"Beware the beast" كيف احيا معك بالانكليزية Anne Mather

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHARLOTTE stirred reluctantly. Someone had just knocked at the bedroom

door, and the harsh sound brought her back to the cold world of reality. She was

hastily pulling up the covers when Tina came into the room carrying the usual

tray of tea and biscuits. The girl stopped abruptly when she saw her master

sleeping soundly beside her mistress, and for once Charlotte saw she was

disconcerted.

"Pardon, kyria" she exclaimed, in a whisper. "I -! did not know Kyrios

Alexandros was back!"

Extricating herself from Alex with difficulty, Charlotte moved to the side of

the bed, breathing a sigh of relief when he did not waken, "just put the tray

here, Tina," she said softly, indicating the bedside table. "You can tell Maria

that your employer arrived back unexpectedly late last night."

"Ne, kyria." Tina nodded vigorously, and set down the tray, her eyes

lingering somewhat enviously on Alex's sleeping form. Then her eyes shifted to

Charlotte, desperately holding the thin sheet in front of her. "Ne, kyria" she said

again, and with a little smile she left them.

After she had gone, Charlotte chewed on a biscuit. Surprisingly this morning

she had not felt particularly nauseated, but as her brain began to function again

she rested troubled eyes on her husband.

So that was what the lecturers-at school had meant when they had warned the

girls of the traitorous aspects of their own bodies. She could recall every detail of

what had occurred with uneasy clarity, conscious of the shameless way she had

abandoned herself to him. She had actually wanted him to make love to her,

although she doubted that that tender emotion had played any part in Alex's

behaviour. He was a man, and he had wanted her. But love didn't enter into it.

That was what made her part in it so—so degrading somehow. And it had all

been for nothing, after all. She should have stopped him. She should have told

him that there was no need for him to touch her ever again. She was already

pregnant. She had conceived the child he had gone to such lengths to obtain,

and there was no longer any necessity for him to pretend.

But instead, what had she done? Her cheeks burned with remembered

humiliation. She had allowed him to hypnotize her, to use that undoubted

expertise he possessed to arouse a response inside her which, once kindled, had

scorched her in the blaze of its intensity. Oh, she had been a fool all right, a

stupid fool I Because she now knew that he had the power to seduce her

whenever he chose. And when he discovered that she was already pregnant,

who knew what construction he might place upon her actions? How could she

bear the ignominy of confessing such a thing to him? And if she didn't tell him,