She rose to answer the knock at the door, and there he stood. The two stared at each other for a beat or two. The quiet was farfrom uncomfortable. It was instead as if a current of understanding ran through them, a long, lingering look that spoke of connection and attraction.
It was knowing.
It was forgiveness.
It was hope.
‘Alfie ...’ No more than a whisper, yet to say his name was lovely, freeing and exciting all at once. ‘Thank you for coming over.’ It was so wonderful to see him. She felt the girlish thrill of it, yet at the same time was more than a little worried about all the things she had said to him and the way she had said them. Her truths, no doubt, yet still rather harshly delivered.
‘Miss Cooper. I was surprised to hear from you, delighted! But surprised.’ He gave a slow smile, seemingly very happy to see her too. She felt some of her anxiety fade.
‘Come in, come in!’ She stood back to allow him access, aware of the closeness of him, the delightful feeling as her body rippled in response to the proximity. A visceral reaction to the man, the scent of him, the sound of him ... ‘Please come in.’ She guided him into the lounge, where he, of course, walked straight to the window.
‘Wow! I did not expect that!’ He shook his head at the wonder of it.
‘It’s really something, isn’t it?’ Her smile bittersweet, at the fact that there it was, the river. Old Mother Thames.
‘It really is.’ He turned to face her now. ‘I can’t tell you how lovely it was to get your message. I’ve hardly slept since I saw you last, hardly been able to ...’ He shook his head as the words seemed to run out.
‘Well, people change, Alfie, things change, you just have to figure out how to change with it, you have to give life a chance, don’t you think?’
‘Indeed I do.’ He took a step towards her and spoke quietly, as if keeping it between the two of them. It felt nicely conspiratorial, suggesting their story was not done, not quite. ‘I want you to know that I tried.’
‘You tried what?’ She’d lost the thread.
‘I spoke to the board and the investors and made an arse of myself. I asked the questions; whether it was possible to build around Waide House, whether it was possible to relocateThe Fortescuea few feet back, I even asked what was a few million extra between friends? I mean, that’s conservatively what it would have cost once we’d worked out how to shoehorn it on to the same parcel of land, shifted it a bit. We would of course have lost the ornamental garden, the water frontage, the space at the rear for parking and deliveries, meaning sales would undoubtedly have been affected too, but I want you to know I tried!’
‘Why did you do that?’ She stared up at him. It was no small thing, the effort of which was not lost on her, this man who had tried for her, chosen her, showed up. All the very opposite of abandoning her.
‘I did it for you, Lilly, just for you.’ His gaze was unwavering, his tone sincere, and Lilly felt the pull in her gut of something that felt a lot like excitement.
His words, when they came, were spoken slowly, with consideration.
‘It was the thought of you losing your safe space, your haven. I know what it felt like to walk through my nan’s front door, as I said, like stepping into a warm hug. I still miss it, even now. And the thought of it still being there and someone coming to knock it down ...’ He sat in the window seat, as if settling in, not planning on going anywhere any time soon. ‘I guess your words got to me. Made me think about my legacy.’
‘I’m grateful, Alfie, more than grateful.’ Her words paved the way for forgiveness, aware as she was that this man was takingsomething away from her, but also that he just might be giving her something in return.
‘I thought maybe we could go for a drink. Hot or cold, I don’t mind ...’ He held her gaze.
‘Cold, I think.’ She smiled up at him, this nice fella, this handsome fella!
‘Cold it is.’ He closed his eyes briefly, whether giving thanks or offering up a wish, it was impossible to tell; either way, she was here for it.
Clodagh and Joshua came through into the lounge.
‘Hey, Joshy!’ Alfie smiled at his nephew. ‘I was just telling Lilly how I tried to get The Fortescue shifted.’
She saw the way Clodagh’s eyes widened in recognition of the gesture.
‘And I’m thankful to you.’ It meant the world to her, the whole world.
‘Well, I wasn’t successful, so no thanks required. The consensus was that not only would it set the project back by years, but it would cost too much money, or more accurately, we would lose too much money. Not even I could persuade them to do that.’
The four stood to admire the view, the most amazing secret, a gift for all who entered this little flat.
‘The reason I called you all here’ – Lilly took her time – ‘is because I wanted to say that I am leaving.’
‘We know, Lilly!’ Clodagh stared at her with a look of concern, as if she might just have lost her reason.
