She nodded. "Whatever he does, whatever we do, he's got the answer and he gives it one hundred per cent. No man in his right mind would ever have stood up to Tony and told him to reduce his feeling toward me to platonic friendship. Not unless he knew beforehand that Tony wouldn't half-kill him. But I am beginning to understand. Even though what he says is odious, I must admit that it does come to pass."
Peter looked unhappy. "This is a fine mess," he said. "It wouldn't be half bad if Hedgerly and his confounded history were capable of changing our feelings as well as our lives. But he blithely ignores the fact that you and I are expected to marry—with both of us feeling that we'd rather marry someone else, and know who. Then to top that, not only is it going to be emotionally difficult in the first place, but think of the emotional wrench we'll get when Tony and Joan—" Peter stopped, swallowed hard, and then added: "I'm not speaking too selfishly, Marie. I've not mentioned how they will feel. The whole thing is a trumped-up mess."
Marie put her hand on Peter's arm. "I don't exactly love you," she said with a shy smile, "but you are a very nice guy, Peter."
"Huh?"
"You're sensitive and gentle and thoughtful of other people's feelings. I have a hunch that you could also be very hard and rough if the need arose."
Peter smiled a little crooked smile and said: "All of which gets us nowhere, does it?"
"No," admitted Marie. "But if I'm going to have myself hurled into an 'arranged' marriage, I'd rather it be with someone I respect."
Hedgerly leaned over the back of the divan in Peter's living room and looked from Joan to Tony, one on each side of him. "What's so wrong with it?" he asked. "People have been happy in prearranged marriages for centuries. Sometimes the participants never meet until they are introduced by the minister."
Tony looked up sourly. "Hedgerly," he said, "you may have traveled back into time. But mister, you didn't come THAT far back!"