Authors: Katie Fforde
‘Here she is!’ said Tina. ‘Our heroine!’
‘You’re a heroine too!’ said Bella, hugging her friend hard.
‘And you got rid of Nevil,’ said David, one of the other agents. ‘Who was OK but he never gave any of us credit for our hard work.’
‘We think you should apply for his job, Bells,’ said Tina. ‘We’ve discussed it.’
‘I’m not the most senior by any means,’ said Bella, shocked, taking the glass Dominic offered her.
‘Apply. If you get it it’ll be because you deserve it and we’d all be happy,’ went on Tina. ‘Wouldn’t we, guys?’
There was a general chorus of ‘yes!’ and ‘hear, hear!’, even a reluctant one from Edward, who was Nevil’s current second in command.
‘I made a cake,’ said Tina. ‘Let’s have some. It’s practically lunchtime.’
‘My perfect lunch,’ said Bella, sitting on a desk, swinging her legs, sipping from her glass. ‘Champagne and cake.’
Afterwards, they left Bella’s car in the car park and Dominic drove back to Alice’s. Alice hugged them both hard when they got through the door.
‘Oh, loves! I am so pleased everything’s worked out for you. And Dominic’s OK about living here with you while I’m away?’
Bella looked at Dominic. ‘I never got round to asking him . . .’
‘As Bella has signally failed to find me a suitable property, I’m more than happy to share this fabulous house with her while you need us,’ said Dominic gallantly.
Alice laughed. ‘Well, that’s good! And do feel free to redecorate, move stuff around, anything like that.’ She put her arm round Dominic. ‘Now, have you two had lunch?’ she said as she led the way to the kitchen.
‘Cake, mainly,’ said Dominic.
‘And champagne,’ said Bella. ‘It was lovely, but I could do with something savoury. Partly to mop up the fizz.’
‘I’ve made a quiche,’ said Alice. ‘And a list of things you’ll need to know about the house . . .’
‘Are you sure you’re OK about living here?’ said Bella as she and Dominic cleared up after eating the quiche and reading the list. ‘I could easily find us a nice little rental.’
Dominic took his hands out of the sink and gave her a quick hug. ‘I’m all for “love in a cottage”,’ he said, ‘but I think I prefer “love in an ex-vicarage, with five bedrooms and a well-kept garden”. But anywhere you are is the perfect home for me.’
Bella kissed him.
Bella put her arm round Dominic’s waist. ‘It was so sweet of you to come with me to see Alice off, especially when we had to get up quite early in the morning to get her here on time.’
They were walking through Kings Cross St Pancras station after putting Alice on the train. She was off to her new life, Michael having gone ahead. But judging by the number of texts Alice had received on the journey, there was no doubt that he would be waiting for her on the platform when she arrived.
‘She did have quite a lot of luggage, and she’s been so good to me,’ said Dominic. ‘It was lovely of her to clear out that little room so Dylan has a bedroom near us.’
‘He loved it, didn’t he?’ Bella chuckled, remembering the weekend that Dylan had spent with them all. He had explored the house with Dominic, wide-eyed and thrilled and, later, made a den in the garden. Or rather Dominic had made it, but there was no doubt about whose den it was. Alice had been generous with rugs, cushions and pots and pans.
‘He really did. Even Celine has begun to see how good it is for me and Dylan to see each other, and you.’
Bella hugged his arm a little tighter. Then she stopped in front of the statue of the couple kissing. ‘Sweet, isn’t it?’
‘It’s OK. I prefer the one of John Betjeman. Part of me longs to send for the proverbial fish knives.’
‘But I don’t want to be called Norman.’
He laughed. ‘I don’t know. I think you might get to like it.’ He kissed her head. ‘I do like it that you get my references, that you know that poem.’
Bella was pleased. ‘Do you want to go and look at the statue before we get our train back?’
‘Actually, you’ve got the rest of the day off. I’m taking you out to lunch.’
‘Oh?’ Bella had planned an afternoon in the office.
‘Yes. It was a unanimous decision when I consulted your colleagues. You’ve been working so hard since Nevil left and you need some time off.’
Bella frowned. ‘If I’m going to apply for Nevil’s job, I really need to—’
‘You’ve done it all. Tina told me. Now come on. Do you mind a bit of a walk to the restaurant?’
Bella didn’t put up much of a fight. She knew it would have been a struggle to go back to work having seen Alice off. In spite of being so blissfully happy these days, she did feel sentimental about partings, and had wept just a little bit as she and Alice had hugged goodbye. A lovely lunch with Dominic would be the perfect thing to take her mind off it.
Dominic took Bella’s arm and they walked along. She didn’t know that part of London so she just let Dominic steer her.
