Cape Wrath by Paul Finch Read Free Book Online Page B

sweat-top down over her bare, still deeply-flushed breasts.
    â€œLook,” he said, “I didn’t … I mean, I don’t just want you for sex.”
    She gave him a hard, unsympathetic look as she grabbed up her socks and boots. “It doesn’t matter what you want, Alan. All that’s over, I’ve told you. I’ve found a new life now, and you should too.”
    â€œThis is insane,” he said, rising to his knees, trying to stop her. She weaved her way past him, however, and set off barefoot back towards the camp. “Linda … wait!”
    â€œThe others’ll be up by now, we’ve got to get back,” she said over her shoulder. “And for Christ’s sake, don’t follow me straight away … give me five minutes first.”
    He watched her go mournfully. He’d like to have thought he’d be surprised by this, stunned even. But in truth he wasn’t. Linda was an emotional girl, but she didn’t hang by those emotions. Anyone who deliberately bruised her could expect serious and prolonged payback. Not necessarily indefinitely, of course. She wasn’t that much of a basket-case – but while genuine contrition might eventually pave the way to forgiveness, raw animal lust certainly wouldn’t, no matter how neglected the girl’s own needs happened to be.
    Â 
    Alan gave Linda a good 10 minutes, before he ventured back himself. When he finally got there, he found the rest of the group in a state of intense excitement; so much so that no-one at all seemed to question their absence.
    One after another, artifacts were brought out of the chamber which defied any but the most optimistic level of expectation. The Professor herself uncovered two axe-heads carved all over with symbols of the Aesir ; Clive found a gilded bronze casket containing chess pieces fashioned from walrus ivory. Everywhere they searched inside the tomb there were priceless items. Barry – big clumsy Barry, came up with ornaments cut from jet, jade and bluestone. Immediately after that, Linda found a horse-collar of solid gold. There were emeralds as well, rubies, sapphires, superb objects worked in amber, antler, amethyst. As the Professor said, whoever it was that had been buried here, he’d sought to take his entire wealth to eternity with him. And as Nug replied, that definitely sounded like Ivar.
    Alan, though as impressed as everyone else, was finding it hard to share in their joy. Throughout the dig, in the midst of shouts and shrieks of amazed laughter, he remained distracted by the events of earlier that morning, and several times tried to get close enough to Linda to speak privately to her. For her part, the girl seemed to have thrown herself back into the mission with a vengeance. It was just before lunchtime, and she was sitting cross-legged beside the field-lab, dusting down a small idol, when he finally came up and crouched next to her.
    â€œHi,” he said, keeping his voice low.
    She glanced at him, then continued with her work. “ Seen this?” She held the idol up for his inspection. “Gerde, the giantess. The Prof reckons it’s solid silver. I’ll tell you, we’re re-writing archaeological history here.”
    â€œYeah. Very nice …”
    â€œShe’s talking about getting a forensic pathologist over, to date the bones. That’ll strengthen the case for this being …”
    â€œLook, sod the bloody bones!”
    Alan hadn’t meant to raise his voice, but it simply came out that way. He looked worriedly around, but none of the others seemed to have heard. Linda, on the other hand, was regarding him coldly, her mouth clamped shut like a trap.
    â€œI want to talk about this morning,” he said after a moment.
    She made no reply.
    â€œI’m … well, I’m sorry.” He hung his head. “For what it’s worth. I thought … you know, I thought you were fully consenting … I