Part 40 (2/2)
”You're looking very well,” he said.
”I've just come from my father,” Marianna said with- out preamble. ”He's inclined to horsewhip you.”
”Charming,” Jarrod said, drawing back slightly. ”I take it that you are pregnant.”
”You take it correctly.”
'That's good news then,” Jarrod said with decidedly mixed feelings.
Marianna looked up at him with a ghost of a smile.
”I hope you mean that. I really do.”
”Well it's what you wanted.”
”Yes it is, and, as you know, I intended to raise this child unenc.u.mbered. Daddy, unfortunately, is being obstinately old-fas.h.i.+oned. He insisted on knowing who the father was and I couldn't sidetrack him.”
Jarrod had his doubts about that, but said nothing.
”I'm afraid he's insisting that we get married,” she added.
”I see.”
Marianna reacted to something in his voice. ”I didn't intend for this to happen, you do realize that.”
He looked into her eyes. ”You haven't heard me ob- ject, have you?”
She caught her top lip between her teeth and her eyes filled. At that point the Duty Boy returned with the cider. Jarrod took the tankards from him, thanked him and, by the time he had withdrawn, they were both composed.
”I don't know about you,” Marianna said, ”but I don't want a big wedding.”
Jarrod took a long pull at his cider. ”You must for- 223.
give me,” he said, ”but this has come on rather sud- denly. D'you think we could sit down?”
Marianna laughed as she dropped into the chair.
”That's the sort of thing the woman's supposed to say.”
”It's true nevertheless. You've been through this be- fore; I haven't.”
”Poor Jarrod. You don't have to go through with this if you don't want to. It was never part of our bar- gain.”
”I know- The trouble is that your father isn't the only old-fas.h.i.+oned one. Our agreement never did sit com- fortably with me, but you're a difficult woman to say no to.”
”I'm rather relieved to hear that under the circ.u.m- stances,” she said lightly. ”So what kind of wedding would you like? After all, it will be your first.”
”I think I should like Greylock to marry us and I've never been one for ceremonies.”
”Perhaps we could have it before I go back to Gwyn- dryth,” she suggested.
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