‘I’ll make coffee. Go and sit down.’
She motioned him towards the sitting room and he nodded a thank-you. Good. Two minutes to breathe deeply and try to recover her composure.
By the time she carried the coffee into the sitting room she was feeling a little giddy. Maybe the deep breathing had been a bad idea.
‘What can I do for you?’ She didn’t dare say his name. Not after she’d whispered it so many times to herself in the dark hours of the night. ‘Something to do with the clinic?’
‘No.’
He opened his briefcase, reaching inside and producing a large thick book, bound with an elastic closure. He put it down on the coffee table, laying his hand on it as if he were about to swear an oath on it. Whatever the oath was, it seemed to be a matter of some importance to him; he was looking unbearably tense.
‘This is my life. Everything about me. It’s for you.’
She stared at him. Perhaps he’d been in therapy and this was his homework. If that was the case, she wished it hadn’t brought him here to seek closure.
‘The final pages are blank...’
‘Alex, I’m not sure this is a good idea.’ Closure was going to take a little longer than this for her. Her whole life, if the last few weeks were anything to go by.
‘They’re blank because I want you to write them with me. We both want the same things, but we’ve both struggled with a way to find those things. I love you, and I believe we can find a way together.’
It was as if the sun had just emerged from behind a cloud. Light streamed into a very dark place.
‘You love me?’
‘Yes, I do. Tell me now if you don’t feel—’
‘I love you too, Alex.’ Now wasn’t the time to listen to him work his way through any of the other options. ‘I always have.’
He leaned forward, stretching out his hand. Reaching for her across the chasm that divided them.
‘I’ve always loved you too, Marie. I couldn’t put the past behind me, and that broke us apart. But I want to make this work and I’ll do anything to be the man you want. I’ll stick by you always, whatever happens.’
Marie reached for him, putting her hand in his. ‘And I’ll never give in to you. You’ll never make me into someone that I’m not.’
He grinned suddenly. ‘I know. I shouldn’t have underestimated you.’
She could feel herself trembling. All she had to do was give herself to him, and it was the only thing she wanted to do. She and Alex could do anything they wanted...
‘I only want you, Alex. Just as you are.’
The urgency of her need to be close to him took him by surprise. Marie bolted across the top of the coffee table and fell into his arms, kissing him. He caught his breath and then kissed her back with the same hunger that she felt.
‘Just as I am? Crown and all?’ His lips curved into a delicious smile. ‘You’re sure about that, now?’
‘I’m sure.’
When he kissed her again, it all seemed wonderfully simple.
* * *
It was the best day of Alex’s life. They were both finally free.
Marie had reached for the book he’d been labouring over for the past couple of weeks, pulling it onto her lap, but they hadn’t been able to stop kissing each other. It had slipped unnoticed to the floor when he lifted her up to carry her to her bedroom. She’d practically torn off his clothes, and he’d been just as eager. If this was what commitment was like, then he was its new biggest fan.
‘What do you want to do? Apart from spending the rest of your life with me...?’ he asked. Marie had told him that already, and he’d voiced his own pledge. He belonged to her, and he always would.
‘Mmm...’ She stretched in his arms. ‘I want to shower with you and then look at my book.’
Her book. It was her book now. His memories, his life, were all hers.
Alex loved it that Marie found it important enough to choose a bright summer dress from her wardrobe and apply a little make-up, just to look at it. It gave it a sense of occasion.
She laid the book on the small dining table at one end of her sitting room, along with a couple of photograph albums from her own shelves. Then she sat down, opening the first page of the book.
‘Oh! I think you might just be the cutest baby I’ve ever seen!’ Marie reached forward, flipping over the cover of one of her own albums. ‘That’s me.’
‘So you were born adorable, then...?’
It took hours to go through everything. But it felt as if they were slowly taking possession of each other. As if Marie was saving him, and he could save her.
‘Are you hungry?’ By the time they finished it was late in the afternoon.
She nodded. ‘Why don’t we go out somewhere and eat? Anywhere. Then we could go to the seaside.’
‘We’ll drive down to the coast and find somewhere to stay for the night.’ Alex grinned. Just the two of them. No baggage, just his car keys and his credit card, and maybe a change of clothes. ‘There’s something I want to do first, though.’
He went to fetch the velvet-covered box from his briefcase, putting it in front of her on the table. She recognised it immediately, and raised her eyebrows quizzically.
‘I didn’t tell you all you should know about this.’
He opened the box and the large diamond glinted in the sunshine that filtered through the window.
‘Go on.’
‘This diamond is called Amour de Coeur.’
‘It has a name?’
‘Most large and well-known diamonds do. It was given by one of the more enlightened Kings of Belkraine to his wife, a few hundred years ago. They were very famously in love, at a time when a king’s marriage wasn’t really about love. And although she had her pick of all the other royal jewels, she only ever wore this one.’
