you to be on your own,’ he said simply. ‘Not feeling like this.’
‘Oh, Richard.’
‘I’ll call you as soon as I have an ETA.’ And he rang off.
Bella felt so much better after that, she actually roused herself enough to make a cup of tea. She turned on the table lamps in the sitting room and then went into the kitchen and did the washing up from breakfast.
And then Richard called back.
‘Two hours.’
She nearly dropped the toast rack she was decrumbing. ‘That’s impossible.’
He sounded angry, though not with her. ‘No, it isn’t. I might be a horrible boyfriend in the support department and too far away when you need me, but at least I have access to helicopters. See you later.’
He cut the call before she could argue.
‘Wow,’ said Bella, sitting down slowly on the sofa. She felt as if someone had sandbagged her when she wasn’t looking. She felt muzzy-headed and she couldn’t seem to breathe properly. ‘Did he say he was my boyfriend?’
She decided to light the fire after all.
When he arrived she flew to the front door and walked into his arms. They stayed there for ages, just hugging in the dark little hallway.
‘Thank you,’ she said at last in a muffled voice.
‘Thank you,’ he said, kissing her hair.
‘What? Why?’ she asked, honestly puzzled. ‘I mean, I throw a wobbly and you thank me? What for?’
‘For calling me.’
She pushed herself away from him a little and stared up at his face. He seemed very serious.
She said uncertainly, ‘I don’t think I understand.’
‘OK. What about this? For wanting me with you.’
Bella had that breathless, sandbagged feeling again.
Keeping his arm round her, he walked her back into the sitting room. The fire was blazing cheerfully. It felt like home.
She said so.
The arm round her tightened like a vice.
But all Richard said was, ‘Right.’
9
‘The Good Boyfriend Guide’ – Girl About Town
The night was wonderful. Next morning was not.
For one thing, they both overslept. They had talked until later than late, until there was no more traffic outside in the street and the other flats were silent. And then they didn’t talk at all. By the time they fell asleep neither of them was thinking about anything as mundane as alarm calls.
Bella awoke to find Richard hopping and swearing at the end of the bed. It reminded her of the crazy moments at the gallery.
‘Hello, handsome,’ she said, putting her hands behind her head and watching with pleasure.
He ignored that. ‘We should have set an alarm call,’ he snapped.
Even then, she didn’t scent danger. Maybe she was too relaxed, looking round the small bedroom that resembled a war zone. There was a pillow on the window sill, where it had clearly been flung, and the duvet was hopelessly tangled. Various garments, male and female, lay along the floor like a paper trail.
Richard fell to his knees, turning over the detritus with increasing impatience. ‘I’ve lost a bloody sock.’
Bella looked at his naked shoulders with appreciation. He had a beautiful spine, she thought. ‘I’ve got news for you. You haven’t found your shirt either.’
‘Try not to be stupid.’ He sounded seriously put out.
She blinked, trying to clear her head. ‘Where did you take it off? The sock, I mean.’
‘How the hell do I know?’
His face appeared over the side of the bed. His hair was tousled and he had a distinct morning shadow. He looked gorgeous – and very bad-tempered.
‘Retrace your steps?’ suggested Bella lovingly.
One glance at his expression was enough to tell her that teasing him was not a good idea this morning.
‘No. Right. Cancel that suggestion. I’ll look in the sitting room.’
She swung her legs out of bed and searched round for something to wear. The flat was distinctly chilly. Or maybe it was his expression. She couldn’t remember where she’d put her sapphire kimono and it didn’t seem worth hunting for it, so she pulled on the tee-shirt she normally slept in and padded out to look for his clothes.
She didn’t find the sock, but she did collect his white dress shirt from where it had fallen on to the log basket. She shook it to get rid of the wood shavings and looked round for the rest. His overcoat was hung tidily over the back of a chair but his jacket was in a heap behind the sofa. She shook that out too. There was a lot of fluff and old crisps behind that sofa.
An anguished roar came from the bedroom. ‘Where’s my sodding phone?’