'Give it back, Phoebe. Not because your father says so, but for Mark's sake.'
'But we're still engaged.'
'Well, as I told your father, a ring doesn't make an engagement. It's what's in the heart that does that. If you love Mark, you can wait until he's finished his degree. You don't want to blight his career just when yours is taking off.'
'Of course not. I didn't mean we were going to get married tomorrow, and I'd have said so if Daddy hadn't started acting like a dictator.'
'Just be nice to him. Remember, time's on your side.'
When she went downstairs a few minutes later she found Daniel alone. He scowled at her.
'Phoebe's going to return the ring the next time she sees Mark,' she said.
'She's never seeing him again,' Daniel said at once. You can take it back to him yourself, and tell him this so- called engagement is off'.'
Lee took a deep breath. 'Phoebe isn't calling the engagement off. She's returning the ring for Mark's sake, because she knows he can't afford it. She's also ready to wait until he finishes his degree. Nothing has really changed, Daniel.'
'Nothing-?'
'If you'd let Phoebe get a word in edgeways she'd have told you that they're not planning an immediate marriage. When things have calmed down they'll get the chance to see each other clearly, and the whole thing will die a natural death.' She saw that he was still looking at her with a black, frozen look on his face, and something painful happened to her heart
'That's your advice, is it?' he asked coldly.
'For what it's worth, yes.'
'I just stand back and watch my daughter sleepwalk to disaster-?'
'Give them time and the marriage will never happen. There doesn't have to be a disaster-unless you drive her to it by bullying her.'
'Is it bullying to want to save her from herself?'
'That depends on how you do it,' she said slowly.
'Thank you,' he snapped. 'I know how to take that, I suppose.'
'Let's not talk about this any more today,' Lee said quietly. 'It's too dangerous.'
'Lee, just how long do you think we can go on not talking about the things that matter?'
'I don't know. I hoped it would all come right, but it seems to get worse and worse.'
Daniel didn't answer this directly. He was silent for a moment, then he said, 'I heard what she said to you just now.'
'What?'
'I came up to see her. I heard her say that you'd had the courage to follow your heart, and that was why she'd always admired you.'
'I told her it wasn't courage but stupidity,' Lee said quickly. 'Didn't you hear that?'
'No, you spoke so quietly that I couldn't hear, and after that I went away.'
'I told her my marriage was the biggest mistake I ever made!' Lee cried.
'Yes, I dare say you did. But just the same-'
'Daniel, what is it?'
'What kind of influence are you having on my daughter? Why couldn't you have helped me control her properly in the first place, instead of going against me?'
'I never went against you, Daniel,' Lee said, very pale. 'I only tried to show you that the kind of control you wanted wasn't possible any more. I tried to stop you losing her.'
'But I am losing her.'
'And you blame me?'
'No,' he said, too quickly. 'Of course not. It's just that I-I can't help thinking how things could have been different.'
'Different but for me, you mean? Different if you'd never met me at all? That's what you're thinking, isn't it? If only I'd never met her.'
'Stop it!' he said harshly. 'You're right. We mustn't say any more.'
'But you said it was time we had it out.'
'I didn't say exactly that-'
'' 'How long do you think we can go on not talking about the things that matter?''' she quoted back at him. 'And why don't we talk about them? Because it would finish us. What kind of relationship exists only because we hide from the truth? And the truth is that you blame me for everything that's happened. Why don't you admit it?'
He didn't speak, but it was there in his eyes.
Lee knew she should have kept quiet, but she was at the end of her tether. A demon seemed to be lashing her on to say terrible, irrevocable things.
'Say it,' she told him. 'Say you wish you'd never met me, because without me you needn't have faced the fact that Phoebe is growing up. Without me you could have kept her a prisoner for ever-'
'That's enough!' His voice crashed into her, thunderous with rage. 'You were right. How can we ever be together when we can do nothing but hurt each other?'
'Then let's end it now,' she choked.
'If that's what you want.'
'I do,' she cried. 'I love you, Daniel, but I can't take this any more. I can't be the whipping girl whenever life doesn't do what you want. I'm sorry. I tried. But I can't see things as you do, and I never will.'
'Lee-' He put out a hand to stop her as she moved to the door. The truth about what was happening seemed to get through to him. 'Don't go yet.'
'What's the point in staying?' she asked passionately. 'We both know how it would end at last. So let it end now.'
'It can't end,' he said harshly. 'We love each other.'
'I guess that just isn't enough. We're not adolescents to believe that love solves all problems. We're old enough to know that some problems can't be solved. Let me go, Daniel. We can only hurt each other.'
'Lee-Lee!' He reached out but she backed away.
'And I'll tell you this, Daniel, however much you we'd never met, it can't be as much as I wish
'You don't mean that,' he said.
'I do. I do! I was content, I had a good life, I was safe. You took it all away from me. Don't come after me, please. Just forget about me.'
She ran out of the house. She had no car tonight because Daniel had collected her from home, but after a moment she saw Mark's car in the street. He was standing beside it.
'What is it?' he asked as she ran up to him.
'Take me home, Mark,' she choked.
As the car swung round she saw Daniel standing in the window. She covered her face. Once before she'd promised herself never to see him again. She knew now she should have stuck to that vow. But this time she meant it. And one day, far in the future, perhaps her heart would stop breaking.
In their first quarrel Daniel had refused to accept that anything could come between them. This time it was different, and she realised that he too had faced the inevitable. She told herself she was glad that he'd seen sense, but she'd more than half expected him to come after her, and his silence was like a blow.
Now all her information about him and Phoebe came at second hand. She knew Daniel hadn't carried out his wild threat to lock his daughter up because Mark went out one evening to keep a date with her. He returned late that night in a black mood.
'I suppose I have you to thank, haven't I?' he demanded.
'For what, love?'
'This,' he said bitterly, holding the ring up. 'Phoebe returned this and said I should take it back to the shop.'
'Did she say why?'
'Oh, yes. She talked about waiting until I could afford it. She said she couldn't let me get into debt because of
