Chapter 29
Good morning. I hope you slept just as well as I did. Unfortunately, I had to go to the office, and I didn’t want to wake you. Have a great day. Message me, if you like.
Note left by Henry on Kate’s pillow
Kate
The next day, I heard angry voices coming out of Henry’s office.
His dad was furious at Henry for banning Mr. Fleming from the premises.
I was still asleep when Henry had sneaked from my room.
By the time I started work three hours later, the entire hotel was already talking about it.
I would never have asked Henry to ban a regular guest from The Darlington on my account, but it was a relief to know I’d never run into that perv in the hotel corridors again.
Still, I felt bad that Henry had to confront his dad, who voiced his disapproval of Henry’s decision loud and clear, for everyone to hear.
I sent Henry a message asking if everything was fine, but all I got in response was a terse Yes.
Over the course of the day, my thoughts kept drifting back to Henry and last night.
How he had lain in my bed and held me. It had felt just as intimate as if we’d known each other for a very long time.
It was no wonder I had wanted to kiss him—he made my body tingle and my heart race.
Looking back, though, I was glad it hadn’t happened.
A kiss would only have complicated our relationship, which was already far too complicated.
He was Henry Darlington, after all. Rich.
Powerful. Influential. The whole world lay at his feet, while I was being trampled by it.
No matter which way I looked at it, it just didn’t fit, and probably never would.
Lost in thought, my work took considerably longer than it usually did.
Fortunately, no one seemed to mind. I cast a final glance around the room I had just finished cleaning to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, then confirmed on the tablet that I was done so reception would know the room was ready for new guests.
I returned my cleaning trolley to the housekeeping room and made my way downstairs—my shift was finally over.
After retrieving my room key from my locker, I headed to Henry’s office.
I had walked past it more times today than I’d like to admit, hoping to run into him.
I could have knocked, of course, but I hadn’t wanted to disturb him.
The door had been closed every time I passed—but this time, luck seemed to be on my side.
Just as I turned into the corridor, the door opened.
Henry stepped out. Just one glance at his face was enough to confirm that he’d had a bad day.
His skin was pale and his eyes were dull, but he was smiling.
Next to him was a woman who seemed vaguely familiar.
She must have been around forty, with auburn hair and gold-rimmed glasses.
They were heading straight towards me but hadn’t spotted me yet.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Henry asked.
“Definitely. It’s not my scene.”
“That’s a shame. Let me know if you change your mind.”
The woman smiled. “Thanks, I will.”
Henry looked up as if he had sensed my presence, and the intensity of his gaze hit me hard. The fake, tired smile from just a moment ago transformed into something more alive and warm. I paused, not sure what to do. Should I greet them and risk interrupting their conversation? Or should I leave?
Henry decided for me. “Hi.”
“Hey.” Why did I sound so breathless?
They stopped in front of me, and suddenly, I realised where I had seen the woman before: yesterday at the press conference with Henry.
“Kate, allow me to introduce Matilda Gallagher from Hope Harbour,” he said, confirming it. “Tilly, this is Kate Hamilton, the friend who gave me the idea of raising money for local homeless charities.”
A broad smile spread across Tilly’s face, etching fine wrinkles around her eyes. She shook my hand enthusiastically. “It’s really nice to meet you, Kate. Thanks for thinking of Hope Harbour. It means a lot to us.”
“Oh. I . . . I didn’t do anything,” I said awkwardly.
“Don’t say that.” Tilly placed a hand on my arm, an unexpectedly maternal gesture. “Thanks to you, the organisation will receive a very generous donation at the end of the year. We’ll be able to help a lot of homeless people. You can’t imagine what that will mean to them.”
I could imagine—very well, in fact. But I wasn’t sure how much Henry had told Tilly or how much she was allowed to know.
I looked at him hesitantly and saw only openness in his eyes.
He seemed to be leaving it up to me to decide what I wanted to share with her.
