He paused a moment, and all the witchery of the night came to the reinforcement of his charm.
“I want you, Vi,” he said. “Promise me. Give me a kiss and seal it.”
For one second she wavered, and then drew back from him.
“No, I can’t do that,” she said. “I’ll give you a kiss, but it seals no promise.”
“Kiss me then,” said he, now confident.
There was no mistaking the way in which she surrendered to him. She stood enfolded by him, lambent and burning. She knew herself to be bitterly unwise, but for the moment the sweetness was worth all the waters of Marah that should inundate her.
“Ah, you darling, never mind your promise,” said he. “I shall have that later. Just now it’s enough that you should hate Raymond and love me.”
She buried her face on his shoulder.
“Colin, Colin, what am I to do?” she whispered.
He could see well that, though her heart was his, the idea of giving up Stanier still strove with her. To-night she might consent to marry him; to-morrow that passion for possession might lay hands on her again. She was bruised but not broken, and instantly he made up his mind to tell her the secret of his mother’s letter and of the entry at the Consulate. That would clinch it for ever. When she knew that by giving up Raymond and Stanier together, she retained just all she wanted out of her contract and gained her heart’s desire as well——