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They had left the house in Kingston upon Thames just after the twins were born, moving to a huge old Elizabethan mansion in the country, which had acres of land attached to it along with magnificent gardens that would delight any child. It even came with a fine tree house built in one of the giant oak trees a little distance from the house, and this was nearly as big as Melanie’s little cottage. She hadn’t been able to bear to sell the cottage, not with all the memories it held of the wonderful Christmas when she and Forde had come together again, and now James had taken up residence there. With Melanie’s growing family he had taken a larger part in the running of the firm, which had continued to go from strength to strength. James had three full-time employees and two part-time under his direction, along with a middle-aged lady who had taken on most of the paperwork involved with the company.
Tabitha and her little family had been joined by two rescue dogs—the cats ruling the roost with iron paws—and as time went on the children had a couple of small ponies so they could learn to ride, and an aged donkey—again a rescue animal—that Melanie wanted to end its days in comfort with others of its kind for company.
It was a happy household, but when John started school Melanie felt it was time to put an idea to Forde that had been in the back of her mind for a long time. Isabelle had been living with them for the past few years, having become too frail to continue in her own home, but sadly had died in the spring, peacefully though and in her own bed.
Melanie and Forde were sitting by the swimming pool Forde had had built shortly after they had moved to the house. They were watching the children and some of the children’s friends playing in the water before Forde organised a barbecue for lunch. It was a beautiful summer’s day at the beginning of June, the sky high and cornflower-blue without a cloud to be seen, and the scents from the garden intoxicating.
Melanie took a deep breath and turned to Forde, who was lying on the sunlounger next to hers clad only in his swimming shorts. As always when she looked at him, her pulse quickened. His body was as taut and lean as it had ever been and he oozed sex appeal, which was all the more potent for his unawareness of his devastating attractiveness. She deposited a long kiss on his sexy, uneven mouth before settling back on her own lounger. ‘I need to talk to you.’
He smiled, his silver-blue eyes crinkling. ‘You don’t need to make an appointment, sweetheart. We are married, remember?’
Oh, yes, she remembered all right. The heavenly nights of bliss in their huge bed were a constant reminder.
‘This is serious, Forde. I want us to start long-term fostering, taking in the sort of troubled child I was, the sort no one else is really keen to have.’
Forde sat up straighter.
‘Now John’s started school and your mother’s gone, I feel it’s the right time. When I was nursing Isabelle I felt she needed all my attention and a peaceful life at her age, but now that’s not a consideration any more.’
Forde looked at his wife. He never tired of looking at her. He thought she got younger with every passing year, the joy of family life turning her into a female Peter Pan. ‘Are you sure about this?’ he asked quietly. ‘It would mean huge changes and it won’t be easy some of the time. The children would have to make some adjustments too.’
Melanie nodded. He hadn’t said no outright. ‘I know that. This isn’t a whim, believe me. As for our children, you know I love them beyond words and they will always come first. But …’ She paused, finding the right words. ‘They have no idea of the unhappiness some children live with every day of their lives, and I’m glad they don’t know that for themselves, of course I am, but sharing their home—and us—with such children will make our four better human beings in the long run. They are privileged, Forde, so privileged, and I’m grateful for that, but I don’t want them to grow up without understanding everyone’s not as fortunate as they are. I—I remember how it was for me as a child and I want to give something back. I want to help such little ones, give them a chance to feel wanted and loved. This is such a big house with wonderful grounds and we have four spare guest rooms we rarely use.’
Forde frowned. ‘What about the sheer mechanics of caring for more children, giving them adequate time and attention? I can be around more but not all the time and I don’t want you worked into the ground, Nell. It was hard work with my mother towards the end when she got very poorly and, although this will be different, you’ll need help.’
‘I know that.’ She was trying very hard to keep the excitement out of her voice but nevertheless it sneaked in. ‘And part of what makes me feel this is the time to do it is that I spoke to Janet the other day. You know we meet for lunch a couple of times a year?’
Forde nodded. It had been too far for Janet to travel when they had moved house, besides which Melanie had been keen to take over the role of full-time mother and housewife, which was why she had given most of the running of the business into James’s capable hands. But she hadn’t lost contact with their old housekeeper, meeting her occasionally and sending huge hampers to the house every Christmas.
‘Well, her husband died last year as you know, and two of her children are married now and have left home. The girl that’s left is the one with learning difficulties but she’s great at cooking and cleaning like her mother. It’s a rented house and I know Janet would love to come here as housekeeper and cook with her daughter helping her. Between the three of us we could run the house fine, and having Janet and her daughter here would free me up to take care of our children and any we foster, with Janet available as a back-up in any emergency. It would work, Forde. I know it would. But you have to want it too, I know that.’
‘Where would Janet a
nd her daughter live? In the granny annexe we built for Mother?’
‘Would you mind that?’
‘Of course not.’ He ran a hand through his hair as he did when he was anxious or thoughtful. ‘But I’d have to look into this more fully. We would have to look into it more fully.’
‘Absolutely.’
‘There’ll be checks and red tape and who knows what. It’ll mean opening up every area of our life to strangers before we could get a go-ahead.’
‘I know that too but it would be worth it. I’d like to try, Forde. If nothing else I’d like us to try. If it doesn’t happen—’ she shrugged ‘—so be it.’
A slow smile spread over his rugged features. ‘Nell, I know you well enough by now to know you don’t mean a word of that. This is important to you, isn’t it?’
‘It is but unless you’re completely happy we won’t go ahead about even finding out the ins and outs.’
He leaned towards her, touching her cheek with his hand. ‘If it’s important to you it’s important to me—you know that.’
When he looked at her like that all she wanted to do was fling herself into his arms and ravish him. She contented herself with cupping his face in her palms and kissing him deeply and passionately. ‘So I can go ahead and make some enquiries?’
Lifting her left hand to his lips, Forde pressed a gentle kiss on the finger that held her wedding and engagement rings. ‘We’ll do it together at every stage, OK?’
‘OK,’ Melanie whispered, wanting him, loving him.
Social Services welcomed them with open arms. As Forde had forecast the red tape stretched for ever, however, but by Christmas they had all the necessary pieces of paper in place and their initial two children, a boy and a girl who weren’t related but had spent some time together in short-term care, had arrived to spend the Christmas holiday with them to see how they all got on.
