3 «Ad Vincula» means «in ..»?(Chains)
4 Tower of London is built upon the river of ..(Thames)
5 Tower Bridge wasn’t built until the reign of Queen … ?(Victoria)
6 What Abbey was King Henry VII crowned at?(the first of Tudors) (Westminster)
Romance in the Air
“Come here, Posy, and let me put some more sun cream on you, “I called to my four-year -old niece who was playing with her bucket and spade in the sand.
I had brought Posy down to St. Ives for a few days′ holiday while my sister and brother-in-law were abroad on business.
The Cornish beach was packed. It was a hot summer′s day, and, after months of being cooped up in the London office where I worked as a secretary, it felt marvelous sitting in a deckchair letting the sun get to my bikini-clad body.
Posy stood obediently in front of me as I spread the cream liberally over her and straightened the candy –striped sun-hat she wore to keep the brilliant sun at bay. She then resumed her tunnel digging and I sat back and read my thriller.
“Aunty Jessica! Aunty Jessica! make him give it back!” wailed Posy.
I signed. Now what? I looked up to see Posy and a small boy of about five sitting on the sand wrestling over her brightly painted yellow plastic spade. Both were stubbornly holding on with grim determination.
“Posy darling,” I entreated, as I got down on my knees beside them, “let him play with it for a while.”
I turned to the little boy and smiled. “Why don′t you give her back her spade?”
The child ignored this not unreasonable request, and, with one more tug, the spade was his.
While the dispute continued to rage I jumped up and looked round desperately for the boy′s parents. I didn′t have far to look. He was playing in front of the young couple sitting in the deckchairs next to mine. They were reading and, to my intense annoyance, totally ignoring the little drama being played out at their feet.
“Excuse me,” I said icily to them.
The man slowly lowered his paper. “Are you speaking to me?” he asked.
I caught a look of admiration in his large brown eyes as they swept over me.
“Well of course I am!” I retorted. It was hard being frosty confronted by such a good looking man. “Do you think,” I continued, pointing to the two children still squabbling over the spade,“ that you could possibly ask your little boy to give back our spade?”
The man tossed his paper onto the sand and heaved himself out of the deckchair. He was tall and athletic looking and his white shorts set his deep tan off to good effect. He took the scene in at a glance then strode over to the other side of my deckchair. Bending down he picked something up out of the sand.
“Perhaps this is yours,” he said grinning and, to my horror, handed me Posy′s identical yellow spade with its slightly dented handle.
I felt the colour rise in my cheeks with embarrassment. “Yes, it is, thank you,” I muttered. Hurriedly I reunited Posy with her spade and dropped into my deckchair.
“Sorry” to have been so rude,” I mumbled as I snatched my book from the sand and opened it at random.
“Oh, by the way…” said the man.
I peered over the top of my book at him and forced a smile. “Yes?” I replied weakly.
“There′s something you should know” .There was a broad smile on his face. ”The little boy isn′t with us.”
I nearly collapsed. “ I′m so sorry. It′s just that as he was playing at your feet…”
The man threw back his head and laughed. “Don′t worry,” he replied with a wink, as he lowered himself back into his deckchair and stretched out his long legs, “it′s a mistake anyone could make.”
At that moment a girl of about ten came up to the little boy. ”Darren,” she said bossily, talking him by the arm, “you know Mum said you were to stay with us.” And she smartly marched him off.
“I′m Martin Page”, said the man, leaning over and extending his hand.
“How do you do,” I replied, glad he had taken my mistakes with such good grace. “I′m Jessica Blair and this is my niece, Posy.”
“Clare.” Martin turned to his companion. “This is Jessica Blair, and Posy.”
Clair lowered the glossy magazine she was reading and, with a beautifully manicured hand, raised her large designer sunglasses. She threw me a smile that didn′t quite reach her blue eyes and promptly lowered the glasses back onto her nose. Idly she flicked through the magazine.
I noticed, not without a trace of envy, that, although she was fair like me, she had an even tan, whereas mine had gone a bit blotchy.
As Clare sunned herself Martin told me they were down from the London office of Kanes, the well-known group of grocery stores they both worked for. The group was holding a management conference at one of the big hotels.
I liked the way Martin looked at me and felt comfortable in his company.
“Isn′t it about tea –time,” said Martin. “How about an ice-cream?”
“Yes, please,” Posy and I chorused.
Clare shook her head, around which she had done something rather exotic with a cotton scarf. ”I hate eating on the beach,” she observed petulantly as she lubricated a golden limb. “I can′t stand all the grit that gets into everything.”
As Martin headed off the ice–cream, Clare didn′t hesitate to let me know that she and Martin were unofficially engaged. I took this news flash as calmly as I could and wondered why she felt it necessary to inform me that Martin was a no-go area.
