Only as he felt the sudden fire in Yamina flicker into being did his lips become possessive and once again demanding.

He kissed her until the world whirled round them and she was conscious of nothing but him.

When at length he released her, he said a little unsteadily,

“How can this be possible? How can it have happened to me of all people? I do not know. I never saw you until a few days ago and yet now there is nothing in my life but you!”

“That is what I – feel too!” Yamina whispered. “But you are – right – it is – impossible! We can mean – nothing to each other!”

“What do you mean – nothing?” Lord Castleford demanded harshly.

Then he was kissing her again, half angrily, roughly, demandingly as he had done the night before.

Everything that was primitive in Yamina leapt to meet what was primitive in him.

They clung together, one person, until, as if the wonder of it was too intense to be bearable, Yamina put up her hand and laid it against his lips.

“Please – ” she begged, “please – don’t – make me feel – like this.”

“Like what?” he enquired.

Reluctantly, but knowing that she wanted it, he set her free.

She turned to hold onto the side of the porthole finding it hard to get her breath, feeling as if she was not only blinded, but permeated with the glory of the sun outside.

“It is impossible to believe this has – happened – but it has!” she said. “And yet we must – try to be – sensible.”

“Sensible?” Lord Castleford questioned. “What do you suggest we do?”

“There is – nothing we can do,” Yamina answered. “We arrive in Athens tomorrow and – after that we shall never – see each other again.”

“Do you really believe that is possible?” Lord Castleford asked.

“It is not only possible.” Yamina said, “it is what has to happen – but we must not make it worse. It will be difficult enough to say – goodbye to you.”

“Difficult?” he repeated with a sound that seemed to come from the very depths of his being.

When he would have put his arms around her again, she resisted him and moving across the cabin stood at the far end of it, her eyes very dark.

“Do I frighten you?” Lord Castleford asked.

“I am not frightened of you,” Yamina said, “but no – that is not quite true – I am frightened of you and of myself – of both of us – together! It is as if we have – suddenly been plunged into a – whirlpool and now we don’t know how to get out of it.”

Lord Castleford put his hand up to his forehead.

“Yesterday I thought I hated you!” he said. “But I think now that it was fear not anger that I was experiencing.”

Yamina did not speak and after a moment he went on,