a swallow in full flight she joined in the dance，
e sound of cheers and shouting danced as she
r danced before. Her delicate feet seemed to be
arp knives， but the anguish of her heart was so
t she did not feel the pain at all， She knew that
:he last evening she was to see the Prince
; Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
n Presents first edition March 1985
173-10769-2
~rdcover edition published in 1984
Boon Limited
CHAPTER ONE
MARTA COLE opened her eyes， turned over on to her
back and stared up at a strange ceiling， one washed
with early morning light and the occasional flicker of a
shadow as the curtain at the window moved in the
breeze. She looked up at it for a long time and then put
her forearm across her eyes as if she could blot the sight
from her eyes. She felt despair wash over her in great
waves， and her insides felt as if their substance had been
scooped out， leaving her empty， hollow， worthless. She
had done what she had said she would never do， not
even when she was at her loneliest and lowest point， not
even when Blaine s death had seemed to be her own，
not even when her room had felt like a jail cell， its four
~alls blank and looming， the silence louder than any
voice could have been， the weight of it pressing against
h~aerS\"
man next to her shifted slightly， the bed sheets
rustling as he moved. She could only see a glimpse of
his profile; an unshaven cheek， dark lashes against
cheekbones， dark hair tousled on the pillow. He had
been nice to her， sympathetic， understanding her pain
as she had understood his. He was the victim of the
present popularity of divorce， a man whose wife had
left him， whose children barely knew him， whose
unhappiness equalled hers in depth and breadth. They
had comforted one another， she supposed. They had
smiled at one another in the bar， had talked over
drinks， had felt the intimate connection of sadness. And
then she had gone with him to his apartment， not
wanting to take him back to hers， knowing that what
she sought in the bed and arms of a stranger was a
burying of herself， complete oblivion.
It hadn t worked， of course. She hadn t been able to
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