Page 66 of The Sun Sister

‘Then you have a logical rather than an aesthetic brain. So let’s test it out: right now, how quickly can you work out, uh...let’s see, nine hundred and seven minus two hundred and fourteen.’

‘Seven hundred and eighty-three,’ Cecily said after a few seconds.

‘One hundred and seventy-two divided by six?’

‘Twenty-eight point six recurring.’

‘Five hundred and sixty multiplied by thirty-nine.’

‘Twenty-one thousand, eight hundred and forty.’ Cecily giggled. ‘That was positively easy, quiz me on some algebra or logarithms.’

‘As I hardly know the meaning of either word, I don’t think I’ll bother. You’re a seriously clever girl, aren’t you? Do you ever feel miffed that you had a college education and yet, because you’re a woman, apart from whizzing through household ledgers in the blink of an eye, you can’t use your gifts to earn a living?’

‘If I’m honest, of course I do. But Papa simply won’t allow a daughter of his to work. I guess it’s just the way things are.’

‘Well now, isn’t that ironic? All I want to do is to be left alone to think of the perfect words to put into a poem and dream my days away, rather than learning the ropes of running the estate – and ploughing through the ledgers, of course,’ he grinned at her. ‘And here’s you, who could do all that with alacrity, yet you’re denied the chance because you’re female.’

‘Life is never fair, and I guess we just have to accept it. I mean, we’re both very privileged, Julius. You will one day inherit all this land and the house, and I will get to live a comfortable life as a wife and mother. Neither of us are living in poverty, are we?’

‘We’re certainly not, no, but the question is, Miss Huntley-Morgan,’ he said as he eyed her, ‘does money bring one happiness? I mean, are you happy? Am I?’

At this moment, I’m as happy as I’ve ever felt, thought Cecily.

‘I’m good right now actually,’ she said out loud.

‘But what brings true happiness, do you think?’

‘Well...love, I guess,’ Cecily said, thinking that even if a blush was spreading across her cheeks, her face was probably already pink from the whisky.

‘Absolutely right!’ Julius thumped the arm of his chair. ‘So, youdohave a poetic soul somewhere underneath all that logic.’

‘Everyone knows love is what makes you happy.’

‘But it also has the capacity to bring the most acute pain, wouldn’t you agree?’

‘I would, yes.’ It was Cecily’s turn to drain the tooth mug. Her head was spinning from lack of food and the liquor, but she didn’t care. This was the most deliciously truthful conversation she’d ever had with a man.

‘You really are the most awfully interesting female, but given my aunt is due back any second from one of her endless meetings, I must leave you.’ Julius stood up, as did Cecily. ‘Shall we go riding again tomorrow?’ he asked as he stepped towards her. ‘That is, if you’re better, of course.’ Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. Before she had time to protest, his mouth was on hers and she was kissing him back more passionately than she’d ever kissed Jack. Even when one of his hands slid down her front to caress her breast and the other pulled her so close that she was aware of his excitement, she didn’t stop him.

‘My God, you’re gorgeous,’ he breathed into her ear.

Only when one of the hands started searching for a way inside her blouse did she – with effort – pull away.

‘Julius, we shouldn’t...’

‘I know, weshouldn’t,’ he said, his erstwhile wandering hand moving to her cheek and caressing it gently. ‘My apologies, Cecily. You are just...irresistible. And before I am tempted further, I will take my leave. Goodnight.’ He kissed her once more on the lips, before sweeping out of the room with his barely touched supper tray.

Cecily definitelyhadfelt well enough to go riding with Julius the morning after ‘The Kiss’; in fact, she’d thought, as she had lain on a smelly horse blanket in his arms two days later, she had never felt healthier in her life. Once they’d seen the sunrise on the Downs, he had recommended that they tethered their horses so he could show her the folly – a strange square building standing in the middle of nowhere, far away from the prying eyes of the house. Inside, it had smelt dark and damp, but the minute the door was closed behind them, she had fallen into his arms. All sense had left her as she let him pass second base. And then the following day, third base...

‘What am I doing?’ she moaned as she looked out of her bedroom window after a near miss of the dreaded ‘fourth base’ earlier that morning. ‘I have two days left before I go to Kenya. I don’t want to go to Kenya,’ she whispered as tears came to her eyes. ‘I want to stay here with Julius...’

Cecily walked disconsolately back towards her bed and lay down on it, closing her eyes. She was exhausted from a run of sleepless nights, her heart palpitating every time she thought of being in his arms. Yet she was also euphoric, with more energy than she’d ever had – at least when it came to being with him.

‘I never felt this way about Jack, never,’ she told the top of the four-poster bed, remembering the fumblings that she’d endured rather than enjoyed when Jack had kissed her goodnight. ‘Goodness, what am I to do?’

They hadn’t really talked about the future. In fact, they hadn’t talked about anything much because Julius’s lips had been mostly sealed on hers when they were alone together. But he’d told her over and over how she was the most beautiful girl in the world, that he’d never met anyone quite like her, andeventhat he thought he may be in love with her...

‘Well, I sure lovehim,’ she said, more tears springing to her eyes at the thought of leaving. Still, there were two days left, two days in which he could still ask her to stay...