‘I still remember going to visit the crown jewels with my granny when I was little,’ said Lucy. ‘I loved all the Beefeaters in their traditional dress.’
‘It’s a seriously random nickname, “Beefeater”,’ mused Alex.
‘True. I wonder where it came from,’ added Lucy as they neared the ancient landmark.
When they reached the side of the Tower overlooking the dry moat, Lucy and Alex gasped in unison. A sweeping display of red poppies ebbed from one of the castle windows like blood seeping thickly from a wound. Artists were hard at work installing what appeared to be a war memorial.
‘What is going on?’ asked Alex.
‘I’ve got no idea…’ said Lucy. ‘It’s beautiful!’ She whipped out her iPhone and googled it to find out what was happening. ‘Oh my goodness… how amazing. This is in memory of the First World War, they are going to fill the moat with ceramic poppies. Each poppy represents a soldier whose life was lost.’
‘How incredible,’ said Alex.
‘There are going to be nearly 900,000 poppies altogether.’
‘Unbelievable,’ said Alex. ‘There must be several thousand already… it will be breathtaking when it is finished.’
It was a sobering sight; each life represented by one hand-crafted, lovingly made poppy, standing in the grass and nestling against the golden bricks. Lucy was moved to tears at the thought of the sacrifice they symbolized. Alex stood behind her and she allowed herself to lean back into him, feeling the comfort of his presence. They stayed there in quiet contemplation as they watched the artists work, before moving further along the moat. They shared stories about their grandparents and what they had done in the war. Lucy’s paternal grandmother had worked at Bletchley Park on the Enigma machines, something she was extremely proud of. Alex’s grandfather had flown in the air force and had sadly lost his life at the age of twenty-eight when his plane was shot down, making the memorial even more poignant for him.
Afterwards Lucy took Alex to a nearby church. ‘This is called All Hallows,’ she said. ‘It’s the oldest church in the City of London.’
‘It’s lovely,’ said Alex, wondering around the church and admiring the stained glass windows, the paintings and statues that lined the walls.
‘Alex, come over her,’ said Lucy, beckoning him to a little staircase at the back of the church.
‘What’s down here?’ he asked.
‘There’s a secret underground chapel in the crypt,’ said Lucy as they climbed down the staircase to find a little museum crammed full of ancient artefacts. Alex was fascinated as he explored the church, imagining all the beheaded bodies from the Tower that were brought here awaiting burial to be cared for by the clergy.
Blinking as they made their way back into daylight, the sun pushing through the clouds, Lucy asked, ‘What would you like to do now?’
‘How about the South Bank?’ suggested Alex, so they looped back over Southwark Bridge and walked along the pathway overlooking the river. It was buzzing with both Londoners and tourists enjoying the buskers and book stalls, the open-air bars and the many street entertainers. They pottered around the various stalls, stopping to laugh at the performers. They sat for a while on a bench overlooking the river, just as the sun made an appearance through a gap in the clouds. The city sparkled under the rays of light and Lucy felt her spirits soar.
‘I don’t know about you,’ said Alex, ‘but all this walking has made me extremely thirsty.’
‘I could murder a glass of wine!’ agreed Lucy.
‘Follow me,’ said Alex. ‘I’ve got just the place in mind.’
They crossed the river at Embankment and settled in the underground vaults of a famous wine bar. A long-established watering hole for the city, each little table was nestled in a small candlelit cavern; it was a very romantic spot. Alex ordered them a bottle of red of a particularly good vintage and they sat there chatting, slowly getting drunk whilst nibbling on a platter of cheese.
After the second bottle, they found themselves leaning close together as they talked, their heads almost touching. With no inhibitions left, Alex’s hand had found a resting place on Lucy’s thigh. Normally at this point she would have started to worry about whether he thought her thighs were fat, but not tonight. She felt so comfortable in his presence that she just didn’t care. He moved his hand ever so slightly further up her leg, igniting a flame of desire so powerful in Lucy that it left her breathless. He bent to kiss her and whispered in her ear, ‘I think we had better get out of here, don’t you?’
Lucy nodded, unable to speak.
Alex paid the bill and they made their way out onto Villiers Street, heading up to the main road to flag a taxi.
In the back of the black cab, they sat pressed up close to each other; Alex’s hand remained firmly on her thigh. As the taxi pulled up outside her house, she fumbled in her bag for her keys, her hands unsteady. Alex paid the taxi driver and followed her up the steps, admiring her house from the outside as he did so. She led him up the three flights of stairs and groped at the lock, scrabbling with her keys to open it, his body pressing closely behind her as she did so. As the door sprang open, she stepped in, feeling suddenly nervous, as though she had forgotten what to do next. She mumbled something about ‘Home, sweet, home,’ and laughed nervously.
‘Would you like another glass of wine?’ she asked.
Alex shut the door behind him, slowly taking off his coat. He said, ‘No, I don’t want a glass of wine, thank you.’
He was so handsome standing there, such a huge presence in her small flat, she felt quite overwhelmed at the sight of him. She took off her jacket and her bag as he stood there, watching her, his eyes dark and gleaming.
Just as she thought she would burst with longing, he crossed the room and took her in his arms, kissing her passionately, no longer holding back, showing her exactly how much he wanted her. She lay on the sofa feeling the heavy weight of him on top of her, her body fizzing and tingling with longing. He took off her silk shirt and kissed her neck, trailing kisses along her collarbone, making her squirm underneath him. He stroked her cheeks and ran his fingers through her hair. She groaned with pleasure as he moved his attention to the top of her jeans, unbuttoning them and sliding them over her hips, continuing with his slow, exquisite torture. They lost themselves in each other, moving in perfect synchronicity, before collapsing in an exhausted, sweaty heap, their limbs tangled.
‘That was amazing,’ Alex said afterwards, kissing her tenderly on the lips.
Lucy grinned, stretching luxuriously, ‘Yes, it most definitely was!’
Alex said, ‘I hope you haven’t got any plans tomorrow, because I am not letting you leave until we have done that again, and again… and again… and again…’
Lucy laughed and said nonchalantly, ‘Oh well, if we must…’ receiving a playful nudge from Alex, before taking his hand and leading him into her bedroom.
