Weaving his way to the door, he opened it and was immediately knocked flying by two small, human missiles. Hugh and Luca, both in pyjamas with duffel coats and woolly hats pulled on over the top, tackled him to the ground, squealing with excitement as they clambered on top of him like a pack of hyenas bringing down an elephant.
‘Daddy!’
‘Has he come yet?’
‘He hasn’t come yet, has he?’
‘Who?’ said Gabe, pulling one son to each side of his body so he could breathe.
Hugh gave him a withering look. ‘Father Christmas, of course!’
‘Oh! Of course. Er, no. He hasn’t. Not yet.’
Laura stood in the doorway behind them. In a camel wool coat and boots, with chic leather gloves and her skin glowing from the cold, she looked as beautiful as Gabe had ever seen her. She was swaying a bit, and every now and then there were two of her. But that only made her twice as lovely.
Setting down her suitcase, she pulled two hand-knitted stockings out from an outside, zip-up pocket and handed one to each of the boys.
‘You see. I told you. Why don’t you run upstairs and hang them on your beds right now? Then you can clean your teeth and get into bed quick sticks. Dad and I’ll be up in a minute.’
Gabe stood up and rubbed his head as the boys shot up the stairs, still in their coats and heavy boots, which made a terrific clomping noise as they disappeared to their old bedroom.
‘I thought you were at your parents?,’ he said to Laura. ‘I wasn’t expecting you till the morning.’
‘I know,’ said Laura. ‘I changed my mind. Is that all right? I know it’s rather at the last minute.’
‘It’s amazing!’ said Gabe. ‘I’m so happy you’re here.’
Too drunk to hide his emotions, he glowed with happiness like a human lamp. Laura glowed back.
‘So am I.’
The two of them stood there, beaming silently at one another like a couple of mute teenagers.
‘I had lunch with Eddie the other day,’ Laura told him. ‘He gave me a bit of a talking-to.’
‘Oh?’ Gabe tried in vain to stop the hope from flickering to life inside him.
‘Yes,’ said Laura. ‘He said you were still in love with me.’
Gabe’s mouth went dry. ‘You know I am.’
‘And he said I was still in love with you. And that we only have one life, and really I should stop being such a dick and call off the divorce and move back in.’
A terrible silence fell. Gabe cleared his throat.
‘He said “dick”?’
Laura smiled. ‘He said “dick”.’
‘I think I was the dick,’ said Gabe.
‘You were,’ agreed Laura. ‘That’s what I told Eddie. But the thing is …’ She bit her lip and looked at the ground. Gabe thought he might faint waiting for her to go on. ‘He’s right. I’ve tried to do this without you. And it just doesn’t work.’
Gabe walked over to her. Tentatively, he reached out and placed a hand on her cheek. It was ice cold beneath his warm fingers, but so soft and round and perfect he could have collapsed with longing.
‘What doesn’t work?’ he asked gruffly.
Laura looked up, blushing furiously. ‘Erm … life. Everything. Sleeping. Breathing. That sort of thing. I thought …’
She broke off again.
‘Yes?’ Gabe said impatiently. Didn’t she know she was killing him?
‘I thought we might try again?’
Gabe grabbed her face and kissed her so hard she staggered backwards against the door. It wasn’t so much a kiss as an invasion. His face ground against hers, the stubble scraping at her skin. His mouth, hot and soft and tasting of wine and cinnamon and cloves, pressed into hers until they were one body, one being. Laura responded in kind, running her hands over his body like a blind woman, drinking in every inch of him, delirious with longing and relief.
Finally pulling away, Gabe grabbed her hand and pulled her into the drawing room. Despite his neglect, a fire was still burning in the grate. He began rummaging through the stacks of paper scattered on the coffee table.
‘This place is a tip!’ said Laura.
‘Shhh,’ said Gabe, still rummaging.
‘And can we please turn off James May? What have you done with the controller?’
‘Shut up!’ said Gabe. ‘Ah. Here it is.’
Pulling out the decree nisi, he passed it to Laura, keeping hold of one end of the paper himself. ‘Let’s do it together, shall we?’
