page80 (1/2)

Chapter Twenty-One

‘Ophelia?’ Alex leaned down and scratched the fat pink stomach and the puppy writhed ecstatically ‘What sort of name is that for a hound? If it is a hound,’ he added dubiously

‘I think there is some hound in there,’ Tess said ‘She’s mostly hound Perhaps the rest is mastiff Look at the size of her feet’

‘I alio bloodstone in the ring on his hand If he had been drinking hard all day he could not feel ed hirel hound puppy busily licking his shoes ‘The thing is going to be as big as a horse’

‘Don’t call her a thing’ Tess was still laughing, he could hear it in her voice But she ary, too ‘The poor creature has had a hard life and deserves a proper name She was found in a sack in the cattle pond She would have drowned if one of the grooone in and rescued her That is e called her Ophelia’ She shot hilance ‘All sht like one, too’

He had never had a dog as a child His father kept pedigree fox hounds, Matthew had been given a lurcher to go rabbiting with, but Alex had not expected to be allowed a dog, had not asked He had never thought he wanted one Ophelia rolled over and began to chew his shoe

‘Stop that’ He clicked his fingers at her and she sat up, tongue lolling out comically as she put her head on one side ‘I don’t suppose you are house trained, are you?’

‘Er, no,’ Tess said ‘In fact I think it would be a good idea if James took her out for a walk now’

‘Thank you, Miss Ellery, for my present’

The hound puppy gave his hand one last slobbery lick, then towed the footan toBeside him Tess sat, cornered by his body, the doll in its box on her knee

‘I should have given you gloves or a reticule,’ he said, twisting the unfao, if so it, that his father wanted hiht them insane, or that he was drunk