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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

But he replied to her unfinished question. ‘Of course I fancy you,’ he said. ‘Who wouldn’t? You’re gorgeous. And believe me, it’s taking every ounce of willpower that I possess not to just drag you into the bedroom that I assume is behind that door. But . . .’ He took hold of a lock of her hair and started to twist it round his finger. ‘I have a feeling that we’re at the start of something special here, and if I’m right then I don’t want to spoil anything by crashing about like a bull in a china shop. I want to wine and dine you. I want to whisk you off your feet. I want to treat you like you deserve to be treated. And then, when we’re both sure that the moment is perfect, that’s when I’ll take you to bed.’

Melissa’s jaw virtually hit the floor. Had she heard him right? She’d known that he was different to the men she usually met, but this – a bloke who wasn’t only after one thing, who thought about her as a person rather than just a shag – this was something entirely new.

‘Okay,’ was all she could manage.

Ten minutes and another lingering kiss later, Ray had gone, leaving Melissa to dream about how different her life was going to be from now on.

14

14

CLIO – NOW

‘Marguerite said you had visitors yesterday,’ said her mother who, having spotted Clio watering the hanging baskets outside her front door, had wandered over for a chat. Strictly speaking, watering was one of the gardeners’ jobs, but Clio liked to do it herself. It felt like the kind of task that ordinary people living in ordinary houses did, which felt good, and when she watered her flowers they repaid her by blooming their hearts out as if they were thanking her personally. The symbiosis of this pleased her.

Her mother was trying to ask casually, not looking directly at her as she spoke but instead dead-heading a striped petunia in a window box, her fingers pulling at the sticky petals and then dropping them into her waiting cupped hand. Clio could tell that she was bursting with curiosity, though. Clio having friends over was exceedingly rare.

‘I did,’ Clio replied with frustrating brevity. If her mother wanted to know who had been to the Hall whilst she’d been out at lunch then she was going to have to try harder than that.

‘Anyone I know?’ her mother asked, her voice light as if she couldn’t care two hoots and was just making conversation.

‘No,’ Clio replied.

Her mother sighed and started to walk away. Clio knew it was mean to keep her in the dark like this, but she had to be careful about what she let slip. Obviously explaining who Leah really was wasn’t an option but perhaps she could give her mother something.