Laura smiled. ‘Yes. Let’s.’
Walking over to the fire, they held the document over the flames.
‘One. Two.’
‘Three,’ said Laura.
They watched together as it fluttered down onto the burning logs, curled up and blackened at the corners, then exploded all at once into a bright, white flame.
‘What are you doing?’ Hugh and Luca appeared behind them, hopping up and down in their pirate pyjamas. ‘You said you’d come up. He could be here any minute!’
‘Sorry,’ said Gabe, clasping Laura’s hand. ‘Mummy and I got a bit distracted.’
‘We’re coming now,’ said Laura.
Following their children up the stairs, hand in hand, Laura and Gabe looked at each other and realized there was nothing left to wish for.
Christmas had already come.
Keep Reading: The Inheritance
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Keep Reading: The Swell Valley Short Stories
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Welcome to Tilly Bagshawe’s Swell Valley, where the scandal is in a class of its own.
As ONE SUMMER’S AFTERNOON rolls around, the annual Fittlescombe vs Brockhurst cricket match is older than the Ashes, and every bit as hotly contested – and is more exclusive than the Buckingham Palace Summer Garden Party and more star-studded than Cartier Polo. The Fittlescombe team have their hopes pinned on local boy Will Nuttley, but 24 year-old Will has his heart set on winning back the love of his life, Emma Harwich. As the champagne goes on ice and the sandwiches are being cut, little do the Swell Valley residents know that Emma is intent on sleeping with the enemy, and it’s throwing Will into a spin …
ONE CHRISTMAS MORNING is not the time to get your heart broken … Dumped by the love of her life and in need of some time to recover, screenwriter Laura Tiverton retreats to the idyllic village of Fittlescombe where she used to spend time as a girl. Maybe lending her expertise to the annual nativity play will be just what she needs. But with two gorgeous men on the horizon and a disastrous night at the ball, on the night before Christmas, who will be able to persuade her that the show must go on?
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Acknowledgements
My thanks are due, as always, to everyone at HarperCollins for all their support, hard work and talent; and especially to my editorial team, Kimberley Young and Claire Palmer. The Show has been a huge team effort and I am immensely grateful for all your help, advice and input. There would be no book without you. Thanks also to my fabulous agents, Luke Janklow and Hellie Ogden, and to everyone at Janklow & Nesbit. And of course to my family, for their love and support, especially to my darling daughter Sefi and my husband Robin. It is ridiculous how much I love being your wife.
The Show is dedicated to my life-long friend Zanna Hooper. Zans, thank you for all your hospitality, generosity and kindness over all these years. I am so incredibly glad I met you.
TB. 2015.
About the Author
Tilly Bagshawe is the internationally bestselling author of thirteen previous novels.
A single mother at seventeen, Tilly won a place at Cambridge University and took her baby daughter with her. Now married to an American and a mother of four, Tilly and her family divide their time between the bright lights of Los Angeles and the peace and tranquillity o
f a sleepy Cotswold village.
Before her first book, Adored, became an international smash hit, Tilly had a successful career in the City. Later, as a journalist, she contributed regularly to the Sunday Times, Daily Mail and Evening Standard before turning her hand to novels, following in the footsteps of her sister Louise. These days, whenever she’s not writing or on a plane, Tilly’s life mostly revolves around the school run, boy scouts and Peppa Pig.
To find out more about Tilly Bagshawe and her books, log on to www.tillybagshawe.co.uk
Also by Tilly Bagshawe
Adored
Showdown
Do Not Disturb
Flawless
Fame
Scandalous
Friends & Rivals
The Swell Valley Series
One Summer’s Afternoon (Short Story)
One Christmas Morning (Short Story)
The Inheritance
Sidney Sheldon’s Mistress of the Game
Sidney Sheldon’s After the Darkness
Sidney Sheldon’s Angel of the Dark
Sidney Sheldon’s The Tides of Memory
Sidney Sheldon’s Chasing Tomorrow
To find out more about Tilly Bagshawe and her books, log on to www.tillybagshawe.co.uk
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London, SE1 9GF
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
http://www.harpercollins.com
Tilly Bagshawe, The Show
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