As Jean pushed the pram along the pavement, in the sunshine on the way to the park, she thought with a smile that this was the most unusual date she had ever been on. Lucien walked beside her, closer than usual, carrying a bag which she assumed contained the picnic. Just for once, she hadn't supplied the food.
They walked in a contented silence, in step with each other's thoughts. Jean rather regretted that the pram meant she couldn't thread her arm through Lucien's, but even as she thought this, he put his arm loosely around her waist and left it there, adjusting his pace to match hers.
They were more relaxed with each other today; finally they believed they both felt the same.
Once inside the park, Lucien looked for a shady tree to settle under, and then spread the rug out on the ground. Pushing the pram up close by, Jean sat down opposite him and then shuffled a little closer. Lucien grinned at her as he remembered them doing something similar months ago. He had persuaded her to wrap her arms around his neck then, entirely in the interests of solving a case, of course. He wondered if she remembered.
"When do you need to go back to Ballarat, Lucien?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"Soon," he sighed. "Will you come back with me?" His eyes pleaded with her to say yes.
"I think I'll have to stay a while longer, a few weeks perhaps, till Ruby is feeling better. But then I'd like to come back home of course."
He smiled as she called his house home.
"But, I can't go back to how we were before, Lucien. I need to be more than just your housekeeper."
"Jean, we're courting now; doesn't that tell you what I'd like you to be?" He leaned forward and kissed her, rather gently still, but more decisively than the evening before. Before Jean could reply, Amelia started to stir and then cry, and they both turned towards her.
Jean went and lifted her out, picking up her bottle from the end of the pram. She fed Amelia, leaning back against Lucien's chest as he sat against the tree trunk. He kissed Jean's hair and watched as the baby's eyes slowly closed again.
After a few minutes, Jean managed to slide Amelia off her lap onto the blanket without waking her, and Lucien reached out for the bag containing their picnic. They ate slowly in the warmth of the afternoon, keeping an eye on the baby and enjoying the easy contact between the two of them. Lucien's hand slid down from around her waist and settled on her hip, while Jean curled in towards him a little, pushing off her shoes.
They couldn't imagine sitting this intimately in any public place in Ballarat, but here in the anonymity of Adelaide it was possible. Anything seemed possible.
"All that time we've wasted," Jean murmured eventually. She'd been thinking about all the times they'd been interrupted, all the opportunities lost. But her birthday had been the moment she knew; living with him wasn't going to be enough, she had to know if he loved her too.
"Not wasted, Jean. We both had to be sure, and now I think we are." He felt suddenly almost shy of telling her that he loved her. Maybe it was too soon and he would frighten her off. Or maybe it was too late, and he would be just saying what they already knew.
Jean sat up and looked him in the eye. She very deliberately laced her fingers together behind his neck, pulling him a little closer and shuffling nearer. He grinned suddenly; she remembered that day in the park too. This time she didn't frown. There was no pretending it was all about the investigation. She rubbed her cheek gently against his beard.
She kissed him carefully, even boldly, letting herself feel her body respond to him. This desire had an old familiarity, and she welcomed it. But it also had a new edge. He was not Christopher, he was not safe, but he was hers.
She opened her eyes, as she broke the kiss, to find him staring at her curiously with those blue eyes she loved. He knew something had changed during that kiss. She had let down her guard and he knew she wanted him. He kissed her back, delicately, deliberately, trying to slip his hand under her blouse, pulling it from the waistband of her skirt. He was rather shocked that she didn't stop him, though his longing to touch her bare skin was thwarted by her slip.
He groaned softly as she parted her lips, then suddenly he stopped, his forehead resting against Jean's, and their breathing ragged. Then he laughed.
"Who would have thought it? Jean Beazley kissed me..."
She gave him a playful slap on the arm.
"I'd better take this little one home," she said with a sigh, and carefully scooped her up off the rug and into the pram without waking her. Lucien raised his eyebrows at her, impressed at this skill.
"Lots of practice," she grinned. "Some things you don't forget."
"So I see," he replied, no longer sure they were talking about the baby. That earned him a frown, though not a serious one. "Come to the hotel tomorrow, Jean. I'll have to go home the day after. Maybe we can do some more practising." This time he pushed the pram as they set off to Christopher's house together.