Love Is My Reason by Mary Burchell Read Free Book Online Page B

something, perhaps the extreme gravity of his expression, made David suddenly get out of the car and come over to join him.
    “ You haven ’ t been long, ” he said sharply.
    “ No. It didn ’ t take all that long to—see how things were. ”
    “ You mean— ” David hesitated— “ that he ’ s really very ill indeed. ”
    “ No. I ’ m afraid it ’ s worse than that, ” Robin Drummond said, rubbing his hand meditatively against the side of his cheek. “ I mean, my dear fellow, that the poor chap is dead. He must have died about an hour ago, I think. Probably when the girl thought he fell asleep. ”

    CHAPTER THREE
    Afterwards, David was ashamed to recall that his first reaction was one of overwhelming disappointment and frustration. By a matter of hours, he had missed, probably for ever, the chance of discovering the secret of Anya ’ s real origin.
    But then, even as her name came into this reflection, he recalled that her tragedy far transcended any personal disappointment of his and, looking suddenly anxious, he demanded of Robin Drummond,
    “ Where is she? Have you told her? ”
    “ Of course. Though I think she guessed it when she saw him again. There ’ s some woman up there with her now. But I suppose it ’ s up to us to see about formalities. We ’ ll have to notify the death to someone, I take it, and have the body removed. After all, there are these other people living in the room and — ”
    “ Wait, ” David interrupted. “ I must speak to her. ”
    And, leaving his friend standing there, he went quickly into the block and ran up the s t airs, two at a time. It was dark in the corridor, after the sunlight outside, but he found the door at the end and he knocked softly and entered.
    For years afterwards he was always able to recall the scene in its smallest detail, and always with a stab of pain for the fact that Anya was simply leaning against the wall, crying quietly, without apparently even the means of grieving in comfort. Beside her stood the woman he had seen the previous evening. But although she looked compassionately at Anya, she did not seem to have any words to meet the situation. Perhaps there were no words. At any rate, David himself did not pause to find them. He simply crossed the room and, gently putting the woman aside, took the weeping girl in his arms.
    “ Herr David — ” She turned and hid her face against his shoulder, with a sort of childish relief. “ Oh, I ’ m so glad you came. ”
    “ I ’ m glad too, ” he said. And, in spite of whatever fresh complications might be arising, he found that in some strange way that was the truth.
    He stroked her bright hair as though she were indeed a child, and after a minute he said gently, “ Try not to feel too much alone. I promised—your father I would look after you, and I meant it. ”
    The quick, grateful pressure of her hand on his arm was the only answer to that. And so, spurred on by the necessity of making some decision, he went on presently, “ I think , Anya that for a few days at any rate, I had better take you away from here. ”
    “ Where? ” She looked up, wide-eyed and a trifle apprehensive.
    “ To the hotel where I am staying. My aunt is with me there, and she is very kind. We will look after you until we can decide something about your future. ”
    “ And—him? ” She made a pathetically diffident little gesture towards the curtained middle cubicle.
    David was not, or thought he was not, a specially imaginative man. But in that moment he knew exactly what she meant. Penniless and forlorn herself, she was asking, wordlessly, for some sort of tenderness and respect towards the mortal remains of the man she had known as her father.
    “ If you will trust me, ” he said quietly, “ I will see to it that your father is buried with friendliness and dignity. I ’ ll interview the camp Kommandant presently, and I ’ m sure that everything can be arranged as you would wish. Will you come with me,