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she heard him come in, then
felt the bed dip as he climbed up beside her, then, a little later still, his
regular breathing as he drifted into sleep. She lay there, oddly disturbed and
yet thrilled to her core by what she had seen.

Chapter 7

 
 
    The
morning brought brilliant sunshine and a more sober mood. Last night had
seemed almost magical, as if she’d dreamed the incident on the beach. There was
something about this island and Jed, some enchantment that was turning her
usually sensible mind fey and giddy. Or, maybe, she was side-tracking herself from the decisions she had to make back in her real life. Whatever the
reason, she was becoming fascinated by Jed, drawn to him, turned on by him.
Today she had to be firm with herself and spend some time in serious thought.
    But she hadn’t factored in the effect that spending the day
in his presence would have on her. He was keen to show her the rest of the
island - she suspected he was glad of the company, whatever he might have said
previously about liking being on his own - and she didn’t see how she could
refuse without sounding churlish and ungrateful.
    Consequently, mid morning saw them exploring the barrows in
the south. Here a wide beach swept up from the shoreline to merge into miles of
dunes, clothed in marram grass, which, in turn, led
onto grassy uplands. The tumuli themselves, six oval mounds, were covered by
wild flowers: clover, vetch, and tiny yellow blooms whose name she didn’t know
but whose sweet scent rose up as her feet crushed them in passing. There were
dozens of butterflies - Jed pointed out Common Blues, Fritillaries, and Orange
Tips, among many others - and the steady hum of bees provided a counterpoint to
the sound of the offshore wind and the distant voice of the waves. Despite the
brisk breeze, the sun was becoming hot. Something in Tamsin, some knot of tension,
anxiety or worry was beginning to unravel. The island really was paradise - a
place out of time and away from the common stream of everyday life.
    Now, he took her hand and leapt up the side of the nearest
barrow, pulling her after him, then proceeded to walk
its length.
    ‘Round about here,’ he said, pacing slowly to a point two
thirds of the way along, ‘it always feels like going through some sort of
invisible gateway. Can you feel it? It’s odd.’
    And she really could understand what he meant. Everything appeared
as it had been before, but it was as if they had entered another realm: one
that looked the same but that felt mystical and boundless. She was still aware
of the sough of the breeze and the melody of birdsong, but they were remote, as
if coming from another space. She was also acutely aware of Jed’s hand, which
was still wrapped around hers: its firmness and warmth and the fizz of
electricity that seemed to be sparking from his fingers to hers and back again.
Then, suddenly, his eyes were locking onto hers, drawing her in, rendering her
unable to move or even breathe for long seconds. She was aware of the lustre of
his skin, the pores where cheek flowed into upper lip, and the thick darkness
of his lashes,
    Then the spell was broken, he dropped her hand, walked a
little distance away, and she was back in the world, sounds and sensations
reasserting themselves, filling her with sun and sky, wind and wave. Jed was
his usual casual, friendly self. She almost wondered if she’d imagined the
connection between them seconds ago, but she knew she hadn’t. Something happened
to them when they touched, something that appeared to bond them on a deep and
inexplicable level. Or, maybe it was the magic of the island finding a channel
through them: some supernatural force that wove its way into their blood at the
places the old people had made. She looked at Jed’s retreating back, his wide
shoulders and gleaming curls, and he seemed so familiar, way more so than he
should have done after only a couple of days. A rush of longing swept over her,
so that she had to