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laughing together over something Luke had said. She envied Rory his childhood innocence, his ability for instant friendship without any of the inhibitions he would feel in later life. It was not until you had been hurt that you learned to distrust, she thought. Until her meeting with Mark she had been as innocent and vulnerable as her nephew. None of life’s harsh realities had marred her path. That was why her grief had been doubly hard to bear. No one had prepared her for such trials.
    Sighing deeply and despising herself for allowing the past once again to catch up with her, she retraced her steps into the house.
    Gammy looked up, surprised to see her alone. ‘Where’s Luke?’
    ‘Taking Rory up in his helicopter. I hope they won’t be long. I should hate him to be late back at school.’
    Her aunt laughed. ‘So the little one’s got his way after all. Stir this gravy for me, there’s a love, while I slice the meat. Your new employer must be very rich—buying a big house like Dale End and owning a helicopter.’
    ‘How do you know it’s his?’
    ‘Because I asked him. He’s got his own business too.’
    ‘Gammy!’ Taryn was horrified. ‘How could you?’
    Aunt Margaret gave a satisfied smile. ‘I wanted to know what sort of a man my favourite niece is going to work for. You can’t be too careful these days.’
    Taryn felt annoyed and pleased both at the same time. ‘And does he pass?’ she asked drily.
    ‘He’s a nice boy,’ her aunt said. ‘I have no fears there. If your Mark was anything like him I can see why you were cut up about his jilting you.’
    Taryn paused in her stirring. ‘Having spent a little time in Luke’s company I’m beginning to realise that he’s not so very much like Mark after all. Mark would never have enjoyed looking round your garden, yet Luke was really interested.’
    ‘Would you say he compared favourably?’
    The question hung in the air. It was too early in their relationship to say what she thought of Luke. She strongly resented his coming into her life and reviving all that she had tried so desperately to forget, yet there was something about him that made it impossible to dislike him altogether. He was so—she sought for the right word. Nice sounded too weak, yet she could think of no other suitable description. Gammy had obviously taken an instant liking to him, Rory too—and a child had an uncanny way of knowing whether a person was all he seemed to be on the outside. She could never imagine Luke double-crossing anyone. In fact, had he not looked like Mark she would have undoubtedly been attracted—a realisation which shook her.
    ‘I suppose he does,’ she said eventually. ‘Though I wouldn’t have said that in the early days. I loved him so much, Gammy, my heart felt as though it was broken in two when I found out about Maria. It’s only now that I can see what a selfish man he was.’
    ‘Yet I’ve no doubt you would forgive him if he asked you to take him back?’
    ‘Would I?’ Taryn’s blue eyes studied her aunt for a second before she shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. Once bitten, twice shy.’
    ‘I think this man’s going to make a big difference in your life,’ smiled Gammy, in fact, I would say that the rainbow’s already working.'
    ‘What do you mean?’ The response was jerked from her lips.
    Gammy looked at her niece candidly. ‘You’re so obviously right for each other.’
    ‘How can you say that? You’ve only just met him.’ Taryn knew that her aunt relied on her faith in the mythical powers of the rainbow and that once she’d made up her mind that it was this natural phenomenon that had brought them together nothing would persuade her otherwise.
    ‘I know, my child, I’ve seen the signs. You wait and see. Time will prove me right. I hope he’s not going to be too long with Rory, or dinner will be ruined.’
    The subject was changed and Taryn absently carried on mixing the gravy, wondering how her aunt could be so