Flights of Angels
Page 29
‘The very one!’ Claudie said, not bothering to hide her smile.
Dr Lynton leant forward in his chair and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘This is-’
‘Quite some progress?’ Claudie offered.
He nodded.
‘I know.’
He nodded again.
Claudie sipped her tea. She was having fun.
There wasn’t really any need for Dr Lynton to make any notes because Claudie didn’t have anything alarming to tell him. Instead, they chatted away like old friends. Freud was completely forgotten, and there wasn’t a single mention of books.
At the end of the hour, they stood up and smiled at each other.
‘Well, it’s been a pleasure, Claudie. And I wish you all the best for your future.’
‘Thank you.’ She held her hand out and he shook it firmly. ‘Oh! I’ve got this.’ She delved into her voluminous bag and retrieved his book. ‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘You read page sixty-three?’
‘Yes. I did.’
Dr Lynton nodded. ‘Well,’ he said at length. ‘Goodbye, Claudie.’
Claudie picked up her shopping bags and walked down the hallway, waiting whilst he opened the door for her. As she stepped out into the bright afternoon, the sunlight reflected off his shiny brass plaque. And she remembered.
‘Dr Lynton?’
‘Yes?’
She bit her lip. Did she have the nerve to ask him? ‘I was wondering - what does the “P” stand for?’
Dr Lynton smiled, almost as if he’d been expecting her to ask him. ‘Paddy,’ he said.
Claudie’s first reaction was to laugh. Was he sure that was his name? Had he checked? It just seemed so undignified after she’d spent months believing it was Percival or Peregrine.
She looked up into the warm eyes that smiled down at her. No, she thought, Paddy became him. Paddy was perfect.
Epilogue
Whose idea had it been to go for a walk along the coast in November? November was definitely an indoor month in North Yorkshire. But Claudie and Simon weren’t the only fools to think a stroll along the beach in winter was romantic. The trouble was, romance aside, the people they passed didn’t look so much weather-beaten as weather-battered.
Claudie watched as the wind pushed and pulled at Simon’s hair, as if it meant to rip it from his head. Her own hair was pushed under a headscarf, which wasn’t exactly the height of fashion but, then again, the beach was definitely no cat-walk.
They hadn’t spoken much since leaving the car. Claudie smiled at the thought of the little Fiat that was Simon’s pride and joy. Not yet paid for, but an absolute godsend nevertheless.
They walked, gloved hand in gloved hand over the rock-hard sand, their bodies pushing furiously into the wind. It reminded Claudie of the day she and Luke had climbed Helvellyn in the Lake District, and how both the view and the weather had been breathtaking.
It was over a year since Luke had died. So many things had happened. So many new people in her life. Dr Lynton, Jalisa, Mary and Lily, Bert and Mr Woo. And Simon.
Claudie looked up at the great expanse of sky, her eyes widening to take in the white clouds like great daubs of whipped cream.
Simon Hart.
Meeting Simon had been a revelation. Like when you discover a piece of exquisite music and wonder if there was really a time in your life when you didn’t know of its existence.
But did she love him more than Luke?
No.
She loved him differently. Just as page sixty-three had suggested.
‘I think we should come back in the summer!’ Simon laughed as they stood looking out to sea.
‘Agreed!’ Claudie shouted back above the wind.
Simon squeezed her right hand and then tucked it deep into one of his pockets. ‘Let’s go home.’
Walking back towards the car, Claudie took one last look at the beach and blew a kiss deep into the wind.
Luke would never leave her. He’d always be there. But Simon was there too now, and, for the first time in over a year, she felt as if she had a future.
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Acknowledgements
I hope you enjoyed this book. I wrote it in 2001and it was published in Germany in 2006 after being sold in an auction between five German publishers. It was later made into a film which was one of the most exciting experiences of my life!
I would like to thank the following people for their help, advice and inspiration throughout the writing of this novel: Pam Brooks, Margaret James, Gilda O’Neill, Freda Lightfoot, Sue Haasler, and Jill Green.
Thanks also to my trusty team of readers: Clare Punchard, Hsin-Yi Hanna, Henriette Gyland, Giselle Green, Barbara Creed and Vaishali Tanna.
To Deborah Wright and Jilly Cooper for their endless encouragement and advice.
Heartfelt thanks to my mother and to Bridget Myhill who have been reading my stories since high school! And to my dad and my brother, Allan. Thanks, also, to Margaret Connelly, Heather Clark, Louise Nelson, Stephanie Polak, Margaret Fotheringham, Caroline Praed, Pia Tapper Fenton, Pat Walsh, Sue Moorcroft, Clare Donovan, Catriona Robb, Mags Wheeler, Wendy Lind, June Martin, and Dora and Emily Chan for believing I could do it, and to all at the Northern and London Chapters of the RNA for support and words of wisdom.
And I couldn’t possibly forget to thank Gene Kelly and Judy Garland who continue to inspire me with their magical musicals.
Most of all, I have to thank Roy for taking me in and marrying me and all my characters! This is for you…
About the Author
Victoria Connelly was brought up in Norfolk and studied English literature at Worcester University before becoming a teacher in North Yorkshire. After getting married in a medieval castle in the Yorkshire Dales and living in London for eleven years, she moved to rural Suffolk where she lives with her artist husband and a mad Springer spaniel and ex-battery hens.
Her first novel, Flights of Angels, was published in Germany and made into a film. Victoria and her husband flew out to Berlin to see it being filmed and got to be extras in it.
Three of her novels have been Kindle bestsellers.
If you’d like to contact Victoria or sign up for her newsletter about future releases, email her at: author@victoriaconnelly.com She loves hearing from her readers.
She’s also on Facebook and Twitter @VictoriaDarcy
www.victoriaconnelly.com
Other Books by Victoria Connelly
Wish You Were Here
The Runaway Actress
Molly’s Millions
A Weekend with Mr Darcy
The Perfect Hero (Dreaming of Mr Darcy)
Mr Darcy Forever
It's Magic
Unmasking Elena Montella
Three Graces
One Perfect Week and Other Stories
The Retreat and Other Stories
Postcard from Venice and other Stories
Escape to Mulberry Cottage