

  Megan wished he hadn't asked that particular question, not at that particular time. She bit her lip.

  `I could,' he commented airily, 'suggest a solution.'

  She looked up at him. Her eyes, though wary, also mirrored hope. 'You mean you'll give him a home?' If he said no, she'd hate him for the rest of her life, she thought.

  Alain's eyes met hers steadily. 'I might,' he said.

  She felt relief flow over her. She wanted to shout for joy, he would take him, she knew he would ! `Oh, Alain,' she breathed, 'thank you! If you like I'll come up and feed him, and exercise him for you, he won't he any trouble, you'll see. Could you take him tonight? And if there's anything you want me to do, you only have to say... .' she ended breathlessly.

  Alain's hand on her wrist tightened. 'Anything?' he said, and his eyes probed hers.

  `Anything,' breathed Megan happily.

  `Marry me, then,' he said quietly. 'For that's the only condition I'm taking him on.'

  Her eyes widened to their full extent. She stared at him, unable to believe her ears.

  He noted the wide eyes and nodded grimly. 'I guessed it would come as a shock, but you'd better get used to the idea. I'm not taking no for an answer.'

  Still Megan couldn't take it in. 'You love Iris,' she said slowly, desperately trying to understand this amazing turn of events.

  `Whatever I may have felt for Iris, it was certainly not love,' he retorted dryly. 'And that was last summer. I admit to being attracted for a short while, she's very decorative, but that's all. I had the devil's own job in convincing her I'd lost interest.' He pulled her slowly towards him.

  `You feel sorry for me,' said Megan, trying to

  extricate herself, 'because of Ray. That's it, isn't it? Because I said I'd been hurt.'

  He wouldn't release her; in fact, he closed his arms tighter around her. 'I'll wring your lovely little neck,' he threatened, 'if you so much as mention his name again. I've missed you more than I thought it was possible to miss anyone. It was always you, although I didn't know it. I couldn't understand why I was so damned miserable when you weren't around. It was like losing my right arm. When I saw Hallett put his arms around you I felt as if someone had stabbed me in the back. I knew then all right ! But he'd a head start on me, hadn't he? Somehow I had to make you see me as a lover instead of a brother—not the easiest of tasks when all I wanted to do was hold you and kiss you like this.'

  He kissed her gently at first, then his love and need of her reached through and she felt herself swept along on the tide of his love. When she was allowed to surface, she clung to him weakly. A surge of joy ran through her. He did love her. Why hadn't

  she seen it that night in the spinney? He couldn't have kissed her like that if he hadn't loved her.

  `That night in the spinney,' she whispered.

  He nodded, his lips on her forehead. 'When you hadn't got the message, I knew it was going to be an uphill fight,' he murmured. She knew he was grinning as he added, 'And you thought Iris was stupid !'

  There was a long silence as he demanded her lips again. Then she asked him hesitantly, 'You didn't really think I'd gone away with Ray, did you?'

  He held her tighter. 'I was so damned jealous, I'd have believed anything at that time, and Iris knew it.'

  `Iris !' Megan breathed.

  He nodded. 'There was a little unpleasantness in the local. Her parting shot was that you'd gone to London with Hallett.'

  Megan gasped. 'Well, of all the ...' she began, then she remembered what had taken place afterwards. 'Where did you go, Alain?' she asked.

  He kissed her nose. 'I wasn't thinking straight right then,' he admitted. 'There was only one thing on my mind, to find you and bring you back—apart that was, from murdering Hallett.' He sighed. 'It was a hopeless task, of course. I realised that when my brain started functioning again. I must have been halfway to London by then, so I started back again. I had the sense to realise I wasn't in a fit state to face

  either of you. Someone would have got hurt. When you phoned you put me out of some of my misery; you see, at that time I thought you had left Hallett, but I hated you for what I thought you had done, because you were mine, and the thought of someone else ...' He caught her to him fiercely. 'Then,' he said quietly, 'I saw that newspaper photograph. I knew then without a shadow of a doubt that you hadn't gone to London with him. Then I remembered what you said about being hurt, but at the time I was too eaten up with jealousy to work it out. He wasn't likely to take you and keep someone like that in the background.'

  Megan decided not to tell him yet that Joanna was Ray's sister. She was very satisfied the way things were going at the moment.

  `I hope,' he murmured, 'you've got Hallett out of your system, because I give you fair warning I'm going to be a very jealous husband. I was even jealous of Chas.'

  Megan buried her head in his chest. 'Ray was never anything but a friend to me,' she whispered. `It was always you.'

