Inherit the Skies

by Janet Tanner

  Suddenly she was aware that his tone had changed. He was not lecturing her any more but asking her a question.

  ‘Well? How did you enjoy your lesson on the birth of the aeroplane industry?’

  Her eyes flicked up. He saw something akin to panic in their violet depths. ‘It was very interesting …’

  The corner of his mouth curled. ‘Good. Come here then.’

  ‘But …’ After all her planning, all her longing, the panic he had glimpsed suddenly paralysed her. She sat very still, hands and thighs still pressed tightly together. He stretched out his hand.

  ‘Come here, I said.’ There was no tenderness on his face or in his voice. In that moment he looked almost cruel. She stood up, took two steps towards him. ‘So, one lesson is over. Now it is time for the other.’

  He caught her hand, pulled her towards him and kissed her on the mouth. The brutality of his lips made her gasp but the weakness in her thighs was spreading now so that she felt oddly formless. After a moment he held her away, looking at her, and his eyes were dark and unfathomable. Then very deliberately he unfastened the top button at the neck of her dress and then the next. She stood motionless. This was not the way she had planned it – not at all! She had seen herself seducing him slowly, easing his shoulders out of his jacket, running her hand lightly but firmly over the rippling muscles of his back, teasing his nipples with her lips … But how could she protest? She had offered herself to him, after all.

  One more button and he was still completely in control.

  ‘Take it off,’ he ordered.

  She could not tear her eyes away from his. They remained locked, the dark brown and the violet, as she unfastened the remaining buttons and let her dress whisper to the floor. His eyes left hers then, running down the length of her body, taking in the whiteness of her shoulders and the curve of her small breasts above her chemise, her tiny tightly corseted waist and the resulting sweep of her petticoats, two layers of white muslin topped by scarlet taffeta. She saw a muscle move in his cheek. For seemingly endless moments they stood there, then he moved, lifting her bodily as if she weighed no more than a feather and carried her to the chaise. She lay transfixed against the cushioned arm while he towered over her, unbuttoning his waistcoat and his trousers. Then his weight was upon her, one hand freeing her breasts from the covering chemise, the other removing her frilled cotton drawers. She gasped as his mouth took her breast, gasped again as he entered her. And suddenly her body came alive again and she arched towards him, relishing the sharpness of his teeth and the grinding strength of his body, giving herself up to a paroxysm of passion the like of which she had never experienced before. He was in her and around her, suffocating, possessing. Alicia felt the beginnings of a scream rise in her throat but it was a scream of pleasure now. She twisted her fingers in his hair and raked his back with her nails. Even when he was still she moved against him until her own need climbed to its zenith, hung poised for a moment in exquisite heart-stopping abandon, then descended on a sobbing sigh to the planes of reality. Yet reality was not as it had been before. Now there was a warmth and a languorousness which was all-encompassing and far deeper than any fleeting moment of triumph and a desire to be with him for ever, to feel his weight pressing her into the chaise for ever, to sleep here with him and in sleeping to die because that way alone could she be sure that there would never be anyone else for either of them, no other stolen moments to detract from the glory of this moment, no intrusion of everyday life to mar its wonder.

  ‘Adam …’ she whispered. ‘Oh Adam …’

  He moved, rolling away from her and standing up. His back was towards her, he was dressing himself, and the sense of abandonment ripped at her heart. ‘Adam!’ she said again.

  ‘Would you excuse me, Alicia? I have work to do.’ His tone was cold and hard; she could scarcely believe it. He couldn’t be speaking to her like this – not after what they had just shared.

  She reached for his hand. ‘Adam, please …’

  He drew it away. ‘I thought your purpose in coming here was to seduce me,’ he said. ‘Haven’t you got what you wanted?’

  ‘No – no!’ she sobbed. She had never been less in control of herself.

  ‘Forgive me,’ he said coldly. ‘ But that was certainly the impression you gave me.’

  She was trembling now, her dreams falling about her ears.

  ‘You can’t leave me like this …’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘You wanted me, just as I wanted you.’

  ‘Perhaps. In that case we should both be satisfied. It was a pleasant interlude, Alicia, nothing more.’

  Suddenly she was angry, her passion and desire turning to a cold fury. She was Alicia Morse. No-one treated her like this, no-one – certainly not this arrogant upstart.

  ‘We’ll see about that,’ she said. ‘ You wanted me then and you’ll want me again. As often as I choose.’

  He laughed. The sound of his laughter roared like the sea in her ears.

  ‘Oh, Alicia, I’m afraid you have had your own way too often and for too long. If I want you again it will be when I choose. I should have thought this afternoon would have taught you that at least.’

  She drew herself up. Even standing there clad in nothing but her disarrayed corset and petticoats she had a dignity which was awesome.

  ‘You are forgetting something, Adam. My father holds the purse strings. Without his support you would be nothing – nobody. That is what you were before and that is what you will be again unless you do as I want. What would my father say if he knew you had just raped me?’

  ‘I did not rape you. I gave you what you have been begging for for weeks.’

