Heart Specialist (27 page)

“
Of course.
”

When she returned to the drawing room he was standing in front of the fireplace and staring down into the grate. It was the first time they had ever occupied Miss Constantia
’
s drawing room alone together—to her knowledge—and the realization affected her with a return of tension. She came to a halt in the middle of the carpet, the roses in a glass container in her hand, and he turned and looked at her.

“
Wouldn
’
t you like to take those with you?
”
he asked.

“
Take them with me?
”

“
To my aunt
’
s. You are permitting me to take you to my aunt
’
s, aren
’
t you, Valentine?
”

She set down the roses on an occasional table, and suddenly her hands were trembling. His voice was so quiet, and for the first time she had raised her own eyes to his face, and the look in his had hurt her. It was such a dark, grave, reproachful look, and all at once she knew that her whole body was trembling, and a passionate desire to do something about that look in his eyes rushed over her.

“
Valentine!
”
he said.

She stood quite still.

“
You know why I
’
m taking you to my aunt
’
s, don
’
t you?
”
He moved to her and put his hands on her shoulders.
“
I
’
m taking you to her because it
’
s with her you
’
re going to remain until we can be married! Do you hear that, Valentine?
”
He shook her gently.
“
Married!
”

She looked up at him with huge blue eyes that were swimming with disbelief.

“
But I said
...
”

“
You said! I said ... So much has been said that was so pointless, and so much has been left unsaid that should have been said long ago!
”
His arms crushed her to him, and she made not the smallest move to resist him; she even nestled her head against his shoulder with a tired sigh and wondered whether this was all part of a dream, the aftermath of a single glass of champagne, or whether it was indeed reality.
“
My darling Valentine, my one woman out of all the women in this world,
I
adore you!
”

And then his lips were on hers, and the dream of bliss completed itself and became something she hoped would never end.

He picked her up in his arms and carried her to one of the deep armchairs. Her expensive silk suit was sadly crushed as those arms seemed to make her a part of his body, and although her eyes were shut she could feel his mouth moving hungrily over every inch of her face, and at the same time he murmured to her,
“
Foolish little one
...
How
could
you be so foolish, Valentine? As if I would ask you to marry me for any other reason than that I loved you with all my heart! And I thought you knew it. That time when I kissed you in the car ... I wanted to go on kissing you, but you were so elusive and unpredictable at that stage, and I was terrified, since it wasn
’
t very long since you had actually disliked me, that it was not what you wanted, and that you would take offense. You were so English—you
are
so very English—and I had the feeling that I must tread carefully. And then when you admitted that you had agreed to marry Fairfield if he would take you without your money, I was terrified afresh. I was afraid that I would lose you if I didn
’
t do something quickly, and
I
asked you to marry me in such a clumsy fashion that you were quite right to turn me down.
”

“
Was I?
”
She opened her eyes and looked up at him, and this time it was
his
heart that gave a lurch, for the love in her eyes, now completely undisguised, was so much more than a girl
’
s love—it was a woman
’
s deep and lasting love
!
“
I came to see you that night,
”
she admitted,
“
because I had to. It wasn
’
t merely that
I
was unhappy, but I had been so rude to you. I felt that
I
had been unforgivably rude
...”

“
And you found Elise there!
”
His voice was suddenly dry.

“
Yes.
”
But her hand stole up and touched his cheek.
“
I
think I understand about Elise. ... At least, I
will
understand!
”

“
Will you?
”
The dryness persisted in his voice, and he looked down keenly into her eyes.
“
It is kind of you to make allowances for any little masculine weaknesses you think I may possess, Valentine—any
French
masculine weaknesses! But I can explain Elise with the utmost simplicity, and it will not be necessary for you to make any allowances.
”

He saw her delicate face turn scarlet, but even so he thought it best to be quite brutal in order that she would understand.

“
Elise and I have known one another for years—long before she was married. And after he
r
husband died she thought she would like to marry me. I admire Elise, and she is very beautiful, but I had no intention of marrying anyone—
anyone
,
do you understand? Until you came into my life
I
was perfectly content as
I
was, and it was you who shattered my contentment so completely that I really should find it hard to forgive you!
”
But in the depths of his eyes she read something that convinced her that she had been forgiven long, long ago.
“
My little Valentine, it is hard for you to take in these things, but Elise is not as you would be. When she wants something she doesn
’
t attempt to hide what she wants, but goes after it. That night you called at my apartment she herself had only just arrived, and she was trying to persuade me to take her out for the evening, although I told her I planned to stay at home, and that was why I was wearing a dressing gown. I had not long parted from you, all my thoughts were with you
...
What I would do next to persuade you to change your mind about me! And then Elise arrived. And when you turned up she recognized your voice, and by the time I took you along to the sitting room she had arranged matters so that you would receive an entirely wrong impression
...”

