Chapter 10.
Having opened a second bottle of wine, Dempsey replenished their glasses then sat down at the dinner table to enjoy a perfectly cooked rump steak with sauteed potatoes and a side salad.
"Better get ya stuff together, princess." he said, smiling at her and cutting his steak into individual pieces as Americans like to do. "We're off on Saturday."
She stopped eating and stared at him.
"That's the day after tomorrow!" she said and forever thankful she'd had the foresight to buy his wedding ring, having suspected, rightly, that something like this would happen.
"Yeah, I know." he replied, enjoying a piece of his succulent steak. "Couldn't be helped."
"And you've organized it all now?" she asked, hardly able to contain herself, beginning to eat again.
"Yep. All arranged." he confirmed, taking a swig of wine and smiling at her.
Gathering herself together, she paused, put her knife and fork down then asked, as calmly as possible.
"Hot or cold climate?"
"Hot of course sugar." he grinned, still enjoying his food. "That way ya don' have ta wear much."
"I somehow think I shan't be wearing anything most of the time!" she giggled, before continuing her meal.
"You got that in one." he said, equally excited but managing to keep it under wraps, her obvious excitement more than enough for them both.
"How long will we be away for?" she asked, sipping her wine, her eyes blue and shining.
"That's for me to know an' you to enjoy." he replied, his grin wider now than ever.
"Dempsey! How can you do that to me!?" she exclaimed, putting her knife and fork down for the second time. "I've got to know what to pack and how much of it."
"As I said, you won' need much at all." he said, holding his hands up to signify no more questions. "Anyway, if ya find ya short of somethin' we'll buy it."
She was more intrigued than ever now.
"Boy, you really know what springing surprises are all about, don't you." she laughed. "I presume our time off is all agreed with our revered boss?"
"Sure is." he replied, taking another drink of wine. "What do ya think I was doin' in his office the other day."
"Yes I know that now." she said, still smarting a little at grilling him so much about it.
She was bursting to ask loads more questions, but knew he'd clam up, so busied herself thinking about what to take, given the limited information at hand.
"Dempsey, just one more question then I'll shut up." she said. "What do I get married in?"
"You could wear a binbag an' look stunnin' princess." he replied, his eyes crinkled and smiling.
"Be serious, you big dope." she giggled.
"Honey, jus' somethin' cool an' easily removed!" he said, chuckling. "Whatever ya wearin', ya won't be wearin' for long!"
"You're impossible!" she said, grinning. "Even if I was wearing layers you'd have them off me in a flash!"
"No, I wouldn't. I'd take my time. Make ya wait." he laughed.
"That'd be a first! Who are you trying to kid!" she replied, loving every minute of this. "Make me wait indeed!"
"You'd do the same." he teased.
"Mmm, I'd take off your shoes first then..."
"An' while you're down there." he suggested, grinning widely.
"You filthy beast!" she said, blushing then slapping his arm, before resuming the game. "And I'd slip off your jacket and then kiss you, passionately."
"Oh so ya mouth is level with mine now."
"Dempsey! You're so disgusting!" she scowled, but continued anyway. "And then I'd undo your tie and - kiss you once more, even more passionately!"
"Can I stand this?" he asked, enjoying the intimacy.
"You'd have to." she replied. "And then - I'd unbuckle your belt..."
"I'd have ripped ya clothes off by now, tiger!"
"Ha! See? You couldn't make yourself wait, let alone me!" she laughed. "I win!"
By this time he'd long stopped eating and was now studying her lovely face.
"Honey look." he said, turning serious for once and reaching across the table to take her hand. "To me you'd look breathtakin' in anythin' you wore. But I know how big a day this is gonna be for you, 'cos you wanna look an' feel special. It's gonna be the biggest day of my life too, but it's always ultimately the bride's day. So, to give ya a pointer, the sun's gonna be shinin', the sky's gonna be the deepest blue, the wind's gonna be warm, the sea turquoise an' sparklin' at our feet."
