As strains of 'it's magic' sung by Catherine and Jo rang out down the hall, Harry and Tariq were carefully dismantling the train set.
'We won't break anything and we'll put it together again tomorrow,' he'd promised Nico, 'but we've got lots of visitors coming this evening and we need to use the table.'
'Strictly out of bounds,' said Catherine's note on the kitchen door, with the exception of Jo who was in for the long haul so had arrived early and Ruth who had been given access with the sole purpose of making drinks. As the clock ticked round towards mid – morning, the various main courses were ready for the oven and the salads that were accompanying them were boxed and in the fridge. Ruth on the other hand was no longer enjoying their singing and was in need of a break. Having had virtually nothing to do and despite Harry insisting that she should take it easy, she'd convinced herself that the house was filthy and that she needed to do some cleaning. The bathrooms, the hall and the sitting room were now pristine, not they'd been dirty when she'd started. It was a ridiculous notion she knew that, because more than half of their guests were already there and who the hell would be checking for dust. Delivering coffees for Harry and Tariq she wandered aimlessly towards the window.
'When you've drunk that, could you do me a favour,' she mumbled at Tariq, 'Scarlet could do with a walk.'
'Two out of ten for subtlety,' said Harry, patting the sofa beside him as the dog walkers exited the door.
Estimating that they had about an hour before the wanderers returned or they were interrupted by Catherine or Jo delivering their sandwiches, Ruth threw caution to the wind and curled herself in beside him. Moments like this without interruption had been few and far between and Harry wasn't tired, far from it. For all his working life, he'd been driven by the desire to uphold what he believed in and it had deprived him of the most fundamental need that is intrinsic to each and every human being, the need and the love of another. In Ruth he had everything that he had ever wanted and he wanted her now.
'Ruth,' he whispered, his lips inches from hers. She'd fallen asleep.
'Dad,' said Catherine, bringing him back to the here and now, as he opened his eyes to his smiling daughter. Discreet was her new middle name and she'd seen Nico and Tariq go out. She was also her dad's new confidant and was fully aware of what he planned to say tonight.
'I'll take their lunch through,' she'd said to Jo, 'I won't be a moment.'
Catherine had done them proud and the room and the table had been transformed to celebrate. June had arrived earlier than the rest of them and was helping Harry to shower and change, whilst Catherine, Jo and Nico were getting ready upstairs. Nico looked very smart, he had never been to a grown up party and with the promise that he could stay up late he had ensured Catherine that he would behave himself. Ruth on the other hand was flipping between happy and terrified and understandably agonising as to what to wear. Harry telling her that she looked beautiful which of course she did was all well and good, but since the realisation that she would be virtually playing host in his house and that nobody knew that they were engaged had sunk in, her confidence had deserted her.
'Listen to him sweetheart,' June tried, as she struggled to get shoes onto Harry's now dancing feet. 'I'll leave you to it,' she added as the doorbell rang.
It was Malcolm's voice telling them that they had another guest that interrupted what was a final kiss of encouragement as they headed towards the chatter. Nico already in party mode and looking more than grown up than Ruth had ever seen him came out to join them, dragging them towards the buzz of conversation. Primed by Catherine who had spent a lot of time and effort to tack him down, a young man who Harry hadn't seen for the past three years stepped forward. He had shot up in that time and at sixteen years old was already the image of his father. None who had known Adam would have doubted that this was Wes. Ruth had never met him, but the likeness was extraordinary and he needed no introduction. Completely overcome and with the broadest of smiles on his face, Harry stood up and shook his hand. He had always been able to silence a room he was renowned for it, although this time it wasn't planned. Ruth and of course June had been expecting that at some time during the evening he would stand up, but the words captive audience took on a whole new meaning as Catherine, Malcolm, Dimitri and Tariq stood open mouthed.
'Dad,' said Catherine in a quavering voice and then promptly sat down.
Taking what would be a few steps was also an option, but Harry was saving that for later when he and Ruth were alone. 'You'll be fine,' June had told him, just make sure you concentrate.
'Thank you so much for organising this,' said a now relaxed Ruth, who was sitting on the other side of the room with Catherine and watching a totally animated Harry chatting to Nico and Wes. Harry might have paid for this, but it was Catherine that had made it happen. The arrival of Wes had inevitably delayed the start of their meal, but as Dimitri and Tariq who were the wine waiters for the evening topped up their glasses, nobody seemed to mind. Catherine though had one eye on the clock and with prospect of her dad's announcement and the surprise fireworks in the garden at midnight, she needed to get this meal underway. She'd sat her dad at the head of the table with Ruth and Nico either side of him and Wes next to Nico. Crafty positioning of the rest of them had Malcolm and June in the middle opposite each other whilst the workers, namely her, Jo and the boys were at the other end. It was difficult to hear what was being said other than by those sitting next to you but with Wes now keeping Nico occupied, Harry took a tight grip on Ruth's hand stood up.
Ruth was shaking he could feel it, but her eyes never left him as he told what amounted to the sum total of their family and friends, that he had asked Ruth to marry him and that she had said yes. You could have heard a pin drop, the broadest smile apart from theirs was Malcolms, until a small voice beside them said, 'what about me?' Nico had stolen the show and as they tried not to laugh, the room erupted into applause. Harry went on the tell them about the plans to sell their house, the use of the word their certainly not lost on any of them, that they were going to move out of London and then last but not least, that he wanted to thank both Catherine and June who had supported both him and Ruth and had got them to where they were now.
With dinner over, he and Ruth with Malcolm and June were finally relaxing and watching the younger generation which included a still energetic Nico attempt some sort of line dancing.
'The mind boggles,' said Harry to Malcolm as Tariq's hips gyrated in front of them.
A now slightly tiddly Ruth thought otherwise. She still had memories of the night in the shower on the boat and she intended reminding him later.
When the music finally stopped and with the countdown to midnight minutes away, Dimitri and Catherine ushered them into the garden. Wes had been asked by Harry to look after Nico, he had other things on his mind and he didn't want an audience.
'Wait there,' he told Ruth who was walking towards the window.
Timing was everything and Harry had been planning this moment for weeks. The fact that he hadn't achieved it at Christmas had driven him with such a determination that June knew that he would achieve it tonight. As she had gone through the door with Malcolm she had looked back at him and smiled, giving him the last little bit of confidence that he needed. As the countdown filled the air outside, Harry stood up. He was two metres from where Ruth was standing but it could have been a mile, he was always going to make it. Falteringly at first he slowly closed the gap as he took what was for him was a walk towards heaven. The fireworks erupted, the earth moved, call it what you like as Harry kissed Ruth with such a passion that would continue long into the night.
