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.So this was what kissing meant? This was why men wanted it and girls liked it, Elinor was thinking, for it stirred up so much feeling, so much pleasure.She knew, of course, what it could lead to, although only in theory, for it was true what she’d told Stephen: there had been no men in her life, and certainly no kissing.And certainly not what could follow kissing, either, though she knew about that, too.Had seen the lassies with their bairns, sometimes with wedding rings, sometimes not.So, in a way, she felt herself experienced.But this was her first kiss.‘You minded?’ Stephen asked anxiously.‘That I kissed you?’‘No.’ She put her fingers to her lip.‘I knew you would.’‘Oh, God, I knew I would, too.Look, I’m sorry.’‘Stephen, there’s no need to be sorry.I didn’t mind, I liked it, but now I have to go, eh?’‘Yes, of course.Of course, you have to go.The last thing I want is for you to be late.’They began to hurry from the gardens, hoping, in their moment of intense feeling, that no one would see them, or, at least, would take no notice of them, and no one did.Together, they ran across the road to Maule’s Corner, but when Stephen sighed and said he supposed he’d have to let her go on by herself, Elinor told him not to look so glum.‘I’ve thought of a way we could meet.’‘You don’t mean it! How, Elinor, how?’‘Well, you know I’ve been going home twice a month on free Saturday afternoons? It suddenly came to me that I could see you on one of ’em.I could say I had to go shopping, or something.Then we could meet, have tea, walk somewhere?’‘Oh, that’d be wonderful!’ His eyes were shining, his hand in hers, pressing hard.‘Oh, Elinor, what a terrific girl you are! When will it be? When can we meet?’‘I’ll tell you at the next class,’ she promised, and for a long moment they stood, holding hands, exchanging looks, until she pulled herself free and they both walked fast away, feeling, as their feet touched the old pavement flags, that they were walking on air.Twenty‘Oh, my, where’s the jug, then?’ asked Mrs Petrie, fixing her eyes on Elinor coming into the kitchen on a Saturday afternoon two weeks later.Lunch was over and Maisie was toiling over the washing-up, as Vera scrubbed the table and Mrs Petrie herself sat drinking tea by the window.Elinor, in her dark brown winter coat and large fawn hat trimmed with ribbon, stopped and stared.‘What jug, Mrs Petrie? What d’you mean?’‘The cream jug, of course! Don’t tell me you’ve no’ seen yourself? You look just like the cat that’s been at the cream – is that no’ true, Vera? Sal?’Sal, looking in from the scullery, blushed, nodded and retreated.Vera, setting down her brush, gave a thin smile.‘Aye, you’re looking very happy, Elinor.’‘Very pleased with herself, I’d say!’ cried Mrs Petrie.‘All this just to see your folks, then?’‘It is my Saturday afternoon off,’ Elinor replied smartly.‘I suppose I can look happy if I like?’‘You’ve looked happy for days, is what I’ve noticed.Got a secret admirer, then?’‘No!’ Elinor cried, a flush staining her cheeks.‘Look, I’m off.See you tonight.’‘Well, don’t be late.There’s plenty work waiting.’‘No need to tell me.’Elinor, closing the back door with unnecessary force, ran up the area steps with her brows drawn together and her mouth set in a straight, angry line.Oh, trust Mrs Petrie to try to spoil things, eh? Couldn’t let a lassie enjoy her time off without putting her spoke in, doing her best to cause trouble.Well, she wasn’t going to spoil this precious afternoon with Stephen, that was for sure.No, no, she must control her feelings, stop frowning, look happy – for she was happy, radiantly happy, to be snatching a few hours off with the man who would be waiting for her at Maule’s Corner.The nicest man in the world, in Elinor’s view.Aye, and probably would be, too, in Mrs Petrie’s, if only she could see him.How wonderful it would have been, if she and everyone else could have seen him, if he need no longer be a secret.But it wasn’t possible.At least, not yet.For now, it was best to keep him hidden, safe from comment, disapproval, and maybe envy.Yes, for now, that was the best thing to do.By the time she arrived at the familiar corner, she had smoothed out her brow and relaxed her lovely mouth, so that when she saw him waiting for her, leaping forward, in fact, to greet her, she had no worries that he would need to ask her what was wrong.For nothing was wrong, everything was amazingly right now that they were together again.As he took her hands and looked at her with shining grey eyes, she gave a little inward sigh.On that cold day, he was wearing a fine dark overcoat and trilby hat, which he had just replaced after sweeping it off at sight of her, and it seemed to her, as it so often did, a thing of wonder that anyone like him should be waiting for her.Yet mixed with that wonder was a little question.Why shouldn’t he wait for her? Why was it the way of the world that it should be so surprising? She knew it was, though, and as they stepped aside from the Saturday shoppers, her question died and her wonder remained.‘Oh, Elinor,’ he was whispering, ‘I was so afraid you might not come, might not be able to come, I mean.That somebody’d said you couldn’t have the time, or something.’‘Nothing would have stopped me from coming,’ she said firmly.‘But tell me, where are we going? I’ve to be back by six.’‘Six? My poor Cinderella.’ He laughed, tucking her arm in his.‘Oh, but I wish you were Cinderella, and then you’d have till midnight.Where are we going? To the station; we’re catching a train.’‘A train? Why, Stephen, you know we haven’t got time for train journeys!’‘We’re only going to Colinton, takes fifteen minutes, or less.There’s country there and a nice place for tea, so let’s be quick and get the tram to Waverley.’‘I’ve never been to Colinton,’ she told him as they ran for a tram.‘Is there really country there?’‘You bet.Why, it’s a village.Not part of the city at all, though they say that’ll be coming.’‘I’d love to see it; love to see some real country.’ As a tram rolled up and they took their seats, Elinor’s smile lit her face.‘Nearest I get to it is the square, but then I love that, too.’‘This’ll be different from the square, I promise you.It used to be our favourite day out, to go to Colinton, before my father died.’‘You’ve never told me about your father.’‘We’ve had so little chance to talk at all.’ His eyes were serious.‘But today, I want to learn all about you.’Her gaze fell.‘Nothing much to know about me, Stephen.’‘Now, why do people always say that?’ He leaped up
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