Such is love Read Online Free PDF

and dreadful, once one put it into words. One could not expect Van, with his uncompromising outlook, to regard it as anything else.
    Her past was her past. She had no need to lie—only to keep silent. And the two people in the world who knew

    her story would keep silent, too. Of that she was certain. Nowadays she was strong enough to keep her own counsel, strong enough even to forget—almost. And perhaps, in the new and happy life with Van, she would learn to forget altogether.
    She was glad he was coming to dinner tonight. She realized, with some amusement for her own ingenuousness, that she was so proud of him that she wanted to show him off even to Aunt Eleanor.
    Gwyneth glanced at the silver clock on her table.
    Twenty past seven. He would be here any moment now. She had better go down.
    And then she remembered—he was going to have a talk with her father. Then, perhaps, she had better do her duty as a niece and go and make herself pleasant to Aunt Eleanor. She could show her the presents in the library and let her see for herself how handsome her own offering looked.
    But when Gwyneth knocked on the door of her aunt*s room, she found she had already gone downstairs, presumably to the library.
    The door of the house stood open and there was a beautiful glimpse of the garden, gracious and sleepy in the warm evening light. From her father's study came the sound of voices. That would be Van and he talking.
    Gwyneth felt very happy and curiously tranquil. Afterwards, she used to think of it as the quiet before the storm, but at that moment she only thought that perhaps the searching of past memories had really laid some ghosts and given her peace of mind.
    More slowly she went through to the back of the house where the library was. Here, too, there was a murmur of voices. Evidently Mother was before her and she was dutifully showing the presents to Aunt Eleanor.
    Gwyneth was tempted to leave her mother to it, and snatch a quiet ten minutes alone in the garden. But that would be rather a shame. She paused just outside the slightly open door, and as she did so, her aunt's voice drifted to her.
    "Sandra," (that was Mother's absurdly melodramatic name, but it suited her), "either you are utterly insensitive or you have no appreciation of danger."

    "Oh," thought Gwyneth amusedly, "so Mother is going through it now. Had I better go in or ?"
    "I am not aware of any danger," Mother's beautiful voice stated coolly and positively.
    "But don't you understand that it's the very same orphanage? The very same. Evander Onslie is one of the head trustees of Greystones."
    For some reason she couldn't define, Gwyneth suddenly found her heart beating high up in her throat. She was frightened at the noise it seemed to be making—frightened, in case she should not hear mother's next words. But they came quite clearly to her.
    "Very well. Van is a trustee of Greystones. What about it? For what earthly reason should Gwyneth suppose that Greystones has any significance for her?"
    With a hand that shook slightly, Gwyneth pushed open the door and went into the library. Aunt Eleanor was standing by one of the long tables where the presents had been laid out, her expression angry and agitated. Mrs. Vilner was leaning back in an armchair regarding her with an air of tolerant amusement.
    At the sound of Gwyneth's entrance, they both turned their eyes on her, and while her mother's face became quite blank. Aunt Eleanor's paled slightly.
    Gwyneth shut the door and leant against it—partly because she felt she needed some support.
    "Aunt Eleanor," she said very quickly, "will you tell me why Greystones Orphanage should have any significance for me?"
    CHAPTER TWO
    Aunt Eleanor opened her mouth, gasped slightly, and closed it again.
    "My dear," Gwyneth's mother said smoothly, "what are you talking about? The place has no significance for you at all, apart from the fact that Eleanor was just telling me she understands Van is a trustee of it."
    "And that