They climbed to the top of the cliffs in silence, where they looked out over the sea, calm and powerful as it sparkled under the stars. As they suddenly became conscious of the majesty of the scene before them, their madcap evening seemed to dwindle into insignificance. Paula was the first to react.
‘What an evening!’ she observed, as they descended the path down to the cove in a leisurely manner.
‘You haven’t been altogether reasonable, madam,’ declared Patrick, in mock seriousness.
‘And whose fault is that?’ whispered the young woman. ‘Frankly, Patrick, if I didn’t know better, I might believe your intentions weren’t entirely honourable.’
‘I forced you to drink? It was you who profited from my sadness — yes, I admit I’m sorry to see you go — to top up my glass whenever my back was turned.’
Paula didn’t reply right away. Once they were on the beach, she took off her shoes and said, with a smile:
‘So, you’re sad to see me go?’
Patrick smiled back:
‘A little, yes.’
‘Well, you certainly hid it well. You were paying the fool the entire evening — a pretty strange way to express sadness.’
‘And you, who were the star attraction of the evening with your endless stream of jokes, are obviously filled with joy at the prospect of leaving.’
Paula placed her hands on her hips in a gesture of defiance:
‘And whose fault was that, may I ask?’
Patrick looked thoughtful.
‘Come to think of it, if Francis had seen the way you were carrying on, I very much doubt he would have approved.’
‘What he would approve of even less is to see you and me together on this beach at this hour of the night.’
‘Good point.’
They both burst out laughing as they ran towards the sea. Waves lapped their feet as Paula looked up to the sky.
‘The moon is fascinating. I can feel its influence on me. It’s as if a magical force is taking me away. Magical, yes, and even evil.’
‘There she goes again,’ chuckled Patrick.
‘Oh, Moon, Queen of the Night, put a curse on this unfortunate mortal grovelling at my feet and hopelessly in love….’
‘Just talk, my sweet,’ exclaimed Patrick, ‘and as for taste—.’
‘Let’s go for a swim.’
Patrick was stunned.
‘A swim?’
‘Yes. It’s almost midnight, and it seems to be the done thing.’
‘If I remember correctly,’ replied Patrick, feigning detachment, ‘that sort of activity is performed… without clothes.’
‘Precisely,’ said Paula. She suddenly ran her hand through his hair, laughing. ‘If you could see yourself. You look like a hedgehog. In any case, rest assured I shan’t allow you to feast your eyes on my divine form,’ she added, closing her eyes and shaking her head. ‘It’s much too dangerous.’
‘Your wish is my command, my beautiful friend. So, how to proceed?’
‘You turn round and count to a hundred. Then you call to me and I wait for you with my back turned.’
Patrick let out a deep sigh.
‘My sweet, I’ve always know you had a perverse side, reserved exclusively for me. Since we’ve known each other, you’ve never stopped provoking me, directly or indirectly. But I shall submit to this last test just as stoically as the others.’
Paula raised a little finger.
‘My dear friend, I deduce from what you’ve just said that you’ve always, deep down, had a secret desire for me.’
‘Exactly, my divine beauty. And that’s why, in an ultimate act of perversion, I pushed you into the arms of another.’
The midnight swim was punctuated by numerous accusations and protestations, each suspecting the other of cheating with sly sidelong glances.
When they finally ended up side by side, their playful banter continued until Paula ended up pushing Patrick’s head under water.
When they finally got back to the beach, regaining their clothes proved just as delicate an operation as removing them. As they lay side by side on the sand again, Paula observed:
‘If my parents catch me coming back with my hair all wet and covered in sand, I’m going to be in trouble.’
‘Just tell them I drank a little too much and pushed you in the water.’ The tone of his voice suddenly changed. ‘You know, you’re not bad at all.’
‘Well, that’s quite a discovery. What exactly do you mean?’
‘I’m talking about… your anatomy.’
‘Wretch! I knew you weren’t playing the game.’
‘Not at all, I just said that to embarrass you. But I do admit I was sorely tempted to steal a glance.’
‘Your frankness honours you and should be rewarded.’
Patrick sighed. ‘What’s she up to now?’
‘Close your eyes and count to ten,’ replied Paula, in a tone far too polite to be sincere.
‘All right, but now I’m suspicious.’
When he opened his eyes again, Patrick’s first reaction was surprise in not having been a victim of one of his companion’s pranks. His second surprise was to see her sitting on the sand in exactly the same position as before.
‘About this rewar—.’
He didn’t finish the sentence. His gaze fell first on the pretty pink blouse which lay on the sand next to some lingerie. He looked up slowly to see the most ravishing of sirens. The illusion was perfect. Paula’s legs, slightly bent, were moulded by the soft tissue of her skirt. And the ringlets of her hair, draped over her graceful shoulders, barely concealed the delicious curves beneath.
‘P-Paula,’ he stammered in wondrous bewilderment.
Several seconds of flustered silence followed, after which the young woman picked up her clothes and put them back on.
‘That will be my last act of madness tonight,’ she smiled.
‘I’m speechless… What a souvenir to remember!’
‘And to think I had to reveal part of my charms for you to finally appreciate my beauty!’
‘I plead guilty. Guilty of being totally blind… until the very last day.’
Paula gave a tinkling laugh.
‘My dear Patrick, to hear you one would almost think you’ll be sorry to see me go.’
He approached her and gave her a strange look.
‘How long have we known each other, Paula?’
‘Almost eight years.’
‘And during all those eight years — I can tell you this now — I never thought about kissing you… except once.’
‘Well, that’s news to me. And when was that?’
‘When we went for that walk in St. Ives, two years ago. We got caught in a shower and took shelter under porch. We stood there a long time without speaking, do you remember?’
‘Yes, and I can tell you now what a twirp you were for not taking advantage. Why the reticence?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe because we’d always been friends.’
It was Paula’s turn to fall silent. They were very close to each other now and Patrick looked into the young woman’s beautiful blue eyes as if he were seeing them for the first time. The little gleam of mischief was still there, but now there was something new which he didn’t recognise.
It must be said in his defence that he was so disoriented by her expression that he couldn’t think what to do next. Afterwards, he realised there was nothing new in her expression that sweet September night, but that he had finally recognised something that had been engraved deep in his being since she had first asked him which day Queen Victoria had been born.
The young man’s lips slowly approached those of his companion.
Paula offered no resistance.