Read Online The House of Lyall by Doris Davidson - Free Book Online

seats round the wall, and noticing two young men heading in her direction, Marianne waved them away.
    â€˜I won’t hold you to the next dance if you –’ Andrew began, but she broke in, ‘I want to dance with you.’
    Waiting for the music to start again, she let her eyes rove round the hall and when she noticed a small knot of girls at the opposite side looking up flirtatiously at a tall, fair-haired young man, who was paying no attention to them, she gave Andrew a nudge.’ ‘D’you know who he is?’
    â€˜I can’t see his face, but he must have more charisma than I have,’ Andrew grinned. ‘Girls do not mill round me like that. Do you want me to find somebody to introduce you?’
    â€˜Oh, no! I’d be too embarrassed.’
    The next dance was stopped before the end, so that everyone could hear the bells chime midnight, and after the hand-shaking and well-wishing had died down, most of the men kissed their partners, and so Andrew felt emboldened to kiss his. ‘Happy New Year, dear Marianne,’ he murmured bashfully, taking her in his arms.
    As with several other couples, the first kiss was quickly followed by another of longer duration, and when Andrew drew away, he was confused by the depth of his feelings and too shy to declare himself.
    Striving to understand her own emotions, Marianne said breathily, ‘We’d better get off the floor before …’ Not knowing why she wanted to sit down, she broke off.
    Acutely conscious of each other now, they sat through the next dance without uttering a word, but at last Andrew said, ‘I think I should be getting you home, in case the aunts are worrying.’
    When he helped her to her feet, she said, ‘I’d like to walk home, if that’s all right? My head needs clearing.’
    â€˜Mine, too.’
    Although the night air was bitterly cold and frost was glittering on the granite setts of the street, they ambled along silently for quite a time before Andrew summoned enough courage to say what was on his mind. ‘Marianne,’ he began, ‘we’ve known each other for two years, and I was drawn to you from the very first. No, don’t say anything yet,’ he warned, as she opened her mouth, ‘I want to get it off my chest, and I need to know where I stand. I said “drawn to you”, but I really fell in love with you the minute I saw you. I meant to wait till I’d something to offer you, until I had set up as a solicitor, which won’t be for a few years yet, but I know my aunts would be pleased if you … if we …’
    They had stopped walking, and Marianne put her hand up and stroked his cheek. ‘We’re too young to make our minds up on something as serious as marriage, Andrew.’
    â€˜We could just be engaged … and my mind was made up months ago.’
    â€˜It might change in a few years, and if you remember, I told you on our very first walk I was going to marry a rich man. Maybe you thought that was a silly girlish dream, but I still mean it.’
    He eyed her mournfully. ‘So you don’t love me?’
    â€˜Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. I just don’t know, Andrew.’
    â€˜If you did, you’d know,’ he said, his voice throbbing with the pain eating at his innards. ‘I fall asleep every night thinking of you, and I wake every morning thinking of you, and I think of you every minute of the day. That’s love, Marianne!’
    â€˜I often think of you, Andrew, and if you went away, I’d really miss you, it would probably make me miserable for a long time, but I can’t be sure if it’s love or not. I’m sorry.’
    â€˜It’s all right,’ he said gruffly, although clearly it wasn’t. ‘We’d better go.’
    Pulling up the hood of Miss Edith’s cloak, she held the body of it closely around her. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you, Andrew,’