Harry was in heaven by now as the picture he painted materialised in her imagination.
"Whoever would have thought you could be such a romantic." she mused, softly. "That harsh, brash, arrogant, lovable bloody Yank!"
"Only when I'm with you, princess." he replied, equally softly.
"I love you so much, Dempsey, it hurts." she whispered, tears beginning to well in her glistening blue eyes.
"I love you too, Harry. More 'n you'll ever know." he replied. "I never thought I was the marryin' kind but when I clapped eyes on you, my world turned upside down."
"Bit bumpy at first, wasn't it." she chuckled, recalling their early days together. "But Daddy has often said love always finds its way if it's right and true."
"Sure thing, baby." he replied, then, bringing them back to earth. "So, ya know what ya gonna wear now?"
"Yes, I've a good idea." she said, her eyes now twinkling and full of mischief . "But that'll be my surprise."
"You know somethin'?"
"What?"
"My steak's gone cold!"
"Mine too." she laughed. "Here, I'll warm them up."
She collected their two plates and disappeared into the kitchen, popping them into the still warm oven, turning it up, setting the timer and waited while the steaks heated up again.
Meanwhile Dempsey swilled his wine around in the glass, thinking back to when he first met Spikings and then Harry and the impact she'd had on him.
He'd been jetlagged and was still smarting at having been sent to the UK to thwart attempts on his life for having exposed corruption at the highest levels within the NYPD.
He was also still emotional, having shot to death his partner, Joey, after discovering that Joey was about to kill him.
His first encounter with Spikings hadn't been particularly good, seeing as Spikings loathed Yanks, especially, arrogant, brash upstarts like Dempsey and more so given he was driving a flash Mercedes sports car, rented deliberately as a poke in the eye for his old boss, O'Grady who was paying for it.
Spikings had mentioned that his new partner was called Sergeant Makepeace, currently working undercover as Harry Mac, but who needed to be brought in from the cold because his partner had been found murdered, having been brutally tortured first, the immediate suspicion being that Makepeace would be next.
Strolling into the 'Pink Parrott', a down market, smoky drinking establishment in the heart of Soho, Dempsey had looked around to see if he could spot this guy, before being served by a sassy blonde in a short, pink skirt with a hole in her stocking.
Spikings had been amused when Dempsey had announced their man wasn't there, before taking particular delight in telling Dempsey he'd just met 'him'!
He'd swung round to look at Harry and his heart had fluttered a little when she'd returned his gaze.
Dempsey chuckled to himself now at the memory.
Who'd have thought that, after their initial hostility towards each other, not to mention her iciness and blatant loathing of him, they'd fall deeply in love with one another.
As a red bloodied male he had been instantly attracted to her - she was beautiful, feisty and brave, proving honest, supportive and tough on their assignments and, as he found out later, rich and titled too.
But she steadfastedly resisted any romantic innuendos he occasionally made, until, as he discovered later, she'd felt equally attracted to him yet unwilling to admit it, due, in the main, to a disastrous, unhappy marriage. It had destroyed her trust in men and relationships, but the complications that could also ensue by being romantically involved with someone whose life might be snuffed out at any time, was also putting a block on their relationship developing into anything personal.
It took three years and a vision that he was shot dead in front of her, before Harry would openly admit to being in love with him.
'From there to here' he thought 'who would have believed it' and took a long draught of red wine.
While Harry was waiting for the steaks to be ready, she too reflected on her time with Dempsey, remembering their first encounter and how she'd felt her heart bounce slightly.
She recalled considering demanding a transfer since his arrogance, brashness and maverick attitude grated against her way of doing things. But her father had pointed out that Dempsey was one of a kind, ultimately honest, tough and courageous and reminded him of some of the best and most successful SOE agents he'd controlled in the war.
It threw a different light on him for her and she started to see him in a different way, finding out that what her father said was ringing true a lot of the time.
