It was the worst weekend of Heather’s entire life. The pain of learning that Archie didn’t love her would have been hard enough to bear, but to discover that he was in love with someone else made it doubly difficult. She knew there was no hope of her competing with his late fiancée for his affections. Apart from the fact that he was still traumatised by her tragic death, he must be wary of entrusting his heart to anyone else. He had been hurt on so many levels that she would never be able to help him heal.
By the time Monday came around, Heather knew that she couldn’t face seeing him. She phoned the agency and made her excuses, promising that she would get in touch again once she was feeling better. Obviously, it posed a problem, financially. If she wasn’t working, she wasn’t earning, but that was the least of her worries. Getting her life back together must be her number one concern—if it was possible to do that.
She spent the week wandering around London, visiting all the tourist sights to fill in the time. It was better being in the midst of a crowd than on her own with only her thoughts for company. Friday arrived, Archie’s last day at the hospital. She knew there was a leaving party planned for him because she’d been invited, but she wouldn’t go. She couldn’t wave him on his way with the requisite smile when he would be taking her heart with him.
In the end she couldn’t stand it any longer. She packed an overnight bag and caught the train to Dalverston. Her father was delighted to see her, although she could tell that he was wondering what had prompted her visit. He didn’t try to question her, though. He just welcomed her home and she was grateful for that.
Saturday dawned, bright and clear. Heather got up early and made breakfast for them. Her father had a clinic that morning so it meant she was left to her own devices. She decided to go for a walk along the river bank and set off as soon as her father left the house. It was wonderfully peaceful by the water. She walked as far as the weir and was just about to head back home when she saw Ross coming towards her. It was the first time she’d seen him since she had cancelled the wedding and she couldn’t help feeling a little awkward as she greeted him.
‘Hello, Ross. You’re out early as well, I see.’
‘It’s too nice a day to lie in bed,’ he said, smiling at her. Tall and dark with classically handsome good looks, he had set more than one female heart racing since he’d joined the practice. However, Heather found herself unmoved as she looked at him now. He wasn’t Archie, not the man she loved.
‘Your dad phoned me last night and told me you were back,’ Ross said, falling into step beside her.
‘Did he?’ Heather flushed. ‘He shouldn’t have done that.’
‘He was only trying to help. Don’t be cross with him.’ He treated her to a searching look. ‘What’s wrong, Heather? And before you deny it, I can tell that something’s happened. You haven’t had second thoughts…?’
‘About not marrying you? No. I still believe it would have been wrong to go ahead with the wedding.’
‘So do I.’
‘You do?’ She stopped and stared at him in surprise.
‘Yes. After you left it didn’t take me long to realise we would have both regretted it if we’d gone ahead. You did the right thing calling it off.’ He shrugged. ‘So if it isn’t that, what is it?’
All of a sudden Heather knew that she had to tell someone about Archie and who better than Ross? He had always been such a good friend to her. That had been part of the problem, in fact—she’d loved him as a friend, not as a lover.
She told him everything: about meeting Archie outside the church and her shock on seeing him again in London; how they had spent time together; the accident that had resulted in the death of his brother and his fiancée. Ross listened without interrupting until she came to the end of her story then sighed softly.
‘It’s a real mess. No wonder you felt that you had to get away. But are you absolutely sure that Archie doesn’t love you?’
‘Yes, of course I am.’ She smiled thinly. ‘He told me that I was confusing gratitude with love, that it was too soon for me to know how I felt. He did his best to put me off, in fact.’
‘But did he come right out and say that he didn’t love you, Heather?’ Ross persisted, and she frowned.
‘No-o-o. I don’t think so. Why? Does it make a difference?’
‘I think it does. I think it’s possible the guy is in love with you but he’s afraid to reveal his feelings in case you’ve made a mistake about yours.’ He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to protest. ‘I’m not saying you have. I just think it’s what he believes. You can’t blame him for being wary after what he’s been through, can you?’
‘No.’ She bit her lip. ‘So what should I do? Should I go and see him and try to find out if what you say is right, or what?’
‘Only you can decide that, Heather. Nobody else can.’ They had reached the end of the path and he stopped. ‘The best advice I can give you is to follow your heart.’
‘That’s what Archie told me to do, too,’ she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
Ross bent and kissed her lightly on the cheek. ‘Then what are you waiting for?’
He gave her a last smile then headed up to the road but Heather didn’t follow him. She sank down on the soft damp grass and thought about what he had said. Was she brave enough to go after Archie and ask him outright if he loved her? The thought of receiving a negative answer scared her, but could it be any worse than this desolation she felt at losing him? At least she would know, once and for all, if there was no hope. That had to be better than spending the rest of her life wondering.
She stood up, filled with a new resolve as she headed back to the house. She would do what both Archie and Ross had told her to do—follow her heart—and hope it would lead her to the one place she wanted to be. By Archie’s side. For ever!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SO THIS was it, then. In a few minutes’ time he would be on his way.