‘It’s a beautiful story.’
‘Will you dare to wear it, Marie?’
Alex could hear his own heart beating. She caught her breath, and then she smiled.
‘I’d be proud to. It’s a part of your heritage so it’s a part of me, now.’
She reached forward, running one finger over the large diamond and the beautiful filigree chain. Suddenly the jewels of Belkraine and Marie’s smile—which outshone them all—seemed to go naturally together.
‘I have one more diamond for you.’
He got up from his seat, falling to his knees before her and taking her hand in his.
She let out a gasp, knowing exactly what this was.
‘Alex!’ Tears began to roll down her cheeks.
‘Will you marry me, Marie?’
‘Yes!’ She flung her arms around his neck, forgetting all about the diamonds.
The ring had been burning a hole in his pocket, but it wasn’t the thing that sealed their loving covenant. It was Marie’s kiss.
‘Will you let me go?’ He finally managed to tear his lips away from hers.
‘No. Never.’
He chuckled. ‘Just long enough for me to do this properly...’
Alex took the ring from his pocket. It wasn’t the biggest diamond in his inheritance by a very long way, but it had been carefully chosen and was one of the best in quality, flawless and slightly blue in colour.
‘I’m starting a new tradition.’
Her eyes widened. ‘What? Tell me!’
‘My tradition is that when the King of Belkraine wants to marry he takes one diamond from the royal diadem, replacing it with another gem.’
‘That’s...from a crown?’ She pointed at the diamond ring. It was modern and simply fashioned, made to Alex’s exact specifications.
‘Will you make it yours? We’ll take our inheritance and mould it into something that we’re proud to pass on to our children.’
She held out her hand and Alex
slipped the ring onto her finger. Suddenly everything fell into place. Their love...his inheritance. All that they wanted to do with their lives. It was all one.
She laid her hand on the book filled with pictures of him as a child. ‘I want a baby that looks just like you.’
Alex chuckled. ‘And I’d like one that looks like you. We can work on that.’
She hugged him close. ‘Can we run away together now? To the seaside.’
Alex kissed her. ‘There’s nothing I’d like better.’
* * *
Alex took Marie to the old manor house in Sussex a few weeks after their engagement. She recognised the carefully laid out gardens and the brickwork around the massive doorway from the photographs in the book he’d made for her. She held on to his hand tightly as he showed her around.
‘What do you think?’ His brow creased a little as he asked the question.
‘It’s...okay...’
She loved the Victorian knot garden, the Elizabethan rooms with their nooks and crannies and large, deep fireplaces, the massive banqueting hall which had been turned into a sitting room, big enough to hold a beautiful grand piano at one end. The decor left a lot to be desired—it was far too ostentatious for Marie’s taste—but the house was a pure delight.
‘You love it, don’t you?’ He shot her a knowing look.
‘A house with a maze in the garden? I’m sure there’ll be lots of interest when you put it up for sale.’
It was a wonderful, magical place. But Alex had been so unhappy here when he was a child.
‘What if we live in it? The location’s perfect—it’s only an hour out of London by train. We can keep the flat for when we’re working late and make this our home.’
‘But...you don’t want this, do you?’ Marie looked around the large sitting room. She could almost see their children playing here. ‘The decor...’
‘The decor can be changed. You could make this into a wonderful room. We could keep the piano.’
That would be nice...
‘And there would be loads of space here to set up an office. We could convert the west wing and run the main charity from here.’
This place could be a wonderful family home. The kind Alex had always wanted and Marie had always dreamed of.
‘What do you say to this? We’ll bring some of our things down and camp out here for a while. It’ll give us time to go through everything, and then you can decide how you feel about living here.’
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. ‘That would be perfect. Where do you want to camp first?’
‘The summer house?’
They should start with the place he liked the best. Alex had written about the summer house as the one place where he had been able to get away from the stifling hold of his family.
He chuckled. ‘That sounds wonderful. I’ll wake up and make love to you in the morning sunshine.’
‘How do you feel about a trial run now?’ Marie smiled up at him. ‘The afternoon sunshine might do just as well?’
He grabbed the richly upholstered cushions from an ugly sofa, loading half of them into her arms.
‘I’ll race you there...’
EPILOGUE
The first weekend in February
FOR THE FIRST time in twelve years the plan had changed. Only half the group had arrived at Alex and Marie’s home on Friday afternoon; the rest were due the following day. They’d spent a relaxed evening around a roaring fire in the sitting room, celebrating the eve of a wedding.
In the morning Alex had walked to the old church in the village, surrounded by family and friends and with Marie’s mother on his arm. After Zack had left home to go to art college she’d moved to be near her other son in Sunderland, and she loved village life there and the cottage Alex had bought for her.
