Page 8 of The Spring Promise
Will had said they must do it again, and she had said she would love to.
It was one of her favourite memories.
Somewhere in her silly heart, she had hoped that he would pop the question back then. But no, it was not to be. Never to be. It would be Celeste who sat in front of the fire and wriggled her toes with Will. Which was sad, really, but Molly refused to be downcast. She was young, with many years before her, and she was sure she would grow to love Celeste, given time. Years, perhaps. Decades…
Well, honestly,probablynever.
Molly blinked and tried to listen to Mr Hunter, who was still regaling her with his plant hobby. Abby was with Sir Reginald now, looking glassy eyed as she listened to another long-winded tale about a bulb he had traced all of the way to Australia and paid a king’s ransom to have shipped home. Abby was too polite to make an excuse and escape—people were always taking advantage of her generous nature.
“It took months,” said Sir Reginald. “and yet it arrived in perfect condition. Truly remarkable.”
“Remarkable,” Abby murmured absently.
Molly bit back her smile, but Mark had been watching.
“You must think me a bore as well,” he said wryly. “At first, I believed Sir Reginald was very tedious, but now I understand his compulsion to share something so fascinating.”
Molly had to admire his self awareness. “Not boring at all,” she assured him. “It makes a change from listening to my sister’s discussions on the latest style of bonnet or what colour is in vogue this season. For your information, it is greenish gold.”
“Perhaps, but I think we can agree the man could use a few lessons on public speaking.” He laughed. He had a nice laugh. In fact, he had turned out to be nothing at all like Will had described him.
“Was it snowing when you were on the roof?” Mark asked Celeste.
Molly could see from the expression on his face that he was trying to discover what happened up there. Had Will proposed and been accepted?
“Not that I noticed,” Celeste replied, with a glance at Will who was looking fashionably greenish.
Molly gave Mark a sympathetic smile. It seemed obvious that something had happened but neither Celeste nor Will were about to share the details.
“Do you think it is worth the climb?” Mark went on, maybe a little desperately.
“Oh yes,” Celeste assured him it was. “In fact, it will be even better now it is snowing. Shall we go up and see?”
With a nod of the head at Molly, Mark let her lead him away.
“Was it very high up?” Molly asked Will once they were gone.
“Extremely, with nothing but a flimsy railing between me and the hereafter.” He groaned. “Celeste could see I was petrified. Not my finest moment.”
Molly took his hand in hers. “Will, if you truly love someone, and they love you, then there should be no reason not to show them your true self. Pretending to be something you are not is unsustainable. Eventually, the truth will out.”
“Yes, but there is a time and a place for the truth,” he argued. His auburn hair, perfectly styled when he’d first arrived, was now messy, as if he had been running his hands through it.
“You mean you hope to win her over, marry her, andthenshow her your true self?” Molly said, with a humourless laugh. “That does not bode well for a long and happy life together.”
Will shook his head.
“I know about your fear of heights, and I don’t think less of you for it. It really is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“But you’re…” He sought for words. “It isn’t the same, Molly. We grew up together. We had time to accept one another for who we are. Marriage is an altogether different proposition.”
Molly longed to say he was wrong, that she ‘loved’ him for all his strengths and faults and always would. But what was the use? She wasn’t the one he wanted. All the same, when he was startled by a long exotic leaf that brushed the back of his neck, she took his arm in hers.
“Let us find somewhere else to be, shall we?”
He laughed nervously. “Youdoknow me well.”
It was an effort for Molly to smile back, but she managed it.
