‘For a long time, Roddy?’
She saw him nod his head; and she bowed her own and began to sob, but without tears.
He murmured some low inarticulate exclamation, and took her gently in his arms.
‘Don’t cry, Judy. Don’t cry.... Darling, don’t.’
The tenderness of his voice checked her in an instant. His hand moved up and down her bare arm, lingering over its curves, tracing the outline with a touch that made her shiver.
‘Lovely smooth arm,’ he whispered. ‘You are so lovely.’
‘No.’
‘Yes. I think so. I’ve always thought so.’
‘As long as you think so, then—that’s all I care about. You—can have it all.’
‘Oh, Judy!’