He shuffled along the bench until his thigh bumped mine. I got a glimpse in the garden lights of those breeches and felt a crackle of electricity. ‘You’ve convinced me that a revote would be a good idea.’

‘Oka-a-a-ay. Do you vote yea or nay when it comes to allowing future members of the Armstrong family in the Which Armstrong Am I? round of the New Year’s Eve Legendary Grand Tournament?’

‘Yea.’ Henry leant closer, so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my face as he spoke. It took everything I’d got not to pounce on him. ‘But that wasn’t the vote I was referring to.’

‘I might need reminding of the other one,’ I whispered, bridging the gap between us to mere millimetres.

‘Do I, Henry Fairfax, believe that one day I’ll be a part of this weird, wonderful family?’ He paused. Swallowed. Reached up one hand and gently stroked the side of my face. ‘Via marrying you? With everything I’ve got, I hope so.’

‘I hope so, too,’ I started to say, but before I’d finished his mouth had brushed mine. He hovered there for a brief second, and then when I returned the kiss, he wrapped his arms around me and for a blissful moment we expressed everything that had been filling up our hearts, that our words had so clumsily tried to convey, with a passion and a tenderness that I’d been waiting for my whole life.

‘I love you,’ he breathed, against my cheek.

‘I love you too,’ I sighed into his neck, still in awe that I was here, in the Coach House garden, kissing Henry.

I would have quite happily stayed there and kept on kissing, only neither of us had a coat on, and the first few flakes of the new year had begun to drift down between the pine branches.

‘It’s snowing.’ I blinked, a larger snowflake landing on my eyelash.

‘You could have warned me.’ He gently brushed another one from my face.

‘I did, at six twenty-five. Didn’t you watch?’

‘Bea, I have watched every forecast you’ve ever presented. Some of them more times than I will ever admit.’

‘So you were warned.’

‘I was probably too dazzled by you to concentrate on what you said. Did you also mention that it would be freezing?’ he added, starting to vigorously shiver.

‘No, because it’s two below that.’

‘Whatever it is, I think it’s time to go inside.’ He bent his head then, and kissed me again. ‘Or maybe I can stand it for another few—’

I knew the back door had been thrown open because a pair of hot, happy dogs came bounding up and planted their paws on my lap. The second clue was my mother’s voice blaring through the dark, her tall frame silhouetted by the kitchen light.