Last chapter - thanks for sticking with me. Mimi
Alice and Matthew were lying in bed, idly caressing each other whilst lying in each other's arms. Suddenly, there was loud banging on the front door. Alice looked over to the clock and saw it was 8.30 pm. "Who could that be?" asked Matthew.
"I don't know" said Alice, totally shocked at the interruption but also that the knocking was continuing. Alice got up quickly and tied her robe around her naked body running down the stairs to answer the door.
Alice shouted, "who is it?" and from the other end of the door heard a man's voice say, "Alice? It's Lucien and Jean. Will you open the door please?" Alice, in a raised voice said, "Lucien and Jean?" loud enough so that Matthew could hear upstairs.
"Yes. Can you let us in please?"
Alice opened the door, pulling her robe as tightly as she could and played with the belt as Lucien and Alice walked into her hallway. Alice looked at them and said, "I thought you weren't back till next Sunday?" Jean looked at her and said "no. We arrived back at the house about 6pm tonight. We took a taxi from the airport."
"Alice motioned to them to make their way to the living room and as they passed the kitchen, Alice saw the plates and glasses from dinner still sitting there. Alice made sure Lucien and Jean sat and asked if they wanted some tea. "That would be lovely" said Jean, "let me do it" seeing that Alice was in her dressing gown, "we must have woken you". Rather abruptly, Alice said "no! I'll get it. You stay here. I'll be back in a minute." Lucien and Jean just looked at each other and Lucien shook his head as if to say, "don't worry about it."
When Alice returned with 3 mugs of tea, she sat down on the chair opposite Lucien and Jean. "How was the honeymoon?" Lucien looked up at Alice and said, "Alice? Have you seen Matthew?" Alice choked on her tea and leaned over to cough and settle her cup on the coffee table in front of her. She said nothing but looked at Lucien and Jean. "Is something wrong Lucien? Why were you banging on my door on a Saturday night when you've just returned from your honeymoon? Shouldn't you be doing something else with an empty house?" Alice thought about what she had just said and realised how out of character it must be for her to have said such a thing. Lucien and Jean looked at her in bewilderment but Alice quickly changed the subject and said, "how was Europe?"
Lucien placed his mug on the coffee table and looked up at Alice, "Alice? Charlie phoned earlier to ask how the honeymoon was and how we were. When he was there, he explained that there was a shoot-out at the lake from that Melbourne case last night. He said you were almost killed Alice. What happened? Are you alright? When Matthew wasn't home, Jean phoned Charlie at the station and asked if he was there, but he said he was off this weekend. When Jean mentioned Matthew wasn't home Charlie said to check with you. Maybe you'd know where Matthew was? Alice? Where is he? Has something happened? Is he alright? Please tell me he's not in the hospital again. Was he shot last night? Was he killed? Alice? Tell me, please?" by the time Lucien was on the last few questions, his voiced was raised and Jean had reached over to touch his hand to try and calm him. For something to do, Alice picked up the mug from the table and as she did, Jean noticed a ring on her left hand. "Alice?" she pointed to the ring, "is there something you'd like to tell us." Alice looked at the ring and back at Jean: she stood up off the chair, placed the mug back on the table and walked silently to the living room door, when she saw Matthew in his robe and his walking stick, walking towards her. "No time like the present, eh?" he said as Alice smiled and took his hand, bringing him into the living room.
"He's here" Alice said, looking at Matthew. She never let go of his hand and they moved further into the living room. Matthew sat in the chair Alice had just vacated and Alice sat on the armrest, next to him.
Lucien and Jean just looked a them both, shocked into silence. Matthew sat on an armchair wearing nothing but a robe and Alice in the same, resting on the armrest, leaning into Matthew. Jean was the first to speak, "you mean you two are…you're…together?" Lucien opened his mouth to say something but couldn't think quite what would fit the bill. Lucien looked at the both and said, "so you two are getting married? And mores to the point, have Jean and I just caught you in flagrante delicto?" Alice became defensive and said, "we're doing nothing wrong Lucien, we love each other and we're getting married." Matthew took her hand and kissed her knuckles before getting up and out of the chair. He stood over Lucien and said, "welcome back, Lucien. Now how's about congratulating your friends on getting engaged." Lucien stood and pulled Matthew into a hug. "You old bugger" said Lucien, "we've only been gone four months and you two help solve a big Melbourne case, Alice almost gets killed and you two get together and now are getting married?" Lucien looked over to Jean and said, "we're not leaving for such a long period of time again!" At this Jean got up and hugged Alice and then Matthew. "Congratulations you two; couldn't be happier for you." Lucien walked over and hugged Alice and kissed her cheek. He leaned in and whispered "you are a dark horse, Dr Harvey! Who would have thought it!" and with a wink back at Alice, he took Jean's hand, and headed for the door. "I think we should leave these young lovers to their own devices darling" Lucien said to Jean. Matthew and Alice went completely red at that comment and as Lucien and Jean left, Jean turned and said, "Sunday lunch? 2pm tomorrow? Then you can tell us the whole story of the case and especially, how you two got together!" Matthew looked at Alice and silently agreed. Matthew said, "only if you tell Alice and I all about Europe." The Blake's left and Matthew locked the door behind them. "Well?" he said, "that didn't go too badly, did it?" Alice just laughed and took his hand and without saying a word, took them back upstairs to their bedroom. Both went to the bathroom and returned to the room. Alice walked over to Matthew, set his stick next to his bedside table and moved down to undo the belt of his dressing gown. "By my calculation, we have…oh…exactly…15 hours before we need to get out of this bed." Matthew helped Alice remove his robe and as it fell to the ground, he reached over to help her out of hers. "15 hours? How do you work that one out, sweetheart?"
"well, it 9.30 pm now and if we stay here till 12.30 tomorrow, that'll give us an hour and a half to get washed, dressed and drive to the Blake's for lunch. Only takes fifteen minutes in the car." Alice winked at Matthew and leaned in to kiss the part of his neck between his ear and his collarbone.
"Fifteen hours you say" said Matthew, clearly enjoying Alice's ministrations. Alice nodded but Matthew felt the response against his shoulder.
"That's plenty of time for practicing" he said as he lay Alice down on their bed. She laughed and pulled him up to lie over her and leaned over to switch off the bedside lamp. "Plenty of time" she said and kissed him soundly on the lips.