The Wings of Love

by Sally Wentworth

  'But you are tres belle tonight, ma cherie.

  Ravissante!'

  Michel's voice broke their charmed circle and Tressy turned to smile at the other man, cheeks flushed, her eyes like diamonds. 'Thank you. You look pretty good yourself.'

  He laughed. 'A Frenchwoman would never say that.' He drew her down beside him and Cris handed her a drink, smiling down at her before going to sit opposite, next to Nora. Tressy looked at her cousin and saw that she was, for once, sitting still and quiet, gazing down at her drink, answering only in monosyllables when anyone spoke to her. And she remained subdued throughout the evening, at the restaurant where they dined in the open air to the music of an accordionist playing traditional folk songs of Provence, and later in the completely opposite, sophisticated atmosphere of the Casino with its plush decor and gaming tables.

  It occurred to Tressy that Nora might be sulking, but she pushed the thought aside; life was suddenly full of possibilities and it was heady stuff. Cris stayed by her side all evening, often putting what seemed like a proprietorial arm round her waist, making it plain that he wanted to be with her. And when they sailed the boat back to Monte Carlo and she would have gone to her usual place at the bow, he said assertively, 'Stay with me,' and after only a moment's hesitation she joined him at the wheel, letting him put his arm round her shoulders as he steered them through the soft night, made magical by the thousands of reflected lights from the shore.

  It was in the early hours before they got back to the villa. Cris drove them home and this time it was Tressy who sat beside him. At the door he took her hand to say goodnight and kissed her lightly on both cheeks in the French manner, although the pressure of his hand told her that if the others hadn't been there he would have kissed her properly. But Nora stood resolutely waiting so that they went inside together and as soon as the door was shut went upstairs without even saying good night.

  The Sinclairs all had lunch together at home the next day, and Nora was again very quiet, although no one took much notice because she was always quieter at home; she had once read that men liked animated women, which was why she always tried to be amusing when she was with one, but at home of course she didn't bother. Towards the end of the meal, however, her mother looked at her and said, 'Are you all right, dear; you look a little pale?' But before Nora could answer added disapprovingly, 'And you look as if you're putting on weight again. You can't be sticking to your diet.'

  'I'm all right, Mummy, don't fuss,' her daughter muttered, but Tressy noticed that she didn't eat any more of her lunch.

  That afternoon they went out with Cris and Michel again, but now they weren't just four people any more, they were the usual two couples, or rather one couple and two odd people, because Cris made it very clear that he wanted to be with Tressy. They took a drive inland and stopped at a factory where they made crystallized fruits, Michel this time buying them each a basket, although he laughingly admitted he had a sweet tooth for them himself and ate quite a large portion.

  Those two days were the start of several that each seemed better than the first. Tressy knew that she was falling for Cris and looked forward eagerly to seeing him, her heart doing somersaults at the most stupid things: when she first saw him, when they accidently touched, or just when she turned and found him watching her with that look of warm tenderness in his eyes. And all the time there was a feeling of heady excitement, as if things were happening to her she could do nothing about, even if she had wanted to. Mostly she didn't think about it, just let it happen, but all these emotions were very new to her and she was extremely unsure of herself, so was grateful that Cris seemed to understand and didn't make any demands on her, appearing content, too, to let things take their course. Once or twice, though, he showed signs of impatience when he tried to get Tressy alone for a while, but Nora, watching them like a hawk and wise now to that maneuver, dogged their footsteps and wouldn't leave them.

  Evidence that his patience was wearing thin came one night when they came home after a visit to a night-club and Cris said a determined, 'Excuse us,' to the others and putting a hand under Tressy's elbow marched her round the house and into the garden.

  'Hey, wait for me!' Hampered by her high heels, Tressy almost had to run to keep up with him. 'Sorry.' He slowed down a little, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. 'Let's go down the path towards the beach.'

  They went through the gate and Tressy expected him to take her to the spot they'd gone to on the night of the party, but they had only gone a little way down the path when he stopped in the deep shadow of a jacaranda tree and pulled her almost roughly into his arms. 'I've been waiting to do this for days,' he said thickly, and kissed her hungrily.

  Tressy responded to his kiss without reserve, letting her emotions take over as she opened her mouth to his embrace. And it went to her head like vintage champagne as she became lost to everything but the surging need to be held closer in his arms, to feel his hard body against hers, to give as well as to take.

  They kissed for long, timeless minutes and both were breathing raggedly when they at last drew apart. Cris put up an unsteady hand to her face. 'I think I got more than I bargained for then,' he said hoarsely.

  Tressy smiled and moved her face against his hand. 'You took me by surprise.'

  'Then I shall have to do so again-often.' With a small groan he drew her to him again. 'I want you to myself,' he told her huskily. 'If we have to go around with Nora and Michel for another day I shall go mad!'

  Tressy laughed a little breathlessly. 'I'm beginning to believe you.'

  'You'd better believe it,' he said forcefully. He bent to kiss her neck. 'Say you'll come out with me tomorrow.'

