ask you to dine with me again,” the Marquis said. “I turn off before I reach there.”
He thought there was a shadow of disappointment in her eyes but was not sure.
“You must take good care of yourself when I am not there to protect you,” he went on, “although of course by rights, having rescued you twice, I should do so a third time.”
“I hope not!” Torilla said quickly, then looked confused and added hastily, “I don’t – mean that. I just mean that – accidents and – other adventures are disturbing and very – frightening.”
“Of course they are,” the Marquis agreed, “and that is why, as you well know, you should not be travelling alone.”
“It could not be helped,” she answered. “There was no one who could come with me.”
“No one?” the Marquis questioned.
She shook her head, then, as if she was afraid he would question her further, she said,
“I think, sir, as I have to rise very early tomorrow morning and it is getting late, I should retire to bed.”
She rose to her feet and the Marquis also rose.
He seemed to tower above her and she looked up at him thinking he was not only the most impressive but also quite the most handsome man she had ever seen in her whole life.
Because she felt suddenly a little shy she added quickly,
“As I will not see you again, sir, I want to thank you with all my – heart for your – kindness to me. If you had not – been there last night – ”
She looked away from him with a little shudder and the Marquis replied,
“But I was there, and perhaps, Torilla, one day we will meet again.”
He held out his hand as he spoke, she laid her fingers on it and his tightened over them.
It gave her a strange feeling and again because she felt shy she stammered,
“Thank you – thank you – I only wish I could express myself more – eloquently.”
“If you wish to express your gratitude,” the Marquis said, “there is a very easy way to do so.”
She looked up at him questioningly, not understanding what he meant.
He took his hand from hers and put his fingers under her chin.
It was impossible to move, impossible to think of what might happen, before his arms were round her and his lips came down on hers.
For a moment Torilla was too astonished even to breathe.
Then, as his lips held her captive, she thought she should struggle, that she must run away, but the touch of his mouth seemed to hypnotise her into immobility.
The warm insistence of it made her feel as if something live moved within her, rising through her body and her breasts up into her throat.
It was a sensation so wonderful, so unlike anything she had ever known or dreamt of, that she ceased to think.
It grew in intensity until she felt as if she was no longer herself but a part of him and everything that she had ever known or longed for seemed to be concentrated in the feeling he aroused in her.
He held her closer still, his arms imprisoning her and yet she made no movement to escape.
Suddenly the wonder of his kiss became a rapture that was so intense, so ecstatic, that it seemed to pierce her with a dagger-like pain, yet it was a perfection and a glory that came from Heaven itself.
How long she was close against him, how long the kiss lasted Torilla had no idea.
She only knew that she was transported out of herself and into a place that had nothing to do with the world in which she lived and breathed.
It was as if her feet were no longer on the ground and she was flying through space, not a human being but a mythical spirit or nymph filled with magic –
The Marquis raised his head and his eyes looked into hers.
She was trembling as she came back to earth with a thump and remembered who she was and why she was there.
Her face was radiant as she stared up at him, her lips parted, her breath coming quickly between them.
Then with a little inarticulate murmur, hardly knowing what she was doing, she turned and moved across the room.
She passed through the
He thought there was a shadow of disappointment in her eyes but was not sure.
“You must take good care of yourself when I am not there to protect you,” he went on, “although of course by rights, having rescued you twice, I should do so a third time.”
“I hope not!” Torilla said quickly, then looked confused and added hastily, “I don’t – mean that. I just mean that – accidents and – other adventures are disturbing and very – frightening.”
“Of course they are,” the Marquis agreed, “and that is why, as you well know, you should not be travelling alone.”
“It could not be helped,” she answered. “There was no one who could come with me.”
“No one?” the Marquis questioned.
She shook her head, then, as if she was afraid he would question her further, she said,
“I think, sir, as I have to rise very early tomorrow morning and it is getting late, I should retire to bed.”
She rose to her feet and the Marquis also rose.
He seemed to tower above her and she looked up at him thinking he was not only the most impressive but also quite the most handsome man she had ever seen in her whole life.
Because she felt suddenly a little shy she added quickly,
“As I will not see you again, sir, I want to thank you with all my – heart for your – kindness to me. If you had not – been there last night – ”
She looked away from him with a little shudder and the Marquis replied,
“But I was there, and perhaps, Torilla, one day we will meet again.”
He held out his hand as he spoke, she laid her fingers on it and his tightened over them.
It gave her a strange feeling and again because she felt shy she stammered,
“Thank you – thank you – I only wish I could express myself more – eloquently.”
“If you wish to express your gratitude,” the Marquis said, “there is a very easy way to do so.”
She looked up at him questioningly, not understanding what he meant.
He took his hand from hers and put his fingers under her chin.
It was impossible to move, impossible to think of what might happen, before his arms were round her and his lips came down on hers.
For a moment Torilla was too astonished even to breathe.
Then, as his lips held her captive, she thought she should struggle, that she must run away, but the touch of his mouth seemed to hypnotise her into immobility.
The warm insistence of it made her feel as if something live moved within her, rising through her body and her breasts up into her throat.
It was a sensation so wonderful, so unlike anything she had ever known or dreamt of, that she ceased to think.
It grew in intensity until she felt as if she was no longer herself but a part of him and everything that she had ever known or longed for seemed to be concentrated in the feeling he aroused in her.
He held her closer still, his arms imprisoning her and yet she made no movement to escape.
Suddenly the wonder of his kiss became a rapture that was so intense, so ecstatic, that it seemed to pierce her with a dagger-like pain, yet it was a perfection and a glory that came from Heaven itself.
How long she was close against him, how long the kiss lasted Torilla had no idea.
She only knew that she was transported out of herself and into a place that had nothing to do with the world in which she lived and breathed.
It was as if her feet were no longer on the ground and she was flying through space, not a human being but a mythical spirit or nymph filled with magic –
The Marquis raised his head and his eyes looked into hers.
She was trembling as she came back to earth with a thump and remembered who she was and why she was there.
Her face was radiant as she stared up at him, her lips parted, her breath coming quickly between them.
Then with a little inarticulate murmur, hardly knowing what she was doing, she turned and moved across the room.
She passed through the
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