Inside the cottage were glorious smells. ‘I hope you didn’t put yourself out for me, Didi,’ Pierre said. ‘Georgie said that you…haven’t been your usual self for a while. I wouldn’t want you to overdo things…’
‘I’ve got a new lease of life,’ she confided. ‘You go into the sitting room, darling, and I’ll fetch you a glass of wine…unless you want to go and have a bath? You must be hot and bothered after that long drive. I’m surprised you didn’t get Harry to bring you down. Surprised but glad. It’ll be so special, just the three of us together…’
‘Yes,’ was all Pierre could manage this time, but it was enough to elicit another beaming smile from his mother as she ushered him into the sitting room and half pushed him onto the sofa so that she could bustle off and fetch him something to drink.
Left on his own, Pierre looked around the cosy room and noticed for the first time how many memories there were of his mother’s past. Artifacts collected from travels over the years and little framed pictures everywhere. Usually he came, checked the house to make sure that everything was in order and would take his mother out for supper and the following day for lunch.
He strolled over to some of the pictures and realised that there were a lot of him, from childhood through to adolescence.
‘I have boxes of them,’ her voice from behind interrupted him and he turned around as Didi came to him with a glass of wine.
Pierre flushed. What touched him almost as much as the number of pictures was the fact that she obviously cleaned them, made sure that there was not so much as a speck of dust on the ornate silver frames.
He realised that he couldn’t think of anything to say, but before he could be put in the position of finding a suitable response the doorbell buzzed and Didi almost giggled with delight.
No wonder Georgie had been overcome by impulse, drawn into putting a smile on Didi’s face, whatever the cost. Still crazy, but he felt a twinge of comprehension.
There was the sound of voices and he strolled out of the sitting room to see Georgie, clutching a bottle of wine and a bunch of flowers and being divested of her coat and scarf.
Didi, puffed up with pride, stood to one side and Pierre thought, to heck with it. Georgie had dragged him unwittingly into this farce and he wickedly decided to teach her a little lesson.
He rested his glass on the table in the hall and went up to her, watching with wry amusement as the smile she had pinned on her face shifted from dutifully thrilled to see him to hesitantly bemused at his reaction.
‘Here at last,’ he breathed, taking her into his arms and curling his fingers into her fair hair. ‘I thought you’d never arrive…’
Georgie was frantically trying to think of something suitably witty and light-hearted to say when she felt his lips touch hers and it was as if she had received a sudden electric shock. His mouth was firm and warm and this was no casual kiss. His tongue stole into her startled mouth, making her gasp, but when she would have shrunk back he held her firm, his hand gently controlling in the small of her back, forcing her to lean into him. By the time he pulled back, her thoughts had been scattered to all four winds and her heart was hammering like a drum inside her. She almost stumbled in her confusion and she could feel her face burning red when she met Didi’s eyes.
‘Young love. Your dad and I used to be like that. Couldn’t keep our hands off each other when we were courting.’#p#分页标题#e##p#分页标题#e#
‘I know.’ Pierre looked down at Georgie. ‘We have the same problem, don’t we, sweetheart?’
‘Oh, yes!’ Georgie said in a high-pitched voice while trying to edge away from him, but not getting very far because his arm had now snaked around her waist and was holding her firmly in place.
‘How was your evening chatting to the parents?’ he asked silkily, tightening his grip when he felt her trying to pull away. She felt girlishly fragile under her layers of clothing.
‘Very good! Thank you! Didi, shall I pop these flowers in a vase for you?’
‘Not at all. I’ll do that. You two can disappear to the sitting room and catch up. I can still remember what it’s like to be young, you know.’ She smiled warmly. ‘Besides, I have some last-minute cooking to see to if we’re ever to eat tonight.’
As soon as Didi had disappeared towards the kitchen, Georgie sprang back and glared at him.
‘What was that all about?’ she hissed.
‘It was all about us being in love,’ Pierre answered innocently. ‘Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be?’