All rights belong to Buffalo Pictures, I only play with the characters.
CHAPTER 9
Martin later confirmed to her that he had sorted everything out with his secretary and that it seemed better to him to close the clinic for another two weeks, instead of one... as long as she agreed. Louisa was thrilled with the surprise.
At dinner they announced their decision to extend their stay in Villaricos and that they would look for an apartment so as not to disturb them again. Eleanor and Caleb were adamant…they had to stay there with them.
The next morning, Louisa woke up and it was still dark. She turned to look at her husband... she still found it hard to believe that he had not only accepted her proposal, but that he had even taken the initiative to extend their vacation. She felt she loved him so much for the efforts he made.
She placed a hand on his chest.
"Martin."
The man made a surprised sound.
"Martin..." she called him again, reaching out to kiss his cheek.
"What's up? Are you OK?" he asked her with his eyes still closed.
"Yes, but I want to see the sunrise."
"What?" he had woken up.
«I want to see the sunrise on the beach…with you.»
He frowned, sighing as he tried to make sense of her words. He ran a hand over his face and sat up.
"Agree."
They got ready in silence. Louisa left a note on the table and they went out.
Martin closed the iron gate behind him and stopped for a moment.
The street was completely deserted and dimly lit by small street lamps.
"Martin." his wife came back and grabbed his hand "Let's go or we'll miss the show." she whispered excitedly.
He followed her obediently…it seemed that this morning trip made her euphoric. She stood at least two steps ahead and she often turned to him, smiling eagerly. Each time her loose hair swayed softly.
She wore a simple turquoise cotton was cinched in at the waist and came down to her knees. The man's gaze went to her tanned legs and down to her ankles embellished with the decorated lace of a pair of flat sandals.
Suddenly she stopped and turned to say something to him, but he didn't immediately understand…concentrated on her elegant movements and bright eyes, she seemed more beautiful than ever to him.
He nodded uncertainly and that seemed to be enough for her, because she started walking again.
They crossed the road and soon reached the beach. They stopped on the shore. A lighter band was spreading between the sea and the dark blue horizon.
Louisa put her arm around his waist and held onto him. Reached by the scent of her hair, he bent down to kiss her head and held her close to him.
They watched the sun rise.
«How wonderful, Martin...»
He looked at her and sighed softly.
"Yes." he responded softly and continued to keep his eyes on her.
"It's going to be another wonderful day." she added cheerfully.
«Yes, really wonderful.»
Louisa realized that he had actually been staring at her the whole time. She turned to him with a smile.
Martin gasped and stood up guiltily, looking down.
She reached up and kissed his cheek, then walked over to the water. It was clear and transparent. The pebbles moved, gently moved by the surf.
Martin took the opportunity to return to wander timidly over her figure.
By now the sun had risen over the sea and the air was warmer. Louisa took off her cardigan. Her dress was held up by two thin straps that ran over her bare shoulders and fell partly down her back.
The man blinked to collect himself, when his wife turned to him with a radiant smile.
"Let's go." she told him, starting to walk again.
He swallowed hard, fascinated by the cleavage that crept onto her chest. He sped up to reach her and took her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. He felt strange... absorbed in placid admiration. When they came to the ruined bastion of some ancient fort, he veered off course and pulled her to a spot hidden from the road.
Louisa leaned against the wall with her hands behind her back to admire the view of the sea before them.
Martin approached and stared at her spellbound. The grazing light of dawn illuminated her face.
She stood still under his adoring gaze. She knew that a thousand thoughts crowded her husband's mind. He would never be a talker and this had its advantages over her... like that tender and intense way of observing her that he only used with her. She had glimpsed enough of his childhood and his past to understand that Martin could not be different from what he was and that, probably, fears and blocks would always hold him back. She felt sorry for him, because she thought that he would never be able to fully enjoy the happy moments or… maybe… he would just have it his way.
He was patient in the silence interrupted only by a few seagulls that flew nearby.
"You are so beautiful, Louisa." he finally told her.
She smiled and slid her hands down his chest.
Martin thought she was a wonderful creature and thanked fate that had put her on his path. He gently placed a hand on her smooth cheek. Not only had she accepted him into her life, but she had also given him a son. He would never have dared to hope that a woman like her would allow him to love her.
He slowly leaned over her lips and touched them...and then kissed her gently, sliding his other hand onto her slim waist. She kissed him back, stroking the hair at the back of his neck.
