Part 93 (1/2)

”Do you think I could possibly have left you there unaided? Why do you think I intervened?”

Polly did not answer. She could feel the tension between them now and turned aside from the question. It felt too soon to consider it.

”But Chapman is not taken yet and you are here in Wood bridge...” Her eyes widened at the implication. ”No, it cannot be that he is he reV She cast a swift look through the gla.s.s door to where the couples still swirled around the dance floor, as if expecting the felon to declare himself.

Henry took her arm in a comforting grasp.

”No, he is not here, not tonight. But your deduction is as faultless as ever. Lady Polly! Chapman is close by and others I seek are closer still.

You will do well to be vigilant until the matter is finally resolved! ”

”I suppose your midnight foray at the House of Tides is all a piece with this,” Polly said a little dazedly. She sat down on the cus.h.i.+oned bench by the ornamental pool and watched the candlelight reflected in the cool water.

”The turret door in my bedroom at the House of Tides led down to the cellars and no doubt to the sea...”

”Yes.” Henry s.h.i.+fted slightly on the bench beside her.

”There are indeed compensations to my work, ma'am!”

”Outrageous! It mattered not one whit that I was asleep in there, I suppose!”

”It certainly made the business more enjoyable!”

Polly refused to let her attention be diverted by this.

”Why have you told me all this?” she asked.

Henry's amus.e.m.e.nt faded. He looked at her. There was such a clear, innocent look in her eyes. He knew he should lie to her, but he could not.

This was important.

”For lots of reasons,” he said, as lightly as he could. ”Maybe I did not wish you to have such a low opinion of me any more! You suspected much already, but I wanted you to know the truth. It mattered to me.”

Polly could tell that he was utterly sincere. There was none of the teasing mockery that had been present a moment before. She could sense the tension latent in him as he sat, not touching her, but very close.

His face was still in shadow.

Polly got up and moved across to the window, looking out across the silent gardens to the lake s.h.i.+mmering in the silver moonlight. His honesty had prompted her to say something herself, something that she had always wanted to tell him but had always held back.

”When you said to me--that night at Lady Phillips's rid otto--that I had played my part in making you what you had become, then I thought--'

She broke off.

”I had not really thought of it that way before, but I suppose my rejection of your suit five years ago must have had its effect on your actions. I am sorry, so very sorry, that I ever refused you. Matters could have been so very different--' Her voice broke on a sob.

”It was very wrong of me to attribute any blame to you,” Henry said swiftly. He had moved until she could sense he was very close behind her.

”I must take the responsibility for my own behaviour. I did not choose this path simply because you refused my proposal of marriage five years ago.

There were many factors that influenced that decision, of which only one was seeing the reversal of my hopes of a life with you.”

Polly studied his reflection in the gla.s.s behind her. He was so close that she could feel the warmth emanating from his body, a contrast to the cold draught from the window and the emotion which was making her s.h.i.+ver a little.