A Lesson of Intensity: Season of Desire Part 2 (Seasons Quartet) Read Online Free Page A

violent shakes mean I can only say in a quavering voice, ‘I’m not stupid, I was c-c-coming to look… f-f-for you .’
      He stops brushing off snow and stares at me in contemptuous disbelief. ‘You were trying to look for me in that ?’
      ‘B-b-because… I thought you were… hurt !’
      He frowns, bewildered now.
      ‘I was… trying to help you.’ I sink down on to the planks nearest the fire. It’s died down to a glowing heart, but there is a good heat coming from it.
      When Miles speaks again, his voice is softer. ‘Well… all right. I appreciate your concern. But it was sheer madness. Don’t do it again! You were heading off course. You’d have missed the hut and could have plummeted down the mountain.’
      ‘Where were you? You were gone for so long, I didn’t know what to think!’
      He looks a little sheepish. ‘Okay – maybe I did take longer than I should have. The storm hadn’t started in earnest when I set out, and I went further than I intended. The conditions changed so fast, I could only get back slowly.’
      My shakes are subsiding a little. ‘But how did you get back?’ I ask. ‘It was impossible to see anything.’
      He makes an impatient expression at me as he takes off his jacket and lies it on the planks to dry. ‘I’m trained for this kind of survival. I’ve got ways of orienting myself. And, more importantly, I’ve got this.’ He rolls back his jumper sleeve and I can see a black chunky watch on his wrist. I noticed it earlier, I realise, when he took off his shirt: a particularly masculine kind of watch, multi-faced with dials and gadgets. ‘It’s got a compass,’ he explains, and smiles suddenly. ‘I wouldn’t really think about venturing out in dodgy conditions without one.’
      ‘I’ll ask for one for Christmas,’ I return.
      He laughs. ‘You should. Maybe I should teach you a bit about survival. Then you’ll think twice before going out into a storm like that with no equipment.’
      I say softly, ‘I’m sure there’s lots you could teach me.’
      The atmosphere is instantly charged and he goes very still. He looks away and says in a terse voice, ‘I’m not sure you’d like me teaching you anything. You prefer giving the orders, from what I’ve seen.’
      I gaze at him, willing him to look at me. The snow is gone from his dark hair now but it’s left it damp and I have a wild desire to run my fingers through it. The expression in his eyes is hidden from me by the hoods of his eyelids and the shadow cast by his strong brow. He sits down opposite me, planting his feet firmly down, and clasping his hands. His mouth has turned into a straight serious line and he’s looking anywhere else but at my face.
      I feel nervous and shaky inside. I’m about to do something that doesn’t come naturally to me. ‘Miles…’
      ‘Mmm?’ He’s still not looking at me, gazing instead at the dirt floor of the hut, frowning.
      ‘I… I want to say something—’
      He begins to talk briskly. ‘You know what, we ought to be thinking about lunch. And I’ll need to get some more wood in. We can safely say that there won’t be a rescue today so we’re going to be here until tomorrow at least. If the weather doesn’t improve after that, we may have to think again about our options. Now – I’ll get the wood if you look through that chest and see what’s on the menu.’ He stands up, still not meeting my eye.
      ‘Miles – please look at me,’ I say beseechingly, stretching out a hand towards him. ‘I have to say something, please let me…’
      Miles turns his head slowly and looks down at me. I can’t read the expression in the blue eyes but they look darker somehow, the iris and the rim almost the same shade of navy. His lids are more hooded than ever as though he’s determined to keep his innermost thoughts hidden from me. ‘What is it?’ His voice is low, his tone short.
      I realise that there’s a huge distance