Archie took a last look around the flat. Now that the time had come, he felt relieved to be going. For nearly two years his life had been in a state of limbo, but not any more. It was as though all the heartache and guilt he’d suffered had been packed away into the back of the removal van and he was free to get on with his life. If it weren’t for the fact that he desperately missed Heather, he would have looked forward to what the future held in store for him.
He sighed as he shut the front door. He hadn’t heard a word from Heather since the previous weekend. He had hoped that she would turn up for his leaving party but there’d been no sign of her. He had phoned the agency that morning, but all he’d got had been the standard reply about it not being company policy to give out information about their staff. He had no idea what had happened to her and he couldn’t help worrying.
He stopped at the porters’ desk and arranged to have any mail forwarded to him then left the building. He had a long drive ahead of him and he had been intending to get an early start but all of a sudden he knew that he couldn’t leave without seeing Heather first. The traffic was fairly light for once and it didn’t take him long to reach her flat. He parked outside then ran down the steps and knocked on the door, mentally rehearsing what he would say. Something low-key would be best. He definitely wouldn’t mention what had gone on last Saturday…
His mind made a lightening-fast swoop back to that moment when Heather had told him that she loved him and his heart contracted with sudden fear. What if she’d been telling him the truth? What if she hadn’t been confused about her feelings? The thought that he might have rejected her love was too painful to bear and he rapped on the door again. Forget low-key, he was going to sort this out!
‘She’s not in.’
Archie swung round when a voice hailed him from the pavement and found an elderly woman watching him. From the number of carrier bags she was clutching, he assumed she was on her way back from the shops.
‘What time did she go out?’ he asked, hurrying up the steps.
&n
bsp; ‘It must have been around four p.m. I heard a horn and looked out of the window to see what was happening,’ she explained. ‘There was a taxi parked outside and I saw the young lady get in.’
‘You mean that she left last night?’ Archie exclaimed in dismay.
‘That’s right. Around four in the afternoon,’ she repeated helpfully. ‘She had a bag with her so I assumed she was going away for the weekend.’
‘I see. Thank you.’
Archie went back to his car. Had Heather gone home to Dalverston for the weekend? he wondered as he got in. But why had she decided to go home now? Was it because she’d wanted to see Ross?
His heart sank like a stone. It was the only explanation that made any sense. Heather had made it clear that she intended to get her life together before she went back home and he could only assume that she had done that now.
Had it been his rejection that had made her see how she really felt? The thought that she might have realised she was still in love with her exfiancé caused a physical ache in his guts but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he was the one who had told her that she was mistaken about her feelings for him.
He started the engine, feeling the weight of his loss bearing down on him. Hard though it was, he had to accept that he had lost Heather for good.
It was late afternoon by the time Heather arrived back in London. There was a reduced service at the weekend and she’d had to wait hours for a train. She went straight to the taxi rank and told the driver to take her to Archie’s flat, even though she had no idea what she was going to say to him. She’d tried opening her heart to him and it hadn’t achieved very much, but there had to be a way to convince him that she was sincere. She loved him with all her heart and somehow she had to make him believe that!
It was the same porter on duty whom she’d met the first time Archie had taken her to his home. Although he let her in, Heather could tell that he was surprised to see her. She didn’t let it deter her, however.
‘Is Mr Carew in, Pete? I need to speak to him urgently.’
‘I’m sorry, miss, but you’re too late. He’s already left.’
‘Oh, I see. Do you know what time he’ll be back? Maybe I can wait until he arrives.’
‘I meant that he’d left for good. He went back home to Scotland this morning,’ Pete informed her, looking a little embarrassed at having to break the news to her.
‘I didn’t realise he was leaving today!’ she exclaimed. Panic engulfed her and she had to calm herself down before she could continue. ‘Do you have a forwarding address for him? It’s really important that I get in touch with him.’
‘I’m sorry, miss. I wish I could help, but I’m not at liberty to hand out information like that. It’s more than my job’s worth.’
‘I understand. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot,’ Heather apologised.
She said goodbye and left, wondering what she was going to do now. If Archie had wanted her to contact him, surely he would have made sure that she had his address? The fact that he hadn’t bothered to give it to her proved that he had no interest in her. Pain washed through her as she walked along the street. She had followed her heart but it hadn’t helped this time. It never could when Archie didn’t love her.
Archie got halfway up the motorway before he realised that he couldn’t leave things the way they were. He needed to see Heather and hear her tell him that she didn’t love him or he would be for ever wondering if he’d made a terrible mistake.
He exited the motorway at the next junction and rejoined the southbound carriageway then drove all the way back. It was gone seven by the time he reached London and the first thing he had to do was find himself somewhere to stay as he couldn’t go back to the flat. Apart from the fact that there was no furniture there, he’d arranged for the cleaning team to go in and get everything ready for the new tenant. He doubted if Heather would return until Sunday evening at the earliest, but it didn’t matter. At some point she would have to come back and he intended to be there when she did.
