Janet Woods

by I'll Get By

  ‘Could be. All the same, I’m sure we’ve met before. I’ll remember it eventually.’

  Not until he was safely back in Australia, Nick hoped.

  Meggie joined him and took his arm. ‘I’m sure you’d make an excellent postman, darling? I can just see you on your little bike delivering parcels. Have you been offered a job then?’

  Leo laughed. ‘I’ve been trying to remember where I’ve seen Nick before.’

  ‘There was a picture of his father in the paper last week. They look rather alike.’

  ‘That was probably it.’

  Nick exchanged a grin with her and planted a kiss on her mouth. ‘I could smack your bottom,’ he whispered.

  ‘Not here, you couldn’t. I must go and get the champagne glasses. Daddy wants to make a toast.’

  She gave her two brothers a gentle shove when she passed them. They were tall and looked like Denton.

  Nick listened as Denton made his farewell speech to Esmé and Leo. The surgeon was grey-haired, conventional, calm, and satisfied with his lot in life. Livia Elliot was a good-looking woman, like her sister Esmé Thornton, though not quite as elegant. She was a motherly type.

  Denton lifted his glass a second time, and he looked at Meggie and Nick and smiled. ‘And to our darling Meggie, who has finally decided what she’s going to do with her life . . . with a little help from her husband.’

  Meggie blushed.

  After the laughter died down Denton made another toast.

  ‘To peace.’

  To which they all raised their glasses.