Uphill All the Way (36 page)

Authors: Sue Moorcroft

Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Women's Fiction, #Contemporary Women, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Contemporary Fiction

'And?'

'And I've done it. I gave the crucifix to Lydia, because she reminds me of Giorgio, and, although it's not very nice of me, I don't care for Alexia. I told his mother I didn't accept the blame for what happened.' She thought about that, frowning. 'I think she may even have accepted it. But I got this incredible migraine and I'm not completely sure how much was actually said, and what just happened in my head.' She smiled at him, brilliantly. 'But Giorgio's parents took me into their house and let me lie on their sofa in a dark room until I felt better. Which was nice of them, considering.'

'And?' he asked, again.

'So I choose the world in Brinham,' she said, as if it were obvious thing. 'With you.'

'And Giorgio?' His voice was tight with strain.

She looked down, suddenly becoming aware of the hand gripping hers, the tightness of the pincer grip. He was letting her hold his right hand! Trusting her with the damaged part of himself, for once not withdrawing and hiding it away.

She smiled, covering his right hand with hers. 'I loved him once. But I've said my goodbyes.'

He looked down, in turn, at their hands clasped between them. His smile twisted. But he didn't try the usual left-hand-for-right exchange.

Gently, he tilted her face to his and kissed her. And then again, more deeply.

'I think we've finally ended up on the same bit of road.' He kissed her temples and her cheekbones, her eyelids and the crook of her neck. 'We can go home together.'

She let her head fall back, and closed her eyes, feeling his lips on her flesh and the beat of his heart through her hands upon his chest. 'I haven't got a bloody ticket!'

He laughed. 'It's waiting for you at the Air Malta desk.' He peered around her to where the uniformed man with the walkie-talkie was still watching them, but calmly now, almost smiling. Two of his colleagues surveyed them from a vantage point at the top of the escalator before passport control, obviously prepared to be tolerant of these mad English. 'I wonder if this nice men will help hurry you through?'

Judith felt happiness filling her up. 'Bound to. The Maltese are terribly kind.'

He turned her gently towards the security man. 'OK. Let's see if we can move on.'

About the Author

Sue Moorcroft is an accomplished writer of novels, serials, short stories and articles, as well as a creative writing tutor and a competition judge.

Her previous novels include
Love & Freedom
,
Want to Know a Secret?
,
All That Mullarkey
,
Starting Over
and
Uphill All the Way.

She is also the commissioning editor and a contributor to
Loves Me, Loves Me Not
, an anthology of short stories celebrating the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s 50th anniversary and the author of
Love Writing – How to Make Money Writing Romantic or Erotic Fiction
.

www.suemoorcroft.com

www.suemoorcroft.wordpress.com

www.twitter.com/suemoorcroft