by Suzy Shearer
“Oh, thank you, Bob, that’s wonderful! But you don’t have to do that!” Emma was stunned by his generosity.
“I know but I want to.”
“Well in that case, thank you.”
Simon was grinning madly. “Yes, thanks, Bob.”
They talked for a few more minutes then all stood. Emma was grateful to both Bob and Colin. She told them so and thanked them warmly. Colin gave Emma his card and told her he would ring her sometime the following week when Simon was back at work. They all shook hands, then Emma and Simon left. They went back to the car and Simon got Emma settled before climbing behind the wheel.
“I’m hungry. You?”
“Yes, I couldn’t face food before.”
“Okay, let’s find somewhere to eat.”
They drove out of the city a ways. Simon said he knew of a lovely new restaurant, The Enchanted Garden, set in a parkland. Apparently some of the nurses and doctors at the hospital had raved about it, saying the grounds were amazing and so was the food. When they pulled up, Emma had to say they weren’t wrong about the setting.
The grounds were beautiful but they couldn’t see a restaurant, just a sign with its name. There was a wide paved pathway that wound through lush gardens and trees. Here and there were seats and they walked along until they reached the restaurant. It looked delightful. They went inside and were given a choice of a table inside or one in a flowery alcove outside, they chose the outdoor one.
They were ushered to the table and given a menu. Emma noticed the waiter speaking to the maître d’ and looking their way. A few minutes later, she saw the maître d’ speaking with another man. She studied her menu and wasn’t surprised when the gentleman came out to their table.
“Excuse me, aren’t you Emma Cunningham?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Hello, Ms. Cunningham, I’m the owner, Lawrence Edgell. I’m so delighted you’ve chosen our restaurant to eat. Please let me know if you need anything.”
“Thank you.”
He left and she gave a giggle. Simon grinned at her and put his hand over hers.
“My famous girlfriend.” He looked down at his menu. “I see they have a Chef’s Tasting Menu, want to try that, Em?”
“Okay, I’m game.”
They ordered the degustation and a glass of white wine while they waited. The waiter returned with their wine then said they could wander through the grounds and he would let them know when their meal was ready. Picking up their glasses, they strolled amongst the trees and flowering plants. It was lovely. Simon made sure they didn’t walk too far. He was watching Emma like a hawk.
“This is a beautiful setting. I like how we can wander around.”
“Yes, they mentioned this at work.”
They’d come upon a little Japanese garden complete with a koi pond. Emma sat down. She was still feeling sore and stiff. Simon looked around, pointing out the fish to Emma. He looked back at her sitting and Emma noticed a strange look on his face. He walked back to her and knelt down in front, taking her hands.
“Emma Cunningham, I don’t want to lose you again.”
“You won’t.”
“Then marry me. I love you so much.”
Emma felt her eyes fill with tears as she looked at Simon.
“I will. Yes, I will.”
He gave her the most amazing smile and kissed both her hands.
“Em, I adore you.”
“And I love you, Simon, I’ve been living in hell without you.”
“Me, too.”
He got to his feet and sat alongside her.
“Let’s get married soon, I don’t want to wait any longer.”
“We could honeymoon in England at the expensive of my publisher.” She laughed. “Can we?”
“I don’t see why not. Tomorrow you can tell them what date then I’ll ring the hospital and get those dates off.”
“Will you be able to get them? I mean it’s short notice, it’s the beginning of December.”
“I’ve never worried before, always taken dates that suit everyone else, so this time they can work around me. In fact they owe me over two and half months of leave.”
The waiter came over to them and told them their meal was ready to be served. They headed back to the table arm in arm.
What followed was a delight. They had a chilled soup of green pea and lemon thyme, followed by raw Hiramasa kingfish with beetroot, lime, and horseradish. The dishes kept coming. There was things like smoked white sweet potato with fromage blanc and Sterling caviar, quail, and foie gras with smoked eel and radish, a venison fillet with Japanese pumpkin, and red witlof.
After that came an apricot and black tea sorbet to cleanse their palate before they had sweet pork belly with bacon and mustard relish, nashi pear, and palm hearts. Finally there was saffron poached pear and white chocolate, an almond and olive oil cake, with peach and Jersey cream, followed by a hazelnut cake, Giana mousse, orange curd, and praline ice cream.
The waiter brought them both coffee together with a selection of delectable petit fours. Neither of them could imagine how much they had eaten although the portions were all tiny. It had been a delicious experience and one neither would forget, especially considering they had gotten engaged on the grounds.
They relaxed over coffee and when they finished Lawrence came back and asked if they had enjoyed the degustation. Both expressed delight with the food. The owner seemed very pleased and excited to be complimented by Emma.
He explained that they had only been opened a few months but were already getting good reviews. He told them they would like to be able to hold weddings in the ground and cater for them. Simon looked at Emma speculatively. She guessed what he was thinking and nodded.
“I’d like to talk to you about a wedding sometime soon, sometime within the next six weeks, actually.”
The owner looked from one to the other then beamed.
“May I offer my congratulations?”
They thanked him as he continued.
