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Raglan’s voice bidding hiue dressed in a loose silk robe of faintly Japanese appearance

Williahts are out and I’ve locked the front door, Mrs Raglan Good night’

She swung her legs on to the ground, a pale flash of thigh appearing momentarily from under the draped silk

Tou’re always in such a hurry, William You can~t wait for your life to start, can you?’ She walked over to a side table ’Why don’t you stay and have soh for two, I quite forgot that Mister Raglan won’t be back until Saturday!

There was a definite e cup over to Willianificance of her reistered on hi her hand touch his He stirred the - hot chocolate assiduously

’Gerald has gone to a conference,’ she continued explaining It was the first tilan’s first name ’Do shut the door, William, and come and sit down! - William hesitated; he shut the door, but he did not want to take Grulan He decided Grumpy’s chair was the lesser of two evils and moved towards it

’No, no,’ she said, as she patted the seat next to her, Willia into his cup for inspiration Finding none, he gulped the contents down, burning his tongue He was relieved to see Mrs Raglan getting up She refilled his cup, ignoring his murmured refusal, and then moved silently across the room, wound up the Victrola and placed the needle on the record

’Nice and easy doesiewere the first words that Willia at the floor, when she returned

’You wouldn’t let a lady dance by herself, would you, Williahtly in time to the music ’We’re on the road to romance, that’s clear to say,’ crooned Rudy Vallee Willialan Grumpy could have fitted in between them without any trouble After a few bars she ht shoulder fixedly to indicate to her that he had not noticed that her left hand had slipped from his shoulder to the sht it would give him a chance to return to the safety of his hot chocolate, but she turned the record over and was back in his arht to’

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’Relax a little, Williae to look her in the eyes, He tried to reply, but he couldn’t speak Her hand was now exploring his back, and he felt her thigh htened his hold around her waisL ’That’s better,’ she said

They circled slowly around the roo tiently ran down When she slipped away and turned out the light, William wanted her to return quickly He stood there in the dark, notthe rustle of silk - , and able only to see a silhouette discarding clothes

The crooner had co at the end of the record by the time she had helped Williaue He groped for her in the dark, and his shy novice’s fingers encounted sever - al parts of her body that did not feel at all as he had iined they would He withdrew them hastily to the coers exhibited no such reticence, and he began to feel sensations he would never have dreamed possible He wanted toit would sound stupid Her hands were on his back, pulling hiro gently on top of her

Willia hoould ever enter her without showing his total Lack of experience It was not as easy as he had expected, and he began to get ers uided him expertly With her help he entered her easily and had an iasm - ’I’m sorry,’ said William, not sure what to do next He lay silently on top of her for some time before she spokei ’It will be, better to record returned to his ears

Mrs Raglan remained in Williazn’s hed On Wednesday, she panted On Thursday, she lan returned from his conference, by which ti the Easter holidays, on Ascension Day to be "act, Abby Blount finally succumbed to Williainity She was, after Mrs Raglan, so of an anti - clirnax It was the only event of note that happened during the entire holiday, because Abby went off to Palm Beach with her parents, and Wffliam spent most of his time shut away indoors with his books, at horandmothers and Alan Lloyd His final examinations were now only a lan went to no further conferences, William had no other outside activities