Semi-Detached Marriage Read Free Page A

much
co-operation I get.'
    'Mother's invited us to dinner on Daddy's
birthday.'
    'I should be back easily by then, but I'll
phone you anyway.' He put up a hand to push a stray lock of hair from her
forehead. Her face was flushed, her long hair dishevelled, and there was a
languorous, satiated look about her eyes and mouth. 'You look as if you've been
made love to,' he told her softly.
    Cassie smiled and turned her head to kiss his
palm.
    'Do I? How do I look?'
    'Like a smug, contented cat who's had a
saucer full of cream,' he teased her.
    She wrinkled her nose. 'I don't think I like
that.' Simon grinned. 'Didn't you? I liked it very much.' Balling her fist,
Cassie gave him a mock thump on the chest. 'That isn't what I meant.' But then
she was in his arms and he was holding her close. 'Hurry back.'
    He kissed her hard once, then more lightly.
'Dream about me.' Then he let her go as he opened the door. 'Don't forget to
put the chain on again. 'Bye, darling.'     
     She heard him greet the chauffeur, and then
the door closed and he was gone.
    Slowly Cassie put on the chain and turned
back into the flat. Suddenly it seemed very empty and very silent. She had been
taken to the heights of passion and then back to reality, and the transition
had been too fast; she felt empty now and strangely lonely. But then she
determinedly shrugged off the feeling and
    oo went into the
sitting-room to pick up their scattered clothes. She had been left alone in the
flat while Simon was away too often to feel alone or afraid now. She put the
clothes away and looked rather longingly at the bed, but first went into the
kitchen to finish putting the dirty glasses in the dishwasher and turn it on.
She shivered and pulled the bathrobe she was wearing tighter round her; it was
chilly now that the central heating had turned itself off. Tiredly she went
round turning off lights, and got ready for bed, pulling the duvet close around
her shoulders. Half asleep, she turned on her side and stretched an arm across
to the other side of the big bed, then remembered that Simon wasn't there and
curled herself up into a tight ball to fall immediately asleep.
    As a fashion buyer, Cassandra only worked
from Monday to Friday, hut whenever she got the chance she would wander round
other department stores to see what the opposition were displaying, so when
Julia phoned her late the next morning to thank her for dinner, Cassie
suggested that she might like to join her for a couple of hours of
window-shopping that afternoon.
    'Yes, I'd love to,' Julia agreed. 'I'm a
golfing widow today again; John's playing in some tournament or other. Only for
heaven's sake don't let me buy anything; John's threatened to divorce me if I
do!'
    Cassie smiled at Julia's mournful tone. 'Why?
Have you been overspending lately?'
    'So I've been informed, in no uncertain
terms. The trouble is I just can't resist buying something I really like. I
bought the most gorgeous evening dress in a little shop in Regent Street last
week and it was a bit pricey, I -must admit. Those little shops never put a price
on the things in their windows, then always charge the earth when you've tried
something on and they know you've fallen in love with it. And heaven knows when
I'll wear it, because John never takes me out anywhere decent anyway.'
    'Well, you'll have to take him out instead,'
Cassie replied half flippantly. 'Look, I'll have to go now. I'll meet you at
Oxford Circus station at two, okay?'
    'Fine. See you.'
    It was a good time to go window-shopping; the
January sales were over and the fashion departments were full of new stock. Cassie
browsed round happily for a couple of hours, making notes on anything that
interested her, while Julia was unable to resist buying a skirt and blouse, but
Cassie firmly stopped her from buying a pair of shoes and a bag to go with the outfit
'You’ve got loads of shoes, Julia, surely you've got a pair you can wear with
them?'
    'But none that are exactly this tone