Free Portrait of Jonathan by Margaret Dickinson

You shouldn’t be hiding all this away. We must show the others.’
    â€˜No—no, Giles. I beg you,’ she cried in anguished tones.
    â€˜But why ever not?’
    â€˜I’d rather you d-didn’t. Even Grandfather—he’s never seen my sketches. I prefer no one to see them.’
    â€˜But Vinny, why? These should be framed and hanging on a wall. You should be provided with paints and try portraiture in oils—really you should. These of old Jonathan are really something, it’s as if you …’
    He stopped and regarded her closely. She avoided his penetrating gaze.
    â€˜Please give them back to me,’ she said in a low voice.
    â€˜Vinny, tell me something,’ Giles said in his impetuous way. ‘Have you fallen for old Jonathan?’
    â€˜I—no, no of course not,’ she said swiftly—too swiftly—her colour rising again.
    â€˜You’re not a very good liar, Vinny dear,’ Giles said softly.
    â€˜Giles Eldon—how dare you call me a l-liar,’ she said, near to tears.
    â€˜There, there, Vinny. I promise your secret is safe with me. Both the drawings and Jonathan.’
    â€˜Giles—oh Giles,’ her voice broke on a sob. ‘Don’t tell him, don’t ever tell him. He’d hate me.’
    â€˜Never, Vinny, he could never do that. Come now, dry your tears.’
    â€˜But do you promise?’ she asked earnestly.
    â€˜Yes—yes, I promise. Poor Vinny, you do have some bad luck. Now why,’ he continued in a lighter, teasing vein, trying to win a smile back to her face, ‘didn’t you fall in love with a handsome chap like me?—I’m really quite jealous.’
    â€˜Oh Giles—I do l-love you,’ she blushed even more at her boldness, ‘but …’
    â€˜But you love Jonathan more and not as a brother, eh?’
    She nodded.
    Giles sighed. He could never be anything but completely honest, and he could not, therefore, lie now to Lavinia, not even to give her hope as so many would have done, for he knew it would be a false hope.
    â€˜Vinny, try to forget him. He doesn’t seem to be the marrying kind—now, and …’
    â€˜Oh Giles, I know he’d never want to marry me. Good heavens after loving Lady Anthea …’ Her voice faded into silence and though Giles gave her a look of complete and sympathetic understanding, and tucked her small hand in his arm, he could not, in truth, disagree with her.
    They returned to the house and were there greeted by the rest of the Eldon family—Lady Melmoth with her charming smile, Lord Melmoth with his robust chuckle and Jonathan with his quiet, half-smile and brown eyes which regarded Lavinia so steadily, making her heart pound and her hands tremble.
    Giles, true to his word, put the folder of drawings on a side table and made no further reference to it, but immediately complimented Lord Rowan on the appearance of the grounds.
    â€˜Really, sir, I thought there was no finer place than our own country house, but I begin to have doubts. ‘Avonbridge’ looks better than ever.’
    The family laughed. There was one thing about Giles, Lavinia thought fondly, his readiness to defend anyone not only led him into trouble but also led him to perform acts of kindness, such as at this moment, when she knew he was deliberately drawing the attention away from her to himself in an effort to help her combat her shyness.
    The Eldons’ visit was all too short. The following morning the gentlemen went riding and although they invited Lavinia to accompany them—and she would dearly have loved to have gone so that she might be a little longer in Jonathan’s company—she had to decline for her riding ability she knew was not proficient enough to enable her to keep pace with their speed. Nevertheless, she spent a pleasant morning with Lady Melmoth.
    â€˜Lavinia, my dear, you look so much happier. Do you like