Chapter 10: The Train

She looked at her watch for the fourth time in the last two minutes. The car crawled along, stopping and starting, hemmed in all round by the London traffic. She had phoned down to reception early that morning to arrange for a car to take her in good time to the station. The driver apologised once again for the state of the traffic and reassured her that there was still plenty of time to catch her train. She tried to believe him, but looked at her watch again in any case.

Just as she was about to abandon all hope of arriving in time, the traffic began to flow more easily and they pulled up at the station with only minutes to spare. She took her two bags, paid the driver, then careered across the concourse to her platform. Presenting her ticket and running down the platform to the first door, she hurled her bags in and leaped aboard behind them. As she slammed shut the train door she heard the guard's whistle and felt the lurch of the train pulling away from the platform.

Gathering up her bags, she made her way awkwardly along the train, looking for the seat she had reserved in advance. She struggled through three open carriages, the guard's van and the buffet car before she arrived in the first class section of the train and found an empty compartment with her name pasted on one of the windows. Sinking into a seat by the window, she heaved a huge sigh of relief and exhaustion. After she had regained her composure and repaired her hair and make-up, she unzipped one of her bags and found a book to read. Finding it difficult to concentrate on the words, she turned to watch the passing houses and fields as the train sped on.

A ticket collector visited her to punch a hole in her ticket and she enquired about the scheduled time of arrival. She finally settled to her book. One chapter into the biography, the train pulled into a station. She paid little attention and the train lurched into motion again. Presently, the door of her compartment opened and a man entered, with a large parcel and a red suitcase. He caught her eye and nodded a greeting.

"Do you mind if I sit in here?" he asked.

"Not at all," she answered, returning to her book. He hoisted his things into the luggage rack, then asked her if she would like him to put hers up too. She smiled her thanks. She returned to her book and he unfolded a newspaper. The journey continued for about twenty minutes in silence, save for the turning of pages, until a steward opened the door to offer them refreshments from his trolley. He bought a cup of coffee. She bought tea and a small packet of biscuits.

"Do you mind if I borrow your spoon when you have finished? He didn't leave me one," the man asked her when the steward had gone.

"Of course," she replied. There was a pause, then she held out the packet of biscuits. "Would you like one of these?"

"Well, actually I would love one. I should have bought some for myself."

"No, please. I shall only eat one in any case."

He enquired if she was travelling far and they established they were both going to the train's final destination. She asked if he was travelling on business. He told her he had been at a conference. She told him she had been shopping in London and was on her way home.

Both rather shy of talking to a stranger, yet glad of the company, they fell into conversation about books and music and travelling and the miles passed. At lunch time, they took it in turns to mind each other's bags, while they each went to the buffet car and brought back something to eat. They swapped sandwiches and shared a half bottle of wine he had bought as they talked about the countryside, her book and the state of the railway system. Eventually they fell into an after-lunch quietness, his eyes closed and his head nodded onto the headrest in the corner.

She watched him while he slept. His hair was fair and fell into waves. He had a kind face, which rested into a sweetness which was not in the least feminine. He had a strong muscular figure; she thought he must be a powerful man. As she turned to watch the scenery pass by, she drifted into a delicious daydream. After a while her eyes fell closed as she embraced the ideas which came to her unbidden, but which she enjoyed and allowed to grow. The train lurched over some points and she looked up to see him watching her. Shyly she looked away, but could not help looking back at him to find him smiling at her. A little flustered, she got up and said she was going to get some coffee and offered to get some for him. He readily agreed and she left him to visit the toilet, then buy them both coffee and cakes.

When she had left the compartment, the blinds of the windows on either side of the compartment door had been pulled down. As she returned, she noticed that the central blind too had been pulled down. As she put down the cups, the train lurched again, causing her to fall against his legs. Embarrassed apologies, shy laughter, then she regained her place in opposite him. As they drank their coffee and talked, they began to make longer eye contact. She could feel his attraction to her and she was finding it hard to ignore the signs in herself.

He began to pay her compliments, which she accepted gracefully and returned in kind. They began to imitate each other's body language, unaware of it, but relentlessly drawn to each other as a result of it. After a few minutes of this he leaned forward and rested his hand on her leg.