I had promised him I wouldn’t tell anyone at the hotel the truth about my history, but Tilly wasn’t part of the hotel.
And if anyone would understand, it was her.
“I was homeless myself until recently,” I confessed, keeping my voice low even after I had made sure no one was listening. “I even went to the Hope Harbour soup kitchen a few times. You really do an amazing job.”
Tilly raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Really?”
I nodded. The soup kitchen had often helped me in the last few months—when luck had been on my side.
Although the meals were portioned to keep things fair, I was often turned away empty-handed because there wasn’t enough to go round for everyone who needed it.
But that wasn’t Tilly’s fault—it was a systemic problem.
“And now you work here at The Darlington?” she asked.
“Yes, Henry gave me a job.”
“How wonderful! He told me that you really care about helping the homeless, which is why he wants to raise money for Hope Harbour, but I didn’t realise you had such a personal connection to the cause. Can I ask how you met?” She looked from me to Henry and back expectantly.
I let Henry do the talking.
“Kate pickpocketed me,” he said.
Tilly’s eyes widened. “She did what?”
“Pickpocketed me,” he repeated, smiling. “I was in St. James’s Park, and she took my iPhone when I was buying myself a coffee. But she forgot to turn off GPS tracking, so I tracked her down and confronted her. I hadn’t reckoned with how . . . convincing she can be, though.”
“And after all that, you offered her a job?”
Henry shook his head. “Not straightaway. We parted ways after I got my phone back, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her and everything she told me. So a few days later, I went to the park to bring her back to the hotel. It was the best decision I’ve made in a long time.”
At his last words, he turned from Tilly to me. Our eyes did more than just meet—they collided. The expression in his blue eyes changed, giving his last words a significance that I felt at my very core.
Tilly sighed. “What a beautiful story. Once again, it just goes to show that all people need is another chance. Someone who will stand up for them. No one chooses that kind of life, and with the donations from the gala, we’ll be able to make a real difference. So thank you, both of you.”
“You’re welcome,” Henry said, while I smiled modestly.
“I’d better make a move,” Tilly said, adjusting the strap of her bag.
“Thanks for the meeting, Henry. I think I can see myself out. As soon as I’m back in the office, I’ll send you the email I promised.
” She shook his hand. “It was nice meeting you, Kate. You should come and visit us at Hope Harbour sometime, if you like.”
“I’d love to,” I replied. I admired Tilly for the work she did and how she helped others on a daily basis.
“Great. Henry can give you my number.”
“I will,” he promised, and we said goodbye to Tilly.
I watched her leave, then turned to Henry. “She’s really nice.”
“Yes, she is. I only hope she won’t end up being disappointed.”
“You mean by the gala?”
Worry flashed across his face. “Yes.”
I took a step towards him. The scent of his aftershave had faded over the course of the day, and now he just smelled like Henry.
It was the same smell that had lingered on my sheets long after he’d left my bed.
“I’m sure that won’t happen. It’ll be amazing.
You’re making such a huge effort, and I’m certain that Tilly and the rest of Hope Harbour will be grateful for any and all donations.
It doesn’t take twenty million to make a difference,” I said with a shrug. “Nineteen million is totally enough.”
My words did the trick. All doubt disappeared from Henry’s face. “Thank you. I needed that.”
“Thank you,” I replied with a smile.
“What for?”
“For banning Mr. Fleming from the hotel. It wasn’t necessary.”
Henry’s jaw tightened, as if the mention of Mr. Fleming’s name alone was enough to enrage him. “Yes, it was.”
“I could have handled him.”
“Maybe you could have, but I couldn’t. The idea that at any moment, that arsehole could run into you and try to touch you again drove me mad.
He’s lucky all I did was ban him from the premises,” Henry said, his hands clenched into fists.
The ferocity of his expression was proof of how serious he was.
He would protect me, no matter what it took, and that was a wonderful feeling.