Read Online Cassandra's Conflict by Fredrica Alleyn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Fredrica Alleyn
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other! Soup, Lucy, how perfect.'
Cassandra had been hoping for melon or a mousse of some kind. The bowl of steaming thick vegetable soup was the last thing she felt like eating and she glanced around the table for some water.
'Salt?' Katya asked, pushing the silver cruet towards her.
'Actually I was wondering if there was any water.'
'No,' the baron said shortly. 'Lucy, bring more wine.'
The candles on the table were scented, and the combination of the wine, the heat from the fire, the sweetness of the candles and the hot soup were nearly too much for Cassandra. She felt her eyelids begin to droop and a small trickle of sweat ran down her back. In the end she gave up and pushed the soup bowl away from her. The baron looked down the table at his mistress and they smiled at each other.
The soup was followed by roast beef, and the beef by a thick crusted apple pie served with clotted cream but while Cassandra simply picked languidly at the food Katya ate everything that was put in front of her with apparent relish. All Cassandra seemed able to do was drink, and since she never saw when the baron refilled her glass it was impossible for her to know how much she'd drunk.
At last, when she was so lightheaded with the heat that she felt sure she was going to faint, the baron pushed back his chair. 'We'll take coffee in the drawing room, Lucy. You may put out the fire now.'
Cassandra got to her feet and swayed. At once the baron was at her side, a hand firmly beneath her elbow. 'Come along, Cassandra. The drawing room's cool, you'll feel better there.' She leant against him, her legs suddenly turning weak as she tried to walk. Katya came to assist the baron but he waved her away with a dismissive flick of his hand.
In the drawing room the curtains were again drawn, but the air conditioning was on and Cassandra took deep breaths of the cool air then sank gratefully into one of the deep armchairs. Before coming down to dinner she'd pulled her hair back into a loose chignon, but the heat of the dining room had made it damp and strands had escaped and now clung to the back of her neck in rich brown swirls that made the baron long to reach out and lift them from the creamy flesh. He desisted. That would come later.
As Lucy entered, bringing the coffee on a tray, the baron withdrew to a chair in the far corner of the room, stretching his legs out in front of him. As soon as Lucy had gone Katya, who was sitting opposite Cassandra, leant forward in her chair. 'Did you try and think cool thoughts?' she enquired gently. 'You looked so hot all the time, and it really would have helped you know. I used to find it difficult, but in time you can learn to master your body in almost every situation.'
'I couldn't think of anything except how hot I was!' Cassandra confessed. Her head was still spinning and she was finding it hard to concentrate on what Katya was saying.
'Drink some of your coffee,' Katya urged her.
'I'd really rather have some water. I feel a little faint,' Cassandra confessed, horribly aware that her dress was beginning to stick to her like a second skin.
'The coffee will clear your head,' the baron remarked. 'Besides, how can you teach my daughters to discipline their bodies if you can't control your own? It all comes from here.' He tapped the side of his head. 'Pain, pleasure, comfort, discomfort, we can control it all, can't we, my darling?' As he was speaking he got up from his chair and moved to stand behind his mistress.
Cassandra watched over the rim of her coffee cup as his hands reached across the back of Katya's chair and slid onto her shoulders. She took a quick gulp of coffee. It was strong and a little too bitter for her taste, but at least it wasn't alcohol. When her cup was empty she replaced it on the small side table and leant her head back against the back of her chair. The room seemed to be expanding, and the figures of the baron and his mistress were expanding with it until they seemed to be almost
Cassandra had been hoping for melon or a mousse of some kind. The bowl of steaming thick vegetable soup was the last thing she felt like eating and she glanced around the table for some water.
'Salt?' Katya asked, pushing the silver cruet towards her.
'Actually I was wondering if there was any water.'
'No,' the baron said shortly. 'Lucy, bring more wine.'
The candles on the table were scented, and the combination of the wine, the heat from the fire, the sweetness of the candles and the hot soup were nearly too much for Cassandra. She felt her eyelids begin to droop and a small trickle of sweat ran down her back. In the end she gave up and pushed the soup bowl away from her. The baron looked down the table at his mistress and they smiled at each other.
The soup was followed by roast beef, and the beef by a thick crusted apple pie served with clotted cream but while Cassandra simply picked languidly at the food Katya ate everything that was put in front of her with apparent relish. All Cassandra seemed able to do was drink, and since she never saw when the baron refilled her glass it was impossible for her to know how much she'd drunk.
At last, when she was so lightheaded with the heat that she felt sure she was going to faint, the baron pushed back his chair. 'We'll take coffee in the drawing room, Lucy. You may put out the fire now.'
Cassandra got to her feet and swayed. At once the baron was at her side, a hand firmly beneath her elbow. 'Come along, Cassandra. The drawing room's cool, you'll feel better there.' She leant against him, her legs suddenly turning weak as she tried to walk. Katya came to assist the baron but he waved her away with a dismissive flick of his hand.
In the drawing room the curtains were again drawn, but the air conditioning was on and Cassandra took deep breaths of the cool air then sank gratefully into one of the deep armchairs. Before coming down to dinner she'd pulled her hair back into a loose chignon, but the heat of the dining room had made it damp and strands had escaped and now clung to the back of her neck in rich brown swirls that made the baron long to reach out and lift them from the creamy flesh. He desisted. That would come later.
As Lucy entered, bringing the coffee on a tray, the baron withdrew to a chair in the far corner of the room, stretching his legs out in front of him. As soon as Lucy had gone Katya, who was sitting opposite Cassandra, leant forward in her chair. 'Did you try and think cool thoughts?' she enquired gently. 'You looked so hot all the time, and it really would have helped you know. I used to find it difficult, but in time you can learn to master your body in almost every situation.'
'I couldn't think of anything except how hot I was!' Cassandra confessed. Her head was still spinning and she was finding it hard to concentrate on what Katya was saying.
'Drink some of your coffee,' Katya urged her.
'I'd really rather have some water. I feel a little faint,' Cassandra confessed, horribly aware that her dress was beginning to stick to her like a second skin.
'The coffee will clear your head,' the baron remarked. 'Besides, how can you teach my daughters to discipline their bodies if you can't control your own? It all comes from here.' He tapped the side of his head. 'Pain, pleasure, comfort, discomfort, we can control it all, can't we, my darling?' As he was speaking he got up from his chair and moved to stand behind his mistress.
Cassandra watched over the rim of her coffee cup as his hands reached across the back of Katya's chair and slid onto her shoulders. She took a quick gulp of coffee. It was strong and a little too bitter for her taste, but at least it wasn't alcohol. When her cup was empty she replaced it on the small side table and leant her head back against the back of her chair. The room seemed to be expanding, and the figures of the baron and his mistress were expanding with it until they seemed to be almost
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