'Judy! Where are you? How are you?' she began until interrupted.
'Hey, simmer down! I'm still at Father's. Martin's here and he's told me about you and Adam. Oh, Liz, I'm so happy for you.'
'Thank you. Isn't it absolutely marvellous? And what about you, you sly creature? I'm so thrilled. And to think I believed it to be Simon!'
'And I wondered about you and Martin,' confessed Judy, and Liz felt a pang of regret and said quickly:
'How I wish I'd explained my own feelings more to you. but really, I didn't know too much about them myself' They laughed. 'But you weren't sure, Judy?'
'Of course I wasn't sure. Oh, not about my feelings; I've fought them ever since we met, even used poor Simon as an antidote.'
'Plus a dozen or so doctors too,' put in Liz dryly. She heard Judy laugh and say:
'But it didn't work. Oh, Liz, that I of all people should fall for an actor! He'll never stay in one place for long— me who craves for security! I want my head examining! No, I wasn't sure, but when I read about Adam I suddenly realised that life's too short to be faint-hearted. What if that had been Martin and not so lucky? So I telephoned and caught him just before he left for the theatre and then he came straight over after the show.'
'And put the ring on your finger.'
Judy laughed. 'I nearly had a fit when I opened it at your house on Christmas Day. We'd had a row the day before over me not making up my mind. I think he thought if enough people saw it and asked about it, I'd have to make a decision! Luckily no one saw me open it, but that's typical of Martin.'
'What I can't puzzle out is when you met? I never had an inkling.'
'You'd be surprised at the opportunities,' said Judy mischievously. 'I've never met anyone so persistent as Martin. He used to meet me when I came off night duty, and you can imagine how devastating I looked then! And if he wasn't rehearsing during the morning, we'd go for a drive into the country and then he'd drop me back here and I'd go to bed and catch up on sleep. When I was on days I'd sometimes meet him out of the theatre. I didn't tell you, Liz. For one thing, I kept thinking it would fizzle out… almost wanted it to fizzle out. And for another, I thought you were falling in love with him yourself, although Martin pooh-poohed the idea, but I wasn't sure. I must confess I wondered about you and Adam.'
'You did? I bet your psychoanalystic tendencies had a field day!'
Judy laughed. 'Well, such antipathy seemed unusual in someone of your temperament. And you started talking in your sleep whenever you had a bust-up.'
'But I stopped talking about him,' protested Liz. 'In the daytime, I mean.'
'Yes, I know, that too was significant! But don't forget I got all theatre news from Martin, Liz.'
'What did I say—in my sleep, I mean?'
'Oh, don't worry, nothing distinguishable. After the first time I just turned over and ignored you.' She paused and then said: 'Are you happy, Liz?'
'Yes,' said Liz simply.
A few moments later she returned to find Adam with his eyes closed. She slipped into her recently vacated chair and said firmly:
'Louise.'
'Mmm…?'
'You were going to tell me about Louise,' she persisted, and he opened his eyes.
'Who was that on the telephone, Elizabeth?'
'It was Judy. She's very happy for us. Sent her good wishes and sympathies for your injuries, and you were going to tell me about Louise.'
'Ah, yes, Louise.' He grinned. 'I've known Louise for many years, but I think even she thought I'd gone slightly mad this afternoon. I made her go over and over what you had said, which, let's face it, didn't take long, and what she had said, and then I understood. It's a good job you were not immediately available, Elizabeth, or else injured or not, I'd have taken great pleasure in shaking you thoroughly. I flung some things into a case, gave Louise a loving kiss… did you say something, my love?'
'Adam Carlyon! If you don't explain about Louise, I'll not be answerable to you only having three cracked ribs!'
'Come and sit here, Elizabeth,' he said with deceptive languor.
'Wretched man! You know I'll not stand a chance if I do.'
'Stand a chance for what?' he asked softly, eyes watching her closely beneath heavy lids.
What indeed? Liz rose and slowly walked to him, taking his outstretched hand and sinking down beside him, feeling suddenly safe as his arms enfolded her.
'Now where was I?' he drawled lazily. 'Oh, yes, giving Louise a loving kiss.' A hand touched her cheek, gently turning her face to his, and his lips met hers. 'Not like that, of course,' he said, eyes alive with laughter. 'One more suited to best man and bride.'