He looked at her again in wonder. He reached out to brush a strand of her ear behind her, blowing in the breeze, and lost himself in her blue eyes, until he took her hand to gently lead her home.
"Come."
She followed him with a light blush on her cheekbones. Despite his often abrupt ways, his kisses could be so delicate and sensual.
He often turned to look at her along the road... almost as if he were afraid that someone or something would take her away from him. The windows of the houses were still dark and he could only hear their footsteps on the asphalt.
«Martin, you're too fast…» she protested, noticing that he had quickened his pace.
"Try to keep up." he urged her.
"Why?"
She pulled his hand to stop him and he turned to look at her. In fact, he was in a hurry to take her home, but he was ashamed to confess her the reason.
«With a bit of luck they're still sleeping and will be for at least another hour…» he informed her awkwardly «I…uhm…I thought that…I mean…I'd like it…if that's okay with you…yes , if you want it too..." he stammered embarrassed.
Louisa smiled at him «Yes, I would like that.»
"Well." he commented, relaxing. She even thought he was smiling.
Before long they arrived home. Martin opened the door impatiently, trying not to make any noise. Everyone was still asleep.
In the dim light of the corridor that led to their room, he suddenly pushed her gently against the wall. He rested his hand on her neck and stroked her chin with his thumb. He brushed his lips against her nose, then her forehead… then he gave her a small kiss, before letting her go to go to their room.
Displeased by the too-fast contact, she jumped forward and clung to his arm. He turned and let himself meekly lean against the wall, while his wife rose to cup his face, kiss him passionately and then break away with a sly smile and continue.
Louisa hurried to the door, but Martin caught up with her and grabbed her waist to wrap his arms around her and kiss her gently on the neck. She broke free and turned to him, walking backwards until the door stopped her. When she was close, she opened it and continued to walk backwards and smile at him.
Having closed the world out of there, Martin went towards her, taking her face in his hands and kissed her softly. Then he looked at her in that intense, sweet way he reserved for her alone, as he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. He didn't have in mind to satisfy a simple physical desire… what he had been thinking about, since he had woken him up that morning, was to show her how he felt for her. In words he wouldn't have been capable of it.
He breathed deeply. She took her waist and bent to place her lips at the base of her neck... just a little higher than her neckline... and she remained like that for a few moments, inhaling her scent.
Louisa placed her hands on the back of his neck to stroke his hair…breathless from the sensation of that intimate gesture.
He slowly moved up towards her neck, up to her ear, where he hid himself while he hugged her and held her close to him.
"I love you, Louisa." whisper.
"I love you too, Martin." she replied excitedly.
He kept his head bowed close to hers...their mouths just a breath away.
«I don't think about anything…all day…but being with you.» he revealed her.
"You are so cute."
"It is true. I just want to be with you." he added softly.
She kissed him. He seemed so helpless as he let out those very personal phrases.
«And it will be so, Martin. For better or for worse...in sickness or in health...we will never part again." she reassured him.
Louisa bit her lower lip as she watched his relaxed face. He looked adorable with his hair disheveled after she had just messed it up…luckily he hadn't noticed.
Suddenly he lifted her up and she clung to his neck. Without stopping to look into her eyes, he laid her on the bed and dedicated himself to carefully kissing her neck... but he was still dressed and it didn't fit. He pulled her shirt up and he took it off, then took the rest of her off and returned to her side.
"That's better." she commented satisfied, as she opened her arms to accommodate her ample chest.
Louisa watched the wonder in his eyes…clear and kind. It seemed to let his body speak to tell her about his feelings and it worked... because she felt incredibly loved, desired and protected.
She continued to hold him close, kissing his forehead softly and his head resting on her chest. She caressing his hair, she told him again that she loved him and that she needed him.
Her desire for independence was a distant memory…Louisa realized…due more to necessity than her own nature…she was now a wife and a mother. Above all… she was a woman in love.
They heard small footsteps crossing the living room and Eleanor telling James that her parents were still asleep and not to make too much noise.
"Well. The tranquility is over." Martin observed, lifting himself from his chest. Seeing her relaxed face, he immediately leaned back down to kiss her and she immediately welcomed him back into her arms.
A few moments later, they decided to get up. Martin didn't stop peering in his direction for a moment while she was getting dressed, with a sort of smug smile on his face.
Before Louisa opened the door, he reached her and put his arms around her from behind. She placed her lips on his cheek and stayed that way.
