We'll Meet Again by Lily Baxter

desire. Too startled to protest, Meg made a feeble effort to push him away. It was the first time she had been kissed, other than pecks on the cheek from her father and brother, and the sensation was new and exciting. Gerald’s lips were soft yet demanding. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine as his hands caressed the bare skin of her neck andshoulders. He released her mouth to nuzzle the small hollow at the base of her throat. Her knees were trembling and her heart was thudding against her ribs as if she had just ridden Conker across L’Ancresse Common at a full gallop.
    He raised her hand to his lips. ‘I love you, Meg. I knew it the moment you hurtled into my arms on the cross-Channel ferry.’
    She shook her head. ‘Don’t say that. We hardly know each other.’
    ‘How long does it take to fall in love?’
    His eyes were dark with desire and she drew away, glancing round anxiously to see if anyone was watching. She smothered a sigh of relief when she realised that no one had witnessed their embrace. She managed a tremulous smile. ‘I like you a lot, Gerald, but soon you’ll be going back to London. Your life is there and mine is here.’
    ‘And that’s it, is it?’ There was pain in his eyes and in his voice. ‘You invite me here when you know it’s not my place to come, you lead me on and then you tell me to go away. You were having fun with me just as they were inside.’
    ‘No, that’s simply not true.’
    ‘You let me kiss you and you kissed me back.’
    ‘I’m sorry. You caught me by surprise and the kiss was lovely. It really was.’
    ‘You couldn’t have kissed me like that if you hadn’t had some feeling for me, Meg.’
    ‘I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression.’She clasped her hands together, eyeing him warily. ‘And I don’t mean to sound horrid, but you can’t be in love with me. You really don’t know me, Gerald. Nor I you.’
    ‘Don’t you dare tell me how I feel, Meg Colivet. I’ve thought about you every day since we met on the ferry. I thought it meant something when you invited me here tonight, and for a moment just now, a stupid, mad moment, I thought you might have some tiny spark of feeling for me. Now I can see you’re just as shallow and unfeeling as Adele.’
    ‘Don’t you dare say such horrid things, and leave my sister out of it. I asked you to come because I like you. That’s all there was to it.’
    He executed a mocking bow. ‘Sorry, milady. I was forgetting that I’m the one from below stairs. I’d better leave before you have me horsewhipped for my insolence.’
    Driven beyond endurance, she raised her hand and slapped his face. The sound ricocheted like a pistol shot through the still night air. Gerald clutched his cheek, staring at her in disbelief.
    ‘I’m not apologising,’ she said angrily. ‘You asked for that, Gerald LeFevre.’ Turning her back on him she stalked off in the direction of the French doors, coming to a sudden halt as she almost cannoned into Adele and Frank who were standing inside talking to Pearl and her boyfriend, Teddy.
    ‘Are you all right, Meg?’ Frank looked at her closely, his pleasant features puckered into aworried frown as he glanced over her shoulder.
    ‘Thanks, I’m fine.’ Following Frank’s gaze, Meg saw Gerald disappear into the gathering gloom.
    ‘I warned you, Meg,’ Adele said with a worried frown.
    Pearl hooked her arm around Meg’s shoulders. ‘Never mind that now, Addie. Can’t you see she’s upset? What is it, dear? Did he take liberties?’
    ‘I’ll go and sort him out, shall I?’ Teddy fingered his bow tie nervously.
    Meg shook off Pearl’s arm, blinking away the tears that stung her eyes. ‘If you must know, I was beastly to poor Gerald. It wasn’t his fault at all and now he’s gone, so he won’t embarrass you any more.’
    Despite Adele’s pleas for her to stay indoors, Meg hurried off in pursuit of Gerald, but there was no sign of him. She stood for a moment in the