Ocean's Trial by Carlton Demelza

Author:Carlton, Demelza
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Demelza Carlton
Published: 2014-08-14T04:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

William's warm body slid over mine, my panting synchronised with his. I kissed him deeply and it felt as if my heart would combust. He tickled my thigh and I gasped, wanting his fingers to travel further up and find...

"Maria, there's someone here to see you."

I swore as Merry's voice dropped me out of my pleasurable dream. I'd fallen asleep in the shade on the back lawn, but the afternoon sun had found me and heated my blood to boiling point. I levered myself up and realised I'd placed my hand on the book I'd been reading. The page now stuck to my sweaty hand. Swearing a little more, I pried it free, only to discover that my hand was sticky from more than my own body fluids. A chocolate-coloured handprint marked the page, beside the plate that had once contained a chocolate bar from Plaistowe's which had melted into a gooey mess in the summer heat.

I decided the book would have to wait, so I reluctantly moved into the shade of the laundry room to wash my hands and, after a moment's thought, my face, too. Only then did I return to the house proper.

The unmistakeable sound of Merry stirring the sugar in her tea guided me to the kitchen, where I found her seated across from...

"Lucy!" I cried in surprise. The teenager had grown up since I'd last seen her, but I wasn't surprised. The city engineers had rebuilt the broken rail bridge in that time and there was talk of building a new road bridge, too, though none of the road boards seemed to have the money to do more than talk about it.

Lucy smiled and set down her teacup. "Hi, Maria. How are you?"

We exchanged pleasantries and meaningless small talk for a few minutes, before Lucy finally revealed the reason for her visit.

"You remember how you were saying you'd love to go birding with me?"

Cautiously, I nodded. Where there were lots of birds, there was guano and the possibility of finding William.

"My brother's organised an expedition for the Naturalists' Club to the Houtman Abrolhos. Dad said I couldn't go at first until he found out that a lot of men are taking their wives so I wouldn't be the only girl there and I'd have chaperones. How old-fashioned!" She giggled. "Anyway, I remember how you wanted to come, too, and you're closer to my age than those old biddies...oops, sorry, Mrs D'Angelo...so if they get dull, we can go off and have some fun together!"

"I'd have to check that the Basiles can spare me for that long," I began, but stopped when Lucy giggled harder.

"Dom chartered their new boat – the big one, Stella Maris. Tony's offered to be the captain if you come along." Big eyes beseeched me, as I imagined they had Tony...and any other man she batted those eyelashes at. "Please come, Maria!"

"You've never seen any of Western Australia," Merry chimed in. "You should. The coastline's very pretty and I've heard there are some unusual fish up there.

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