The Sun and Catriona (16 page)

‘I know what I said.’ He kissed her eyelids and the tip of her nose, then rested his cheek against her hair. ‘When Marina was killed, I died too ... or thought I did. For twelve years I sincerely believed that in some respects my life was over, that I could never love another woman. But then you came along, with your courage and honesty,’—he kissed her again, lingeringly—‘and I didn’t know what to do about you. Yesterday, I was hovering on the brink. I wanted to accept the fact that I loved you, but I didn’t think it could be true. I thought I would suddenly wake up and discover that what I felt was just a mirage after all. In which case I knew I must not involve you in any way. But then last night I realised how much you meant to me, and suddenly it was all so simple. You see, you are everything I could ever want. If I don’t have you I shall die again and this time it will be the end.’ He drew back a little, gazing down into her face. ‘
Babuha
...
’ His voice was anxious. ‘You feel something for me, don’t you? You love me a little?’

‘
I’ve shown you what I feel.’ Catriona confessed, her face hidden against his shoulder. ‘You’re everything to me—everything in the world. No one in my life has ever mattered so much. I don’t think I could live without you. I ... I thought I was going to die when you talked about sending me back to England
...
’ She broke off, and as he kissed her again she wound her arms around his neck. The kiss lasted for a long time and when at last he lifted his head they still clung together.

‘When will you marry me
?
’ he asked, playing with the ends of her hair. ‘It must be soon. I will not wait, my love.’

She smiled. Against his lips, she murmured, ‘what about Jacqueline? I thought you planned to marry her.’

‘Jacqueline?’ He looked surprised. ‘I would never have married her. She was—just a woman, someone to keep the boredom at bay. And she knew it. Besides, her career is everything to her and when she does marry she will probably pick the kind of man who can be useful to her.’

‘It’s funny.’ Catriona sighed contentedly. ‘Last night I was so jealous of her that I could hardly watch the play.’

‘
Y
ou
were jealous
?
How do you imagine I felt when I saw you drinking with Sciberras
?
’

‘You minded?’ She looked up at him, wide-eyed. ‘You were jealous of Paolo?’

‘Of course. I was out of my mind with jealousy. Why do you think I behaved so badly when we first boarded the
Khamsin
? I said terrible things to you then
...
’

‘Yes,’ she agreed, ‘you did.’

‘Well, it was only because of Paolo. That afternoon I had held you in my arms and you had seemed to respond to me. Then suddenly I saw you with him and I could not endure it. I spent the rest of the evening pacing up and down in the Boschetto, annoying the birds, who were trying to sleep.’

‘But I thought
—
’ She looked up at him wonderingly. ‘After the play, I thought you must be with Jacqueline.’

He shook his head. ‘I was too busy getting angry with you and Paolo. It hurt so much—and later on, when I thought about it
...
’
He broke off. ‘Have you forgiven me?’

Catriona tilted her head back so that she could look up at him more easily. ‘I’ll forgive you,’ she said softly. ‘But, Peter, love me always, won’t you? And trust me.’

The sun was getting low, now, and its golden light fell full on her upturned face. Bending his head, he kissed her again. ‘When we are married,’ he murmured, ‘you will be flesh of my flesh, and bone of my bone. We shall not be two people any more. Does that answer you
?
’

‘Yes.’ She ran her fingers through the crisp dark hair at the nape of his neck. ‘Peter, I love you ... I want to make you so happy.’

‘You’re making me happy now, and you always will. We shall both be so happy that other people will find us unbearable. We shall spend several months of every year at Ghajn Lucia—there is a nursery there which needs filling up.’

‘Ghajn Lucia?’ She looked up at him quickly, blushing at his meaning. ‘You mean you’ll open the house up
?
’

‘Of course. I want you to love it as much as I do.’

Twenty minutes later they walked into the hotel foyer hand in hand, and a sudden thought flashed across her mind. ‘Peter, my exhibition—it doesn’t seem to matter any more. Do you think that’s dreadful?’

He smiled at the top of her head. ‘If it did matter, I would be worried.’

‘But the people behind it
—
They’ve been so
kind.’

‘Ask them to come out here,’ he answered promptly. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to them.’

‘You mustn’t spoil me.’

He smiled, his eyes dark with tenderness. ‘I couldn’t do that.’

‘Let’s ring Toni,’ she said suddenly. ‘I want her to know how wonderful everything is.’

Standing still in the middle of the foyer, Peter looked down at her for a moment. Then he lifted her hand and kissed it. Several people glanced round, and she blushed.

‘Why did you do that?’

He smiled whimsically. ‘I did it for several reasons. Mainly, because I wanted to. But also because I’ve just left the darkness behind me. And it’s such a beautiful morning.’