Lovely, lovely explanation.
'She can have as many of her sort as she likes,' said Liz contentedly. 'But who is George Melling?'
'Poor George, he got more than he bargained for when he accepted a lift, didn't he? He's an old friend from way back. I won't go into detail about their trials and tribulations. Suffice it to say that I was the go-between and instrumental in smoothing the path of true love, etc. I've also lent them my flat for a few days.' Adam moved and involuntarily grimaced. 'Can you move your head a little? No, Elizabeth, there's no need to sit up. That's better. Swing your legs up and you'll be more comfortable. Where was I? Oh, yes, George. You've met him, actually.'
'I have?' asked Liz in astonishment.
'Yes. Do you remember that sandy-haired fellow who danced with Louise at the first night reception?'
Liz laughed. 'Dear me, yes. And I felt sorry for her because she'd been landed with him and couldn't be with you!'
'How wrong you were. George, by the way, is on the theatre board, which was the reason he was there. Anyway, to get back to this evening, as you know, I was now without a car…'
'Adam!' Liz exclaimed. 'I'd forgotten about the poor Morgan.' She lifted a hand and stroked his cheek. 'But you can get another, can't you? Whereas if anything had happened to you…' Her hand was caught and a kiss placed gently in the palm.
'Behave, Elizabeth, or you'll not hear the rest,' he ordered.
'Very well, Adam,' said Liz meekly. 'You'd obviously got as far as Simon.'
'Mmm… Your brother's a man after my own heart. He grasped the situation immediately and came straight to the point. When you consider that only the day before I'd smashed a vehicle beyond recognition, I think Simon showed enormous generosity in lending me the Stag, especially as he'd only called to see how I was!'
'Did you tell him… I mean, does he…?' floundered Liz.
Adam grinned. 'I rather think he gathered what I was on about and he didn't seem all that surprised.'
'Which I certainly was. I nearly turned tail and ran when I saw it was you. I'd worked myself up into a real tizzy,' she confessed, ready to be indulgent over the Liz of then, happily being the Liz of now, safe and secure in Adam's arms. 'I couldn't think straight. I'd found out I wanted more than mere friendship from you and it floored me.'
He laughed. 'It was never friendship I wanted from you, Elizabeth.'
'Adam,' Liz said weakly as she was released from another nerve-shattering kiss, 'what made you come back tonight?'
He looked thoughtful and then said slowly:
'I couldn't believe that the few good moments we'd had together meant nothing. If you were grieving over Sutton, I wanted to comfort you.' There was a half question in his voice and Liz said gently:
'At the beginning of the season I did see quite a lot of Martin, he's a grand fellow. I'm so pleased for Judy and for all her dithering, he'll make her a good husband.'
'No doubt,' Adam said dryly, 'but why not you? Come on, out with it.'
'You know already,' Liz said shyly. 'It was always you.
But,' she suddenly grinned, 'what clinched things was that you kissed me and reduced me to a positive jelly! Martin was my defence mechanism!'
Adam smiled complacently. 'You pack a pretty lethal punch yourself, my girl.'
'I shall never forget the first night of the Shr
ew,' Liz said dreamily.
'Good lord! Did I have trouble that night! Now I know the effect champagne has on you, I'll have to be careful in the future.'
'I was in perfect control,' she protested. 'Perhaps I was a little heady, but I knew what I was doing. I just pretended, so that I could indulge myself. Anyway, you weren't slow in coming forward.'
'My dear girl, I had the devil's own job remaining cool and calm during that evening. You undermined all my good intentions of not taking advantage of the situation.' He reached out and took a book from the table. 'Talking of that night, I was browsing through your E.B.B. while you were getting us something to eat, and I found this.'
Liz found herself staring at the newspaper photograph, lying between the pages of her poetry book. 'Is nothing sacred?' she asked, her colour rising.
'Apparently not.' He smiled. 'Actually, darling, if I opened my wallet, we'd be able to say snap.'
Liz, secretly delighted, murmured: 'What fools we've been! I expect we shall disagree at times,' she added pensively.
