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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

Charles seemed far too relaxed about what was about to happen, Grace thought. She, however, was a bag of nerves. Whenever he went to work she fretted that she wouldn’t be able to get a message to him in time, that he would miss it all and that she would have to go through everything on her own. Her father had not been present at her birth, or so her nanny Mrs Finn had told her. Granted, when she had been born back in the fifties men had not troubled themselves with that kind of female activity, but it was the eighties now and things had changed. Charles was keen to take an active role in the birth of his firstborn.

‘I was there at the start of this adventure,’ he had said with a rakish wink, ‘and I’m damn well going to be there at the end.’

Grace hoped he was right.

‘Don’t you worry, my darling,’ Charles said now, his smile tender but indulgent. ‘I’ve told anyone that could possibly answer a telephone in the entire building to be on red alert. I don’t believe there’s a soul in Newcastle who doesn’t know that I am about to become a father. If the call comes through then someone will let me know and I’ll come hotfooting it to the hospital. But if you could just cross your legs until after the Grieg . . .’ He grinned, his expression as cheeky as a schoolboy’s.

‘I’ll do my best,’ she said weakly.

She gave him a wide smile and hoped that it was enough to disguise her terror at the prospect of what lay ahead. As if he could read her mind, Charles reached over and took her hand in his, rubbing the pad of his thumb up and down her palm soothingly. He had big hands with such thick fingers that it was hard to believe that he could tease such exquisite music from a violin.

‘Don’t worry,’ he said, squeezing gently. ‘It’s going to be fine. And when you need me I’ll be there. I’ll walk off stage in the middle of a movement if needs be. Just get someone to make the call and I’ll be by your side in the blink of an eye.’ He gave her another kiss, this time on the end of her nose, and then he strode out of the orangery and was gone.

‘Good luck,’ she called out after him. ‘Play well.’

6

6

LEAH – NOW