An Unexpected Affair by Jan Ellis Page B

for the dogs. Eleanor closed her eyes, and leant back against the tree trunk luxuriating in the sensation of the warm breeze on her skin and the scent of pine trees in the air. The effects of the lunch and the wine had made her drowsy and she was about to nod off when she felt a sudden weight on her knee. She opened her eyes in surprise to see that the dogs had thrown themselves down beside her in the shade and one of them had rested its big shaggy head on her lap. Christophe strode back towards her, his hands in the air in mock guilt.
    “Orson, bouge ! I’m sorry, but my dogs find you irresistible!”
    “How flattering,” she said, laughing.
    He shooed the dog away. “They have very good taste.”
    “You are teasing me now,” Eleanor said, laughing and trying to untangle her hair, which had suffered from the effects of the dusty walk. “I remember how mischievous you used to be.”
    He grasped her hands, suddenly serious. “I hope we can be friends, Eleanor.”
    “I hope so too,” she said, though she wasn’t sure what that friendship would be like. They shared a past, but now they led such different lives and lived so far apart. They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
    “I’m sorry that I left you and went back to London,” said Eleanor, surprised by the words that came from her.
    Christophe stood and made a sound like ‘boff’, shrugging his shoulders. “We were very young.” He sat down beside her again and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “But we were lucky to have such love in our lives, don’t you think?”
    She nodded her head. “Yes we were,” she said, putting on a pretend pout. “So you forgive me for leaving you?”
    “Of course,” he said, hugging her. “If you had not gone, I would not have married Rosanne and had Thomas and Elena, and you would not have met your husband.”
    She wrinkled her nose at that. “Hmm, exactly.”
    Eleanor had shared the bare bones of her former marriage over lunch. Now Christophe shook his head in disbelief. “I’m sorry to say this Ella, but that man is a fool.”
    She felt she should protest and outline Alan’s good points, but before she could speak Christophe had leant over and pressed his lips gently but firmly on hers.
    She put her hands to his face and closed her eyes, revelling in the moment, hoping to store the myriad sensations in her mind: the sweet pressure of his lips, the slight stubble under her fingertips, the wonderful scent of his skin. It was just one stolen kiss, but it was magical and forbidden and neither of them wanted to be the first to pull away because they each knew that there could never be another one.
    All too soon Christophe drew back, caressing her hair and smiling at her. “I should say sorry for kissing you, but that would not be true.”
    Eleanor felt the same, even though she knew it was wrong. She put a finger to his lips, partly to silence him and partly to stop him kissing her again, much as she longed for him to do it. She knew that she should feel guilty, sitting there under the tree, kissing a married man, but she couldn’t. At that moment, all she felt was happy. Seeing herself reflected in Christophe’s eyes, she felt desirable again.
    After a while Christophe got to his feet and stretched out his hand to her. “Come. Let’s go back to the house. Everyone will wonder where we are.”
    Jenna will be desperate to know what we’ve been up to, thought Eleanor as she took Christophe’s hand and they descended the path together, back to their families and their real lives.
    After they had all said their goodbyes and promised to keep in touch, Thomas drove them back to the hotel so it wasn’t until they were ensconced in their rooms that the sisters were able to talk about the events of the afternoon. By this time, Jenna was desperate to know what had happened between Christophe and her sister.
    “So, tell me all. You were gone for such a long time that I was worried Rosanne would