“No,” said Irene. She felt annoyed; how stupidly he was behaving!
They were silent for several minutes. At Castiglione del Lago he asked again. Irene repeated her answer.
“You’re not going to do this clown’s trick again, are you?” she asked as they approached the bifurcation of the roads.
“It depends if you’re going to marry me,” he answered. This time he laughed aloud; so infectiously that Irene, whose irritation was something laid on superficially over her happiness, could not help laughing too. “Are you going to?” he asked.
“No.”
Lord Hovenden turned to the left. “It’ll be late before we get to Perugia,” he said.
“Oo-ooh!” cried Miss Elver, as they topped the long hill. “How lovely!” She clapped her hands. Then, leaning forward, she touched Irene’s shoulder. “What a lot of lakes there are here!” she said.
On the north shore Lord Hovenden asked again. Cortona and Montelpuciano presided at the asking.
“I don’t see why I should be bullied,” said Irene. Lord Hovenden found the answer more promising than those which had gone before.
“But you’re not being bullied.”