Girl's Guide to Kissing Frogs
Page 60
‘Well, it is a pity,’ he kissed me gently, ‘but it cannot be helped.’
‘Couldn’t you let someone else do the review of Scheherazade? I feel I shall die if you go away now!’
‘I consider myself obliged. We must agree to kiss and part … but not for long. Two days only. Perhaps we can do more than kiss. There remain –’ he looked at his watch again – ‘six and three-quarter hours. Shall we make love?’
‘Here? What about Fritz and Orlando?’
‘They are spending the night at Shottestone.’
‘But why?’
He kissed me quite roughly. ‘I hoped they would be de trop.’
‘Well, it’s a change for the boot to be on the other … oh, all right, sorry, but sometimes clichés hit the nail on the … say things so exactly. But how did you get here?’
‘I drove, of course.’
‘I didn’t know you could.’
‘I can, perfectly well, but Fritz enjoys it so much.’
‘Is there anything you can’t do?’
‘Let us see.’ He kissed me again, much less gently, and I got a sick excited feeling like coming down a helter-skelter but a million times stronger.
‘No,’ I stopped him as he tried to undo the row of tiny silk-covered buttons. ‘There’s a zip at the back. But Conrad, I don’t want to be a disappointment. I’ve had lovers, you know that, but I always had to think about something else, remembering steps or making a shopping list, to get through it without feeling sick.’
‘I promise you will not feel unwell.’
‘Yes, but—’
‘Stop talking. Think only that I love you.’
‘I can’t believe you really do. Not as much as I—’
‘Of course I do. Much more.’
‘I love you so much, I—’
‘Shh!’
I did shush and soon we lay naked on the divan, his golden body joined with my white one, with the wind blowing the curtains to the horizontal and all the sounds of the night, owls hooting and foxes barking and trees rustling like some sort of heavenly music and I tried to express my abiding love … and … quite quickly I stopped trying because it all happened without any effort at all on my part. Afterwards, as we lay breathless in each other’s arms, my heart swelled with gratitude. Conrad was truly a magician. Only wizardry could be responsible for the extraordinary pleasure he had given me. I opened my eyes. Conrad was leaning on his elbow looking down at me.
‘Well?’
‘Golly! I could cry with happiness. Except I know you wouldn’t like it if I did.’
‘It would be one occasion when no man could possibly object. I enjoyed you very, very much. More even than I anticipated. Despite that rabbit who persistently tries to jump on me.’
‘Oh, Siggy!’ I turned my head as he came running out from beneath the table in response to his name. ‘I’m afraid jealousy is his worst trait – what’s he got in his mouth?’
Conrad stretched down his arm and pulled it from between Siggy’s teeth. ‘Gracious heaven!’ He sounded astonished. ‘Look! It is your passport!’
‘Conrad! I don’t believe it! It can’t be! I know I left it in Leaping Dog Lane … how on earth did it get here …’ He started to laugh. ‘Conrad! You devil!’
I tried to hit him with it but he held my arm and continued to laugh.
‘All the time you pretended … you beast! You thought I was a foregone conclusion!’
He kissed the inside of my elbow and my rage evaporated at once.
‘I did not. But one must be expeditious in love as in other things. I was prepared to return the passport, if necessary, without your knowing. A foregone conclusion? No! Let us say I tried to see the future in couleur de rose. “Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” That’s Goethe. Now I want to make love to you again. This time it will be even better. Last time I was a little nervous.’
‘Really? It didn’t show.’
He looked pleased. ‘Well, of course these things are relative. But I must insist, this time you do not call me Golly.’
A GIRL’S GUIDE TO KISSING FROGS
Victoria Clayton is married and lives in Northamptonshire. She is the author of many previous novels, including Clouds Among the Stars and Moonshine for HarperCollins.
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By the same author
Dance With Me
Out of Love
Past Mischief
Running Wild
Clouds Among the Stars
Moonshine
Copyright
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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