He straightened his dinner jacket and bow-tie then rang the bell half expecting Barbara to have changed her mind and not answer. It was less than a minute before it swung open but to Tommy it seemed like an hour. He had been looking forward to tonight for three weeks and now that it had finally arrived he was as nervous as a teenager about to take a girl to their first dance. It was not the social occasion that worried him but the importance he knew Barbara placed on fitting in and being accepted. A bad experience might very well end his chance of happiness before it had begun. The door creaked open slowly and Barbara stood there looking embarrassed. Tommy was dumbstruck but a huge smile erupted across his face. "You look beautiful! Absolutely perfect."

"Thank you Sir," she said sounding relieved, "you scrub up alright yourself." She smiled at him and he was unable to move. He just stood there smiling and staring.

He had expected her to wear the simple black dress she had worn to his engagement dinner. It was the only other time he had seen her in a dress and he remembered how it had unsettled him discovering how attractive Barbara was when she was not using clothes to try to appear invisible. Now she was dressed in a stylish but simple off the shoulder silk evening gown in a deep green that set off her hair and her eyes. The A line dress hugged her waist snugly then flared subtly to the floor. Her hair was pinned up in a way that he had never seen before and the sight of the pale skin of her neck and shoulder moved him in unexpected ways that tempted him to forget completely about the opera. He took a deep breath and extended his arm. "Shall we go?"

All day he had been impatient to see her. It had been the first day in three weeks that they had not spent together and he had missed her terribly. The week had gone quickly since they had fallen asleep together listening to Turandot when, despite the physical discomfort of the position, he had slept dreamlessly for the first time in months. She was gone when he woke; her warm body replaced by a note that had simply said 'thanks for a great day'. Although she had not meant it cruelly, leaving him had torn at his heart in ways he had not thought possible. He had believed he had been in love before but his feelings for Barbara were so different to those he had experienced that it confused him. He understood the burning desire of lust that had sustained him through many nights of empty passion. He also understood the attraction of a specific woman's personality that rounded out lust into a more sustainable form. Yet with Barbara it was backwards. He was committed to her in ways that almost defied physical need. There was a sense of completion and concord when he was with Barbara. Even when they argued he was alive and engaged and wanted to be with her. He craved the intimacy and shared confidences of their friendship and his wish to make love to her had been more about the connection of their minds than their bodies. Until tonight! Seeing her standing there had ignited a yearning that was most definitely physical but which went so much further.

He needed to convince her quickly that he did love her and would love her with all his heart for eternity. To his ever-practical Havers he knew that would sound soppy; it would take more than romantic words and gestures to prove that she was not an infatuation that would pass with time and that a relationship with him was worth risking their friendship. He was still thinking about what to say as he helped her into the taxi and climbed in beside her. He sat watching her, transfixed. He could not help himself; looking at her made him feel young and carefree. "You should wear your hair like that more often. It suits you. You really do look stunning Barbara. I'll have to fight off all the men at the opera house."

Barbara dropped her gaze. "Thanks Sir. The lady at the shop said it was suitable. I hoped you'd like it. I didn't want to embarrass you or your mother."

Tommy took her hand in both of his and made sure she was looking at him. "You could never embarrass me. You and I have something special Barbara, we always have, and it transcends all the petty social constraints that society wants to place on people. We can argue as much as we like between ourselves but if anyone else tries to put you down I will always support and protect you."

"I know Sir."

"So tell me about your day," he said noticing that her face was red and she was uncomfortable with the conversation. They chatted about her hair appointment and her nerves getting dressed then about his lunch with his mother and Judith and their new beaus. Before long the taxi was pulling into the drive of the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden and Barbara stared up at the Baroque façade with a look of trepidation. Tommy helped her from the cab and quickly squeezed her hand encouragingly then escorted her inside to mingle with the other guests.

The fading light of the day refracted through the iron and glass façade of Paul Hamlyn Hall and seemed to spotlight the richly coloured gowns of the elegantly dressed women. Tommy felt Barbara grip his arm slightly tighter. "We'll find Mother and then I'll get you a drink," he said kindly.

"I had no idea it would be such a big event." Barbara was looking around nervously.

"Hmm, it's a performance for a charity we are involved with to help raise education standards in underprivileged communities in Cornwall. It attracts a lot of attention each year and raises a lot of money, which is good. You always see the social climbers here trying to impress and mixing with old money and those with a social conscience. Generally the more effusive the person and the louder the woman is dressed the less money in the family."

"Great. Sounds like a fun bunch. They'll pick me as a fake in seconds." Tommy rested his hand gently in the small of her back to reassure her but also to let others know exactly who she was accompanying.

"You're not a fake and besides dressed like that you look like you own all of England." He smiled at her warmly and she grinned back at him, her eyes soft and clearly fond of what they were viewing. They held each other's gaze to the exclusion of the world and Tommy wished he was not in a crowd. Her look was exactly what he wanted to see before he dared kiss her. The moment was broken as he was bumped from behind. As he looked up he spotted his mother coming towards them. "Let the games begin eh?" Barbara sighed and painted on a smile but it was one for the world, not one especially for him.

"Tommy!" his mother greeted him then smiled at Barbara as they did the traditional cheek to cheek social kiss. Tommy grinned at Barbara's awkwardness. "Barbara, it's so good to see you again and Tommy tells us you're coming down to Howenstowe next weekend."

"You too Lady Asherton. Yes, a small break from the city for Easter," she said carefully.

"Dorothy, please."

Barbara smiled. "Dorothy," she said acknowledging the invitation.

Just then a man came up behind Dorothy and shook Tommy's hand. "George this is my partner Barbara Havers, Barbara this is George Handlow, a friend of Mother's."

