‘Perhaps it does,’ she said, marvelling at how handsome he was and that she still couldn’t believe he cared for her the way he did.

‘No perhaps about it,’ he said. ‘Which means that together we make the perfect couple.’

Pushing Cedric and her friends from her mind, and flinging her arms around Rick, she kissed him. ‘Thank you,’ she said.

He looked at her, surprised. ‘What for?’

‘For … for everything.’

‘Which reminds me, I have something for you. A small present.’

She frowned. ‘You can’t keep spoiling me with presents.’

‘But I like giving you things. Would you deny me that pleasure?’

‘No, but I feel guilty that you keep buying me so many lovely gifts when I can’t afford to return the gesture.’

‘I promise you that doesn’t bother me at all.’ Getting to his feet, he left her alone in the kitchen with Sirius eying her balefully. ‘What have you done with Cedric?’ his unblinking, reproachful gaze seemed to say.

‘Here it is,’ said Rick when he was back with her.

She took the prettily wrapped box from him. For a crazy moment she had wondered, just as she had that night at the restaurant when he’d asked her to move in with him, if he was about to give her a ring. But judging from the flatness of the box, she ruled that out, and with a degree of relief. It was a thought she didn’t want to explore too deeply.

‘Go on, then,’ he urged her.

She did as he said and pulled on the ribbon that held the wrapping paper in place. When she had the box open, she saw that he had given her a necklace.

‘It’s beautiful,’ she murmured, taking in the fineness of the gold chain and exquisite little four-leaf clover pendant, also in gold.

‘Do you like it?’ he asked.

‘Rick, I love it, it’s so pretty.’

‘Just like you. Here, let me put it on you.’

Scooping up her hair for him, he put the chain around her neck. He then turned her round to face him. ‘Perfect,’ he said. ‘Just as I imagined it would look on. And the four-leaf clover is to bring us luck.’ He smiled. ‘Not that we need it.’

‘Everybody needs luck,’ she said. She more than most, with the prospect of telling Simon and Lucy about Cedric.

Chapter Fourteen

In the bathroom and out of the shower, Tom dried himself with a towel, then wiped the mirror above the vanity unit so he could see his face in order to trim his beard. Even though it didn’t really need it. It was a delaying tactic. A way to put off getting into bed and what awaited him there.

He knew he wasn’t the first man to feel that the fun had been systematically drained out of having sex in the pursuit of creating a baby, but he wasn’t proud of himself for feeling this way. He secretly longed for the days when a shag was just a shag. When lust could spring from nowhere and be satiated spontaneously and with passion. When he and Martha could lose themselves in the moment and without a care in the world. Other than for her to make sure she took that small pill every morning that would stop the careless creation of an unwanted child.