Rainbow for Megan Read Online Free

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    your father really will believe the rumours. I hope
    you like the book, by the way, and have a good weekend.'
    At the door, Megan hesitated. 'Ray,' she said doubtfully, 'what you said about Father—it was true, but he does appreciate company sometimes. I know he'd be pleased to see you if you felt like a chat some time.'
    He smiled back at her. 'You're a very sweet girl, Megan. One day I'll probably take up your offer,' he promised.
    That evening, Iris called on her. Megan was under no illusion as to why she had been so honoured. With Alain home, Iris was not the sort of person to bother about seeking out Megan's company.
    It soon became clear that Iris was extremely put out. 'I know he's been away a year,' she complained, `but he's been away just as long before and never made half as much fuss about the state of the property. He had poor old Mannings shaking in his shoes after he'd been through the accounts.' She threw back her long fair hair, a gesture Megan had often seen her make when annoyed.
    Watching her, Megan's thoughts strayed back to last summer. It must be conceded, she thought, that Alain had paid Iris more than the usual amount of attention. All this Megan could see now, and she wished she had seen it sooner when she recalled how
    she had tagged on in their company. She had always considered Alain her special property and Iris an interloper. Inwardly sighing, she thought how often they must have wished her elsewhere.
    Iris carried on, unaware of the thoughts racing through Megan's mind. 'Every farmer's taken a knocking these days, but Alain's sure he's taken more than his share.' She flung herself down in the most comfortable chair in the room. 'He's spent practically the whole week going over the estate with a notebook,' she continued pettishly, 'jotting down what needs to be done. I offered to go with him and make some notes for him, but he said he wasn't in the mood for any distractions.'
    Megan almost chuckled. She could well imagine the scene Alain's temper when roused was something to be respected; she doubted whether Iris had ever been on the receiving end before. No wonder she was put out !
    `I expect he's worried, Iris,' she said. 'Farming nowadays is one big headache. He was very probably right in what he said about the losses. He's been at college studying the subject for two years, remember, so that the farm can be run more efficiently. It's not as if he's had no experience—farming's been in his family for generations.'
    Iris pouted. 'Well, you'd think he'd have eased off a bit on his first week home. He has all the time in
    the world now to get things straight, no need at all to plunge into it with such fanaticism. Still,' with a note of satisfaction creeping into her voice, 'he did ask me to go to the county farmers' dance on Wednesday.' Then, as if it were something she had just remembered, she said, 'He asked where you were, and I told him you'd got a job. He said it was about time, you'd lazed around long enough.'
    Megan's eyebrows lifted. 'Well, of all the ... Just wait till I see him I' she said, quite forgetting her plan to stay out of his way.
    `I thought we'd agreed you wouldn't hang around him,' drawled Iris. 'I shouldn't make an issue of it if I were you, he bit my head off for offering to help. I'd hate to think how you'd fare if you started trailing after him again.'
    Megan's lips straightened. For one moment she was tempted to put a few facts at Iris's disposal. Firstly, and more important than anything else, she had a clear field as far as Alain was concerned. Their friendship was purely platonic, anything else was laughable. Not that Iris would see it that way, she thought sadly. It would be a waste of time trying to prove it to her. As far as Iris was concerned there was no such thing as a platonic friendship with the opposite sex. You either fell for them, or you didn't. She held her tongue.
    `By the way,' said Iris casually, 'is it true that your employer's a famous author