The House of the Deer: A deftly-crafted and suspenseful romance by D. E. Stevenson

Author:D. E. Stevenson [Stevenson, D. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Lume Books
Published: 2022-01-12T05:00:00+00:00

‘I’m going to take you in the other direction today,’ said Phil. ‘We’ll go up the valley towards Achnaluig.’

‘I don’t mind where we go,’ replied Gerald. ‘This is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen … and it’s so peaceful! Time seems to stand still.’

‘I’m glad you’re happy here,’ said Phil simply. ‘You’ll come again next year, won’t you?’

‘If I can,’ said Gerald. ‘It all depends on when I get my holiday. You know that, of course.’ He hesitated and then added, ‘There’s no other place in the world I would rather go to.’

Donny said nothing. She walked along beside them like a little shadow. She seemed to be lost in dreams.

It was a glorious day: the sun shone with golden brilliance; the sky was pale blue; a few fleecy clouds hovered over the hills.

They had reached the river by this time: the place where the little Ard na Feidh burn joined the river in a long silver cascade. Here the river ran through a wood of birch trees; it ran quickly, twisting this way and that way, prattling cheerfully in its stony bed. The birches had just begun to turn colour and amongst the green foliage a splash of gold showed where the frost had touched a branch and passed on. Away to the north the valley was spread before them, green and fertlle, behind them the hills rose steeply, their rocky summits cutting a jagged line against the sky.

Phil loved this spot. It was the place she had chosen for their picnic lunch. She sank down, softly as a snowflake upon the mossy turf and looked up at Gerald with her lovely smile.

‘Isn’t this a beautiful place for a picnic?’ said Phil.

If she had expected raptures she was disappointed.

Gerald sat down beside her. He said, ‘Oh Phil, I want to talk to you.’

‘But you talk to me every day!’

‘Not alone. I never see you alone – not for a moment. I haven’t seen you alone since that first afternoon when you showed me my room and told me about the forest. There’s always someone there: Stoddart, writing letters, or Mac reading a book, or Donny sewing – or something.’

‘Where’s Donny?’ Phil exclaimed, looking round.

‘She just wandered away.’

‘Perhaps she’s lost!’

‘No,’ said Gerald. ‘I expect Donny knew I wanted to talk to you … and just … wandered away.’

‘We had better look for her!’

‘There’s no need to look for her.’

‘But Gerald, perhaps she has got lost – ’

‘Donny isn’t silly.’

‘No, she isn’t,’ agreed Phil smiling. ‘Donny is quite clever in her own way. You like her, don’t you?’

‘Of course I like her. I’d like anyone you were fond of. But I don’t want to talk about Donny, I want to talk about us. Oh, Phil, please listen – ’

‘We’re friends, aren’t we?’ she interrupted breathlessly. ‘We’re friends, Gerald. Mac likes you awfully much. It’s so good for Mac to have a friend like you. Mac is a bit wild sometimes – he’s just a boy really – and some of his friends are – are rather queer.

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