Stranger at the beach house (32 page)

“No
secrets?” he said as I nodded.

“Really,
Sam, it takes away my control. Promise me you’ll never keep anything from me
again, even if you think it’s in my best interests that I don’t know,” I said
firmly as he kissed me again.

“I
promise, Baby,” he said and I believed him.

He
undressed quickly as I pulled him into me, I couldn’t wait any longer, needing
to feel him as he possessed my body and pleasured my mind, bringing me that
unique ecstatic joy I had craved every time I’d seen his face or heard his
voice on the giant TV screen and he felt divine.

He
was gentle, considered, filling my entire being and making love to me as if he
was savouring every touch, every moan and every contact. I held him so tightly,
crying out as pleasure engulfed me and he stilled above me, calling my name as
we found our release together. We stayed in our embrace until our breathing
returned to normal and he rolled beside me as I curled my body over his, never
wanting to break the contact. “I’m sorry it all happened this way, Rose,” he
whispered as I drifted back to sleep.

“I
love you, Sam Lawrence,” I mumbled back.

His
ringing phone dragged me from my slumber as I put my arm out for him, reaching
into an empty space, the low sound of drumming water filtering in from the
hallway, alerting me to the fact that he was in the shower. I picked up the
handset. ‘Victoria’ was on the caller display and with my heart pounding in my
chest I nervously accepted the call.

“Hello,”
I whispered; the shock on the other end of the line evident through the
silence.

“Is
that Rose?” said the soft voice in an educated southern accent.

 
“Yes,” I said simply, unsure of what to say to
my new sibling.

 
“Has he told you, Rose?” she asked quietly,
seemingly as nervous as I was.

 
“Yes and I would really like to meet you both.
I have something I think he needs to see,” I said and I could feel her
gratitude in the words that followed.

“Thank
you. I’ll tell him today. This is going to come as a huge shock to him, Rose.
He doesn’t even know I’d been searching for your mothers resting place and he
certainly doesn’t know about you, but I know he will want to meet you.
 
He talks about your mother all the time.
There is a lot of guilt and so much regret and it’s hurting him badly,” she
said, her love for her father evident in the affectionate tone of her voice.
“That’s why I’ve been searching and I’m so glad I did, Rose, especially since
I’ve found you,” she said, as my heart went out to her.

“Please
let me know how it goes, Victoria, and when you and your father would like to
meet me,” I smiled down the line before we said our goodbyes and ended the
call. My head was spinning, but I was so grateful to Sam for starting the
search. I had assumed it would be a long process, but my beautiful brilliant
man had made it all possible I thought, as I went to join him in the shower.

Chapter 25

Joy
had brought Dart home and I was sat on a rocky outcrop on the beach throwing
him a ball, over and over as he brought it back, wagging his tail madly to
start the whole game again. They were coming later and I was trying to quell
the nerves that were churning restlessly in my stomach. Victoria had called
last night and Sam had spoken to her and agreed they should come to the house.
It was too dangerous to go anywhere else. He wanted to be there for me and
nobody wanted the press getting wind of this.

In a
couple of hours I would meet my father. Victoria had told him about Grace and
me yesterday. He had broken down and sobbed when he’d heard; overwhelmed by
guilt for letting down the woman he loved. It was a guilt he’d carried all his
life and the fact that I was here must only have made it worse. He was
desperate to see me and put right his wrong, but there was nothing he could
have done, I knew that.

 
I smiled as I looked up to see Sam striding
across the beach to join me, looking beautiful and casual in faded loose jeans,
his white T-shirt and boots and smiling broadly as he examined my face. “Hey,
beautiful, I just wanted to tell you the chickens done,” he said as I looked at
him puzzled.

 
Dart bounded up to him and he threw the ball,
almost all the way down to the edge of the sea. “Wow, impressive,” I laughed as
he put his arm around me, pulling me close.

“The
chicken or the throw?” he grinned as I laughed.

 
“Both probably, what’s the chicken for?” I asked
as he raised his eyebrows.

 
“The Caesar salad I’m making for lunch. I had
a little time to practice in London and it turns out I can follow a simple
recipe after all,” he grinned as I laughed gently.

“That’s
great, Baby, I’m so proud of you,” I smiled. Dart was still running for the
ball, Sam was much better at that game than I was.

“How
do you feel, Rose?” he smiled gently, assessing my face as I took a deep breath
and answered as honestly as I could.

 
“I’m excited but I’m nervous. It’s family that
up until a few weeks ago I didn’t know I had, Sam. So much has happened that
it’s pretty hard to process. I came back here to rebuild my life and I thought
things would be quiet. Instead I have a new boyfriend who’s an international
celebrity, a father and a half sister I didn’t know existed. It’s pretty
surreal when you think about it,” I laughed as he chuckled gently.