“Miss Cunningham, it would give me the greatest pleasure to offer you both the restaurant and grounds for your wedding. Please don’t hesitate to call me. I am sure we could come to arrangement that would be beneficial to us all. At the moment we only have one wedding booking and that’s in two weeks’ time.” He handed Simon a business card. “I don’t know if you saw it, but in the grounds we have a covered gazebo with a lovely lawned area surrounding it. Perfect for garden weddings.”
The waiter bustled over with the bill but Lawrence took it from him and tore it up.
“Please allow me. It’s been an honour to serve someone of your standing in the cooking fraternity, Miss Cunningham. I am very pleased you stopped by.”
They thanked him profusely and left the restaurant, exploring the rest of the grounds and discovering the beautiful gazebo. It was covered in climbing roses and the area surrounding it would hold a hundred or more guests. Both were certain they would hold the wedding there. Not only were the grounds lovely but the atmosphere and the staff were excellent. All they needed to do was set a date. They walked to the car when Emma spoke.
“Maybe you should ring the hospital first and see about getting the time off.”
“Good idea. How long is the tour for?”
“We leave on Sunday the 24th of January. I think the plane goes at eleven and then we get back on the third of March.”
“Okay. As the 24th is a Sunday, what about we get married on the Saturday? It can be our honeymoon as well. I’m going to try to get eight weeks off.”
“That sounds perfect but you better check first.”
Simon pulled out his phone and spoke with Alex Brownstone, the superintendent at the hospital. Emma sat down. There was another little pond at the entrance with a seat. She was feeling stiff. The paracetamol had long worn off and she was rather tender and sore, but didn’t want to tell Simon. She watched Simon walking back and forth, phone to one ear, waving his hand around as he spoke. Finally he hung up an
d walked back to her with a smile on his face.
“All organised. Alex is almost as excited as me. He said there’ll be no problems covering my shifts. Think he’s going to experiment with some of the upcoming interns. He wants to talk to me about becoming a full-time consultant and also teaching A&E. Means better hours, regular, and no twenty-four seven shifts.”
“That’s wonderful! What’s next?”
“Well we’ll need to arrange a celebrant, book here. Actually, wait a minute.”
Simon raced back into the restaurant. He was back after ten minutes.
“I’ve booked it for the twenty-third. I have a sneaky suspicion that he has given us a cut rate because of who you are. I think he’s hoping to get some publicity from it.”
“Actually, if the food is anything like today’s then I don’t mind.”
“Me neither. Told him we’d see him in the next few weeks to discuss the menu and let him know how many guests.”
He looked down at her critically. His eyes narrowed.
“You’re in pain, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not! Look at you! You’re pale and I can see the pain echoed in your face. Come on, I’m taking you home.”
He held out his hand and helped her stand. They walked to the car and he practically lifted her into it.
“Sweetheart, you should tell me. You only got out of hospital yesterday and some of those welts were deep. You’re black and blue underneath your clothes.”
“I know but I was having such a wonderful time, I didn’t want it to end.”
He looked at her tenderly and then kissed her softly.
“It’s never going to end. I love you, Emma Cunningham.”
Simon walked around the car and got in behind the wheel. He drove back to Emma’s and she had to admit she was glad when he helped her inside. Simon made her lay on the bed and then checked her wounds. A couple were weeping a little so he cleaned them up and redressed them. He went out of the room then came back with some paracetamol.
“Take these and then try and sleep.”
Emma took them. She winced as she tried to settle comfortably in bed. Simon sat alongside her.
“Next time, tell me.”
“I will. I’m sorry.” She gave a grimace. “I can’t believe how much I’m hurting now, and I love pain.”
“Yes but you only love it during sex, my darling, the rest of the time your pain threshold is the same as most people.”
“True, but damn it hurts. Guess it’s payback for being such a fool.”
He pushed her hair off her face and kissed her.
“Get some sleep. I’m going to drop back to the flat and get some things. I won’t be long.”
Emma nodded and closed her eyes. She didn’t think she would sleep but realised she had when she opened her eyes and it was dark.
She got up and made her way to the bathroom. She heard voices coming from the kitchen and made her way there. Simon was sitting with Greg and Nina, drinking coffee. When she walked in all three jumped to their feet. Nina burst into tears and hugged her carefully.
“Emma Cunningham, you are such an idiot!”
“I gather Simon told you.” Emma looked bashfully at the others.
“Yes. Greg and I dropped in to see if you wanted to eat out. You can imagine what a shock we got when lover boy here answered the door.”
Simon made her sit and was bustling around, trying to make her a coffee with the monster. Greg pushed him out the way and took charge.
“You really need to learn how to use this, Simon.”
“I know, Greg, but Emma never got around to it before. I used to try a few times but it never worked properly. I think it hates me.”
When Greg finished he gave the latte to Emma.
“Teach him how to use it properly, Em. Pretty bad when guests have to make their own coffee.”
He sat down alongside his wife.
“So it was all the witch Alison’s doing?”
“Yes. I’ve never been so angry with someone in my life. If I hadn’t gone to the hospital on Saturday she would have ruined my life. As it was, Simon and I have lived a horrid few months both thinking the other had broken up with them.”
