Stepping into the bathroom, he turned her around to face him, pressing her lower back against the basin behind her. ‘I need you to do something for me.’ Again, a whisper. ‘No matter what happens in the next few minutes, I need you to stay quiet. Can you do that?’ The fire behind his eyes silenced her, and she gave the smallest of nods. ‘Angelo’s now in the kitchen sorting fruit. I told him we would be resting for a while.’
Sarah’s eyes briefly ducked to his hands as they moved to the towel fastened around her chest. Then, without breaking eye contact, he slowly unwound it and dropped it to the floor. His left hand found her lower back while his right hand traced a line from her cheek, down her chest, between her breasts and to her middle. ‘You are spectacular in every way, Sarah,’ he whispered while the fingertips of his right hand drew tender circles across her abdomen. Retreating ever so slightly, he took her by the hand and led her to the edge of the bed.
‘Just be quiet,’ he reminded her, gently coaxing her to lay back and relax. He moved up and lay down beside her, resting on his left elbow while his right hand continued its tracing.
Sure enough, her scars were visible. In the daylight, some were more pronounced than others, while some had faded to nothing more than a fine silver line. She shuddered expectantly under his gentle touch.
‘Want me to stop?’ he asked. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
In his mind, he counted seventeen. The worst of the scars were low, just above her pubic bone and puckered at both ends. Thick, knobbly and at least a handspan in diameter, he made sure he paid it extra attention.
‘Sarah . . .’ he started, ‘this is all beautiful, because it’s you.’
All beautiful.Sarah had never heard such deeply comforting words. It didn’t feel like Matthew was simply trying to placate her. It was more genuine than that. Reassurance was something she had always craved, but others had never voiced. Seeing him so attentive to her needs, she was glad that it was Matthew who had said it. Perhaps it wasmeantto be Matthew to break her from the hold that the scars had on her heart.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her wipe away a tear and took the moment to change his position. Now at the foot of the bed, he ran a trail of kisses from her belly button, down the front of her pelvis, then pausing for a moment before allowing himself to venture further.
Her approval was marked by the grasp she now had on the crown of his head, running her fingers through his hair as he took control.
With care and tenderness, Matthew brought Sarah to the brink, then as she came tumbling down, he tilted his head to peer over the line of her naked torso. He relished watching the waves of ecstasy ripple through her, feeling her twitch under his mouth and hands. When she was sated, Matthew gave her the space to be present again. Dropping his head to rest on her still quivering pelvis, he smiled, wrapping his arms around her thighs.
True to her word, Sarah had stayed quiet.
ventuno
Sarah was in the kitchen, flipping and turning the cooling jars of blackberry jam and tomato chutney, when something caught her attention.
She craned her head towards the open door, and the noise came again.
Dante?she thought.
Wiping her hands on her apron, she followed the distressed bleating to the stables. Dante was circling Beatrice.
‘Hey, sweet girl,’ Sarah said, approaching from the side as Beatrice dug at the hay-laden floor with her front hooves, clearly in pain. Giving her gentle pats along the length of her flank, Sarah did some quick calculations on the date: the goat was in labour. ‘It’s going to be ok,’ she reassured her.
Angelo was in Fiorellino, collecting gardening supplies, so Sarah popped back into the kitchen, grabbed two pairs of rubber gloves, a bucket of warm water and some tea towels. She found Matthew in their bedroom, finalising their new website, and he immediately ditched his computer to join her in the stables.
‘And how many times have you done this?’ Matthew asked.
‘By myself? Never. Watched on and helped on the farm? Around ten, I’d say.’ Sarah made her way back to Beatrice’s side. Her hooves continued to grate at the floor between bleats. ‘Not long now, I think. She’s doing that because of the contractions.’
Sure enough, within minutes, the first delivery began. Matthew watched on, mesmerised, as Sarah caught the little black kid and brought it round to Beatrice’s mouth. After a brief introduction between mother and baby, Sarah took a tea towel and used it to rub down the kid’s muzzle, clearing its nose. Once she was happy that the kid was breathing well enough on its own, she left Beatrice to clean it down.
‘She’s talking to it,’ Sarah pointed out. Matthew took note of the gentle whisper-like bleats of Beatrice to her baby. ‘It’s so precious.’
Matthew didn’t dare look away. ‘That was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen.’
After a few moments of quiet and stillness, Beatrice stood on all fours once more and returned to digging her hooves.
‘Another one on the way,’ Sarah warned. ‘Would you like to try this time?’
Matthew’s face suddenly cleared of his previous expression of joy, and he looked pale. ‘No. I can’t . . .’
‘Yes, you can. I’m here to coach you.’
Apprehensively, he took a step forward and put on the spare pair of rubber gloves. At the business-end of the operation, he dropped to his knees and, as calmly as he could muster, he said, ‘Hooves. There are two right here.’
Sarah stood behind him. ‘Good. It will be an easy one for her.’
