Diary fiction; English fiction -- 20th century; Love stories; Young women -- Fiction
“When you leave us alone I am going to pull it all down,” and he
whispered, “darling, I love you,” so close, that his lips touched my
ear, while he pretended he was not doing anything! I say again, Robert
has ways which would charm a stone image.
“How was Torquilstone last night?” Lady Merrenden asked. “And did you
tell him anything?”
“Not a word,” said Robert. “I wanted to wait and consult you both which
would be best. Shall I go to him at once, or shall he be made to meet
my Evangeline again and let her fascinate him, as she is bound to do,
and then tell him?”
“Oh, tell him straight!” I exclaimed, remembering his proclivities
about the servants, and that Véronique knows. “Then he cannot ever say
we have deceived him.”
“That is how I feel,” said Robert.
“You take Evangeline to lunch, Aunt Sophia, and I will go back and feed
with him and tell him, and then come to you after.”
“Yes, that will be best,” she said, and it was settled that she should
come in again and fetch me in an hour, when Robert should leave to go
to Vavasour House. He went with her to the lift, and then he came back.
No--even in this locked book I am not going to write of that hour--it
was too divine. If I had thought just sitting in the Park was heaven, I
now know there are degrees of heaven, and that Robert is teaching me up
towards the seventh.
_Monday afternoon (continued)._
I FORGOT to say a note came from Christopher by this morning’s
post--it made me laugh when I read it, then it went out of my head,
but when Lady Merrenden returned for me, and we were more or less sane
again--Robert and I--I thought of it; so apparently did he.
“Did you by chance hear from Christopher whether he got your note last
night or no?” he said.
I went and fetched it from my bedroom when I put on my hat. Robert read
it aloud:
“TRAVELLERS’ CLUB,
“_Sunday night_.
“_Souvent femme varie, fol qui se fie!_”
Hope you found your variation worth while.
“C. C.”
“What dam cheek!” he said in his old way; he hasn’t used any “ornaments
to conversation” since we have been--oh! I want to say it--engaged!
Then his eyes flashed. “Christopher had better be careful of himself.
He will have to be answerable to me now!”
“Do be prudent, Evangeline, dear!” Lady Merrenden said gaily, “or you
will have Robert breaking the head of every man in the street who even
glances at you! He is frantically jealous!”
“Yes, I know I am,” said Robert, rearranging the tie on my blouse with
that air of _sans gêne_ and possession that pleases me so.
I belong to him now, and if my tie isn’t as he likes, he has a perfect
right to re-tie it! No matter who is there! That is his attitude, not
the _least_ ceremony or stuff, everything perfectly simple and natural!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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