[The Reason Why by Elinor Glyn]@TWC D-Link bookThe Reason Why CHAPTER XVII 10/10
But every pulse in his body was throbbing, and at last he could not control the overmastering desire to look at her. She raised herself a little, and began taking the finely-worked, small-stoned, sapphire pins out of her hat.
They had been Cyril's gift. "Can I help you ?" he said. "It is such soft fur I thought I need not take it off to lie down," she answered coldly, "but there is something hurting in the back." He took the thing with its lace veil from her, and the ruffled waves of her glorious hair as she lay there nearly drove him mad with the longing to caress. How, in God's name, would they ever be able to live? He must go outside and fight with himself. And she wondered why his face grew so stern.
And when she was settled comfortably again and the boat had started he left her alone. It was, fortunately, so rough that there were very few people about, and he went far forward and leant on the rail, and let the salt air blow into his face. What if, in the end, this wild passion for her should conquer him and he should give in, and have to confess that her cruel words did not hinder him from loving her? It would be too ignominious.
He must pull himself together and firmly suppress every emotion.
He determined to see her as little as possible when they got to Paris, and when the ghastly honeymoon week, that he had been contemplating with so much excitement and joy should be over, then they would go back to England, and he would take up politics in earnest, and try and absorb himself in that. And Zara, lying in the cabin, was unconscious of any direct current of thought; she was quite unconscious that already this beautiful young husband of hers had made some impression upon her, and that, underneath, for all her absorption in her little brother and her own affairs, she was growing conscious of his presence and that his comings and goings were things to remark about. And, strengthened in his resolve to be true to the Tancred pride, Tristram came back to her as they got into Calais harbor..
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