“In heaven, I hope,” returned Alaine, with an irresistible impulse.
He held her off and regarded her gravely. The autumn sunlight found the ruddy golds and browns of her hair, a soft peach-like hue bloomed on her cheek, her sweet red lips were parted. “Thou dost love me as I love thee, as I love thee, so beautiful?”
This time Alaine allowed her head to rest on the broad shoulder. “I love thee; I will be true in saying it, monsieur,” she whispered.
“Not that, but Lendert.”
“Then listen, Lendert. I must not love thee, for, alas! I am half promised to another, I do not know but to two others. You must go, Lendert, but first I will tell thee how it is. Those two, my adopted parents, wish me to marry Gerard, and there is another who has loved me this year past. Gerard loves Mathilde, but Pierre, poor Pierre, so good, so true, he has none but me. He has suffered much, and to him I have promised my hand if he can find a way to restore my father to me, and if my father desires me to marry him.”
Lendert softly stroked her hair back from her forehead while he listened, but he made no comment.
“And therefore, you see, Lendert, I should not love you,” she continued.
He lifted her arms to clasp his neck and looked down with that compelling glance. “I love thee, Alaine, and thou lovest me; there is nothing else in the world to remember. It is not wrong to love, and we have not been able to do else than choose each other from out of the entire universe, then what? We love, and that is all. I will tell thee a confession, too; my mother wishes me to marry one of her choosing, the daughter of a friend and distant relative. I was content to consider her wishes, although I made no promise, but now I have seen thee, sweet Alaine, I cannot do it. As I lay in bed and heard thy voice, and saw thy face day after day, it grew, this love, and I thought, If she can love this big clumsy ox, as the Frenchman calls him, I will love her forever; I will marry none other; but I did not hope as yet, Alaine, that thou couldst love Lendert Verplanck, who loves thee so dearly.”
“I did not know, either,” sighed Alaine; “I did not know till now when thou must leave me.”
“When I will not leave thee. I do not go to-day.”