Posy and I went for a quick paddle and splash when we had finished our cornets. Then gloomily I started to pack up our things to take Posy back to our modest hotel for her bath and supper.
“How long are you down here for?” Martin asked as he helped me round up Posy′s bucket and spade and other treasures.
“Until Friday.”
“So are we,” replied Martin. “That gives us another four days. Perhaps we′ll see you tomorrow. Will you be here?”
“Oh, Martin,” Clare chimed in, “you know we′ve got to attend tomorrow′s sales meeting . It goes on all day.” A look of satisfaction spread across her dissatisfied face.
The next morning promised another glorious day. Posy and I made for the same spot of beach as the day before. I just couldn′t get Martin out of my mind and hoped he′d be there too.
While Posy shoveled sand over my feet, I sat back in my deckchair and kept a watchful eye out for him.
Suddenly I heard someone shouting my name.
“Jessica! Jessica! ” Martin was running along the promenade calling and waving. Thrilled I waved back.
“I hoped you′d be here,” said Martin breathlessly, as he pulled up a deckchair next to mine.
“Isn′t Clare with you?” I asked as I scanned the promenade in alarm in case she might be walking majestically along to join him.
“No.” Martin gave me a triumphant smile. “I′m playing truant. I left her at the meeting. I thought I′d get a last breath of sea air before driving back to London.”
It was then I realized that he wasn′t dressed for the beach. I stared at him in dismay. “But I thought you said you′d be here until the end of the week,” I stammered.
“I did.” He shrugged. “But Clare thinks we ought to return to London at lunch-time. That means we′ve got another two hours until I have to go back to the hotel to pick her up.”
“I see,” I said, not seeing at all.
Martin pulled off his shoes and socks and rolled up the legs of his slacks. “Let′s go for a walk by the water′s edge,” he suggested brightly. “Posy can make some nice sand-castles with the wet sand and there are plenty of lovely shells she can collect.”
As Posy skipped ahead of us pouncing on any shell that caught her fancy and popping it into her bucket, Martin and I strolled behind her, the twinkling Atlantic lapping round our ankles. He took my hand and, shyly, I closed my fingers round his.
We walked along in silence. Martin suddenly stopped and kissed me. I drew back.
“No, Martin. Please don′t. Not if you don′t mean it. ” Confused, I quickly turned from him and joined Posy in her search for shells.
My heart was pounding. I was falling in love with Martin and he was unofficially engaged to Clare. ‘Don′t break my heart , Martin’, I pleaded silently.
“What did you mean about my not meaning it?” Martin asked with a frown when we were installed back in our deckchairs.
“It was something Clare said. That you and she are unofficially engaged.” Martin didn′t say anything. He drew his deckchair closer to mine.
“Listen, Jessica. Clare′s the daughter of the owner of the company we both work for.” Martin sighed. “I suppose you could say she and I are unofficially engaged. If I marry the boss′s daughter I ′ve got it made. Think of it, I′ll be travelling through life first class.”
Martin stopped and gave a short laugh. “Now I′m not so sure that′s what I want at all.”
“Why not?”
Our heads were close together and his eyes held mine.
“Because of you,” he whispered. Since I′ve met you, Jessica, I ′m not so sure that′s what I want at all. Do you know what I really want to do? I want to open my own restaurant in London.”
Martin′s voice was full of enthusiasm. “Oh I don′t mean one of those over –priced joints where the customers get ripped-off, but a place that sells good food at a reasonable price.”
“Isn′t it expensive to set up a venture like that?”
He nodded. “Yes, but the government′s still keen on people starting up their own business. I′ll be able to get a loan and a grant. In fact I′ve already made enquires. ”
“And what does Clare think about that?”
Martin picked up a handful of sand and let it run through his fingers. He told me he hadn′t mentioned it to Clare. It was either her or the restaurant. Martin explained that Claire′s father expected him to stay in the business when he married her.
“You see, Jessica,” he continued, “Clare′s father doesn′t have any sons and one day I′d be running the whole show.”
Martin leant forward and clasped his hands together. “If Clare of her father got wind of the fact that I was even thinking about not marrying her and leaving the business I′d be out like a shot. And I can′t afford that, I have to leave when I′m ready, when I′ve saved quite a bit of money.”
“But Martin, what about loyalty?” I asked.
“Loyalty is for wimps.”
“I thought I′d find you here, Martin!” It was Clare. She had appeared from nowhere and was standing with her feet planted firmly in the sand. ”What a sweet swimsuit you have on this morning, dear,” she said as she looked somewhere over my head.
While I was racking my brains for a clever reply to this patronizing remark, Martin jumped out of his chair and offered it to Clare. He and Posy played on the sand as I politely looked at the latest fashions with Clare in her magazine.
It was with a tremendous ache that I knew I′d never see Martin again. Oh yes, he talked about doing his own thing , but who on earth would really want the hassle of starting up their own business when they′ d been handed a fortune on a plate?
