father did ' and I promised him I wouldn't do that ' I just can't do that to him.
I don't understand. He brushed her lips with his own and she had to fight to concentrate on what she was telling him.
My father left and never really came back. Not for any length of time anyway. He promised to, but it was stronger than he ' he couldn't come back. He was too in love with the places he went, the people he met, the adventures he found ' . Her voice drifted off, remembering him. He had been the most dashing, romantic man. And then as she thought of him, she looked up at Charles again ' they were so much alike ' it startled her sometimes ' .
Is that so terrible? It was something he understood so well. He had lived in precisely that way for the past fifteen years. The only difference was that there was no one waiting for him, anywhere. No one who gave a damn where he was at any given time, except friends like Violet and James. But no one cried when he left, and no one counted the hours until he returned. In a way, he envied her that. He would have liked that about having a wife, though not much else.
I just can't do that to him. Her voice was as soft as the breeze that rippled through her hair.
And to yourself? Can you give up your dreams, Aud?
This is my dream. She smiled at him. More than my dream in fact.
That's not what you told me when we met.
Yes, it is! She blushed, wondering what she had said, on that first night, when they'd stayed up until the sunrise and told each other about their dreams and their lives and who they really were.
You said you wanted to see exotic places ' .
She stretched out her arms to take in the grandiose beauty of the mountainside where they lay in the heart of the Alpes-Maritimes. Well?
This is hardly what you had in mind ' I think we were talking about Nepal at the time, weren't we? He was teasing her, and pushing her, making her just a little uncomfortable without pushing too hard. He was good at it, but she was a fair match for him.
This will do. For now.
And then suddenly, he looked sad. I have to leave in a few days, you know, Aud. It was the first she had heard of it, and she felt her heart stop at his words. She sat staring at him with wide-open eyes. It was coming to an end. She had known it would ' she just hadn't known it would happen so soon. I have a story to write, for the London Times.
Now? It was a tiny frightened word.
Soon.
Where?
Nanking, Shanghai, Peking '
My God. She was shocked, but she tried to be a good sport as she smiled, feeling all the air and happiness seem to leave her at once. That s certainly exotic, isn't it?
He nodded quietly. I wish you could come along.
So do I. She said the words honestly. It sounded magical to her. Just the names were extraordinary, but they were not destined to be part of her life. At least not now.
You could take fabulous photographs on a trip like that. He would lure her with anything he could, and she laughed ruefully.
Among other things.
When do you go? She reached out a hand to him instinctively and they held hands quietly under the summer sky, feeling the closeness they had built in the short time since they'd met.
I don't know. I have some work to do in Italy first, and I thought I'd catch the Orient Express in Venice after that.
She closed her eyes just hearing about it, and he watched her face, and then saw two tears trickle down her cheek, as she looked up at him again. You're a lucky man.
He shook his head, as unhappy as she was. No, I'm not. The woman I love is going to be halfway around the world ' isn't she? He pressed her hand and she sat up. She was going to have to be an adult about this. There was no point crying about what she couldn't have, and she couldn't have him. Not for long anyway. There was no point fooling herself about that.
Why don't you come to San Francisco afterward? She smiled and he laughed.
Just like that, eh? You certainly make it sound easy enough.
Isn't it? She was teasing him now
I don't understand. He brushed her lips with his own and she had to fight to concentrate on what she was telling him.
My father left and never really came back. Not for any length of time anyway. He promised to, but it was stronger than he ' he couldn't come back. He was too in love with the places he went, the people he met, the adventures he found ' . Her voice drifted off, remembering him. He had been the most dashing, romantic man. And then as she thought of him, she looked up at Charles again ' they were so much alike ' it startled her sometimes ' .
Is that so terrible? It was something he understood so well. He had lived in precisely that way for the past fifteen years. The only difference was that there was no one waiting for him, anywhere. No one who gave a damn where he was at any given time, except friends like Violet and James. But no one cried when he left, and no one counted the hours until he returned. In a way, he envied her that. He would have liked that about having a wife, though not much else.
I just can't do that to him. Her voice was as soft as the breeze that rippled through her hair.
And to yourself? Can you give up your dreams, Aud?
This is my dream. She smiled at him. More than my dream in fact.
That's not what you told me when we met.
Yes, it is! She blushed, wondering what she had said, on that first night, when they'd stayed up until the sunrise and told each other about their dreams and their lives and who they really were.
You said you wanted to see exotic places ' .
She stretched out her arms to take in the grandiose beauty of the mountainside where they lay in the heart of the Alpes-Maritimes. Well?
This is hardly what you had in mind ' I think we were talking about Nepal at the time, weren't we? He was teasing her, and pushing her, making her just a little uncomfortable without pushing too hard. He was good at it, but she was a fair match for him.
This will do. For now.
And then suddenly, he looked sad. I have to leave in a few days, you know, Aud. It was the first she had heard of it, and she felt her heart stop at his words. She sat staring at him with wide-open eyes. It was coming to an end. She had known it would ' she just hadn't known it would happen so soon. I have a story to write, for the London Times.
Now? It was a tiny frightened word.
Soon.
Where?
Nanking, Shanghai, Peking '
My God. She was shocked, but she tried to be a good sport as she smiled, feeling all the air and happiness seem to leave her at once. That s certainly exotic, isn't it?
He nodded quietly. I wish you could come along.
So do I. She said the words honestly. It sounded magical to her. Just the names were extraordinary, but they were not destined to be part of her life. At least not now.
You could take fabulous photographs on a trip like that. He would lure her with anything he could, and she laughed ruefully.
Among other things.
When do you go? She reached out a hand to him instinctively and they held hands quietly under the summer sky, feeling the closeness they had built in the short time since they'd met.
I don't know. I have some work to do in Italy first, and I thought I'd catch the Orient Express in Venice after that.
She closed her eyes just hearing about it, and he watched her face, and then saw two tears trickle down her cheek, as she looked up at him again. You're a lucky man.
He shook his head, as unhappy as she was. No, I'm not. The woman I love is going to be halfway around the world ' isn't she? He pressed her hand and she sat up. She was going to have to be an adult about this. There was no point crying about what she couldn't have, and she couldn't have him. Not for long anyway. There was no point fooling herself about that.
Why don't you come to San Francisco afterward? She smiled and he laughed.
Just like that, eh? You certainly make it sound easy enough.
Isn't it? She was teasing him now
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