SUSPENDED TIME

(The direct continuation of The Night Before the Night Before Christmas)

By Atonia Walpole

(Picture creations also by Atonia)

It was that time of year between Christmas and New Year's Eve when the excess that is Christmas is over, when the tree looks bare and forlorn, perhaps knowing its time is nearly over.  It was the time when the first questions about New Year’s Eve are being discussed. Should we celebrate in style or quietly at home?

Provence had a rare dusting of snow for Christmas but now it lay in melting puddles that drew little boys in their Buzz Lightyear boots. Max was walking them around, trying to give Toni a rest. He was dressed in jeans, old boots and a thick sweater. He and Toni had gotten to the, ‘what do you want to do?’ stage without either one of them coming up with an answer. It really didn’t matter to Max. He’d be perfectly happy to stay home with a bottle of French champagne and his lovely Toni.

Terry was still there but he’d made his plans for New Year's Eve. He was going to Paris with Penny and Jean Paul. They had a house just outside of the city and had asked him to come. There would be parties to attend and Jean Paul had assured him he’d find someone to break in the New Year with. That appealed to Terry.

Toni was in her bedroom folding a load of laundry and saw Terry as he passed the doorway.

“Terry.”

“Yes, luv.” He stopped and came in, noticing her domestic chore, and sat on the side of the bed. “Did you want some help?” He picked up a pair of her bikini panties and she snatched them away with a little grin.

“No, I was wondering when you were going to Paris. I heard Jean Paul extending an invitation.”

“They’re going back on Friday and offered to give me a lift.”

“Ah, well, good.”

“Wanna come?”

“Terry.”

“I’m serious.”

“I know you are and you know I can’t.”

“You could. Don’t you want to see the New Year in with me? I know where there’s going to be a killer party and later we could take a bottle of champagne to the hotel, just the two of us. We could probably finish it off in the bath.”

“Don’t.”

“Too much history between us not to remember.”

“I don’t forget.”

He took the sweater out of her hands and pulled her between his legs, letting his hands run up her hips and settling around her waist. “It’s been a long time.”

“What are you suggesting, Terry?”

“It’s not a suggestion.” His hands moved freely beneath her sweater to cup her breasts and she didn’t stop him.

She felt that familiar weakness for it had to be a weakness that wanted to take her beneath him. Their lips met in a searing kiss and she was down on the bed amidst the half folded laundry. Her jeans were unsnapped before she came to her senses.

“Terry…no!”

“Bloody hell!”

“No…no…please.”

“Toni.” He rested his head on her breast.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do this here.”

He lifted his head. "Where then?”

“I didn’t say I would.”

“I know and you didn’t say you wouldn’t either.”

“Do you think I don’t want you? Every fiber of my being wants you right now. I love you, Terry. Always I will. But I can’t…can’t make love to you here with Max’s underwear beneath me.”

Terry grinned and then giggled, “Damn Max anyway.” He made a raspberry on her stomach and she turned over, laughing. It relieved the tension that was strong between them.

He took her hand and placed it on his crotch. “You see what you’ve done.”

“I didn’t…Terry.” She withdrew her hand.

“I didn’t come in here this way. Come to Paris with me.”

“No…I did that once…no, Terry.”

“It’s not fair to me, you know. I don’t complain. I haven’t said anything to anyone. You go off with Jack when Jack wants you but you don’t with me. Have I slid that far down?”

“What…no…oh, for crying out loud!” Toni snapped her jeans and sat up. “Maybe you didn’t take a number and get in line,” she said in his face and stood up.

“I’ll never do that.”

“No…you’ll work your magic on me just like you just did.”

“I didn’t use fire.”

“You don’t have to.” Toni stood in front of him. “You don’t have to do anything but…be. Let me get close enough for your scent to enter me. Look at me with those eyes that take me down to the basest level I can get. I’m like a bitch in heat. But I know I can’t feast on you. I can’t. Look what lies between us.”

“Max’s underwear.”

“Yeah.”

Terry looked down for a moment. “I would never do anything to destroy what you have with Max. As much as I love you I also have a brotherly affection for him. That said…” he looked up at her, “I want you anyway. He’s not as accommodating for me as he is for Jack. I think I know why but I don’t think he has anything to worry about. You aren’t going to leave him for me. If you were that would already have happened. It is as it should be.”

“Yes, it is. He doesn’t have anything to worry about. I would never leave him.”

“I could pull rank. You are my wife…legally.”

“Do you think that would impress Max?”

“Not at all.”

“Why bring it up?”

“I like the sound of it. What if we went to Avignon for the day?”

“He’d know.”

“He’s going to know anyway. Bloody hell, Toni, I’ll tell him.  You and I need some one on one time together. We never have it anymore. We have little moments of conversation, maybe a kiss now and again and all the while we’re both wanting the same thing. I need a Toni fix.”

“You need to find a woman, Terry.”

“I’ve got one…you.”

“You know what I mean.”

“The truth is I do have a girl I see in London and also one in Paris. Somebody to go around with but not somebody I take home or make a part of my life.”

“Somebody to bed.”

“Well…yeah, but more than that. We go to dinner, a movie or a play, or a concert.”

She didn’t often get glimpses of his life without her. “I’ll bet you’re a good date. You know, we never dated. We never did what normal people do.”

“We went out…but you’re right, we never did. Our relationship was formed by magic. We were in love before we know what the hell love was. That’s the way I see it looking back. We were in bed with each other in less than twelve hours after meeting. I had no idea what was to come. No idea of the firestorm we would create together. Do that again.”

She backed away. “No…not here.”

“You don’t trust yourself, do you?”

“No, I don’t, not with you. I need to get my clothes put away.”

He looked at her a moment. “I’m going to set it up.”

She didn’t say anything and he quietly left the room. Toni put away the laundry then walked out on the landing and downstairs. Max had come in the back with the kids. She could hear Ludivine in her high-pitched French admonishing them for their muddy boots and her floor.

Max came through in his sock feet.

“I thought she was talking to the children.”

“Evidently I fall into that category, too.” He gave her a kiss.

His lips were cold and he smelled of outdoors and his own special scent. She wanted to climb underneath that thick sweater to his body and stay there close and protected.

“You’re cold.”

“No, just hands and face. What have you been up to?”

“I put the laundry away.”

“And here I thought you might be resting. We walked all around the vineyards with the dogs. Rose needs changing. She’s wet from inside and outside.”

Toni smiled and cupped his cheek with her hand and then went to find Rose.

Max went into the living room to the liquor cabinet to have a small shot of brandy to warm him. He found Terry in there looking out onto the front drive.

“You should have come, and then you’d be bootless and cold.” Max knocked back his brandy and shivered.

“I prefer warm and fully shod.” Terry moved from the window. “This is a strange time of year, don’t you think? The year is just hanging around. It’s too late to do anything about it now and too early to think about it.”

“Neither fish nor fowl.” Max found a seat. “But I suppose if you’ve got something that must be done this year now is the time to get at it.”

Terry found a seat, too. “Max, you know I have a lot of respect and affection for you.”

Max looked over at him, “What is it you want, Thorne?”

“Some time with Toni.”

Max leaned his head back on the chair, letting out a breath.

“Surely you realize by now that you don’t have to worry about me, about my trying to take her away from you?”

“I don’t worry about that…are you surprised?”

“If it was going to happen it would already be a done deal.”

“It’s not going to happen. I know Toni and I know her four seasons have never left her. I did try to banish them but it was a waste of time. Jack claims her at will, though I will say he’s not a frequent visitor…unlike you.”

“It’s difficult, Max.”

“I know just how difficult it is. I know what it does to her. Our relationship is written in stone, it’s solid so, no, I do not worry about you coming between us. What is it you want…hours, days…?”

“A day, that’s all. I’d take her to Avignon.”

“And spoil that place for me? Every time I go there I’d be aware and wonder just which little hotel you took her to.”

“Okay, I won’t say where. I’m trying to be honest and above board with you. When she was my wife I let her go to you when you needed her.”

“I know you did, Terry, and I also know the unspoken price you paid for that. Remember the conversation we had? God knows, I wanted her.”

“It’s not like it happens frequently. I’m not going to sit here and beg you for a few hours with my wife.”

“Oh, ho, so we’re married, are we? Don’t start bringing out your weapons, Terry. They’re not needed. You’ll do what you wish anyway so why did you even ask?”

“I wanted you to know that I’m not doing something behind your back.”

“Ha, preferably behind and not right in front. I don’t want it in my face, Terry.”

“No.”

Max smiled a little. “I cannot believe we are having this conversation.” He got up and went in search of his slippers.

Terry sat there, eyed the drinks cabinet for a moment and went to find his coat. He needed to go for a walk.

Part 2

“I actually thought we might go to Paris.” Max looked at Toni, raising his brows. “Big time celebrations to be had there…what…no?”

Toni shook her head a little. “No I…no, not Paris.”

Terry looked across the table at Toni and then down in his plate.

“I’d like to do something. Last year it was subdued due to Terry’s illness. We should celebrate another year and beg for more. What’s on for you, Terry?”

“I’m leaving Friday with Jean Paul and Penny. I’m going to be in Paris for New Year’s Eve.”

“Ahh,” he looked at Toni, “I see…well, I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.”

“It sounds as though they’ve made some fun plans,” Terry said.

“How’s, uh, Jean Paul doing with SI?” Max trying to smooth something over he‘d uncovered.

“I depend on him a lot. He’s good. He reminds me a lot of Dino and myself in our younger years.”

“You remember those younger years?”

“Not specifics more of an impression. Some of that was alluded to.”

“Hmm, yes…you may have jumped out of a birthday cake?”

“Some are exaggerations,” Terry smiled.

