‘And I promise,’ she replied, ‘whatever I do next, it’ll be for us – for you and Elspeth.’
She leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering shut. Christina opened her mouth to tell him everything but realised she couldn’t. Not yet. She just wanted one more night when he loved her. ‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured, not sure quite what she was apologizing for.
‘Me too. I thought giving you space was what you needed.’ He traced the curve of her cheekbone, as if relearning her face. ‘I could see you were avoiding conflict – any kind of conflict. With me, with the family, even with Elspeth. You were trying to hold everything together by staying out of every fight, every argument, but darling ... that’s not peace, that’s just silence.’ He paused, his voice quieter now. ‘I tried to help; in the only way I knew how. Quoting Tudors who made the samemistake – Elizabeth dodging decisions until they exploded in her face, Thomas More pretending he could obfuscate his way past Henry’s commands. I hoped you’d hear the warning in the history. But all I did was bury us in lessons when what we needed was to talk properly, face to face.’
She shut her eyes. ‘I thought I was protecting us,’ she murmured.
When she opened her eyes, they were bright with unshed tears.
Hamish studied her for a long moment, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes. ‘From what. Protecting us from what exactly?’
She hesitated. ‘My past. The truth.’
He gave a small slow pointed nod. ‘Well,’ he said quietly, ‘I suppose the truth has a way of catching up with all of us. Tell me—’
Her mouth trembled into a smile. ‘I’ve missed you,’ she whispered.
His hand tightened on hers, then she leaned up and kissed him. The kiss was hesitant at first – soft, searching. It felt like reaching for something precious in the dark and being surprised to find it still whole. When Tina’s arms slid up around his shoulders, Hamish deepened the kiss, no longer asking but answering.
Later, standing outside their bedroom door, Hamish hesitated with his hand on the doorknob.
‘May I come in?’ he asked quietly.
Tina smiled, her heart clenching at the politeness in his voice – the same carefulness they’d wrapped around each other like armour for too long.
‘Please,’ she said, and her voice carried a tenderness that made the floor seem to melt beneath them.
They undressed in the dark, and when he kissed her, it wasn’t careful. It was passionate, deep and urgent. She answered inkind – not with words, but in the way her hands slid over his back, in the way she let herself soften into him.
As they came together, the space between them thinned. The silence filled with touch, with memory, with aching love that hadn’t died – only dulled. And with every movement their bodies gave, Christina felt the smallest pulse of belief return.
Afterwards, they lay tangled together in the sheets, limbs touching from shoulder to ankle. The old cottage settled around them with its usual creaks and groans.
Hamish traced lazy circles on her bare shoulder, his breath even, his chest rising and falling in a rhythm Tina knew better than any lullaby.
‘I love you,’ he murmured against her hair. ‘I never stopped.’
‘I know,’ Tina said, her voice a low hum of contentment. ‘I love you too.’
She shifted slightly, pressing a kiss to his forehead, then slipped from the bed, reaching for her dressing gown draped across the nearby chair.
Hamish shuffled towards her and his arm tightened around her waist. ‘You’re not leaving me to sleep alone, are you, darling?’
There was a note of uncertainty in his voice, like he wasn’t sure if she’d vanish again if he let her go.
Tina smiled, turned, leaned down and kissed him slowly, thoroughly, then pulled away just enough to speak. ‘I have something in the workshop I need to finish,’ she said.
She pushed herself off the bed, rose and tied her robe. With tousled hair and flushed cheeks, her eyes shone not with tears now, but with determination.
‘Can’t it wait?’ Hamish asked, sitting up. ‘Surely the client will understand, if you explain what happened with Elspeth—’
‘Nope,’ Tina cut in, already moving toward the door. She turned back with a half-smile and spoke firmly. ‘I promised the lady who commissioned this piece. IsaidI’d deliver, and I will. Endof.’
Hamish blinked, caught between admiration and concern, and then grinned. ‘Nice to have you back,’ he said.
‘Damn right,’ Tina replied, already halfway down the hall.
As the first signs of dawn stirred, the little shed thrummed with purpose. A sharp, chemical sting of flux laced the air. Tina adjusted the angle of her headlamp and bent low over the table; the beam creating a private theatre of light and shadow for her hands and tools to perform their magic. Beyond that glow, the rest of the shed receded into shadows, disturbed only by the soft patter of leaves brushing against the windows.