She remembered the feeling of jealousy when, in Stringfellows, he'd admired Angela's red dress, so much so that she blatantly swapped with her, got roaring drunk and made it quite clear she was his for the night.
She smiled at the memory now.
When she'd discovered the next day that he hadn't taken advantage of her and been a perfect gentleman instead, she knew that was when she started falling in love with him. And when the vision had hit her of Dempsey lying dead, that was the catalyst, their whole relationship and feelings for each other flooding into reality from there on in.
She jumped when the oven timer pinged, forcing her back to the present from her time past. Pulling on her oven gloves, she carried the steaming plates back to the dining table.
Dempsey had slipped back down memory lane.
"Penny for them." she said, noting his far away look as she tossed the gloves aside.
"What?" he said, gazing at her as she sat down opposite him. "Oh yeah, great thanks princess."
"What?" she chuckled. "Where have you been in your dreams?"
"Er, I've been thinkin' back when you an' I first met." he said, a tad sheepishly.
"Me too darling." she replied.
"You too?"
"Yes, while I was waiting for the steaks, my mind wandered back a few years too." she said. "Nice isn't it."
"What is?"
"Remembering how we met, how we felt, how we fell in love." she said. "It's nice. Well I think so anyway."
"Yeah. Though I hate the word nice!" he said, digging into his succulent steak once more. "This is a great piece of meat, honey."
Harry sighed. Men and their stomachs!
The next morning, she was up early and gone by eight o'clock, leaving a note for Dempsey saying she'd gone last minute shopping.
She made a beeline for Harrods and, seeing as she had an account and was well known to them, they provided a personal shopper. Upon learning she was about to be wed, they pulled out all the stops to help her find the right outfit in which to marry Dempsey.
After a few alterations, it was finally to her exact requirements and following further purchases such as make-up, sun cream, a pair of new designer sunglasses, some sexy bikini's plus sarongs and sandals she returned home, excited more than ever before.
She found Dempsey reading the morning paper, drinking coffee and looking up at her as she came into the room, bags hanging off both arms as she swept past him on her way to their bedroom.
"Been shopping honey?" he grinned, stating the obvious.
"Ha ha very funny." she replied, walking back into the kitchen and blowing air up to her face from the corner of her mouth as she poured herself some coffee, then joining him on the sofa.
"Phew!" she gasped, plonking down next to him. "Glad that's all done. Just the final bit of packing and we're ready to go! By the way, when are we officially on holiday?"
"Monday. Weekends don' count."
"So how come we're not in work today then?"
"Chas told me Spikin's has taken his wife back to her sisters, seein' as her trip was cut short last time." explained Dempsey. "So I told 'im we were off next week an' not to be surprised if we didn't show today."
"Oh, how nice." she said and snuggled up close to him. "It'll be good to get away from all this snow and slush and freezing wind, won't it darling."
"I thought ya liked this weather." he replied.
"I do - up to a point." she said. "But you can't beat the sun and the warmth, can you. I feel sexy just thinking about it."
"You do, huh." he said, pulling her closer to him. "Wanna do somethin' about that?"
"Now there's a question I don't need asking twice!" she giggled, jumping up and dragging him with her.
At three-thirty the next morning their taxi was waiting for them and took them directly to the VIP departure lounge at Heathrow, their luggage being commandeered by two uniformed porters.
They were then met by a 'greeter', someone specifically employed to welcome VIP guests and who offered them refreshments, although warning that they would be boarding pretty much immediately, so they declined.
"So we're not flying by scheduled airline then?" enquired Harry, clearly surprised already at the special treatment.
"Nope honey." replied Dempsey, trying to keep his own excitement in check. "VIP an' first class all the way, princess."
"Can you tell me where we are going yet?" she asked, hesitatingly, torn equally between wanting, yet not wanting to know.
Dempsey studied her for a moment.
"Puerto Rico." he said.