Page 24 of Tears of Gold

He sniggers and lowers his mug. “Sounds wonderful, but I do have to be at the law courts in half an hour.”

“I can be quick.” I wiggle an eyebrow.

“Let’s not rush perfection, Faith.” He steps up and presses a kiss against my forehead. “I might be home late, it depends how it goes. What are your plans?” His fingers tilt my chin so our eyes meet.

“Oooh, well. I’ve got a busy day, actually.”

“Pray tell.” He opens his leather bag and checks his papers.

“Well, I have class, then Gerard and I are going to the Tate to look at the space they’ve reserved for the show. After that I’m popping over to Jeremy’s to check on him with Tabitha.”

“Thanks for including him.”

“Of course. I like him. I’m hoping he will stick around with our crazy.”

“Oh, that reminds me.” He checks his watch and I know he’s slowly slipping away—and that’s fine, this is an important day. I’ll still be here waiting tonight when he comes home. “Mother left a message; the announcement will be in The Times today.”

Those blues land on my face, reading me swiftly like I’m a glossy mag one picks up when in need of a light read.

“Ooh, last chance to change your mind.” I smirk.

“Never. Now kiss me, I’ve got to go and put some arseholes in jail.”

He steps up and presses a lingering kiss on my mouth until I push him away. When he’s gone, I sit at the marble island for a while longer, staring into my coffee cup.

My engagement is going to be announced in a national broadsheet. Crazy. If I don’t think about it all too much, then I can’t let it freak me out. It’s best not to think. Not to worry. This is the path I’m on. Me and him.

I’m getting out of the shower when the door buzzes. Clutching my robe around my middle, I open the door and peek my head through the gap. My mouth falls open when I see a giant blue removal truck squeezed into the small space of the Mews. What the hell?

“Fairclough?” An older chap in white overalls asks.

“Uh. Yes?”

“We are here to pack. Sorry we would have been earlier, but the traffic was a nightmare.”

“Pack up? We aren’t moving anywhere.”

The man scratches his head and looks at his clipboard. “Fairclough, to Thirty-Six Chesham Place.” His fingers run across the paperwork as he reads through the instructions. “Silly really, it’s not even that far, but I understand there is a lot to pack.”

I stare at him wildly. I don’t know. This is Elijah’s house not mine. The only bit that is mine is the studio down the bottom.

This is a test. Jennifer, or more than likely Connie, has arranged this today because it’s his first day in court on his pro-bono case for Melanie Duncan. They are testing me. Pushing everyone onto me on one day. Not only is Elijah working a high-profile case today, they are also announcing our engagement.

Well, fuck them.

I open the door. “Yes. of course. Sorry, I should have been dressed. Can you get the lorry ready while I get myself together and then I’ll let you in and you can evaluate the packing?”

I have no idea if I’m speaking the right words, but he nods so I guess I’m making sense. Right, first thing first, clothes.

In the bedroom while trying to pull jeans up I video-call Abi.

“Yo, stranger.”

“I know, I know, I’m crap. Listen, I’m having a situation.” I grab the phone and train the camera on my face.

“I’d say. You look like shit.”

“Wow, thanks. Listen, Eli’s psycho mother and grandmother have decided to spring a surprise and have arranged for us to move to a new house today.”