Love stories; Nobility -- Great Britain -- Fiction; Switzerland -- Fiction
Listening there in the shadow, she heard, and flushed in her flesh and
rejoiced in her innermost being. So he had _not_ forgotten her, which
is the true and real infidelity that never can be forgiven, at any
rate, by a woman. So she was still something in his life, although he
had not answered her letter years ago.
Then she grew angry with herself. What did it matter to her what he was,
or thought, or did? It was absurd that she could be dependent morally
upon anyone, who must rely in life or death upon herself alone and on
the strong soul within her. She was wroth with Godfrey for exciting
such disturbance in—what was it—her spirit or her body? Nonsense,
she had no spirit. That was a phantasy. Therefore it must be in her
body which was her own particular property that should remain
uninfluenced by any other body.
So it came about that the first words she spoke to him were somewhat
rough in their texture. She stepped forward out of the shadow of the
Georgian tomb and confronted him with a defiant air, her head thrown
back, looking, to tell the truth, rather stately.
“I hoped that by this time you had given up talking to yourself,
Godfrey, which, as I always told you, is a bad habit. I did not hear
much of what you were mumbling, but I understood you to say that you
thought I was here. Well, why shouldn’t I be here?”
He stared at her blankly and answered:
“God knows, I don’t! But since you ask the question, _why_ are
you here, Isobel? It is Isobel, isn’t it, or am I still dreaming? Let
me touch you and I shall know.”
She drew back a little way, quite three inches.
“Of course it is Isobel, don’t your senses tell you that without
wanting to touch me? Why, I knew it was you from the end of the church.
But you ask me why I am here. I wish you would tell me. I was passing,
and something drew me into this place. I suppose it was you, and if so,
I say at once that I resent it; you have no right——”
“No, no, certainly not, but do let me touch you to make sure that you
are Isobel.”
“Very well,” she said, and stretched out a hand towards him.
He caught it with his left which was nearest, and then with his right
hand reached forward and seized her other hand. With a masterful
movement he draw her towards him, and though she was a strong woman she
seemed to have no power to resist. She thought that he was going to
kiss her and did not care greatly if he did.
But he checked himself in time, and instead of pressing his lips upon
hers, only kissed her hands, first one and then the other, for quite a
long while: nor did she attempt to deny him, perhaps because a wild
impulse took possession of her to kiss his in answer. Yes, his hands,
or his lips, or even his coat or anything about him. Oh! it made her
very angry, but there it was, for something rushed up in her which she
had never felt before, something mad and wild and sweet.
She wrenched herself away at last and began to scold him again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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