  'What-what about Nora?' Tressy managed to say between gasps as his mouth traced a line across her throat and up to her ear.

  Reluctantly Cris raised his head and said, 'Nora's had enough time by now to realize that it's you I'm interested in. If she hasn't ... ' he shrugged, 'then I'm sorry. I've tried to let her down as gently as I know how.'

  'You know, then-that she's in love with you?'

  'I know she thinks she is,' Cris corrected. 'But it was entirely one-sided. I tried to avoid her once I realised the situation.'

  Tressy frowned. 'But you kept coming round to the villa?'

  'The first time because I didn't have much choice; I could envisage Nora and her parents looking for me and leaving messages all over the Riviera if I didn't. And after that ... ' He paused to pick up a lock of her hair and gently stroke it against his face. 'After that there began to be another attraction that drew me here.'

  The look in his eyes left Tressy in no doubt that she was the attraction, and her heart jerked. 'Cris .. .' 'Yes.'

  'I-I don't know .. .'

  He put up a finger to close her lips, then replaced the finger with his mouth, kissing her lingeringly. 'Just say that you'll come out with me tomorrow. Just the two of us.'

  'All right,' she agreed huskily, her voice somehow outside her control.

  'Darling.'

  He bent to kiss her again, but Tressy said, 'We'd better go back. Michel will be waiting. And I wouldn't put it past Nora to lock me out,' she added wryly.

  'Despot! Don't you realise this is the first time I've had you to myself in days?' But he turned and walked back towards the villa, holding her close against him so that she could feel the lean hardness of his body touching hers.

  It wasn't until they were almost back at the house that a thought occurred to her and she stopped. 'Oh! We can't make it tomorrow,' she exclaimed. 'I've just remembered; we arranged to go to that festival in Nice.'

  'Damn! I'd forgotten that. I suppose we'll have to go.' The disappointment was heavy in Cris's voice.

  'But we could make it the day after, couldn't we?' For the first time she put her hands on his shoulders and reached up to kiss him of her own accord. She felt a shudder of emotion run through him, and then his hands were on her hips, holding her close.

  'T
omorrow is going to be a hell of a long day,' he told her when he eventually let her go.

  Michel was waiting by the car, smoking a cigarette and by no means impatient at being kept waiting so long. Cris kissed her goodbye in front of him and then made sure that Nora hadn't locked her out before they drove away.

  Half afraid that her cousin might be waiting up to have a go at her, Tressy was relieved to see the place in darkness and crept up to her room, to fall asleep with the rosy promise of wonderful days ahead of her.

  To everyone's surprise, Nora seemed to be her old self again the next day, chatting away and laughing at the smallest thing~ but today all her attention was concentrated on Michel. She quite openly flirted with him, holding on to his arm and draping herself against him whenever she could. Michel took it well and seemed to be enjoying himself, and Tressy was so relieved that Nora wasn't sulking any more that she failed to notice the brittleness behind the other girl's laughter or the desperateness in her actions as she tried to make Cris jealous. She did notice, though, when Nora took off her dress to sunbathe on the boat that she was looking thin again, her bones starting to show, which was rather strange, because she'd always seemed to eat quite well when they were all out together.

  Tressy half hoped that, now Nora was concentrating on Michel, there would be a chance for her and Cris to be alone for a while, but Nora still tagged along wherever they went. To compensate, though, Cris was more open in his attentions to Tressy, seldom letting her leave his side and behaving with a possessiveness that a couple of weeks ago she would have objected to strongly but now rather enjoyed. His eyes, too, carried messages that sent an excited tingle down her spine. Tomorrow; tomorrow they would be alone. Although how Cris expected to get away from Nora she couldn't imagine.

  But she needn't have worried; Cris managed it very adroitly when he took them back to the villa that night, by saying authoritatively, 'I think it's about time we split up. I'm taking Tressy out with me tomorrow.'

  As if on cue, which it probably was, Michel turned to Nora and said, 'Bon. Perhaps you would come for a trip on my yacht, ma chere?'

  But Nora had stiffened and was looking at Cris. 'I thought we were supposed to be a foursome?' 'Foursomes don't last indefinitely,' Cris answered gently, and put his arm round Tressy as if to emphasize his point.

  'She's supposed to be my companion,' Nora pointed out waspishly. 'That's what she's paid for.'

  Cris's jaw tightened, but he said patiently, 'In that case she's about due for a day off. And you know that you'll be quite okay with Michel.'

  'I don't .. .' Nora pulled herself up before she was openly rude. 'I don't know if I can make it tomorrow,' she amended, her voice unsteady.

  'But it will make me very happy if you will let me be your escort tomorrow, ma cherie,' Michel told her, picking up her hand and kissing it.

  'Thank you. But-but I'm not sure. G-goodnight.' The two men said good night to her, then Cris turned to Tressy. 'Good night, darling.' And he kissed her lingeringly on the mouth, his eyes laughing at the look on her face when he let her go. Tressy turned rather dazedly to see Nora's reaction, but the other girl had already gone inside.

