The Perfect Retreat (16 page)

Merritt tried to interrupt her but she held her fan out as though it was a sword.

‘Shut up. I don’t expect anything from you, but I can’t play games. I don’t have the time or the energy. If you want to kiss me again, which I am pretty sure you do, then take me – because I’m dying here.’

Merritt started to laugh.

‘What? Do you think I’m tragic?’ she almost yelled at him.

Merritt pulled her to him. ‘No, I told you, I think you’re beautiful,’ he said. He kissed her hard and she fell into his arms, kissing him back.

‘We have to go,’ she said, pulling away from him.

‘Where?’ he asked, breathing heavily.

‘Anywhere.’

‘What about the film? Harold?’ he asked.

‘NOW,’ she demanded, and she pulled Merritt to her again, kissing his mouth so hard he thought she might bite him.

Merritt pulled her towards the stairs.

‘Wait,’ she said, pulling at her dress, which was caught on the stone balustrade. Finally it pulled free, and Merritt took her hand and dragged her across the grass into the darkness.

As they ran they stopped every few steps to kiss and Willow thought she might die from desire, but Merritt kept pulling her along by the hand till they came around to the outside of the house. Merritt stood in front of the wall and then felt inside a gap in the stone. He pulled on a handle and a door shifted open in the side of the house.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ exclaimed Willow, her desire forgotten for a moment.

‘Nope. Secret passage,’ said Merritt, and he pulled her into the tunnel. The door closed behind them. It was completely dark, and Willow stood scared for a moment till Merritt’s calloused hand took hers again.

‘This way,’ he said, and in the darkness she followed him, tripping on the rough granite, but Merritt caught her arm and held her up.

He stopped and pushed on a door with all his body weight while Willow stood there waiting, and suddenly they were in a bedroom.

‘Where are we?’ she asked, looking around the room. It seemed to be untouched: heavy wood furniture and a
four
-poster bed with a blue silk counterpane. Surprisingly, the room wasn’t dusty. ‘Why’s it so clean?’ she asked Merritt suspiciously.

‘The film production crew cleaned the whole house in case Harold wanted to shoot here.’

Willow felt nervous and silly in her dress in the old-fashioned room. She stood in front of the stone fireplace, her hands clasped in front of her.

Merritt stepped forward. ‘It’s my turn to speak now.’ He held his hand up to Willow’s mouth to stop her speaking.

‘I’m not famous or rich. I am the marrying kind. I was married once, but she cheated on me in a most spectacular fashion. It broke my heart. That’s why I travel. I haven’t ever found anyone that I wanted to stick around for. Till now.’

As Merritt spoke, he pulled at the pearl buttons that ran up her back till the dress fell open, and he slipped it off her shoulders. He kissed her collarbones and his tongue gently flickered on her throat. ‘What I feel is more than desire, and you can do what you want with that statement. I knew as soon as I saw you walking down the stairs as though you owned the place that you were exactly what I needed.’

Willow stood in her petticoat and slip and Merritt moved away from her and walked to the bed, pulling at his tie and undoing his waistcoat. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled off his jacket and sat in his shirtsleeves, part of his chest showing. Willow felt exposed and vulnerable.

‘Undress,’ commanded Merritt.

‘Pardon?’ asked Willow, her eyes widening.

‘Take off your clothes,’ said Merritt, leaning back languidly on an elbow.

Willow looked at Merritt as though he was a new man. Gone was the angry, bullying gardener. Gone was the
opinionated
man she had first met, and the gentle listening giant that had held her hand on the stone bench. Instead here was the sexiest man she had ever seen, in Victorian costume, in a room where time had stopped.

Willow smiled at him and pulled at the ribbons on the petticoats. They fell to the floor. Now she stood in Victorian bloomers and a camisole with a corset over the top.

Merritt’s eyes flickered over her and despite all her
coverings
, Willow felt naked.

She walked towards him and turned her back. ‘Unlace me,’ she said, and Merritt did as she asked. Taking it slow he pulled at each lace, gradually releasing her. Willow felt her ribcage expanding again.

Pulling off the corset, she stepped out of the bloomers and the camisole and stood naked before him, in nothing but the beaded headdress.

‘Jesus you’re beautiful,’ he said, and pulled her towards him onto the bed.

