One does so want some one to talk things over with, you know," she added.
To Robin's ears there was a forlorn note in that frank little
acknowledgment, and he was conscious of a sudden, overpowering rush of
sympathy. She was lonely--he was sure of it. In spite of all her charm and
quick laughter, she was not a happy woman. Some shadow from the past lay in
her eyes, and when she laughed the sparkle in them was like the momentary
sunlit ripple which breaks the surface of a pool for a brief instant and
then is lost again in its shadowed stillness.
Ann's return to the room, synchronising with the arrival of the rector and
his sister, served to detach his thoughts from the subject of Mrs.
Hilyard's eyes, and when the necessary introductions had been performed,
and the new owner of the Priory was joining in the general conversation
with apparent light-heartedness, Robin was tempted to wonder whether he had
been correct in his surmise, after all.
But later on, during tea, the clouded expression reappeared on her face, as
though something had all at once turned her thoughts inward. It was when
Miss Caroline, thirsting for information as usual, suddenly pounced on her
with a question.
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