Page 49 of An Unholy Affair
‘Okay, the thing to remember is that faces are based, more-or-less, on symmetry. If you get the basics in place, then you can start to add detail. Have you got paper and a pencil?’
She picked up a sketch pad from a table, along with a pencil, and handed them to him.
‘Can I show you what I mean?’ he asked.
‘Yes, please.’
Eveline stood beside him and he bit the inside of his cheek to counter the thrum of awareness running through his body.
‘Okay, so I’m going to draw an oval, which is the basic face shape.’ He ran the pencil across the page in confident movements. ‘Now, we bisect the oval vertically and horizontally. We always think the eyes are further up in the head, but they’re actually about halfway down.’
She moved closer. ‘Oh, I see.’
Warmth emanated from her, as if she was touching him. Blood roared through his veins, heading south at the speed of sound.
He stepped back. ‘Look, why don’t you sit down, and I’ll do a quick sketch of you. It won’t take long, and then you can see how it all fits together.’
Glancing around, she seemed unsure. ‘Where should I sit?’
He brought a chair to the window. ‘Natural light and facing north. This is perfect.’
She carefully sat. ‘What do you want me to do?’
‘Nothing. Just get comfortable.’ He smiled. ‘You can look at me, or over my shoulder. Wherever feels right.’
She gazed straight at him and his heart jumped in his chest.
Focus!Turning the page, he took a breath. His father may have beaten art out of him by the time he finished primary school, but when he left Foxbrooke Secondary and the UK, he started again. Art didn’t turn out to be his job, but it was his refuge.
As the pencil skated across the page, Jack let his eyes, hand and brain work as one. He could lose himself for hours when he sketched or painted, but now, drawing Eveline, he reached a new plane of awareness. It was as if everything that had gone before was simply preparation for this moment, when his talent could do justice to the beauty of the woman before him.
His heart thudded rhythmically in his chest, beating out time as his hand danced over the paper.Don’t think about how long it might take, or what she might think of it.Just keep going.
The phone rang loudly, and he jumped, the pencil skittering.
Eveline looked as shocked as he felt, blinking rapidly, then went to answer it.
‘Hello, this is the rectory. Eveline Shaw speaking.’
Jack turned to the table, finding a rubber and carefully removing the scrawl he’d just made, as Eveline spoke to one of her parishioners about the Remembrance Service from the day before.
She finished the call. ‘Jack, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realise the time. I have to go to another meeting.’
‘That’s fine, no worries. I got a bit carried away. Sorry.’
‘Don’t apologise. It was very …’ Her cheeks pinked. ‘Can I see it?’
His face heating, he passed her the sketch pad.
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. ‘Oh, Jack!’
Thrusting his hands in his pockets, he shrugged like an embarrassed schoolboy being praised in front of his friends.
‘It’s beautiful!’
‘You’rebeautiful,’ he mumbled. ‘I just drew what I saw.’
Her nose wrinkled at the compliment. ‘But you’re gifted! I’ve never seen anything this amazing before!’