She sighed happily…it was exactly the kind of gesture she wanted from him. She knew well that beyond that door he would be the usual man... grumpy with strangers and scrupulous with his family... but she also knew that there was a Martin of hers only... sweet and passionate... who would always take care of her and James.
The rest...maybe...we could work on it...or not, because it still wouldn't have changed her feelings for her husband. Of this she was now certain.
The days passed pleasantly between the beach and walks in the village. Louisa was able to lay the foundations for a satisfactory relationship with her mother, who was proving to be much more mature than the young woman who had fled to Spain, effectively abandoning her daughter. Martin himself seemed to tolerate all those hours of inactivity well. She had noticed that sometimes he and Caleb would talk about fish and ways to cook them… which was astounding.
Her little darling seemed the happiest of all. He enjoyed playing in the water with his father, who was very patient and kind. He also enjoyed playing with pebbles and sand and had established a good relationship with his grandmother. He wasn't a naughty child at all and was always enthusiastic.
Martin was very relaxed by his standards on that vacation. He was focused on pleasing his wife and James and Louisa seemed calm. Even Eleanor had become more bearable…
One night he woke up with a strong thirst... certainly caused by the food of that place where they had stopped on a trip to nearby Cartagena. He went to the kitchen to drink a glass of water and decided to go out into the garden. He didn't immediately notice that the light under the gazebo was open and his mother-in-law was watching him.
When he saw her he gave a little gasp.
"I wanted to get some air." he justified herself.
"You did well. It's a wonderful evening. Come, sit here." she pointed to the chair on the other side of the table.
Martin wanted to turn on his heel and run, but it was too late. Furthermore, if her wife had known this, she probably would have scolded him for his rudeness.
"Yes."
He sat down stiffly in front of Eleanor and set his glass down.
She laughed.
"I'm not going to eat you, Martin."
"No." he replied dryly as always.
The man felt somehow under scrutiny. His mother-in-law scrutinized him without speaking and he certainly wasn't interested in sparking the discussion.
«You know…» Eleanor began «…I always wondered what Loulou saw in you…»
He swallowed, wondering how he ended up in this situation. He should have gone straight back to bed instead of wandering around.
«Of course…you're what you might call a good match…a doctor…what mother wouldn't want her daughter to marry a doctor? But this is not the reason that binds my daughter to you... it is not in her character to act out of convenience."
No way, he thought. Louisa was not that kind of woman.
"You have been rude and rude from the first moment I met you. At first I thought it was shyness, but I soon realized that that wasn't the problem... at least not only. Besides, you were too cold and unfriendly for a cheerful and sociable girl like Louisa. She had just given birth and you weren't giving her the emotional support she needed in that new phase of her life."
«Of course, yes. I looked after James, changed him and washed him. Then I cooked and tidied up the house, even though I completely disagreed with his desire to go back to work immediately."
«Yes, but a woman also needs attention, tenderness, a little romance… and understanding.»
Martin frowned.
"I have to go back to bed now." he informed her as he stood up. He didn't mean to sit there and take in her mother-in-law's criticisms.
"Wait. I am not done." she calmly replied «Sit down and listen. That won't be a problem for a man of few words like you."
He reluctantly obeyed.
«I observed her…despite your gruff ways, she defended you no matter what. Even when she came to stay with me and it was clear that she was suffering from the lack of communication between the two of you, she still wanted you."
Eleanor sighed and took a sip of her lemonade.
«As you well know, Martin, I have been…I am a terrible mother. I abandoned my daughter with her father when she was still a child. Portwenn was too tight for me…my marriage was too tight for me…and I only thought about myself. It's a regret I'll have for the rest of my life and rightly so."
He was surprised by those words. There was really something different about her.
«I made many mistakes with my daughter, but my Loulou has still become a special woman… who I am very proud of… and she deserves a man who knows how to love and take care of her.»
He sighed…it was getting to the part where he wasn't right for her and couldn't make her happy, so he would be better off just letting her go and blah blah blah…but why did everyone have to butt in on their relationship?
"I think you're that man, Martin."
He turned to look at her in amazement.
«Yes, that's right, don't be surprised.» she smiled at him «I studied you. I can't deny that you have a particular character... after all we all have our flaws... but I am sure that my little girl is in safe hands with you. You really love her and you will never abandon her, like I and her father did, and she knows it. She always knew it."
Martin looked down shyly, deeply uncomfortable with anyone examining his feelings.
«This is what she found in you…a solid, honest and courageous man. A loving husband and a reliable father. Now I know it too."