He sat nervously in the front pew, waiting for Marie. ‘Have you got the ring, Zack?’
Marie’s three brothers had fought over who was to give her away, and in the end her two elder brothers had been given the task, and would both accompany her up the aisle. Alex had claimed Zack as his best man.
‘No.’
‘What?’
‘You’ve already asked me a hundred times. I thought I’d try a different answer and see how that went.’ Zack patted the pocket of his morning suit. ‘I’ve got the ring.’
‘Don’t do that to me, Zack.’ Alex tried to frown, but today wasn’t the day for it. ‘You’re supposed to be a calming influence, not frightening me to death.’
Zack’s laughing reply was lost in the swelling sound of the organ as it struck up the ‘Wedding March’. Alex turned and saw Marie and his heart leapt into his throat. He was marrying the most beautiful woman in the world.
Her dress was the simplest part of her attire, the soft lines complementing the riot of flowers in her bouquet. The Amour de Coeur hung at her throat, its sparkle dimmed by her smile.
‘You’re sure about this?’ Zack leaned over, whispering in his ear. ‘You’ve still got time to run...’
‘Be quiet, Zack. Of course I’m sure.’
* * *
The day had been wonderful—one delight after another: the warmth of family and friends, the way Marie had looked at him as they said their vows... Marie was the most precious thing in his life, and he knew she felt the same about him.
Their reception had taken place back at the home Alex had thought he would never return to, which Marie had made into the place he loved most in the world. Zack had come up with a surprisingly short but touching speech, blushing wildly as he’d sat down to a round of hearty applause.
‘I’m so happy, Alex. I love you so much.’ Marie whispered in his ear now, as they danced together.
‘I love you too.’
That was all he needed to say. It made everything complete. His life and hers were woven together now, and it was a bond that couldn’t be broken.
He led her over to the table where their ten oldest friends were sitting with their families. Hugs and kisses were exchanged, and Sunita whispered in Marie’s ear.
She laughed, her fingers moving to the Amour de Coeur. ‘Yes, it’s real.’
Sunita’s eyes widened, and Will laughed. ‘It’s your own fault, Sunita. If you will insist on marrying a farmer and burying yourself in the countryside, then you’re going to miss some of the gossip. Don’t you read the papers? We’re in the presence of royalty.’
‘You’re joking! I knew I should have come last night and not this morning. Which one of you is it?’
Alex chuckled. ‘Well, technically speaking, it’s both of us now. But actually I’m just Marie’s loyal and faithful servant.’
‘Stop it.’ Marie’s elbow found his ribs. ‘Let’s drink a toast, and then Alex will tell the story.’
There were two toasts—the usual one ‘to us all’, and one to the bride and groom. Then Marie sat down next to him.
‘Start at the beginning.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Again?’
The story had already been told more than once.
‘That’s okay. I’ll hear it again.’
Will settled himself in his chair and Alex realised that everyone around the table was looking at him.
Marie took his hand, squeezing it. This was no longer his story, it was theirs, and he loved it more each day. They’d rewritten it as a tale of hope—one which would endure in the bricks and mortar of the clinics they planned to build and run, and in the family they’d raise here.
‘A hundred and ten years ago...’
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Annie Claydon
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Keep reading for an excerpt from Surprise Baby for the Billionaire by Charlotte Hawkes.
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Surprise Baby for the Billionaire
by Charlotte Hawkes
CHAPTER ONE
SHE COULDN’T HIDE away in here for ever.
Forcing herself to open her eyes, Saskia glanced gingerly around the stark, pristine hospital bathroom, relieved to find it was no longer spinning. She’d spent more time in one of these than she cared to remember over the past three months, but for once she wasn’t here experiencing morning, afternoon, and evening sickness.
No, this time she’d ducked in here because she’d caught a glimpse of Malachi Gunn—looking as solid, as indomitable, and as smouldering as ever—stepping out of the stairwell to her paediatric ward. Apparently her body’s fight-or-flight response had got its wires crossed and so she—the girl who was renowned for her fearless attitude and for never backing away from anything—had made a dash for the relative safety of the nearest ladies’ room.
Not that it did any good, of course; in the end she was going to have to tell him. She had to, no matter how terrifying the idea of doing so might be. Besides, she wanted to tell him; she’d wanted to for the last few months. Desperately. She’d just been too afraid, and had no idea exactly what to say.
Because, really, how on earth was she to tell the only one-night stand she’d ever had in her entire life that he was the father of her unborn child?
In truth, she had been prepared to tell him both times she’d made her monthly pro bono visit to Care to Play, the centre he had set up where young carers could forget their responsibilities and burdens and simply be kids, if only for a few hours each week. But Malachi hadn’t been there since their weekend together, which in itself had set off alarm bells in her head.
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