  ‘That is not what I shall tell Father. And we shall soon see which of us he believes. Are you willing to take that chance, Adam?’

  He looked at her coldly. She could scarcely believe that such a short time ago they had been united in passion. Perhaps this was what they meant, the old wives, when they said it was a man’s world, she thought. Perhaps they did not mean that a woman could not enjoy making love, but that afterwards she was unable to detach herself from the act as Adam seemed capable of doing.

  Man’s love is of man’s life a thing apart, ‘Tis woman’s whole existence …

  He was fully dressed now and more distant from her than he had ever been.

  ‘Good afternoon, Alicia,’ he said politely as if they had done nothing more than share a pot of tea together. ‘ I really must ask you to excuse me.’

  Her fury at his rejection drove iron splinters into her heart. She would show him! Oh yes, she would show him he could not treat her like this!

  She stepped into her dress, fastening it with fingers that trembled. In the doorway she paused. Already he was back at his desk, head bent over the pages of diagrams and calculations. He was not even bothering to look at her.

  ‘Very well, Adam, I will go now,’ she said and her calm voice belied the turmoil within her. ‘ But don’t think it’s over. Because I assure you it is not.’

  Then without waiting for his reply she went out and closed the door after her.

  She came to his room again that night because she could not stay away. She had lain for a while listening to the house grow quiet under the mantle of snow but unable to sleep for the fire which burned again in her veins and across her skin in slow rashes of desire and at last she rose, pulled on her wrap over her nightgown and crept along the silent corridor, terrified he might reject her yet quite unable to resist another attempt to initiate the closeness she longed for and this time hoped to prolong.

  His light was still burning as he sat at his desk working on yet more calculations but this time when she entered the room he showed no surprise. He got up without a word, took her hand and led her to the bedroom. Again the encounter was tumultuous, his mastery of her complete as he knelt astride her, taking her with thrusts which made her writhe in painful ecstasy, but afterwards he did not dismiss her but lay beside her, stroking her ha
ir as it spread out on the pillow in a shining cascade with a hand lying on her naked belly in a gesture of careless possession.

  For a while she lay glorying in the rosy glow which suffused her body and the wetness between her thighs, then she began to be afraid they might fall asleep here together and be discovered in the morning and reluctantly stirred herself. As she slipped away his breath was deep and even and only then did she realise he was already asleep.

  She crept out of his room and back to her own. Hardly a word had passed between them but her resolve was stronger than ever. He did want her, just as she had known he did, just as she wanted him! And she would have him, not just on odd stolen occasions but all the time – as her husband. She had made up her mind to that long ago, now his desire for her, though without a single gesture of commitment, had given her the power that she needed.

  Back in her own bed Alicia ran her hands over her body which his hands had so lately touched, cupping the place where the wetness had now dried to stickiness, as if by so doing she could keep something of him within her and relishing the drowsy dreaming contentment until she fell asleep.

  Adam was in the library next day when Gilbert came in.

  ‘Adam, my boy, I am glad to see you alone. I understand you wish to speak to me.’

  Adam, who had been deep in thought, looked up, puzzled. There was an unmistakeable twinkle in Gilbert’s shrewd blue eyes and the first alarm bell began to ring in Adam’s head. ‘At least, Alicia told me you did.’ Gilbert qualified.

  ‘Ah!’ Adam said guardedly. He crossed to the window. ‘No break in the weather yet then,’ he said to give himself time to think.

  ‘No, it will be another day at least before the roads are passable,’ Gilbert agreed. ‘ But from what Alicia said I did not think it was the weather you wanted to talk to me about.’

  He joined Adam at the window. ‘I know this sort of thing isn’t easy,’ he said, wry amusement in his tone. ‘ I remember how nerve-racking I found it when I had to speak to Rose’s father. Rose was my first wife, you know. Thank goodness Blanche was a widow whose parents were long since gone so I did not have to go through the whole performance again. But I certainly recall how embarrassing such conversations can be and I am glad Alicia had the good sense to tell me herself what you had in mind – though I suppose it’s hardly etiquette, I don’t think we should let that bother us, do you?’

  Adam was suddenly filled with the firm conviction that he knew exactly how a shipwrecked mariner must feel when a strong tide takes control of his flimsy raft.

  ‘Alicia has spoken to you?’ he repeated. ‘What did she say?’

  Gilbert smiled. ‘That the two of you had fallen in love and would like to be married, of course – and that you intended to seek my permission. Well, I am saving you the trouble, Adam. I was delighted at the news and most relieved that Alicia is ready to settle down at last – and with a man like yourself, not one of those scallywags she has brought home in the past. There is no-one I would be more happy to have as my son-in-law. When you are one of the family we shall be able to work together admirably and I know if anyone can tame Alicia it is you. So you see, my boy, I don’t expect you to plead your suit and I shall not be interrogating you as to your prospects. As far as I am concerned, you have my blessing.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Adam said faintly.

