For a moment she pressed her hand hard against her cheek so that she could feel his ring there-the ring which he himself had worn. He had said something about buying her another one-’anything she liked’. But she thought wistfully that she would much rather have kept this one.

Presently she got up and went downstairs. Her aunt and Rosalie were breakfasting in their rooms, but her uncle was already down, so she joined him.

He glanced up from The Times, said, ‘Good morning, Alison,’ absently, and then went back to his paper.

Alison wondered whether he were a little ashamed of his show of feeling last night, or whether it was that his interest had genuinely evaporated.

However, when he had finished his breakfast he folded up his newspaper with his usual precision, and looked across at her.

‘I suppose there’s a good deal to be done about your trousseau and that sort of thing,’ he said with masculine vagueness.

‘Well, I suppose-there is,’ Alison admitted a little uncomfortably.

Her uncle thoughtfully balanced his coffee-spoon on the edge of his cup.

‘I spoke to your aunt last night about it, and she doesn’t seem specially anxious to take the business in hand. Perhaps she feels she has enough to do for Rosalie already.’ He adjusted the balance of the spoon with meticulous care.

They didn’t look at each other, and after a moment Alison said gravely, ‘I dare say she does.’

Uncle Theodore cleared his throat.

‘It seems a bit of a responsibility for you on your own. Especially considering that you’re only out of school six or seven months. Have you any woman friend you can consult about it?’

‘Oh, no.’ Alison looked surprised. She hadn’t had many opportunities of making friends.

‘Well, you’d better speak to Julian about it.’ Her uncle had evidently come to the end of his suggestions. ‘One of his partners probably has a wife or a mother or someone he could ask I’m afraid I can’t help you over anything much but the bills.’ And he smiled a little grimly.

‘Oh, Uncle, I shan’t need very much-really.’ Alison spoke distressedly.

‘Nonsense, my dear, of course you will. Julian is a very rich man, with a big position to keep up. You don’t suppose I should let you go to him looking like a shabby little nobody?’

‘It seems-such a shame,’ Alison said in a low voice.

‘What does?’

‘That you-you’re always called on to do the paying.’

Her uncle laughed a little.

‘I assure you that twenty years of constant practice has perfected my technique,’ he said drily. ‘You needn’t bother your head about that.’ And he patted her fair, silky head not unkindly as he went off.

Alison had no wish to see either Rosalie or Aunt Lydia just then, so she deliberately made some jobs for herself in her own room.

Then presently one of the servants knocked on the door, to say that Mr. Tyndrum was waiting in the library.

‘Oh, yes, I’ll come.’

Alison glanced at herself in the mirror, ran a comb nervously through her hair, and hurried downstairs.

He was standing looking out of the window, his hands in his pockets, and he looked very tall and overwhelming silhouetted against the light.

At the sound of the opening door he turned and came towards her at once.

‘Did you-did you want to see me?’ Alison spoke a little breathlessly, and then thought what a ridiculous thing that was to say.

‘Well, yes, Alison, I did.’ He looked amused. ‘We have a good deal to discuss, haven’t we?’

Alison supposed they had.

‘I thought perhaps you would like to come with me now to choose your ring, and then we could have lunch together and talk things over. We haven’t a great deal of time, considering how much there is to be done before we leave.’

She noticed a little wistfully that he didn’t use the expression ‘before we are married.’

‘Very well, I’d like to come to lunch with you. But, Julian-’

‘Yes?’

‘About the ring. I-I’d just as soon keep this one, really.’

He looked so much surprised that she found herself blushing furiously.

‘Why, Alison, what an extraordinary idea.’

It-it is done sometimes,’ stammered Alison.

‘But only for sentiment’s sake, and that doesn’t apply in this case,’ he said with unconscious brutality.

Her colour ebbed again, and she was a little surprised even herself at the way her heart shrank before his careless frankness.

‘Why, you silly little goose.’ He laughed and took hold of her gently by her arm. ‘Are you trying to save me money or something? The exchequer will stand the strain of whatever it is you really want.’

With a tremendous effort she forced a smile.

‘Very well then. Thank you-very much.’

‘I believe you’ve forgotten you proposed this as a business deal,’ he reminded her amusedly. ‘Your role is to get as much out of it as possible.’

Alison was dumb; and he saw then that he had really hurt her.

‘I’m sorry, my child.’ He put his arm round her and drew her against him quickly. I was only teasing you. I’m not really suggesting you’re mercenary. I know you’re not. That’s why I shall enjoy giving you things.’

‘It’s all right.’ Alison managed another faint smile.

‘Sure?’ He put his hand under her chin and tipped her face up.’

‘Yes.’

She must say something that would make him let her go! She couldn’t possibly stand any sort of scrutiny.

‘You’ll have to tell me what you would like for a wedding present, too,’ he went on. ‘A fur coat, I suppose?’

That gave her her chance.

‘Oh, Julian, that reminds me.’ She moved quickly, so that he immediately released her. ‘Uncle Theodore said I was to speak to you about choosing my-my trousseau. You see-you see, Aunt Lydia isn’t at all anxious to help me, and I’m just a bit at sea when it comes to choosing such a big wardrobe.’

‘Of course,’ Julian spoke slowly and a little drily. ‘Your aunt would hardly want to be helpful in the circumstances.’

‘She’s rather busy,’ Alison offered timidly.

‘Busy helping Rosalie choose her trousseau, I suppose,’ he said bitterly. And, when Alison saw the angry misery in his face, her heart turned over sickeningly.

It showed her more clearly than anything else could have done how little she herself really counted. His forced gaiety, his little tenderness to her, just lay on the surface of his feelings. It was Rosalie-shallow, uncaring Rosalie- who had stirred the dark, still depths of his passion and affection. And, for a moment, Alison wondered if she could possibly go on with it all.

Then Julian passed his hand over his forehead rather bewilderedly and said:

‘You were saying-about your trousseau-’

She saw then, of course, that she had to go on. They were too far in it to turn back now. She couldn’t jilt him the day after Rosalie had. There were times when ridicule became the worst sort of tragedy-and that would be one of them.

She must just struggle on with the dreary pretence that he, too, was interested in her trousseau, though it all seemed rather silly and futile now.

‘Well, Uncle Theodore suggested that probably you would know somebody-I mean, a relation of one of your partners or someone like that-who wouldn’t mind helping me.’

She had a horrid sense of being in everyone’s way again, and she rather wished she had undertaken to muddle along on her own.

But Julian seemed to find it quite a reasonable suggestion.

‘Yes, of course. Jennifer Langtoft would be just the person. Simon Langtoft is our European sales manager,’ he added, ‘and I’ve known them both for years.’

‘Is Jennifer his wife?’

‘No, his sister.’

‘And do you think she would mind?’

‘Not in the least. It’s the kind of thing she loves. If you like, I’ll ring up Simon while you are getting ready, and see if they can both have dinner with us somewhere tonight,’ Julian said.

Thank you, Julian.’.