Chapter 13 #4
Will handed her a glass and she took a big slug, wondering how on earth she was going to make it through dinner. All she wanted was Will – right here, right now.
‘What did you make?’ she asked, taking another swig. It was strong and heady – as if she didn’t feel light-headed enough already.
‘Lamb,’ Will said, as if he was answering a totally different question, his eyes burning into hers.
‘Sorry?’ She was in such a frenzy of lust, she couldn’t concentrate on anything.
‘Lamb,’ Will repeated, never taking his eyes from hers. ‘Are you hungry?’ There was a predatory glint in his eyes as they locked with hers that took Kate’s breath away.
‘No, not really,’ she said breathily.
‘Good. Me neither.’
In one fluid movement he took Kate’s glass from her and set it on the worktop. His hard, muscular body slammed against hers, his fingers tangling in her hair as he opened her mouth with his.
‘What about the lamb?’ Kate rubbed her cheek against the rough stubble of his jaw.
‘It’ll keep.’ He tugged her dress off one shoulder, dropping his lips to the bare skin.
‘I hope you didn’t go to too much trouble.’ Kate slid her hands up inside his T-shirt.
‘No trouble at all.’ He raised his arms and she pulled it off over his head.
‘Do you think maybe we should turn it off?’ Kate asked between kisses.
‘Turn what off?’ Will was sliding down the zipper of her dress.
‘The lamb.’
‘Fuck the lamb.’ Will’s hand pushed inside her bra.
Kate gasped as his thumb brushed her nipple. ‘No,’ she whimpered. ‘Fuck me!’
* * *
Kate woke the next morning to find the sun streaming through the muslin curtains and Will gone.
Stretching languorously in the vast bed, she discovered she had little aches all over her body, as if she had done a really good workout – which, in a way, she had, she thought, though it had been a hell of a lot more fun than the gym.
Sitting up, she glanced at the clock on the bedside table.
It was only eight forty-five. Hearing noises downstairs, she got up and put on a dressing gown, then went in search of Will.
She found him in the living room, already dressed, his hair still wet from the shower.
He was sitting cross-legged on the sofa in front of the television, eating a peach.
He smiled as she came in, turned down the sound, tossed the peach onto a plate beside him and stretched out an arm to her.
Kate leapt onto the sofa and snuggled up to him.
Peach juice trickled down his chin and she licked it as she kissed his dimple.
‘Good morning.’ He kissed her mouth. He tasted wonderfully fresh and summery.
‘What are you doing up so early? I thought we were having a holiday,’ she said, breathing in his fresh, citrus smell.
‘Something came up, there’s some business I have to take care of. Sorry.’ He grimaced apologetically.
‘Couldn’t it wait?’ she asked, disappointed.
‘Not really. It’s a new, um, project I’m working on. I need to get it up and running before we go back to Italy.’
Kate couldn’t help feeling a bit miffed that instead of being disappointed not to spend the morning in bed with her, he seemed pretty pleased with himself.
‘Something’s happening at the celebrity jail,’ he said, waving to the TV.
Kate looked at the screen. He was watching Celebrity Cell Block, and a crisis was unfolding.
Instead of the usual live coverage of the inmates, the presenter was standing outside the prison, speaking straight to the camera.
From time to time, it cut to Tessa, who was wearing civvies instead of the regulation uniform.
‘What’s going on?’ Kate asked.
‘Tessa seems to be leaving,’ Will said, turning up the sound again.
Just then, a breaking news update ran across the bottom of the screen, stating that Tessa was quitting the celebrity jail later today. The picture showed her packing her stuff and giving her cellmate an enthusiastic hug, then being led out of her cell by the ‘warder’.
‘Wow! Owen calling off the campaign worked fast.’
‘She hasn’t been voted off.’ Will shook his head. ‘It’s something else, but they’re being very cloak and dagger about it.’
As they watched, the camera returned to the presenter standing outside.
Her hushed tone imbued the event with all the seriousness of a military coup.
She said she could confirm that Tessa would be leaving later today, but at the moment, they couldn’t reveal why.
All she could say was that Tessa had to go for ‘health reasons’, then added paradoxically that she could assure Tessa’s family, friends and legions of fans that she wasn’t ill and there was nothing to worry about.
‘What we can tell you is that Tessa requested an item from the pharmacy yesterday. We haven’t been told what it was, but subsequent to that, she had discussions with the producers and it was decided that she should leave immediately. ’
‘Oh my God, she’s pregnant!’ Kate’s hands flew to her face.
