His Diamond Bride

increasing speed while she screamed with pleasure and huddled closer to him.

After two more rides he insisted that they get out, at least for a while.

‘You may not need a rest, but I do,’ he gasped. ‘Where’s the beer tent?’

In the tent, they sat down and sipped light ale. Every nerve throughout her body was singing with excitement, but the greatest pleasure was the look Mark was giving her, as though seeing her for the first time and admiring what he saw.

‘I never guessed you enjoyed that kind of thing,’ he said.

‘Neither did I. If I’d known, I’d have done it sooner.’

‘Most girls don’t care for it,’ he said, speaking more quietly than was usual with him.

And suddenly Sylvia was there with them, gasping and clinging to them in horror after her ride in the sidecar, vowing never again.

‘I’m not most girls,’ Dee said brightly. ‘I’m mad. Hadn’t you heard?’

‘If I hadn’t, I know now.’

She drained her glass and held it out. ‘Can I have another one?’

‘No,’ he said in alarm. ‘Your mother would kill me. She already disapproves of me, even though we’re engaged.’

Dee nodded. Helen wanted them married for the sake of respectability, but only that morning she’d said, ‘I know he can talk the hind legs off a donkey and he’s got a cheeky smile, but you mark my words. He’s a bad boy!’

Which was true, Dee thought. Mark’s ‘bad boy’ aspect was seldom on display, but it was always there, just below the surface. It lived in uneasy partnership with his generous side and it made him thrilling. But she wouldn’t have dared to tell her mother that. She didn’t fully understand it herself. She only knew that he lived in her heart as the most exciting man in the world and she wouldn’t have him any different.

CHAPTER SEVEN

WHEN they came to the dodgems she insisted on their taking a car each so that they could bash each other. Once behind the wheel, she laid into him with a will. But he gave as good as he got and when they joined up again afterwards they agreed that honours were even.

But in one thing he beat her hollow-on the rifle range his aim was perfect. He scored bullseyes with ease and was offered his pick of the prizes on display. He chose a small fluffy teddy bear and solemnly presented it to her.

She fell in love with it at once. The face was slightly lopsided, giving it an air of cheeky humour that she instantly recognised.

‘He’s you,’ she said.

‘Me?’ he asked, startled.

‘Well, he’s rather better-looking than you, of course,’ she said, considering. ‘But that cocky air is exactly you. My bruin.’

‘Bruin?’

‘It’s an old word for bear. This isn’t just an ordinary bear. He’s my bear. He’s a real bruin.’ She dropped a kiss on the furry little fellow’s snout.

‘I’m jealous,’ Mark said.

‘How can you be jealous of yourself?’ she demanded, tucking the toy safely into her bag.

‘I’ll think about that.’

He bought two ice creams and they wandered through the fair, hand in hand. Dee thought she’d never known such a happy evening.

‘Will you take me on the roller coaster again?’ she asked.

‘Am I allowed to say no?’

‘Not a chance.’

Suddenly a yell came out of the darkness.

‘Look at that!’ someone breathed, pointing upward, horrified and admiring at the same time.

High above them stretched what looked like a hollow pole made of metal latticework. A string of lights went up the middle, gleaming against the metal strips and illuminating the man who was climbing to the top.

‘He shouldn’t be doing that!’

‘He’s crazy!’

‘Yes, but what a climber!’

The shouts filled the air, but the climbing man seemed oblivious to the sensation he was creating. Up, up he moved, never looking down, untroubled by the height, although the pole was beginning to sway.

‘Is he going right to the top?’

‘He won’t dare. It isn’t safe.’

It seemed that the man agreed, because he stopped and made a dramatic gesture to the crowd below, signifying the end of the performance. Cheers erupted as he began to descend and applause filled the air.

‘What’s that for?’ Mark demanded indignantly. ‘He got nowhere near the top.’

‘He got pretty high, though,’ Dee pointed out.

‘Anybody can settle for second best. It’s reaching the top that matters.’

‘Yes, if you want to risk your neck for nothing,’ she said.

As soon as the words were out she knew they were a mistake and the look on Mark’s face confirmed it. To him, the risk alone was worth it. The more danger, the more fun; those had been his words.

‘Mark-wait!’ she cried as he turned away, resolution written in every line of his body.

He ignored her, if he even heard her. Terrified now, she seized his arm and at last he turned.

‘Take your hands off me,’ he said softly.

‘Mark, please-’

‘Let go, now!’

She’d never heard such a tone from him before, or seen such a look in his eyes. Where was the sweet- tempered joker that she loved? Gone, and in his place this hard-faced man who would brook no interference in his wishes.

‘I told you to let me go,’ he repeated coldly.

Appalled, she stepped back, her hands falling away from him as the strength drained out of them.

He was a stranger, a man she’d never met before and never wanted to meet again. In her heart she’d always known something like this was waiting for them, a moment when she would look down the road ahead and shiver.

Mark saw her withdrawn expression and misunderstood it.

‘It’s all right,’ he said, speaking more gently. ‘I know what I’m doing.’

He was gone before she could reply, striding towards the terrifying pole, leaping onto the bottom rung and climbing fast before anyone could stop him. Now there were more cheers, mingled with screams.

Dee’s heart almost stopped. It was unbearable to watch him, yet impossible to look away. He was approaching the point where the first man had given up. If only he would be satisfied with going a little further and claiming victory! Surely that would be enough for him!

‘Please, please,’ she whispered. ‘Make him stop-let him be satisfied without going to the top.’

But he wouldn’t be satisfied with less, she knew that. It had to be all or nothing. That was how he was made.

The crowd roared as he reached the crucial point and climbed beyond it. On the ground, the other climber groaned and swore. ‘Show-off,’ he growled.

‘And what were you?’ Dee turned on him.

‘All right, I’m a show-off too, but I knew when to stop. The metal’s much thinner up there. It won’t support him.’

Right on cue, a metal strut bent under Mark’s foot. He hesitated, clinging on, looking down, then looking