He cleared his throat nervously.
«Loulou is my greatest treasure. Take care of it."
"Yes, that's my intention." he said softly.
"You can go now." she dismissed him amused. When he was so awkward he made her tender.
He hesitated.
«I…Louisa is…a loving and attentive mother…and a perfect wife…I love your daughter and will always be so.»
He stood up hesitantly.
"Good night." he added and headed for the door.
«Martin…»
The man turned.
"Thank you."
His questioning expression prompted Eleanor to explain herself.
«Thank you for saving my life…that time in Portwenn. I never told you, so…thanks."
"Yes." he lowered his shy gaze and returned to the room.
He slipped silently between the sheets, thinking about his mother-in-law's words. He slid next to Louisa who was sleeping on either side of her and put his arm around her. She murmured something unintelligible in her sleep and pressed against him. He kissed her hair and whispered that he loved her.
The following afternoon, when Martin entered the water for his usual swim before returning, Louisa suddenly decided to follow him. She left James with her mother and chased after him.
"I come with you."
He turned to look at her puzzled.
"It's a pretty long ride, are you sure you can make it?"
"Absolutely yes."she lied. She had no idea, but she knew that if she did, she would get him to help her.
"As you like." he agreed, diving in and starting to swim.
They headed south, away from the town. Obviously he distanced her immediately and after about fifteen minutes, they landed on a deserted beach of sand and pebbles.
Martin arrived first and sat down on a large, smooth stone slab.
"So this is where you come?" she asked when she finally reached him.
«Yes, it's a quiet place, the view isn't bad and there's no one there.»
Martin held his knees for balance, but Louisa paid no attention. She stepped in front of him and sat nimbly between his long legs, forcing him to make room for her. After a moment of uncertainty, Martin relaxed and put his arms around her. She leaned into her wet chest and smiled.
"It's beautiful here, you're right." she confirmed.
"Yes."
They contemplated the view absorbedly. The sun was no longer high and its warm rays shone on the sea. Only the surf rhythmically interrupted the silence.
It was relaxing to be in Martin's arms like this…feeling his cool skin on her back without all those clothes always in the way…and with a good chance that a medical emergency wouldn't suddenly pop up out of the water…
She could feel his calm, warm breathing on her shoulder. She snuggled closer to him and luckily he didn't pull away.
"Thank you, Martin."
«Um…well…it's just a beach.»
«Sorry…I meant thanks for rescheduling your schedule. I like being here... especially at this time."
«Well…it wasn't that complicated.» he scoffed. «I… I think I should break the rules… every now and then…» he added.
"It might do you some good."
"Yes."
He was silent… unsure how to continue.
'Did I make you happy, Louisa? I mean…staying here." he asked shyly.
«Yes, Martin. Very happy." she answered him softly.
"Well." he replied relieved.
She turned and planted a nice kiss on his cheek. She noticed that his expression was not only surprised, but satisfied as he pretended to scan the horizon carefully. She could guess that that slight curl at the corners of his mouth corresponded to a smile for him.
When she also looked towards the sea, she noticed that he had started peering at her profile... the usual introvert... she thought.
Martin cleared his throat in that way that she knew hid perplexity.
"What's up."
"Nothing." he defended himself immediately.
«Martin...»
«It's just…I was thinking…maybe…»
"Martin."
"I thought…if I helped improve your mood…maybe I could hope for…a little more…serious kiss."
"Martin, if you want to kiss me, just do it." she replied dryly, turning back to him.
"Yes." he confirmed and Louisa could have sworn she saw a smug twinkle in his eyes.
He bent down and kissed her tenderly, holding her close.
He was fine. He had his wife and son again and this time he wouldn't let her get away. Probably, even if he had caused some trouble, she would have stayed anyway, because for some incomprehensible reason she loved him and had accepted his bad character. He felt safer… and there was less danger of him doing something stupid. Who knows... maybe he should have told her these things... but she certainly already knew them.
Since he was nearby, he also gave her a small kiss on the tip of her nose and she broke into a smile.
"You're so beautiful." he told her admiringly.
Louisa rested her forehead on his neck in emotion. They stayed like that a little longer, but it was time to return and they dived again.
Shortly after the halfway point, she called him and told him to stop.
"I am tired." she informed him in the most tender and innocent tone possible.
"I told you it was a challenging swim, especially if you're not trained." he scolded her.
«Okay…but now I'm tired. I could get a cramp...a jellyfish sting me...I could drown..."