Max picked up his wine glass. Had it only been a few hours ago Terry was wanting time with Toni? Surely he had not asked her to Paris for New Year's. He glanced at Toni over the rim of his glass. He HAD asked her to Paris. That’s why she didn’t want to go with him. Of all the…she must have turned him down, though. Terry…. a problem because he, too, had affection for Terry and understood completely his situation.

“You decide, Toni. We’ve got time. We could go anywhere in the world for New Year’s.”

Toni half smiled, “I’ll think but we just got home…you know.”

He set his glass down. “Maybe you’d like to go to Paris with Terry.”

Her eyes went wide. “Maybe I wouldn’t!” She stood up and left the table.

Max looked down a moment and followed her into the living room. “I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to…Toni.” He folded her into his arms.

“Do you have any idea the pressure that’s on me? I want to go with him and at the same time I want to get beneath your sweater up close and tight against you so I can’t be pried away. I want…you to protect me from me.”

“If that’s what you want, love, I can do that. I can tell Terry to piss off. I do understand what you go through. I understand his side, too. It’s what you want that matters. I’ll do anything for you. I think you know that.”

Her hands had found their way underneath his sweater to his warm body. He pulled it over her head and stretched the V down so she could see. “Is this where you wanted to be?” he asked.

She nodded her head.

“He’s asked for some time with you. It's okay if you want it too. It’s also okay if you don’t.”

She lifted her face. “When I’m with him I do. When I’m with you…it’s the furthest thing from my mind.”

“You don’t have to do anything tonight.” He kissed her forehead. “Terry is probably wondering what the bloody is going on.”

Terry walked into the living room and smiled. “You’ve grown another head. Look…I don’t want to cause a problem here. It’s Tuesday night. I can probably snag a flight to Paris. I’ll meet up with Jean Paul and Penny later on."

Toni slid out from under Max’s sweater. “Don’t mind me, Terry. I’m just…”

“She does and she doesn’t.” Max looked at Terry.

“I’ll go,” he said softy. “I’ll leave in the morning. Duflot will give me a ride to Marseilles.”

“I will…I’ll take you.”

Terry looked at her and tilted his head. “You…drive me?”

“I drive,” she answered.” She felt the warmth of Max behind her. He circled her with his arms.

“She’s a good driver.”

Early the next morning Toni and Terry left with Jacky and Maxi. The boys were dropped off at Duncan’s leaving Rose for Ludivine and Max.

She pulled out onto the motorway but instead of turning toward Marseilles she took a different turning.

“You missed the turnoff.” Terry looked over at her.

“I’m not taking you to the airport today.”

Terry turned toward her, resting his arm on the back of the seat. “What are you doing?”

“Have you been to Arles?”

“No.”

“Well, then.”

“Toni.”

“I’ll have you to the airport by Friday so you can meet your party in Paris.”

He chewed a nail for a moment, looking out the windshield. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

“Every idea. I’m kidnapping you for immoral purposes. I just thought you should know…before we get there.”

Terry was quiet for the rest of the trip.

Toni knew where she was going. There was a B&B along the road into Arles. She slowed, looking for the sign and turned up a long winding driveway. Finally it ended at an ancient stone house

“This is it.” She turned to him. He met her eyes for a moment and opened the car door.

He took care of checking them in and after the owners finally left them on their own in their rooms, they came together in an embrace and a long kiss.

“I’m not an immoral man.”

“I know that. Did I offend you?”

“I’m not sure.”

She backed away from him but he caught her up against him again. “I love you, Toni.”

Toni kissed him again. He was a little strange and she thought she really had offended him. “I’m sorry, Terry. I was only half kidding when I mentioned immoral purposes.”

“It just seemed…immoral.”

“Why, because I said it, because I put thoughts to action? It’s okay when you do it but not me?”

“It sounded like you were bringing me here for one purpose. That’s not what I wanted.”

“It was a silly thing to say…I’m sorry. It’s not what I want, either. Spending time with you doesn’t mean spending it in bed. This is a place we’ve never been. I have a list of neat places in my computer. I pulled this one up this morning. It sounded private.”

“It’s nice, Toni. I like private.” He took her hand and walked with her to the window. “Nice view.”

She was looking at him, trying to figure him out. Perhaps she had made a big mistake. Max knew she was off for a couple of days. He was cool with it and now Terry, who’d asked for time with her, was acting like a virgin.

“I’ve made a mistake. Let’s leave…I’ll take you to Marseilles.” She picked up her oversized bag from the bed.

He looked at her a moment. “Put your bag down.”

“You don’t like it when I take the initiative, do you? You didn’t used to be that way. You didn’t have to be on top all the time.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Toni.” He went over to her and took her bag, tossing it on a chair. “That bag is going to wreck your back.” He ran a hand down her back, leaving it on her bum. The other he used to hold her face while he kissed her. He kissed her again and her arms went around him.

“What strange people we are.” She lifted her chin and looked at him.

“This doesn’t seem real.”

“I agree. Maybe it isn’t. I don’t know what to do, Terry.”

“We’ve gotten ourselves in an impossible situation. Max has agreed to this? Well, I know what that cost him.”

“Let’s go back. I’ve made a big mistake. I thought it might be fun but…it isn’t.”

He smiled a little. “It was more fun on top of Max’s underwear in your bedroom. I don’t know, Toni, this seems contrived. I know what you were trying to do and I love you for it.”

“Hold on to me and don’t let go…look at me, Terry.” Toni held him tightly and concentrated.

He was caught up in a flash of multicolored lights, a whirlwind and then silence. He held her, not knowing at first what was happening. Gradually the lights shimmered blue and red and faded out around them. He was in his bedroom at the House of Four Seasons.

“Toni, this is absolute madness!”

“I know,” she grinned. “Isn’t it wonderful the things Jack teaches me.”

“Magic.” He looked around the familiar room, the place where nothing changed unless you wanted it to.

Toni watched his face relax…he was home. It would always be so for them. As much as Terry denied it and wanted to leave the house, it still held a fascination for him. It loved him and he felt it. They were graduates of its power now but they still called it home in their hearts. He looked at Toni with a light in his eye.

“You little magical…ah, Toni.”

“Have I messed it up again?”

“No…you have not.”

There was no desperation in his manner when he took her in his arms. Slowly and thoroughly he kissed her, backing her against his bed. Making love to her was easy and familiar here. There was no need for words.

She lay in his arms. “I’ll never forget the first time you really gave yourself to me in this room. Everything in here glimmered. It was alive.”

“I don’t remember.”

“You didn’t notice it? I always thought his room was cold and impersonal until that night. The reds glowed and the blues…” He kissed her softly.

“Making love to you is as natural as breathing here,” she murmured against his chest. “I need you to live. I need you, Terry.”

Allowing for the time difference she had him for the rest of the night and just before dawn they both fell into a deep sleep. It was crazy. Everything was out of sync. It was winter and he was here, fall and fire in the middle of winter. As they slept the spirits of the House hovered over them ready to heal anything but there were no injuries. Nothing physical wrong with either of them and so the House determined it was an injury to the heart.

Toni woke in his arms in his bed and, confused, she started to sit up but he pulled her back beneath the coverlet. The sun had worked its way around the house and was coming through the windows of his bedroom.

“Do we have any idea what time it is?”

“Do we care?” he asked and kissed her breast.

“No, we do not.” She gave over to him, forgetting the time of day, the day of the week, forgetting everything but Terry.

It was almost like old times, he thought. There was no hurry, nowhere to go or anything. They had each other and until the House sent the aroma of food into his room, that was all they needed. They’d been there for 24 hours without a meal.

They ate in the kitchen, he dressed in his track clothes that he found in his room and she in sweats from her wardrobe. They ate heartily of the food the House provided. Later they went through the downstairs rooms, soaking in the atmosphere and remarking on things remembered. Christmas decorations were disappearing and the familiar white candles, smelling fresh and cold and slightly pine forestry. The candles reminded her of John. Vases held white lilies and their scent mingled with the pine and the smell of burning logs. It was comforting and warm and they chose the den and the long leather sofas.

“It seems very odd here," she said, twining her legs with his as they sat opposite each other on a sofa.

“John should be here. You always spent Christmas and New Year's with him.”

“I know except for the last year. I was alone and you were the only one I could contact that understood what was going on. Max didn’t know and didn’t understand.”

“I couldn’t come to you but I wanted to. I was in Tecala, still in my movie. It must have been a very lonely time for you here.”

“It was awful, Terry. After being with someone all the time to suddenly be left alone. I got through it, though.”

"The house has made us welcome. Don’t you feel it?” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

“Yes, I always feel it when I come here."

“Terry, sometimes I want to come back here. I want back what I’ve lost.”

He smiled slightly, “But look what you’ve gained, luv. Three children and you have a good life.”

She looked confused for a moment. “I do…yes, I do.”

Part 3

The next morning he was awake early, the sun just a suggestion over the sea. It was cold out and snow still lay around in heaps. He was dressed for cold and dressed for a run. His feet knew the familiar trails and he ran without having to look at the ground, knowing nothing would be in his path. Unlike running in London where the sounds of early morning commuters filled the air, sirens, humanity. Here was silence. His mind could wander or settle as it pleased and this morning it settled on Toni. She seemed oblivious to anything else except what was happening at the House. It was a balm for her, perhaps, but it also concerned him a little. She hadn’t mentioned Max or the children since they got here.