Barbara smiled and extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you George." They chatted politely about the good weather, the architecture of the building and the charity. The waitresses brought around drinks and Tommy noted that Barbara only accepted the orange juice. After a few minutes George and Dorothy excused themselves to find Judith and her new friend Matthew.

"Is that all it takes?" Tommy asked her playfully.

"What?"

He imitated his mother, "Tommy, please."

"No. I was only being polite Sir," she replied emphasising the last word.

"I didn't think it would be that easy. Are you sure you wouldn't like something other than orange juice?"

"I need my wits about me so I don't say anything too stupid." Tommy frowned at her admonishing her lack of confidence. "I might have one with dinner later," she added but he knew she was only trying to appease him.

Soon they were surrounded by old friends of Tommy's from school and Oxford as well as acquaintances from his life as a Lord. He tried hard to stay with Barbara and not leave her to the not so subtle interrogation of his friends but they were separated by throngs of gorgeous women flirting unashamedly with Tommy and his friends. He looked over anxiously and noticed her talking animatedly with the opera's director so he made his way back to her worried that she might be feeling intimidated.

"David," he said greeting the director, "I see you have met my partner Barbara."

"Yes, we were just discussing the alternative endings that could have been used and whether Puccini understood the difference between love and lust. I agree with Barbara that the infatuation portrayed is a shallow form of love. As she pointed out even Lui did not know Calef well enough to truly say she loved him. Anyway I need to prepare. It was a pleasure Barbara. I hope to see you again and we can discuss some of the other great works." David bowed and left leaving Barbara looking after him.

"It seems you impressed him."

"I have no idea who he was but he seemed nice."

"He's the director," Tommy said, laughing at the shock on her face.

The bells rang and the crowd started to move. Tommy offered his arm and ushered her up the red carpeted stairs onto the Grand Tier where they caught up briefly with Judith and Dorothy with their partners. They greeted Judith warmly and Tommy shook Mathew's hand. Without thought he placed his other arm around Barbara's waist pulling her gently towards him but dropped his arm when he noticed his mother's questioning glance and Judith's smirk. He quietly cursed himself for arousing their suspicions. The quartet entered a small door and when Barbara went to follow Tommy stopped her and guided her to the next door. "We're in here,' he said.

Barbara stepped through the door into a different world. They were in a small private box with only four seats. The box was lined with red velvet and decorated with flourishes of gold. The deep chairs were upholstered in similar plush cloth with gold brocade outlining the arms and crested backs of the seats. Barbara looked around in disbelief as patrons shuffled into their seats in the orchestra stalls below them. She looked at Tommy for an indication of where she should sit and when he pointed to the chair in the front row she gathered the folds of her gown carefully beside her and sat delicately as if adding her weight to the chair might make it disappear in a puff of smoke. From that angle she could see the amphitheatre seats far above them. "Oh Sir, this is so different to what I imagined. I thought it would be like a cinema."

Tommy sat beside her. He was enjoying her reaction but felt he should apologise for the view. "It's private but unfortunately the views are obstructed so it is hard to see the stage unless you lean forward. Next time we come we'll sit over there," he said indicating discreetly the seats at the end of the Grand Tier. "The decoration is a bit over the top too I think but very much in keeping with the traditional opera style."

"No, it's perfect for this. Who's joining us?" Barbara asked nervously eyeing the other seats.

"No one." Tommy did not say he had bought the other seats just so he could be alone with her. She looked at him with the same eyes he had seen earlier and he leant in close to her hoping she would bridge the gap so that he could kiss her but pulled away when he remembered hundreds of people could see them. He wanted their first kiss to be memorable but private. "I thought it would be nice to share the experience together," he whispered, "just the two of us."

"Thank you Sir," she said enthusiastically as she leant forward to look at the stage still shrouded by the heavy red curtains below the royal crest, "it will be a fantastic experience."

Tommy sank back in his chair mildly frustrated but pleased that far from being overawed Barbara seemed to be enjoying herself. As the lights dimmed and the curtains slowly opened she sat back in her seat and listened as the first notes floated up from the orchestra pit. As the courtier began his proclamation she twisted and leant forward as politely as she could to watch the stage. Tommy leant close behind her and as he looked over her shoulder he saw the lavishly embroidered brightly coloured silk costumes through her excited eyes. The stage was set on two levels, clever metaphors for the royal court and the lowly peasants and was adorned with Chinese symbols of luck, strength and love to decorate the pagodas and throne. Barbara was enthralled and Tommy was delighted. He sat back slightly to watch her and fought his desire to nuzzle her neck and tell her he loved her.

As the first act unfolded Barbara sat back in her seat and listened. During the interval she chatted excited to Judith and Matthew about the production and the voices. Tommy was amused to hear her declare, "personally I prefer the Sutherland, Pavarotti and Caballe version, they bring such power and humanity to their roles."

"I had no idea Barbara was such an opera fan Tommy. I see why you invited her," his mother whispered, "how long have you been lovers?"

Tommy turned to her shocked. "We're not," he said firmly, "at least not yet."

"If it helps, I approve. She is strong enough to match you Tommy but only do it if you are sure you can match her."

The bells rang and they quickly made their way back to their boxes. The second act was well staged but Tommy's mind drifted back to his mother's warnings. How can I ever be certain I will never hurt her? The more he thought about it the more he doubted he was strong enough. Barbara was looking at him strangely and he realised it was second interval. "Let's stay in here away from the world."

With the first notes of Nessun Dorma Tommy leant over and said, "I hope he does justice to the soccer song." She grinned at him and sat forward to watch her arm draped casually on the roll of the armrest. Tommy had his arm extended along his armrest but they were not touching. She continued to sit forward as Lui was being tortured. As Lui died Barbara did not take her eyes from the stage yet moved her arm over Tommy's and held his hand, their fingers intertwined.