I secretly wondered what it would be like to kiss her, and if Henriette was as tender to her as she had been to me that night so long ago. I was so wr...pped up in my thoughts that I almost jumped when Henriette’s voice rang out. ‘So! She is awake now!’ ‘Yes, Henriette… she’s finally ready to eat.’ ‘Well,’ Henriette, dressed in a flowing robe, and carrying an aura of sweet perfume, sauntered across the room. ‘Let’s move these things from the table so that she can dine comfortably.’ ‘You don’t. Almost all of them looked relieved to some degree. I had the feeling that the least relieved were the ones whose capitulations were today, the rest were just glad not to have to wait as long.I then asked the ladies who were recommended to help run the ship to come forward, telling them to relax. I asked for six ladies, including Sally. Only five showed up, Sally was missing. I asked, "Does anyone know where Sally is?" No one did, but I had a feeling that she was probably on the bridge. I asked. Liz tried to cheer him up, but she was rather discouraged about her own marriage at the time. Their phone conversation made her feel better because Steven was a good listener. Before long she was confiding in him instead of the other way around. Steven started coming by for lunch while her husband Franklin was away at the office. Elizabeth had always prided herself in her cooking and Steven was appreciative of her talents. One day Elizabeth had confided in Steven her suspicion that Franklin was. Sometimes I wish I were not such a clot. Her flat was in Oxford Street, close to the Royal Infirmary. It was surprisingly spacious and well furnished with the first wall-to-wall carpets I had ever seen. Our own home in Market Harborough has nice Wilton and Axminster carpets like islands in the sea, with stained and polished floorboards all around. We went straight to the bedroom, and, without a word, started to undress. Ivy took off her suit and put it on a hanger in the large, well-filled.