Then She Fled Me (38 page)

“
What have you been doing up there? Praying for the same old miracle, you stubborn creature?
”

“
No,
”
she said, her cheek warm against his.
“
I
’
ve swapped miracles. I made a deal with the saint and
exchanged
wishes.
”

He held her a little away from him and looked searchingly into her eyes.

“
What exactly does that mean?
”
he asked.

“
It means,
”
she said,
“
that you
’
ve got me—all of me. I
’
m selling Dun Rury.
”

He did not speak for a moment, then he pulled her close into his arms.

“
Oh, darling, thank heavens you
’
re free at last,
”
he said.
“
Are you sure, Sarah? Are you sure this is the way you
wa
nt it?
”

“
Quite sure,
”
she said.
“
Besides, it
’
s too late to change my mind. I telephoned Uncle B. from Casey
’
s and it will be all round the neighborhood by now.
”

“
You discovered the delusion for yourself?
”

She looked up at his face and wondered why she had ever thought it cold.

“
Yes, I discovered it.
”

“
That
’
s what I wanted you to do. Now you
’
ll understand why I wouldn
’
t advise you. It would have been so easy to talk you round but I knew unless you discovered the truth for yourself you would never be wholly free.
”

“
Yes, Adrian, you were quite right, of course, though at the time I did think you were an awful flinty one.
”

“
And you may remember that I once told you that one of these days I would come out of the hollow hills and eat you up if you weren
’
t careful. Flinty One, indeed!
”

He
kissed
her with lingering tenderness, and she said
w
onderingly:

“
So much happiness for me
...
so much unexpected happiness
...
You said once that we both had the same battle to fight—with ourselves, I suppose you meant.
We
’
ve both turned our backs on the past, haven
’
t we, Adrian?
”

“
And isn
’
t the future going to be very much better?
”

“
Yes, the future will be real. But it still seems very odd to me that you should have preferred me to Kathy. You
’
re the first man who ever has.
”

“
Well, I certainly won
’
t be the last, you deluded creature, but don
’
t let it go to your head for you
’
ll find you
’
ll have an extremely possessive husband.
”
He laughed.
“
Now, can you bear to c
li
mb up as far as the well again? I have a small miracle of my own that needs sorting out.
”

They reached the well and sat down on the rim of the basin, the sun warm on their backs, and Sarah said:

“
Is it usual, do you suppose, for the landlady t
o
marry the lodger?
”

“
It
’
s every proper landlady
’
s ambition,
”
he told her promptly.
“
So you see, the countryside will say you
’
ve caught me.
”

She made a face at him.

“
Willie
-
the
-
Post will be busy with news,
”
she giggled.
“
Dun Rury up for sale and two weddings in the family. I wonder who the poor mug is who
’
s willing to pay fourteen thousand for a house that
’
s dropping to bits.
”

Adrian cleared his throat.

“
He
’
s sitting beside you,
”
he said.

She stared at him.

“
You mean you—oh, Adrian, you
’
re joking!
”

He shook his head, enjoying her bewilderment.

“
I never joke about money, as you should ha
v
e discovered by now. Your lawyers will get my cheque tomorrow. The Dublin agents have instructions to act as soon as they hear from them.
”

“
But—but I don
’
t understand,
”
she stammered.
“
It was you who were forcing me to choose between you and the house. Why didn
’
t you tell us that it was you who was making the offer?
”

“
Because I wanted you to make your decision, uninfluenced by anything except what you thought was right. Because I wanted the break to be complete in your own mind before you knew you wouldn
’
t have to lose the place after all. It was my own private victory.
”

“
Over me?
”

“
No, not over you, my darling, but over Dun Rury and that other poor ghost that held you bound.
”

“
Then we are going to live here?
”

“
In between lecture tours and other things, and when we
’
ve set the place to rights.
”

“
But Adrian
—”
Suddenly
‘
the enormity of the thing
he was doing struck her.
“
All that money! Why, when you knew what the place was worth, did you make such an absurd offer?
”

He rubbed his chin and looked a little guilty.

“
Well, I
’
m afraid that was principally bait,
”
he answered.
“
I knew if I made my offer large enough, old Kavanagh would in duty bound have to bring pressure to bear.
”

“
Uncle B. didn
’
t know?
”

“
No one knew.
”

“
But, darling Adrian, I can
’
t let you—we must readjust the price or something. It
’
s sheer robbery. I won
’
t have it!
”
She looked as if she was going to cry and he leaned across and kissed her.

“
Don
’
t look so shocked,
sweetheart, you can use the mo
n
ey as Kavanagh advised and have a nice little income independent of your husband.
”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“
I don
’
t know what to say to you
...
I don
’
t know how to thank you
...”
she said, and he saw the humility in her face and the passionate gratitude.

“
Never mind the thanks,
”
he said, trying to speak lightly.
“
It was quite a selfish gesture, really. I couldn
’
t bear you to lose what you
’
d fought for so long and gallantly. If St. Patrick wouldn
’
t do his stuff, I thought, then it was up to me. After all, we
’
ve got to have a house sometime, and you shall have this one for a wedding present.
”

“
No,
”
she said, and brushed away the tears.
“
Dun Rury is yours now, and that makes everything quite different. Like Nonie said, the man I
’
d choose would have a mind of his own and want a roof of his own, too. I will have you and Dun Rury will have a master. Let
’
s go home and tell them.
”

They
stood for a moment looking down into the well, and the sw
e
et aromatic scent of the crushed hog-myrtle beneath their feet rose headily in the spring sunshine.

“
I think St. Patrick has done me proud,
”
said Sarah softly, and stooping she crossed the water with her fin
ger
and made a wish.