Lucy Gordon - The Secret That Changed Everything

She almost ran back to the hotel. At the desk she stopped just long enough to ask, ‘Any message for me? No? Right. I’m checking out in half an hour. Kindly have my bill ready.’

In her room she hurled things into the suitcase, anxious to lose no time now the decision was made. Her next step was vague. A taxi from the hotel to the railway station, and jump on the next train to—? Anywhere would do, as long as it was away from here.

At the desk the bill was ready. It took only a moment to pay it, seize up her baggage and head for the door. Outside she raised her hand to a taxi on the far side of the road, which immediately headed for her.

‘Where to?’ the driver called.

‘Railway station,’ she called back.

‘No,’ said a voice close by. Then a hand came out of the darkness to take her arm, and the same voice said, ‘Thank goodness I arrived in time.’

She jerked her head up to see Lucio.

‘Let me go,’ she demanded.

‘Not yet. First we must talk. Charlotte, neither of us should make hasty decisions. Can’t you see that?’ He laid his other hand on her shoulder. His touch was gentle but firm. ‘You’re not being fair, vanishing like this,’ he said. ‘I trusted you. Perhaps I shouldn’t have done.’

‘Perhaps I shouldn’t have trusted you. I gave you the chance. I told you what had happened. You could have done anything but you chose to do nothing. Fine! I get the message.’

‘There’s no message. I was confused, that’s all. It took me a while to get my head around it, but I thought at least you’d stay one night—give me a few hours to think.’

‘What is there to think about?’ she demanded passionately. ‘The baby’s here, inside me, waiting to be born and change everything. You’re either for that or against it.’

He made a wry face. ‘You really don’t understand much about human weakness, do you? I didn’t jump to your command at once, so you thought you’d make me sorry.’

‘That’s nonsense,’ she said, but she knew a moment’s discomfort at how close he’d come.

‘I don’t think so. Look, let’s put this behind us. We have too much at stake to risk it with a quarrel.’ He addressed the driver. ‘Leave the bags. Here.’

He held out a wad of cash which the driver pocketed and fled.

‘You’ve got a cheek,’ she said indignantly.

‘Not really. I’m taking a big gamble. I didn’t anticipate you leaving without giving me a fair chance. I thought you’d wait for me to pull my thoughts together.’

‘All right, maybe I was a bit hasty,’ she said reluctantly.

‘I wonder if it will always be like that with us, each of us going in opposite directions.’

‘I think that sounds an excellent idea,’ she said. ‘If I had any sense I’d go in another direction right this minute.’

‘But if you had any sense,’ he replied wryly, ‘you wouldn’t have wasted time on me in the first place.’

‘I guess you’re right.’

‘But since you did, and since the world has changed, isn’t it time we talked to each other properly. There’s a little café just along there where we can have peace. Will you come with me?’

She hesitated only a moment before taking his hand and saying, ‘Yes. I think perhaps I will.’

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