After supper, Blackie let himself be led into the library by Angela.
The fire had been lit, lamps turned on, and Angela directed him to the sofa. She sat in a chair, and said swiftly, ‘Claudie is bringing us cups of tea. We can relax here and let our food digest.’
He nodded, leaned towards the fire, and then swivelled his head as he spoke to her. ‘I do like a fire,’ he admitted. ‘’Tis cooler now anyway.’
‘There’s a bit of a chill in the air, I agree. I hope you enjoyed Claudie’s food.’
‘The best,’ he answered, with a small chuckle. ‘Never tasted rhubarb tart like that before. Her flavours are … unique.’
‘She has a secret recipe. It was a pleasure to prepare supper for someone. It’s clear you enjoy your food.’
‘I do, ’tis true. Perhaps because I often went hungry as a child.’
Angela nodded. ‘I guess it was a hard life in Ireland, from what other Irish friends have told me about their early years. Hunger and poverty.’
‘Sure and it was tough, and what food I could get was a preoccupation. I was lucky. I had good friends who were happy to share what they had with me.’
‘Where do you come from?’
‘A little hamlet in North Kerry. It doesn’t really even have a proper name. I was born there and left when I was thirteen.’
At this moment, Claudie entered the library carrying a tray, which she put down on the desk. ‘Shall I pour?’ she asked, looking over at Angela.
‘Oh no, that’s all right,’ Angela responded genially. ‘I can do it.’
Claudie smiled at them both and left.
‘How do you like your tea? With milk? Sugar?’ Angela asked Blackie.
‘Milk and sugar, please.’
A moment later, Angela placed the cup of tea on a small table, bending down to do so. She was so close to him, he could smell her perfume, a floral scent, and her gleaming white breasts were directly in front of him. Her closeness made his heart flutter. How he wanted her. He took tight control of himself.
Now Angela moved across the floor and poured herself a cup of tea and went to her chair, moving as gracefully as always.
Blackie tried to distract himself. ‘I must admit I am a little confused. Ye see, ye said ye grew up in Harrogate, but then mentioned ye lived in Upper Armley ’til ye got married.’
‘Oh, sorry, Blackie, that does sound odd, I suppose. I did grow up in Harrogate, and I did come back here to live with Mam and Sarah for a few months before I married Anthony. You see, he was a bit older than me, was in the Royal Navy, and he knew I might be lonely in Harrogate once he was at sea for months on end—’
‘But ye had your aunt there, didn’t ye?’ Blackie cut in. ‘Ye could live with her.’
Angela took a sip of her tea, her beautiful face serious for a moment. ‘I did, but she was frail by then, and Anthony was truly wise. He was looking to the future. He wanted me to find a nice little house here in Armley so I could be close to my mother and sister, perhaps if we had a family, I mean. And whilst he was on his ship.’
‘And was this the house ye found then?’
Angela smiled. ‘It was indeed, although it did take a long time to find the right one. Months. Still, it did turn out all right, didn’t it?’
‘More than that. I like this design, that I do. Ye see, I am an admirer of the Palladian style in architecture, and of course Georgian as well – that’s my favourite … I like symmetry in buildings.’
‘And mine has symmetry?’
He nodded, unable to speak. Angela had risen and was walking across the floor to him, a lingering smile on her face, her eyes directly on his. She sat down on the sofa and stared up at him. ‘Blackie, I would like … us to become … friends. Can we?’
Finding his voice, he said, a little hoarsely, ‘I want that too. Close friends.’
Drawing nearer to him, she reached out and touched his cheek. ‘Very close,’ she murmured.
He almost flinched as her long, delicate fingers stroked his cheek; he let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. His heart was thudding in his chest.
‘Open your eyes, Blackie,’ she said in a soft voice.
He did so, and looked at her, his dark eyes full of desire and yearning.
She gazed back, stood up in front of him, leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth. Instantly, he took hold of her arms and stood, kissing her as passionately as she was kissing him. They clung together, pressing against each other. They continued to embrace and touch and kiss for a long while. Finally they stopped, drew apart slightly and gazed at each other, looking a little shocked.
She spoke first. ‘Can we become very close now? Intimate? Why do we have to wait until we know each other better?’
‘We don’t,’ he said, his voice hoarse, stroking her breast, leaning forward, one arm still around her. ‘Can we find a different room? More private.’
‘We can. My bedroom. An intimate room for us to be intimate.’ She took his hand in hers and drew him up the stairs, across a landing into her bedroom. After closing the door and locking it, she leaned against it and opened her arms to him.
He rushed forward, embraced her, kissed her lips, her cheeks, and her forehead. When he finally stopped, he whispered against her hair, ‘Oh Angela, Angela, let us not waste another moment.’