I hunted around in my beach bag for my sunglasses and rammed them on. Tears filled my eyes. Martin didn′t have my London address or phone number. He didn′t even know where I was staying in St.Ives.
And then it was time for them to leave. Clare linked her arm intimately through Martin′s and, like a wounded animal being deserted by its owner ,I watched Martin walk away without even turning back to wave.
Fighting the lump in my throat I dropped onto the sand next to Posy for comfort. It was then I noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the band of her candy-striped sun-hat. I pulled it out and unfolded it. In amazement I stared at the neatly written words: ’Jessica, phone me at the office tomorrow, Martin’. I pulled a surprised Posy to me and gave her a hug. “Posy,” I whispered, giving her a kiss, “every day′s going to be summer from now on.”
Elated, I spread out a towel and lay on my back, my eyes closed. I′d won. I’d got Martin. The look on Clare’s face, if only she knew, made me smile.
Slowly, the smile faded from my face and I went cold under the hot glare of the sun. I sat up, deep in thought. I could well imagine how Clare would feel, how I would feel. No wonder she hurried Martin back to London and away from me. I realized how much Clare must love him. I didn′t want Martin on those terms.
Something Martin said had lodged in the back of my mind -‘loyalty is for wimps’-so he′d just as easily flirt with another girl when with me.
I opened my hand and studied the note again. Calmly, I tore it up and dropped the pieces into my beach bag. I wouldn’t be phoning Martin tomorrow, or ever. Summer romances were like waves in the sea. They vanished without trace and
All you had left if you were lucky was a snap.
( Sandra Golding is identified as the author of this Work)
Assignments:
Ex.I. Answer the questions:
1. How did Jessica occur on the Cornish beach?
2. What was the dispute between two kids about?
3. How did Martin look at Jessica when he saw her for the first time?
4. What did Martin do before finding Posy’s plastic spade?
5. How would you describe the manner of behavior of the two young girls on the beach?
6. Why didn’t Clare hesitate to tell Jessica that Martin was a no-go area?
7. Why couldn’t Jessica get Martin out of her mind?
8. Why did Clare think they ought to return to London at lunch time?
9. What message does the sentence “ I’ll be travelling through life first class.” give us?
10.Do you agree with Martin’s statement “ Loyalty is for wimps”?
Ex. II. Use the required tense instead of the infinitives in brackets:
I ____ Posy down to St. Ives for a few days’ holiday while my sister and brother-in-law were abroad on business.( bring) 2. I _____up to _____Posy and a small boy of about five _____ on the sand ______ over her brightly ______ yellow plastic spade.( look, see, sit, wrestle, paint) 3. “Posy darling,” I _____, as I ______ down on my knees beside them, let him _____ with it for a while.”
( entreat, get, play) 4. He ______in front of the young couple _____ in the deckchairs next to mine. ( play, sit) 5.” _____ you ______,” I ______, ______ to the two children still_____ over the spade.( do, think, continue, point, squabble) 6.Sorry to ____ so rude.(be) 7. “You _____ Mum _____ you _____ to ___ with us.”(know, say, be, stay) 8. The group _____ a management conference at one of the big hotels.( hold) 9. I _____ I______a last breath of sea air before ______ back to London. ( think, get, drive) 10. If I _____the boss’s daughter I ____ it ____ .( marry, get, make)
Ex.III. Fill in prepositions or adverbs: in, without, for, through, of(4),out, up, on, into, As, over, from ,by, ahead
1.It was hard being frosty confronted _____ such a good looking man.
2.I snatched my book _____ the sand.
3.While Posy shoveled sand _____ my feet.
4._____ Posy skipped _____ _____us pouncing _____ any shell that caught her fancy and popping it ______ her bucket.
5.Isn’t it expensive to set _____ a venture like that?
6.Loyalty is _____ wimps.
7.Clare linked her arm intimately _____ Martin’s.
8.It was then I noticed a piece ______ paper sticking _____ _____ the band _____ her candy-striped sun-hat.
9.Summer romances were like waves _____ the sea.
10.They vanished _____trace and all you had left if you were lucky was a snap.
Ex.IV.Translate the following sentences:
Both were stubbornly holding on with grim determination.
It was hard being frosty confronted by such a good looking man.
I peered over the top of my book at him and forced a smile.
And she smartly marched him off.
She threw me a smile that didn’t quite reach her blue eyes and promptly lowered the glasses back onto her nose.
I took this news as calmly as I could.
Thrilled I waved back.
“ I see,” I said, not seeing at all.
“ Clare’s father doesn’t have any sons and one day I’d be running the whole show.”
Who on earth would really want the hassle of starting up their own business when they’d been handed a fortune on a plate?
Ex.V.What words from the text can be used instead of “answer” and “ say”?
6.Describe Jessica, Martin and Clare Give characteristics ….