Read Online A Hallowed Place by Caro Fraser - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Caro Fraser
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Anyway—’ she leant back and unfastened her hair, running her slender fingers through it a couple of times ‘—the best he can do now is try to get the court to grant him the access he wants. I’m certainly not going to. Which reminds me, I did say he could come down on Sunday and take Oliver out for the day.’
‘That’s fine. Give us an excuse to go into Bath and have lunch together, just the two of us. We don’t often get the chance.’ Charles wiped his hands on a cloth and pulled upa chair next to hers. He leant across, cupping her face in his hands, and kissed her softly.
‘Perhaps that doesn’t appeal to me as much as it does to you,’ muttered Rachel. She felt cross and tired. Seeing Leo had disturbed her. It was like reopening an old wound. That ache of loss, of having loved so much, the waste of it all. Still burning in her mind was the way it had felt when he touched her, the look of him. She could not, at that moment, respond to Charles in the slightest. It had never happened before, and she felt momentarily fearful. ‘I’m sorry,’ she added, glancing up at him. ‘I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just that I don’t want Oliver to go away every other weekend.’
Charles hesitated before he spoke. He had never expressed a view on the matter of access to Oliver, but had always secretly been rather in favour of Leo’s projected arrangement. Oliver was a smashing little chap and all that, but a fairly noisy, demanding one, who did get in the way sometimes. It was Rachel whom Charles had wanted for himself from the very beginning, even though he did accept that the baby was part of the package. The idea that Oliver should spend every other weekend with his father seemed to Charles an excellent one. Forty-eight hours free of crying, or babbling, or high chair rattling or spoon-banging. Sentences that could be finished. Sex that could last as long as they wanted, without Rachel freezing at every distant sound and saying, ‘Was that Oliver?’ Long, boozy lunches. Mornings when they could lie in. Walks that could be taken through the surrounding countryside without considering whether the terrain was suitable for Oliver’s buggy. And,best of all, Rachel’s full, undivided love and attention.
‘Perhaps it would be good for Oliver,’ he ventured. ‘Getting to know his dad, and so forth. Male bonding.’
Rachel shot Charles a glance of irritation. ‘He’s one and a half, for heaven’s sake, Charles.’
Charles shrugged. He wasn’t going to rock the boat. ‘He is indeed. And right at this minute he’s fast asleep and I have you all to myself.’ He drew Rachel towards him once more and began to kiss her again, but she pulled away.
‘I’m sorry, Charles. I’m not in the mood right now. I think I’ll go up and change, and look in on Oliver. I wish you could keep him awake in the evenings when I’m going to be a bit late. I do like to see him.’
Charles said nothing as she left the kitchen. He didn’t think he could begin to explain to her how blissful it was when Oliver fell asleep and silence reigned. The last thing he intended to do was to prevent it happening, even for Rachel’s sake.
Joshua was sitting with his friend, Damien, in a club they had gone to after Joshua got off work. It was one o’clock in the morning, and the place was still crowded and noisy. After a lull in the conversation, Joshua took a reflective pull on his bottle of beer and remarked, ‘I met this man tonight.’
Damien grinned. ‘Yeah?’
‘No - nothing like that.’ Joshua grinned too, then made a wry face. ‘I mean, I reckon he’s after it all right. In fact, definitely.’ There was a pause. Joshua gazed thoughtfully at his beer. ‘But he was different. He seemed interesting. Liked my paintings. Anyway, he wants to seeme tomorrow night, have a bit of a talk.’
Damien sighed and took a drink of his own beer. ‘They’re all after one thing, mate. Just take the money and run.
‘That’s fine. Give us an excuse to go into Bath and have lunch together, just the two of us. We don’t often get the chance.’ Charles wiped his hands on a cloth and pulled upa chair next to hers. He leant across, cupping her face in his hands, and kissed her softly.
‘Perhaps that doesn’t appeal to me as much as it does to you,’ muttered Rachel. She felt cross and tired. Seeing Leo had disturbed her. It was like reopening an old wound. That ache of loss, of having loved so much, the waste of it all. Still burning in her mind was the way it had felt when he touched her, the look of him. She could not, at that moment, respond to Charles in the slightest. It had never happened before, and she felt momentarily fearful. ‘I’m sorry,’ she added, glancing up at him. ‘I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just that I don’t want Oliver to go away every other weekend.’
Charles hesitated before he spoke. He had never expressed a view on the matter of access to Oliver, but had always secretly been rather in favour of Leo’s projected arrangement. Oliver was a smashing little chap and all that, but a fairly noisy, demanding one, who did get in the way sometimes. It was Rachel whom Charles had wanted for himself from the very beginning, even though he did accept that the baby was part of the package. The idea that Oliver should spend every other weekend with his father seemed to Charles an excellent one. Forty-eight hours free of crying, or babbling, or high chair rattling or spoon-banging. Sentences that could be finished. Sex that could last as long as they wanted, without Rachel freezing at every distant sound and saying, ‘Was that Oliver?’ Long, boozy lunches. Mornings when they could lie in. Walks that could be taken through the surrounding countryside without considering whether the terrain was suitable for Oliver’s buggy. And,best of all, Rachel’s full, undivided love and attention.
‘Perhaps it would be good for Oliver,’ he ventured. ‘Getting to know his dad, and so forth. Male bonding.’
Rachel shot Charles a glance of irritation. ‘He’s one and a half, for heaven’s sake, Charles.’
Charles shrugged. He wasn’t going to rock the boat. ‘He is indeed. And right at this minute he’s fast asleep and I have you all to myself.’ He drew Rachel towards him once more and began to kiss her again, but she pulled away.
‘I’m sorry, Charles. I’m not in the mood right now. I think I’ll go up and change, and look in on Oliver. I wish you could keep him awake in the evenings when I’m going to be a bit late. I do like to see him.’
Charles said nothing as she left the kitchen. He didn’t think he could begin to explain to her how blissful it was when Oliver fell asleep and silence reigned. The last thing he intended to do was to prevent it happening, even for Rachel’s sake.
Joshua was sitting with his friend, Damien, in a club they had gone to after Joshua got off work. It was one o’clock in the morning, and the place was still crowded and noisy. After a lull in the conversation, Joshua took a reflective pull on his bottle of beer and remarked, ‘I met this man tonight.’
Damien grinned. ‘Yeah?’
‘No - nothing like that.’ Joshua grinned too, then made a wry face. ‘I mean, I reckon he’s after it all right. In fact, definitely.’ There was a pause. Joshua gazed thoughtfully at his beer. ‘But he was different. He seemed interesting. Liked my paintings. Anyway, he wants to seeme tomorrow night, have a bit of a talk.’
Damien sighed and took a drink of his own beer. ‘They’re all after one thing, mate. Just take the money and run.
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