Читать книгу The Darkest Hour - Barbara Erskine - Страница 27

‘Evie!’ Eddie found her in the cowshed. She had finished evening milking and was tidying up.

She turned towards him with a smile and pulled the scarf off her head with a sigh. There was only one cow in milk now that Daisy was in calf, which eased her load, but even so she was exhausted. From the yard the sound of the generator filled the evening air.

‘I thought you had gone to London,’ she said. She pushed the milking stool into the corner with her foot.

‘I changed my mind. Work to do down here.’ As always he was vague about his duties with the Ministry. ‘My God, I love the way you look in those dungarees!’ He moved towards her and swept her into his arms. ‘Irresistible.’

‘Get off!’ She tried to push him away.

‘Why? You know you enjoy it.’ He caught her hand and pulled her towards the hay store. ‘Come on. What about a little snuggle? I bet you’ve been working all day.’

‘I have, Eddie, and I’m tired.’

‘Just five minutes, eh? I’ve got a present for you in the car. Wait till you see it.’

He pushed the door closed behind them and set to work undoing the straps of the dungarees and pulling them down. ‘Your mum is out. I checked.’ He nuzzled her neck, then her face as he began to unbutton her blouse.

At first she didn’t resist; she enjoyed sex, except the whole silly business with the johnnies, which she hated but insisted on. She might have been an art student, but she was not naïve and she had no intention of getting pregnant. But now, suddenly she did not want Eddie to touch her. She pushed him away. ‘Not now, Eddie!’

‘Oh, go on, you know you want to.’ He had his hand around her wrist and he pulled her against him.

‘No, I do not!’ Suddenly she was angry. She pushed him hard in the chest and surprised, he let her go.

‘Evie!’

‘No, Eddie! I am not in the mood!’

‘What about your present?’

‘You mean I don’t get the present if I don’t make love to you?’ Her voice sank dangerously.

Eddie shook his head. ‘Of course I don’t mean that. Don’t be silly.’ He sounded hurt. He turned away and took a deep breath. ‘I thought you wanted it as much as I did.’

She was rebuttoning her dungarees. ‘Not now.’

He shrugged. ‘All right. Have it your own way.’ Somehow he managed to summon a smile. ‘So come on out to the car and I’ll show you.’

The present was a wooden box of oil paints. She stared at it wide-eyed. ‘Where on earth did you get this? It’s wonderful.’

‘I did a favour for a friend,’ he tapped his nose in the irritating way he had, ‘and he asked me what I would like as a way of saying thank you. I knew he was going up to the Smoke and I asked him if he could lay his hands on some oil paints. I have to say, I didn’t expect something quite so splendid.’ He leaned across and kissed her on the top of her head.

‘Evie! Eddie!’ Her mother’s voice rang out sharply from the kitchen door. They were standing by Eddie’s car and hadn’t noticed that Rachel’s bicycle was leaning against the wall. They jumped apart.

‘Mummy, look at this fantastic box of paints,’ Evie called out. She carried it over towards the house.

‘Wonderful,’ Rachel said. The look she gave Eddie belied the enthusiasm in her voice. ‘Are you staying to supper, Eddie?’

‘Best not. But thanks for the invitation.’ He glanced at Evie. ‘Enjoy the paints. I’ll call in in a day or two and see how you’re getting on with them. Don’t waste them all on the Scots cherub, will you!’

Evie froze at the words and opened her mouth to protest, but he had already turned towards his car.

‘Sounds as though he’s jealous,’ Rachel said tartly.

‘He didn’t like me painting Tony’s portrait to give to his parents.’

‘I bet he didn’t.’ Rachel looked at Evie with narrowed eyes. ‘Judging by the hay in your hair and the fact that your dungarees are not properly fastened, young lady, I suspect Eddie has a more than artistic interest in you. Do be careful, won’t you? I don’t want you bringing disgrace on this family. That would kill your father.’

She turned back into the kitchen so she didn’t see the flood of angry colour in her daughter’s cheeks.