  Tressy waved the men off before going inside herself, eager for tomorrow to come and yet in some ways enjoying the anticipation and wanting to prolong it. She tried to tell herself not to expect too much from this friendship with Cris, after all she'd only known him for about a month and she'd quite definitely disliked him at first, but she had seen him nearly every day, and now ... How did she really feel about him? Tressy only knew that she had never felt like this before, and whether it was love or not, it felt pretty good. She knew that she liked being with him and to have him near, and when he kissed her she didn't want him to stop. He would, she thought, make a fantastic lover and, in the long run, an even better friend. She smiled to herself; somehow she didn't think it was friendship he was interested in.

  The same sense of excited anticipation was still there when Tressy woke the next morning, and she hurried to get ready. Cris had said that she could crew for him and they would take the boat westward down the coast to a group of islands, the Isles of Gold, he'd called them, a few miles out to sea. He hadn't had to tell her that there they would try to find a beach you could only reach by sea, a beach they would have all to themselves.

  The others were already at breakfast and Aunt Grace was now telling Nora to eat because she looked so peaky. Nora resisted, but her mother made her eat two of the rolls, Tressy fully expected to be taken to task this morning, but when nothing was said, realised that Nora couldn't have told 'her parents that she and Cris were going out together. Wounded pride, perhaps? As soon as she had finished eating, Nora excused herself and went indoors. Uncle Jack and Aunt Grace were all ready to go on a trip into Italy with the Youngs and they left at the same time, leaving Tressy to clear the breakfast things as it was the maid's day off and then run upstairs, eager to get ready for Cris, although she was much too early; he wasn't coming to pick her up until ten.

  The door to Nora's bedroom was ajar and as she passed it Tressy heard some strange choking noises. She hesitated, then knocked, but there was no answer and the strange noises came again. Tressy pushed open the door and looked inside. 'Nora?' The bedroom was empty, but the adjoining bathroom door stood open and the sounds came from there. 'Nora, are you all right?' Tressy looked into the bathroom and saw her cousin leaning over the sink with her fingers down her throat, making herself sick. 'What on earth? Are you ill?'

  Tressy went towards her, ready to help, but Nora straightened up, her face flaming. 'Go away! Get out of here!' she yelled.

  'But if you're .. .' Then Tressy stopped as realisaation dawned. 'You're doing it on purpose! But why?'

  'Why?' Nora laughed, her voice high and unnatural. 'He prefers thin girls, that's why.'

  'Oh, God! You're doing this for Cris.' Tressy stared at her, appalled.

  'Yes, of course I'm doing it for him. I'd do anything for him. Don't you understand? I'm in love with him.' 'But-but Nora, he doesn't-he's not .. .'

  'No, because you've stolen him from me!' Nora suddenly sprang across the room and took hold of Tressy's shoulders, shaking her violently. Her eyes were wild and there were traces of vomit round her mouth. 'You bitch! You stole him from me! But he'll see through you. He'll see what a tart you are and he'll come back to me. You'll see-you'll see!'-

  'Nora, don't. You'll make yourself ill.' Tressy tried to push her away, but Nora was a big girl and she seemed to have a mad strength, shaking Tressy till her teeth rattled.

  'We would have been engaged by now if you hadn't thrown yourself at him. Pretending to dislike him so that he'd take an interest in you. You filthy bitch!' 'Stop it! That isn't true.'

  'Oh, yes, it damn well is.' Nora suddenly gave her a violent push and Tressy went flying backwards out of the bathroom, ending up on the bedroom floor and glad that it was thickly carpeted. Quickly she got to her feet when she saw that Nora was coming after her. 'But you needn't think he'll marry you, because he won't!' she shouted. 'Men like him don't marry bastards!'

  Tressy stared at her, suddenly feeling sick herself.

  'What-what do you mean?'

  'Oh, don't look so damn innocent. You know darn well that your mother tricked your father into marrying her-if he was your father,' Nora sneered insultingly. 'No wonder he walked out on her-it must have been hell trying to live with a whore. And you needn't think you can trap Cris the same way, because I'll tell him. And when he sees that you're just like your mother, he'll never want to see you again!'

  Tressy's legs felt too weak to hold her and she groped for the edge of the bed and slumped down on it. She didn't doubt what Nora had said even for a moment; she could never have made up something like that, not in the temper she was in. To know that she was the cause of her mother's unhappy marriage was a great shock; she felt as if someone had punched her in the ribs and driven all the breath out of her, and she could only sit and stare dumbly at her cousin's ma
ddened face. But unsavory as it was, this was ancient history and she was certain that Cris would look upon it as such. And most of the insults Nora had hurled at her were untrue anyway; she didn't even know if she wanted to marry Cris, let alone trap him into it. So she stood up again and said forcefully, 'For heaven's sake calm down, Nora. You're making yourself ill. Look, I'm sorry if you're upset, but I didn't set out to catch Cris, you know that. It just happened. Not that anything really has happened, not yet.'

  'And it won't,' Nora said viciously. 'Because you're not going to go out with him again.'

  'Like hell,' Tressy retorted. 'I shall do as I like.