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Men, older women and girls, all swirling round, go-
ing down the curving staircase, laughter and voices
filling the air. Megan found herself being introduced
to so many people that she gave up the vain attempt
to remember faces and link them with names. At
dinner she sat next to a silent man with dark hair and
a thin mouth. His name was Paul Taft. On the
other side was a girl whose long, black hair fell
almost to her waist. She had a rebellious, sulky
mouth. Her name, she said, was Anarita.
' You're going to teach us to dance?'
Megan smiled. ' Yes.'
' Why did Miss Pointer go?' Anarita asked.
Megan's heart seemed to sink. Oh no! Were the
pupils also involved in it? The silent man on
Megan's other side looked coldly at the girl.
' She broke one of the school's rules so she had to
go,' he said sternly, and then looked away.
' Rules!' Anarita almost snarled the words. She
looked at Megan. ' How old are you?'
The man turned round again. ' That is a question
ladies do not ask, Anarita.' /
' But I'm not a lady,' Anarita said, tossing back
her hair.
' Obviously not,' he said drily. ' Though we're
trying to make you one.' He turned away again.
Megan felt uncomfortable. A sort of fight was
going on across her.
' You liked Miss Pointer?' she asked.
43
Anarita shrugged. ' She was all right, I suppose.
A bit of a bore. I hope your teaching methods are
more interesting.'
At last the dinner, which had been very good, was
over and everyone was supposed to mix. The hall
where dancing was held seemed crowded and might
have been any ordinary party, Megan thought, but
for the main difference, which was too few men!
Megan found herself dancing with all the male staff
in turn. Some she liked, some made her feel uncom-
fortable as they kept asking her how she had heard
of the job. Obviously they all felt strongly about
Miss Pointer's dismissal and it was not helping
Megan to be welcomed. Finally, feeling tired and
bewildered, she found somewhere to sit out of sight,
on a stone bench, half-hidden under the stairs by
curtains. But as she sat down, she found she wasn't
alone, for a man sat there. He scrambled to his feet
with some difficulty.
' Miss Crane, I imagine?' he said, holding out his
hand.
Megan shook his, grateful for the friendly gesture.
She couldn't see him very plainly, but there wasn't
much to see. He was the type of man no one could
describe with his pale brown hair, a pale skin and
freckles on his nose.
'I'm Frank Parr,' he said. 'Won't you sit
down?'
Megan obeyed. 'Thanks.' I've heard of you.
You've got to teach me bridge.'
He pretended to groan. ' Heaven help us both,
because I'm an appalling teacher!'
'And I shall be an appalling pupil?' Megan
laughed again. She suddenly felt relaxed, no longer
afraid.
' I'll soon see to that,' Frank Parr smiled. ,
' You're much younger than we expected.'
' I'm twenty.'
He grinned. " ' I'm twenty-eight, so you seem
44'
quite a kid. Think you're going to be happy here?
By the way, is it true you're Patrick Crane's sister?-'
Taken aback, for it was a question she hadn't
expected, Megan stared at him.
' Well, yes, I am,' she said defiantly, her body
stiffening.
' No business of ours,' he said as if reading her
thoughts. ' It just makes it all rather surprising.'
' It does?' Megan drew a deep breath. ' What
makes what surprising?' she asked.
Frank Parr turned to look at her. ' If you don't
know, maybe I'd better not tell you.'
Megan twisted her fingers together, gazing down
at them. ' Well, I rather gather Mr Lambert doesn't.
approve of my brother.'
' Understatement of the year. That's why it's so
odd that he should have engaged a member of the
Crane family. Did he know you were Patrick's
sister?'
' I don't think so. When I told him, he seemed
surprised and rather . . .'
' Shocked?' Frank Parr chuckled. ' If he didn't
know, I bet he was. How do you get on with your
brother?'
' I haven't seen him for three years. Not since he
got married and came out here.'
' What does he think of you coming out here?'
'I don't know.'
Frank Parr chuckled. ' It must have been a shock
to him. His sister on the other side of the river!
The acceptable side, of course. Have you met
Gaston Duval?'
' No, I haven't. You're the second one who's
asked me that.' Megan was' getting a bit annoyed
with all the questions.
' I bet I know who was the first. Craig Lambert.
Right?'
Her cheeks were red, much to her annoyance.
'Yes, he did. So what?'
45
Frank Parr chuckled. 'So what? Nothing.
Just my cheeky inquisitiveness. Sorry, Miss Crane.
Now seriously, how come you're here sitting talking
to me when you should be dancing?'
' I was dancing, but. . .'
' No one very enticing, eh?' Frank Parr chuckled.
' Wouldn't do to have handsome men on the staff.
Bad enough the girls' crushes as it is. Just think,
they have crushes on me 1' he laughed.
' And why not?' Megan asked, her eyes demure.
He chuckled.' ' You don't fool me, girl. I know
I'm one of those men who might just as well not
exist.'
Megan remembered what Miss Tucker had said:
that Frank Parr had an outsize inferiority complex.
'And what's wrong with you?' Megan asked.
' I've enjoyed talking to you.'
' Mademoiselle, you are so sweet. . .' Frank Pan-
said dramatically, lifting Megan's hand and kissing
it.
At the same moment the curtain was jerked back
and Craig Lambert stood there.
' I've been looking for you. Miss Crane,' he said
accusingly.
Megan and Frank Parr both stood, Frank
obviously having a little trouble to get up..
' I was tired,' Megan began.
'Can you blame her?' Frank Parr joined in.
' The miles she's flown, the new life, leaving her
father ... I bet you miss him. Miss Crane . . .'
Megan felt her eyes fill with tears. Perhaps that
was why she felt so alone. All her life her father had
been there, needing her, yet being someone she could
turn to at any time. And now there was no one.
No one she could trust.
' Yes, she must be tired,' Craig Lambert said
curfly. ' Just one dance with me. Miss Crane, and
then off to bed.'
Megan hesitated. She had no desire to dance with
this man she couldn't trust, yet ... Like all the
things he said to her, it hadn't been a request but a
command.
'Thank you, Mr Lambert,' she said demurely,
but as she said goodnight to Frank Parr, he winked
at her.
On the floor, in Craig Lambert's arms, Megan felt
everyone must be staring at her, and talking about
her, she thought unhappily. Was Mr Lambert
making the situation any easier for her by insisting
on dancing with her?
All the same he danced well and in a few moments
she lost the tension she felt and relaxed, delighted
without realising it at the way he led her, his long
legs covering the ground with surprising speed. As
the music came to an end, he smiled at her one of
his rare smiles which made them more noticeable.
' You're a good dancer,' he said.
She was so relaxed she could be honest. ' I was
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