The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin Page 0,106

card. It had gone. He sighed. He didn’t blame Fiona; he’d said some awful things to her, when she was the person he most wanted to be with. Over the last two weeks he’d woken up. It was time to make amends.

He put down the coffee and saw the studio through fresh eyes, remembering the first time Fiona had stood taking in the pictures of Yumi. Her hair had flamed gold in the light, that wide mouth dropping open in admiration. They were good pictures; he would always be proud of them, but it was time to take them down and make way for new work. Maybe he’d ask Fiona to choose some pictures to replace them. His mouth curved with a smile of anticipation. They could work together. The idea gave him a warm glow and he put down his coffee, kicked off his slippers, and padded down the stairs to pull on his shoes.

***

‘Hello,’ he called into the quiet house. There was no answer but the kettle on the gas top was steaming slightly and Haruka’s shoes had been in the genkan. He walked through the house to the engwan and followed it round to find Haruka leaning on the top wooden rail. Stern and unapproachable, she glanced up at him briefly before turning back to her silent contemplation of the garden.

For once he stopped, taking in all the tiny details, the moss-covered stones around the pond, a touch of verdigris on the bronze pots, the fierce, stalwart shadows of the bonsai fir trees their sturdy shapes untouched by the light wind rippling through the bigger trees. The strength in their small compact shape belied by their size. Haruka had done a beautiful job. His blood sang with the urge to take a picture of her, a close-up of her smooth, impassive face shaded by the cherry blossom, or with the blossom in the background, or in the autumn among the russet and red colours of the exotic trees. He traced her profile, the small nose, the neat chin. Despite her size she was a formidable character with a depth and spirituality to her that he’d yet to find in anyone else.

‘Do you know where Fiona is?’

‘Yes.’ Her tone wasn’t exactly forthcoming but it wasn’t the first time he’d been on the receiving end of her disapproval.

He waited for her to say more but her mouth was pinned shut. ‘Where is she?’

Haruka slowly lifted her wrist and checked her watch. ‘Gone to the airport.’

‘The airport? Why?’ He felt a kick to his pulse.

‘To catch a plane.’

He stared at her.

‘But her flight’s not until tomorrow.’ Panic gnawed low in his belly.

‘Kaito was able to get her a sooner flight.’ Her voice was too innocent, too smooth, and a little bit too satisfied.

‘But …’ He glared at her. She’d had a hand in this.

‘You let her go,’ she said reprovingly.

‘I made a mistake.’ His voice rose, as the reality of it hit him.

‘Even monkeys fall out of trees,’ she said with a dismissive lift of her shoulders.

Everyone makes mistakes. It hit like a demolition ball. This wasn’t just a mistake, it was … he couldn’t put the panicky, turn-your-stomach-inside-out fears into words.

‘I need to speak to Fiona, to see her.’

‘Too late,’ said Haruka with finality, smug triumph in the way she dusted her hands together.

It couldn’t be too late. There was too much he had to say to her. He had to say sorry. He had to tell her … to tell her things … all those things jumbled up in his head and he couldn’t pluck one particular thing but he knew he needed to see her. When he saw her face, everything would be all right. He’d know the words then. Find them. If not he’d say it in other ways. She’d know. ‘I need to speak to her, to tell her …’ He lifted his shoulders to cover the gap.

‘You need to show her,’ reproved Haruka. ‘Go to London. Chase her. Words aren’t enough.’

He held up his hands. ‘I’ve been a fool.’

Haruka raised one stately eyebrow of agreement. He eyed her, suspicions stirring. He wasn’t fool enough to accuse her of setting this up, but he had a pretty good idea that she had been pulling a few strings.

‘She left twenty minutes ago.’

***

He’d always dismissed those films where the hero makes a mad dash to the airport to stop the love of his life disappearing into the blue yonder and show her how much he cares –