Nikki Gemmell’s Threesome: The Bride Stripped Bare, With the Body, I Take You (90 page)

BOOK: Nikki Gemmell’s Threesome: The Bride Stripped Bare, With the Body, I Take You

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How strange and terrifying it must have been for those first British settlers, Connie thinks, as if an alien god had created this world to astound, to terrify: it sounds like it hurts to be in this place. She comes from a country of soft days, soft rain, soft light, where the morning quietly clears its throat. Australia’s not like that – it’s a full roar into the day and how she loves the exuberance of that. Through wide windows the garden greenery tosses in the sea breeze like the heads of wild ponies and nature presses close, she can feel the great thumb of it. She is as calm as an eiderdown, here, within it, an eiderdown lying snugly, quietly, in readiness for its bed. Connie sleeps deeply here, her nights unbroken, for her man strong beside her is like a cool trickle of water upon her soul and it is all bringing her into stillness, to rest, for the first time in her life; she is content, she is content. As she steps into a new life unbound, optimistic, freed, by the truth; as if a great corset has been unloosed.

Note

The author acknowledges with gratitude the words of Virginia Woolf, which provide each chapter with its opening quotation.

About the Author

Nikki Gemmell is the author of
The Bride Stripped Bare
, the original publication of which sparked tremendous media interest. Both
The Bride Stripped Bare
and its follow-up
With My Body
went on to become huge bestsellers. Nikki Gemmell has written eight novels and regular columns for the
Mail on Sunday
and the
Australian Weekend Magazine
.

Also by Nikki Gemmell
FICTION

Shiver

Cleave
(published in the US as
Alice Springs
)

Lovesong

The Bride Stripped Bare

The Book of Rapture

With My Body

NON-FICTION

Pleasure: An Almanac for the Heart

Why You Are Australian

Honestly: Notes on Life

Copyright

Fourth Estate

An imprint of HarperCollins
Publishers

77-85 Fulham Palace Road

Hammersmith

London W6 8JB

www.4thestate.co.uk

This omnibus edition first published in Great Britain by Fourth Estate in 2013

The Bride Stripped Bare

First published in Great Britain by Fourth Estate in 2003

‘Hallelujah’ written by Leonard Cohen; lyrics reprinted with kind permission by Sony/ATV Music Publishing. ‘Laid’ written by Booth/Glennie/Gott; lyrics reprinted by kind permission of Blue Mountains Music Ltd. ‘Small Wire’ reprinted by kind permission of Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc.

With My Body

First published in Great Britain by Fourth Estate in 2011

I Take You

First published in Great Britain by Fourth Estate in 2013

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Ebook Edition © AUGUST 2013 ISBN: 9780007530045

Version 1

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

These novels are entirely works of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

About the Publisher

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street

Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

http://www.harpercollins.com.au/ebooks

Canada

HarperCollins Canada

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Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada

http://www.harpercollins.ca

New Zealand