Page 32 of Trust in Truth
The evening had been a whirlwind of answering questions about the new barn, chatting to locals she hadn’t seen for years and fetching and carrying supplies for the bars. She had particularly enjoyed watching the children play together in the dark, duelling with the glowsticks she had the foresight to bulk buy earlier in the month.
It reminded her of being a child at new year. The excitement of staying up late and welcoming another year in, then feeling a little adult for being up after midnight. The children were what she missed most about being a tour guide. She loved watching their faces light up as she gave them an exciting snippet of information about the abbey or a scary ghost story.
The fireworks were going down a treat with the sound of oohs and aahs at all the right moments. Her thoughts drifted to Katherine as multicoloured lights glowed in the sky above her. She had been busy with Margaret in the VIP tent the last time she saw her. So much for her hopes for them to enjoy the fireworks together and her plan to propose to Katherine at midnight. It seemed the two of them were destined to misfire.
She scanned the site with each bright firework in the hope of spotting her. A shuffle by the doorway told Anna she didn’t need to look any further; she’d been found.
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Katherine said between panted breaths.
Anna glanced over at her and then turned away to watch the fireworks.
Katherine joined her, mirroring Anna’s position on the opposite side of the large window.
Anna could feel Katherine eyes boring into her, no doubt trying to gauge her reaction. She’d let Katherine speak first; she knew she had a habit of blowing up over situations when it would have been better to listen and allow her to explain.
“You were right. She does have feelings for me, and she reported me — us — to the GMC. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you at first; I can’t believe how blind I was.”
Anna fought against the tightness in her lips as they attempted to smile. She’d been right all along, and more importantly, now Katherine knew it for certain.
Anna waited for a silent moment between the fireworks before speaking. “Sometimes it’s good to be blind. It allows us to see the best in people rather than the worst.”
A firework shot up into the sky, screaming as it went.
“I want her gone, Katherine,” Anna continued, the tone of her voice deeper than before.
“She will be.”
Anna gazed back at the fireworks. “How is her reporting you to the GMC going to get her out of our lives? She did the right thing. We can hardly use it against her.”
“She took something precious from me. Something I’d planned on giving you in Bath.”
Anna’s heart pounded. This was the first acknowledgement she’d had of a proposal other than her dad’s sleepy mutterings.
Katherine continued. “I tricked her into admitting everything to me in exchange for letting her think it might get her somewhere with me.”
“You temptress,” Anna replied, finally allowing the smile to release itself.
Katherine laughed; it sounded almost like a release of relief that Anna wasn’t flying off the handle. “I’m sorry you had to watch her kiss me. That must have hurt.”
Anna shrugged. “I knew you had it all under control.” She knew this to be true. She wasn’t simply trying to make Katherine feel like she was trusted; she did trust her. She trusted her to protect their relationship with everything she had. She could feel Katherine’s eyes boring into her again.
“Watch the fireworks, not me; this is the end,” Anna said, turning to her.
Katherine shook her head. “No, it’s the beginning. I love you, Anna, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Anna turned away to catch the final fireworks as a large spray of lights threw themselves into the sky. “I have one condition,” she replied quickly before Katherine could continue.
“Anything.”
The spray of crackling lights fell slowly across the site, and the audience fell into a moment of silence.
Anna looked back to Katherine and met her gaze. “That you spend it as my wife.”
Katherine ejected a small cry. The light from the fireworks reflected in the tears that were forming in her eyes. She wiped them and covered her enormous smile with her hand. Anna took her hand so she could see her face.
“Was that a yes?” Anna asked.
Katherine nodded and then managed to speak. “Yes.” She pulled Anna’s face towards her and kissed her, holding her to her lips until the crackling of the fireworks died away and were replaced with the sound of the crowd cheering. “That’s all for you, that is.”
