Free An Affair of the Heart by Joan Smith

up at the man’s feet, his nose resting on his fore-paws, looking as natural as if he might wake up at any moment and wag his tail.
    “I don’t see why not,” Ellie returned. “They are God’s creatures too, and I daresay He likes dogs and cats as well as the rest of us do.”
    “Yes, but dash it, Ellie, not in church. It ain’t fitting.”
    “It is only a statue,” Missie pointed out.
    “They should at least put wings or a halo on it, to make it look a little holy.”
    Ellie’s sense of humor overcame her at this proposal, and she gurgled,“Or give it a harp, and pretend it is an angel. You are too nonsensical for words,Rex.” Then she spotted Claymore, and asked, “Why, where is Wanda?”
    “She is resting there at the back,” he indicated, with a toss of head.
    “Resting again?” Missie teased. “It seemed to us that you two rested all the way here. We have been looking at the church for an age, and are about ready to leave.”
    “She is not overcome by the heat, I hope?” Ellie inquired.
    “I think not. Merely a little tired.”
    “Take her to the inn and get her a glass of something wet,”Rex recommended.
    “It is a shame you do not have a chance to look over the church while you are here,” Ellie said to Claymore. “I could stay with Wanda. The church is very old, you know, and I don’t know whether Wanda pointed it out to you, but there are some rather fine carvings outside at the main doorway.”
    “I didn’t notice. I’ll have a look on the way out, but I believe Miss Wanda wants to be alone, so don’t feel you must cut your visit short.”
    “Let us go on,” Missie said to her brother, being no more interested in ancient architecture than he was himself.
    “Tell you what, Clay,” Rex decided, “you stick around and let Ellie show you the place. Knows all about them old brass plaques and what not, for she’s always taking rubbings of them. I’ll take the ladies along to the inn. You join us there when you’re finished it.”
    “Oh no,” Ellie said. As Rex intercepted a surprised glance from his friend, he remembered that he was by no means to separate Clay from his love of life, and he changed his tactics. “Well, there’s nothing here but an old pile of stones anyway. Come along and we’ll all have a bite to eat. Be just the thing to get Wanda’s crest back up.”
    It was agreed, and they all four strolled back to the back of the church, where Wanda was sufficiently recovered to go along to the inn. No mention was made of the fine carvings on the doorway as they left, without so much as a glance at them. A private parlor was procured at the inn, but not before Wanda had a fleeting glimpse of Hibbard, accompanied by not only Robert Langdon, but also his hateful sister. Nora was wearing a new bonnet, with darling little roses on it, and a pink pelisse that clashed dreadfully with her orange hair. Silly girl, just like her to go thinking she could wear pink, only because she had seen herself in a stunning rose gown at the assembly. If that was the taste George Hibbard had, she was well rid of him.
    “I’ll tell you what,”Rex said, suddenly inspired. “You and Miss Wanda stay here in this stuffy old parlor, Clay, and I’ll take Missie and Ellie into the common room.”
    “I wish you would,” Missie replied. “It will be ever so much more amusing than cooped up in here, with no one to see.”
    “No!” Clay said in a very loud voice, which startled Rex no end, as he thought he had hit on a very sly plan to throw them alone together, to get on with their courting.
    “Why not?” Rex asked.
    Claymore was too well bred to admit he was bored to flinders with his lovely companion, and suggested that for propriety’s sake they ought to remain together.
    “Didn’t think about that when you asked her in the first place then,”Rex reminded him. “Didn’t know then I was to bring the other girls along.”
    Clay cringed at this loud recital, but Ellie replied to Rex.