  ‘One other thing,’ Gilbert continued. ‘ I dare say it is a little early to be talking of wedding presents when the engagement is not yet announced. But I would like to tell you all the same what my personal gift to you will be. I intend to change the name of the new company to include your own. It has long been my hope that Alicia could be a part of the family firm – that was the reason I made her a director, though I realise it is an unusual step for a woman. And if you are to be my son-in-law then I feel it it is only right that you should have proper acknowledgement. Morse Bailey Aeroplane Company sounds quite impressive, don’t you think?’

  ‘I do indeed,’ Adam said.

  Dumbfounded as he was he could not help admiring the sheer audacity of Alicia’s move. Little minx – she had promised him it was not over and backed up her promise with a shot that was almost breathtaking in its audacity. She knew he was not a man to be manipulated or threatened, but she had done it so cleverly, baiting a sweet trap with such tempting inducements that the steel teeth were all but hidden.

  Adam shook his head, unexpectedly aware of a sense of exhilaration. A minx she might be, but Alicia had an attraction that was all her own. Her determination and daring in going after what she wanted made her a worthy adversary and the thought of the battles ahead excited him suddenly. At the moment it was she who was calling the tune. But it would not always be so. Already he had two distinct choices – to call her bluff and take the consequences, fighting every inch of the way, or to go along with the plan and marry her, taking advantage of the obvious benefits which would come his way as Gilbert’s son-in-law whilst clawing back the initiative from her in other, subtle ways. The prospect of regaining the ascendancy was almost an aphrodisiac, and he found himself remembering the pleasures of the previous night and the eager response of her body. Dammit, maybe I am a little in love with her, he thought. Maybe I was so blinded by Sarah I could not see it.

  Sarah. The mere thought of her was painful to him and quite suddenly he knew his mind was made up. Sarah was lost to him. She was married to Eric. If he continued to moon over her he was a fool. Forget Sarah. And what better way to do it than to marry Alicia who had so much to offer?

  ‘Well, Adam, we shall be able to tell Alicia we have had our little talk, shall we not?’ Gilbert held out his hand; when Adam took it his touch was firm and cool. Not for the first time Adam thought how much he liked Gilbert. ‘Welcome to the family, my boy.’

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Sarah read and re-read the letter and still the words blurred before her eyes. Adam and Alicia were going to be married. Tears ached in Sarah’s throat and she crumpled the letter into a ball and tossed it onto the fire which blazed in the hearth.

  Stupid to be upset – or surprised. It was her own decision to leave which had left the field clear for Alicia. Stupid to have hoped, almost without realising it, that Adam might still care for her too deeply to allow Alicia to win him over. And more stupid still to feel disappointed that he was not wise enough to see the real Alicia behind the charming mask. When she so chose Alicia could be as amusing as she was tantalising – and she had so much to offer. Marrying her would be much to Adam’s advantage. Why, already his name was linked with Gilbert’s in the tide of the new company – Morse Bailey Aeroplane Company. It sounded so grand, so important – and without a doubt it would be highly successful.

  I am being selfish, Sarah thought, selfish and greedy. I have so much it is quite unreasonable for me to begrudge Adam the chance of happiness.

  ‘Sarah – are you there?’ Eric called to her from the hall and he came in carrying a bunch of deep yellow and bronze chrysanthemums. He smiled as he presented them to her, the pleasant smile that came so readily these days since she had become his wife. ‘ I got these from the flower seller outside the railway station. She didn’t have red roses, I’m afraid, but the sentiment is there just the same.’

  ‘Oh Eric, you are too good to me!’ Sarah put up her face to be kissed, and her smile did not betray anything of the heartache she was feeling. She had grown quite good at pretending, she thought with some pride, and she had kept her secret promise to Eric that she would do nothing to make him regret having married her.

  It was her good fortune of course that she had always been fond of Eric and enjoyed his company so the charade was not as difficult as it might have been and he was so besotted with her and so happy to have her back that he made no undue demands. He was content to have her with him, helping him at the Alexandra Palace workshops by using her newly acquired skills to keep the books for him and Henry, accompanying him to ballooning meets and sometimes going with him on ascents or races th
ough she no longer took part in aerobatic displays as she had once done, and sharing his bed. He did not notice the wistful look that came into her eyes when the new aeroplanes were discussed, he did not know that sometimes after they had made love she would lie awake, staring into the darkness, her cheeks wet with tears. When he turned to her she was always there and it was more than he had dared to hope for. He loved her, took care of her and gentled her, and in return he received the warmth of which he had always known she was capable. And now there was an additional reason to bring them close and make him glow with happiness and pride. Sarah was going to have a baby – their baby. It was not due until the summer but already he could see the thickening of her waist, the new fullness in her breasts, and he could hardly wait. Always tender towards her, always solicitous of her welfare, he swelled now with a love which made him doubly attentive; the flowers he had brought her were simply one more gesture, one more tangible way of expressing that love.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked now. ‘When I came in I thought you looked a little peaky.’

  ‘It’s nothing really.’ She smiled at the flowers, pulling the wrapping paper aside to expose the full beauty of the blooms. ‘I must put these in water.’