‘We won’t,’ she whispered back, and slid her hand against his crotch. ‘Ah, you see, I knew you felt about me like I felt about you, the very moment I set eyes on you. We are meant for each other.’
‘True,’ he said, struggling out of his jacket, and then tugging at her sleeve.
‘Hurry! We must hurry,’ she murmured, and turned her back to him. ‘Just open four of the buttons, and I can slip out of it.’
With trembling hands, he did as she asked, then swung around and rapidly undressed, as anxious as her for them to be together. And all the time he watched her, as she stepped out of the long silk dress, threw it on a chair, and then shed her petticoat, her corset and stockings. When she turned to face him, she was naked, as she pulled out pins to release light-brown curls.
They virtually rushed at each other and began their passionate kissing once more, then staggered over to the bed, arms still entwined.
Once they lay next to each other, Blackie pushed himself up on one elbow and gazed down at her.
Her exquisite beauty entranced him … the finely crafted, high cheekbones; the arched, darker eyebrows; the perfect nose and a full, rather voluptuous mouth. But it was those extraordinary, very blue eyes that dazzled him, held him transfixed. He would never tire of looking at her.
It was Angela who pulled his head down to her face, and they began to kiss and touch each other. Their lovemaking was now in earnest, intense and deeply felt.
Together moving against each other, desire fuelling their emotions, they were carried into another place of lust and sensuality, with a hunger to possess and be possessed. Blackie had never known this kind of rapture, this kind of pleasure. But then neither had Angela, married though she had been. In a short time they had become besotted, had lost their hearts to one another, and their lovemaking soared.
They lay together, entwined in each other’s arms. Silent. Tranquil. Happy to be together. When Angela began to speak, Blackie changed position and pushed himself up, looked down at her, marvelling yet again at her exquisite face, the bluer-than-blue eyes, the tumbling curls that fell to her shoulders. He took a silky strand in his hand.
‘When can I see you again?’
She sighed a little. ‘I’m glad you like Harrogate, because I have to spend a little time there in the coming weeks—’
‘Why is that?’ he interrupted swiftly, taken by surprise.
‘Because a lady I used to make clothes for needs me to do quite a few alterations to important pieces in her wardrobe. I feel obliged to agree to do this. Lady Lassiter has always been so kind to me.’
‘Lady Lassiter!’ Blackie exclaimed, sitting bolt upright. ‘Is she married to Lord Robert?’
Angela stared at him, frowning, and nodded, wondering how Blackie knew them – or of them, at least.
Before she could ask this question, Blackie said, ‘They live at Bolton Manor, between Harrogate and Ripon. Near Studley Royal, sure and they do.’ He grinned at her obvious surprise, and added, ‘They also live in me little hamlet in Kerry, in the big house on the hill.’
‘What a coincidence!’
‘To be sure and it is, and I swear on the heads of the Blessed Saints that I’m as taken aback as ye are.’
‘So you actually know them?’
‘I do indeed, I used to do work in the garden for his lordship sometimes, and me cousin Siobhan is a maid for Lady Lassiter, and Michael, her brother, is a gardener at Lassiter Hall.’
‘Of course, I know they live in Ireland for half the year, but I never knew where.’
Blackie smiled at her, bent down and kissed her cheek. He said, ‘And so, now ye do.’
‘Can you come and visit me in Harrogate on Saturday?’
‘I can’t. I have to help my friend Finn. I promised. And my uncle is involved.’
‘Is Finn in trouble or something?’
‘No. But he promised his friend Tommy O’Hara to help a girl who came to Leeds, and got … sort of stuck with her cousin on the Bank.’
Angela sat up and gaped at him. ‘Oh, Blackie, Blackie, that’s an awful place! The Ham Shank. Very dangerous.’ She grabbed his arm. ‘Be careful. You must have your wits about you there.’
‘I know that! Me Uncle Pat is coming along. His friend Jack Blane will be with us, sure and we’ll be like a little gang. I shall be on me guard, I promise, Angela.’
‘Will you come and visit me the following Saturday?’
‘So ye will still be there?’ His eyes rested on hers, and he frowned. ‘Why are ye staying in Harrogate so long?’
‘To do the clothes for her ladyship.’
‘I don’t know what to tell Uncle Pat about going to Harrogate for the day.’
‘You could come with Sarah; surely he knows she’s a friend.’
Blackie nodded, but there was a worried look on his face, which Angela noticed. She said quickly, ‘You could say Finn was going, and you can bring him, you know.’
The cloudy expression on Blackie’s face faded away. ‘Finn would like that. He’s never been there, sure and he’d enjoy it. All right then. We’ll come with Sarah.’
Angela smiled, her eyes sparkling, and leaning closer, she put her arms around Blackie and held him tightly, filled with a kind of happiness she had never known.