Valentine hid her face against him.

“
I was so desperately unhappy that night, I wanted to
di
e!
”

His arms held her
w
ith a kind of fierce protectiveness.
“
You will not die, my little one, from any damage to your heart that is caused through any carelessness of mine. Your heart will be my most precious charge for the rest of your life and mine!
”
He buried his face in her hair.
“
Oh, Valentine, you cut off this lovely golden hair to hurt me! How soon will it grow again and become the wonderful golden cloud it was?
”

“
Do you want it to grow again?
”
she whispered.

“
I will certainly not permit you to cut it!
”
His fingers twined themselves in it.
“
It was to hurt me that you had it shorn so close to your adorable head, wasn
’
t it?
”
Valentine had to admit that it was, and meeting the reproach in his look she wondered how she could ever have done so.

“
You seemed to think I had to be punished, and yet all I did was love you. You made me very unhappy,
Valentine, and if you were unhappy yourself it was only right and fitting that you should be! But when
I
saw you looking pale and wan I couldn
’
t bear it, and Tante Minette couldn
’
t bear it, either, and she was determined to find out why there was such a change in you. She did find out, I think, that it was because you loved someone ... as much as that someone loved you! When she told me that it was true I couldn
’
t believe it, but Philippe was also certain—although
he
couldn
’
t be certain of me—and through the cleverness of the two of them we met today.
I had given my word that by tonight you would be able to assure Jane over the telephone that your future is something she need no longer concern herself about. And that Philippe can have
his
wife, and
I
...
I
can have
my
wife!
”

“
Oh, Leon!
”
Valentine exclaimed, and suddenly her mouth trembled and the slow tears brimmed over her eyes.
“
Then it
’
s to Philippe and your aunt that I owe
...
everything? All this sudden happiness!
”

“
Is it happiness?
”

“
Much, much more than happiness!
”

“
Don
’
t cry, sweetheart,
”
he begged her, kissing away the tears.
“
And it is to our Miss Constantia that we really owe the bliss of our getting to know one another, learning to love one another so desperately. Before I give you something that Miss Constantia wanted you to be given on the day that you became engaged to be married, will you tell me one thing?
”

“
Of course,
”
she answered, with her heart in her eyes.

“
How much do you love me?
”

Her arms wound themselves tightly around his neck. She held him tightly, so tightly that he could feel the slim arms quivering.

“
With all my heart and soul! With everything there is of me!
”

“
And when did you start to love me?
”

She looked as if her admission was a surprise even to herself.

“
From the beginning, I think. I must have loved you from the beginning. But I first realized I was falling in love with you that day I had lunch with you. When I knew I could never fall
out
of love with you was the night when you kissed me!
”

She hid her face swiftly, but he put his fingers under her chin and lifted it. He looked down into her eyes with a tenderness that she had never expected to see on his dark handsome face—at least, not for her—and now that she saw it at last it was a tenderness that dissolved her heart and melted her bones. And in addition to the tenderness, there was so much love and a quiet sort of adoration, behind which something flickered as if it might leap to life at any moment.

“
Don
’
t you want to know when I first fell in love with you?
”

“
When?
”
she whispered.

“
That night after we returned from Miss Constantia
’
s funeral. I came around to the apartment to see you, because I was horribly conscious of having been a brute to you, but Martine didn
’
t want to admit me because you were asleep. But I asked her to let me see you, and
I
stood beside you as you lay on the couch, here in this very room, and I tucked the blanket over you and felt as if my heart dropped right at your feet. They were such little feet and so weary, and you looked like a child who had had too much to bear. You had been badly used, and I was the one who had used you badly.
”

“
And you really
...
loved me then?
”

“
I wanted to kneel down and kiss you!
I
probably would have done, but for the fact that Martine stuck so close to my side!
”

She laughed softly, happily, exultantly.

“
Martine never told me that you called.
”