just slope off.’
‘How? We’ll be spotted and dragged back in by the waiters. They probably have lassoes in their pockets.’
He laughed, and she felt good.
‘Well, let’s find an escape route.’
‘It’s all right for you. You have training for this sort of thing.’
Harry was already peering over the balcony.
‘It’s only fifteen feet or so down,’ he confirmed. ‘And there’s a drainpipe all the way to the ground. Do you reckon you can do it?’
‘Are you kidding? When I lived in Paris, I used to sneak out of windows twice as high as this.’
‘You get more interesting all the time.’
Harry went first, shinning down in a matter of seconds. Georgia swung one leg over the balustrade and then the other, adjusted her feet and then edged along the rim of the balcony to follow him. Her heart was thumping and the back of her neck grew clammy as she grabbed the drainpipe.
‘Why didn’t we just walk out of the door?’ she shouted as she clung on for dear life.
As the soles of her feet hit the floor, Harry grabbed her hand and led her to a door at the end of the garden.
‘Open sesame,’ he said, turning the heavy knob, and then they were out on to a Belgravia back street, laughing and panting as they ran past the grand, white terraced houses as if they had escaped from jail.
‘My car’s just here,’ he said, leading her to a little Fiat.
He opened the door for her and she got inside. As the engine revved, she watched him move the gearstick into first, showing a flash of firm tanned forearm.
‘I feel naughty.’
‘Feels good, doesn’t it?’
He drove quickly, the car nipping through streets that became less and less recognisable, telling her about his life in the Welsh Guards – about a difficult colonel, and the regiment’s recent deployment to the Suez Canal Zone.
As they took a bridge over the river, Georgia sighed in delight.
‘This is wonderful,’ she said, the vista making her feel giddy. ‘Walking along the Seine used to be one of my favourite things.’
‘So let’s take a walk along the towpath,’ he suggested, indicating right and stopping the car beside a small pier.
He turned off the engine and draped his arm over the back of the passenger seat.
‘So do you think the speeches have finished yet?’ he smiled. He had a wonderful smile, she noticed, with perfectly aligned teeth that hinted at good genes.
‘They’ve probably sent a search party out for us. Gosh, you know I didn’t even say one word of thanks to the hostess.’
‘Is she a friend of yours?’
‘Never met her in my life. My aunt sorted out the invitation.’
‘Then she won’t even notice your arrival or departure, even though I’m sure a few of the men did.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘People notice when the prettiest girl at the party isn’t there any more.’
She looked down at her knees and could feel him turning in his seat.
‘Look at me,’ he whispered.
As she turned, his fingers stroked the underneath of her chin before cupping her face.
‘Can I kiss you?’ he asked slowly.
She had known him barely an hour, so she felt sure that she shouldn’t allow his lips to go anywhere near hers. But in this tight, intimate space, after holding hands and running around dark streets together, she felt as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
She nodded, and his mouth brushed against hers.
He made a noise as if he were tasting her, and she liked how it sounded, liked how it made her feel – beautiful and desired.
The gearstick pressing against her leg was uncomfortable, but as his tongue pushed into her mouth she could feel it less and less.
‘Come closer,’ he muttered, as he came up for air.
She heard a rustle of fabric and felt his hand push up under her dress, rising smoothly higher and higher up her leg as her pulse raced faster and faster.
It didn’t feel so right now. She could feel a strange fluttering sensation between her legs and it frightened her a
‘How? We’ll be spotted and dragged back in by the waiters. They probably have lassoes in their pockets.’
He laughed, and she felt good.
‘Well, let’s find an escape route.’
‘It’s all right for you. You have training for this sort of thing.’
Harry was already peering over the balcony.
‘It’s only fifteen feet or so down,’ he confirmed. ‘And there’s a drainpipe all the way to the ground. Do you reckon you can do it?’
‘Are you kidding? When I lived in Paris, I used to sneak out of windows twice as high as this.’
‘You get more interesting all the time.’
Harry went first, shinning down in a matter of seconds. Georgia swung one leg over the balustrade and then the other, adjusted her feet and then edged along the rim of the balcony to follow him. Her heart was thumping and the back of her neck grew clammy as she grabbed the drainpipe.
‘Why didn’t we just walk out of the door?’ she shouted as she clung on for dear life.
As the soles of her feet hit the floor, Harry grabbed her hand and led her to a door at the end of the garden.
‘Open sesame,’ he said, turning the heavy knob, and then they were out on to a Belgravia back street, laughing and panting as they ran past the grand, white terraced houses as if they had escaped from jail.
‘My car’s just here,’ he said, leading her to a little Fiat.
He opened the door for her and she got inside. As the engine revved, she watched him move the gearstick into first, showing a flash of firm tanned forearm.
‘I feel naughty.’
‘Feels good, doesn’t it?’
He drove quickly, the car nipping through streets that became less and less recognisable, telling her about his life in the Welsh Guards – about a difficult colonel, and the regiment’s recent deployment to the Suez Canal Zone.
As they took a bridge over the river, Georgia sighed in delight.
‘This is wonderful,’ she said, the vista making her feel giddy. ‘Walking along the Seine used to be one of my favourite things.’
‘So let’s take a walk along the towpath,’ he suggested, indicating right and stopping the car beside a small pier.
He turned off the engine and draped his arm over the back of the passenger seat.
‘So do you think the speeches have finished yet?’ he smiled. He had a wonderful smile, she noticed, with perfectly aligned teeth that hinted at good genes.
‘They’ve probably sent a search party out for us. Gosh, you know I didn’t even say one word of thanks to the hostess.’
‘Is she a friend of yours?’
‘Never met her in my life. My aunt sorted out the invitation.’
‘Then she won’t even notice your arrival or departure, even though I’m sure a few of the men did.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘People notice when the prettiest girl at the party isn’t there any more.’
She looked down at her knees and could feel him turning in his seat.
‘Look at me,’ he whispered.
As she turned, his fingers stroked the underneath of her chin before cupping her face.
‘Can I kiss you?’ he asked slowly.
She had known him barely an hour, so she felt sure that she shouldn’t allow his lips to go anywhere near hers. But in this tight, intimate space, after holding hands and running around dark streets together, she felt as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
She nodded, and his mouth brushed against hers.
He made a noise as if he were tasting her, and she liked how it sounded, liked how it made her feel – beautiful and desired.
The gearstick pressing against her leg was uncomfortable, but as his tongue pushed into her mouth she could feel it less and less.
‘Come closer,’ he muttered, as he came up for air.
She heard a rustle of fabric and felt his hand push up under her dress, rising smoothly higher and higher up her leg as her pulse raced faster and faster.
It didn’t feel so right now. She could feel a strange fluttering sensation between her legs and it frightened her a
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