break. Seeing Todd in the paper with another woman had pushed her to that edge. The irrational jealousy, the sharp stab of hurt, her literal physical revulsion, which had made her run to the loo, all of that showed her that she was already in over her head. She wasn’t prepared for that. And who was she kidding? If she arrived in Devon and saw him in person again she would have no self-control. She’d fall into his arms, into his bed, and way deeper into this mess than she was already. Her body ached with the decision she was trying to make, but her mind was firm.
“Albert, I want you to turn—”
Her mobile hummed in her hand. Mr Sexy Sir was calling again. Eliza sighed. She had to nip this in the bud.
“Hullo?”
“Are you with Albert?” said Todd. She heard a strain in his voice, a held breath.
“Yes, but—”
“—Oh, thank god. Thank you, Eliza.” On the other end of the line, she heard him sigh heavily with relief. “Thank you for getting in the car.”
He was thanking her? She’d made a mistake getting in the car and now she was about to turn around and head back to her studio, her work, the only thing in her life that wouldn’t let her down because she was the one holding it up.
“Todd, I can’t—” But he didn’t give her a chance to speak.
“—Thank you for giving me another chance, Eliza. I know you didn’t have to. It’s been so hard to be away from you. And with everything going on here...”
“You mean like more dates to the races? Is that why you need another chance?”
The line was quiet for a moment. Eliza had never spoken so sharply to him before.
“I want another chance to see you,” he said. “To show you how I feel about you.”
There was that melt-y feeling again. Eliza shifted in her seat. “What about Miss Selfridge? What about that photo?”
He sighed again.
“Were you with her…” Eliza swallowed. “Like the way you were with me?” The words were hard to say. Saying them, thinking them, risked bringing on tears.
“Nothing with anyone else is the way it is with you,” he said quietly. But he hadn’t answered the question. In fact…
“Melissa is a girl, and the daughter of a business acquaintance. Someone I have to keep happy , along with others I have to keep happy, like my family.”
Eliza couldn’t tell on the phone, but she sensed he might be clenching his teeth.
“I take it you don’t like making people happy, Sir.”
Another pause. “We could have a philosophical discussion about this, if you like, but I think you’re really talking about yourself now. You’re concerned that I may not care enough to make you happy?”
How is it he could read her better than she knew herself sometimes?
He spoke again. “Did you look around the back seat of the car? Did you notice how many times I’ve tried to reach you in the last 14 hours? Do you know how long Albert waited outside your flat?”
She didn’t actually.
“If you doubt that I care. If you want to take The Sun ’s reputable word over mine, then you are free to ask Albert to turn around and take you home and I will promise I won’t bother you anymore.”
He was playing a risky card, and asking her to lay hers on the table. He said he wasn’t a gambling man, but he was taking a chance and betting it all now.
“So there’s nothing between you and her?”
“Nothing that concerns us.”
“That’s not a good enough answer and you know it.”
He laughed then, and Eliza hadn’t realized how much tension she’d been holding during this last part of the conversation. Her body relaxed slightly now, and she smiled, though Todd couldn’t see that, of course.
He said, “The possibility that you might decide never to see me again, that our last contact might be over the phone, the idea that I might never hold you again …” His voice turned low husky with those words and he waited a moment before continuing in a more neutral tone.
“… All this makes those particular
“Albert, I want you to turn—”
Her mobile hummed in her hand. Mr Sexy Sir was calling again. Eliza sighed. She had to nip this in the bud.
“Hullo?”
“Are you with Albert?” said Todd. She heard a strain in his voice, a held breath.
“Yes, but—”
“—Oh, thank god. Thank you, Eliza.” On the other end of the line, she heard him sigh heavily with relief. “Thank you for getting in the car.”
He was thanking her? She’d made a mistake getting in the car and now she was about to turn around and head back to her studio, her work, the only thing in her life that wouldn’t let her down because she was the one holding it up.
“Todd, I can’t—” But he didn’t give her a chance to speak.
“—Thank you for giving me another chance, Eliza. I know you didn’t have to. It’s been so hard to be away from you. And with everything going on here...”
“You mean like more dates to the races? Is that why you need another chance?”
The line was quiet for a moment. Eliza had never spoken so sharply to him before.
“I want another chance to see you,” he said. “To show you how I feel about you.”
There was that melt-y feeling again. Eliza shifted in her seat. “What about Miss Selfridge? What about that photo?”
He sighed again.
“Were you with her…” Eliza swallowed. “Like the way you were with me?” The words were hard to say. Saying them, thinking them, risked bringing on tears.
“Nothing with anyone else is the way it is with you,” he said quietly. But he hadn’t answered the question. In fact…
“Melissa is a girl, and the daughter of a business acquaintance. Someone I have to keep happy , along with others I have to keep happy, like my family.”
Eliza couldn’t tell on the phone, but she sensed he might be clenching his teeth.
“I take it you don’t like making people happy, Sir.”
Another pause. “We could have a philosophical discussion about this, if you like, but I think you’re really talking about yourself now. You’re concerned that I may not care enough to make you happy?”
How is it he could read her better than she knew herself sometimes?
He spoke again. “Did you look around the back seat of the car? Did you notice how many times I’ve tried to reach you in the last 14 hours? Do you know how long Albert waited outside your flat?”
She didn’t actually.
“If you doubt that I care. If you want to take The Sun ’s reputable word over mine, then you are free to ask Albert to turn around and take you home and I will promise I won’t bother you anymore.”
He was playing a risky card, and asking her to lay hers on the table. He said he wasn’t a gambling man, but he was taking a chance and betting it all now.
“So there’s nothing between you and her?”
“Nothing that concerns us.”
“That’s not a good enough answer and you know it.”
He laughed then, and Eliza hadn’t realized how much tension she’d been holding during this last part of the conversation. Her body relaxed slightly now, and she smiled, though Todd couldn’t see that, of course.
He said, “The possibility that you might decide never to see me again, that our last contact might be over the phone, the idea that I might never hold you again …” His voice turned low husky with those words and he waited a moment before continuing in a more neutral tone.
“… All this makes those particular
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