Never Count Tomorrow Daphne Clair

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he would describe her, and felt a small stirring of some-
58 NEVER COUNT TOMORROW
thing like excitement. Soren challenged her, and she had
never shirked a challenge. She could stand up to him.
When they arrived at the hall, the girls swept Lin off to
meet theirfriends, and she soon found herself dancing with
a clumsy though well-meaning youth who must have been
all of eighteen years old. She saw Soren dancing with a tall,
strikingly blonde girl who had a beautiful figure played up
by a slinky slim dress of bright red that few women could
have worn successfully. But she did superbly, Lin ad-
mitted. Rhoda Moers, undoubtedly. There couldn't be two
girls answering so accurately to Susan's description in a
place the size of Paikea.
They made a handsome couple, and not a few eyes were
following the two of them, with varying degrees of interest
and envy.
When the dance was over, and her partner returned Lin
to her seat between Susan and Tracy, she saw Soren corn-.
ing towards them with Rhoda on his arm. Susan saw them
too, and jumped up, saying, 'Hello, Rhoda, I told Soren
you'd be here.'
Rhoda's fair complexion couldn't hide the faint blush
that rose to her cheeks, and Susan looked abashed as Soren
directed a quelling look at her. He pulled Susan's vacated
chair out a little for Rhoda, and introduced her to Lin, as
Susan hovered at her brother's elbow.
Rhoda's smile was friendly and rather dazzling. `Soren's
been telling me about you,' she said. 'You come from
Auckland?'
`Yes.' Lin shot a glance up at Soren, whose face was quite
expressionless.
`What on earth made you come to a little one-horse place
like Paikea?' Rhoda asked, laughing.
Warily, Lin said, 'I like the country, and the job sounded
interesting. I'm enjoying it.'
NEVER COUNT TOMORROW 59
Rhoda made a wry face. 'Housework? Heavens! I must
say, you don't look the domesticated type.'
Mildly, Lin said, 'I don't know what "the domesticated
type" should look like, do you?'
Rhoda looked rueful. Did I put my foot in it?' she asked
frankly. 'I didn't mean anything disparaging.'
`No, of course you didn't,' Lin assured her quickly. 'I
take it you're not keen on housework.'
`Mm-mm.' Rhoda emphatically shook her head. 'What
were you doing before?'
'I had an office job,' Lin answered with some reserve. 'It
was very boring. What do you do?'
`At the moment I'm working in a dress shop in the town,
but as soon as I can, I'm getting out. I had a job in Auck-
land, but a few months ago I came down with hepatitis a
nasty bug, that. It takes a long time to get over it, so I
came home to recuperate. What I really want to do is
travel. Have you ever been overseas, Lin?'
Lin hesitated. This girl bothered her. She seemed
friendly and open and her questions might have been idle
curiosity or simply showing a flattering interest in a new
acquaintance. But Soren, apparently gazing about the room
and taking no part in their conversation, was quite close
enough to hear it. She couldn't help wondering if he had
asked his girl-friend to try and find out more about Lin
than she had told him.
had a working holiday in Australia,' she said cautiously.
`Sounds like fun. Where did you go?'
Lin told her, and the other girl listened, apparently rapt.
`Whereabouts in Auckland do you come from?' she asked,
rather suddenly.
After the briefest of pauses Lin said, was flatting with
some other girls in Epsom for a while.'
60 NEVER COUNT TOMORROW
`Oh, we had a place in Parnell,' said Rhoda. 'I love
Auckland.'
The band had begun to play again, and Rhoda stretched
out a hand to Soren, smiling up at him. 'Are you going to
dance with me again?' she asked him gaily. 'I love that
tune!'
He pulled her up into his arms, and they moved away,
Rhoda's fair head tilted to an enchanting angle as she spoke
to Soren, who looked down at her with a faint, sometimes
amused smile.
Lin danced with another young man, less clumsy and
more articulate than her previous partner. The two Win-
gard girls were enjoying themselves with the young crowd,
but Lin, between dances, felt a little out of place. The talk
seemed to be mainly of school, the imminent examinations,
and the whereabouts and romantic entanglements of people
she didn't know. She was relieved when Soren came and
asked her to dance, and he noted her prompt acceptance
with slight surprise in his smile. 'Enjoying yourself ?' he
asked.
`Yes.'
`But not wildly, it seems.'
`Everyone's very nice,' she said. 'It's just that the girls
and their crowd are much younger than I am, that's ail.'
`Poor Grandma!' he mocked. 'You don't look much older
than they are, you know.'
`Well, it so happens that I'm not a schoolgirl,' she said
tartly.
There was a glint in the eyes that swept over her ap-
praisingly. 'No, you're not, are you?' Soren said softly, and
his arm pulled her perceptibly closer as they danced.
`That wasn't an invitation,' Lin said hardily.
He laughed softly. 'I know. just a gentle reminder. As if
I needed it.'
NEVER COUNT TOMORROW 61
She made a move to widen the distance between them,
but he wouldn't let her, his hand hard on her waist, and his
fingers tightening just a little on hers. Lin stiffened for a
few moments, but then relaxed. He was a very good dancer,
and the music and the movement of their bodies in unison
almost mesmerised her.
When the music stopped Soren said, 'You're good. Come
and meet some other people.'
At one end of the hall a few tables had been set out on a
carpeted area, and he seated her at one of these with Rhoda [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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