‘Shit!’ Will’s eyes were wide with shock. ‘Do you think that’s it?’
‘An item from the pharmacy – it must have been a pregnancy-testing kit. And she’s not ill, but she has to leave for health reasons. What else could it be?’
‘Oh Christ! Poor Louise.’
‘You don’t think Rory’s just going to dump her, do you?’
‘That’s exactly what he’ll do.’
‘But he can’t! He’s nuts about her! And, besides, they’ve only just got together.’
Will looked at her squarely. ‘Have you ever heard Rory on the subject of fathers who bail on their kids?’
Kate looked at him in silence as the truth of his words sank in.
‘Oh my God, you’re right!’ Kate knew exactly what Rory thought of men who abandoned their children. ‘Poor Louise.’
‘Poor Rory.’
* * *
In Tuscany, Louise was sitting in front of the TV with Rory, watching the same program, having been tipped off that something was happening with Tessa at the jail.
‘She’s pregnant!’ she whispered.
Rory stared at the screen in numb disbelief. How could this have happened? They had always been so careful. But accidents happened. He didn’t say a word, but his mind railed against the dawning reality.
Maybe Tessa wasn’t pregnant, he thought hopefully.
Maybe everyone was jumping to conclusions.
No one had actually said she was pregnant.
There was still hope, he told himself. But he didn’t voice it out loud: deep down, he knew he was clutching at straws because he didn’t want it to be true.
In his heart, he knew Tessa was pregnant, and it was like a death sentence.
He cursed himself for being so careless and stupid.
He thought of all those wasted years when he could have been with Louise, regret gnawing at him.
If only he had had the courage to follow his heart.
If only he had realised years ago that Louise felt the same way.
If only he had never been with Tessa. If only, if only, if only…
They both stared determinedly at the screen, afraid to look at each other.
Rory reached for Louise’s hand and gripped it as their world fell apart before their eyes.
When his phone rang, they jumped. He let go of Louise’s hand, stood up and moved away to take the call.
When he had disconnected, he came back. ‘Tessa wants me to be there when she comes out.’ Louise nodded silently, blinking hard to stop the tears.
‘Louise, I—’
‘I know,’ she interrupted. She couldn’t bear to hear him say it. ‘You have to go. It’s okay.’
She had known it would happen. The moment she realised Tessa was pregnant, she had known she would lose Rory.
No one who knew him as she did could have doubted it.
She couldn’t resent him for it or even wish it was otherwise.
She understood that he had to go. He wouldn’t have been the man she loved if he didn’t.
It was just horribly ironic and unfair that the very qualities she loved in him were taking him away from her now – his inherent decency, his dependability, the way he looked after people, his gritty determination to shoulder his responsibilities.
Wordlessly, they got up and began to make preparations, Louise helping Rory to pack.
They moved about like automatons, studiously avoiding touching.
Louise was terrified that if he touched her now she would end up begging him to stay, and she didn’t want to make it any harder for him than it already was.
Rory knew that if he held her now he would never be able to let her go.
Only when he was about to leave did he take her in his arms, holding her so tightly she could hardly breathe.
He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to.
His eyes said it all: I’m sorry, I love you.
Then he kissed her with a fierce passion, and their lips clung together as if for the last time – which they both knew it was.
‘I love you,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll always love you.’
‘I love you too,’ he said grimly. And then he was gone. She watched his car drive away. Only when it was out of sight did she allow the floodgates to open and sank to the gravel in a heap, sobbing hysterically. Which was where Owen found her sometime later.
‘Louise! What the fuck?’ He knelt down beside her and took her in his arms. ‘What the fuck’s the matter? Where’s Rory?’
‘He’s gone,’ she sobbed brokenly, clinging to him. ‘Rory’s gone.’
* * *
Kate had just got out of the shower when her mobile rang. ‘Hello?’
‘Kate! Where are you?’ Rachel demanded sharply.
‘At Will’s.’ Wrapped up in her own little world, it hadn’t occurred to her that everyone didn’t know the wonderful events of the last twenty-four hours.
‘At Will’s?’
Rachel’s sharp tone brought her down to earth with a bang. She wished she hadn’t answered the call – she didn’t want to have to explain her and Will to anyone just yet.
‘What are you doing at Will’s?’ Rachel asked.
‘I’m – well, I’m…’ Kate faltered. I’m shagging his brains out every chance I get. ‘We’re together now, Will and I.’
‘Together?’