"All right." he sighed impatiently. He swam towards her.
"Put your arms around my neck, but don't move or fret for any reason... or we'll both drown." he admonished her.
"Yes."
He turned around. He waited for her to grab hold and start floating, then started swimming again, using his legs as little as possible so as not to hit her.
So Louisa calmly let herself be dragged along by her grumpy husband. Maybe she wasn't as tired as she had made him believe… but she felt so good about touching him… whatever her excuse.
In sight of their beach, she moved closer to his face.
"Everything OK?"
«Yes, Martin. Can you do it?"
«Auff…of course…the water supports you and I don't struggle.»
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek, before hiding her face between his shoulder and his chin.
When she realized he was hitting rock bottom, she asked him to stop.
"Why?"
She didn't answer. She lowered herself into the water to stick to his back and legs and stayed like that…close to him…her lips pressed under his ear…for a while.
"Thank you, Martin." she broke away and swam alone towards the shore.
«You're welcome…» he murmured, perplexed. He began to doubt that she hadn't really gotten tired... but that didn't matter, compared to the wonderful sensation that he still felt from how she had clung to him. He quickly reached her and took her hand as they climbed out of the water.
In the evening they had gone out for dinner alone again and were walking back home along the seafront. The air was warm.
They were now close to home, but it was early and Louisa didn't want to let go of his hand yet. She convinced him to stop on the beach where they went every day.
«It's dark…we risk tripping…» Martin protested.
She ignored him…the crescent moon lit the path just enough…and she felt especially good.
They sat on a rock near the water. There was no one. There was only the sound of the surf crashing over pebbles.
"It was a pleasant day." she commented.
"Yes."
Louisa smiled slightly. Even though she was turned towards the horizon, she noticed that he was staring at her with his usual dazed and adoring gaze. He could not even actively participate in their conversations... as long as he never stopped looking at her that way.
«I enjoyed our swim. Have you found any other beaches this interesting?"
"Someone…"
«If you don't mind… I could come with you tomorrow too…»
"I'm not sorry."
"Are you sure? What if I get tired again?"
Martin watched her profile spellbound... he never ceased to marvel at the feelings it aroused in him.
"If you get tired, I'll help you."
By now he was pretty sure that the tiredness thing was an excuse, but he didn't care. He had liked that closeness. Very.
"Oh." she looked at him.
«It's okay, if you get tired. It's not tiring to swim with you...it's okay...» he stammered. Obviously those weren't the words he had in mind… so he leaned down to kiss her… at least in that he knew how to be a little more expressive. He relaxed as she clung to his arm.
"I like it when you touch me." he confessed to her shyly.
«I…I don't know how to usually react…but I like it…and I liked the feeling of you holding me around my neck and…» he stopped awkwardly.
Louisa reached up and pressed her lips under his ear.
«…and I kissed you like that?» she murmured.
"Yes." he sighed her.
She took his hand.
«It's hard for you…to talk about what you feel…to let yourself go in small gestures…I understand.»
"Really?"
«Yes, Martin. I see how much you are struggling and I'm sorry. I wish it were easier."
«Uhmm… it's a condition I'm used to…» he minimized.
"I appreciate the effort you are making with me and James."
"Yes."
Louisa intertwined her fingers with his and raised his hand to her lips.
«I'm here, Martin, by your side…and I'll stay there no matter what.»
"Thank you."
He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. When she snuggled quietly against him, he was moved. For him... scared and shy... that spontaneity of hers was wonderful... the sensation of her body, touching him with that confidence, was a comfort that he felt the constant need of now.
"The last time I spoke to my mother, she said she wasn't surprised you left me and that I would do well to get used to being alone."
Louisa looked at him annoyed.
"How could she say something like that to you?"
«I don't know, but… the point… here…»
He was stuck again. She gripped his hand tighter and waited.
«…I couldn't be alone anymore…without you and James…I couldn't anymore. I will never become a cheerful chatterbox that everyone likes and will ruin things between us more than a few times. I'll say or do the wrong thing...and you'll get angry...and I won't understand and I won't know how to fix it, but..."
Stunned, Louisa listened to his words and felt guilty.
"…But I love you." he concluded satisfied with having managed to complete a sentence.
Tears pricked her eyes. How much harm she had done to him with her escapes and her refusals... he only asked her to be loved, but she had kept him away from her.
She stared at him determinedly.
«I love you too, Martin. You are part of me and I need you. We will still argue and annoy each other... it's probable... or rather, it's certain... but I want you.»
