Next Door to Romance by Margaret Malcolm Read Free Book Online Page B

landowners as one of themselves. And why not? He could beat them for brains and he could beat them for wealth—they'd be fools not to welcome him.
    Only it hadn't worked out like that. Oh, everyone had been perfectly polite—too polite. And there had been formal invitations—too formal. And that was all.
    It irked Simon, but there was apparently nothing he could do about it, at least, not on his own. But how about if he got Evadne to lend a hand?
    Her unexpected arrival that evening had given him his opportunity and he came to the point without beating about the bush.
    Marriage
was the one way in which they could make their entry into the charmed circle. Evadne's marriage to—she had used her father's phrase when she had talked to Mark—one of the local bigwigs.
    'Out of the question,' she had told him with an echo of his own bluntness.
    'Nonsense! You've got looks, social ability and money. You could do it as easy as kiss your hand!' he insisted.
    'I expect I could, if I put my mind to it,' she said indifferently. 'But I'm not going to!'
    They'd argued—Evadne insisting that she'd hate living in the country, and anyway, what about Mark? Her father countered by pointing out that she needn't live in the country all the time, and as for Mark, whether she married him or not, it would be in his own interest to manage her affairs competently. And there they'd stuck—two obstinate people neither of whom would give an inch.
    She'd still been brooding over her father's stubbornness when Mark had returned. Before he'd come, she'd almost made up her mind to tell him all about it—of bringing into the open the question of their own marriage. But something in Mark's manner had held her back. With a woman's intuition she had known beyond doubt that despite his assumption of boredom, Mark had enjoyed his evening. Why? Obviously, because of some girl he'd met! And just who that girl was, Evadne was determined to discover.
    Not that she thought there was any serious likelihood of Mark losing his head. He knew too well which side of his bread was buttered for that! But one couldn't be too careful, particularly as she had no illusions about him being in love with her, any more than she was with him. Simply, it would be a very satisfactory marriage for both of them.
    But men could be oddly blind to their own advantages when a pretty girl was concerned. And Evadne, though, like her father, she had a full appreciation of her own good looks, knew that she wasn't pretty in an appealing way.
    It didn't take much effort to decide what to do. Obviously, she must see the girl with whom, presumably, Mark had danced most. It ought not to be difficult to find out who she was—there was a probable link with that redheaded vet. That would be a starting point—
    Evadne yawned, dismissed the matter from her mind and settled down to a peaceful night's sleep.

CHAPTER 3

    During the night the direction of the wind changed and by morning the sky was full of heavy, black-fringed clouds. A surprisingly chill rain for the time of year was blown in great gusts that temporarily blotted out all but the nearest objects. And then, almost in the matter of moments, the wind dropped, the rain stopped and the sun shone brilliantly, only to fade again with the return of the rain. It was more like spring than summer weather. But at least the rapid changes reflected Lisa's own moods. At one moment the world was a wonderful place full of hope and promise. Then, with disconcerting speed, she would be beset with doubts and fears.
    'But really, I ought not to be thinking about myself,' she said self-reproachfully. 'Tom—oh, I do wish I hadn't had to hurt him—and what am I to do about working longer hours for him? When he suggested it he must have hoped it would give him a chance to—well, it would bring us together more. But now I don't see how he can help wishing he'd never made the offer. But he won't back out of it. He'll have too much pride for that. So I suppose