‘I don’t know… nothing in particular. I might play golf.’
‘I was wondering if we could meet. I’ve been invited out by a girl-friend. I can easily put her off and we could go for a long drive in the country.’
We were in the shadow of the palm trees now. I picked up one of the towels and tossed it to her. Then taking the other I began to dry my hair.
‘We might be seen,’ I said, and sat down on the sand.
She stood over me, drying her arms, her back to the moon.
‘We could be careful. I could come to your place on my bicycle and we could keep off the main roads.’
I found myself screwing the towel between my clenched fists.
‘I don’t think it would be wise for us to meet during the day, Lucille. Anyone could see us.’
She dropped the towel and came to sit beside me. She wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled her knees up to her chin.
‘It’s a bore, isn’t it?’
‘It’s certainly that.’
‘It would have been fun to have gone out all day in the car. We could have taken a picnic. Don’t you think we could risk it?’
‘Do you want to risk it?’ I asked, my voice suddenly harsh.
‘I don’t see who would see us. I could wear a big shady hat and sun-glasses. I could put my hair up. I bet no one would recognize me.’
‘Would you mind, Lucille, if your husband found out?’
She dropped her chin on her knees.
‘Well, yes.’
‘What would he do, do you think?’
‘He’d be angry, of course, but don’t let’s talk about that. Look, suppose I come to your place? We could spend the day together. It’s lonely there, isn’t it? We could swim and have a picnic, and no one would see us.’
‘You’re not serious, are you?’
She thought for a long moment, then she jumped to her feet.
‘No, I don’t think I am,’ she said. ‘I’m feeling chilly. I’m going to get dressed.’
She picked up her dress and shoes and ran off towards the car.
I sat like a stone man, my hands still gripping the towel. I remained like that for perhaps ten minutes, then I heard her calling me.
‘Ches…’
I didn’t move and I didn’t look around.
‘Aren’t you coming, Ches?’
Still I didn’t look around.
Then I heard her running across the sand and in a few moments she paused at my side.
‘Didn’t you hear me call you?’ she asked, standing over me, her long, slim legs level with my eyes.
I looked up.
She had on her dress now, but it didn’t help me to know she had nothing on under the dress.
‘Sit down. I want to talk to you.’
She dropped on the sand within a few feet of me and curled her legs under her.
‘Yes, Ches?’
‘Would you really like to go for a drive tomorrow and have a picnic—the two of us?’
The moonlight was directly on her face. She showed her surprise.
‘I thought you said…’
‘Never mind what I said. Would you like to do it?’
‘Why, yes, of course I would.’
‘Okay. Tell your husband you want to spend the day with me and if he agrees, then we’ll go.’
She stiffened.
‘But I can’t do that. You know I can’t. He—he doesn’t know I know you.’
‘Then tell him we’ve got acquainted.’
‘I don’t understand.’ She leaned forward and stared at me. ‘You sound so angry. What is the matter, Ches?’
‘Tell him we’ve got acquainted,’ I repeated, not looking at her.
‘But I can’t do that. He wouldn’t like it.’
‘Why not?’
‘Ches, I wish you would stop this. You know as well as I do why he wouldn’t.’
‘I don’t know. You tell me.’
‘He’s jealous and silly about me. He wouldn’t understand.’
‘What wouldn’t he understand?’
‘Ches, you’re being horrid. What’s the matter?’
‘I asked you what wouldn’t he understand?’ I said, turning to meet her eyes. ‘You tell me. Just what wouldn’t he understand?’
‘He doesn’t like me going around with other men.’
‘Why? Doesn’t he trust you?’
She remained silent and stiff, her eyes searching my face.
‘Does he think you’ll be unfaithful if you go out with some other man?’ I demanded.
‘Ches! What is the matter? Why are you so angry? Why are you speaking to me like this?’
‘Would he think you’d be unfaithful to him if you went out with me?’
‘I don’t know. Ches, please, I don’t like this. If you are going on like this I’m going to leave you.’
‘Why don’t you like it?’ I said, suddenly furious. ‘What’s the matter with facing facts? You’re a married woman, aren’t you? You’re not a virgin. You must know what a man thinks when a girl as lovely as you brings him to a lonely spot like this where there’s no one about and at night. Or are you so dumb you don’t know?’
She flinched back, her expression changing to shocked anger.
I leaned forward to stare at her.
‘Are you in love with me, Lucille?’
She stiffened.
‘In love with you? Why, no. What are you saying, Ches?’
The black bile of disappointment made me a little crazy.
‘Then why bring me here? Why did you force yourself on me?’ I demanded, my voice rising. ‘What do you imagine I am? Do you think I’m made of stone?’
‘I’m going…’
She started to her feet. I reached out, grabbed her wrist and jerked her to me. She fell across my knees, her back arched, her face close to mine as I bent over her.
‘Ches! Let me go!’
‘I’m not made of stone,’ I said, the blood hammering in my temples. I tried to get my mouth down on hers, but she began to struggle and I found her surprisingly strong. For a long, horrible moment I tried to subdue her. Then she got one hand free and struck me violently across my face.
The blow brought me to my senses.
I let go of her. She rolled clear of me and scrambled to her feet.
I sat there on the hot sand staring at her, my breathing fast.
She turned and ran towards the car.
I remained still, staring towards the sea, then I heard the engine of the Cadillac start up.
I got quickly to my feet.
The Cadillac was moving.
‘Lucille! Don’t… Lucille!’
The car engine roared, then the car lurched into a wild, skidding circle and went away fast along the beach road.
‘Lucille!’
I started to run, then stopped.
I stood motionless, my fists clenched, and listened to the steady roar of the car engine until it had died away.
CHAPTER FOUR
I
IT took me about forty minutes to walk back to my bungalow.
As I walked, I brooded over the scene I had had with Lucille. I told myself I must have been out of my mind to have done what I had done. It would serve me right if she went straight to Aitken and told him. Probably at this very moment she was telling him. I was too sick with myself to care. Again and again I saw her look of startled surprise when I had asked her if she loved me, and again and again I heard her reply: the words kept hammering in my mind.
My bungalow stood in a little garden, fifty yards from thesea. The nearest house was a quarter of a mile farther along the road: a house owned by a wealthy broker, Jack Seaborne, who only came for a month in the summer.
As I walked up the path from the beach, I saw there was car parked before my front gate. I had only to take a few more steps up the path to see it was my Cadillac.
Then Lucille appeared from out of the shadows.