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For once, Leo was tight-lipped and silent, almos
t as if he’d been hurt by Clara’s remarks as much as she had. ‘It doesn’t matter, Leo. She’s not important.’
‘Yeah.’ He didn’t sound all that convinced. ‘Car keys. In my pocket.’
She made a bit more of a meal of feeling in his jacket pocket than she strictly needed to, and Leo finally smiled. ‘Stop that. Or I’ll throw you over my shoulder.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
TWENTY MINUTES ON the motorway and then they started to meander along narrow roads, through pretty villages. Then he turned off the road entirely, the car bumping slightly on a muddy track. To the left of them, the moon reflected in a long, shimmering trail across a stretch of dark water.
‘Oh, look, Leo. Is it a full moon?’
‘Tomorrow, I think.’
‘Your house is near here?’ She couldn’t see any buildings ahead of them, just fields.
‘Over there.’ He pointed across the water and Alex saw the shadow of a house, nestling amongst the trees, overlooking the millpond. There must be a bridge up ahead of them.
But he slowed the car, backing it onto an area of hardstanding which was surrounded on three sides by stone-built walls and covered over by a small pitched roof. He got out, walking to the back of the parking space, and suddenly she was in wonderland.
Lights led all the way to the building. Along a paved path to a bridge, which stretched across the mouth of the stream that fed into the millpond. Across the bridge and then up a sharp incline, with steps set into it, to the front door of a solid two-storey timber-framed house.
The only way to get there was to walk. Alex had her trainers packed in her bag, ready for tomorrow, along with her sports leg. But suddenly the idea of being carried across, snuggling in Leo’s arms as the night breeze caught her dress, seemed unbearably tempting.
He walked around the car, opening her door. ‘You can walk, can’t you?’
‘Yes. I just need my trainers from my bag.’
He nodded. Without a word, he lifted her out of the car, settling her in his arms. She curled her arm around his neck, feeling his warmth.
‘This is lovely. It’s all yours?’
‘I own the land but there’s a public footpath which runs from the road, along this side of the millpond and through to the village. It’s a bit of a tradition that people come and fish here during the summer and I wouldn’t want that to change.’
‘That’s nice. A hideaway with plenty of people passing back and forth on the other side of the water.’
‘Yeah. That’s what I like about it. I lent the place to Evie for a couple of weeks last summer, and when the paparazzi stopped at the village pub and asked how to get here, they pointed them thirty miles in the other direction.’ He chuckled quietly.
‘Did they ever find her?’
‘No.’ He stopped halfway across the bridge, turning so she could see across the millpond. ‘This is one of my favourite spots.’
‘It’s beautiful.’ The water stretched out in front of them, moving gently. There were trees and a clear, dark sky, studded with stars. It was like being in the arms of a handsome prince, who was carrying her across a gilded lake to his castle.
Leo climbed the steps to the front porch, setting her down for a moment while he opened the door and flipped the light on. When she stepped inside, the hallway was bright and warm.
‘Make yourself at home. I’ll go and get the coats and bags and lock the car...’ He left her alone in the hallway.
Her prosthetic foot was angled slightly to accommodate the heel of a shoe, and Alex had to walk on her toes. It somehow felt right to be tiptoeing through Leo’s house, exploring it, like a lost princess. The kitchen was straight ahead, modern and utilitarian, much as she would have expected. But the sitting room came as a revelation. A stone fireplace, obviously used, from the pile of wood in the hearth. Large squashy sofas in powder blue and oak cabinets, full of books and ornaments which looked like an eclectic collection, made over the years.
The dining room was just as welcoming, wood-framed French windows with patterned curtains and a distressed wooden table. It was stylish but it felt like a home, and it was light years away from his London flat.
She heard him in the hallway and went back out to meet him. ‘So it’s your alter ego who lives here?’
‘Not really. I’m the same person here as I am in London.’
It was another piece in the puzzle. Just as Leo’s secrets had filled in the blanks, made sense of a complex and seemingly disjointed personality, this house did too. There was the Leo who loved the bright lights and the excitement of London, but that Leo needed a home and this was it.
