thudding at her ribs and wishing with all her heart that Lucia, or even Jason, would come in before the question was asked so that she need not find an answer right at this moment. He sat quite still, not looking at her now, but with a serious frown of concentration on his broad, honest face.
“I want you to marry me, Leonora,” he said quietly at last.
In the silence that followed, so many things crowded into Leonora’s head that it quite spun with the chaos, but she found it incredibly hard to provide an answer. An answer with words that would not hurt too much. “I - I can’t, Scottie,” she told him softly. “I can’t marry you.” Instinctively she reached out to touch his clasped hands and the taut hardness in the bony knuckles troubled her. “I’m sorry,” she added in a whisper.
“Aye!” The one brief, expressive word said it all, and Leonora almost cried.
Instead she leaned forward in her chair, barely able to reach him, her eyes wide and anxious and bright with the turmoil of emotions that churned away inside her. She could offer him affection, friendship, anything but the one thing he wanted of her and which she could not pretend to feel for him. She pressed her fingers anxiously over the strong brown hands and looked at his face - at the understanding and the disappointment.
“Oh, Scottie,” she said softly, “I wish I could say I love you! I like you so much and — and -” She shook her head, biting her lip in despair of ever finding the right words to tell him how sorry she was. “I wish I could!” she whispered.
After several moments he looked up at her and a hint of the old familiar smile creased his brown face, crinkling the corners of his eyes as he studied her. “You’re very lovely,” he said in a soft, quiet voice. “But you’re so young that I shouldn’t have expected any other answer and I’m only sorry I put you in the position where —” He shrugged his shoulders in a gesture of such hopelessness that she felt the tears actually in her eyes at last. “I love you so much,” he said simply. “I - just hoped, that’s all.”
Leonora slipped from her chair and for a moment stood beside him while he took both her hands in his and kissed the fingers gently. “Would you rather I didn’t come again?” she asked gently, and he shook his head.
“Och no, don’t do that!” he begged. “I can still see you sometimes, at least. If—” He looked up at her steadily. “If you still want to come.”
“I do.” She met his eyes and something she saw there for a brief moment told her that he had put quite the wrong interpretation on her wishing to go on visiting the villa. She even almost convinced herself that it was the wrong reason and hastily shook her head, half smiling. “You’ll need some help to cope with Jason when he gets difficult,” she told him. “You know you never have the heart to tell him off the way I do, do you?”
Scottie looked at her steadily for a moment, then bent his head again and pressed the hands he held to his mouth. “I think he’s going to need you as much as he needs me soon,” he said in a muffled voice. “You’ll be good for him!”
“Scottie?”
They both turned swiftly, almost guiltily, and Leonora moved away from Scottie’s chair without quite knowing why she did it. It passed briefly through her mind that if only Jason had joined them a few minutes earlier how much agonising thought he could have saved her. He stood just inside the arched doorway leading from the kitchen and she felt sure that he must have caught the last few words of their conversation at least.
“I’m here,” Scottie told him.
“Alone?” The question was sharp, and Leonora was
about to answer when Scottie forestalled her.
“No,” he said sharply. “Leonora’s here with me.”
“Ah!” Again he displayed that startling accuracy he had of always knowing where she was and he turned to her unerringly, his nose wrinkling appreciatively.
“I want you to marry me, Leonora,” he said quietly at last.
In the silence that followed, so many things crowded into Leonora’s head that it quite spun with the chaos, but she found it incredibly hard to provide an answer. An answer with words that would not hurt too much. “I - I can’t, Scottie,” she told him softly. “I can’t marry you.” Instinctively she reached out to touch his clasped hands and the taut hardness in the bony knuckles troubled her. “I’m sorry,” she added in a whisper.
“Aye!” The one brief, expressive word said it all, and Leonora almost cried.
Instead she leaned forward in her chair, barely able to reach him, her eyes wide and anxious and bright with the turmoil of emotions that churned away inside her. She could offer him affection, friendship, anything but the one thing he wanted of her and which she could not pretend to feel for him. She pressed her fingers anxiously over the strong brown hands and looked at his face - at the understanding and the disappointment.
“Oh, Scottie,” she said softly, “I wish I could say I love you! I like you so much and — and -” She shook her head, biting her lip in despair of ever finding the right words to tell him how sorry she was. “I wish I could!” she whispered.
After several moments he looked up at her and a hint of the old familiar smile creased his brown face, crinkling the corners of his eyes as he studied her. “You’re very lovely,” he said in a soft, quiet voice. “But you’re so young that I shouldn’t have expected any other answer and I’m only sorry I put you in the position where —” He shrugged his shoulders in a gesture of such hopelessness that she felt the tears actually in her eyes at last. “I love you so much,” he said simply. “I - just hoped, that’s all.”
Leonora slipped from her chair and for a moment stood beside him while he took both her hands in his and kissed the fingers gently. “Would you rather I didn’t come again?” she asked gently, and he shook his head.
“Och no, don’t do that!” he begged. “I can still see you sometimes, at least. If—” He looked up at her steadily. “If you still want to come.”
“I do.” She met his eyes and something she saw there for a brief moment told her that he had put quite the wrong interpretation on her wishing to go on visiting the villa. She even almost convinced herself that it was the wrong reason and hastily shook her head, half smiling. “You’ll need some help to cope with Jason when he gets difficult,” she told him. “You know you never have the heart to tell him off the way I do, do you?”
Scottie looked at her steadily for a moment, then bent his head again and pressed the hands he held to his mouth. “I think he’s going to need you as much as he needs me soon,” he said in a muffled voice. “You’ll be good for him!”
“Scottie?”
They both turned swiftly, almost guiltily, and Leonora moved away from Scottie’s chair without quite knowing why she did it. It passed briefly through her mind that if only Jason had joined them a few minutes earlier how much agonising thought he could have saved her. He stood just inside the arched doorway leading from the kitchen and she felt sure that he must have caught the last few words of their conversation at least.
“I’m here,” Scottie told him.
“Alone?” The question was sharp, and Leonora was
about to answer when Scottie forestalled her.
“No,” he said sharply. “Leonora’s here with me.”
“Ah!” Again he displayed that startling accuracy he had of always knowing where she was and he turned to her unerringly, his nose wrinkling appreciatively.
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