Leaving Leeds just didn't make sense they agreed, so another missed opportunity for Fliss and by now her lack of willingness to take on a new role had sealed her fate. Talented and articulate but unwilling to move away from wherever Jasper Carmichael was currently hanging his hat, was the general opinion, a definite waste of talent but such was life.
Some months later, when the agony aunt called in sick unexpectedly one Monday morning, Fliss was thrown the post temporarily and to everyone’s surprise, her naturally confident nature, innate kindness and inherent good sense made her immediately popular. A definite added attraction, as far as the paper was concerned, was that Felicity Carmichael looked nothing like an agony aunt might be expected to look. She was tall and slender, her creamy skin and heart-shaped face were the perfect foil for the cropped red hair and the ease with which she breezed into every room in a cloud of perfume, wearing a designer dress and always with a smile on her face, made her an instant hit. Several years later she was the resident agony aunt for the Digital Recorder and few who knew her could imagine that she deemed her role as something of a failure, a necessary sacrifice to the brighter light that was Jasper Carmichael.
When Fliss had read Ellie’s email, the feelings of love described were so familiar and brought back such intense memories that for a moment Fliss had positively glowed with contentment. Happy that she could give such positive and rather personal advice, she had begun to write her response with a heart that was full of memories of her own obsession with a handsome young man. But even as she was typing words of encouragement, her mind had started questioning and probing, embarking on a little stocktake of its own with such reckless abandon that Fliss had no choice but to stop and start listening. And what it had to say had been quite uncomfortable.
Fliss had come to the astonishing conclusion that despite outward appearances, her marriage was in serious difficulties. The Carmichaels may still be a stalwart of glittering social events, their genuine affection for each other may still be obvious to anyone who met them and their almost perfect life a lesson for all, but underneath the glitz and the glamour, Fliss was horrified to realise that they had drifted far, far away from each other. They still shared a house and a bed, spent every morning drinking coffee together before they departed for work, wrapped their arms around each other almost by habit whenever they were close, but she couldn't remember the last time they had sat and had a meaningful conversation about anything that wasn’t work-related. Their lives had become one long round of social encounters surrounded by other people and business meetings conducted by a work-obsessed Jasper.
It was a worrying situation, made all the more so because as an agony aunt, Fliss had absolutely no idea who she could ask for help without revealing that she did not, contrary to popular belief, hold all the answers and for possibly the first time in her life she was feeling very alone and completely bereft of suggestions.
Catching sight of Jasper in a corner of the room, Fliss stopped her rambling thoughts and watched him. He was still incredibly handsome. As he dipped his head nearer to the woman he was conversing with, Fliss admitted that he could still cause the butterflies to begin dancing in her stomach. His dark, almost black hair was as full as ever, his startling eyes, a bright shimmering blue with a line of intense black around the iris, were attention-grabbing. He weighed much the same today as when they had first met and the only thing that had outwardly changed was the confidence he now exuded. He had achieved his aim and was now a columnist, a serious columnist whose words were read and considered with the gravitas they deserved. He was respected and admired and when he walked towards a door, dressed in one of his Italian suits with his briefcase held firmly in one hand, someone would invariably appear to open it on his behalf, sure that whoever he was he must be important.
Fliss was proud of him. There was no doubt that she still loved him. The long hours he worked, the sheer effort he had put into becoming the best he could be, had inevitably kept him out of the house more and