She was all his as if it were his season, which it was not. John might like the cold but he didn’t. He barely tolerated London. He ran around the pond where the path had been miraculously cleared. The pond was frozen and he’d never seen that before. It fascinated him and he slowed his pace, coming to a stop at the gazebo, now snow covered. He stepped inside where it was cold and damp. His breath was visible in short little puffs. This was where he’d first taken her with fire and it had sealed their fate. He stepped outside, touching the framing with a gloved hand.  This place, this magical place gave him life. It was his birthplace and it was home in a way no other place could claim to be. He hadn’t realized what a hold on him it still had.  When he was here he couldn’t wait to leave. He found every excuse for them to take day trips, pushing it and trying to see how far from the house he could go. It still came to him in dreams, something he’d told no one.

He walked the rest of the way to the house, coming in the back door and kicking off his wet shoes. He began unzipping his coat, tossing the knitted hat off along with his gloves. They found a home on the banister. Lightly he ran up the steps and down the hall, quietly opening his door. She was still asleep. This was old time stuff but he loved it. Stripped, he lifted the cover and slid his cold body next to her warm one, cold fingers and she jumped and blinked. A slow smile and his lips closed over hers.

“Are you warm enough now?” she said lazily, still holding him inside of her and not letting him move away.

“Yes.” He buried his face in her neck, drinking in her scent. This could have been his life forever. As he lay there in her arms, captured completely, he realized this was only temporary. They would have to go back to Arles and then to Marseilles. That trip needed to be taken today so she could get home.

Toni showered with him, then wrapped in his robe, went down the hall to her room looking for clothes. The clothes she’d discarded the day before were hanging in her wardrobe. They looked odd and out of place here and she couldn’t think why. She pulled on a pair of corduroy jeans and a warm cashmere sweater. Short black leather boots completed her look. At her dressing table she brushed out her hair and braided it down one side. She noticed her hands in the mirror and looked at her left hand. She was wearing Max’s ring and she frowned. She opened the jewelry box on the dresser but all the rings were missing. Everything was topsy turvy and out of sync. She rubbed her eyes for a moment and then went to the balcony. The sun was out, melting snow from the balustrades. She stepped out. It was colder than it looked and the sea was gray green and restless, the air cold and crisp like breathing ice. She went back inside and closed the door. Terry was waiting at her doorway.

“What time do you want to go back?”

“Go back…where?”

“To Arles. I’m sure the owners of the B&B are wondering what happened to us.”

She smiled and shook her head slightly. “I…I don’t know...what?”

“Toni, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I feel great.” She moved to him. “I’m in love with you, Terry Thorne.”

“Always, luv, always in love with you. I wish…I wish we could stay here, too, but we can’t.” He looked into her eyes and began to think something wasn’t quite right. “How did we get here, Toni?”

“Magic,” she answered, placing her hands on his chest.

“That’s right, magic.”

“What do you want to do today?” she asked, running her hands up to the back of his neck.

“Umm,” he leaned his head back, “maybe eat some breakfast. Have a look around again and then…because of the time difference we need to go back to France, luv.”

“Back to France…? We don’t have to…why?”

“Because that’s where Max is and yours and our child.”

“Jacky.”

“Yeah, Jacky and Maxi and Rose. You’re not okay. What’s going on in here?” He touched her temples.

“I don’t know. I…don’t know. Maxi and Rose…Max?”

“I think you’re confused, luv.” He led her to the bed and sat down beside her. "What do you remember past yesterday when we got here?”

“I was here.”

“No, you were in France. We left La Siroque yesterday morning and drove to Arles. You were taking me to the airport and took a side trip. We ended up here…by magic.”

She shook her head. “I’m confused. Everything is wrong. I’m here with you and it's winter. I have on Max’s ring and I can’t find yours.”

“Honey, the rings are at home at La Siroque. We only came here for a night.  Don’t you remember driving me to Arles?”

“We needed some time.”

“That’s right, we did.”

“I don’t understand. I love you, Terry.”

“I love you, too. I think we need to get out of here. Something is…” he looked around the room and spoke to the House. “If you’ve fucked with her you’d better undo it now.”

She looked into his eyes. “What’s going on, Terry?”

“I don’t know yet. You didn’t ask the House for anything, did you?”

“No.”

He put his arms protectively around her. “You have messed with her mind for some reason. Fix it!” he said to the House. “Just lie down here for a minute, close your eyes. I’ll be right over here in a chair.” He kissed her forehead and left her looking bewildered on the bed. She did as he asked and closed her eyes after a little bit.

The House wasn’t sure what it was supposed to do. It had fixed her heart and now he was talking about her mind.

Terry was mentally communicating with the House. It really scared him when Toni became confused.  Just put her back like she was when she came here, nothing more.

She had pain in her heart and we healed it.

I know about that pain. We share it. Put it back.

Put back pain?

Yes, I want her just as she was when she came here yesterday.

Toni felt a weight on her body, not unpleasant but it was there as if invisible hands were holding her down gently. A little jolt and she went out of it for a moment and then she opened her eyes. Terry was sitting by her bed. She looked at his worried face. “Terry.”

“Toni, are you okay now?”

“I don’t know when I wasn’t.” She sat up, rubbing her temples. She looked around her room at all the familiar things and back at Terry. “What happened?”

“The House in its infinite wisdom healed your heart and gave you back to me. I guess if we come here we have to make it known that we are not here for medical reasons or emotional ones.”

“Gave me back to you?”

“Yeah, it was nice. You were mine as you were when we used to live here. It’s kind of bittersweet now.”

“Oh, love.”

“Yeah, you had a very sketchy memory. Scared me, Toni.”

She drew her legs over the side of the bed and went to him, holding his head to her breast. “I’m back now in whatever form I am.”

He pulled her into his lap.

“I’ve, um, been pretty depressed for some time. I know that’s what it is and I don’t know what to do about it. Max knows. He does everything he can for me.”

“What can I do?”

“I don’t know. I want to shake it off and I can’t. What I said to you yesterday about wanting to come back here and live, I think about it a lot. I think about how uncomplicated our lives were then, how we could love without guilt. I know it is impossible. We have kids to think about and lives to live. We’ve come too far to go back.”

Terry held her and kissed the top of her head. “What’s the biggest thing, Toni? What carries the most weight that drags you down?”

“Guilt. Guilt for wanting you when I have Max. Guilt for disappearing with Jack and leaving Max with the children. It’s guilt. He is so good to me. I’m torn apart sometimes, like wanting you in the bedroom at home and knowing he took the kids outside to give me a break. I know sometime in the next two months Jack will come for me and I’ll go. Here there was no guilt. You were all equal and shared the same amount of time.

“Oh, Terry. I was here for too long. I had you all for too long. When I found out I had to choose between you all I nearly panicked. That’s why I decided to do it right away because living here with you all and knowing I had to choose one was too much to ask.”

“I would not go back and change anything. We lived here and loved here and we have good memories of this place. This morning when I ran I didn’t even have to think about where my feet were going. I never really thought about it until this morning, but this is my home place. This is where I was born a whole man. But having been born here I had to leave. This place was not meant to be a permanent home for any of us.  Even coming back here now, the House didn’t know what to make of us. We are welcomed here and loved here but it tried to fix something that can’t be fixed. We have to be careful coming back here.

“Look at me; I love you as much if not more than I did when we left here. That will never change. Jacky is living proof of how deep that love goes. If I fall into bed with you somewhere I’m not dragging guilt between the covers. There isn’t room for it between us.  I will fall into bed with you because I want it and you want it. I won’t be making prior arrangements with Max. I don’t want or need his approval and neither do you.  Jack doesn’t ask for it, does he?”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“It puts too much on Max and puts him in a place he doesn’t want to be. I know about that. Believe me, Toni luv, it’s better for both of us and for him if we use whatever opportunities are available and not pre-plan a tryst.”

She lay her head on his shoulder then put her arms around his shoulders. She kissed his neck, drinking in his scent for a moment. “You are so strong in my life.”

“I see things for what they are, luv. I don’t try to paint pretty pictures.”

“I needed a dose of reality and that was you.” She framed his face in her hands and kissed him. His arms tightened around her.

The House breathed a sigh of relief. Terry had righted the world once again.

“Are you ready to go back or do you want a last look around?”

Toni sat up in his lap. “I’d like a last look.”

Part 4

They had their breakfast then took a walk around the pond. She and Terry were standing on the cliff with arms around each other, braced in the wind coming from the ocean. Terry sensed his mind being probed and he opened up. It was Max.

Terry, where the bleeding hell are you? I’ve had a call from some B&B in Arles says you and the lady are missing.

Not missing, just not there. She’s coming home today.

He closed it off not wanting to answer any more questions. It was impossible to know how long they’d been gone. Sometimes the House suspended time and sometimes it didn’t. Obviously if the B&B were looking for them, time had not stopped in the real world.

“We’d better go, luv.” He folded her in his arm and kissed her forehead.

“I know. It’s been a special time.”  She looked into his eyes and he kissed her deeply.

“Let’s go in. It's damn cold out here.”

Later they changed back into the clothes they arrived in and met in the den, their favorite room aside from his bedroom where they’d left their House clothes.

“Okay, do your thing.” He took her in his arms.

Toni held him tightly around his waist and tried to concentrate but she did not remember the name of the B&B and the address was in her purse left on the bed back in Arles.

“Terry…I don’t remember the name of the place or much of anything about it.”

“I remember the road and the stone but that could put us anywhere. This is dangerous, Toni.”

She looked up at him with a desperate expression.

“Take us home to La Siroque,” he said. “Do you want me to help you?”

She nodded, feeling a little unsure of herself now. It really bothered her that she’d brought them here to the House without knowing how to get back to Arles.

“Let’s think of the same place. My bedroom.”

Toni smiled a little smiled and closed her eyes. Their minds were not running on the same track. When he said my bedroom the first thought she had was his bedroom in Battersea and that’s where she ended up. He felt her pull away but kept the visual of his bedroom at La Siroque firmly in his mind. When he appeared he was alone. He cursed and hit the wall with the flat of his hand.