Pulling off his shirt while they kissed passionately, she ran her hands over his chest. He had the body of a man who knew what real work was, tanned and with chest hair and muscles that rippled under her slim hands.

They kissed again, and this time it was slower. Merritt worked his way down her body, kissing her breasts and stomach and between her thighs. Willow arched her back towards him and Merritt slipped out of his trousers and lay next to her.

‘How do you want it?’ he asked her.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked, her face worried.

‘You tell me what you want and I will do it. There are no strings, no expectations, so tell me. I don’t know you, you don’t know me. Let go.’

Willow lay still. She had never had this offered to her before, and she was unsure what to do with the proposition.

Merritt rolled towards her and leaned above her. ‘You tell me what you want. Do you want me to kiss you here?’ he asked and he kissed her left breast.

‘Yes,’ she murmured as he sucked her left nipple gently.

‘Or here?’ he asked as he moved over to suck her right nipple.

Willow grabbed his face and held it in her hands. ‘Enough with the small talk; just fuck me and we can fill in the blanks later,’ she demanded, and reaching down she found his cock with her hand and tried to guide it in between her legs.

Merritt rolled on top of her and she parted her legs; he entered her and she arched her back moving in rhythm with him. They flipped over and she straddled him and rode him with a fervour that she didn’t know was in her. ‘Jesus, oh shit!’ she cried as she came, and Merritt watched pleasure wash over her face.

She rolled off him. ‘Your turn,’ she said, trying to catch her breath. Merritt pulled her to him and, spooning her, he stroked her head. ‘Better now?’ he asked and she laughed.

Merritt started to fondle her breasts and she found herself moaning again. He entered her from behind and they moved slowly this time, without the intensity of before; he felt himself moving in and out of her wetness and thrust harder, pushing himself into her. She moaned with ecstasy and he whispered hoarsely, ‘I’m going to come. Come with me.’ Willow let herself go and went for her second orgasm with Merritt, laughing and crying at the same time.

Across the house, Harold watched the footage of Merritt and Willow dancing and then them on the balcony, filmed by the night vision hidden camera. He watched them talking. Arguing perhaps? he wondered, and then he saw them kiss and she fell into his arms.

‘Delightful,’ said Harold in the edit suite, and he clapped his hands together with joy. He sat back in his chair, put his velvet-slippered feet up on the desk, and took a sip of his warm, sweet tea. He raised it to the still on the screen,
of Will
ow in Merritt’s embrace.

Kitty stood in the ballroom and wondered where Merritt and Willow had gone. She felt alone and out of place, aware of the cameras and self-conscious. She wanted to disappear to her room and put on her tracksuit bottoms and warm cardigan and watch
Britain’s Got Talent
. I wonder if I snuck out if anyone would notice, she thought, and she edged towards the ballroom doors. As she tried to move through them she tripped on a cable and went sprawling into the hallway. Lifting her head she saw a pair of shining dress shoes in front of her eyes.

‘You OK?’ she heard, and she knew whose voice it was before she had tried to lift herself from the ground.

She felt strong arms lift her up and she peered into Ivo’s face.

‘Hello,’ he said, and smiled at her.

‘Um, hi,’ she said, and tried to pull herself together.

Ivo glanced down at her and then looked back at her face. ‘Your breasts are lovely, but I don’t think it’s quite in keeping with current fashion.’

Kitty frowned at him. ‘This is how they wore it back then,’ she said huffily.

‘Really?’ smiled Ivo. He stood back, crossed his arms and looked down at her chest.

Kitty stared at him. ‘Are you alright?’ she asked.

‘Fine actually. I could stare at your breast all day if you let me.’

Kitty looked down and saw that part of her breast had fallen out of her dress when she had tripped and the edge of her nipple was on display. ‘Fuck,’ she said and tried to tuck it back in.

‘Yes please,’ said Ivo.

‘What?’ She looked at him horrified.

‘I thought you were offering, displaying your wares et cetera,’ laughed Ivo.

‘You’re gross,’ said Kitty, reprimanding herself for liking such a lascivious prick. Clearly he was just like every other guy she knew.

‘Not gross, but horny, definitely,’ he said, and Kitty made a face at him.

‘Go away. To think, all these years,’ she said, shaking her head as she walked away.

‘Kitty, Kitty!’ She heard a female voice call her name and turned to see the babysitter Willow had hired from an agency in London walking quickly towards her.

