‘I’m so sorry, Clem,’ Kerensa said miserably, pulling his head to rest on her shoulder. ‘I never meant to hurt you again, please forgive me.’

Several minutes later, he said, ‘There’s nothing to forgive, Kerensa. The only hurt I feel is yours at losing Pengarron for the moment. You see, I’ve been thinking.’

‘And?’ she said, as he raised himself to look down on her.

‘Kerensa, you and I weren’t meant to be lovers. A long time ago we very nearly were, but it wasn’t to be then and it isn’t to be now.’ Clem used a fingertip to run gentle little circles on her flushed, puzzled face and eased away the strands of auburn-red hair on her brow and temples. ‘We have a special love, my little sweet, you and I. We have a part of each other that no one else can touch or take away. It’s a love we can share on a higher plane of life to the physical act of love that would only destroy it. Do you understand what I’m trying to say, Kerensa?’

‘Yes, I think so,’ she found a simple smile from somewhere and used his favourite form of endearment for her, ‘my little sweet. A different kind of love to that of husband and wife, brother and sister and even lovers.’

‘Most of the time people need to fit their feelings into neat little compartments, parent to child, friend to enemy. But we have something completely different, something really unique, quite wonderful.’ He fell silent for a while, then asked, ‘Do you feel any better now, Kerensa, my love?’

She stroked his hair, twisting its silky fineness round her fingers. ‘Yes, a little… It was beautiful, what you said, I shall never forget it. Does it make you feel better, Clem? You looked so pained a little while ago. I thought I’d broken your heart again.’

He smiled so deeply his eyes shone with their deepest summer blue. ‘Since I’ve thought it through I seem to have come out of this better than you. I was still cherishing the hopeless dream that you belonged to me and I had the right to claim you as totally mine. Now I know I was wrong. Stealing one afternoon of lovemaking won’t make you mine and it would turn all we meant to each other sordid!’

‘You’re a wise man, Clem, wiser and stronger than I am,’ Kerensa said.

‘No harm has been done,’ and Clem chuckled, adding, ‘though no one would believe very little happened to see us like this.’

‘Not to mention what Mr Barbary would say if he came home at this very minute.’

‘He’s a nice old boy and wouldn’t jump to hasty conclusions.’

‘Clem!’ Kerensa couldn’t help giggling, ‘What else could he think? Our clothes are on the floor and we’re lying in his bed with nothing on!’