Uphill All the Way (36 page)

'And?'

'And I've done it. I gave the crucifix to Lydia, because she reminds me of Giorgio, and, although it's not very nice of me, I don't care for Alexia. I told his mother I didn't accept the blame for what happened.' She thought about that, frowning. 'I think she may even have accepted it. But I got this incredible migraine and I'm not completely sure how much was actually said, and what just happened in my head.' She smiled at him, brilliantly. 'But Giorgio's parents took me into their house and let me lie on their sofa in a dark room until I felt better. Which was nice of them, considering.'

'And?' he asked, again.

'So I choose the world in Brinham,' she said, as if it were obvious thing. 'With you.'

'And Giorgio?' His voice was tight with strain.

She looked down, suddenly becoming aware of the hand gripping hers, the tightness of the pincer grip. He was letting her hold his right hand! Trusting her with the damaged part of himself, for once not withdrawing and hiding it away.

She smiled, covering his right hand with hers. 'I loved him once. But I've said my goodbyes.'

He looked down, in turn, at their hands clasped between them. His smile twisted. But he didn't try the usual left-hand-for-right exchange.

Gently, he tilted her face to his and kissed her. And then again, more deeply.

'I think we've finally ended up on the same bit of road.' He kissed her temples and her cheekbones, her eyelids and the crook of her neck. 'We can go home together.'

She let her head fall back, and closed her eyes, feeling his lips on her flesh and the beat of his heart through her hands upon his chest. 'I haven't got a bloody ticket!'

He laughed. 'It's waiting for you at the Air Malta desk.' He peered around her to where the uniformed man with the walkie-talkie was still watching them, but calmly now, almost smiling. Two of his colleagues surveyed them from a vantage point at the top of the escalator before passport control, obviously prepared to be tolerant of these mad English. 'I wonder if this nice men will help hurry you through?'

Judith felt happiness filling her up. 'Bound to. The Maltese are terribly kind.'

He turned her gently towards the security man. 'OK. Let's see if we can move on.'

About the Author

Sue Moorcroft is an accomplished writer of novels, serials, short stories and articles, as well as a creative writing tutor and a competition judge.

Her previous novels include
Love & Freedom
,
Want to Know a Secret?
,
All That Mullarkey
,
Starting Over
and
Uphill All the Way.

She is also the commissioning editor and a contributor to
Loves Me, Loves Me Not
, an anthology of short stories celebrating the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s 50th anniversary and the author of
Love Writing – How to Make Money Writing Romantic or Erotic Fiction
.

www.suemoorcroft.com

www.suemoorcroft.wordpress.com

www.twitter.com/suemoorcroft

More from Sue

Starting Over

New home, new friends, new love.
Can starting over be that simple?

Tess Riddell reckons her beloved Freelander is more reliable than any man – especially her ex-fiancé, Olly Gray. She’s moving on from her old life and into the perfect cottage in the country.

Miles Rattenbury’s passions? Old cars and new women! Romance? He’s into fun rather than commitment. When Tess crashes the Freelander into his breakdown truck, they find that they’re nearly neighbours – yet worlds apart. Despite her overprotective parents and a suddenly attentive Olly, she discovers the joys of village life and even forms an unlikely friendship with Miles. Then, just as their relationship develops into something deeper, an old flame comes looking for him...

Is their love strong enough to overcome the past? Or will it take more than either of them is prepared to give?

Buy now in the kindle store:
.co.uk:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Starting-Over-ebook/dp/B003Y8XQ74
.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Over-ebook/dp/B003Y8XQ74

All That Mullarkey

Revenge and love: it’s a thin line …

The writing’s on the wall for
Cleo
and
Gav
. The bedroom wall, to be precise. And it says ‘This marriage is over.’

Wounded and furious, Cleo embarks on a night out with the girls, which turns into a glorious one night stand with …

Justin, centrefold material and irrepressibly irresponsible. He loves a little wildness in a woman – and he’s in the right place at the right time to enjoy Cleo’s.

But it’s Cleo who has to pick up the pieces – of a marriage based on a lie and the lasting repercussions of that night. Torn between laid-back Justin and control freak Gav, she’s a free spirit that life is trying to tie down. But the rewards are worth it!

Buy now in the kindle store:

.co.uk:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-That-Mullarkey-ebook/dp/B003ZK5R7S

.com:
http://www.amazon.com/All-That-Mullarkey-ebook/dp/B003ZK5R7S

Want to Know a Secret?

Money, love and family. Which matters most?

When Diane Jenner’s husband is hurt in a helicopter crash, she discovers a secret that changes her life. And it’s all about money, the kind of money the Jenners have never had.

James North has money, and he knows it doesn’t buy happiness. He’s been a rock for his wayward wife and troubled daughter – but that doesn’t stop him wanting Diane.

James and Diane have something in common: they always put family first. Which means that what happens in the back of James’s Mercedes is a really, really bad idea.

Or is it?

Buy now in the kindle store:

.co.uk:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Want-Know-Secret-ebook/dp/B004D5000S

.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Want-Know-Secret-ebook/dp/B004D5000S

Love & Freedom

New start, new love.
That’s what Honor Sontag needs after her life falls apart, leaving her reputation in tatters and her head all over the place. So she flees her native America and heads for Brighton, England.

Honor’s hoping for a much-deserved break and the chance to find the mother who abandoned her as a baby. What she gets is an entanglement with a mysterious male whose family seems to have a finger in every pot in town.

Martyn Mayfair has sworn off women with strings attached, but is irresistibly drawn to Honor, the American who keeps popping up in his life. All he wants is an uncomplicated relationship built on honesty, but Honor’s past threatens to undermine everything. Then secrets about her mother start to spill out ...

Honor has to make an agonising choice. Will she live up to her dutiful name and please others? Or will she choose freedom?

Buy now in the kindle store:

.co.uk:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Freedom-ebook/dp/B00564A0RS

.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Freedom-ebook/dp/B00564A0RS

Sue’s novella serials:

A Place to Call Home

When the Randle family have their livelihood in Germany snatched away they have to return to England in a hurry. Except eldest daughter Briony, who decides to go to France with her boyfriend, instead ... Property prices have gone up, investments have gone down, where is the family going to live? Why can't Guy get another job? Why does Sarah feel off-colour? Why doesn't anyone notice that Ellie is unhappy at school? And don't even ask what Ripple the dog's been eating!