discussing this topic with him.
He thought about it. `Well, I suppose not,' he to her surprise decided. `You had a giant-sized crush on him when you were a teenager...'
`You knew about that?' she asked, astounded, at last able to meet his eyes. But, looking quickly away, she assured him, `It isn't a crush this time, Dad.'
`Oh, baby,' he said, his own problems for the moment forgotten. `But you hardly know him! Apart from seven years ago, you've only seen him twice recently.'
`Three times, actually. I saw him at the theatre on Saturday.'
`You went to the theatre with him?' he questioned. `On Saturday, when you knew I wanted to see-'
`It wasn't like that,' she interrupted hurriedly. She didn't want her parent pursuing that track, but hoped he would think her reserve of old had reared its head, causing her to be unable to tell him anything about it either yesterday when she'd come home or at breakfast that morning. `But anyhow,' she plunged on, grabbing at the fact that her father had taken one look at her mother and that had been that for him, `how many times did you have to see Mother before you knew it was the real thing?'
With relief, Lydie saw her father had taken everything she said as gospel. They were away from the subject of that money anyway, and she guessed from his expression that he was recalling that his dear Hilary had not returned the compliment and fallen in love with him at first sight. She had taken some wooing, from what Great-aunt Alice had told her.
`And how does Jonah feel about you?' her father asked with a father's natural concern.
`I-it's too early to say,' she answered, winging it, playing it by ear-desperately glad Jonah Marriott wasn't a fly on the wall, listening to all of this. `B-but he wanted to take me to dinner this coming Saturday.'
`He asked you for another date?' Lydie could feel herself colouring up that she had allowed her father to believe she had dated Jonah last Saturday. `You didn't come home on Saturday night!' her parent remembered, looking a little shaken. And, while colour scorched her cheeks at that implication, she was thankful for once that hostilities were still prevailing between her parents, otherwise her mother would have told her father that their youngest was having a sleepover at her friend Charlie's.
`I had to tell Jonah that I couldn't have dinner with him because I'm unsure what time Oliver's wedding celebrations will go on until,' Lydie said in an embarrassed rush. 'Er-Jonah asked if he could-er-come to the wedding too.'
Her father looked at her solemnly for a second or two, and then he smiled. `Well, that sounds as if he's keen enough,' he declared encouragingly. Lydie smiled faintly, very much confused that, purely in her father's interests, she had been able to make up this fantasy. 'You'd better ask your brother to see he gets an invitation.'
Lydie stared at her father. Agreed, she had been in very much of a lather, but it had been that easy? She was staggered. Well, that part of it had gone better than she had anticipated, but, `And you won't say anything to Jonah? At the wedding, I mean. About the money?"
'It would hardly be appropriate,' he admitted. `But you must see, Lydie, that I shall have to discuss it with him some time.'
She supposed she had known that. Her father was an honourable man. `But not now, not until some other time. I think he's away this week,' she lied on the spur of the moment. `Some conference or other. Abroad somewhere.'
`It will have to wait until next week, then,' her father agreed. But, looking at him, Lydie thought that although he was obviously still very much burdened, he suddenly did not seem to appear so hunched over as he had.
It was good to have Oliver home. He was a bit muddle-headed sometimes, but loveable-either because of or despite that. `Lydie !' he exclaimed when she and her father left the study and went into the drawing room. `How's life?' he asked, coming
He thought about it. `Well, I suppose not,' he to her surprise decided. `You had a giant-sized crush on him when you were a teenager...'
`You knew about that?' she asked, astounded, at last able to meet his eyes. But, looking quickly away, she assured him, `It isn't a crush this time, Dad.'
`Oh, baby,' he said, his own problems for the moment forgotten. `But you hardly know him! Apart from seven years ago, you've only seen him twice recently.'
`Three times, actually. I saw him at the theatre on Saturday.'
`You went to the theatre with him?' he questioned. `On Saturday, when you knew I wanted to see-'
`It wasn't like that,' she interrupted hurriedly. She didn't want her parent pursuing that track, but hoped he would think her reserve of old had reared its head, causing her to be unable to tell him anything about it either yesterday when she'd come home or at breakfast that morning. `But anyhow,' she plunged on, grabbing at the fact that her father had taken one look at her mother and that had been that for him, `how many times did you have to see Mother before you knew it was the real thing?'
With relief, Lydie saw her father had taken everything she said as gospel. They were away from the subject of that money anyway, and she guessed from his expression that he was recalling that his dear Hilary had not returned the compliment and fallen in love with him at first sight. She had taken some wooing, from what Great-aunt Alice had told her.
`And how does Jonah feel about you?' her father asked with a father's natural concern.
`I-it's too early to say,' she answered, winging it, playing it by ear-desperately glad Jonah Marriott wasn't a fly on the wall, listening to all of this. `B-but he wanted to take me to dinner this coming Saturday.'
`He asked you for another date?' Lydie could feel herself colouring up that she had allowed her father to believe she had dated Jonah last Saturday. `You didn't come home on Saturday night!' her parent remembered, looking a little shaken. And, while colour scorched her cheeks at that implication, she was thankful for once that hostilities were still prevailing between her parents, otherwise her mother would have told her father that their youngest was having a sleepover at her friend Charlie's.
`I had to tell Jonah that I couldn't have dinner with him because I'm unsure what time Oliver's wedding celebrations will go on until,' Lydie said in an embarrassed rush. 'Er-Jonah asked if he could-er-come to the wedding too.'
Her father looked at her solemnly for a second or two, and then he smiled. `Well, that sounds as if he's keen enough,' he declared encouragingly. Lydie smiled faintly, very much confused that, purely in her father's interests, she had been able to make up this fantasy. 'You'd better ask your brother to see he gets an invitation.'
Lydie stared at her father. Agreed, she had been in very much of a lather, but it had been that easy? She was staggered. Well, that part of it had gone better than she had anticipated, but, `And you won't say anything to Jonah? At the wedding, I mean. About the money?"
'It would hardly be appropriate,' he admitted. `But you must see, Lydie, that I shall have to discuss it with him some time.'
She supposed she had known that. Her father was an honourable man. `But not now, not until some other time. I think he's away this week,' she lied on the spur of the moment. `Some conference or other. Abroad somewhere.'
`It will have to wait until next week, then,' her father agreed. But, looking at him, Lydie thought that although he was obviously still very much burdened, he suddenly did not seem to appear so hunched over as he had.
It was good to have Oliver home. He was a bit muddle-headed sometimes, but loveable-either because of or despite that. `Lydie !' he exclaimed when she and her father left the study and went into the drawing room. `How's life?' he asked, coming
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