“Do
you mind if I take a walk up to the church? I want to visit Mum and Alice’s
grave before they arrive. I feel like it’s something I need to do,” I said as
he shook his head.

 
“Do you want me to come or shall I take Dart
back up to the house?
he
asked as I smiled.

 
“It’s something I want to do alone, Sam, I
won’t be long,” I replied as he kissed me, whistling for Dart and made his way
back to the beach house.

It
was a fair stroll to the ancient little church at the top of the hill. I
stopped and picked up two bunches of flowers from Eric who ran a small street
cart just near the entrance. One was peonies, my grandmothers favourite and the
other was made up of roses and gypsophila. I wasn’t sure what my mother’s
favourite flowers were, but guessed after the letters and the way she had named
me, that this was as good a choice as any.

I
made my way up the grey stone path that lead around the edge of the church
entrance. Some of the graves were at the front and the side, but Mum and Alice
were in the far corner right at the back, as close as you could get to a
panoramic view of the North Sea that spread out to the horizon. It was Alice’s
favourite place in the town and where she had wanted my mother to rest.

I
saw the figure standing there as soon as I rounded the corner and stood stock
still. He was dark haired with flecks of silver grey peppering the colour, tall
and wearing a long herringbone coat that reached below his knees. He just stood
there, staring at the grave that he’d brought to life with dozens of white
roses wrapped in pink ribbon and my heart stopped. I knew instantly who it was.

I
made my way towards him quietly down the little grass path that weaved between
the headstones in the well kept churchyard. He hadn’t heard me, or was so deep
in thought that my presence hadn’t registered, turning only as I stepped beside
him, bending to place my flowers alongside his.

He
was watching me as I stood, taking a moment before I turned to look at him for
the first time and noticed he was crying. Silent tears fell as mine started,
neither of us bothering to wipe them away as we just stared at one another,
identical sets of eyes burning with intensity as he finally broke the silence.

“Rose?”
he said as I nodded silently.

“William,”
I smiled, my voice breaking as he suddenly grabbed me in a hug so tight that it
knocked the breath from my lungs and for a few moments I struggled to breathe
until he let go, stepping back and absorbing every inch of me. It was as if he
was seeing something strange and wonderful for the first time, and I suppose to
him I was.

“I’m
so sorry,” he said, the silent tears still falling as I shook my head placing
my arm on his.

“You
have nothing to apologise for,” I said simply and that was the truth. His guilt
was unfounded. He had not abandoned my mother. She had abandoned him and never
had the opportunity to explain why, except in her letter.

“I
didn’t even know her name was Violet,” he said in a statement so unexpected
that I couldn’t help but laugh.

 
“She hated it, William. Everyone called her
Grace, except Alice,” I smiled, gesturing down to my grandmother’s grave.

 
“Alice raised you?” he asked and I felt sure
that Sam would have filled Victoria in on a lot of my story.

“Yes,
she was wonderful,” I smiled as he read the headstone again and nodded.

“There
are some things I need to show you, William,” I said as I reached for his arm
and we linked together, walking slowly down the path of the churchyard and out
to his waiting car.

 
“I sent Victoria to the address Sam gave me, I
wanted to do this alone,” he said, gesturing to the graveyard and it was a
sentiment I understood well. I had felt exactly the same.

The
drive to the house was short as Sam came out to meet the car, not surprised
when I climbed out after William as he moved to shake his hand before putting
his arm protectively around me. “I wondered if you might bump into him,
Victoria said he’d gone there,” he whispered kissing me softly. “You OK?” he
smiled as I nodded and he moved to show William into his home. He was clearly
impressed and I had to smile. The house on the inside was nothing like it
looked from outside. He would get the traditional lay out when I took him next
door.

“Rose,”
Victoria ran towards me and hugged me, taking me slightly aback and I caught
the glare her dad gave her before she pulled away. She had no doubt been warned
to take things slowly and not scare me off, but beneath the stern gaze I could
see the love and affection that was etched in his eyes.

 
“Come through I’ve made dinner,” Sam smiled
brightly, ushering everyone onto the patio outside. Despite the crisp autumn
air, the sun was shining brightly. He had lit the heaters and the view was
incredible.

“Thank
you,” squealed Victoria as William smiled at him broadly, nodding his head and
I wondered for the first time if they’d already spoken since he found out about
me yesterday.
Probably.
Sam didn’t usually leave
anything to chance and he’d want to make sure today ran as smoothly as possible
for me.