‘Hi. Is everything alright?’ Kitty asked.

‘Not really. It’s Lucian. He refuses to go to bed and instead he’s under it and he won’t come out,’ she said, exasperated. ‘I’m sorry to interrupt you.’

‘Oh, it’s OK. I was coming upstairs anyway,’ she said pointedly to Ivo who was watching with interest.

‘You go back to your hotel and I’ll take care of it,’ said Kitty.

‘You sure?’ asked the woman, obviously happy to be away from the child who didn’t speak.

‘It’s fine. Get your things and I’ll sort it out,’ said Kitty as she followed the babysitter up the stairs to the children’s rooms. The woman grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs, only too happy to get away.

Kitty went to her room, pulled off the dress, put on her tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt and cardigan and padded into Poppy and Lucian’s room. Ivo watched her from the corner of the hallway. She was unaware of his presence, and she left the bedroom door open.

Poppy was sleeping peacefully in one of the twin beds. Kitty sat on the floor.

‘Hello Luce. It’s Kits. How are things under the bed? Find any treasures like Poppy?’ she asked gently.

Silence greeted her questions, so Kitty tried a new tactic. ‘Lucian, how about you come out and we go on an adventure?’

Lucian remained under the bed. Kitty had a flash of
inspiration
and got up from the floor. She sprinted down to Merritt’s room.

Looking around, she opened his wardrobe, and reaching up to the top shelf she found what she was searching for. She came back quickly with her prize, and sitting on the floor she started to talk.

‘Poor Custard. Nobody loves him any more. What’s that?’ she asked.

‘Ah, yes, I know you miss Merritt, but he’s all grown up now. I don’t know anyone who can look after you,’ she said and waited. Silence greeted her. ‘You want someone to look after you? Poor Custard, I’m sure there might be someone here. I would ask Lucian but he’s under the bed and won’t come out,’ she said sadly.

Ivo stood hidden by the door watching Kitty as she spoke to a worn teddy bear.

‘Perhaps if Lucian would come out then he might be your new friend. I know that Merritt would love if he would help you, Custard,’ she said, and Ivo saw a small blond head pop out from under the bed. The small boy looked at the object of Kitty’s conversation and waited.

Kitty continued as though Lucian was still under the bed. ‘Don’t cry, Custard. I’m sure I can find you someone to love and take care of you. Perhaps Poppy, although you may end up wearing jewels and covered in crayons; or Jinty, but she only likes to suck things.’

Lucian darted out from under the bed and snatched Custard from Kitty’s hand.

‘Hello Luce,’ she said, as though him being under the bed was perfectly normal. ‘This is Custard. He was Merritt’s friend, but he has been so lonely. Do you think you can look after him for Merritt? I asked him and he said it was fine.’

Lucian held the bear close to his face as though he was inhaling it and he kissed it. It was the most affection he had ever shown anything, and Kitty smiled at him joyfully. ‘Will you take good care of him, Luce?’ she asked, and Lucian nodded slowly. Kitty felt her heart bursting.

‘I love you Lucian,’ she said as she scooped the small boy up and popped him into bed. ‘Now Custard is very tired and needs to sleep. Will you lie here with him while he sleeps?’ Lucian snuggled down under the covers and Kitty kissed his head. ‘Goodnight darling,’ she said, and she left the room, closing the door behind her.

‘I know you,’ she heard behind her and she spun around to find Ivo leaning against the wall.

‘What are you doing up here?’ she asked angrily. ‘Were you spying on me?’

‘Yes,’ answered Ivo simply. ‘I know you from Willow’s party. You helped that child leave the party when he was in some sort of train trance,’ he said.

‘I don’t remember you,’ lied Kitty.

‘Really? We spoke in the kitchen for a while.’

‘Nope, don’t remember,’ said Kitty as she walked towards the nanny quarters, where the heating worked best, desperate for a cup of tea.

Ivo followed her down the hall and into the room.

‘You shouldn’t be here.’ Kitty felt nervous in his presence.

‘Maybe, but the ball is boring and you are much more fun,’ he said as he walked in and sat on one of the armchairs. ‘You did well with the kid. He’s not right, yeah?’ he asked.

‘He’s fine,’ bristled Kitty as she set about making the tea.