Crescendo

Grandie looked round at her as she entered the kitchen. His face was blank, but she caught the curious flicker of his eyes before he glanced away from her.

'He came back, then,' he said drily.

She put her arms round him and laid her head on his shoulder. 'I'm going back to him.'

Grandie sighed. 'I knew that, of course. It was ob­vious from the day he turned up.'

'He loves me.' She knew Grandie would worry about that.

He was silent for a moment, then he said harshly: 'I hope so.'

'And I love him.'

'Yes,' he said in a gentler tone.

Grandie accepted that. She would never have en­tered into that first passionate relationship with Gideon if she had not been crazily in love with him.

She was sorry that once again she had dashed all Grandie's hopes for her, but life only gave you a restricted choice and she had long ago realised that she had made hers the day she first set eyes on Gideon.

'It's fate,' she said half flippantly.

Grandie did not smile. 'Yes,' he agreed, and she could tell he did not think much of fate.

From the music room came the sound of the piano and they both turned to listen, their faces in­tent.

'Gideon,' said Grandie, unnecessarily.

Only one man played like that—with arrogance and verve yet with a delicacy of touch which was permeated with strong but controlled emotion.

Marina walked away from Grandie and went into the music room. Gideon's long back was towards her as he sat at the piano, his hands moving with their customary assurance while he gazed out of the win­dow. Marina sat down quietly and he flicked her a brief glance over his shoulder. He did not smile, but the dark eyes were passionate. The music swelled into a triumphant cascade, filled with certainty, clear and vibrant with a piercing sweetness. How­ever many times he said: 'I love you,' he would never say it in quite the way he was saying it now. They had come so close to losing each other that all Gideon's joy and relief poured into the sound rippling from beneath his long fingers, and Marina sat and listened to him with happiness in her eyes.