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His chin was level with her breasts so that she couldn’t lared at hi for so retort

'Ever thought of having a haircut? I hear that the hotel salon does wonderful things with feminine tresses like yours'

He was undismayed by the slur on his nised its absurdity

‘I thought you liked playing withto hold on to that day you were panting in my arms'

Her eyes were violently purple as they locked with his, her hands tense in his solid grasp as they reached the first landing in the doard spiral

‘I was not panting-'

'Moaning, then'

They argued fiercely on the long, slow journey, she spitting fury even as she realised the deliberate purpose of his outrageous co her , but he needn’t expect her to thank him for his methods!

Reaching the ground was a relief inthe second half of the de­scent that she had just given hiate her and he hadn’t taken it And if it had occurred to her then it would certainly have occurred to him

She stared at hihthouse-keeper, reassuring him with a feords Why, if he was so suspicious of her, hadn’t he grabbed at the chance to use her fear against her?

When he turned back and saw the puzzlely swift and com­prehensive The wry ahthouse-keeper's concern hardened into a sardonic bitterness

'You do not have much of an opinion of my character, do you, chérie? I am not so lost to principle that I be­lieve the end always justifies the uys out there in the big, wide, wicked world, remember?'

She thought of his dead lover, who had not had his scruples, and the price he had paid for her lack, and felt guilty for doubting him

‘I—I don’t kno to thank you,' she said aardly, trying to make amends with her lad of the hand under her elbow as they stepped back out into the sun­shine ‘I don’t knohat I would have done if you hadn’t co' Her stilted pri by, rather than intently pursuing her, and his sardonic expression rin

'Just shows you the dangers of sneaking off on your own,' he lossy head 'And the necessity of accepting help when it's offered, instead of stubbornly trying to do every­thing by yourself Don’t worry about thanking me, Beth; I'm sure I'll eventually think of soratitude'