In the end,it was five o’clock before she left the café. She could have left earlier, but there was always some reason to put off the hour, something to delay getting her heart broken. What if he simply wanted to show off what he was doing? Okay, so he’d had a change of mind, but had he had a change of heart, too? She had no idea what he felt for her anymore. But she had a feeling she’d know by the end of the afternoon, and that was what scared the heck out of her.
Eventually, she could delay no longer, and found herself walking up the narrow path which led to his house from the road. It was a spectacular location, raised above the road and built on a shelf of land above which gardens rose to the top of the ridge. She paused and looked at it. It seemed to hover above the museum. She’d seen him painting. She’d caught sight of him sawing, and seen him up on the roof, hammering iron. She’d never seen any other tradesman there. Only David.
David came out of the house and stood beside her. “So, what do you think?”
“I think it’s amazing.”
“I’ve done it all.”
“Yes, I know. What I don’t know is why. Was it for some sort of penance?”
“No!” His brows scrunched. “Well, maybe. I don’t know. All I knew was that I needed to get my hands dirty and to bring something wonderful to life again by myself.”
She nodded. “You’re transferring your energies into the building. That’s good.”
She could see from his expression that he didn’t buy what she was saying, but he didn’t say anything. “Itwasgood. I’m just about finished.”
Before entering the front door, they went out onto the deck which overlooked the whole of Akaroa, its harbor and, in the distance, Belendroit.
“Wow! You can see everything from here.” She leaned over. “Even my cottage.” For a moment she wondered if he often came up here and looked down to see if her light was on. One high window in which she kept a small lamp—in memory of her mother—was visible from that angle. She looked away quickly, up into the sky, where dark clouds were gathering, her stomach fluttering absurdly at the thought. “It looks like rain,” she said, her eyes fixed on the sky, hardly daring to look anywhere else.
He stood beside her, also looking up into the sky. It seemed it was the safest focus for them both. “It’s been threatening for some time.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “You can feel it in the air.” Just as she spoke, there was a distant rumble of thunder. They both turned to each other at the same time.
“Amber!”
“David!” They spoke at the same time. “Sorry, what were you going to say?”
“I’ve left a space there, on the outside weatherboards.”
She fingered the space. It was in a prominent position beneath the window, which looked out over the harbor. “Why? What’s the space for?”
“Because I hoped you’d accept a commission to paint something for me.”
“You want me to paint something on the outside of your house for you? Really? What exactly?”
“A rainbow,” he said, his words softly spoken, his voice a caress. “Would you?”
She nodded. “I’d love to.” It was the sign she’d been waiting for. She knew she’d recognize it when it happened. “Oh, David.”
Just then it began to rain. David took off his jacket and threw it around Amber’s shoulders. She heard a clatter as something fell from his pocket. She saw something gleam, and she bobbed down and picked it up. It was a ring. A large, beautiful amber set in ornate antique silver and surrounded with far more expensive diamonds, which made the whole thing sparkle, shedding rainbows over the decking area and low trees which edged it.
“Oh my goodness! It’s beautiful.” She twisted it around in the light.
“Do you like it?” he asked, sounding unsure and very unlike himself.
She looked up at him. “Of course I do. Who wouldn’t? It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”
He nodded, took the ring from her fingers and held it out to her. “It’s for you, if you’ll have it, if you’ll have me.”
Tears sprung to her eyes, and she nodded. He pushed the ring on her finger and cradled her face in his hands.
“So, do you forgive me for being such an idiot?” He didn’t seem to notice her head nod in agreement. “I know what I did was unforgivable, but I couldn’t see anything other than a need to do whatever it took to destroy dangerous old houses. But now I can. Now, I can seeyou, and from now on everything I do will put you first. If you are central to my life, then I know I’m on the right path.” He gripped her hands with an air of desperation. “Amber, I know I don’t deserve you, but will you marry me? Please?”
Amber might not have been able to trust many things, but she could trust the passion in his eyes and she knew that he spoke from the heart.
“Yes, David, I will marry you, because you’re the only person I want to share my life with, share my rainbows and magic with. The only person I want to give my heart to—it’s yours to keep.”
