Lucy Gordon - For His Little Girl

The sun was setting as they reached home. "Just time for a dip in the sea," Luke said.

"All right." She would tell him over supper.

Just as everything had been silver the night they'd swum in the pool, now everything was deep gold. The beach was emptying fast, the tide was out, and if they turned their backs to the land there was only the empty sea and the sky.

"It's like having the world to ourselves," Luke said.

"If we could only keep it like this." She sighed. "With just Josie. Nobody else."

"We will. We'll create our own place. We're lucky. I'll make it up to you, Pippa. You'll be the happiest woman alive. What is it?''

"Nothing," she said quickly.

"You flinched. What did I say?"

"You imagined it. Let's go back."

They began to walk slowly up the beach, hand in hand. At the last moment he stopped and turned, his arms around her waist, leaning back to look at her, golden in the light of the setting sun.

"You're beautiful," he said. "You've always been beautiful, but never so much as at this moment, my love."

"My love," she echoed softly. "My love, oh, my love."

"My love, as you've always been." He drew her against him.

"Darling, people will see."

"Let them. Everyone's crazy on this beach, anyway. Kiss me, Pippa. We have so much to make up for."

Keeping his mouth on hers he took her hand and began to tread carefully up the rest of the beach. The few drifters who were out at that time of the evening parted, laughing, to let them pass. The sun was growing richer in color as it dipped to the horizon, and for a moment it seemed as though the whole world wanted to stop and gaze on this golden couple who walked in a golden light to a golden future. Whatever the secret was, it seemed as though they had cracked it.

Across the Strand, then up the walk to the doorway, still with his lips on hers, his body warm against her skin.

"Quickly," he murmured. "Let's get inside so that I can have my wicked way with you."

"Mmm!"

Entranced by him, she failed to notice the two figures standing by Luke's door. And she was almost on top of them before she realized that it was Frank and Elly, their faces set in masks of frozen disapproval.

"Frank, Elly," Pippa whispered the words, "how…how lovely to see you."

"We were worried about you," Elly said, putting her arms around Pippa. "Darling, we have to talk-"

"Later," Pippa said quickly. "Let's get inside first."

Luke opened the door, and when they were all inside he turned to Frank and Elly, smiling. It wasn't the moment he would have chosen to be interrupted, and they weren't his favorite people, but he was, as he said afterward in some bitterness, happy enough to greet the devil himself.

"We met before," he said, taking Frank's unresponsive hand. "I was at your wedding. Elly-" he embraced her "-good to see you looking so well."

"We're all well," Pippa said quickly. "I've never felt better in my life. Now admit it, you two. Aren't I a big improvement on that pallid creature who left London?" She was talking too fast and in an unnatural voice, but she had to warn them off the dangerous subject.

"You've got a good color," Frank conceded grudgingly.

"Good color!" Luke exclaimed indignantly. "She looks great." He planted another quick kiss on her cheek. "Honey, put some coffee on while I-while I put something on." He vanished hastily.

"Darling, are you mad?" Elly asked as soon as he'd gone. "Staying here when your operation-"

"I'll be home for that. It's not until the end of this week."

"You should be resting to be ready for it," Frank almost shouted.

"Frank-please-you know why I came."

"Yes, I do," he said bitterly, "some foolishness about Josie meeting her father-who's taken no interest in her since she was born."

"That's not true. He's supported her."

"But he's never bothered to meet her, or you wouldn't have needed to take this crazy trip, risking your life-"

"What was that?"

They all turned to see Luke standing in the door. He was wearing jeans, but his chest was still bare, and it was rising and falling as though he'd just received a shock and was finding it hard to breathe.

Oh, God! Pippa thought. Not like this. I never meant him to find out like this.

"What did you say?" he asked Frank. His face was very pale.

"I said that Pippa is a very sick woman, was probably dying-before she ever came here-"

"That's not true," Pippa said quickly. "The doctor said I had a good chance-''

"He said you had a fair-to-middling chance if you had the operation quickly and didn't do anything stupid," Frank growled. "He didn't reckon on you taking a long flight over the Atlantic and another one back. Do you know how dangerous that is? As for what's gone on since you've been here-can you honestly say you've taken care?"

She barely heard him. Her eyes were on Luke's face as he turned to her. He looked puzzled, as though he heard the words but could put no meaning to them.

"Pippa?" he said quietly. "What is this crazy man talking about?"

"Frank isn't crazy, Luke. He's just blown things up out of all proportion. I've been a bit poorly recently-"

"Yes, you told me, asthma-"

"Asthma be blowed!" Frank exploded. "She's got mitral stenosis. You know what that is, do you, Danton? It's a malfunction of the mitral valve of the heart. It's a killer. It killed her mother. It's killing her."

Luke might not have heard him for all the notice he took. His eyes, full of a dreadful question, were still fixed on Pippa's face.

"Yes," she said despairingly. "It's true."

"But…I don't understand. You can't be ill. I've seen you every day, and you've been fine."

"You mean she's fooled you into thinking she's fine," Frank said with a sneer. "I don't suppose it's hard to fool you where your own convenience is concerned."

"Please, Frank," Pippa whispered. "This isn't the way."

"And what is the way? Making it easy for him the way you've always done? All these years you've let him be a father on easy terms because those are the only terms he's interested in."

"Frank, hush!" Elly protested. "Josie may be about somewhere."

"No, she's with my parents," Luke said.

"How convenient," Frank said disparagingly. "A real takeover bid-now that it suits you."

"What do you mean by that?'' Luke demanded.

"I mean I've seen the Web site. Making use of your own child to make yourself look good. How could you let him do it?" He turned on Pippa.

"Josie wanted it, Frank. It made her happy."

"You don't give a child something that's bad for her just because she wants it. She needs adults who'll protect her, not exploit her for their own cheap ends."

"If it wasn't for Pippa I'd knock you down for saying that," Luke said in a harsh voice. "I love my daughter."

"Your daughter," Frank sneered. "That's rich, coming from you. What kind of father have you been? Sure, you've supported her, but money's easy. When did you do anything that wasn't easy?"

"I'm not arguing with you. I've told you, I love my daughter, and I love Pippa. We're going to be married. The past is the past. If Pippa and Josie can forgive me for it, then it's nobody else's damned business. Including yours."

Frank completely lost control. "You fool!" he screamed. "Don't you understand, she's dying ! If you'd treated her properly all those years ago she wouldn't have had to take this insane risk to find you now."

"Frank-" Pippa and Elly both tried to silence him together, but he was like a man possessed.

"That operation is her last chance," he screamed, "and it's a very small one. What are you going to do when she's dead, eh? What's all your fine talk going to be worth when she's dead ?"