He booked himself into a hotel and went straight up to his room and took a shower. Half an hour later he was on his way out again. He knew it was probably a waste of time going to Heather’s flat but if there was a slim chance she hadn’t gone away for the entire weekend, he didn’t intend to let it pass him by. At the very least he could drop a note through her door telling her which hotel he was staying in. He took a cab rather than drive himself there and sat in the back, mentally rehearsing what he would say to her if she was there. He needed to convince her that he loved her and that she should give him a chance to prove it to her.
The streetlights were on when the cab dropped him off. Archie paid the driver then ran down the basement steps and knocked on the door. It was only then that he realised there was a light on in the sitting room. When the door opened and Heather appeared, he felt the ground lift beneath his feet. All of a sudden every single word he had rehearsed on the way there disappeared from his head. He could only stand and stare at her in disbelief.
Heather felt the world suddenly tilt on its axis when she saw Archie standing outside the door. He was the last person she’d expected to see and the shock turned her mute. They stared at one another for several seconds before Archie cleared his throat.
‘I called before and one of your neighbours told me that you’d gone away.’
‘I went home,’ she said, her voice sounding strained as it emerged from her lips.
‘I thought that was where you must have gone. To be honest, I didn’t expect you would be back so soon. I just called round on the off-chance.’
‘There were a couple of things I needed to do here,’ she said, biting her lip when she realised what a massive understatement that was.
‘And do those things have anything to do with me?’
He took a step towards her and her breath caught when she saw the way he was looking at her with such longing. When he reached out and touched her cheek, she closed her eyes, terrified that he would see the longing in her eyes, too. Archie had rejected her love once and she didn’t think she could bear it if he rejected it a second time.
‘I love you, Heather. I know I made a complete mess of things last weekend but please believe me. I love you so much and all I want is for you to be happy.’
‘You love me?’ Her eyes flew open and she stared at him in shock.
‘Yes.’ He smiled at her. ‘I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw you sitting on that bench. I was just too confused about everything that had happened to appreciate how I felt. I know I hurt you by what I said last weekend, but I was afraid that you were rushing into a situation you would regret.’
‘It worried me, too,’ she admitted. ‘I tried not to let it happen, Archie, but I had no control over my feelings. I fell in love with you and there isn’t a thing I can do about it now. I shall love you for the rest of my life, with or without your consent.’
He gave a throaty chuckle as he swept her into his arms. ‘Oh, there’s no danger of me not consenting!’
He kissed her hungrily, showing her in the most effective way possible that he was telling her the truth. Heather clung to him as happiness welled up inside her and washed away the fear that had filled her this past week. Archie loved her and now there was nothing to stop them being together for good.
He raised his head and smiled into her eyes. ‘Are you going to invite me in? I don’t think your neighbour will be too happy if she sees what I have planned for the rest of the evening.’
Heather chuckled as she let him into the tiny hall. ‘We certainly don’t want to shock the neighbours.’ She led him into the sitting room and closed the blind. ‘There. Nobody can see what’s going on now.’
‘Good. This is strictly between you and me, and nobody else.’
He took her in his arms again, kissing her with a passion that soon had her clinging to him. They made love right there in the sitting room and it was a healing process for b
oth of them. Heather knew that no matter what happened from this point on, they would get through it. They had their love to sustain them and that was all they needed.
Afterwards Archie went into her bedroom and fetched the quilt, tucking it around them as they sat together on the sofa. ‘I need to explain why I reacted the way I did last week when you told me that you loved me.’
Heather kissed his jaw, loving the feel of his body pressed against hers. She felt so safe when she was with him, as though nothing could hurt her ever again. ‘I understand why you said what you did. You were afraid that I was rushing into something I would regret.’
‘Yes. I couldn’t bear to think that you would feel guilty when you realised you’d made a mistake. I also couldn’t face the thought of going through what I’d been through before,’ he added truthfully.
‘With Stephanie?’
‘It was a huge shock when I discovered that she and Duncan had fallen in love with each other. I had no inkling that she was unhappy let alone anything else.’ He sighed. ‘The truth is that I was too bound up in my work to notice what was going on. Work came first with me and everything else came a poor second, including Stephanie. No wonder she got fed up and sought happiness with someone else.’
‘These things happen, Archie,’ she said softly.
‘I know they do.’ He kissed her on the lips. ‘But I think it proves that my feelings for Stephanie weren’t as strong as they should have been. I will never put you second, Heather. You will always be my first priority because I love you so much. I never felt this way about Stephanie and I think she knew it, too. Even if she and Duncan hadn’t fallen in love, our relationship wouldn’t have lasted.’
‘I don’t know what to say.’ She kissed him again, held him close for a moment, then sat back. ‘I feel the same way about Ross. I saw him this morning and I realised that I had never actually been in love with him. I love him as a friend but that’s all. What I feel for him is nothing compared to how I feel about you, Archie.’
Marrying the Runaway Bride Page 13