Follow a Stranger

never given the chance to choose freely? Perhaps you

may be the man for her. But if you marry her against

her will you’ll never know if you are.”

“I see,” he said slowly. “You think I should back out

now? Tell Marc I have changed my mind?”

“I shouldn’t really advise you,” she said. “You may

think me prejudiced on my brother’s behalf. To be

honest, I don’t believe that he and Pallas are in love. I

don’t believe they will ever be in love. But I think that if

Pallas feels under pressure from you and Marc, she may

convince herself she does love Sam, and that will be a

disaster for everybody, including my brother, because I

think Sam is the wrong man for Pallas. They’re good

friends, but they are too far apart for anything more

intimate.”

“O wise young judge,” he said gently, taking her hand

between both his and kissing it. “Thank you. I will speak

to Marc tonight.”

“And make sure he passes the word to Pallas,” she

said. “Insist on that being done immediately. Marc is

capable of playing it by ear, and that might push Pallas

too far.”

He nodded. “I will be firm with him. And I am grateful

to you for your advice. Several things Marc had said to

me in his letters had made me suspicious of some other

intervention. I was not surprised to see a young man

here.”

“Marc didn’t tell you?”

“He never mentioned Sam to me,” he said. Then, by

common consent, they dropped the subject, and walked