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She held out her hand without thinking

‘Come sit with me’

‘I had better not’

‘Don’t play the prude, Edge Just sit’

He sat and she closed her eyes, soaking up the warmth of his body so close to hers Above the silvery scents of the desert night air and the ochre of the earth there was his scent—it was out of character—war, like the sensations sparked by the deepest, darkest of wines She wanted to lean into it and then sink

She touched her pale—it had been so harsh and enorone All she felt noasheat, as if the desert still held the warh her, through him

‘You are the least lu forward to lean his ar up from the desert floor But he didn’t speak so she continued, working her way through her thoughts

‘You are like watching the sea froht—you never know quite what is beneath the surface, but you are quite certain a great deal is going on there and that one is safer on solid ground’

Where on earth had that come from?

‘I a the dark abode of sea monsters is any better than a rock’

‘No,’ she agreed, a little scared of the ie she’d conjured ‘Perhaps not I h Clearly I am not very adept at them’

‘You were always more honest than was comfortable, Sam’

‘In other words I always spoke before I thought Madcap Sam’

‘Don’t make it into an insult Your honesty was never cruel or cavalier Soht into it, in fact What will you do when you return to England?’

Sam wanted to stay on the topic of her honesty Or rather on his strangely coe of subject

‘I do not kno my brothers are married I shall have to find a solution’

‘They don’t want you living with them?’

‘It is not that They do, but soon they shall have children and—’ She broke off, realisation hitting her, her hand closing over his ‘Oh, God, I’e’