Toni staggered and knew exactly where she was. She went to find a phone. The only one she knew was in the kitchen. The house was cold and closed up and as she went downstairs she veered off into the den and found a blanket folded on the back of the sofa. Wrapped in this, she called Max.

“Toni, where the hell are you?”

“Oh…did Terry show up?”

“Yes, he’s here.” Max looked over at Terry. They were in his office. “Where are you?”

“In his house in Battersea.”

“Is that where you’ve been?”

“No, no, Max, I’m going to try and get home.”

“Wait a minute, Toni.” He put his hand over his phone. “She is in your bedroom in Battersea.” Max’s eyes were flashing and his face was flush with anger. He blamed Terry for Toni’s fix.

“What do you want to do. Want me to go get her, you go get her? She can’t do this magical travel on her own. I don’t trust it.”

“Neither do I but…I’m going to get her. You stay here and babysit.” He glared at Terry and began filling his pockets with wallet, phone, and watch on his wrist. He looked at Terry one more time then closed his eyes, concentrating on the house in Battersea. He disappeared from his office. Terry picked up the phone Max had been talking on.

“Toni?”

“Terry, I made a wrong turn.”

“Max, is he there yet?”

“Max, no…is he coming?”

“Yeah, he just left here. He’s doing a magical trip.”

“He’s gone?” She ran up the stairs with the phone to the bedroom. “He’s not here, Terry!”

Terry sat down at Max’s desk with his head in his hand. Something grabbed his leg and he looked under the desk. Rose gave him a toothy grin.

A woman screamed.

“I am so very sorry, madam. I made a…so sorry.” Max stumbled his way to the door.

“Who is it, Estelle? What’s going on in there?”

Max opened the bedroom door to see a tall, distinguished-looking gentleman looking at him in astonishment. “Who the bloody hell are you and how did you…ESTELLE!”

“I assure you, Richard, I do not know the man or how he came to be in our bedroom.”

“If I can just…” Max was going to try and squeeze by the man out into the hallway.

“No, sir, you cannot...!” The man grabbed Max’s sweater.

“That’s cashmere,” Max frowned.

“You, sir, are in a lot of trouble. Estelle, call the police.”

“No, no…please, I can explain…no, I can’t.” Max was frantic.

“But, Richard, he hasn’t done anything.” Estelle had the phone in her hand, looking at the very handsome man who had appeared in her bedroom.

“Not yet he hasn’t but given a few minutes, Estelle, I hate to think what might have happened. Are you sure you don’t know this man?” He gave Max’s sweater another jerk.

“If I could…just …” Max tried again, slipping out of the sweater and heading for the stairs.

“Hey…you there!” Richard called over the banister but Max was out the front door, running down the street in a tank top and his jeans  and house slippers.

Snow still covered England and it was freezing out. Max got his bearings and began to run in the direction of Terry’s new house. Well, it wasn’t new anymore but it wasn‘t the old one he’d just mistakenly visited. He kept looking around for the police car that surely must be looking for him.

Several blocks away he ran up the stairs to Terry’s flat. He banged on the door, forgetting it’s locked. With his teeth chattering he pulled out his phone and called Terry’s house. The line was busy. He heard sirens and crouched behind a potted cedar. He tried his house phone, busy. Sputtering obscenities he called Terry’s cell.

“Hold on, Toni.” Terry answered his cell phone. “Max.”

“Ged off da bloody phone!” Max croaked.

“Where are you?”

“Outside your flat on ta steps waiting for da police ta come and lock me up.” His lips were going numb,

“What?”

“GED OFF DA BLEEDIG PHONE SO SHE CAN LET ME IN!”

“Toni, we’ve got to hang up, luv.”

A quick glance around the tree and he dashed back to the doorway and punched the number for Terry’s flat.

“Max?”

“Open damned door!”

He stomped in through the entry and up the stairs. Toni had the door open.

“Darling…you’re blue.”

Max glared at her and passed into the flat.

Toni wrapped the blanket around him she’d been huddled under. “What?”

“Sssss…sssomethig wom.”

She rushed down the stairs to the kitchen and plugged in the kettle, rubbing her cold hands together. She found the tea things and turned as Max came down the stairs. His nose was beginning to thaw and she found him some paper toweling.

“It’s cold in here. I don’t know where the thermostat is for the heat,” she said, looking at him. His eyes appeared glazed over. “Max?” She rummaged in Terry’s kitchen until she found the medicinal bottle of whiskey they’d always kept in a cupboard. He took it greedily.

With a mug of hot tea and the blanket he’d allowed her to share they sat on the sofa in Terry’s den.

“Don’t you ever…” He looked down at her.

“No…no, I won’t.”

“You take a train or a plane or a car or you bloody well walk but don’t you ever try this magical transport again.”

“I’m sorry, love…I am…I’m very sorry for the whole thing. It was a bad idea from the beginning.”

“It’s not safe and you never know exactly where you’ll end up. Is this where you went with Terry? Why leave the car and your handbag in Arles?”

“No, I…we didn’t come here. I took us to The House of Four Seasons.”

“Just…” He made a movement with his hand.

“Yeah, pretty much. No problem getting there. What happened to your shirt?”

“Oh, um, it was a sweater, one you gave me two years ago. Gone I’m afraid,” he half grinned. “I suppose we can send Duflot and Terry after the car and your belongings.”

“His, too. I was taking him to the airport and decided to surprise him with a B&B. Only it wasn’t a good idea and I was trying to make it right and so I took us to the House”

“What do you mean it wasn’t a good idea?”

“It just wasn’t. Remember when Terry gave us a few hours together while he and Connie went into Bonnieux? Well, it was kind of like that for him.”

“I thought it was what you both wanted…oh, well. What are we going to do now? Neither of us has our passports with us. I’ve got my wallet and a little money…Euros that won’t spend here.”

“I don’t even have my ID. What day is it, Max?”

“It’s night, love, and it’s Friday.” He opened his cell and called Terry.

“Have you any money in the house?” he asked.

“Money…yes, in my bedroom taped to the bottom of my sock drawer. What’s up?”

“I only have a few Euros and can’t even pay for a taxi to get us across town. I’ll pay you back.”

“No problem.”

“You’ll have to get with Duflot and go for the car and baggage. Also I’ll need our passports, which you will find in my desk top right hand drawer in the metal box. If you get them to Bonnieux by noon they might get them in the post for Monday.”

“Tomorrow is New Year's Eve.”

“Ah, so it is …There might not be mail. Well, do the best you can. New Year's…well, darling,” he hugged Toni, “I guess we know where we’ll be for New Year's. Sorry about Paris, Terry.”

Terry half smiled. He could hear it in Max’s voice. "That’s all right. I’ve got a blue eyed blonde beauty right here to spend the holiday with. She’s easy with her kisses.” He gave Rose a kiss and she made kissy sounds. “Hear that?”

Max chuckled. “You might relieve Aubrey of the boys, too.”

They went upstairs to Terry’s room where Max found the money, “Oh, good Lord! 500 pounds.” He gave Toni a funny little grin. “We shall have a New Year’s Eve to remember.”

“Don’t take it all. That’s his.”

Max raised a brow and stuffed it in his pocket. Then he went to Terry’s closet and found a sweater and a coat. They turned out the lights and locked his door. A taxi waited downstairs to take them to Max’s flat.

Part 5

He’d had a hot shower and, dressed in his own warm sweats, he wandered out of the bathroom and into the living room. Toni was wrapped up in the red throw they’d bought before Christmas and sitting on the sofa, looking out at London lit up for the night.

“You look cozy.” He lit a cigarette and Toni didn’t complain. He’d had a night and he’d told her about it on the ride to the flat. She laughed until she cried and finally got him laughing, too. They’d spilled into the lobby downstairs like two drunken sailors.

“I am cozy. Come and join me.” She held out a hand.

“Oh, I’ve got this.” He held up his cigarette, moved over to the balcony door and opened it, stepping out into the cold.

Toni looked at him out there in the cold. She laughed again, thinking about him turning up in that woman’s bedroom. Imagine her complaining…she could have rolled him into her bed. She moved to the door and opened it a crack. “You’d better come in before you catch a cold or something.”

He took one last drag and tossed the butt into the planter full of sand. “Looks cold down on the river.”

“I’ll bet it is. Come and join me here.”

He came over and snuggled with her. “I’m beginning to wonder if we left. Did we go home for Christmas?”

“Yes, we did. It’s different now being here without the kids.”

“Quiet. What happened in Arles?”

“I made a statement that I was taking him there for immoral purposes. It offended him.”

“Really? What a faker he is.”

“Would that have offended you?”

“No, I would have said bring the immoral on. Does that make him more moral than me?”

“I don’t know. When you think about him, which I know you don’t, but he does a lot of immoral things in his line of work. You could never…kill, could you?”

“To protect you or me or the children, yes, I could.”

“But as a rule, if it wasn’t me but someone you’d never met, would you kill for them?”

“Not sure I can answer that because I’ve never been in that position. I suppose the closest came in France when we were trying to rescue Jack. I was given a gun and I believe I would have used it if I had to. I’m not military and never have been. I wasn’t trained to kill. He was. And is it immoral to kill bad guys? I can’t say, Toni. He does have a sensitive side to him and a strong sense of right and wrong. I guess you can’t use him for immoral purposes,” he smiled and kissed her. “Of course it depends on what you consider immoral. I can’t imagine anything associated with you to be immoral.”

“Well, anyway, that kind of got us off on the wrong foot. To salvage the time I took us to the House. It was okay but you know I had an episode there. The House tried to heal my heart and botched the job. Everything was out of sync and upside down. Terry made it fix me but that was a weird time. I sort of forgot everything but him.”

