Read Online The Secret Kiss of Darkness by Christina Courtenay - Free Book Online Page A

Time enough to break that piece of news to her in the morning. So she opted for a small white lie. ‘Er, he’s just gone out to get a few things, you know, aspirin and stuff.’
    ‘Well, you’re in good hands then. I’ll call you in the morning to make sure you’re on the mend, okay? Goodnight.’
    Kayla put the receiver back and lay down on the sofa again. She glanced over her shoulder at the man in the painting. His blue gaze seemed to mock her, but remained fixed. ‘Damn you,’ she muttered and punched the cushions into a more comfortable shape before settling down with her back towards him. Sleep was the only thing that could cure her. That and the aspirin.
    ‘
To die, to sleep. No more, and by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream, ay, there’s the rub
 
…
’
    The voice quoting Shakespeare seemed to echo round the room and once again Kayla turned to look at its owner. He looked very satisfied with himself and she frowned.
    ‘Communicating with someone is a wondrous thing, whether in a dream or in a wakeful state. I told you, it makes no difference. All you have to do is help me, whether you believe I can talk to you or not,’ he said.
    ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, this is ridiculous! You can’t be talking to me. I mean, it’s just not possible.’ Kayla felt confused and disorientated. She was an intelligent, rational woman and she knew paintings were not able to speak. Yet he persisted in tormenting her. Although she had been sick many times before, nothing like this had ever happened to her in the past.
    ‘Well, this could be a dream, or it could be reality. It’s up to your brain to decide. I don’t care either way. But you must help me, for there’s no one else. I had quite lost hope until I smelled your fragrance and realised you must have been chosen for the task.’
    ‘My fragrance? You mean my perfume? What on earth has that got to do with anything?’ Kayla had recently been given a gift voucher for an old-fashioned perfume shop in Jermyn Street; one that had been there since the eighteenth century apparently, and had bought herself a lovely floral scent. It was very girly and sweet, but she loved it.
    ‘Mmm, honeysuckle and roses,’ he said, sighing as if the thought of that perfume meant something to him.
    ‘That doesn’t make sense. Seriously, you’ve got me really worried now.’ Kayla put her face in her hands and rubbed hard at her eyes. This hallucinating business was scaring the living daylights out of her. Was she becoming unhinged? Could breaking up with your fiancé really have such a dramatic effect or was it just the bad oysters?
    ‘I can see you’re not quite ready yet.’ He sighed again, although with apparent exasperation this time. ‘So I would suggest you sleep for a while longer and try to overcome your prejudices. Then we will speak again.’
    ‘Prejudices?’ Her head shot up. ‘You think I’m—’
    ‘Well, can you deny it? You don’t wish to believe that I’m speaking to you because you have never heard of such a thing, and therefore your brain refuses to accept what it is seeing. That is being prejudiced, surely?’
    ‘No. I mean, I’m asleep. I’m not really seeing anything. My brain is making this up, so I don’t have to accept it. When I wake in the morning you’ll be a painting again and … oh, really, this is too much. I feel so ill,’ Kayla wailed and lay back down on the sofa and turned her back on him again. She really couldn’t cope with this right now.
    ‘You’re sure you don’t want to hear what I have to say?’
    ‘No, I don’t.’
    ‘Not even a little bit intrigued?’ His voice sounded teasing and Kayla was almost tempted to turn around and smile at him. Then she remembered her mind was making it up, presumably to make her stay in this dream world a bit longer.
    ‘I just want