casual intimacy that it was an insult.
But deeper down she knew that the reason she felt soc-so wearily disappointed was because Justin had been
revealed as a man who thought he was entitled to take what he wanted even though he was almost engaged to
another. Poor Bronwyn—and poor Alison, who must have known that blind fury which had so frightened
Linnet.
After a while she sat on her bed, staring through the window at the moon, triumphant as it rose above the hills
across the harbour. For once its beauty failed to thrill her, as she wrestled with the realities of the situation she
seemed to have got herself into.
Blast Sarah and her tantrum, exacting promises that were going to be so hard to keep! But she could not really
blame the child, in spite of the fact that it was she who had got Linnet into this’ pickle. Blast Justin Doyle,
rather! The arrogance of the man repelled her, but when she thought of those moments spent in his power the
only thing she could recall was the tide of sensual hunger which had swept over her, blotting out for a few
seconds the principles she had always thought so firmly rooted within.
So that was desire. Incredibly, it was the first time she had ever been at its mercy. And, quite frankly, she didn't
care if it never Happened again. Bronwyn was right: to lose control was a shaming thing to happen, especially
as she was prepared to believe that he had felt nothing so earth-shaking. That had been indolent lust in his
mouth and voice, hot the kind of shattering need she had felt.
No doubt, she thought waspishly, driving the point hard in, if she had shown willing he would have enjoyed
himself with some heavy lovemaking, but retained enough control not to seduce her.
And that was humiliation. To be treated as a toy, something to while away a few otherwise boring minutes and
'then discarded when he went on to the important things of life.
Resolutely she vowed never to be alone with him, never to put herself in such a position again.
Fortified by this resolution, she surprised herself by going to sleep almost instantly.
CHAPTER FIVE
'Daddy came in and kissed me goodbye,' Sarah told her importantly after breakfast the next morning. ‘Did he
see you, Linnet?'
Linnet drained her orange juice. 'No, he didn't. The seaplane woke me up as it was leaving.'
And just as well too. The last person she wanted to see was Justin; indeed, the week until she must see him
again seemed far too short a time.
It passed quickly too, in weather as warn^ and settled as early summer could produce, Sarah and Linnet swam
and tanned, walked over the hills in search of wallabies, explored the gracious grounds, of Mansion House and
the restored interior, went fishing with Rob and learned how to cook with Cherry.
Each afternoon Sarah slept for-an hour or so while Linnet wrote, and both were astounded at how early they
went to bed.
'It's the sea air,' Cherry laughed one evening, when Linnet yawned for the second time and it wasn't yet dark.
'Combined with all that exercise,' Linnet grimaced at her legs. 'I'm sure I've got ten more muscles in each leg
than I had before! Sarah is certainly filling out, and she's much more energetic than she was when we came up.’
'It's a good place for a holiday.' Rob lit a pipe, dropping the matches for Goori, who mumbled them between his
great jaws.
'It must have been fun on the days when the whole family came up every holidays,' Cherry murmured.
Linnet watched as she set another stitch in her tapestry, a delicate thing of violets for a wall hanging. 'All the
family? I didn't realise there was a family, apart from Justin.'
'Oh yes; he has a sister in the United States, She's married to a diplomat at the Embassy in Washington.
Apparently Justin's parents and the children, plus an assortment of relations, used to come up. Well, you can tell
— the place has bedrooms for ten or so, and the extras used to sleep out all around the terraces.'
'The more the
But deeper down she knew that the reason she felt soc-so wearily disappointed was because Justin had been
revealed as a man who thought he was entitled to take what he wanted even though he was almost engaged to
another. Poor Bronwyn—and poor Alison, who must have known that blind fury which had so frightened
Linnet.
After a while she sat on her bed, staring through the window at the moon, triumphant as it rose above the hills
across the harbour. For once its beauty failed to thrill her, as she wrestled with the realities of the situation she
seemed to have got herself into.
Blast Sarah and her tantrum, exacting promises that were going to be so hard to keep! But she could not really
blame the child, in spite of the fact that it was she who had got Linnet into this’ pickle. Blast Justin Doyle,
rather! The arrogance of the man repelled her, but when she thought of those moments spent in his power the
only thing she could recall was the tide of sensual hunger which had swept over her, blotting out for a few
seconds the principles she had always thought so firmly rooted within.
So that was desire. Incredibly, it was the first time she had ever been at its mercy. And, quite frankly, she didn't
care if it never Happened again. Bronwyn was right: to lose control was a shaming thing to happen, especially
as she was prepared to believe that he had felt nothing so earth-shaking. That had been indolent lust in his
mouth and voice, hot the kind of shattering need she had felt.
No doubt, she thought waspishly, driving the point hard in, if she had shown willing he would have enjoyed
himself with some heavy lovemaking, but retained enough control not to seduce her.
And that was humiliation. To be treated as a toy, something to while away a few otherwise boring minutes and
'then discarded when he went on to the important things of life.
Resolutely she vowed never to be alone with him, never to put herself in such a position again.
Fortified by this resolution, she surprised herself by going to sleep almost instantly.
CHAPTER FIVE
'Daddy came in and kissed me goodbye,' Sarah told her importantly after breakfast the next morning. ‘Did he
see you, Linnet?'
Linnet drained her orange juice. 'No, he didn't. The seaplane woke me up as it was leaving.'
And just as well too. The last person she wanted to see was Justin; indeed, the week until she must see him
again seemed far too short a time.
It passed quickly too, in weather as warn^ and settled as early summer could produce, Sarah and Linnet swam
and tanned, walked over the hills in search of wallabies, explored the gracious grounds, of Mansion House and
the restored interior, went fishing with Rob and learned how to cook with Cherry.
Each afternoon Sarah slept for-an hour or so while Linnet wrote, and both were astounded at how early they
went to bed.
'It's the sea air,' Cherry laughed one evening, when Linnet yawned for the second time and it wasn't yet dark.
'Combined with all that exercise,' Linnet grimaced at her legs. 'I'm sure I've got ten more muscles in each leg
than I had before! Sarah is certainly filling out, and she's much more energetic than she was when we came up.’
'It's a good place for a holiday.' Rob lit a pipe, dropping the matches for Goori, who mumbled them between his
great jaws.
'It must have been fun on the days when the whole family came up every holidays,' Cherry murmured.
Linnet watched as she set another stitch in her tapestry, a delicate thing of violets for a wall hanging. 'All the
family? I didn't realise there was a family, apart from Justin.'
'Oh yes; he has a sister in the United States, She's married to a diplomat at the Embassy in Washington.
Apparently Justin's parents and the children, plus an assortment of relations, used to come up. Well, you can tell
— the place has bedrooms for ten or so, and the extras used to sleep out all around the terraces.'
'The more the
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