“We weren’t really worried. Fiona telephoned us that Stuart hadn’t returned, so we just assumed you’d both taken shelter somewhere. I knew you’d be quite safe with Stuart.” Judith grinned. “Does that mean that my reputation couldn’t possibly be in jeopardy if I was with Stuart?” “Certainly. He’s too well-known and too much the local laird for titbits of gossip to do him any harm. Now if you’d gone off with Neil, that would have been different.” “I see. There are some subtle distinctions in manners and modes on this island. One night on an island with Neil and I’d have been forced to marry him.” “Don’t be prim, darling,” Barbara giggled. All the same, Judith was relieved that Stuart had been her partner in the storm, in spite of the obvious fact that he believed she had done her best to engineer the delay. With Neil, the situation would have become more precarious, and undoubtedly he would have renewed his appeals that she should marry him.
