by Betty Neels
So she had got the sack, she reflected, spooning up a nice old-fashioned junket with clotted cream, but that was to be expected; she’d had no reason to expect otherwise, had she? And she had been warned: Mrs Crisp had told her about the advertisement. She wondered what the receptionist would be like. Young and clever, never keeping James waiting, highly efficient and pretty…
‘You aren’t listening,’ said James. ‘We will go into the drawing room, where you will clear your sadly muddled thoughts and listen to me.’
‘I must go home,’ said Leonora, striving for common sense.
‘Have you forgotten what I told you just now?’
They had crossed into the drawing room and were standing by the door into the garden while Tod dashed in and out.
‘No, no, of course not.’ She looked up at him. ‘Only I’m not sure what you meant.’
He took her in his arms. ‘Then I will tell you, and I will repeat what I am about to say as often as necessary for the rest of our lives. I’ve fallen in love with you, my darling; I think I did that when we first met even if you weren’t at your dignified best.’ He smiled down at her. ‘I love you, my dearest Leonora, and I want to marry you.’
She looked up at him with shining eyes. ‘Oh, James—and I want to marry you too, only I thought that you didn’t love me, or even like me very much, so I tried to stop loving you, only I couldn’t…’
He kissed her then, gently. ‘My dearest love. So you will marry me—and soon?’
‘As soon as we can.’ She paused to think. ‘Well, I must have some clothes and Mother will want to arrange things, I expect. I wish we could just creep away and get married now.’
He kissed her again, this time in a manner to leave her breathless.
‘Mother and Father and Nanny,’ said Leonora presently. ‘Who will look after them? And Mother will want me to have a big wedding and Father can’t afford that… Oh, dear!’
James gathered her closer. He said with calm assurance, ‘Will you leave everything to me, my darling?’
Leonora, looking up into his face and seeing the love in it and hearing his calm, assured voice, said at once, ‘Yes, of course I will, James.’
She smiled at him, wanting him to kiss her again.
Which James duly did, to her entire satisfaction.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-3918-0
THE DAUGHTER OF THE MANOR
Copyright © 1997 by Betty Neels.
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