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how beautiful she was. He had seen her to her cabin and there stopped
just long enough to raise her hand to his lips before, with a smile and a
promise to be at the swimming pool at seven-thirty the following
morning, he had turned and left her, the feel of his lips still warm on
her hand.
Seven-thirty ... The sun was streaming into her cabin and, startled from
her pleasant reverie, Alaine reached for her wristlet watch, which lay
on the cabinet by the side of her bed. A quarter past seven. She jumped
out of bed, determined not to lose one precious moment. She smiled
into the mirror. Was this starry- eyed girl the tired assistant whose
working life was spent behind a shop counter, where her time was
occupied in pandering to customers' needs?
'I could have danced all night..Alaine hummed the tune as she whirled
round the small space between wardrobe and wash-basin. 'This is
living!'
Cimon was lying on the water; she stood looking down at him - at the
noble head and wide shoulders, at the lithe brown body with its mass
of black hair on chest and legs. He saw her and in his eyes a smile
dawned, then deepened as the silent moments passed, just as if he
knew all about the wild uncontrolled beating of her heart.
'Come on in,' he encouraged. 'The water's warm.'
Responding to his invitation, she slipped on her cap and dived in.
Cimon swam towards her, his lips touching hers the moment she
surfaced.
'Oh,' she said, flustered yet thrilled. 'Someone will see.'
'Let than! You're my girl, so I've every right to kiss you.'
You're my girl... Vibrant words, and meaningful. The fluttering of her
heart increased. He sounded so sincere, and yet she sternly took
command of herself and directed her thoughts into more practical
channels, remembering that in less than a week's time he and she
would have said goodbye, for ever. Yet as she turned her head and
noted his expression she could not miss the tenderness portrayed in his
smile. A small sigh escaped her; she wished she had more experience
of men, so that she could differentiate between sincerity and careless
flirtation. Aunt Sue was right when she asserted that Alaine should get
out more.
'You blush more enchantingly than any woman I know.' Whispered
words, spoken close to her ear as she and Cimon floated side by side
on the pool. From overhead the sun streamed down from a flawless
Aegean sky and the deck became a blaze of colour as its rays shone on
the brightly-covered chairs, the blue pool and the gay attire of the
people strolling about or standing by the rail, staring out towards the
island just appearing on the horizon.
'You know lots of women?' The forced lightness failed to achieve its
objective for a shrewd light flickered in Cimon's eyes.
'What man doesn't - these days?" No answer from Alaine as the
implication shot home. Was there an edge of contempt to his voice as
he added, 'And you, Estelle? Don't tell me you aren't acquainted with
lots of men, because I wouldn't believe you.'
She turned from him, hurt in a way that drove fear into her heart.
Should she tell him about her life? - that she knew no men simply
because the opportunity of meeting them never arose? Should she tell
him about Jinx? - reveal how Keith had made a fool of her? Wavering
on the brink of giving Cimon her confidence and confessing she had
lied in saying she was a model, she" twisted round, and was instantly
deterred by his taut features and the unfathomable expression in his
eyes. He would not be interested in details of her private life, so dull
and uneventful. To him she was just another girl - a pleasant
companion with whom to swim and dance and stroll on deck, passing
the time in trivial conversation - as they were doing now. Falling in
with his own mood, she answered flippantly, 'Of course I'm acquainted
with lots of men. What woman isn't?' Twisting like an eel in the water,
she would have swum away from him, but his hand shot out and
captured her wrist. Almost roughly she was brought back to his side.
He seemed furious all at once, but Alaine sensed this rather than saw it.
'Are you boasting of your conquests?' he asked harshly, and a stab of
fear shot through her. She stared at him, bewilderedly. Had their
acquaintanceship not been of so short a duration she could have
believed his anger stemmed from jealousy.
'No - I'm not.' His grip was like a vice. 'You're hurting me, Cimon,' she
complained, and the pressure on her wrist was released but not
removed.
'I didn't mean to hurt you.' His anger faded and his face softened. Once
again she had the odd conviction that he had no wish to antagonize her.
'Come, let us get out of here; we've had enough. In any case, it's time
we went in to breakfast.'
With his swift change of mood Alaine's heart lifted and she was
singing softly as she showered in her cabin, and dressed in a pair of
bright blue shorts and a sun-top. She brushed her hair till it shone; her
eyes sparkled like stars and as she left the cabin and made her way
towards the restaurant she felt as if she were treading on air.
Cimon was waiting for her as she reached the door and they went in
together, Cimon leading the way to a small table in an alcove by the
window. Breakfast was an informal meal, with passengers coming in
at various times, so they were not obliged to keep to the tables allotted
to them.
'We'll have to do something about getting together for all our meals,'
said Cimon firmly as their breakfast was being served to them. 'I'll see
the chief table steward.'
Pleasure, and full agreement with this suggestion, was revealed in
Alaine's swift smile and the sparkle entering her eyes, but she had to
say,
'I'm with three people. I've been going about with them ever since we
came aboard.'
'Well, you'll be going about with me for the next five days, so you'd
better tell them. What's the number of your table?' She told him, and
even though there was nothing more she desired than to spend every
possible moment with Cimon she opened her mouth to protest again,
for it did seem wrong to desert the others. In fact, to request a change
of table seemed to constitute a slight. However, she never voiced her
protest because Cimon prevented her from doing so.
'I'll see the steward while you run along for your bag and whatever else
you want to collect.' Glancing at his watch he added, 'We'll be docking
in a few minutes and if you want to see the most of Mykonos we must
leave the ship as soon as possible after breakfast.'
On her way to her cabin half an hour later Alaine bumped into Donna.
Before she could speak the other girl said with a grin,
'High romance? Okay, we don't mind, so don't trouble to apologize.
You're under no obligation to stay with an old married couple like us.
And Hal isn't much - not compared with your Greek. You should have
seen the envious looks you got last night! He's the sort of man you [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]