and her hair streaming out behind like a figurehead on an old sailing ship. Except—this figurehead was pregnant. Lucy? Yes, Lucy—standing there, keeping vigil, saying goodbye while the house was sold out from under her.
Well, hardly, because she didn’t live there, but emotionally it must feel like that, he realised, and he felt the tension ratchet up yet again. He had to get it.
The phone rang, startling him, and he grabbed it.
‘Ben—it’s Simon. We’re on. I’ve got the auctioneer on hands-free so you can listen in and talk to me at the same time.’
‘Great.’
Except it wasn’t great, it was terrifying, and he realised that even in the grip of a major accident, when the hospital instituted its MAJAX plan, he’d never felt quite this scared that things would go wrong.
He could hear the bidding, hear the figures rising perilously close to his maximum. He’d still got the budget for the work in hand, but it needed that. He couldn’t use it all, but he could dip into it if he had to—
‘Ben?’
‘Another five thousand—in ones,’ he instructed, and listened as the price climbed slowly up, long pauses now between the bids.
‘The other bidder’s only gone up five hundred—he must be close to his limit,’ Simon said.
‘Call his bluff. Go up five thousand more, in one jump,’ Ben said, his heart pounding. ‘See if you can knock him out.’
There was a long, long silence, then he heard the auctioneer say, ‘Going once… Going twice…’ and the sound of the hammer coming down. But who—?
‘Congratulations!’ Simon said. ‘You’ve got yourself a house.’
Somehow Ben ended the call. He wasn’t sure what he’d said, what he’d agreed to do. It didn’t matter. He’d call Simon back later. For now there was a woman standing on the headland, and she needed his attention.
He drove up to the house—his house, or it would be soon—and turned in the gate. Her car was there, pulled up by the door, and he blocked her in just in case he missed her somehow.
He didn’t. She was still there, standing staring out to sea, and he went down the track by the side of the garden, across the field and walked up behind her.
‘Lucy?’
She turned slowly, and he could see the tears on her cheeks, dried by the wind.
‘It’s gone,’ she said woodenly. ‘The house. It’s gone. The sale was at two.’
‘I know.’
She hugged herself, her hands wrapping around her slender arms and hanging on, and he stood between her and the biting wind and cupped her face in his hands.
‘I’ve got something for you,’ he said softly. ‘Come back to the house with me.’
Her brow furrowed. ‘The house?’
‘Mmm.’
She turned, and he put his arm round her and led her carefully back over the field. At the gateway to the house he stopped and scooped her into his arms.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked, startled.
‘It’s tradition,’ he said, ‘except it should be the front door, but I can’t do that because I haven’t got the keys and anyway the front door key’s missing.’
She stared at him blankly. ‘Tradition?’
‘To carry your woman over the threshold.’ He took a deep breath and walked through the gateway. ‘Welcome to your new home, Lucy.’
She stared at him for an age, then hope flickered in her eyes. ‘My new…?’
‘I bought the house—for you,’ he told her gently, and she burst into tears.
CHAPTER SIX
S HE couldn’t believe it.
He’d put her down carefully on her feet, on the driveway of the house, and he was looking down at her expectantly.
No, not expectantly, exactly, but as if he wasn’t quite sure what reception his news was getting, and needed—desperately needed—to know.
‘Oh, Ben,’ she said, flinging her arms around him and hugging him, then letting him go and looking up at him searchingly while she hunted for a tissue.
‘Here,’ he said, and handed her one with a smile, and she blew her nose, scrubbed away the still welling tears, and
Well, hardly, because she didn’t live there, but emotionally it must feel like that, he realised, and he felt the tension ratchet up yet again. He had to get it.
The phone rang, startling him, and he grabbed it.
‘Ben—it’s Simon. We’re on. I’ve got the auctioneer on hands-free so you can listen in and talk to me at the same time.’
‘Great.’
Except it wasn’t great, it was terrifying, and he realised that even in the grip of a major accident, when the hospital instituted its MAJAX plan, he’d never felt quite this scared that things would go wrong.
He could hear the bidding, hear the figures rising perilously close to his maximum. He’d still got the budget for the work in hand, but it needed that. He couldn’t use it all, but he could dip into it if he had to—
‘Ben?’
‘Another five thousand—in ones,’ he instructed, and listened as the price climbed slowly up, long pauses now between the bids.
‘The other bidder’s only gone up five hundred—he must be close to his limit,’ Simon said.
‘Call his bluff. Go up five thousand more, in one jump,’ Ben said, his heart pounding. ‘See if you can knock him out.’
There was a long, long silence, then he heard the auctioneer say, ‘Going once… Going twice…’ and the sound of the hammer coming down. But who—?
‘Congratulations!’ Simon said. ‘You’ve got yourself a house.’
Somehow Ben ended the call. He wasn’t sure what he’d said, what he’d agreed to do. It didn’t matter. He’d call Simon back later. For now there was a woman standing on the headland, and she needed his attention.
He drove up to the house—his house, or it would be soon—and turned in the gate. Her car was there, pulled up by the door, and he blocked her in just in case he missed her somehow.
He didn’t. She was still there, standing staring out to sea, and he went down the track by the side of the garden, across the field and walked up behind her.
‘Lucy?’
She turned slowly, and he could see the tears on her cheeks, dried by the wind.
‘It’s gone,’ she said woodenly. ‘The house. It’s gone. The sale was at two.’
‘I know.’
She hugged herself, her hands wrapping around her slender arms and hanging on, and he stood between her and the biting wind and cupped her face in his hands.
‘I’ve got something for you,’ he said softly. ‘Come back to the house with me.’
Her brow furrowed. ‘The house?’
‘Mmm.’
She turned, and he put his arm round her and led her carefully back over the field. At the gateway to the house he stopped and scooped her into his arms.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked, startled.
‘It’s tradition,’ he said, ‘except it should be the front door, but I can’t do that because I haven’t got the keys and anyway the front door key’s missing.’
She stared at him blankly. ‘Tradition?’
‘To carry your woman over the threshold.’ He took a deep breath and walked through the gateway. ‘Welcome to your new home, Lucy.’
She stared at him for an age, then hope flickered in her eyes. ‘My new…?’
‘I bought the house—for you,’ he told her gently, and she burst into tears.
CHAPTER SIX
S HE couldn’t believe it.
He’d put her down carefully on her feet, on the driveway of the house, and he was looking down at her expectantly.
No, not expectantly, exactly, but as if he wasn’t quite sure what reception his news was getting, and needed—desperately needed—to know.
‘Oh, Ben,’ she said, flinging her arms around him and hugging him, then letting him go and looking up at him searchingly while she hunted for a tissue.
‘Here,’ he said, and handed her one with a smile, and she blew her nose, scrubbed away the still welling tears, and
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