'Sure to. Of course, if I don't win, I shall just use brute force,' he drawled, 'and… sex!'
Liz groaned. 'Oh, don't remind me of that night, please. What shall I use? I'm not much good at feminine wiles.'
'Don't you dare use such tactics with me, Elizabeth, or I'll not answer to the consequences. I have to contend with enough feminine wiles at the theatre without having to cope with them at home. In any case, it was your honesty that first appealed to me. Straightforward, down-to-earth Elizabeth. Although I could have wished you'd been a little more honest with yourself.' She pulled a face as he tweaked her hair.
'I daren't, Adam. There was too much at stake and I was afraid of being hurt again.'
He was suddenly serious. 'You realise it won't be easy, Elizabeth? Have you thought what it will be like, left at home, possibly with a young family, while I'm out all hours engrossed in the play of the moment?'
'Yes, I've thought,' said Liz dreamily, immediately holding Adam's baby in her arms.
'You'll hear slanderous innuendoes about beautiful actresses.'
'I shall invite them to tea and look them over.'
His serious expression vanished and he threw back his head and laughed. 'What a darling you are! So you think you can put up with all that?'
'Are you trying to back out, Adam?' she murmured.
His eyes gleamed.
'No, I was giving you the chance to, but that's the only one you'll get. We'll go to France for the honeymoon, you've never been there, have you? I'd like to be the one to introduce you to Paris.'
'You seem to have everything planned—as usual,' she challenged.
'Patience, as you've already said, is not my strongest virtue.' He raised a brow. 'You don't mind, Elizabeth?'
She shook her head and laughed softly: 'I don't mind. And if I did you'd coerce me shamefully until you got your own way.'
'You know me better than I thought. Paris it is, then. I've had a tentative offer of a spell in Australia at the beginning of April. Do you fancy going down under?'
Liz shrugged happily. 'Australia, Alaska, Chipping Sodbury… Adam!' She sat up. 'Adam, what about my job?'
He was lying back, eyes closed. 'Mmm…? Oh, I'd already warned John that you would be leaving.'
Liz stared in amazement at this astounding statement and at the ensuing silence, the dark lashes lifted, revealing eyes wickedly amused.
'You told John…?'
'Remember me telling you there was another reason why I advised against offering you the stage directorship? Well, I privately told John that it wouldn't be worth it, as I was going to marry you before long, anyway.'
Liz gasped and laughter overtook her. 'Of all the confident…'
'—arrogant, conceited, overbearing, opinionated… yes, my love, you've previously informed me of your opinion of my character.' He paused and continued softly: 'But I had all that knocked out of me tonight, didn't I?'
Covering his lips with her fingertips, Liz said, with tender amusement:
'No doubt it will all come bouncing back, before long.'
'Elizabeth, my own sweet Elizabeth. How beautiful you are.'
'Oh, Adam!' breathed Liz in delight. 'Now I know you must love me! Only a fool in love would say that!'
'Are you arguing with me again, Elizabeth? You've a darling of a nose. A mouth just made for kissing… there, see what I mean? A lovely smile and a warm, generous, sympathetic nature. Ah, I mustn't forget your eyes, I'm rather partial to that shade of blue. In fact, I can't understand why someone hasn't snapped you up before now!'
'They daren't,' Liz murmured contentedly. 'They knew I was yours.' She giggled. 'Adam! I can just see Helen's face when we tell her.'
He laughed.' I don't think your mother will be surprised.' He eased himself upright and glanced at the clock. 'You'll not believe it, but it's two o'clock! Any more talk will have to be done tomorrow, my girl.' He got up gingerly and pulled Liz to him.
'Adam,' she said softly. 'Stay.' She met his look calmly.
'Once upon a time I must have done something to deserve you, Elizabeth. I can't recall what on earth it could be.' He smiled. 'Thank you, my love, but no, I won't stay.'
'There's a perfectly good bed going spare,' Liz reasoned sensibly, 'and it's late, you're not looking too well, and where are you sleeping tonight, anyway?'
'At John and Helen's, I have a key. John said the decorators were in my flat.' He traced her face with his finger. 'So you see, there's no need to worry about me.'