She caressed his cheek.
"I want to be with you for the rest of my life." she reiterated firmly.
"Well." he commented with an expression that seemed truly happy.
«And you will have to get used to being with me… to putting up with me… to tolerating my insecurities, because I have no intention of leaving you… for any reason.»
"Yes." he hugged her tightly, grateful for her words. It was a miracle thats he wanted it, despite everything, and he was determined to take advantage of that luck for once.
«Martin…»
"Louisa."
«I... I've kind of... got an idea. I heard some comments from your aunt Joan and Ruth and I met your mother, even if briefly. I've deduced something from one or two statements you missed...but...what were you like as a child?"
She thought that the atmosphere of confidence that had been created on that lost beach in Southern Spain could allow her to understand her husband better.
He sighed...he thought about it for a moment...and he didn't disagree.
"I was a healthy child…and I did well in school."
He seemed truly convinced that his had been a childhood like any other. She noticed that there was no uncertainty in his voice. She wondered if she should go further… or let it go and not upset him.
She moved closer to him, shivering a little.
He immediately took off his jacket, put it over her shoulders and held her close to him.
"Thank you."
"It's ok."
It may have seemed like simple politeness, but Louisa was learning that even the way he said some words was a trace of what he felt. She freed one hand and slid it up to her hip.
«I... I don't know... I mean... if I had to find an adjective to define my childhood I would say... lonely, I think.»
Surprised, Louisa remained still and in perfect silence so that he would not interrupt.
«I saw little of my parents and at a certain point it was a good thing, because meeting them meant receiving reproaches and punishments. I guess this taught me to become transparent…I wasn't supposed to bother in any way…or make requests."
Martin cleared his throat nervously before continuing.
«The only quiet periods I spent with Aunt Joan... until they let me... then they made sure that I felt betrayed by her too, by telling me a lie. So came the colleges…and the medical school. My grandfather left me a fund which I received when I was twenty-one... since then I have gone to live on my own and have seen them very little."
It was strange for him to acknowledge the difficulties he had faced as a child, but he suddenly felt the need to do so. He knew Louisa would understand… and she wouldn't use that information against him.
«My father was always busy with his work…later running after other women…my mother…I don't know. I guess she was busy being a doctor's wife. The first time they came to Portwenn, after I had left surgery, she wouldn't even speak to me. I thought it was dad's fault and I tried to offer her support...but she looked at me contemptuously. She accused me of being the cause of their problems. My birth had driven them apart... she thought that her pregnancy had extinguished my father's interest in her." he sighed deeply.
Louisa was now crying silently. She felt infinite pity for Martin and for the child he had been. How a mother could be so cruel, she really didn't understand. She hugged him and pulled his head onto her shoulder, caressing the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry, Martin."
"But it's not your fault."
"I am very sorry. They were cruel to you, especially your mother, who as such should have loved you unconditionally." she held him tighter.
«You can't change the past…» she took his face in her hands and stared at him «…but know that today you are loved…by me and James…and by your aunt Ruth. Many people in the village respect you as a doctor and know they can count on you...and Joan loved you too. You were like a son to her."
She kissed him several times and held him again.
"Even Eleanor has grown fond of you." she laughed.
Martin looked at her…he had tears in his eyes, but there seemed to be a smile on his lips.
She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.
He let her do it meekly. She was not ashamed of having confided in her nor of receiving her comfort.
They remained like that for a long time before deciding to return.
He took her hand and they walked. In front of the gate he stopped her.
"Louisa."
"Martin." she gave him a radiant smile and he was enchanted for an instant.
«You should know that... well... I... I didn't lose interest in you after the pregnancy.» he began quite awkwardly.
"Didn't you?" she raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Absolutely no. Neither before nor after, not even when we were separated. The birth of James hasn't cooled my feelings for you, on the contrary. Even today I want you as much as on the first day...no, more.» he looked down shyly.
"It's very nice of you to tell me that, Martin." she took a step towards him and kissed his cheek.
"I thought it would be helpful to clarify this…even if you have nothing to do with my mother."
«Believe me, this aspect has always been very clear to me.»
He swallowed nervously and she smiled sweetly at him.
"Well." he touched her cheek and stared at her.
"You are so beautiful, Louisa…so beautiful."
He bent down to kiss her and held her close.
"I think it's time to go in." she urged, giving him a mischievous look.
«Uhmm…yes.» he confirmed, immediately opening the gate