He looked me in the eyes, then he half smiled. I could see his teeth sparkling like pearls. He took my face in his hands again and pushed a strand of my hair back, and then bent his face down to mine again. And gave me little gentle kisses on the mouth. Wow. Then just when I thought I might explode or burst into flames, he kissed me really long. And just a little bit of his tongue licked at the inside of my lips.

It was incredible.

I didn’t have any sense of time. It might have been hours or minutes, I had no idea.

But I knew I wanted to go on doing it.

Then I heard Ruby shouting in the darkness.

“Matilda, come back, tha daft apporth.” And out of the darkness, Matilda came scampering up the path.

Cain stopped kissing me. He whispered softly, “There you are, Miss. That’s given tha summat to think about, hasn’t it? See thee later.”

And his big black dog appeared from nowhere and looked at Matilda, who lay on her back with her legs in the air.

Cain laughed and said, “We’re in.” They both slipped off into the dark.

When Ruby huffed into view after Matilda and saw me, she said, “What are you doing up there, yer barm pot!”

I told her a bit of the truth. “Well—I came up here because I was worried about Cain. I thought he might be wounded. You know, and … the … gun thingy …”

I was glad she couldn’t see my face in the dark because I am sure it would have been purple.

As we went back down the path, she said, “Don’t be so daft, he’ll be alreet. Mrs. Bottomly couldn’t hit an elephant even if it had a target on it.”

I started to say, “That’s what he sa—”

But stopped myself in time.

When I got back to Dandelion Cottage, I felt like a woman. Not a girl anymore. I wonder if my corkers had grown because of the excitement? Maybe everyone will know that something has happened to me?

I opened the front door and went into the kitchen. Dibdobs said, “Ooooh, look at Tallulah, boys! What has she been up to? She’s been naughty, hasn’t she, boys?”

Oh no, she could tell. Are my corkers sticking out through my coat?

“Her hair is all wild from the wind, isn’t it?”

Sam and Max came to look up at my head.

Dibdobs was going on.

“She looks like Jane Eyre, doesn’t she?”

Sam said, in between sucking on his dodie, “Jane Hair.”

I laughed like a maniac and left them to their sucking. And went off to my squirrel room.

Holy Mother of God and all the Saints.

I flung myself on my squirrel bed and touched my lips, I could still feel them tingling. From Cain. Cain of all people!! Black, rusty crow Cain. Nose-licking Cain.

How could I?

He’s awful.

Awful.

But maybe he’s trying to be good?