A Foreign Country

65

Vincent realized there was a problem when he heard Amelia knocking rapidly on the door of his bedroom shortly before eight o’clock on Sunday morning. He had been awake for almost an hour, finishing the Dibdin and listening to the bleating of the lambs on the steep hill behind the house.

‘Are you awake, darling?’

She came into his bedroom. She was already dressed, in the uniform she wore for Vauxhall Cross: a navy-blue skirt with matching jacket; a cream blouse; black shoes with kitten heels; the gold necklace given to her by her brother as a present on her thirtieth birthday.

‘You look like you’re going to church,’ he said.

He was shirtless in bed, propped up against the headboard, deliberately provoking her with his physique. He knew that Amelia felt an overpowering love for him, but also a physical desire that conflicted with her duties as a mother. He could sense it in her; he could always tell with women.

‘I’m afraid there’s an emergency in London. I have to leave. There’s a car coming for me at half-past nine.’

‘I see.’

‘I’m so sorry.’ She sat on the end of the bed, imploring forgiveness with her eyes. Vincent remembered his first sight of her pale skin beside the pool, the swell of her breasts. He had often thought about the taste of her, the transgression of a sexual relationship. ‘The worst of it is I can’t offer you a lift back to London. The Office doesn’t know about you and my driver would cotton on. But I’ve arranged for a taxi to pick you up at nine fifteen. Is that all right? Does that give you enough time to pack?’

It seemed as though he had no choice. Vincent pulled back the duvet, climbed out of bed and put on his dressing-gown.

‘It’s a real pity.’ Was Amelia being honest or had she somehow discovered the truth about him? ‘I was looking forward to spending the rest of the day together. I wanted to talk about the move to London.’

‘Me too.’ She stood up and put her arms around him, and it was all that Vincent could do not to press his body against hers and to kiss her. He was convinced that he could possess her, that she would offer no resistance. ‘I can’t even let you stay, I’m afraid. Too many people would start asking awkward questions if …’

‘Don’t worry.’ He broke free. ‘I understand.’ He began pulling out clothes from the chest of drawers and placing them in his suitcase. ‘Just give me five minutes to take a shower and pack. I’ll come downstairs. We can have breakfast. Then I can go back to Paris.’