“Are you sure he didn’t have something to do with that?”

“No, I know he didn’t. It’s good for me to be with him sometimes and I’m not talking about just going to bed. He sees things differently and he helps me digest things and I guess what I’m saying is that I need him in my life just as I need you and Jack and John. I spent too many years at the house and the four of you are too deeply ingrained in me to let any of you go.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” He nibbled her earlobe. “In fact neither of us are. Look, it’s snowing again.”

“Oh, my! Big fat flakes.”

“We may be stranded and without food or enough booze to get us through the weekend.”

“But, Max, we’re in London. There is always a pub open and if we can make it there we can get food and drinks and,” she kissed him and pushed him down on the sofa, "everything a bloke could want.”

“Not everything, but I’ve got the rest right here.” He pulled her on top of him and held her there, stretched out full length.

Early the next morning Max padded out of the bedroom toward the kitchen to make coffee. He got the appliance going and wandered over to the glass wall. Something was different. London was still, hardly any movement at all, and it was blanketed with a thick layer of snow. He looked down at the River Thames. Even it looked sluggish. It was New Year’s Eve. “Well, well.” The smugness he felt the night before when talking to Terry left him. They might just be marooned in a high rise.

He took two cups of coffee carefully to the bedroom, pushing the door open with his bum.

“Don’t get up, love. London is buried under snow. There’s nothing to see.”

“Snow…more snow.” She sat up in bed. “Well, at least we bought snow gear before Christmas.

“From the looks of it we may need skis.”

“We have some tinned food but nothing fresh. How much coffee left?”

“Not much. I thought about that when I made this.”

“Don’t suppose the market will deliver?” she asked, looking sideways at him.

“We’ll be lucky if they are open. I wish you hadn’t mentioned the market. Now I’m thinking rashers of bacon and eggs. Big slabs of bread and butter with marmalade and breakfast tea.”

“Ooohh, Max.”

Once bundled up and down on the street they could see why London wasn’t moving. Most people were on foot, tramping along the sidewalks until paths were made through the snow. Some vehicles were moving through the streets but most were white mounds on the side of the roads.

The market was open only because the proprietors lived over the shop. It was crowded and the queue was long. After fighting the crowds and finally getting out of the market, they trudged back to the flat to put away their purchases.

Max set his bags on the counter and removed his gloves and coat. He was feeling in his pockets for his phone that had been vibrating off and on all the way home from the market.

Still trying to warm up, he returned Terry’s call.

“Max, just thought I’d let you know it’s snowing like crazy here. The boys are all about going outside in it. I’m trying to get them to wait until it stops.”

“We just came from the market on the corner. It’s knee deep in places. London is shut down today. Did you go after the boys?”

“No, Duncan brought them home. Penny and Jean Paul came, too, and saw my circumstances. They went back to Paris early this morning. I asked Duflot about going for the car and bags and he didn’t want to do it with snow forecast and now it’s here. I’m not so worried about your vehicle because if worst comes to worst it can be towed home but Toni’s driver’s license and things ought to be got home. My passport is there in my carryon bag along with my ticket to Paris, now worthless.”

“What do you want to do? How bad are the roads?”

“Not bad yet but the longer I wait the worse it’s going to get and that’s a good drive to Arles. So I’m thinking to take your Rover since its four wheel drive and run up there for the bags.”

“Okay, what about the kids?”

“Francis and Ludivine will take care of them until I get back. It will probably be late.”

“Fine way to spend New Year’s Eve.”

“Oh, well, this is life. I thought about a magical transport.”

“To where? Ha, don’t even try it, Terry. Wait until you hear where I beamed down.”

“Can’t wait to hear the stories. I’m outta here then.”

“Be careful, Terry, and keep in touch.”

“Will do.”

“What is it?” Toni asked.

“It’s snowing at home and Terry is going to Arles for your bags and his. He’s taking the Rover.”

“But…it’s snowing.”

“He’s much better equipped to drive in it than I am. Don’t worry about him, Toni.”

She would worry until they heard from him.

Toni and Max spent the day in the flat. It was too cold and snowy to be out. It was nicer to watch TV and look out on the snowstorm from their nest in the sky. They had food and Max had bought a couple bottles of liquor. He said there was wine in the flat somewhere.

“Okay, lover, where is that wine you said was here?” Toni asked that afternoon.

They began digging through storage bins, crates and boxes. “You know, I really have no idea what’s here.” He opened a dust-covered bin from one of the storage closets. He found a box containing things he did not recognize and set that aside for later. He found a box of things he’d put away after Connie died.

Toni watched him as he shuffled quickly through it. There was still emotion there. He closed it up and put it back. She wondered why he wanted to keep it but didn’t question his actions. Finally they came to a crate from La Siroque. There were five bottles of champagne and he took two out.

“You know why this was here?”

“No.”

“That first year Connie and I were together we shared some time with you and Terry. You were over here at New Year's.”

“I remember that. You still love her, don’t you?” She had to ask.

“I don’t know if I do. I wasn’t…very good to her. I did love her, Toni, but I was so caught up in you that I never gave her a chance. She was number two in my life and she knew it. I can’t imagine that…how that must have hurt her. I’m not always proud of myself and things I’ve done. She was the mother of my son and she deserved better than I gave.”

She reached out and put her hand on his arm. “All that is over and done with. We all have regrets, love. I know I do. That’s all they are. We can’t fix them but we can make sure we don’t repeat them.

“I can be very callous, self-centered and…”

“You are the man I love. Don’t say bad things about him. We have champagne for tonight.”

“Yeah…we do.” He leaned over and kissed her.

“I wonder if the boys got out in the snow,”  she said as they were putting things back in the closet.

“Let’s call and find out.”

Max called the house and received no answer so he called Duflot’s house and he answered the phone. Snow was falling thick and heavy. They'd lost power at the Chateau and they took the children over to their farm house. They were fine, warm and dry. Other than the walk to the farmhouse, the children had not been out. The dogs were kenneled up in one of the cellars so they were dry and had food and water and bedding. They would be watching the New Year on TV he said.

“No electrics.” Max folded his phone. "The children are at Duflot’s.”

“I haven‘t known the power to go out before. It must be some storm.”

“Well, you know, Toni, La Siroque is five miles from Bonnieux and therefore out in the countryside. I’m sure it will be back up as soon as the storm passes.”

“Terry is out in that, Max.”

Max looked at her a moment and called Terry.

“Hey, mate, I’m doing just fine. I got to the B&B and collected the luggage, paid off the innkeeper and started back but ran into some heavy snow so I did what any red blooded Aussie would do, I found a pub. I’ve been fed and now I’m progressing along.”

“Progressing…you aren’t going to drive?”

“Oh, no. This is an English pub, by the way, and it looks like I’m here for the night. I managed to get a room upstairs before it got too late. I think there are going to be a number of people sleeping on the bar tonight. Promises to be a good evening. I talked to Duflot. He’s okay with the kids.”

Max looked at Toni’s worried expression. “He’s in a pub getting pissed. He’s not driving.”

She screwed her mouth around and nodded. Typical. “Tell him Happy New Year.”

“Toni says Happy New Year. We’ll talk later if you still can.”  Max broke the connection. “He’s had a few pints and is doing well for himself. He’s got a room upstairs in an English pub.”

“I don’t know why I worry about him.”

Max laughed and tilted her chin up and kissed her. “Because you love him.”

Everything was put away except the one box. It wasn’t very big…boot box size. “What’s in there, Max?”

“I honestly do not know. Let’s get out of this hallway.” Max took the box to the sofa and opened it. Again nothing in there looked familiar to him at all.

He began laying things out on the sofa. Toni had retreated to the kitchen to plan dinner since they would not be going out.

“Do you know,” he began somewhat incredulously, “I once was sacked by Amis?  Heh, Lawton Brothers. How about that? Remember when I was wondering where I lived before here? I had a flat in South Kensington and I know where that is. White stucco fronted Edwardian houses…” He could see them in his mind’s eye. The inside belied the outside. It had been a rather nice flat. Small but nice.

Toni leaned over the counter. “But wasn’t that in the book, love?”

“It was but I couldn’t remember any of it. Now,” he held up an envelope, “I’ve got solid proof that it did happen. I did live there.”

Toni smiled and went back to seasoning her steaks. She didn’t understand Max’s concern about his past. When Terry came out and began discovering his own past, he didn’t dwell on it. She did remember how it bothered him that Dino wasn’t around but that was remedied by Max and Jack and John. She’d been with him, though, and Max had been alone, trying to piece together a life that was never lived. But then Terry looked at things differently. Things either were or they weren’t and he didn’t dwell on things that weren’t.

Part 6

They had their dinner of steak and baked potatoes and slabs of chocolate cake from the market. A bottle of wine with dinner, another because the first one went down so well.

“We should at least dress up,” Toni said.

“You must be joking.”

“I am not. Come on, Max, let’s get all dressed up for New Year’s Eve.”

He grinned and played with his wine glass.

“You’ll do it. I knew you would,” she laughed.

He put on a dark suit and pale blue shirt, no tie. He had to draw the line somewhere. Toni donned the black dress that Max liked her in but it was very bare and cold around her shoulders. A short, fuzzy, black cardigan did the trick.

“I don’t think I’ve ever even worn this,” she commented, adjusting the sleeves of her sweater.

“It looks good,” he said and kissed her quickly before picking up his cell and calling Terry.

Terry could hardly hear him for the noise behind at the bar. He walked out into the cold, snowy doorway.

“As you can hear it’s quite noisy in there. A real party going on. Getting ready to greet the New Year.”

