Page 11 of Fire Must Burn

‘Mind the step,’ he cautioned her.

‘Thanks,’ she said.

He closed the door behind her and locked it. The blinds in the store windows had been drawn so it was almost completely dark.

‘Keep your voice down,’ he whispered, peeking around the side of one blind. ‘The owner and his family sleep upstairs.’

‘How is it that you have a key?’ she asked.

‘I work here a few hours a week,’ he said. ‘Luckily for you. That wasn’t the best escape route.’

‘I suppose not,’ she said. ‘How long do you think we should wait it out?’

‘I’d give it half an hour,’ he said. ‘Until the bulldogs have caught enough to sate their appetites. You’re Iris Sparks, aren’t you?’

‘I am,’ she said in surprise. ‘And you have me at a disadvantage. I’m afraid I didn’t get a good look at you.’

‘Picture me sitting cox in a boat, my expression one of abject humiliation,’ he said.

‘Ah!’ she exclaimed. ‘From the Pembroke crew. You’re Anthony Danforth.’

‘Tony, please,’ he said. ‘Any woman who has beaten me so soundly has earned the right to call me by my familiar name. And I’m flattered that you know it.’

‘I may have made a few enquiries after last week,’ she confessed, smiling in the dark.

‘As did I. I read your article in theThersiteson controlling population growth. I thought it was very well-reasoned.’

‘You read the Newnham magazine? Not many men around here would admit to that.’

‘I read all the college publications,’ he said. ‘I like to know who all the interesting people are.’

‘And I interest you,’ she said.

‘You do.’

‘Well, in that case …’ she said.

She pressed up against him in the dark and kissed him.

‘That was unexpected,’ he said when they came up for air. ‘Was it the narrow escape or the smell of old dusty tomes that brought that about?’

‘I cannot deny the erotic stimulus of rare books,’ she murmured. ‘But this is more of a social experiment of mine.’

‘Explain, please.’

‘My theory is that romance as it is currently practiced is an unnecessary and inefficient investment of time, money and emotion. All of those rigid courtship rituals observed to the letter, leading up to that supreme moment – the first kiss. But what if it’s a complete bust? I have only three years here, so why waste time on the duds? A kiss is something worth having independent of all that other folderol. My reactions to it are more physiological than anything else, but I trust those more than I trust either my emotions or my ability to assess a man, especially when he’s still wet behind the ears. So if I find someone attractive, I say let’s go for the goal straight away, uncluttered by doubts or expectations, and then see if he’s worth the follow-up.’

‘I see,’ he said, bemused. ‘May I ask, and this is purely for the sake of my fragile male ego, how was I?’

‘Not bad at all. Of course, I only have the one data point.’

‘Insufficient for analysis,’ he said, gathering her in his arms. ‘And if we remove the element of surprise from my side of the equation …’

They kissed again, this time with more active participation on his part.

‘Now, that was first-rate,’ she said when they finally parted.

‘Good to know,’ he said.