“I felt like strangling her. Still, it worked out in the end. Emma’s boss is making it right for us. We’re both going to England.”
Emma looked over at Simon. He looked at her with such love that for a moment she couldn’t breathe. He reached across the table and took her hand then looked at the other two.
“You need to keep January 23rd free. Emma and I are getting married.”
Nina started crying again which set Emma off. Neither woman could speak for a while so Greg congratulated Simon. He waited until the girls had stopped crying and hugging each other, then he kissed Emma.
“I’m so happy for you both.”
“Thanks. Nina, you’ll be my bridesmaid, won’t you?”
“Ha! Try and stop me!”
Simon looked over at Greg.
“Greg, I don’t have any brothers, or sisters for that matter. You and I have been good friends, will you stand alongside me?”
Greg grinned like a maniac.
“Will I? For sure.”
The two men did the “man hug,” slapping each other on the back before sitting down again. Simon and Emma told them all about the restaurant they had chosen. Then Emma told them how stupid she’d really been. She was sure Simon had glossed over just what she’d done but these two people were her best friends and they deserved the truth. She felt much better when it was all out. Greg and Nina both berated her angrily and she accepted it.
“I have to apologise to Andrew. I’ll ring him tomorrow and face the music. He won’t want to hear from me but I need to say how sorry I am.”
Simon looked as if he would say something but then shook his head. He got up and rang for pizza.
The rest of the evening was spent laughing and talking about the upcoming wedding. She and Nina decided to go dress shopping the following week while the men were both at work. Around ten they left and she and Simon made their way to bed.
“Let’s see mum and dad on Friday. You shouldn’t be as stiff for the trip, and I’d like to tell them in person rather than over the phone.”
“I’d love that!”
“Good. Let’s get some sleep. I’d love to make love to you but honestly, sweetheart, I don’t think it would be a good idea. There are some welts that are in rather delicate places that I want to heal quickly.”
Emma blushed in the dark. She had felt scabs forming around her clit and it was very tender when she went to the toilet. She snuggled into Simon, so glad he was so understanding. She would love to make love to him, too. It had been so long, but it would be silly to undo the healing she’d already done.
Instead Simon took her into his arms. He kissed her as if he were drowning and she were the only thing that could save him. Every emotion he felt for her was in that kiss. Emma clung to him. He was her life and at last she knew they would never be separated again. She fell asleep wrapped safely in his arms, her dreams filled with the man she loved more than life itself.
At long last, things were perfect.
Chapter Nineteen
By Friday Emma was feeling a lot better. Her bruises were now a technicoloured delight, and a lot of the minor welts had healed. There were only a couple that were still scabby, but healing well. Simon had been caring for her so tenderly. She told him she didn’t deserve it but he ignored her.
The day before he had taken her into the city and they had looked at engagement and wedding rings. She had been overwhelmed with the choices and in the end she had let Simon choose.
What he selected was a beautiful princess-cut, channel-set diamond ring with a square emerald-cut diamond in the centre. There were five stones in each of the side channels and it was set in 18-carat white gold. It looked so lovely on her finger, although she was shocked at the size of the cen
tral diamond. When she protested Simon had told her she worth every cent and he wanted her to have it.
At the same time they chose plain white-gold bands. Emma felt the engagement ring needed nothing fancy in a wedding band to show it off and Simon agreed with her.
They were lucky in that the engagement ring was a perfect fit, but both wedding rings would need to be made to suit them both. The jeweller was a happy man as he took Simon’s card to pay for the three rings. Emma wanted to pay for Simon’s but he took charge and said no.
They’d gone back to The Enchanted Garden after leaving the jeweller’s and discussed the menu. Lawrence suggested they come on Saturday or Sunday for lunch and he would arrange dishes for them to taste that he felt would suit. They agreed and told him it would be for four. Emma quickly rang Nina and asked if she and Greg would come. They settled on Sunday and told Lawrence.
They walked back out to the gazebo again. Emma sat on the garden settings provided and looked around. She loved the intimacy of it, even though there was ample room for all the guests. Simon was looking at the flowers growing and plucked a soft lemon rose.
He came to Emma and threaded it in her hair at the side, then knelt down.
“Emma, I can’t wait until you’re my wife. I love you so much. My heart was broken when I thought you’d left me. You mean everything to me.”
He pulled out the ring box. Carefully he took her hand then slid the gorgeous ring over her finger. Emma felt a tear run down her cheek. Simon leant toward her and caught it on his finger.
“I love you so much, Simon,” she whispered breathlessly. “I’ve missed you so badly these past few months. I can’t quite believe it’s all real.”
“Neither can I.”
He stood and pulled her into his arms. Their kiss was magical. All the heartbreak of the past was dissolved as they expressed all they felt for each other in that one kiss.
When they broke apart, Simon’s face was as flushed as Emma knew hers was. He wrapped one arm around her waist and they walked back along the paved way that meandered throughout the grounds and back to the car park.
On Friday morning they drove out to Simon’s parents’ house. They’d pack an overnight bag so they wouldn’t have a late drive back. Simon had rung his mother to say he was coming but never mentioned Emma. He wanted it to be a surprise.