“I hear it.” Max walked from the bedroom into the living area. “So it’s working out for you, after all.”

“Yes, it is, as a matter of fact…very well.”

“Well, good. Toni made us get dressed up so I may make her walk to the corner pub.”

“You should. It’s still snowing here.”

“Not here. It’s, um, dark.”

“Yeah,” Terry laughed. “Happy New Year, Max.”

“Same to you, Terry. Toni wants to say something.” He handed his phone to Toni.

“I just wanted to wish you a Happy New Year, Terry, and say I love you and keep safe.”

“I love you, too, baby. Happy New Year.”

“Get your boots on and find a scarf. We’re going out.”

“Out? You’re kidding! It’s freezing out there and wet and snowy.”

“I know,” he smiled, “but it’s New Year’s Eve.”

They held on to each other, tramping down the frozen sidewalk, but the warm glow from the pub on the corner spilled out onto the walk. Music and laughter could be heard as they came up to the doorway. Once inside, it was warm and they were given silly hats to wear and noisemakers to ring in the New Year. Max fought his way to the bar and bought a bottle of champagne and two glasses.

Toni found standing space against a wall ledge. “You bought a bottle?”

“Why not?” He poured their glasses full. “Saves fighting my way through that crowd. It’s not as good as what we have in the flat but it’s bubbly.”

The music got louder, they danced and found themselves laughing with others at the bar. Some were stranded in London because of the weather and some were locals. It was an evening they didn’t often experience as they usually kept to themselves. Toni kept a close eye on Max. It was habit, something you would do if you had a child out in public. There was always that fear in the back of her mind that he would be recognized. But tonight the pub was full of high spirits and they joined in with their closely-packed neighbors.

The bottle of champagne was gone and Toni was feeling it. “Max…what time is it?”

He looked down at his watch. “11:25…are you okay?”

“No.”

“Okay, grab your coat, love.”

Back out on the sidewalk the cold air soon had her feeling better. “It’s so quiet out here.”

“Or so loud in there. You should have said something.”

“I was doing fine until a while ago and my head started spinning.”

“Ah, spinning head, not good.” He walked around the block with her and they came up on the rear of his building. A short sprint across the snowy street and they were on the waterfront. Gaily decorated boats were positioning themselves in the river. “Fireworks are a comin’.  Maybe we should go in.”

“I think so. I’m not up to running from sparks.”

He tucked her into his overcoat for a moment and kissed her. “Breathe deeply…feel better?”

“Yes, I didn’t want to get drunk tonight.”

“I won’t let you.”

“You’ve had a good bit, too.”

“Yes, but I’m bigger than you and my legs aren’t filled up yet. Yours are, see?” He bent her over backwards and sideways. “You’ve gone all wobbly.”

Toni laughed, holding him around his waist beneath his coat. He scooped her up and carried her across the street to the back entrance.

It was five minutes until midnight when they reached the flat. Toni still wore her sparkly tiara but Max had ditched his silly top hat. He found a bottle of good champagne and brought her a glass. “Wait,” he told her and went over and cracked the door to the balcony outside. She moved over to the glass with him. “Bells, there will be bells at midnight.”

“Bells and then all hell breaks loose. Well,” he touched her glass with his, “here’s to you, the woman I love. My mate for eternity.”

“To the man I love, always, forever we belong together.” They took a sip of the champagne and the bells began ringing, fireworks began blasting. He set their glasses on the floor, took her in his arms and kissed her, again and again and again.

“Happy New Year, darling.”

Max made her bells ring. She wasn’t sure how she got from the living room to the bedroom. Her clothes came off at some point and so did his, all lying in a pile on the floor at the foot of the bed. What stood out in her mind as she came to herself late in the night was being lifted up through the fireworks. They seemed to be swirling in the same whirlwind. He had taken her breath away and then given it back. They pumped life into each other. Love total and complete. Even now lying on her side spooned against him, she felt she was still moving.

Something rough against her shoulder and she moved a little and pulled her tiara out from under her. Glitter covered her and Max. Stardust, she thought. Surely he had taken her among the stars. From past experience she knew he’d used his element of air on her. It had been a long time since that had happened. It was perfect.

The next awakening came around 9:30. Max woke to find her positioned perfectly for…morning nookies. He couldn’t help himself. Afterward he had to endure the smashed tiara placed in his tousled hair.

“You did a number on me last night, didn’t you?” Toni crawled on top of him.

“Um, I think it was mutual.” He grinned slightly.

“I don’t have such powers,” she kissed him. “You have enough for both of us.”

“It was fun, it made you happy, it felt good.”

“All of the above. The whole evening was fun…going crazy down at the pub.”

“Umm, we slipped into their world for awhile or they into ours. It was fun, was good to get out and just let go.”

“Yeah, drinking cheap champagne. It was almost normal.”

“We aren’t though, Toni. We aren’t like other people. You were once but not anymore.” He hugged her, burying his face in her hair.

“We won’t ever be normal, will we?” in the sudden light of insight, “Is that why it’s so important to you to verify your existence prior to me?”

“Oh, love…maybe. We have no idea what the outcome of our magical existence is. Don’t you ever wonder…do you ever feel like we’re living in suspended time? One day you’ll wake up in Boston and it was all a dream?”

“No…no, I don’t feel that at all. Don’t say things like that.” She hugged him tighter. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Max, why are you saying this?”

“I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to upset you. Eternity, we are locked together for eternity, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about, now do you? Hey…Toni.”

She bit her lip and blinked away tears. “Eternity with you.”

He mentally slapped himself around for arousing any fear in her. Of course nothing was going to happen. If they lived in some sort of suspended time it was for eternity, forever and nothing could change it. He rolled her around beneath him and kissed her deeply.

She opened her eyes and ran her hand s over his back and up to his hair. Feeling the tiara she began to giggle.

“What?” he asked, looking at her seriously.

“You make a pretty princess or even a queen.”

He realized the tiara and pulled it out of his hair. “You will pay for that and your punishment starts now.”

“We’ll never get rid of all this glitter.” Max helped her get the sheets off the bed and into the washer. A little vacuum cleaner that had only been used once sucked up the sparkles from the carpet and mattress. Next they both got in the shower and soaped and rinsed, admiring each other’s attributes for awhile before reaching for towels.

Toni mixed mimosas for breakfast while Max called Terry.

“Good morning,” Max said cheerfully.

“G’day, Max. How are we this morning?”

“Starting the day out with champagne cocktails…you?”

Terry chuckled, “Coffee and coffee and sausages and eggs and tea and toast. I’m pretty well set up for food.” He looked across the pub and winked at the cute little barmaid that had kept him warm during the night. The TV says the main roads are passable, like the A6. Problem is I’m not on a main road and out here in the parking lot it looks like winter wonderland. Sun’s out, though, so that’s a good sign. Sorry about the passports, mate. I had them ready to go to the post. Maybe Duflot can get them there. I was about to call anyway and check on the kids.”

“Yeah, me too. It might be a good idea for Duncan to come back for the boys. All three of them are a lot for Ludivine to keep up with.”

Toni handed him his cocktail. She admired how he took care of things. He was thoughtful.

“Terry, tell Duflot to overnight the passports whenever he can get to the post. We’re fine here but I hate leaving the kids for someone else to deal with.”

“We are all still marooned,” he told her when he got off the phone. “Terry’s snowed in; no one is plowing in his direction yet.”

She sighed, “I miss my babies.”

“Yes, well, you’ll just have to make do with me until we can get home.”

“It’s been awhile since it was just the two of us. I know this was all unplanned and my fault and you started out angry with me but it’s turned out quite nice.”

“I was only a little angry. Mostly I was scared shitless and what I said about not using that mode of transportation on your own again, I meant, Toni.”

“But it works perfectly…sometimes.”

“Yeah…sometimes. I recall ending up in WWII. Jack took you to Ashgrove. So it’s not foolproof and one little visual creeps in and you’re off to who knows where. Are we just drinking for breakfast or…?”

“I’m thinking about omelets.”

He smiled and chuckled, “Because I make them the way you like.”

“Right!” she laughed.

Part 7

Toni sat on the sofa with him while he showed her some things from the box containing his history.

“Do you want to go have a look at the place?” she asked. “We don’t have anything else to do today. We can take the tube and avoid traffic tie ups and wrecks.

“The tube.” Max looked up at her with a sickly grin.

“I know you don’t like it but it will get us there.”

“Rutland Gate,” he repeated, looking at the envelope.

Max rode the underground, refusing to sit and trying very hard not to touch anything. He also would not make eye contact with anyone but Toni.

“This is it,” he said with confidence. Toni took his arm as they stood at the snowy curb and looked at a building with nothing to distinguish it from the others on the street.

“It was on the second floor right over there. I had an idea about what to do there. I bought a few things but never got around to finishing. I didn’t spend much time here though I lived here for several years.”

“You’re remembering.” She looked up at him.

“As memories go, I suppose I am. I used to run, Toni, rain or shine I jogged.”

“Like Terry does now?”

“Yes, I was in pretty good shape back then. I worked at it. I worked for Amis at Lawton Brothers.  God, how I hated that man! He stole my work and got me fired. He’s still around. Did you know that?”

“No, I didn’t. What happened after you left Lawton Brothers?”

“It gets a little sketchy there. In the book I inherit from Uncle Henry but that’s not what happened to me. I was unemployed for awhile and put this flat on the market. It sold before I was ready for it to. There was a big shakeup at Lawton. Amis was out. You see without me to supply him with ideas, he was pretty much sterile.”

Toni smiled. He was so full of enthusiasm having found his past.

I got my job back with Lawton Towers. That's what it became but not on the same floor. They made me group leader on the trader floor and that’s where I made my money. That’s how I bought the flat we’re in now."

