pleased. If she was to marry Mark it was important she could get on with his friends.
‘What say we go out into the garden?’ he asked, as he saw Olly Destrin bearing down on them. ‘With any luck, we might get five minutes peace!’
‘Good idea,’ Anna agreed. She had been wanting to ask him exactly what had happened to her engagement ring ever since Serena had mentioned it but there had been no opportunity. Out in the garden, she could say what was on her mind.
She took his arm. They went out through a wide open set of French doors and strolled across the lawns.
‘Where is my ring being repaired?’ she asked, assuming the ring had been damaged in the crash, and that Emmy or Claire had sent it to the jewellers whilst she had been too ill to notice.
Mark stiffened. His good humour seemed to vanish. With a sinking feeling she realised she had said something wrong
‘That is, if it is being repaired?’ she asked hesitantly, wondering what had caused his sudden change of mood.
His voice was cold. ‘You know the answer to that as well as I do.’
She found it difficult to understand him. Not knowing he thought she was acting out a charade, she had no way of knowing he wished she wouldn’t pretend they were real ly engaged when they were alone, when it wasn’t necessary. In fact, she had no way of knowing he thought she was pretending at all.
‘Then if it isn’t being repaired, where is it?’ she asked cautiously. She wanted to know about the ring, as she wanted to know about so many things in her past, but Mark’s attitude made her tread warily. Something, at some point in their relationship, had obviously gone very wrong between them . I t must have done, to have caused this level of hostility. Had they had an argument, or was it something more serious? she wondered.
If only she could remember .
Mark’s attitude didn’t help. Nor did his strange words. ‘Don't do this, Anna,’ he said.
‘But I’m not doing anything,’ she protested, confused.
He detached her arm from his and she saw that he was scowling. ‘Don’t pretend.’
‘About what?’ She felt suddenly as though a large pit had opened at her feet, and as though, if she didn’t proceed very carefully, she might fall in.
‘The ring.’
‘But why should I . . . ’ She paused, confused, then continued. ‘Why should I pretend?'
He stopped and faced her.
She had never seen him look so grim.
‘Because you know as well as I do that there is no ring.’
It took a full minute for his words to sink in. ‘No ring?’ She felt as though she was now teetering on the very edge of the pit.
‘Of course not.’ His unnatural control snapped on the words, and she saw a flare of anger in his eyes.
‘But why isn’t there any ring? We’re engaged, are n’t we? What happened to . . . ’
‘Anna!’
Not now , she thought, her eyes closing in frustration as the sound of her name broke into her thoughts. Although the situation with Mark was difficult she knew that until it was aired it would never be resolved.
Nevertheless, she could not ignore Mr Leverington as he came out into the garden, and neither could Mark.
‘Now then, you young lovebirds, it’s no use hiding away,’ said Mr Leverington indulgently as he came towards them, with Serena on his arm. ‘Anna. We have come to ask you to play.’
Play . She took a minute to compose her thoughts.
Yes. She would like to play. The piano was familiar, and something she understood. It had always been there for her, and although for some reason the music in her holdall frightened her, playing the piano did not. In fact, she knew instinctively that she had turned to the piano in other troubled times, to calm her nerves and soothe her spirits when the world had seemed a hostile place.
‘Yes, Anna, do come and give us a tune,’ said Serena mockingly.
And Mark, still angry with her for reasons she was unable to fathom, added his voice to Serena’s. It was as though somehow he expected
‘What say we go out into the garden?’ he asked, as he saw Olly Destrin bearing down on them. ‘With any luck, we might get five minutes peace!’
‘Good idea,’ Anna agreed. She had been wanting to ask him exactly what had happened to her engagement ring ever since Serena had mentioned it but there had been no opportunity. Out in the garden, she could say what was on her mind.
She took his arm. They went out through a wide open set of French doors and strolled across the lawns.
‘Where is my ring being repaired?’ she asked, assuming the ring had been damaged in the crash, and that Emmy or Claire had sent it to the jewellers whilst she had been too ill to notice.
Mark stiffened. His good humour seemed to vanish. With a sinking feeling she realised she had said something wrong
‘That is, if it is being repaired?’ she asked hesitantly, wondering what had caused his sudden change of mood.
His voice was cold. ‘You know the answer to that as well as I do.’
She found it difficult to understand him. Not knowing he thought she was acting out a charade, she had no way of knowing he wished she wouldn’t pretend they were real ly engaged when they were alone, when it wasn’t necessary. In fact, she had no way of knowing he thought she was pretending at all.
‘Then if it isn’t being repaired, where is it?’ she asked cautiously. She wanted to know about the ring, as she wanted to know about so many things in her past, but Mark’s attitude made her tread warily. Something, at some point in their relationship, had obviously gone very wrong between them . I t must have done, to have caused this level of hostility. Had they had an argument, or was it something more serious? she wondered.
If only she could remember .
Mark’s attitude didn’t help. Nor did his strange words. ‘Don't do this, Anna,’ he said.
‘But I’m not doing anything,’ she protested, confused.
He detached her arm from his and she saw that he was scowling. ‘Don’t pretend.’
‘About what?’ She felt suddenly as though a large pit had opened at her feet, and as though, if she didn’t proceed very carefully, she might fall in.
‘The ring.’
‘But why should I . . . ’ She paused, confused, then continued. ‘Why should I pretend?'
He stopped and faced her.
She had never seen him look so grim.
‘Because you know as well as I do that there is no ring.’
It took a full minute for his words to sink in. ‘No ring?’ She felt as though she was now teetering on the very edge of the pit.
‘Of course not.’ His unnatural control snapped on the words, and she saw a flare of anger in his eyes.
‘But why isn’t there any ring? We’re engaged, are n’t we? What happened to . . . ’
‘Anna!’
Not now , she thought, her eyes closing in frustration as the sound of her name broke into her thoughts. Although the situation with Mark was difficult she knew that until it was aired it would never be resolved.
Nevertheless, she could not ignore Mr Leverington as he came out into the garden, and neither could Mark.
‘Now then, you young lovebirds, it’s no use hiding away,’ said Mr Leverington indulgently as he came towards them, with Serena on his arm. ‘Anna. We have come to ask you to play.’
Play . She took a minute to compose her thoughts.
Yes. She would like to play. The piano was familiar, and something she understood. It had always been there for her, and although for some reason the music in her holdall frightened her, playing the piano did not. In fact, she knew instinctively that she had turned to the piano in other troubled times, to calm her nerves and soothe her spirits when the world had seemed a hostile place.
‘Yes, Anna, do come and give us a tune,’ said Serena mockingly.
And Mark, still angry with her for reasons she was unable to fathom, added his voice to Serena’s. It was as though somehow he expected
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