One Step at a Time
Page 40
‘You wouldn’t have lost your talent, no matter how long you’d been away. It’s a part of you, Ben.’
‘I thought I had.’ He smiled down at her. ‘You made me see it was still there, only the technique had changed. I had changed.’
He fell silent again, and she said nothing, allowing him time to gather his thoughts.
After a while he continued. ‘But the greatest shock was seeing the difference in you. That first time I met you by the river, I knew you were special, and that has proved to be very true. But I was not prepared for the way I felt when I saw you as a woman with a young child.’
Her heart was hammering in her chest, robbing her of breath. She wondered what was coming next. ‘And how did you feel?’
‘I fell in love with you.’ He leant his head back and closed his eyes. ‘It’s been driving me crazy, until I was afraid to be near you. I’m sorry, Amy, but that’s how it is, and I can’t change it. I thought you ought to know. You loved John, and we’ve always been friends—’
‘Will you stop talking for a minute?’ She punched him in the chest, making his eyes snap open. ‘You’re confusing me. What are you trying to say?’
‘I’m saying that I want more than friendship from you.’
She wanted to laugh, cry, throw her arms around him in joy, but she resisted the urge – for the moment. ‘And this is what’s been making you grumpy?’
Pushing himself away from the tree, he shoved his hands in his pockets, frowning down at her. ‘I was mad at myself for not being able to control my feelings. And mad at you for changing into such a desirable woman when I knew the whole thing was impossible.’
As he began to walk away, she grabbed his arm, holding on tightly. ‘Just a minute! You’re not going to tell me you love me and then walk away, surely? I loved John with all my heart—’
‘Exactly!’
‘Shut up, Ben, and let me have my say. When I lost John I thought my world had come to an end, but then Grace came along and, step by step, I recovered. I’ll always love him, and I still have a part of him in Grace. But he’s been gone for years, and I’ve moved on. When we met, I adored you with a young girl’s gratitude, but you’re right, things have changed.’ She paused for a heartbeat. ‘Now I love you like a woman should.’
He didn’t look as if he could believe what he was hearing. ‘Are you saying…?’
Her smile spread. ‘I love you, so will you take your damned hands out of your pockets and kiss me?’
She was lifted off her feet and kissed until they were both breathless and her head spinning. His hands tangled in her hair; the teasing smile she knew so well was back again.
‘We could make it a double wedding with Howard and Chrissie in August.’
‘Are you asking me to marry you?’
‘Of course I am.’
‘Then I accept. Oh, I’m so happy. I thought you would only ever see me as a sister, and it was going to be difficult not to let my true feelings show.’ She hugged him as tight as she could, and then looked up, a teasing smile on her face. ‘You know you won’t only be getting a wife, you’ll be getting a daughter as well. Are you sure you’re ready for that?’
‘Positive.’ He kissed her again, gently this time. ‘What do you think she’s going to say about me becoming her father?’
‘Hmm.’ Amy tipped her head on one side, as if giving it careful thought. ‘As long as you treat her mother right, she’ll probably accept you.’
When he laughed this time, Amy knew he was really back to his old self again.
‘Come on.’ He slipped his arm around her, holding her close. ‘Let’s go and say goodnight to our lovely little girl.’
Happy, they stepped into the future together.
Epilogue
Chelsea, London, December 1989
All the family had gathered for Amy’s seventieth birthday. She laughed down at her great-grandson as he wriggled in her arms, knowing that if he had trouble reading and writing, there would be help for him. It had, at last, been discovered that the condition she suffered from was called dyslexia, and had nothing to do with a person’s intelligence. She remembered the immense relief she had felt when her daughter began to read at an early age without difficulty.
Her thoughts went back over the years. In 1950 Mrs Dalton had died suddenly of a stroke, which had shocked them all. Her will provided another shock: she had left the house to Amy, Ben and Howard, on the condition that Ted be allowed to stay for as long as he wanted. Sadly, he died only a few years after Mrs Dalton. They had both been greatly missed.
Howard had married his Chrissie and now they had grandchildren of their own. She had married Ben on the same day, and their marriage had been, and still was, a very happy one. She looked across at her husband, smiling as he gave his usual teasing wink.
Gazing round the crowded room, she considered that her life had really begun when Ben and Howard had brought her to this lovely house. Mrs Dalton had always urged her to take one step at a time, and she could see that her life had been a series of steps.
The first was Wapping, with all its frustration and grief.
Next, here, where she had blossomed in the atmosphere of love and gentle teasing, finding new talents and new ways of expressing herself.
Then, marrying John. The hurt was still there when she thought of how little time they’d had together, and sadness that a young life had been cut so short. The war had been another step along the road. It had been a rocky path, with many highs and lows: grief at losing John; joy when Grace had been born; and relief when Ben had finally returned home at the end of the war.
They had taken another step together and started up the shop again. Then she had married Ben and they had had two fine sons of their own. James was an artist like his father, and Luke a teacher. James had shown signs of having trouble with words, but it had only been slight, and they’d been able to help him from an early age.
They now had three shops being run by the children of both families. Ben and Howard had eventually received the acclaim their talents deserved.
And here she was at seventy…
‘Cut your cake, Mum.’
She stopped reminiscing and smiled, seeing John in her daughter’s face. Grace had been deprived of a father, but Ben had more than filled that void.
Standing up, Amy stepped towards the table.
Table of Contents
Cover
About the Author
Title Page
Copyright Page
One Step at a Time
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
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17
18
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25
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27
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40
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44
Epilogue