Her heart skipped a beat. He was going away. Leaving. He would soon be a free man able to do whatever he wished with his life. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears and spilled on to her cheeks; happiness wasn’t for her after all.
‘Don’t cry!’ he appealed. ‘You don’t know what I’m going to say!’
She patted her mouth with her napkin, willing her lips not to tremble. ‘You’re leaving,’ she said huskily. ‘You’re pursuing your new life elsewhere?’
‘No I’m not.’ He gave her a gentle smile. ‘How could I? How could I leave without taking you with me?’
Delia’s lips parted and her gaze questioned him further. ‘What—’
His eyes looked into hers and she saw what she thought was tenderness. ‘You know that I’m not yet free and my divorce might take some years. Would it be fair of me if I asked you to wait for me until then?’
Delia shook her head. ‘No – I mean yes. Wait?’ she said breathlessly. ‘Yes, I’ll wait, if that’s what you’re asking me.’
He laughed. ‘Was that a yes or a no? But that wasn’t the first thing I was going to tell you.’ He gazed at her, his blue eyes serious. ‘It was the second, but the first can wait. We’ve known each other for only a short time and I realize I’m being very hasty and you might think it’s too soon to make a commitment, but I love you, Delia, and when the time is right I want to ask you to marry me when I’m free.’
‘Marry you?’ she whispered. ‘I never thought that anyone would ever want to marry me!’
‘Because?’ He shook his head in gentle admonishment. ‘Why? Because you have had a child out of wedlock? You are not the first, Delia, and you won’t be the last. I’m sure I’ve already said that.’ He took hold of her hand and kissed her fingertips. ‘What can I say to convince you that you are worthy of love? But I ask again, will you wait?’
She ran her tongue over her lips as she considered. Would it matter what anyone thought? Whose opinion was of concern to her? She took a deep breath and leaning towards him kissed him on his soft and gentle mouth. ‘Do we have to wait?’ she murmured. ‘I’m already a woman fallen from grace. I’m ready to live with you now in a life of love.’
He returned her kiss, and as they were alone he drew her close and kissed her cheek, eyelids and mouth.
‘I want to protect you from scandal,’ he whispered. ‘I will buy you a ring to prove my love, but we should wait until I’m free and we can be man and wife in law as well as love.’
She smiled and nodded, tears glistening on her cheeks. He was right, of course.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Giles decided that he wouldn’t speak of the happenings in Paull just yet. The situation there didn’t immediately affect Delia. She was happy and so was he, and as they walked hand in hand back to their lodgings he paused as they reached Holy Trinity church and said, ‘You realize, Delia, that there can be no church wedding as I’ll be a divorced man, unless I can get an annulment.’
Delia nodded. ‘If there’s a God, as I’m led to believe, I feel He’ll let His love fall on us regardless of what went before, and without a church ceremony.’
He turned, and in the shadow of the church put his hands on her face and kissed her lips. ‘I’ve wanted to do that since the day I met you,’ he whispered. ‘I’ve wanted to touch your shiny hair and stroke your soft smooth hands.’
Delia lifted her hands, now clad in warm gloves, and spread her fingers. ‘My hands were once raw and red from scrubbing and washing and digging in the garden,’ she murmured.
‘Now they’re ready to wear my ring.’
‘Yes,’ she said, shakily and happily. ‘They are.’
She went back to the theatre that evening to sort through more paperwork for the next show in readiness for her new role of under-manager. She felt giddy with happiness, hardly able to concentrate. Giles was in rehearsal, and when it was finished he waited to escort her back to their lodgings.
The next morning when he went down to breakfast, Delia was already sitting at her table drinking her coffee. Two men were sitting at separate tables eating breakfast.
‘Good morning, Miss Delamour; gentlemen.’ He nodded to the men and then turned to Delia. ‘May I join you, Miss Delamour?’
‘Please do.’ She gave him a beaming smile. ‘Did you sleep well, Mr Dawson?’
‘Very well, thank you,’ he replied, although he hadn’t. He’d spent the night tossing about, rehearsing what he should say regarding her parents. In the end he had decided he would state it as a mystery and let the news filter through. ‘I hope you did too?’
‘No,’ she said brightly. ‘I was very restless indeed,’ and then whispered, ‘but full of joy.’
When his coffee had been brought and the two other residents had departed, he began. ‘Delia, last night I said I had two things to tell you, but I was rather overtaken by my feelings and somehow they came first, especially when I discovered that we were of the same mind.’ He clasped her hand and gently squeezed her fingers.
‘Yes,’ she breathed. ‘I can hardly believe what happened. I have never been in love before.’
‘Nor I,’ he said solemnly. ‘But the – other matter is rather disturbing. Yesterday, after Robin had gone off to school, I was told, and indeed shown, that a neighbour had had a barn fire.’
‘There are often fires in the country,’ she commented nonchalantly and sipped her insipid coffee. ‘Stooks or ricks set alight accidentally by someone’s pipe, or in the summer, if they haven’t been stacked properly, haystacks can fire by internal combustion.’ She gave a little frown. ‘But not usually at this time
