Black Rainbow by KATHY Read Free Book Online Page B

forward into his waiting arms.
    "You see, I have learned the way to a woman's heart," said Edmund to his sister.
    "For shame! You were not so cynical once. But stay—you have not greeted Miss O'Neill. You owe her special courtesy now, to compensate for your earlier neglect."
    Then, for the first time, his eyes met Megan's.
    She had taken great pains with her appearance, mindful of the emotional subtleties of the occasion. Her gown must not be too elaborate, but it should not strike a depressing note either. She had chosen an old frock with full sleeves and a modest lace collar. The pale blue deepened the blue of her eyes and set off her fair complexion. Her golden hair had been brushed till it shone, and twisted into a loose coronet that allowed countless little curls and tendrils to brush her forehead. She thought she looked very well, and the admiration on Edmund's face confirmed this impression.
    "Miss O'Neill will forgive us, I know; her face beams with sympathetic pleasure in this reunion. As for my earlier crime, I will accept whatever penance she decrees. Perhaps one of those fascinating parcels contains an offering that will help win a pardon for me."
    Megan was saved the necessity of a reply by Lina, who was bouncing up and down and demanding her presents. With the child in his arms and his sister pressed close to his side, Edmund entered his home, leaving Megan to follow.
    She felt as if the sun had gone behind a cloud. Edmund's manners were charming, but his casual assumption that a present would excuse his forgetfulness reduced her to the same level as his three-year-old ward. Wistfully Megan's eyes followed the little group ahead of her, so close, so lovingly entwined. She felt like a beggar-woman shivering in the cold as she gazed into the window of a warmly lit house, filled with comforts she would never have.
    Megan's mournful mood did not last long. The others were careful to include her in the celebrations that followed, and Edmund's gift showed such exquisite taste, such consciousness of what would suit her that she could not help but be flattered. The dainty filigree necklace and matching earrings, set with brilliant blue stones, were not the sort of gift a young lady is supposed to accept from a gentleman, but Megan brushed this critical thought aside. Jane seemed to see nothing wrong in it, and if Jane's finicky conscience was at ease, who was she to object?
    Edmund had bought lavishly. The parcels did not stop coming; every day brought a new consignment, from an expensive French doll for Lina to fashionable ornaments for the drawing room. Once or twice Jane's forehead wrinkled when some costly trinket emerged from its packing case, but she said nothing.
    The daily schedule had changed drastically, as was to be expected. Dinner was now served at a fashionably late hour, and after the first evening, when Lina had been allowed to help celebrate her guardian's homecoming, Megan had not dined with her employers. Brother and sister had much to talk about; sometimes, passing along the hall after an exhausting session with Lina, Megan would hear laughing voices from the drawing room near the foot of the stairs. Once she lingered, enraptured at the sound of a sweet tenor voice singing one of the fashionable sentimental ballads. The expert trills and chords accompanying the singer informed her that Edmund was accompanying himself. Jane's musical talents were extremely limited.
    One evening, a week after Edmund's arrival, Megan and Lina were invited to join the others after dinner. Edmund was obviously pleased by the child's pretty looks and affectionate manner; he was particularly amused by the little French phrases she chirped out with the imitative facility of a parrot. When they entered the drawing room, she broke away from Megan and ran to Edmund, crying, " Bonsoir, cher oncle. Comment-allez-vous?"
    "Tres bon, ma petite. But," Edmund added with a laugh, lifting her onto his knee, "I don't think such awful