Guardian of the Horizon Read Free

attend." Ramses's eyebrows, which are very thick and dark and expressive, took on an alarming angle. "I cannot say that the young woman made a lasting impression on me." "You obviously made a lasting impression on her," Nefret murmured. "Don't be ridiculous," Ramses snapped. Nefret gave me a wink and a conspiratorial grin and I considered my son thoughtfully. His curly black head was bent over the kitten he had picked up, but his high cheekbones were a trifle darker than usual. Another one, I thought. He had pleasing looks and nice manners (thanks to me), but the persistence of the young women who pursued him was unaccountable! "You must remember her," Nefret persisted. "Dark-haired, rather plain, with a habit of tilting her head to one side and squinting up at you? I had to detach her by force; she was hanging on to your arm with both hands--" "May I be excused, Mother?" Ramses put his cup down with exaggerated care and got to his feet. He did not wait for a reply; holding the kitten, he left the room with long strides. After a moment David, who had followed the exchange with furrowed brows, went after him. "You shouldn't tease him, Nefret," I scolded. "He does nothing to encourage them . . . does he?" "Not this one." Nefret's laughter bubbled out. "It was funny, Aunt Amelia, she thought she was being soooo adorable, and poor Ramses looked like a hunted fox. He was too polite to shake her off." "Well, this is one invitation I can decline with pleasure," I declared. "Would that all our difficulties were so easily solved. Emerson--" "Confound it, Peabody, I am not the one who is making difficulties! It only remains for Ramses to make up his mind."
    Ramses sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. Another day had passed without his having got the courage to tell his father the truth. He looked up at the sound of a tentative knock at the door. "Come in, damn it," Ramses said. "Some people might interpret that as less than welcoming," said David, standing in the doorway. "Would you rather be alone?" "No. I'm sorry. Come in and close the door before Nefret takes it into her head to follow you." "You can't go on treating her like this, Ramses. You've been avoiding her as if she were a leper and snapping back at her whenever she speaks." "You know why." David sat down next to him. "I know that you love her and you won't tell her so. I don't understand why you won't." "You aren't usually so obtuse, David. How would you feel if a girl you thought of as a dear little sister sidled up to you and told you she was desperately in love with you?" David smiled his slow, gentle smile. "She did." "But you were already in love with Lia when she spoke up," Ramses argued. "And her announcement can't have come as a complete surprise; don't tell me there weren't sidelong looks and blushes and--well, you know the sort of thing. Supposing you hadn't returned her feelings--then how would you have felt?" "Embarrassed," David admitted after a while. "Sorry for her. Guilty. Horribly self-conscious." "And that is exactly how Nefret would feel. She thinks of me as a rather amusing younger brother. You heard her just now, teasing me about that confounded girl, laughing at me . . ." He propped his chin on his hands. "I've got to get away for a while. Away from her." "It's that hard?" David asked. "Being with her?" "It's bad enough seeing her every day," Ramses said despondently. "If only she weren't so damned affectionate! Always patting and hugging and squeezing my arm--" "She does that to everybody. Including Gargery." "Exactly. It doesn't mean a damned thing, but I can assure you that it doesn't affect Gargery as it does me." He couldn't tell David the worst of it--the burning jealousy of every man who talked to Nefret or looked at her--because at one time he had thought she was beginning to care for David. He had dreamed of killing his best friend. A peremptory pounding on the door brought him to his feet. "It's Nefret," he said. "Nobody else