Never Count Tomorrow Daphne Clair

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

either. My mother was the only one who really wanted me,
and she died. You were lucky, having Teresa,' she added,
`I could be jealous of you.'
She had been jealous of him, of course. She had envied
him for having Teresa, who loved him, while she had no
one to replace her mother. She had childishly disliked him
for having what she had always wanted, and never had.
know I was lucky,' Soren said. 'Teresa is one in a
million. A woman of absolute integrity.
He almost worships her! Lin thought, startled. And as
she thought of her own position in this household, her
heart fluttered with sudden fear. If Soren, who admired
86 NEVER COUNT TOMORROW
integrity so much, found out why she had come here, there
could be hell to pay. She was falling in love with Soren, she
might as well admit it. But if he knew the truth about her,
how would he feel, then?
Susan and Tracy were deep in the throes of examination
fever, scarcely putting aside their books except to eat and
sleep, and the rest of the family tried sympathetically to
help. They were excused from most household chores and
even Davy philosophically took an extra turn at drying the
dishes. Lin gave up her weekend and earned Susan's un-
dying gratitude for her intensive coaching before the history
exam. Soren had accepted her refusal, on those grounds, to
go with him, but she wasn't sure how long she could con-
tinue to stall him. Their relationship had reached a stage
where it must either develop or disintegrate. One was
possibility
fraught with possible disaster and the other the
of the other filled her with misery. In her more
sensible moments she knew she must not get in any deeper,
because there, was no possible future for herself and Soren.
But every time she saw him, sense vanished like smoke on
the air. Just let me have this, she would think, just a little
longer to see him smile at me and listen to him teasing me
and calling me Melinda in that lazy, gently mocking tone.
Please just a little while.
The girls were top absorbed now to notice what went on
about them, and Teresa was blessedly tactful, but Lin
knew she was not unobservant; and Ray occasionally
slanted a shrewd look at herself and Soren, though he said
nothing.
Soren volunteered to help Lin and Davy with the dishes
one evening, and then said to her, 'Come over to my place
for a while. You look tired.
`I am,' she admitted. 'I'd better have an early night.'
NEVER COUNT TOMORROW 87
'I won't keep you up,' he promised, hanging the tea-
towel on its hook by the stove. 'Davy, tell Mum and Dad
that Lin's visiting me for an hour or so, will you?'
'Okay,' Davy shrugged, and lost no time scooting down
the broad passageway to the sitting room and his favourite
TV programme.
'I didn't say I'd come,' Lin protested feebly. 'I really am
tired.'
'It's a lovely night. A short walk in the fresh air might
help. And I want to talk to you.'
'What about?' she enquired cautiously.
`Must it be about anything in particular? Don't be diffi-
cult, Melinda. Just come. Please,' he added, bending briefly
to brush his lips over her temple.
Weakly, she went with him. She told herself she was too
tired to argue with him, but knew that was only half of it:
The truth was, she wanted to be with him, more than any-
thing. The night air was pleasantly cool, and laden with the
pungent smells of the farm. He put an arm about her, draw-
ing her under his shoulder, and said, 'Look at the stars.'
'It is a lovely night,' she murmured, stopping to admire
the sweep of the sky, with the heavy, wanton spraying of
the stars against it. But when Soren moved to bring her still
closer to him, she broke away quickly and went on walking.
When they reached his cottage, he pushed open the door
and turned on the light, making her blink with the sudden
brightness. 'Sit down,khe said, and placed her gently on the
sofa facing the small television set. 'Would you like a
drink?'
'What are you offering?'
'No great choice, I'm afraid. Beer, a shandy, Coke or dry
sherry.'
'Sherry, please.
'I'll join you,' he'said, and went to get it.
88 NEVER COUNT TOMORROW
When he brought the glasses, he handed her one and sat
down beside her, throwing one arm behind her along the
back of the sofa. He raised his glass to her, smiling, and
Lin smiled back and sipped the golden liquid with enjoy-
ment. His gaze slipped over her loose shirt-blouse and
hardy denim pants, and she looked down selfconsciously at
her clothes and said, 'I should have changed, before I came
visiting.'
`You look fantastic. You always do. I thought it was the
clothes at first, but what you wear doesn't seem to make
much difference'
She said, 'Thank you,' but this was dangerous ground,
and she took another gulp of her sherry, and looked away
from him, fixing her eyes on the blank TV screen.
Soren said, 'Do you want it on?'
Lin hadn't been thinking of TV, just avoiding his eyes,
but she said, 'Oh I don't mind.'
He got up and switched on the set, and adjusted the con-
trols, making the sound audible but muted. He had
showered and changed before eating, and she couldn't help
noticing the lithe power of the shoulders beneath his cotton
knit shirt, and the long legs in snug-fitting dark pants.
She had moved further into the corner of the sofa, but
when he returned to her side he sat closer to her and
curved his arm about her, cupping her shoulder with his
hand. For a moment she stiffened, but his arm felt friendly
and Warm and definitely comfortable, and she relaxed
against it, pushing her conscience aside. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Archiwum