We
filled each other in over lunch about the basic details of our lives and I
announced for the first time publicly that I’d definitely be retraining as a
teacher of History. Sam raised his eyebrows with a look that said we’d talk
about it later and I couldn’t help but giggle. It was polite and civilised and
despite the strangeness, not in the least bit awkward, largely thanks to Sam.

“There’s
something I’d like to show you, William,” I said after lunch as Sam entertained
Victoria, showing her around mission HQ and his endless array of gadgets and
gismos. I made my way home with my father, seating him on the patio and bringing
the box that contained the letters.

“My
grandmother found these not long before she died,” I explained. “She didn’t
want to go against my mother’s wishes, but she showed them to Sam and he showed
them to me. That’s when I knew I had to look,” I said, not knowing whether to
leave him alone or stay with him.

They
were so personal that with William here I felt like I was intruding. He sensed
my unease. “Please stay, Rose,” he said as I sat beside him silently, gazing
out at the North Sea as he read the letters and I could feel the emotion in his
body, despite the fact that he was trying to hold back his tears.

I
knew immediately when he got to the last one. I had placed them in the order I
had found them and his whole body stilled.

He
was shaking by the time he’d finished and the silent tears were coming thick
and fast as he read the letter over and over again, absorbing each word and
holding the paper as though it were the most precious gift he’d ever received.
“She died before she got the chance to post it,” I said quietly as he nodded,
and for a long time we just sat there silently on the rocking bench, moving
back and fro gently and looking out to sea.

He
put everything back in the box apart from the photograph of my mother with me
as a Baby. “May I?” he asked as I nodded and he slipped the old picture into
the inside pocket of his coat as we made our way quietly next door. “Victoria
can be a bit full on, but she means well,” he whispered as her and Sam made
their way out to join us and I giggled, nodding. I never imagined in a million
years I would ever have a sister, especially not a socialite who was as bubbly
and vivacious as Victoria and I had a lot to thank her for.

They
stayed a few hours before they were ready to leave. Victoria had tried to insist
her father gave me a monthly allowance, which I flat refused, but apart from
that the day had been wonderful. “Please can we stay in touch, Rose? I would
desperately like to be a big part of your life now. I have so much to make up
for,” William said as I smiled.

 
“You have nothing to make up for, but I would
like that,” I said, moving to hug him, then Victoria who squealed in delight.

We
waved the black Bentley down the drive as Sam came to hold me. “I love you,” he
smiled as my heart stopped beating and I gazed up at him giggling. It was the
first time he had ever said it and I couldn’t resist. “You’re only saying that
now, Mr Lawrence, because my Daddy’s even richer than you,” I laughed as he
pulled me into a kiss that buckled my knees and sent my heart into overdrive.

“Yeah,
I’m not complaining about that,” he laughed “but it’s your grandmother who’s
really to blame,” he said as I stared up at him puzzled.

 
“What do you mean?” I giggled as he sat on the
chair swing, pulling me onto his lap.

“Well
you know I told you once that she was a lot of things you didn’t know about,”
he smiled, gazing down at me as I nodded. “Your grandmother was like some kind
of cupid, Rose, she had me lusting after you long before we even met,” he
laughed and it was totally infectious as I laughed back.

 
“What do you mean?” I asked and he was smiling
broadly.

“Well
she talked about you all the time, how wonderful and smart and funny you were;
how you had this huge heart. So I got interested and then came the
photographs,” he laughed as I just stared at him bemused.

“What
photo’s Sam?” I smiled, wondering what my grandmother had done.

 
“Photo’s of you. I remember when she pulled
them out, thinking I’d be getting baby snaps and graduation pictures, but Alice
had different ideas. You know how lonely and isolated it can get out here,
Baby. When I asked to see them, she gave me your holiday snaps from the last
few years. God, I loved those photos. Rose laughing in a restaurant, Rose lying
on the beach smiling into the camera and my personal favourite, Rose in a
spotted pink bikini standing and posing at the side of a swimming pool, looking
like a fucking goddess,” he beamed as I stared at him wide eyed and utterly
incredulous.

“She
showed you those?” I laughed.

 
“Oh yeah, I spent many a cold night waiting to
meet you, Baby. You were my every fantasy rolled into one by the time I came
across you on that beach,” he smiled as I flushed, biting my lip and trying to
suppress my happy giggle.

“I
bet you didn’t think that when you saw me covered in sand, being pinned to the
floor by the damn dog,” I laughed as he raised his eyebrows.

 
“You’re kidding, I was jealous of the damn
dog,” he laughed, pulling me in for another heart stopping kiss as my stomach
flipped. I couldn’t believe my grandmother could be quite so devious I thought,
sending her a silent prayer of thanks.