There was no way to know if any of this was real but it was real enough for Max. It was the missing piece of the puzzle he needed.

“Max, in the book you were divorced.  You had been married to Charlie’s sister. Was there anything in the box about that ?”

“No, and nothing about Charlie, either. I suppose he doesn’t exist at all. I do remember him, though. We went to school together. Oh, well.” He looked around the neighborhood again and took Toni’s hand. They walked up the street and ended at Hyde Park

“Do you feel better now?” she asked him.

“Ah, one thing opens up another but, yes, darling, I do.”

“I’m sure you must have had plenty of girlfriends.”

“I’m sure I did, love, but none that I recall so they  didn’t make an impression on me. I guess this is all pretty boring for you.”

“No, Max, it isn’t.  It all goes into making you the person you are.”

He paused and took her hands. “Shall I tell you one of my biggest fears? In the book and also in the movie I had a cousin who rightly inherits La Siroque. I have investigated as much as I can the existence of such a person and I come up blank each time. I’ve gone through all of Uncle Henry’s papers and diaries and no mention is ever made of a trip to San Francisco. There are no photos of a threat to be found there. La Siroque is, as you know, a rabbit warren. He never threw anything away so if it’s there, I haven’t come across it yet. It would end life as we know it, Toni.”

“I’d hate to see that happen. I really would because I love La Siroque. But if it did by some twist of fate, we still have London and you and I both know we can live here.”

“You must be freezing.” He held her close for a moment then took her hand again, walking a little faster. “We’ll take a cab. The streets are getting better all the time.”

“You said you didn’t spend much time at that flat. Where did you go?”

“Nottingham. That’s where it was happening back then. Out drinking and, um, shagging my way through the nights.” He smiled and squeezed her hand.

Toni wasn’t so sure about this newfound Max.

He found a cab for them and they were on their way back to Knightsbridge.
 

Toni called Ludivine to check on Rose and found the boys were over at Aubrey Duncan’s. Duflot had taken them over on the tractor.

“They don’t miss us at all. Duflot is giving tractor rides in the snow.” Toni looked at Max.

“Any word on Terry?”

“Not from Ludivine.” She looked up John’s number and called to wish them a happy new year. “I’ll bet Donna has cooked a traditional meal today.”

However, she got a surprise. John and Donna were in New York City.

“I thought we’d do it. Everybody needs to do New Year's here once in their life,” John said.

“How wonderful for you. I know Donna must be pleased.”

“Yeah, we’ve been here for four days now. Flying back tomorrow. Where are you?”

“London. It’s, um, a long story but everything is fine here. Terry is in France, snowed in at some pub.”

“Ah, yeah, I already talked to him today.”

“Have you? Is he still stranded?”

“He’ll get out tomorrow.”

“What a mess we’re all in except for you. Good job, John. Love you and Happy New Year to you and Donna.”

“Love you, too, sweetheart.”

“How about that,” she looked at Max, “Donna and John in New York City. He said Terry would get out tomorrow. So I guess he’s still snowed in.” She handed Max his phone.

Max bit his lip. “Um, yeah.” There was no need to tell her the roads in France, especially in Provence, were mostly clear now. The big storm dumped and left and the temperature had resumed a normal range for this time of year. Terry seemed to have found a reason to remain at the pub and Max assumed it was female.

She was young, willing and had attached herself to Terry on New Year’s Eve. She came into work on Sunday though it was her day off just to be with him. They went out and played in the snow and came in, running up the stairs to his room. Lots of hot kisses led to another round in the bed. While she showered and got ready to go do some actual work, he called John and wished him a Happy New Year. He also called Dino, who was in Venezuela.

The little barmaid came back from her bath and begged him for one more night. What was a man to do? He couldn’t think of a reason not to and she was a lot of fun.

London was also drivable now and Toni and Max went out to dinner in a cab, followed by a concert at the Albert Hall. She was enjoying her stay in London with Max. The city was alive and moving and infectious. The sedentary feeling of La Siroque had moved aside for a new energy. She could see it in Max, too, as they walked along the streets looking for their cab. Her life with Terry had been centered in London and she’d enjoyed all the city had to offer.

Later they were making up the bed with freshly laundered sheets. “Max, I know this wasn’t planned but I’ve really enjoyed being in London with you.  I think I said that over Christmas, too.”

“You like London, don’t you?”

“I enjoy it, yes. It makes me move a little faster and want to get out and do something. How long has it been since we went out to a concert or an adult play?”

“Ah…I get your point. Do you think we’ve become bucolic? Country folk?”

“We are in danger of becoming, aren’t we?”

“Well, darling, there is Jacky’s school to think about now. You’ve all but enrolled him in Bonnieux.”

“There are a lot of things to think about and most especially is whether you could or would even want to live here again. I know you are at home at La Siroque.”

“It’s something to consider and we will.” He came out of his shirt and pants and headed for the bathroom. Toni hung his slacks in the closet and tossed the shirt in the hamper for laundry.

The thought of living here part-time at least was beginning to take shape in her mind. The issue of Jacky’s school might be easier to deal with than she thought. If he went to school here she and Terry could continue to share him. Terry would love that because he wasn’t looking forward to losing Jacky.

He came into the large walk-in closet to look for pajama pants. Toni glanced over at his fine form. He turned, tying the string and met her eyes. “You can’t be serious, after last night?” He suppressed a grin.

She’d been standing in his closet where his scent lingered. It was a turn on for her.

The next morning she woke alone in the bed. Max’s pillow still held a little warmth so he was fresh from the bed. She rolled over and thought about living in London with the children. The second bedroom was small, only about 2/3 the size of their room. Rose was still in her crib but was able to climb out at will. She really need a larger bed. Twin beds…no, bunks and a twin…there was Jacky. There was no way she could fit all three kids in that bedroom. And yet all over London people lived with their children in small flats. But then Jacky was at home with his father in Battersea. She could meet him in the afternoons and spend some time with him. It was making her head spin.

“Coffee?”

“Bless you, Max.”

“We’d have to let Tuppy go, of course.” He sat down on the bed and stretched his legs out, crossing his ankles.  “I suppose they make some kind of stacked bed ensemble for Maxi and Rose. They can hardly live out of a suitcase and then there are the toys.

Toni bit her lip.

“It  wouldn’t work, would it?”

“I’m not saying it wouldn’t, Toni, but life would definitely change. If we wanted to go out we would have to hire a sitter or maybe press Terry for Anna. Travel outside of the city would have to be by train as the kids won’t fit into my Aston Martin. I’m not looking to buy a house in London as Terry has, Toni.”

“No, I don’t see that at all. There’s the cottage.”

“A total waste of property, if you ask me. We don’t use it at all.”

“Terry does.”

“I wonder how often? Anyway, darling, having the kids here for a few weeks is different than having them here for months. This would become a permanent home for them, a second home if you will, but still it comes with its imperfections.”

“I see.”

“What I do see is that we spend more time here. A week here and there, perhaps even longer. Winter is a good time for us but then once Jacky starts school it will be impossible.”

“It’s a weekender.”

“At best, unless you and I can steal away from time to time. I like that idea.”

“So do I.” She snuggled against him.

“So what to do today? I have to go the bank and draw out some money so I can pay Terry back. I should visit my tailor and you, love?”

“Try and get my hair done. It’s way too long. Maybe do a little shopping?”

“Good, we have things to do.” He smiled and kissed her. “Let’s be up and away.”

They parted company on Brompton Road. As Toni sat waiting for her hairdresser she thought about what Max had said about living in London. It wasn’t practical for them and she recognized that. He didn’t want to buy a house and become a permanent resident because he had that in Bonnieux. There was no mention of selling the flat for a larger, more kid friendly place. So nothing would change except perhaps they could come over a little more often.

She smiled to herself. Once she had London but somehow it was different with Terry. They lived in their house and in their neighborhood. Although he did take her out for dinner at least once a week, he worked and there was little time for play. With Max, play was the first thing and everything else came after that. If he wasn’t independently wealthy…but then he had worked at Lawton. He was just more laid back…no…he wasn’t, not really. She was grateful for the hairdresser calling her back. Trying to sort out the differences in Max and Terry was too much today. They were very different. And what did it matter?

Part 8

Terry started hitting the hilly areas. It was beautiful but the higher elevations were still white with snow. He came into the Luberon Valley and gazed up at the hilltop villages. They looked like some mad baker’s creation that’d gone crazy with white frosting.

He started up to Bonnieux but had to stop and turn around. He’d have to skirt around  to get to La Siroque. He called Max, who was having breakfast.

“No, Max, other than footprints in the snow and sledding trails, no vehicles have been up into Bonnieux. It’s beginning melt off the roofs here and there but, man, It’s snow.”

“Oh, dear…well, that tells me Duflot has not been to Bonnieux to mail off our passports.”

“I wouldn’t think so. I doubt if the post is moving, Max. I’m having to make trails as I go.”

“The last I heard about the chateau is that the power was out. Please, Terry, when you get there, call me.”

“I will.”

“Careful, Terry.”

“What is it Max?” Toni asked.

“Sounds like Bonnieux is still snowed in. He’s going to call when he gets to the chateau.”
 

“But the news reports that the roads are clear.”

“Maybe they are in Paris. Just like England, you don't hear on Sky News that the roads are clear in Nottingham.” He pulled a piece of toast out of the rack and slathered on butter.

“Will we ever get home?”

Max looked across the counter at her. “Just yesterday you wanted to live here.”

“I know,” she smiled and picked up her cup, “but this is different. La Siroque is home and our children are scattered around there. How close was Terry?”

“Near Bonnieux. He had to turn around so he’s going the back roads and blazing a trail.”

