Jessica Hart - Appointment at the Altar

Of course, she didn’t know that he had a girlfriend, but Guy seemed like the kind of man who would always have the prettiest woman on his arm. He hadn’t mentioned anyone at Wirrindago, but that didn’t mean anything. The conversation around the table there was strictly masculine and didn’t include any discussion of emotions or relationships. They could have had a wife and six children apiece for all Lucy would have gathered from their talk.

Lucy helped herself to an apple from the fruit bowl and wandered around the vast living area. She told herself that she was keeping her mind off how hungry she felt, but the truth was that she was just being nosy. There were a few photos out, all in stylish frames, and she picked them up to study them curiously. She recognised one of Wirrindago, of Guy as a boy with a much younger-looking Hal. There was a couple she assumed were his parents, and the odd picture of friends, sailing or skiing, but definitely no couple shots.

Hmm.

She was holding a photo of Guy as a young man, tanned and tousle-haired on a surfboard, when the sound of the door opening made her jump. Quickly, she put the frame down and turned to see Guy himself. He brought a burst of energy into the room with him and the apartment, which had seemed so cold and empty a moment ago, was suddenly alive.

The air seemed to whoosh out of Lucy’s lungs at the sight of him and for a moment she struggled to breathe. He was at once terrifyingly familiar and yet a stranger in his immaculate suit and tie. They made him look older, more responsible, even a little intimidating, and Lucy felt suddenly, ridiculously, shy.

But then his eyes fell on her and he smiled and, having just remembered how to operate her lungs, she promptly forgot how to breathe again. He was Guy once more, Guy with those warm blue eyes and that curling mouth and the laughter in his voice, Guy who had cantered around the ring on his horse, testing the lasso in his hand. He had never made her feel quite like this, though.

‘Hello, there,’ he said.

‘Hi.’ Lucy was appalled to hear her voice come out as no more than a squeak. She cleared her throat and tried again. ‘That was a long day at the office after a flight from Australia. You must be tired.’

‘Oh, I wasn’t at the office all this time,’ said Guy, pulling at his tie to loosen it.

‘I wondered if you might have been catching up with someone special,’ said Lucy, ultra casual.

‘I was, in fact,’ he said. ‘Very special.’

‘Oh.’ It was just as she’d imagined, then. He’d had to tear himself away. Sorry, darling , he would have said. I’ll have to go and keep an eye on Lucy. She doesn’t seem to have a clue how to look after herself.

‘My mother,’ said Guy. ‘She’s going in for her operation in three days and is nervous about it but, being Ma, she won’t admit it. Her temper isn’t exactly sweet at the best of times and the pain in her hip is making it worse, so she’d bitten my head off twice before I even got in the door! I was glad to have you as an excuse to leave a bit earlier, I’ve got to admit.’

‘Oh,’ said Lucy again, a little unnerved by how relieved she felt. And what, exactly, are you relieved about, Lucy? a little voice asked in her head. Surely not that he chose to visit his mother instead of a girlfriend? Because that would be a very bad sign, given that his love life is absolutely none of your business.

Oh, and because you’re in love with Kevin…remember that?

Guy threw himself down in a chair and stretched his arms above his head. ‘How did you get on at the hospital?’

‘They say Richard’s getting better, but he looked awful to me.’ Glad of the change of subject, Lucy sat down opposite him on one of the plush cream sofas. ‘He was just lying there, wired up to all these machines. His parents are in a terrible state. They practically fell on my neck when I arrived.’

She sighed at the memory. ‘I sat and talked to Richard while they had a break. It felt awkward at first, talking to someone who couldn’t reply, so I ended up just saying the first thing that came into my head.’

Not knowing what else to talk about, she had begun by describing Wirrindago and her life there, but somehow she had ended up telling the silent Richard about flying back with Guy, and how unsettled he made her feel.

‘It was just rubbish,’ she said, faint colour staining her cheeks. ‘No wonder he didn’t come round! His parents were bitterly disappointed, though, so I said I would go back and try again tomorrow. Of course that just seemed to confirm to them that I had come back for Richard.’

‘Did you mention Kevin?’

‘Not exactly…’ Lucy fingered the piping on a cushion and avoided Guy’s eyes. ‘I did say that I had a boyfriend, but I wasn’t sure that they’d be that convinced if they knew that he was still in Australia, so I thought it would be more convincing if I said that I had come back to London with him.’

She cleared her throat. ‘Actually,’ she confessed, ‘I said it was you.’

Guy had been stretched out comfortably in his chair but at that he brought his arms down sharply and sat up straight.

‘You said that I was your boyfriend?’

‘Well, I said that my boyfriend’s name was Guy and that I was staying with him,’ said Lucy, uneasily conscious that she might have gone a bit far. ‘I didn’t think that you would mind. I mean, it doesn’t make any difference to you, does it? It’s not as if you’ll have to do anything.’

Guy’s expression was quite unreadable and Lucy regarded him doubtfully. It had seemed a good idea at the time, and she hadn’t really thought when she had told Richard’s parents about him, but perhaps it was a bit of a cheek.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said uncertainly. ‘You obviously do mind.’

The unfathomable look in the blue eyes dissolved abruptly and he was smiling once more. ‘Of course not,’ he said. ‘I’m flattered you would even think of me! Are we madly in love?’

Lucy flushed. ‘I did imply that we were living together,’ she admitted.

‘Aha! Well on the way to commitment, then! Does this mean that I’ll have the pleasure of your company for longer?’

‘No…God, no,’ she said hurriedly. ‘I rang my friend Meg and I can go and stay with her tomorrow. She’s out this evening, or I’d be there now.’

‘You’ll stay tonight, then?’

‘If you don’t mind,’ she said a little uncomfortably, hearing the echo of his voice. There’s always someone…who’ll sort things out for you.

‘Of course I don’t mind. We’re in love, aren’t we?’ Guy stood up and stretched. ‘I’m starving. Let’s go out and get something to eat.’

Lucy’s stomach rumbled at the thought, but she could imagine the kind of restaurants Guy frequented. ‘I’m not dressed for going out,’ she said, gesturing down at herself. ‘I don’t have anything smarter with me.’

Guy studied her. She was wearing jeans and a camisole top, with a soft little cardigan, and the beautiful blonde hair was clipped casually up. She didn’t look at all smart, it was true, but she looked fresh and natural and very pretty and, in spite of the inevitable effects of the long flight from Australia, there was a sparkle about her that no diamond necklace could have matched.

‘You won’t need sequins or a tiara where we’re going,’ he promised her. ‘You look absolutely fine.’

Lucy got to her feet, still hesitating. ‘To be honest with you, Guy, I haven’t got much money,’ she confessed at last, flushing with embarrassment. ‘Meredith gave me what cash she had, but it wasn’t much and I’ll need to find a temporary job of some kind to see me through until I can go back to Australia. Until then, I don’t think I can afford to go out.’