Kay’s Reviews > The Edge of Beyond > Status Update

She took a deep breath. 'I wanted to go to Nairobi to get away from you,' she confessed.
 
'Okay,' he agreed. 'I accept that. But why did you have to bolt from me? I thought we understood each other better than that?'
 
Rosalind screwed up her courage to sticking point. 'Because I'm in love with you,' she said.

'Not really,' Beatrice said in muffled tones. 'Only, I'm sure he thinks my marriage to Terry was odd and I haven't plucked up the courage to tell him about it yet. I never have told anyone!'

'He'll understand,' Rosalind assured her.

'Terry never let me into his room,' Beatrice burst out. 'He - he didn't like women. Certainly not me!... '

(is that an allusion that Terry was gay? Bravo to Ms. Chace in 1973)

'Sorry, love!' he said without pausing in the flow of his argument. His fingers curled round a lock of her hair and he played with it thoughtfully as he listened to the reply from another man. Rosalind held her breath, afraid that if she moved she would recall herself to his conscious mind, and he would bring this moment to an end.

The conversation went on literally over her head, punctuated by the long grunts of approval that are part of any African's speech. That, too, added to her sense of hopeless passion as she listened to. the cadences of Laurence's deep voice, understanding not a word that he was saying. Then to make a point he banged his hand down on the top of her head

Rosalind put her head back against Laurence's knee, revelling in the luxury of having a perfectly valid excuse for relaxing against him. Perhaps a man's shins were not the most responsive part of him, but the contact made her heart overflow with love for him and she felt soft and unusually mellow inside.

Rosalind lifted her chin. 'What positions?' she demanded.
 
He stroked her chin with a thoughtful finger. 'I'm taking you home, my girl, so don't tempt me to dally with you in the moonlight—'
 
'You always blame me!' she complained.
 
'You keep on leading with your chin,' he answered. 'The remedy is in your own hands. A proper submissive manner—'
 
'Don't!' she pleaded, unable to fence with him any more just then.

She needed time, a whole lot of time, before she saw Laurence again. She was very much afraid that she had fallen in love with him. Not the comfortable, cosy love of her imagination, but an allconsuming agony of need that she hadn't the remotest idea of how to cope with, especially not under Laurence's observant and arrogant gaze.

Rosalind didn't dare protest further. She wasn't at all sure about her own motives in wanting to delay the dance. If she shut her eyes, she was back in Laurence's embrace and his lips were seeking hers, and she was shaking inside as much now as she had then. She needed time, a whole lot of time, before she saw Laurence again.

'Perhaps you're not quite ready for the truth,' he went on. 'Is that it? Hurry up, Rosalind! You can lie and flirt all you please, but one day you'll have to admit that I'm the boss and that you like it that way!'

'I think you're a great deal too fond of having your own way!' she contradicted him

'You see,' he said, 'how pleasant it is to submit gracefully?'
 
She put her hand in his, annoyed with herself. 'It's only because I'm tired and not yet used to the climate!' she said hastily.
 
'Little liar!' he retorted.