Chapter 5

(In Which James and Clementine make love in the mountains and Clemmy has a Nasty Surprise).

"And what do you think of my second home, Clemmy?"

"You mean Abhlovia?" asked Clementine, as the couple prepared to go to bed at the end of a hectic first day.

" It's clean and well run to all appearances. I'll say that much. But I get the impression of a place very much under the thumb. I'll be glad to get up to the mountains and breathe clean free fresh air! It's great to be with you again, though. I'm glad you still like me without my thighs on public view, but I think I'd be arrested in this Puritan country if I wore my favourite clothes. I wear short skirts and tiny shorts all year as a rule."

"Never mind that, Clemmy! I know what you're hiding under that covering! AS for your not liking law and order -you're a funny one! I bring you to a place where a girl can walk home at night in any part of the city and be safe and all you can do is moan about freedom. Freedom for who, Clemmy? For thugs and tearaways? Who cares if they get dealt with severely?"

"I think it's more than criminals who have to be careful. I can understand and read a fair bit of Russian which still seems to be the lingo around here, and the local press is deadly dull and gives nothing away. Give me the British tabloids and all their muck-raking any old day! And it's wrong that women can't show their legs in public. it's time these people grew up and came into the modern world, James. How you can come from a liberated place like Paris to a place like this and not notice how repressive it all is, I don't know!"

James frowned and looked uneasy. This young woman was too bright - too observant for her own good. At this rate she was likely to cut her stay short and go home. Better get her away from the capital before she said something she would be sorry for. He wanted that trip into the hills and to make love to her in the mountains. Like Clemmy, he had set his heart on it. It was as well for Clemmy she didn't know what else he had set his heart on!

After making love, they dressed and went for a late night walk around the few places of any interest and James heard Clemmy gasp in surprise as they passed a crowded bar.

"What's the matter, dear?"

"I saw Rashumba in that bar. And she saw us. My golly, but she looked really venomous. Her face might be on the mend, but her pride still looks pretty wounded! I wonder how she ended up here? Whatever happened to her, she's found some more clothes, and very nice expensive ones at that. It must have cost her a fortune to be dressed like that. I think I got more badly marked than she did, alas! Her face is almost healed by now, the lucky girl, and I still look a fright. Not fair, considering I beat her!"

"You look lovely to me my darling. That cut's fading fast and your nose isn't that bad, considering what it went through. You're still a lovely girl, Clementine!"

James cursed under his breath. He'd warned the woman to keep out of the way while Clementine was around. But of course she had to keep him under observation, even though she must hate to see him with the detested Clementine. But he had explained what he was doing and how important it was not to make her suspicious. Let's hope she didn't suspect anything and make a run for the airport before he had set things in motion! But Clementine soon forgot her recent rival's mysterious re-appearance in this of all places. She was tired of the city and just wanted to get up to the hills as soon as it was light.

They spent just the one night in the main hotel and the sex had been everything each of them had dreamt it would be. But Clementine knew that what they would experience on top of the mountain would be better still. Three years ago she had been on a school trip and climbed a rock in the Pennines with a boy from the same class. They had only kissed when they got to the top, but it had been the most exciting kiss of her life as the wind had almost blown them both off the edge. He had pulled away her upper clothing and fondled her breasts. It had been the most thrilling day of her life to date and now she was going to make love to the exciting James who would definitely not be content merely with fondling her tits. They were going to go all the way and leave out nothing during those moments of high altitude ecstasy!

Then it was understood between them that they would resume their own separate lives. James, though, had his own ideas as to what course, Clementine's life was about to take!

They drove up in a Land Rover and as James had promised they travelled pretty light. Clementine tried to contact Viola, but there was no signal. Never mind! They would be together again soon and this trip was turning out to be everything she had been promised. The country was pretty barren, at least this part of it, and Clemmy was enraptured by its stark beauty. As the mountains came nearer and nearer, she knew that she must scale the tallest and most hazardous and do it naked. She confided this wild idea to James who hooted with laughter.

"I don't advise it, my love! You'll get yourself cut up something terrible on all those sharp rocks. And you ought to carry some ropes, just in case."

But Clementine was adamant. They reached the foot of the mountain at dusk and spent the night in the open. It was still reasonably warm during the day, but Clementine was glad of James's body close to her during the night. After a camp breakfast, they approached the foot of the rock and looked up at the top so far above them.

"I reckon I can climb that OK, James. You go first and I'll follow. I guess you've done this before and I'd appreciate your leading the way. I'll get undressed while you get a start on me."

"I do think you're being foolhardy, darling. But have it your own way, as I don't doubt you always do." He thought of Rashumba as he said this. He'd fuck Clemmy on the summits, as they had both promised each other and then it was back to the city for him and as for her...

She watched James get about twenty feet up and marked out the way she was going to climb. This was pretty easy, she thought. A bit harder with nothing on her body, but she could do it - and get down again! As soon as she felt the rough rock under her bare feet she knew she had made the right decision. She felt she was almost making love to the mountain! By the time she got all the way up she was scratched in many places but otherwise unharmed. James had been there for several minutes. Nudity had slowed her down but not stopped her.

"How many more of these have we to climb before I leave" asked Clemmy.

"Another three. But this is the most interesting. It has quite a story attached to it. It will take time getting to the others. We'll need to do it on foot, alas and then get back here to the truck. I'm afraid you'll need to carry a bit of stuff on that strong but scratched back of yours! And now, let's make mad abandoned love!"

But Clemmy put her hand on his arm, just as he was about to start undressing.

"Hang on! I'm still a bit tired. While I'm recovering my breath, tell me story of the rock!"

"OK. Have it your way! In the Middle Ages -round about five hundred AD there was this hermit, a very holy man. He had a cave about fifty miles from here and was highly thought of - it was rumoured he had the gift of healing. One day he was tempted by a beautiful girl from the local village. She came to his cave one night as naked as you are now and he couldn't resist her charms. The Village had a bad harvest that year and the girl was blamed and burnt alive as a witch. He then came up here as an act of penitence and stayed up here for forty years. They would come and leave food and water for him every few days and sit at his feet imbibing wisdom and all that stuff. Then finally they came up to see him and he had died in the night. Apparently he wore no more than you are now! So he must have been a tough old buzzard."

"Wow! I'll say!" said Clementine. "How do you know all this, James?"

"Oh. The place became revered after the saint's death. Look over there!" James pointed to a rough crucifix fixed to a rock on the edge of the level summit. Clemmy had not seen it because James had been in the way. Her heart missed several beats and she felt deep shame to be here in this state of nudity. If only she had known!

"We can't have sex here, James. It would be sacrilege! Lets get down and quickly. You should have said and I'd have kept my clothes on to come up here. I like sex - don't get me wrong - but there is a time and a place for everything. This would be as bad as doing it in church. I'm going down now!"

James made a few efforts to make her change her mind and cursed himself for telling her about the bloody hermit. All that climbing for nothing. He went first and Clementine had still some way to go when she saw him standing at the base of the rock and photographing the last stages of her descent. She joined him, breathless and with a few more abrasions to add the ones acquired on the way up.