house. ‘Ian’s gone down to his in-laws for the weekend, so I’m in charge of keeping in the fire.’
‘You mean you’ve got the house to yourself?’ Tilly asked as she followed him into hall.
Ian employed a cleaner to keep the place tidy but it lacked the well-polished special look that her own home had, that touch that came from a home having a woman in charge who loved it, she recognised. When she and Drew had their own home she would keep it every bit as spick and span as her mother kept number 13. Their own home … The thought of having the right to share a house with Drew as his wife brought the now familiar surge of giddy excitement and anticipation mixed with urgency.
‘Yes,’ Drew confirmed, ‘and that being the case, we had better not stay here for very long. I’ll bet that Nancyis keeping a watch out. You know what she’s like, and your mom will have something to say if she thinks I’m breaking the rules.’
Tilly pulled a face. ‘Nancy’s so nosy. Anyway, we’ve got a perfectly legitimate reason for being here.’
‘You mean these,’ Drew asked her, reaching for the carefully wrapped box of chocolates he’d left on the kitchen table.
‘No, I mean this,’ Tilly told him, sliding her arms round him and raising her face to his for a kiss.
‘That is not a perfectly legitimate reason,’ Drew told her several minutes later, his voice thick with emotion as he finally stopped kissing her.
‘Don’t talk,’ Tilly whispered to him, placing her fingers against his lips. ‘Just kiss me again instead, Drew.’
‘Tilly …’ he began to protest, but Tilly silenced him in the most effective way she could, kissing him again with passionate intensity.
The only thing that Drew had told her about their special Valentine’s evening out had been that she should wear the lovely dress she had worn on New Year’s Eve, which Tilly knew must mean that he was taking her out dancing. Now, as she pressed herself closer to him, the rich plum-coloured silk velvet shimmered in the hall light as their bodies moved closer together and Tilly wound her arms tightly around Drew’s neck.
‘I want to stay here – with you – just the two of us … together,’ she told him fiercely.
Drew shook his head. ‘You know we can’t do that.’
‘I thought you loved me,’ Tilly protested.
‘I do,’ Drew assured her, ‘but you know what I promised your mom, Tilly. What we both promised her. Don’tlook like that,’ he coaxed her, adding firmly, ‘Wait here. I’ve got something special to show you.’
As he released her and turned away to start to climb the stairs, Tilly made to follow him but Drew shook his head and told her firmly ‘No, Tilly. You must wait down here. Otherwise, I’m not going to show you.’
He meant it, Tilly could tell.
Reluctantly she stood in the hallway and watched as he bounded up the stairs two at a time. She heard a door open and then close. Drew’s bedroom door. Her heart turned over and then started to race. She looked at the stairs. If she followed him up to that room; if she kissed him as she had done before, then …
Then it wouldn’t be fair to Drew, she warned herself. Because he had promised her mother, and she loved him too much to want to make him break that promise, knowing how badly he would feel about it if he did.
The bedroom door opened and then closed again, and then Drew was coming downstairs toward her carrying a sheaf of typed papers.
‘I’ve started writing the book,’ he told her, shaking his head when she reached out to take the pages from him. ‘No, I’m not going to let you read it – not yet.’
‘When did you start? You never said anything.’
‘The night we went to see St Paul’s.’
Silently they looked at one another and Tilly knew that he too was remembering how close she had come to losing her life.
She stretched out her hand towards him and Drew took it, wrapping his large hand around her small one, making her feel safe and
‘You mean you’ve got the house to yourself?’ Tilly asked as she followed him into hall.
Ian employed a cleaner to keep the place tidy but it lacked the well-polished special look that her own home had, that touch that came from a home having a woman in charge who loved it, she recognised. When she and Drew had their own home she would keep it every bit as spick and span as her mother kept number 13. Their own home … The thought of having the right to share a house with Drew as his wife brought the now familiar surge of giddy excitement and anticipation mixed with urgency.
‘Yes,’ Drew confirmed, ‘and that being the case, we had better not stay here for very long. I’ll bet that Nancyis keeping a watch out. You know what she’s like, and your mom will have something to say if she thinks I’m breaking the rules.’
Tilly pulled a face. ‘Nancy’s so nosy. Anyway, we’ve got a perfectly legitimate reason for being here.’
‘You mean these,’ Drew asked her, reaching for the carefully wrapped box of chocolates he’d left on the kitchen table.
‘No, I mean this,’ Tilly told him, sliding her arms round him and raising her face to his for a kiss.
‘That is not a perfectly legitimate reason,’ Drew told her several minutes later, his voice thick with emotion as he finally stopped kissing her.
‘Don’t talk,’ Tilly whispered to him, placing her fingers against his lips. ‘Just kiss me again instead, Drew.’
‘Tilly …’ he began to protest, but Tilly silenced him in the most effective way she could, kissing him again with passionate intensity.
The only thing that Drew had told her about their special Valentine’s evening out had been that she should wear the lovely dress she had worn on New Year’s Eve, which Tilly knew must mean that he was taking her out dancing. Now, as she pressed herself closer to him, the rich plum-coloured silk velvet shimmered in the hall light as their bodies moved closer together and Tilly wound her arms tightly around Drew’s neck.
‘I want to stay here – with you – just the two of us … together,’ she told him fiercely.
Drew shook his head. ‘You know we can’t do that.’
‘I thought you loved me,’ Tilly protested.
‘I do,’ Drew assured her, ‘but you know what I promised your mom, Tilly. What we both promised her. Don’tlook like that,’ he coaxed her, adding firmly, ‘Wait here. I’ve got something special to show you.’
As he released her and turned away to start to climb the stairs, Tilly made to follow him but Drew shook his head and told her firmly ‘No, Tilly. You must wait down here. Otherwise, I’m not going to show you.’
He meant it, Tilly could tell.
Reluctantly she stood in the hallway and watched as he bounded up the stairs two at a time. She heard a door open and then close. Drew’s bedroom door. Her heart turned over and then started to race. She looked at the stairs. If she followed him up to that room; if she kissed him as she had done before, then …
Then it wouldn’t be fair to Drew, she warned herself. Because he had promised her mother, and she loved him too much to want to make him break that promise, knowing how badly he would feel about it if he did.
The bedroom door opened and then closed again, and then Drew was coming downstairs toward her carrying a sheaf of typed papers.
‘I’ve started writing the book,’ he told her, shaking his head when she reached out to take the pages from him. ‘No, I’m not going to let you read it – not yet.’
‘When did you start? You never said anything.’
‘The night we went to see St Paul’s.’
Silently they looked at one another and Tilly knew that he too was remembering how close she had come to losing her life.
She stretched out her hand towards him and Drew took it, wrapping his large hand around her small one, making her feel safe and
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