‘What do you mean?’ Alison shrank a little at any hint of going back among the others.

‘I mean-will you please come and dance with me now?’ he said with a rather charming little bow to her. ‘And let me introduce you to the one or two less poisonous among the others.’

‘Oh, no-please-I think I’d rather not go back.’

‘If you would do it-to please me.’ He smiled full at her suddenly, and Alison was astounded to see how it changed his face. There was no doubt about that smile warming his eyes, and for a moment it gave an air almost of sweetness to his firm, uncompromising mouth.

‘I’m afraid mine is only rather schoolroom dancing,’ she said shyly.

‘It doesn’t matter. There’s no need to do anything complicated.’

‘All right, I’ll come,’ Alison said. Then she looked up. ‘Do I-do I look as though I’d been crying?’ He examined her face judicially in the firelight.

‘I think you’d better dry your eyelashes a bit,’ he advised.

‘Oh.’ Alison searched unsuccessfully for her handkerchief.

He produced his without a word and handed it to her.

Alison laughed a little and dried her eyes. ‘Thank you very much. I don’t know what I’ve done with mine. I always lose it when I haven’t a pocket. There doesn’t seem anywhere to put it.’

‘No,’ he agreed politely, ‘it must be a problem.’ Alison wondered a little if he were laughing at her. But, even if he were, it didn’t hurt.

She went back with him into the other room. He put his arm carelessly but firmly round her, and she found herself drawn into the throng, dancing easily, lightly, happily. It was all so much simpler than she had expected.

‘Enjoying yourself?’ He bent his head for a moment to look at her.

‘Oh, yes!’

‘Well, then, you must smile a little and look happy,’ he told her. ‘That’s part of the-the campaign.’

‘Is it?’ Alison laughed, and looked up to see that he was smiling too. It was an extraordinarily attractive smile, she thought.

His whole air of interested attention was indescribably soothing after the earlier humiliations, and Alison suddenly felt passionately grateful to him.

‘I’ll always remember this, and like him,’ she told herself. ‘I wonder who he is?’

Somebody rather important, she thought, for, as they passed Aunt Lydia, Alison saw her look their way with slight astonishment not unmixed with displeasure.

‘You dance very well,’ her partner said just then. ‘With a little practice you will be a beautiful dancer.’ He spoke without a hint of the patronage which had been meted out to her ever since she had arrived. He was merely stating a fact.

Alison coloured, and looked her pleasure.

‘You’re being most terribly kind to me,’ she said.

‘Oh, no.’ He smiled down at her-that smile for which Alison was already beginning to watch. ‘You are very easy to be kind to, you know.’ And Alison felt that her happiness was complete, because it was at that very moment that they passed Rosalie.

The momentary surprise on Rosalie’s face was at least equal to that of her mother; the displeasure was very much deeper. Alison would have been more than human if she hadn’t enjoyed that moment intensely.

And all the rest of the evening she was made pleasantly aware of her new friend’s half careless but very efficient championship. No one had any chance of being rude or unkind to her again. He introduced her to several people- he appeared to know everyone-but she had the impression that behind his choice of partners for her was very real care and thought.

It was right at the end of the evening that he said to her, ‘I shall probably look in to-morrow, so I shall see you then.’

Alison was staggered at the implication that he intended to continue his role of protector and friend.

‘But really,’ she said earnestly, ‘it’s too kind of you. You needn’t bother, you know.’

He looked rather coldly surprised at that, she thought; and said, ‘Naturally I shall expect to see a good deal of you now.’

Alison didn’t know quite what to make of this.

She watched him go over and say a slightly formal good night to her aunt and Rosalie, and then he came back to her.

‘ Good night.’ He took her hand. ‘And sleep well-after your rather complex first day.’

‘Good night. And thank you-thank you, more than I can possibly say,’ Alison replied eagerly.

‘No, no. Not at all.’ He dismissed that at once.

Then, just as he turned away, she put her hand on his arm and said shyly, ‘You haven’t told me your name, you know. Won’t you tell me before you go?’

He turned back and looked at her in blankest astonishment.

‘But I thought you knew. At least, I assumed you did-I don’t know why. I’m Julian Tyndrum-Rosalie’s fiancé:’

CHAPTER II

‘ROSALIE’’S fiancé!’ Alison could keep neither the astonishment nor the dismay from her face.

‘Certainly. Why not?’ The slight touch of evident displeasure brought her to her senses.

‘Oh, nothing-no reason at all,’ Alison said quickly, and turned away.

Rosalie’s fiancé! No wonder her cousin had looked so much annoyed. No wonder she had assumed that little possessive air towards him. And Aunt Lydia, too-her surprise and resentment were explained now.

The only thing that was not explained was the attitude of Julian Tyndrum himself. Why on earth should he deliberately have gone out of his way to irritate his fiancée? Or had he some sort of rigid social code which made him consider it essential that he should repair Rosalie’s omissions?

‘If so, he’s going to have his hands full,’ thought Alison bitterly. But, in any case, the whole problem had suddenly become too much for her tired mind to tackle just then.

A little apprehensively she went to say good night to her aunt and cousin.

‘Good night, Alison,’ Aunt Lydia said. Then, as she was turning away, ‘Oh, and, Alison dear, I know you’re only a schoolgirl yet’-Alison gritted her teeth-’but you will have to learn that it’s not quite good form to make yourself so conspicuous.’

‘I shouldn’t blame her too much, Mother,’ Rosalie said tolerantly. ‘If Julian sets out to turn a girl’s head he usually succeeds. You couldn’t expect Alison to be proof against it.’

Without a word Alison went out of the room. She couldn’t trust herself to speak in this rush of anger and dislike which came over her almost every time her cousin addressed her.

Very wearily she climbed the stairs. When she had been dancing and talking so happily with Julian Tyndrum, she had forgotten even to think about being tired. But now the reaction had set in. All the hours of strain and tension seemed to gather together in one heavy burden that pressed upon her.

‘Alison, is that you?’

For a moment she was tempted to ignore the cautious whisper from Audrey’s room. Then she went to the door.’

‘Yes. What is it?’

‘Come in a minute. I want to hear about the party.’

‘You ought to be asleep,’ Alison protested feebly, but she came in.

Audrey was sitting up in bed, and even the dim light did little to disguise the determined interest of her face.

‘I’ve been asleep,’ she said. ‘But I woke up with the noise of everybody going.’ Then almost immediately she added, ‘You look awfully pretty in that dress, though it’s not a bit like an evening dress. Did you enjoy yourself?’

‘Yes, thank you.’

It was true. She had enjoyed herself in the end, thanks to the kindness of one person. Strange to think that that one person was engaged to anyone so spiteful as Rosalie.

‘You must go to sleep again now,’ she said.

‘I’m very thirsty. Do you think I could have a drink?’ The resourceful Audrey knew all there was to know about prolonging conversations.

Alison remembered the old dodge, too, but she went over and poured out a glass of water for the little girl.