and inwardly digest.’
‘What’s that?’
‘“Who ever loves, if he do not propose
The right true end of love, he’s one that goes
To sea for nothing but to make him sick.”’
‘Who wrote that?’
‘Your alleged favourite, John Donne.’
‘He must have been having an off day,’ I said crossly.
Another boat passed us with a pretty brunette sunning herself on deck. Gareth wolf-whistled at her; she turned round and smiled at him, showing big teeth. Gareth smiled back.
‘Don’t you ever knock it off,’ I snapped. ‘Haven’t you ever heard of the law of diminishing returns?’
A dark green world slid past my half-shut eyes. The darkness of the trees over-arched the olive shadows and tawny lights of the water. On the bank was a large notice: ‘Danger. Keep Away from the Weir.’
‘It’s not the weir that some people should keep away from,’ said Gareth.
Beyond the weir, the surface of the river was smothered in foam, a floating rainbow coloured like gossamer.
‘Oh how pretty it is!’ I cried.
‘Detergent,’ said Gareth.
I shot him a venomous glance and started fiddling with my wireless. I’d given up listening to pop music since I’d met Jeremy, but suddenly I hit upon some grand opera, a soprano and a tenor yelling their guts out. I was just about to switch over when Gareth looked up. ‘For Christ sake turn that caterwauling off. You’ll wake up all the water rats.’
So I kept it on really loud to annoy him, absolutely murdering the peace of the afternoon. After an agonizing three-quarters of an hour, the opera came to an end.
‘What was that?’ bellowed Gussie from the wheel.
‘Don Carlos,’ I said.
‘Oh how lovely! That’s your favourite, isn’t it, Gareth? How many times have you seen it?’
The rat! The snake! Smiling damned villain! I couldn’t trust myself to speak. I turned over and pretended to go to sleep.
I was lying half drugged with sun when I heard Jeremy’s voice. ‘Octavia, are you asleep?’
I opened my eyes; the sky was shimmering with heat. I smiled lazily up at him. From the ribald laughter I could hear, Gareth and Gussie were obviously up at the other end of the boat.
Jeremy sat down beside me.
‘You must watch the sun. With fair skin like yours, you could easily burn.’
‘Oil me then,’ I said softly, turning over on my front and handing him a bottle of Ambre Solaire.
He put a dollop on his hands and began to rub it into my back.
I squirmed voluptuously. ‘Oh, how blissful. I wish I had a tame slave to do it all the time. Put lots on the tops of my thighs,’ I went on mercilessly. I heard him catch his breath.
When I had made him spin it out as long as possible, I added, ‘And could you possibly undo my bikini strap. I don’t want a white line across my back.’
His hands shook so much he had the greatest difficulty with the clasp.
‘Thank you,’ I said when he had finished, turning my head and looking at him. He was breathing very fast, and his eyes were almost opaque with lust.
The afternoon was perfect now. The water was plumed with alders and willows, and in the distance two or three pink farm houses dozed among the apple trees. The white spire of a village church appeared behind a hill and a plane sailed silver across the sky.
‘How remote everything seems,’ I said. ‘I can’t believe that this time next week I shall be in Marbella.’
Jeremy sat up on his elbow, chewing a piece of grass.
‘You will?’
‘And Sardinia the week after, and then I think I shall probably take off for Bermuda for the summer.’
‘Bermuda? Whatever for?’
I was taunting him now.
‘Oh, because a guy with whom I’m just good friends is mad for me to join him out there. He was even generous enough to send me my air ticket.’
‘Doesn’t it worry you at all? Living off men all the time?’
‘Who said I’m living off men? I give as good as I get. Anyway it’s only normal if one’s father rejects one early in life, to go round looking for other daddies, preferably sugar daddies and playing them up until they’re forced to reject you too.’
‘Don’t you ever want to settle down with one man?’
‘Not any more,’ I paused, making my voice quiver slightly. ‘Not since Tod was killed earlier this year.’
‘Gussie told me about that. I’m terribly sorry.’
A yellow butterfly shimmered over us. ‘That’s me,’ I said, pointing to it. ‘Always on the loose.’
‘So you’re really committed to the fleshpots,’ said Jeremy bitterly. ‘Drifting from one rich playboy to another. Dropping your knickers so you don’t have to drop your standard of living.’
‘That sounds exactly like Gareth,’ I said through my teeth. ‘It’s neither funny nor true.’
‘Maybe not. Now you can have as many minks and gold bracelets as you like, but what happens when your looks go and you can’t get men any more? Do you know how women like you end up, unless they’re very careful? They start making concessions in order to escape from their loneliness, then more and more concessions until they turn into a raddled old harridan that everyone laughs at.’
‘Why do you tell me these things?’ I hissed at him.
‘It’s only natural,’ he said in a low voice, ‘that I should try and run down all the things I could never afford to give you.’
‘Gareth could give them to me,’ I said.
‘What happened between you two last night?’ he said sharply.
‘Oh, you know Gareth’s reputation, and you think mine is totally beyond redemption, I’m surprised you ask.’
‘What happened?’ he said, seizing my wrist.
‘Stop it, you’re hurting me!’
‘Did you or did you not sleep with Gareth?’
‘No I didn’t, but it’s no thanks to you,’ I stormed. ‘Ignoring me when we arrived last night, avoiding my eyes whenever I looked at you. If anything was calculated to throw me into Gareth’s arms that was.’
Jeremy put his face in his hands.
‘I know, I know. Christ I’m in such a muddle. A month today I’m getting married, and I feel as though I’m going into hospital for a major operation.’
‘Well, that’s your problem, isn’t it?’ I said, fastening my bikini strap and getting to my feet. ‘I’m going to get a drink of water.’
I found Gussie in the kitchen eating biscuits and talking up at Gareth who was steering.
‘Gussie and I were just saying how much we were looking forward to sampling some of your famous cooking,’ said Gareth maliciously.
‘There’s a chicken in the fridge,’ said Gussie. ‘I wish you’d do that marvellous thing you did when Jeremy and I came to dinner.’
‘It’s a very complicated recipe,’ I said quickly, ‘and needs lots of special things I’m sure we haven’t got.’
‘We can get them,’ said Gussie. ‘Gareth and I have got a yen for Pimm’s tonight, so we thought we’d stop off at the village shop at the next lock. We’ll buy everything you need at the same time.’
I hope my dismay didn’t show on my face. While Gareth and Gussie were shopping, I had a good wash to get off all the sun-tan oil and sweat. I was just wandering into the kitchen to get another glass of water when I felt something furry run across my feet. I gave a scream. Jeremy came racing down the passage.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘Look,’ I screamed. A huge spider ran across the floor and disappeared under the sink.
