comin’ thro the rye.
She sang the song through to the end while Ollie stood in silence, unmoving. When the last notes haddied away she stood up and put out her hand to close the lid of the piano. At the same moment he stepped towards her, his hand reaching out and closing around her wrist. She didn’t move for a second, then, turning, she looked into his face and saw that his eyes were tight shut. Still with his eyes closed he murmured her name, the diminutive that he had been accustomed to use in the past.
‘Sare …’
She remained where she was, held in the position of slightly bending. And then he opened his eyes and placed his other hand on her wrist, as if to prevent her escape. He didn’t meet her glance. Giving a little shake of his head, he said:
‘Sare … Don’t – don’t keep away from me – please.’
‘Oh, Ollie …’ She breathed the words, feeling her heart lurch.
‘I can’t bear it – for us to be like this.’
It was what she had wanted to hear. ‘No, Ollie, no. I don’t want it either.’
He looked into her eyes. ‘I know what I was like sometimes in the past, but –’
She broke in quickly: ‘Don’t talk about it. They’re gone, those times.’ She thought of the hard words she had said to him that night after she’d told him she was expecting the baby. ‘Let’s forget it, can’t we?’ she said.
‘Yes.
Yes
.’ He drew her hand to his mouth and kissed it, then gently drew her to him and held her close. She was so aware of the feel of his arms about her. It had been so long since they had touched like this. He kissed her mouth, gently at first, but then more insistently, and she returned the kiss with gladness and relief. After a few moments he held her back from him a little and gazed at her. He gave a little nod, as if of confirmation.
‘Ah, Sare,’ he said, ‘you’re a grand, beautiful woman.’
He drew her to him again and his large hand came up, touched her breast and closed over it. He stroked and kneaded her soft flesh for a while, then his hands came higher and he began to undo the buttons of her bodice. She helped him, aware of the sound of his breathing and of her own. When she was naked before him he knelt and clasped her around the waist, his face pressed to her warm body. She felt one hand release her and then come moving between her thighs, higher, higher, to where she waited for his touch. She gasped, tipping back her head and closing her eyes.
‘Ollie …’
After a while he pulled away, and urged her onto her back. Moments later she felt the hard shape of him entering her eager body. She gave herself up to him, wrapping her arms around him, holding him prisoner as he moved inside her, filling her burning warmth with his own.
When it was over they lay together on the rug, at peace. Ollie’s arm lay across her while in her ear the sound of his breathing grew quiet again. After a time she turned her head, gazed on his closed eyes, and gently kissed him on the mouth.
As she entered the lane at the foot of the hill she saw Esther Hewitt moving away from the pump with a pail of water. Esther, turning, seeing her, came to a stop at the Farrars’ gate and waited.
‘So,’ she said as Sarah reached her side, ‘our Blanche is comin’ home, is she?’ In her voice was a faint note of resignation which Sarah didn’t miss. While Sarah had been away from the cottage Esther had been so glad of the little extra money she had been able to earn by helping out in the Farrar household. Blanche’s return to the cottage spelled the end of that extra income.
‘Yes, coming home,’ Sarah answered, and Esther nodded. ‘Well, it’ll be nice for you to be all together again.’
They stayed chatting for another minute or two and then Esther took up her pail while Sarah opened the gate and went around to the back of the cottage. There Arthur and Agnes left her to go and join Mary who was playing in the garden and she called after them not to dirty their
She sang the song through to the end while Ollie stood in silence, unmoving. When the last notes haddied away she stood up and put out her hand to close the lid of the piano. At the same moment he stepped towards her, his hand reaching out and closing around her wrist. She didn’t move for a second, then, turning, she looked into his face and saw that his eyes were tight shut. Still with his eyes closed he murmured her name, the diminutive that he had been accustomed to use in the past.
‘Sare …’
She remained where she was, held in the position of slightly bending. And then he opened his eyes and placed his other hand on her wrist, as if to prevent her escape. He didn’t meet her glance. Giving a little shake of his head, he said:
‘Sare … Don’t – don’t keep away from me – please.’
‘Oh, Ollie …’ She breathed the words, feeling her heart lurch.
‘I can’t bear it – for us to be like this.’
It was what she had wanted to hear. ‘No, Ollie, no. I don’t want it either.’
He looked into her eyes. ‘I know what I was like sometimes in the past, but –’
She broke in quickly: ‘Don’t talk about it. They’re gone, those times.’ She thought of the hard words she had said to him that night after she’d told him she was expecting the baby. ‘Let’s forget it, can’t we?’ she said.
‘Yes.
Yes
.’ He drew her hand to his mouth and kissed it, then gently drew her to him and held her close. She was so aware of the feel of his arms about her. It had been so long since they had touched like this. He kissed her mouth, gently at first, but then more insistently, and she returned the kiss with gladness and relief. After a few moments he held her back from him a little and gazed at her. He gave a little nod, as if of confirmation.
‘Ah, Sare,’ he said, ‘you’re a grand, beautiful woman.’
He drew her to him again and his large hand came up, touched her breast and closed over it. He stroked and kneaded her soft flesh for a while, then his hands came higher and he began to undo the buttons of her bodice. She helped him, aware of the sound of his breathing and of her own. When she was naked before him he knelt and clasped her around the waist, his face pressed to her warm body. She felt one hand release her and then come moving between her thighs, higher, higher, to where she waited for his touch. She gasped, tipping back her head and closing her eyes.
‘Ollie …’
After a while he pulled away, and urged her onto her back. Moments later she felt the hard shape of him entering her eager body. She gave herself up to him, wrapping her arms around him, holding him prisoner as he moved inside her, filling her burning warmth with his own.
When it was over they lay together on the rug, at peace. Ollie’s arm lay across her while in her ear the sound of his breathing grew quiet again. After a time she turned her head, gazed on his closed eyes, and gently kissed him on the mouth.
As she entered the lane at the foot of the hill she saw Esther Hewitt moving away from the pump with a pail of water. Esther, turning, seeing her, came to a stop at the Farrars’ gate and waited.
‘So,’ she said as Sarah reached her side, ‘our Blanche is comin’ home, is she?’ In her voice was a faint note of resignation which Sarah didn’t miss. While Sarah had been away from the cottage Esther had been so glad of the little extra money she had been able to earn by helping out in the Farrar household. Blanche’s return to the cottage spelled the end of that extra income.
‘Yes, coming home,’ Sarah answered, and Esther nodded. ‘Well, it’ll be nice for you to be all together again.’
They stayed chatting for another minute or two and then Esther took up her pail while Sarah opened the gate and went around to the back of the cottage. There Arthur and Agnes left her to go and join Mary who was playing in the garden and she called after them not to dirty their
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