Page 115 of The Importance of Being Emma
‘So glad I can still make you laugh,’ I said miserably.
He gripped my shoulders, gripped them so tight it hurt; but I didn’t want him to let go.
‘Yes, Emma, you make me laugh . . . and you make me cry.’ His eyes were fixed on mine and they weren’t bleak any more, they were clear and bright. ‘You make me cry, because . . .’ He cleared his throat. ‘Because I love you. I think I always have, since the day you were born.’
I felt more tears well up, tears of anger and disappointment. ‘Yes, like a little sister, why don’t you say it, you dickhead!’ I aimed a kick at his shin, missed and burst into loud sobs.
His voice was low and tender. ‘If you still thinkthat, after all that’s happened between us, then you’re the dickhead, my love. Ever since I saw you again last September, I’ve had the most unbrotherly thoughts about you.’
I stopped crying at once.Unbrotherly?
He went on, ‘No wonder I couldn’t resist you at Forbury Manor, it was like all my fantasies coming true. Don’t you know how much—’
He got no further. I flung my arms round his neck and pulled him towards me. Our mouths met, hard with hunger, soft with longing. It was the kiss I’d been waiting for all my life, the kiss from the man of my dreams. When at last we drew apart, it felt as though we were already inseparable.
‘I love you, Mark,’ I whispered, ‘you’re the only one I want.’
He gave me a long, lingering smile, then his face clouded. ‘To think I might never have heard you say that! I only came back because I found out about Churchill and assumed you’d be devastated. Otherwise I’d be on the way to Mumbai by now, with Harriet and—’
‘Harriet! What are we going to do about her?’ With a groan, I twisted away from him.
‘Absolutely nothing.’ He stroked the corner of my mouth with his thumb. ‘God, how I love kissing you.’
I closed my eyes, but I could still see Harriet’s face, full of reproach. ‘Mark, you’ll have to tell her and you’ll have to go to India to do it. Poor thing, stuck out there all on her own.’
He sighed. ‘I’ve got a confession to make. She’s not on her own, she’s with Rob.’
I jerked my head round. ‘Rob? Rob who?’
‘Rob Martin, I thought they could make a go of things if they just had a bit of space. And they both seem very happy. Whatever you thought was going on in that taxi between me and Harriet couldn’t be further from the truth.’
Relief flooded through me, relief mingled with unrestrained delight. Now wasn’t the time formeto criticisehimabout interfering in other people’s relationships, although I didn’t intend to let the opportunity slip by! Now was the time to show him just how much I loved him. I slipped my hands inside his jacket and held him tight. The main thing was that he was here with me, and Harriet was none the worse for it; in fact, it looked as though she’d transferred her affections remarkably quickly back to Robert.
‘Sorry, I interrupted you just then,’ I said, with a slow smile. ‘You were telling me how much you loved kissing me. And, as my mentor, I’m sure you told me that it’s actions — not words — that count, didn’t you?’
He laughed. ‘As your mentor, I tried very hardnotto think about kissing you at all. But I’m not your mentor any more, am I?’
And then his mouth sought mine and his hands moved urgently over my body, moulding me to him, stirring buried memories. Even through my wet clothes, his touch was electric; when he ran his fingers across the bare skin beneath my jumper, I was close to meltdown. Overwhelmed by need, we broke apartand simply stared at each other. Around us, raindrops pattered from overhanging branches, a counterpoint to our ragged breathing.
‘Emma, I know Forbury Manor was a mistake—’
‘Was it?’
‘Wasn’t it?’
I shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Maybe it was meant to happen.’
‘I lied to you, about Tamara. I couldn’t even start to compare her with you, you’re—’
I put my finger to his lips. ‘Then don’t, my love. And I lied to you. After the initial shock had worn off, I remembered a lot more than I said I did.’
‘Do you want to . . .’ — he hesitated — ‘refresh your memory?’
‘Yes, more than anything in the world.’ I smiled up at him as I slipped my hand into his.
‘Where shall we go?’
I looked along the bridle path, towards Hartfield. ‘We can go this way, I suppose, to my place—’
