‘Don’t you?’
‘No. I hope I wouldn’t have been all over Hitler, for instance.’
‘So stand up for what you believe in. Don’t apologise for your sexuality, Sarah. Own it. Don’t let anyone put you down for it.’
‘I’m not going to. I’m just saying that there’s a law against having sex in public places and, if we break it, there are consequences.’
‘A fine, a caution.’ Jasper shrugged. ‘It’s hardly life-ruining stuff. Don’t agonise.’
‘Do you seriously not care that all this is out in public? People might be labelling you an abuser right now. You might never get backing for another film.’
‘Yeah, like Roman Polanski didn’t.’
Good point. And Jasper’s actions were a million miles from that.
‘That’s wrong,’ I said. ‘The Polanski thing, I mean. You’re just a guy enjoying a consensual sex life with an adult … in a slightly illegal setting.’
‘Exactly. It’s nothing, Sarah. People with any sense will realise that.’
‘It’s just the bruises on my bum that people might want accounted for.’
He shrugged.
‘You can tell them what you want about that. You fell off a horse. Whatever.’
‘Is that what you want me to say?’
He threw up his hands for a moment. Lucky those East Anglian roads were so damn straight.
‘Sarah, for God’s sake, do you want it in triplicate? I don’t care what people think of us. If you want to tell them how you got the bruises, fine. I’m beyond wanting to keep this a silly giggly secret any more. BDSM is a perfectly legitimate sexual style enjoyed by consenting adults. It’s time everyone stopped being so immature about it.’
‘I know. I agree. But do you think society’s ready for that kind of honesty?’
‘I don’t give a fuck about society.’
I really think he meant it, too. I sat back and enjoyed the view. Well, I didn’t really. There wasn’t much of one. But eventually we turned off the straight road on to a track through brown field after brown field until a poplar-lined driveway rose from the flatness and swallowed us up.
His mother’s house was no less impressive than his own – a big rambling red-brick place with a clock tower.
She came out to the door for us and I was surprised by her. For some reason I’d been expecting Miss Havisham, but she looked far younger than she had any right to and was dressed casually in skinny jeans and a slinky jumper with animal print scarf. In fact, she dressed more youthfully than I did, and got away with it better than I could too. Perhaps she was some sort of stepsister or cousin or something? But no.
‘Mum,’ said Jasper, bounding up and squashing her into a hug.
‘Idiot boy,’ she said dryly, releasing herself. ‘What were you thinking of?’
Uh oh. Perhaps I should stay in the car.
But she turned to me and smiled in the most welcoming way imaginable.
‘Do accept my apologies for bringing this one into the world, won’t you?’ she said. ‘I’m afraid the common-sense gene passed him by.’
The reference to genes made me think of his twin, and my answering smile was probably a bit wobbly and weirdly over-sympathetic.
‘Oh, I think he has plenty to compens
ate for that,’ I said. ‘Hello. Thanks for inviting me.’
‘A pleasure. I’m Lavinia.’