"But what we have we hold," he warned her. "No more gifts to the Cloades, Rosaleen. Every one of them has got far more money than either you or I ever had."

"Yes, I suppose that's true."

"Where was Lynn this morning?" he asked.

"I think she'd gone to Long Willows."

To Long Willows - to see Rowley - the oaf - the clodhopper! His good humour vanished. Set on marrying the fellow, was she?

Moodily he strolled out of the house, up through massed azaleas and out through the small gate on the top of the hill. From there the footpath dipped down the hill and past Rowley's farm.

As David stood there, he saw Lynn Marchmont coming up from the farm. He hesitated for a minute, then set his jaw pugnaciously and strolled down the hill to meet her. They met by a stile just half-way up the hill.

"Good morning," said David. "When's the wedding?"

"You've asked that before," she retorted. "You know well enough. It's in June."

"You're going through with it?"

"I don't know what you mean, David."

"Oh, yes, you do." He gave a contemptuous laugh. "Rowley. What's Rowley?"

"A better man than you - touch him if you dare," she said lightly.

"I've no doubt he's a better man than me - but I do dare. I'd dare anything for you, Lynn."

She was silent for a moment or two. She said at last:

"What you don't understand is that I love Rowley."

"I wonder."

She said vehemently:

"I do, I tell you. I do."

David looked at her searchingly.

"We all see pictures of ourselves - of ourselves as we want to be. You see yourself in love with Rowley, settling down with Rowley, living here contented with Rowley, never wanting to get away. But that's not the real you, is it, Lynn?"

"Oh, what is the real me? What's the real you, if it comes to that? What do you want?"

"I'd have said I wanted safety, peace after storm, ease after troubled seas. But I don't know. Sometimes I suspect, Lynn, that both you and I want - trouble." He added moodily, "I wish you'd never turned up here. I was remarkably happy until you came."

"Aren't you happy now?"

He looked at her. She felt excitement rising in her. Her breath became faster. Never had she felt so strongly David's queer moody attraction. He shot out a hand, grasped her shoulder, swung her round...

Then as suddenly she felt his grasp slacken. He was staring over her shoulder up the hill. She twisted her head to see what it was that had caught his attention.

A woman was just going through the small gate above Furrowback. David said sharply: "Who's that?"

Lynn said:

"It looks like Frances."

"Frances?" He frowned.

"What does Frances want?"

"My dear Lynn! Only those who want something drop in to see Rosaleen. Your mother has already dropped in this morning."

"Mother?" Lynn drew back. She frowned. "What did she want?"