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Back Where The Story Starts Save as PDF
Chapters (65)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. CONTENTS
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  65. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘Come here,’ she said, getting to her feet with difficulty and opening her arms. Charles came and stood in front of her so that she could stretch her arms around his neck. She could still reach, but only just. He leant back against her and although it was a little uncomfortable to have the weight of him so close to her, she didn’t push him away. She tied the bow tie deftly, but just as she was pulling the ends into shape the baby gave a huge kick that made her catch her breath.

‘Ouch!’ said Charles. ‘I felt that! My son, the 14th baron of Hartsford, is going to play for Newcastle one day.’

‘He might be a she,’ said Grace, raising a neatly plucked eyebrow at him.

‘With a right foot like that? Not on your Nelly,’ said Charles.

He spun round on the spot and kissed her passionately on the lips. It was the kind of kiss that would definitely have led them upstairs before, but Grace was just too tired to contemplate that kind of thing these days. She put her arms on his shoulders and they swayed there for a moment. Grace liked to sway. It made the pressure on her pelvis easier to bear.

‘What is it tonight?’ she asked as he checked his watch.

He pulled away from her gently. ‘Sibelius 2, that Grieg you’ve always liked and the Strauss horn concerto,’ he said. ‘Nice programme, actually. I’m looking forward to it.’

‘And you know the plan?’ Grace checked anxiously. ‘Just in case.’

‘He won’t arrive tonight,’ said Charles. ‘You’re not due for days yet. And he knows better than to put in an appearance on a concert night.’

‘But still,’ said Grace, her hand automatically finding the spot where the little foot had been just moments before.

They had reached that stage in her pregnancy when she could go into labour at any moment, although her actual due date was not for a couple of weeks. Her bag was packed with everything that the dozens of books and magazines that she had read on the subject suggested would be vital, and it had sat in the corner of their bedroom for almost a month now. It was as if she were planning a pleasant little city break rather than a painful hospital stay.