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Authors: Tilly Bagshawe
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important part of her life.
As for Theresa Dexter, cocooned by her own blind love and distracted by the twin imperatives of her Shakespeare research and her efforts to conceive, such whispers as did reach her ears were dismissed as malicious nonsense. Theresa was used to other women fancying her husband. But as for Theo having an affair, well that was just nonsense. Theo loved her. They loved each other. Besides, why would he want an affair when their sex life was undergoing such a renaissance? Recently it was like they were newlyweds again. He could barely keep his hands off her.
“I can’t bear it. How can it be summer already?”
Sasha lay her head back against the picnic blanket and gazed up at the cloudless blue sky. Theo had driven her out to Houghton Mill, an idyllic village about a forty-minute drive northwest of Cambridge, for a romantic afternoon. Keen to discuss her latest research findings, Sasha had brought her laptop with her. Theo, needless to say, had other ideas. Unfolding the blanket in a secluded field, hidden from the lane by a high hedge on one side and a thicket of beech trees on the other, he’d asked her to take her top off and started taking pictures; from the front, from the side, and (his favorite) from behind, a glorious shot of her naked back with Sasha looking shyly at the camera over one shoulder. That had got him so hard he’d had to take her on the spot, bringing her to climax after climax with his mouth and hands before finally allowing himself to come. A light lunch of champagneand smoked salmon sandwiches had restored both their strength, after which they made love again with noisily blissful abandon. It made a nice change from sneaking around in Theo’s rooms at college, always half-listening for a knock at the door.
“I know.” Rolling onto his stomach, Theo picked seeds out of Sasha’s hair. “Every year seems to go quicker than the last. This term was over in a blink.”
“It’s all right for you,” moaned Sasha. “At least you get to stay here and carry on with your work. I’m banished from the lab for
fourteen weeks
.”
She made it sound like a prison sentence.
“Oh, so it’s the Cavendish you’ll be missing? Not me?” It was childish, but Theo felt piqued.
“I’ll miss both of you,” said Sasha truthfully. “More than you know.”
The thought of going home to Frant for the long summer filled Sasha with despair. Of course the village was still lovely. And she knew how much her father was looking forward to taking her around to the Abergavenny Arms and pumping her for information on St. Michael’s and her friends and the progress she’d made on her research. Sasha still loved her dad as much as ever, but the prospect of their long-awaited chat made her sad. Intellectually she was now so far ahead of Don; it was impossible to talk to him about her studies in any meaningful way. As for her personal life, the one thing she longed to share with her parents—her relationship with Theo—was completely off limits. Sasha and her father had always been so close; this growing apart was painful. Most painful of all, though, was being separated from her beloved research laboratory. And, of course, from Theo.
Sasha knew he’d agreed to start IVF with his wife, against her doctor’s advice and quite clearly against his own wishes. It was incredible to her how Theo could be so strong in all the other aspects of his life but so weak when it came to Theresa’s bullying.
But maybe I shouldn’t call it weakness. Compassion, that’s what it is. He knows how desperately she wants a child and he’s too softhearted to refuse her. Especially when she keeps blackmailing him with her depression, threatening to kill herself all the time. I don’t know how women like that live with themselves.
Theo had assured her that the chances of them actually conceiving a child were nil. That it was all a question of managing Theresa’s mental illness. That when she was well
As for Theresa Dexter, cocooned by her own blind love and distracted by the twin imperatives of her Shakespeare research and her efforts to conceive, such whispers as did reach her ears were dismissed as malicious nonsense. Theresa was used to other women fancying her husband. But as for Theo having an affair, well that was just nonsense. Theo loved her. They loved each other. Besides, why would he want an affair when their sex life was undergoing such a renaissance? Recently it was like they were newlyweds again. He could barely keep his hands off her.
“I can’t bear it. How can it be summer already?”
Sasha lay her head back against the picnic blanket and gazed up at the cloudless blue sky. Theo had driven her out to Houghton Mill, an idyllic village about a forty-minute drive northwest of Cambridge, for a romantic afternoon. Keen to discuss her latest research findings, Sasha had brought her laptop with her. Theo, needless to say, had other ideas. Unfolding the blanket in a secluded field, hidden from the lane by a high hedge on one side and a thicket of beech trees on the other, he’d asked her to take her top off and started taking pictures; from the front, from the side, and (his favorite) from behind, a glorious shot of her naked back with Sasha looking shyly at the camera over one shoulder. That had got him so hard he’d had to take her on the spot, bringing her to climax after climax with his mouth and hands before finally allowing himself to come. A light lunch of champagneand smoked salmon sandwiches had restored both their strength, after which they made love again with noisily blissful abandon. It made a nice change from sneaking around in Theo’s rooms at college, always half-listening for a knock at the door.
“I know.” Rolling onto his stomach, Theo picked seeds out of Sasha’s hair. “Every year seems to go quicker than the last. This term was over in a blink.”
“It’s all right for you,” moaned Sasha. “At least you get to stay here and carry on with your work. I’m banished from the lab for
fourteen weeks
.”
She made it sound like a prison sentence.
“Oh, so it’s the Cavendish you’ll be missing? Not me?” It was childish, but Theo felt piqued.
“I’ll miss both of you,” said Sasha truthfully. “More than you know.”
The thought of going home to Frant for the long summer filled Sasha with despair. Of course the village was still lovely. And she knew how much her father was looking forward to taking her around to the Abergavenny Arms and pumping her for information on St. Michael’s and her friends and the progress she’d made on her research. Sasha still loved her dad as much as ever, but the prospect of their long-awaited chat made her sad. Intellectually she was now so far ahead of Don; it was impossible to talk to him about her studies in any meaningful way. As for her personal life, the one thing she longed to share with her parents—her relationship with Theo—was completely off limits. Sasha and her father had always been so close; this growing apart was painful. Most painful of all, though, was being separated from her beloved research laboratory. And, of course, from Theo.
Sasha knew he’d agreed to start IVF with his wife, against her doctor’s advice and quite clearly against his own wishes. It was incredible to her how Theo could be so strong in all the other aspects of his life but so weak when it came to Theresa’s bullying.
But maybe I shouldn’t call it weakness. Compassion, that’s what it is. He knows how desperately she wants a child and he’s too softhearted to refuse her. Especially when she keeps blackmailing him with her depression, threatening to kill herself all the time. I don’t know how women like that live with themselves.
Theo had assured her that the chances of them actually conceiving a child were nil. That it was all a question of managing Theresa’s mental illness. That when she was well
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