Terry was at the crossroads and took a left. Someone had been in and out. As he turned onto the road that would take him to La Siroque he saw a tractor down towards Chambord. He stopped the Rover, got out and began to walk toward the tractor working along one side of the road. The closer he got he recognized the driver, Aubrey Duncan, and sitting in his lap were Jacky and Maxi.”

Aubrey stopped the tractor when he saw someone coming.

Terry, bundled up in a warm coat, gloves and a knit hat pulled low on his forehead was mistaken for Max. He hadn’t shaved in days. Maxi was calling out, “Daddy!”

“Don’t think so,” Aubrey said, squinting his eyes. Terry had a different walk, a way of carrying himself. “Could be your daddy, Jacky.”

“It is my daddy!” Jacky wanted down and Aubrey finally let him and Maxi both off the tractor.

“Hey, boys.” Terry squatted down to their level. “How are ya?"

He got to listen to all their snow stories told at a rapid pace in their high-pitched voices. Finally he picked them up and walked to the tractor with them. “Aubrey, you doing all right?”

“Oh, yeah. We were trying to plow our way out here. I’ve had the truck out a couple of times. With these boys I had to go for supplies. I noticed Duflot hasn’t done a damn thing down at La Siroque.”

“I’ll see to him. Is the power back on there yet?”

“Couldn’t say about La Siroque. We lost it for about four hours.  Where’s, ah, Max?”

“In London. They’ve, um, lost their passports and are stuck for awhile.”

“Okay,” Aubrey chuckled.

Terry looked back down the road. “Mind taking them until I can get things squared away at the chateau?”

“Not at all. We got some snow plowing to do.”

Jacky was torn between his daddy and Grandpa Duncan. Grandpa won out when Maxi climbed back on the tractor.

Terry walked back to the Rover and plowed his way into La Siroque. He found the front door locked and the spare key buried underneath a flower pot in the snow. Once he got the door open he found the power was out and the house was cold as ice.

He prepared the fireplace for a fire then went out to one of the outbuildings for firewood. Once he had that going he called Duflot and told him to get his ass over there and then called Max.

Max ran a hand over his face. “He’s let the bloody boiler go out. If he has power at the farm house then there is power to the chateau. He may have to go down to the fuse box or something.”

“Aubrey is scraping the road with the boys on his knee. I intend to get Duflot atop a tractor if you’ve got a snow plow. It’s bloody freezing in here.”

Max was wishing he was there. He knew how to coax that boiler and create some heat.

“I’m walking out into the entry and the envelope with the passports is still here on the table. I tell you what I’ll do, Max. I’ll get this place livable with electrics, heat and the works. Get it scraped so you can get in and I’ll damn well fly the passports to you.”

“Terry, I’m forever in your debt.”

“Yeah, I like that.”

Duflot came over on the tractor and pulled up in the drive past the Rover. Terry went out to greet him.

“Max, I didn’t know you were home.”

“I’m not…I’m Terry.”

“Oh, for a minute I thought…”

“While you’re having a think, why is the power still out here in the chateau? Why has the boiler gone out and the house so cold?” Terry escorted Duflot into the house.

“It’s an icebox, Toni. It will take days for it to warm up.”

Toni massaged his shoulders and kissed his cheek.

“Terry said he’d get it livable and bring our passports to us. They haven’t been mailed.”

Toni walked away from him over to the glass wall. London was moving this morning although snow was still heaped in piles. She felt guilty for causing all this disruption in their lives. If she’d taken Terry to the airport instead of trying to do something  else…

“I’m sorry, Max,” she said.

He drained his coffee cup, set it down and turned to her. “What are you sorry about?”

“This is all my fault?”

“You caused it to snow?”

She smiled a little. “I caused us to be here instead of at home.”

“That seems so far in the past I can’t imagine it. It hasn’t been a bad trip. We had a great New Year's. I’ve enjoyed being here with you, love, and we will get home eventually. I feel better knowing Terry is there to get things in hand.”

“It’s not his responsibility, though.”

“Why isn’t it?”

“He doesn’t live there.”

“He’s there an awful lot of the time. Besides, he likes to have something to do and driving Duflot will be good for both of them. Duflot takes advantage. I know he’s French, but to let the boiler go,” Max sighed. “He hasn’t even cleared out the drive.”

With flashlights in hand Terry and Duflot went down into the bowels of La Siroque. It didn’t seem as freezing down there to Terry but it was still damn cold. Duflot found the fuse box and all the elaborate electrical connections for the chateau. Terry held the flashlight while he worked replacing fuses, trying breakers and finally a fist upside the box got the whole lot going again. The light came on in the boiler room and after some work, it groaned to life.

“It will take a while for the heat to be felt upstairs,” Duflot explained.

“Just so long as there’s heat coming.” The boiler was only a few years old but Terry frowned at the electrical connections. Not for a moment would he live in a house with such a dangerous hot spot waiting for disaster. Max really had some work to do.

With the electricity on and the boiler going Terry walked with Duflot out to the garages. Duflot’s tractor did not have a snow plow attachment but the one covered up in the garage did. They rigged it up and filled the tank with petrol.  Duflot managed to get part of the drive scraped before darkness began to cover the landscape. Terry relented and let him go. Slowly the chateau was coming back to life.

Staying upstairs in his room was out of the question. Terry brought bedding down to the den, where he kept the fireplace going and slept on the sofa. He foraged in the kitchen, using the electric stove because he didn’t know how to get the French range going. Ludivine called and offered to bring him warm cooked food and Rose but he declined on both accounts. It was too cold in the chateau for Rose. By mid morning Duflot was back on the tractor scraping the drive.

Terry moved through the house, taking down the greenery Ludivine had put about for the holidays. It burnt fast and hot in the fireplace. The house had such a sense of history about it. Old prints on the walls, some original artwork. Max’s office was a mixture of old and new. His laptop held the place of an old typewriter that had been moved but not discarded. Telephone and computer cables hung like limp spaghetti from the back of the desk and snaking over to a new outlet. All over the house evidence of children was to be found. A toy here, hastily drawn murals on the walls, photographs.

The contrast between this chateau and his flat in London was sharp. La Siroque was like a warm bath and the London flat like cold crisp air. A breath that brought you back to reality. Terry picked up a photograph of Toni from his desk. It was taken here at the chateau. He ran a thumb over it and put it back in its place. This was Max’s personal space and he felt it and moved away. Sometimes he wished he had a chateau to go to. He hadn’t found anything in Australia that was real anymore. No family or family estate to be passed on.

In England he’d found a son and an ex-wife who was remarried. The son didn’t know him and he didn’t know Henry. It was too late. Henry was nearly a man now. They talked, he went to St. Albans  to visit with him, but Henry no longer spent his holidays with him. He preferred to go to Switzerland or Germany or wherever his mates were gathering for skiing or larking about. Henry had been left too much on his own. He’d been raised at St. Albans and not by the loving hand of his mother or his father. Jacky. It was time for him to go after his son and Max’s, too.

He made a tent for the boys out of blankets tied to chair backs. They spent the afternoon hidden in the blankets with trucks and tractors and their imagination.

Toni  handed Max back his phone. She’d been talking to Ludivine about Rose and now she wanted to cry a little, missing her baby girl. Max made her get dressed and they went out for lunch and a poke around antique shops and book stores. That always made her feel better. He dutifully followed her around but he, too, was feeling the pull for La Siroque and the children. He missed having Rose fall asleep on his chest and Maxi cuddle up for a read before going to bed. He missed their chatter, Maxi and Jacky’s roughhousing that he joined in sometimes. He wanted to go home.

She bought an antique bracelet and wore it out of the store. They held hands and leaned into each other, walking down the streets. Any other time this would have been bliss for them, together alone, but it was the knowledge that they could not go home that kept it from being an idyllic time. They clung to each other like displaced persons. It had now been five days since they appeared in London.

“If we stay here much longer I’ll have to go to work. It’s the idleness that gets to me.” Max was looking out of the glass wall. It had begun to rain and the snow wasn’t pretty anymore. They were now into day six.

“I know, darling.” She joined him with an arm around his waist. “Me, too…it doesn’t take any time at all to clean this flat. When you start looking forward to laundry something is definitely wrong. I miss the kids, the house, and the dogs. Terry has let them in the house. Did you know that?”

“Yes.” He raised a brow and looked down at her. “There will be no going back now. He’s going to mail the passports today. He’d thought about flying over with them but the boys are hooked together right now and he didn’t want to upset Maxi or Jacky.”

“Then we should have them tomorrow.”

“Hopefully. If nothing else goes wrong we should be on a flight out of here tomorrow night.”

“Well…," she backed away from him, "this is our last night here…alone…together.”

He caught the gleam in her eye and grinned. “You she-devil.”

She contrived to use up all the fresh food they had making soup and lamb chops, a salad, custard for desert with fruit. Max helped her, brushing bums together in the small kitchen as they worked. Their last day was busy getting the flat ready to close down again.

Max opened another bottle of champagne and they sat in the dark with only a candle burning in the living room, watching the lights in the city below them. Boats on the Thames. Here and there holiday lights were still burning on balconies.  The rain had stopped and a cold dampness hung just beyond the glass.

“Let’s drink a toast to London,” Max suggested.

“Okay…go.”

“Here’s to ya, London. You gave us what we needed when we needed it. Everything but our bloody passports but that wasn’t your fault. I know you will be here for us again.”

“Me, too…Here’s to you, London, you vast moving, breathing animal of a city. You teased me and made me want you but I know it would never work for us. I’ll come back…I’ll be your lover.”

Max slid down nearly off the sofa. “No…no, not another one!”

ON TO FOR WANT OF SPRING

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