BETH
...I wake. Being in a basement, it´s hard to tell what time it is, but my internal clock tells me it´s the wee small hours.
What woke me?
There it is... the sound of laughter... it´s a low, joyful sound, Charlotte´s voice I think. In fact...
The sound comes from the door to one side of the bed Richard and I are sharing, the big four-poster. Someone has pulled covers over us, and we lie entwined; naked and comfortable.
As I stir, Richard moves with me, making a quiet, contented noise.
“Sorry,” I whisper, “didn´t mean to wake you.
He kisses me on the forehead, wrapping his arms more tightly around me. He´s feeling horny again, the evidence pressing against my thigh.
“Listen.”
“Mmm?” But he pauses, listening into the glimmering candlelight.
The laughter ripples through the half-glow, and it is clearly the sound of love-making, coming from the room next to us.
Richard chuckles. “They lead busy lives, don´t they?”
“Do you think we´re invited?”