  He pulled her away from his chest and looked at her searchingly. It was all there. Megan's heart turned over. The look of love, and of half-doubt, wanti
ng so much to believe. She must convince him. She smiled tremulously at him. 'The spinney,' she

  said. 'Oh, my love, you did get through to me. I was so miserable. I knew I loved you, but I thought you wanted Iris and were using me as a decoy—that's why I refused to come to lunch the next day, remember? I was terrified you'd find out the truth.'

  He stared at her. 'My stupid treasure, didn't it ever occur to you that it's impossible to love someone and make love to someone else? What kind of a man do you think I am, anyway?' he demanded.

  Megan smiled. 'It just wasn't conceivable to me that you could love a plaguey pest,' she said. 'Not with someone like Iris around.'

  `Woman !' he groaned, `do you mean to tell me we've wasted all this time ... Come here, plaguey pest.'

  He grabbed her. A low growl broke out from Chas and Alain looked over Megan's head at him. 'I shall have to do something about that dog,' he said.

  Megan's heart sang as she followed Alain's land-rover back to the village. One thing still slightly puzzled her. How had he known where she was? She had not bothered her father with the information. Her brow creased. She must remember to ask him later.

  The first port of call was at her home, to appraise her father of the news. Hand in hand, they went to beard him in his den. His only comment was a mild, `Well, I thought it was about time—did you get that

  book for me, Megan?'

  After commenting that he would have to do something about her father too, Alain led her out of the house and to her query of, 'Where are we going?' gave her a look that melted her bones. 'The spinney,' he said. 'I can't think of a better place, can you?'

  Megan couldn't. It was a beautiful evening. They had just started out when she asked her question. `How did you know where to find me, and about the kennels?' she asked.

  Alain gave her a sombre look. 'Hallett told me,' he said.

  Megan stared at him. 'Did he contact you, then?' she asked.

  He made a wry grimace. `No,' he said abruptly, 'I did the contacting.'

  Megan started. 'Oh, Alain, you didn't ...'

  `No,' he said, grinning. 'Although when I first got there it was touch and go. I decided to have it out there and then with him—it certainly cleared the air. I regret to say I found myself on the receiving end. I must say my opinion of him has somewhat altered.'

  `Why didn't you tell me this before?' Megan demanded. 'I told you he was a good friend. Let's go and tell him right now,' she said eagerly, feeling a rush of warmth for Ray. What a good friend he had turned out to be !

  Main pulled off the road and sat looking at her.

  `Tonight,' he murmured, 'is our night. I've a lot of leeway to make up, remember? Secondly, I didn't tell you for one very good reason. I was still not sure how you felt about him, and I'm pretty sure he's more than just fond of you. Any more questions?'

  Megan did, however, persuade Alain to make the visit the next day, having utterly convinced him the previous evening that she was not likely to have a change of heart.

  The two men faced each other. There was a twinkle in Ray's eye, and soon an answering one in Alain's.

  `So you got sorted out at last,' commented Ray. `When's the wedding? There's a six months' deadline, I understand.'

  Megan gasped—she had forgotten the rainbow. Alain grinned. 'There were times when I thought I'd never make it. But it's never been wrong yet.'

  Her heart soared. He had seen the rainbow ! Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Ray. 'Oh, Ray ! You knew all along, didn't you?'

  He gave her his wide grin. 'As Alain has just said, there were times when ...' He turned to him. `Man's best friend?' he said.

  Alain grinned back and he caught Megan's hand. `There was no other way,' he said mournfully.

  Ray looked from one to the other. 'You know,' he observed, 'I was tempted to try that line myself.'

  `Don't mind me,' said Megan indignantly.

  `I do so hate,' went on Ray, 'breaking in new secretaries.'

  `Sorry about that,' breezed Alain, not sounding a bit sorry, 'this one's got her work cut out. How do you fancy the role of godfather?'

  `Alain !' gasped Megan.

  He looked at her. 'Got someone else in mind, had you?' he murmured.

  Megan blushed. 'I think he'd make a wonderful godfather,' she whispered.

  Chas was waiting for them outside the house; they had walked down from Clock House, and Alain had told him to stay when they reached The Foxes. Megan thought it was very clever of him to obey that command. It did occur to her that Alain might have hoped he wouldn't.

  As they walked down the drive, Alain's arm went round Megan, pulling her close. Chas tried to work a way in between them. 'Back, sir !' Alain commanded.

  `Isn't he clever, darling,' Megan commented. 'He knows who's master—look, he's following behind nicely.'

  He threw her a wicked look. 'And that's the way it's going to be,' he said, pulling her nearer. 'Not only with Chas.'

  `Yes, darling,' breathed Megan dreamily.