Ah,that’swhat it was… That extra camera in the battered leather case he’d always had slung across his shoulder, in tandem with his modern, digital gear. His precious vintage Leica. He’d brushed it off as just a ‘thing’ that had been lost in that storm, unimportant compared to people, but Sophie had seen beneath those words when he’d told her why it was special. It had become a symbol of the new friendship that had changed his life. A key to a future that was more than he’d ever dreamed of. Something solid he could carry with him. And touch.
Something precious.
The love she felt for Luc meant that Sophie could feel the pang of a loss that was greater than anything she might have felt for herself. She knew it was impossible to replace that particular camera but what if she could find a replica? Greg would be the go-to person to help with that, wouldn’t he? She made a mental note to ring him as soon as she had a free moment. It might only be a token but, after that last night together, Sophie was sure that Luc would see the gift – if she was able to source it – for what it was intended to be.
An expression of a love that encompassed a bond in their past history that no other two people on earth could ever have.
An understanding of the significance of what had been lost but also a symbol of a new key.
To a new,shared, future.
20
As he followed the delightful curve of this small beach, Luc found himself remembering when he’d first walked in on Sophie Spencer as she was in the midst of setting up a wedding venue. He’d agreed to fill in for Greg at that castle because it had presented itself as a test he felt ready to take. He wanted to prove to himself that he could be in her company and not find the ashes of his old life swirling in the air around him in a potentially suffocating mist.
That he was in control of his life and no one was ever going to be able to crush him again because he wasn’t capable of ever feeling that way about another person. That there was simply no space for that kind of emotion because he’d lost too much of his heart along with everything else that had been ripped from his life.
How blind had he been?
It wasn’t that he’d lost that part of his heart. He’d just locked it away. He was in control of his life. He had chosen to take the risk of handing the key to that lock to Sophie and it felt like she’d chosen to reach in and accept the gift of his heart. Just a few days ago, he’d thought it was too good to be true and, in the wake of their dinner, he was sure he’d been correct. That the bubble was about to burst.
And here he was.
Walking towards the woman he loved, knowing that she not only had his heart but she had given him her own. That shared grief.
Luc was still getting his head around the relief of having been able to talk about Tom for the first time in the ten years since the night of that life-shattering accident. To receive what felt like both empathy and forgiveness and a new, unconditional love was like nothing he’d ever been given. Ever. The kaleidoscope of emotions was slowing down enough to see what might be left to catch hold of and keep.
And that looked a lot like pure joy.
The kind of joy that was depicted as sunshine and butterflies and flowers – exactly the backdrop that was being created for this wedding today. Thank goodness he wasn’t in his Phoenix outfit and casting a black shadow on the proceedings.
‘Bonjour,Sophie,’ he called, as he went up the stairs.
‘Bonjour, Luc.’
He walked straight towards her, put down his tripod so that he had one hand free and he used it to cup her chin and tilt her head, slowly dipping his, with the intention to place a slow, soft kiss on her lips.
Tilly, watching him from the other side of the long table, clasped her hands against her chest, squashing the wings of a silk butterfly.
‘Oh…’ The sound was misty. ‘C’est tellement romantique…’ Her happy sigh was audible. ‘Today is going to be the best day ever.’
Luc was looking into Sophie’s eyes as he broke the kiss.
Yes, he thought.
It really is.
* * *
Itwasan extraordinary day.
The happiest wedding Sophie had ever had the pleasure of being a part of.
There was a big crowd of family and friends, children and dogs, as well as the donkeys, but it was the wedding party who was centre stage for the ceremony before all the games started.
Everything was unique to this family of women and their partners and it was impossible not to be drawn into the circle of their stories that Luc was getting from Sophie as he started taking the informal shots that were all the bride and groom were asking of him.
Sophie and Tilly hadn’t been allowed to fade into the background as the Gilchrist family arrived. Apparently confident that everything was under control, Sophie took off her big yellow apron with its spots and stayed close to Luc, apparently happy to join in for this, the last wedding of the season for her business.