She buried her face in his chest and said huskily:
'I want to,' and then, her sense of humour getting the better of her, she looked up and said demurely: 'And don't you think three cracked ribs would be excuse enough, Adam?'
He grinned. 'With my reputation?' he asked exaggeratedly. 'Now I really am going. Goodnight, love. Sleep well. I'll be around in the morning. Will you be waiting about ten?'
Liz nodded, her eyes bright, and helping Adam on with his coat, she went down with him to the car. Watching the rear lights disappear round the bend she stood for a few moments, staring at nothing, just thinking, until shivering with the cold, she turned and went back inside and prepared for bed, sure she would never be able to sleep.
But she did. A sweet, dreamless sleep.
Later, five weeks later, Liz awoke suddenly out of another dreamless sleep and lay listening to Adam's steady breathing at her side. She turned gently and looked at the man who, a few hours earlier, had promised to love and cherish her. How much she loved him! Her thoughts drifted contentedly back over the day; to the lovely old church at Stretton, to the crowd of people waiting outside the church, and catching sight of a few surprising faces, the Grangers with the two boys, the caretaker's wife from Elmscourt—even Monty had made the effort to go. And of course, all the company were there, together with relations.
Liz grinned to herself, not forgetting Great-aunt Annie, who seemed to think she'd planned it all! Walking down the aisle with her father, she had seen with sudden clarity the finality of her old life and had a flash of momentary panic; the tall austere man waiting at the end seemed a formidable stranger until he turned and watched her walk towards him. Her heart almost burst with the joy and love that welled up inside her when she saw his face and afterwards she had whispered that it wasn't the done thing for the groom to watch the bride like that. Adam had raised his brows haughtily and drawled: 'Really?' and Liz had laughed and teased: 'You theatricals!' and he had replied: 'But we must give the audience their money's worth, my love,' and if it was possible, she loved him even more at that moment, for she knew he had turned round for her sake, had anticipated that moment of panic and had turned to reassure her.
A sudden shadow on the ceiling caught her eye. There, it came again. She looked across to the uncurtained window and carefully lifting Adam's arm which was lying across her, she eased herself gently out of the bed and walked quietly over to the window seat.
The streets of Par
is were silent and still. Paris! A magic city which was to become for her a second home, and for which she would always have a special place in her heart She sat still, watching and waiting. There were just a few at first, soft white flakes, slowly falling out of the night sky, forming a feathery, white waterfall through the glass. Flakes of love, joining together and gaining strength.
Liz heard a movement and waited for Adam's arms to enfold her, and together they watched them settling until everywhere became covered in a thin net of white tulle.
Adam planted a kiss, as light as one of those snowflakes, on her shoulder.
'Happy, Elizabeth?'
She nodded and sighed contentedly; 'It's been a wonderful day.'
'Did I tell you how beautiful you looked?'
She smiled and nestled closer in his arms. 'You did, but you can tell me again,' she replied smugly. 'I have Helen to thank, I gave her carte blanche. The only stipulation I made was that I must be warm. Who wants to shiver all through the ceremony and get pneumonia? Judy and Toni looked lovely.'
'It was obvious that Martin and Simon thought so too,' commented Adam mildly. He felt her go still and grinned to himself.
'Simon? Simon and Antonia? Adam, do you think…?'
'Yes, Elizabeth, I do.'
'Well,' she breathed, 'how extraordinary!' She felt his shoulders begin to shake. 'But it is,' she insisted. 'We've known her all our lives, she's our cousin.'
'Maybe, but Simon doesn't feel cousinly towards her.' Another kiss, this time on the nape of her neck, and he blew a tendril of hair gently away from her cheek. 'Come back to bed, love, you'll get cold.'
Liz lingered a moment, enchanted by the white transformation of the world outside, and said dreamily:
'I'll always have a special feeling for falling snow.'
'Perhaps you've forgotten it was snowing when we parted two years ago?' Adam asked in amusement. 'Come to bed, woman.'
'Oh, so it was.'
' "Mais ou sont les neiges d'antan?" 'quoted Adam softly.
Liz wrinkled her nose in concentration. 'But where are… the snows…?'
' " Where are the snows of yesteryear?" ' Adam translated. 'It's a line from an old French ballad.'
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