Page 169 of The Moon Sister
‘I just wasn’t tired,’ I muttered, suddenly aware of how close he was standing to me. ‘Wasn’t it amazing to be there at the dawn of a life?’
‘Itwasamazing. It gives me hope that new beginnings are possible, in all sorts of ways . . .’
Before I could compute what was happening, his head bent towards me. The touch of his lips on mine sent an electric thrill through me, but as the kiss continued and deepened and my body melted against his, warning sirens began clanging in my head.
He’s married! His wife already suspects something . . . Tiggy, what on earth are you doing?!
I broke away from him abruptly. ‘Charlie, this is wrong. Your wife . . . your daughter . . . I . . . I can’t do this.’
Charlie collected himself with obvious effort, clearly chagrined by his actions. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. But if you’ll just stay and talk to me—’
‘No! I have to go. Goodnight, Charlie.’ And with that, I bolted across the terrace towards the safety of my room.
*
I woke very early the next morning, the events of yesterday coming back to me as though they had been a dream, but no, I could still feel Charlie’s lips on mine . . .
I groaned, and leapt out of bed to dress, trying to cast it from my mind. I went outside to search for a signal, so I could use Ally’s mobile to call Thom and Ma. Walking towards the city gates, I took in the smell of the spring flowers that were budding on the cacti and the trees, and with a heavy heart, tried to picture myself in snowy Geneva instead.
When I eventually found a signal, I called Thom, Ally’s twin brother. I had to smile at how like Ally he was – all practicality and action.
‘Right, I will get on the next flight,’ he announced, the joy evident in his voice. ‘Little Bear – orBjørn, I should say! – has no passport to fly, so I shall have to come and help Ally arrange one. We’ll also have to register the birth as well. I will look up the nearest Norwegian consulate and make the arrangements.’
‘Bring some baby clothes too,’ I advised him, also telling him the location of Ally’s birth certificate. Having given him instructions on how to get to Sacromonte, I called Ma, and I could hear the deep emotion in her voice. After all, in essence, it was her first grandchild.
‘I cannot wait to see him and Ally,’ she said. ‘Please send her all my love and congratulations.’
‘I will. And, Ma, are you sure it’s still okay that I’m coming home to see you?’
‘Of course it is, Tiggy. I would like nothing more than to care for you. I only hope you are well enough to make the journey.’
‘I am, Ma, I promise.’
‘You must be at the private jet hub at Granada airport by four thirty. So, I will see you later tonight. Safe journey,chérie.’
I walked back along the path in the bright sunshine, still feeling guilty about the private plane, but also thinking how my past and my present seemed to have collided here.
‘The old world and the new world,’ I murmured as I approached the hotel. The fact that Ally’s baby had been born in the same bed as I had made it all the more poignant. And as for Charlie . . .
‘Tiggy, can I have a word before I leave?’
Talk of the devil . . .
‘Yes, of course.’ I nodded briskly as I hovered by the iron gates. I saw Marcella eyeing us with interest.
Charlie stood up from where he’d been eating his breakfast. ‘Shall we go and sit on the wall? Might as well enjoy the view for the last time.’
He walked through the gates and led me a short way up the narrow path, so we were free from prying eyes.
I hopped up on the wall, my legs dangling like a child’s, as he merely sat on it, his feet touching the ground.
‘I have to go in ten minutes, but . . .’ he sighed. ‘It’s time I came clean with you, Tiggy.’
‘About what?’
‘The future. Yours, mine, Kinnaird’s . . . It’s just not fair on you if I don’t. With your instincts, you’ve probably guessed something was up anyway.’
‘Yes, you seemed so enthusiastic at Christmas and then you left and . . . to be honest, Charlie, I felt you were avoiding me or something.’