‘Oh!’ she said after about fifteen minutes’ walking. ‘We’re in Camden Passage! All these lovely stalls. I adore markets.’
Dominic seemed pleased. ‘It was considerate of Alice to travel on a Wednesday, as otherwise it wouldn’t be operating. Unless we came on a Saturday when it would be heaving.’
Bella didn’t answer. She’d gone to a stall selling antique silver. She picked up a rattle. ‘I suppose Dylan is a bit old for a rattle.’
‘Or not nearly old enough.’ Dominic found a charming little pill box with a silver top. ‘This is sweet.’
‘Gorgeous! I wonder if my mother would like it for Christmas?’
Dominic dissuaded her from Christmas shopping quite so early and they wandered along, enjoying the stalls and the sunshine. Eventually Dominic said, ‘I’m getting hungry.’
‘Mm, so am I. Have you booked anywhere?’
He shook his head. ‘No, no. Haven’t booked. I knew we’d find somewhere in this area though. Where do you fancy eating?’
‘That pub looks nice.’ She pointed to one a little way away, which seemed traditional, with hanging baskets outside. ‘It might have a garden. I love London pub gardens. Not that I’ve much experience of them but I find them glamorous somehow.’
‘The pub it is,’ said Dominic. He took her arm again.
They had nearly reached the pub, and Bella had realised she was really hungry, when Dominic suddenly turned down a side street.
‘Dom! Where are we going? I’m starving!’
‘Sorry!’ he said, not slackening his pace. ‘I just realised something.’
He came to a halt in front of a very elegant jewellery shop.
‘Why are we going in here?’ Bella asked as Dominic made to enter.
‘We might need something,’ he said, pulling her arm.
She resisted. ‘Dom! It’s a jeweller’s. Lovely, but hardly full of life’s necessities!’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ he said, and led her firmly inside.
Bella started to giggle with embarrassment as they arrived in the shop. She stopped when the beautiful young woman behind the counter said, ‘Mr Thane? I have what you want.’
Bella’s mouth went dry and she felt a bit dizzy. Was this what it looked like? A tray of five beautiful, modern rings was produced and placed on the counter top.
‘Do you like any of these?’ he asked her. ‘If you’d rather have something more traditional . . .’
‘Dominic?’ she whispered.
He hit his forehead with his hand. ‘I’ve left out a vital bit, haven’t I?’
Bella nodded. She still felt dazed. This could only mean one thing, surely.
‘Tell you what, you choose a ring then I can produce it when I’ve – done the thing that I forgot to do first.’
‘If you’d like me to leave you alone . . .?’ said the assistant.
‘No, it’s all right,’ said Bella. ‘I’ll just have a look.’
The rings were spectacular. Bella had always thought she was traditional in her tastes but these challenged that. ‘I like them all,’ she said eventually, having inspected each one.
‘If you could just choose your favourite?’
‘Can I try that one?’ She pointed to a square diamond with a frame of gold.
‘Here, let me,’ said Dominic, taking the ring from the assistant. ‘I think I should.’ He slid it on to her finger.
‘It’s amazing,’ whispered Bella. ‘I love it.’
‘Maybe you should try them all on?’ said the beautiful assistant. ‘Your fiancé selected them so carefully.’
‘Let’s not jump the gun,’ said Dominic. ‘I don’t want to take anything for granted.’
‘No,’ said Bella, still hardly able to speak. ‘This is the one.’
Dominic made a face. ‘What? The man or the ring?’
Bella smiled shyly. ‘Both.’
‘I can’t even imagine how expensive that ring must have been,’ said Bella a few minutes later.
‘Ssh. That’s nothing to do with you.’ He opened the door of the pub. ‘Shall we have champagne? Or a stiff drink?’
‘A stiff drink,’ said Bella. ‘I think I might be in shock fairly soon.’
The pub did have a courtyard garden and, for some reason, they were the only ones in it. They had their drinks and Dominic had the bag with the ring box in his pocket.
‘I’m sorry I’ve been so clumsy about doing this whole proposal thing. I felt I ought to have the ring ready but didn’t want it not to be what you wanted, so . . .’ He stopped talking and Bella realised he was nervous. ‘Will you marry me, Bella?’
She nodded. ‘Yes please.’
‘In which case . . .’ He produced the bag and the box and opened it. ‘Should I go down on one knee for this bit?’
‘No! Don’t! Someone might come!’
Strangely, a few moments later, when some people did investigate the garden, Bella didn’t notice at all. She had a beautiful ring on her finger and was wrapped in Dominic’s arms.
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Epub ISBN: 9781409037088
Version 1.0
Published by Century in 2014
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Copyright © Katie Fforde Ltd 2014
Katie Fforde has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work
This novel is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
First published in Great Britain in 2014 by Century
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ISBN 9781846056574