Seductive Stranger

She didn't know exactly how it had been, of course. His face had a dignity which made her believe he half spoke the truth. Perhaps he hadn't been in love with Lucy Killane at first? Maybe he had simply no longer been in love with her mother and unable to counterfeit a feeling which had died? Prue knew just how difficult her mother had been; how hard to love or convince you loved her!

But, however it had come about, James Allardyce had fallen in love with Lucy Killane in the end. Perhaps when her mother accused him, she had unknowingly put the idea into his head? If he hadn't taken that sort of interest in Lucy Killane before, it would have made him see her in a new light after his wife became jealous.

Whether or not it had been true then, it was the truth now! Her father did love Lucy Killane; the silent admission was in his troubled glance, whatever he might be saying aloud, but Prue could see more than that in his eyes. Lucy did not love him and he had no hope that she ever would, except as a friend. Did Lucy know how he felt? Had she guessed long ago, or had he somehow managed to hide it from her? That Prue couldn't guess, but his eyes had a melancholy resignation; a sadness which had accepted the way things Were.

Prue ran a shaking hand over her ruffled red hair, trying to think of something to say, but she couldn't get a word out except a whispered,

'Sorry, Dad.'

He knew she meant more than a simple apology for having upset Mrs Killane, but all he said, rather gruffly, was, 'Don't say that to me—say it to Mrs Killane!'

Prue turned, the words on her lips, but Lucy Killane shook her head, smiling at her wistfully.

'It's all right, Prue, no need to say it, I understand . . . she was your mother, of course you were upset. In your place, I'd have felt the same, and I'm not angry, although it wasn't true, any of it! I'm just sad for her, and for you, too. It can't have been easy for you, coping with all that while you were so young, but don't forget how sick she was. I don't suppose she knew what she was saying half the time.'

Prue gave a long sigh and nodded.

It had been a relief to her when Harry appeared and her mother married him; Harry had taken some of the weight off her own shoulders and she had been grateful to him, but her mother had never really been a happy woman and she hadn't put her bitterness behind her. She had lived with the bad memories every day, and made Prue and Harry live with them, too.

'She was sick,' Prue said, in wry forgiveness for her now, recognising how wrong she had been and yet how sad her life had been.

'I was horrified when your mother accused me,' Lucy said, 'it wasn't true, not a word of it, but when she talked about me flirting with Jim, I found myself wondering if I unwittingly ever had ... if you smile at a man it can be misunderstood, can't it?' She gave Prue a rueful smile.

'Well, you know that, Prue! Every woman does! We all know how easy it is to give a man the wrong impression.'

Was she talking about Josh?

thought Prue, high colour rushing up to her face, but Lucy went on talking in a voice which held no double meanings.

'Try to be friendly and some men will jump to the craziest conclusions, and I had a bad time for a while, wondering if I'd missed something. But Jim reassured me, he told me if was all in your mother's head, not his!' She smiled at him warmly as she added, 'That was a big relief!'

'Well, thank you!' Jim Allardyce said cheerfully and Lucy laughed.

'You know what I mean, Jim!'

'Of course I do—I was only teasing,' he said, and Lucy smiled back at him, then her face sobered again.

'With all this, I'd forgotten . . . Oh, Jim, have you heard? Such terrible hews . . . Prue's fiancé . . .'

'Yes, Josh met me, he told me,' Jim Allardyce said, looking at his daughter anxiously. 'Prue darling, I'm sorry…'

She had herself under control now; she felt oddly lighter, as though discovering the truth about her parents had lifted a weight from her.

'Well, better that he should walk away now than after we were married,' she said lightly, her head held high, and her father's eyes searched her face for clues to what she was really feeling. Prue smiled at him defiantly.

'That's my girl!' Jim Allardyce said with the gentleness she remembered from her childhood.

'If only we knew where they had gone!' said Lucy, face bleak. 'You can't just walk in off the street and get married, even today. They would have to get a licence, make arrangements. Do you think they can be in London? Josh seems to think that's where they'd go. What do you think, Prue?'

'Maybe,' Prue said wearily, wishing they would go because she didn't want to talk about it. 'David likes London; he's a big city boy, grew up in Sydney, lived there all his life. He loves the sea; he swims like a fish and surfs whenever he can, but apart from the beach he never cared for much for the countryside; I could see he wasn't much struck by Yorkshire while we were driving up here. It was too isolated for him. He prefers bright lights and having a good time, so I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't headed back down south to London.'

Her father grimaced. 'But where do you start looking? You can't call in the police to hunt for Lynsey. She's legally an adult, she's free to come or go as she pleases and the police won't want to know.'

'I think Josh is considering getting a private detective,' Lucy told him.

'Josh ought to let it go. It'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack!'

said Jim Allardyce bluntly.