She blushed still more deeply. "It's easy to laugh now, but I shall never
dare to face them," she murmured.
He took her hand as they walked, linking his fingers in hers with a
careless air of possession. "When you are Lady Studley," he said, "I
shall not allow you to knock under to anyone--except your husband."
She gave a faint laugh. "I--shall have to learn to swagger," she said.
"But I'm afraid I shall never do it as well as you do."
"What? Swagger?" He frowned again. "How dare you accuse me of that?"
"Oh, I didn't! I don't!" Hastily she sought to avert his displeasure.
"No, no! I only meant that you were born to it. I'm not. I--I'm very
ordinary; not nearly good enough for you."
His frown melted again. "You are--Daphne," he said. "Ah! Here is Scott,
coming to look for us! Who is going to break the news to him?"
She made a small, ineffectual attempt to release her hand. Then, under
her breath, "He--saw you kiss me last night," she whispered. "Don't you
think he may have guessed already?"
A very cynical look came into Eustace's face. "I wonder," he said
briefly.
They went on side by side down the white, shining track; but Dinah was no
longer treading on air. She could see the slight, insignificant figure
that awaited them close to the hotel-entrance, and her heart felt oddly
weighted within her. It was not the memory of the night before that
oppressed her.
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