HIGH TIDE AT MIDNIGHT (31 page)

you. I borrowed the little pearl ring of your mother's to make sure the size

was right—the one you were crying over that day.' He sighed. 'I wanted so

badly to pick you up in my arms and comfort you, but all you wanted was to

sing a paean of praise to Nick for getting those damned pictures framed.'

'Well, it was kind of him.'

'Kind be damned. He had nothing to do with it.'

'It was you!' She looked wonderingly up into his face. 'But you never said

anything ... and when I thanked Nick, he didn't deny…'

'I told him not to. I was afraid if you'd realised that I'd had them framed you

might have flung them back at me.' He took the ring, a large square emerald

flanked by two exquisite diamonds, out of the box and slid it on to her finger,

'If you cry now,' he whispered, 'I can pick you up in my arms and hold you

for the rest of our lives.'

'The rest of our lives!' Morwenna gave a shaky laugh. 'And yesterday I was

so miserable. I can hardly believe it!'

'You'd better believe it.' He kissed the hand that wore his ring, and his kiss

was a pledge. 'Morwenna Trevennon—the bride the sea gave back to me. No

more tragedies, my love, no more bitterness or looking back into the past.'

'No.' She slid her arms up round his neck, and smiled into his eyes. 'Only the

future—and each other.'

His mouth was warm and demanding on hers, and as they clung together, the

first Morwenna Trevennon gazed down on them serenely from her frame on

the wall, and, for a second, the ghost of an understanding smile seemed to

play about her painted lips.