American library books ยป Other ยป The Knapthorne Conspiracy by Malcolm Ballard (best english novels for beginners txt) ๐Ÿ“•

Read book online ยซThe Knapthorne Conspiracy by Malcolm Ballard (best english novels for beginners txt) ๐Ÿ“•ยป.   Author   -   Malcolm Ballard



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do. Obviously Kyle was upset, to put it mildly. Should she go back to bed and lay there in case he wanted to carry on?  Or would that add insult to injury? On the other hand, should she go down to the kitchen and keep out of his way? Bugger laying there, she thought, reckoning that even if Mel Gibson walked in the room, naked, sheโ€™d have trouble getting aroused now. Where did I leave that brandy, she wondered, slipping into a short, silk wrap.

Having made herself a coffee and poured a brandy, she sat at the kitchen table listening for any signs of movement upstairs and also wondering how Ubix was getting on.

โ€œRemind me to pay more attention to your reactions to people, in future,โ€ she whispered to the cat in its absence. โ€œAnd take this as an apology.โ€ Having imagined, before the weekend, that by now she would be enjoying an exhausted sleep she couldnโ€™t help but smile at her situation. Then she heard what she took to be the bathroom door opening, followed by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Noises from the lounge seemed to indicate that Kyle was collecting up his clothes, then he went back upstairs. In her tired, frustrated state Bella was mystified. What was he up to? Surely not getting dressed? The question was about to be answered when she heard him coming downstairs again, The heavier tread of shoes, this time.

โ€œBella?โ€ Her name was shouted. There was nothing sweet or romantic about it and she closed her eyes before answering, not wanting to open them, not wanting to look at him.

โ€œIn the kitchen!โ€ she replied, as pleasantly as she could, and waited for his arrival. As she had suspected, he was fully dressed and she could only look at him in surprise but he spoke before she could utter a word.

โ€œIโ€™m going,โ€ he announced, tersely. The look on his face indicated that he was furious about something, but what? Surely he couldnโ€™t blame her for what had happened, Bella thought. And was that any reason to leave?

โ€œBut Kyle, itโ€™s the middle of the night, for Godโ€™s sake.โ€ It was a plain statement of fact, with no inference of any sort.

โ€œSo fucking what?โ€ he snarled. โ€œIโ€™ve never had anything like that happen to me in my life! Not fucking ever. Never! Do you understand?โ€ The sheer violence in his attitude appalled her and she suddenly felt her personal safety was at risk.

โ€œBut Kyle, that sort of thing happens. To most men at some time orโ€ฆ.

โ€œWell, itโ€™s never fucking happened to me before. Not with anyone else!โ€ He looked at her with utter contempt, as if she were the cheapest, ugliest slag he could have picked up and her flesh crawled.

 "Itโ€™s got to be you, or this fucking place of yours. I reckon youโ€™re right about it but youโ€™re part of it too, dโ€™you know that?โ€ The urge to attack her was almost overpowering. To knock her down, strip her and force himself upon her. Perhaps that was the only way he could have her, at the height of his rage with her submitting to his fury. His eyes misted over and he spun away from her, crashing into the kitchen door frame before regaining control and almost running for the door in the lobby. Bella sat at the table, absolutely stunned, waiting for the crash of the door, certain the glass would break, but the sound never came. What she did hear next was the sound of the Range Roverโ€™s engine starting up, then revving hard, the engine screaming. The tyres bit into the driveway as Kyle launched the vehicle away from the cottage, not putting the lights on til the last minute, nearly colliding with the first stand of trees. Even from the kitchen she heard him turn into the lane, the tyres squealing on its surface as he roared away and out of her life.

Bella burst into tears. More relief than anything else. She could never recall having been so scared in her life and considered herself lucky to have escaped in one piece. She began to shake, delayed shock setting in, and reached for the brandy. Ubix appeared from nowhere and Bella grabbed the cat like a drowning person would a lifebelt.

โ€œYou donโ€™t know how glad I am to see you!โ€ As she lavished affection on the animal, Bella remembered Ubix must have come in through the open front door and hurried to close it. All of a sudden, security at the cottage had become a major priority and she made a mental note to address it, after the weekend.

โ€œWhat a reaction, Ubix! And what a weird guy!โ€ She swore that the cat wore a look that said โ€˜I told you so!โ€™ The whole episode had been so unnerving that she couldnโ€™t settle. There was no question of going back to bed and trying to sleep, and she certainly didnโ€™t want to be in the dark, right now. For company, she put the stereo on low, a late-night classic hits programme, and made sure the portable phone was close by. It even occurred to her to take off for the rest of the night, find a motel, and come back later in the morning. But it had to be around midnight now, she figured, and where would she find a motel, anyway? The tears had dried up and she began to regain her composure, much like coming off a scary fairground ride and finding oneโ€™s feet back on the ground. Memories from the earlier part of the evening, after the meal, drifted back to her. Sensual images of intimate acts, a prelude to complete fulfilment. That part of it had been good, at least, she thought, with a sigh. If only it could have continued like that! It was as though she had been with a different person from the enraged man who had stormed out of the cottage. Bella curled up in one corner of

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