Island in the Sea by Anita Hughes

tall spirals and leafy gardens.
    Penelope had offered him room and board in exchange for tutoring the twins in writing. Lionel loved the main house with its vast kitchen and sunny conservatory and indoor swimming pool. He loved the pantry stocked with jars of orange marmalade and lemon curd. Mostly he loved having access to the Grahams’ library. He could spend hours flopped on an ottoman reading Oscar Wilde and Rupert Brooke.
    *   *   *
    Lionel entered the library and approached the walnut bookshelf. He selected Of Human Bondage and A Sentimental Education . He added Madame Bovary and clutched them to his chest.
    Ever since he met Samantha he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He wrote a note thanking her for dinner and hoping to see her again. He dropped it in the mailbox of the Georgian manor and waited for someone to walk outside. He saw a maid in a black uniform collect the mail and hurried away.
    He tried to write lyrics but the words came in the wrong order. He jogged around Eaton Square and swam laps in the indoor pool. Mostly he sat in the library and read books about unrequited love.
    *   *   *
    He carried the books into the hallway and heard voices in the study. He peered through the door and saw silver candelabras and a gold silk sofa and thick white carpet. A Degas stood over the fireplace and a Waterford vase was filled with yellow orchids.
    â€œLionel,” Penelope called. She wore a navy Dior suit and tan pumps. “Have you met Georgina? Samantha is her children’s nanny.”
    â€œIt’s a pleasure to meet you,” Lionel said, as he held out his hand.
    â€œYou took Samantha out to dinner!” Georgina exclaimed. She had strawberry blond hair and hazel eyes. “It’s a pity you have a girlfriend in Cambridge.”
    â€œA girlfriend in Cambridge?” Lionel repeated.
    â€œSamantha said you had a lovely time, but you have a girlfriend.” Georgina fiddled with a porcelain teacup. “She said it was very nice of you to take her out and she’s sure you’ll remain friends.”
    â€œDo you have her phone number?” Lionel asked. “She gave it to me but I misplaced it.”
    â€œShe has a private line in her room.” Georgina scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Lionel.
    He slipped it in his pocket and smiled. “I promised to lend her some books, she loves to read and doesn’t have a library card.”
    *   *   *
    Lionel ran up the steps above the garage and entered his room. He flung the books on the bed and picked up the phone.
    â€œWhy did you tell Georgina I had a girlfriend in Cambridge?” he demanded.
    The phone was silent but finally Samantha’s voice came down the line. “I didn’t want her to ask if we were going out again. She means well but she’s too concerned about my happiness.”
    â€œHow could you lie?” Lionel asked. “I thought nice Irish girls always told the truth.”
    â€œI’m sure with your dark curls and public school education you left a string of girls behind,” Samantha replied. “I have to go, I’m taking Abigail to her piano lesson.”
    â€œYou won’t go out with me because my parents have a tennis court?”
    â€œI don’t have time to date, I have a full-time job and I’m studying for my entrance exams,” Samantha explained. “And I really don’t think we have anything in common.”
    Lionel clutched the phone and felt his heart race. He pictured Samantha’s smooth blond hair and blue eyes and knew he couldn’t let her hang up.
    â€œYou have to give me a chance. We’ll have dinner in Mayfair and go dancing at Raffles. We’ll visit the National History Museum or see Swan Lake at Covent Garden,” Lionel insisted. “I’ll rent a car and we’ll drive into the country. We’ll have lunch at a pub and row a boat on the