Mariel Read Online Free PDF Page B

the school board. Mr. Albion fought every idea she expressed. He denounced her outlandish plans, as he was fond of calling them. To her thinking, he disliked everything she said simply because she was a woman. He made no effort to hide his opinion that women should stay in their homes and serve their husbands and raise children.
    Thinking of the intractable Mr. Albion always brightened her spirits. She so enjoyed baiting him at the meetings, just the anticipation of the next time brought a wicked smile.
    She wandered around the study, noting the changes Ian had made: only small things which evaded the casual eye. Photos of people she did not recognize rested on the fireplace mantel. New pieces of bric-a-brac shared the cluttered spaces on the few tables between the chairs.
    By the desk, her dress brushed against pages hanging over the edge. She did not utter her curse, which would have been out of place in a parsonage. Bending, she scooped up the papers, which had fluttered in every direction, and sat in the nearest chair as she tried to put them in order.
    Her eyes widened as her attention was caught by a phrase in the bold handwriting. Flipping the page, she saw a date on the top of it. This must be Ian’s sermon for the coming Sunday. She glanced at the crossed-out words and the insertions. Never had she thought about the work necessary to lecture a congregation on the need for a sinless life.
    Although she knew she should not be reading it, his words captured her imagination. That he would be preaching a lesson from the Book of Ruth about the special love of a parent for a child deepened her interest. Since her early adolescence, she had been delighted by the romantic tale of a poor widow who finds, through her mother-in-law’s intervention, the man of her dreams.
    Leaning back in the chair, she read through the first page. She smiled at a sally she knew would be enjoyed by the members of the church. Reverend Tanner never would have thought to lighten his dolorous lessons with levity. She put the first page on the table in front of her and searched for the next one. Concentrating on following the arrows moving sentences from one part of the page to the other, she paid no attention to the passing of time.
    â€œEnjoying it?”
    She whirled as if she had been caught in a crime. “Ian! I—I—” She tried to choke out a few coherent words. “The pages fell. I picked them up, and—and—”
    With a laugh, he sat in the chair next to hers. “So what do you think?”
    â€œWhat do I think?” she repeated witlessly.
    â€œAbout my sermon?” He pointed to the pages. “What do you think of it?”
    Lowering the page she had been reading, she met his eyes for the first time without rage or trepidation. In a serene voice, she said, “I think it is wonderful.”
    â€œDo you?”
    â€œFishing for compliments, Ian? I wouldn’t have told that if I didn’t mean it!”
    He leaned forward to fold his arms on the back of her chair. “You wouldn’t, would you?” Pointing to one of the most rewritten areas, he asked, “What did you think of this part?”
    â€œYou want my opinion on your sermon?”
    In the exact tone she had used with him, he retorted, “I would not have asked you, if I did not want to know.” He smiled when she chuckled. “You are an intelligent woman, Mariel. You must be if you like my sermons.”
    While they laughed together, she did not think about the harsh words they had traded less than a quarter of an hour before. They discussed the sermon with the ease of longtime friends. If she startled him with her Biblical knowledge, or if she was surprised by his liberal attitudes to many things Reverend Tanner thought should never be changed, neither spoke of it.
    Their heads bent closely together over the pages. Taking a pen from the desk, Ian marked her comments next to his words. When they were