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“Brandy and I sat down with her for a while. I said she could ask me anything she wanted. But she didn’t seem interested in Guy at all. She said I was her dad, and she didn’t need to know anything else.” I shrug. “I said she might feel differently as she grows older, and that she could ask me whatever she wanted at any time. And that was it, really. I took her to the cinema, and then we went home and made pizza and played a board game, and she didn’t mention it again.”
“I’m so glad,” Victoria says. “She’s such a lovely girl. So… what happened with Elizabeth?”
“We didn’t get much chance to talk about it. She was shocked, obviously. You know what she’s like; she needs time to think about it. We’ve texted a couple of times, but I haven’t seen her since.”
“So you don’t know what’s happening with England?” Mack asks. “Whether she’s still going to go?”
I shake my head. “Her career is important to her, and she has this great opportunity, and I don’t want to be the one standing in her way. I think maybe she’s starting to believe I’m serious about her. And if it wasn’t for the relationships she’s had since then, she might have come around. But I think she’s been too badly scarred. I don’t know if she’ll ever be able to trust a man fully, and I can’t blame her, after how she’s been treated.”
Mack purses his lips. Then he says, “There is one thing you could do.”
“What?”
“Make a grand gesture.”
“I tried that, remember? I’m not jumping off another fucking building.”
“Actually,” he says, “I was thinking of something a little different…”
*
The next day, I arrive at Albert Park in the early afternoon. The warm autumn sun is flooding the park with a buttery yellow light, and although the city is busy, the park is relatively quiet. The kids are still at school, and there are only a few dog walkers and one or two couples strolling through, enjoying the sunshine.
I pass the statue of Queen Victoria and arrive at the fountain. When I called Elizabeth’s office and they told me she’d taken Nymph for a walk, I was convinced this was where she’d come, as I know it’s her favorite place to walk the dog. Sure enough, she’s sitting on one of the benches, her eyes closed, with Nymph stretched out on the grass, dozing.
I lean against the lamppost, watching Elizabeth for a moment, relieved to have found her. She’s wearing a light-gray trouser suit with a white shirt, although she’s exchanged her high heels for a pair of Converses that must be more comfortable for walking.
She’s sitting with her head tipped back, face tilted to the sun, her chocolate-brown hair hanging down past her shoulders, sleek and shiny. She’s gorgeous, and I feel a flutter of nerves as I think about why I’m here.
At that moment, Nymph lifts her head and spots me, gets to her feet, and barks. Elizabeth opens her eyes and looks around. Her gaze falls on me, and I feel a rush of pleasure as I see her eyes widen, and she inhales and sits up.
I walk across the path to her and let my backpack drop onto the bench as I fuss Nymph. “Afternoon.”
“Hello,” she says. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just walking by.” I unzip the backpack.
She gives me a wry look. “How did you know I’d be here?”
“Your PA said you’d taken Nymph for a walk. I knew you’d come here.” I take out a small speaker and turn it on.
She glances at it. “What are you doing?”
“Just a second.”
She looks back up at me and takes a deep breath. “Hux, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and—”
“Nope.” In alarm, I shake my head. “Don’t. I’ve prepared a speech,” I say. “Please, let me go through with it first, before you say anything.”
“But—”
“Elizabeth!”
She stops. “Okay.”
I take out my phone, pull up Spotify, and press play, and The Beatles’Don’t Let Me Downbegins playing—one of her favorite songs that we danced to on the yacht. Leaving the phone on the seat, I hold out a hand.
Elizabeth lifts an eyebrow. I flick my fingers toward me. She glances around. A man is walking his red setter on the other side of the fountain, and a couple is just exiting the circle around the fountain, but otherwise it’s quiet. Her lips twitch, and she slides her hand into mine and lets me pull her to her feet.
