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“I’ve never been truly loved by anyone but you. I’ve not really been able to trust anyone. But I think I want to trust you.” Elda brought her palm to Charlie’s cheek and wiped the tears away. “I’m sorry I ran away from you. You didn’t deserve that.”

Their gaze met, and so many unsaid words passed between them.

“You need to kiss me now,” Elda whispered. She froze with anticipation. When Charlie brought her lips to her cheek, Elda shifted and met her with a hungry, hard kiss. She bit down, craving every part of Charlie’s body against her.

***

“Those ceiling roses are fuzzy. Or is it me?” Elda closed her eyes against her blurred vision and the dawn breaking through the bedroom’s linen drapes. They had spent the night entangled in each other’s arms.

“No. They’re layered with paint. They must be so old.” Charlie nestled into her neck and kissed her collarbone.

“I feel brand new.”

They hadn’t made it back to Sylvie’s apartment. Elda walked Charlie through her favourite parts of the Orsay, but they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, so they booked a romantic hotel room in the Latin Quarter.

“I feel like I could run through this city with my clothes off. It’s exhilarating, isn’t it?” Charlie kissed Elda’s ear, and a shiver curled across her front.

“Really? I’m not letting you out of this room. We have all day. Let’s not waste it.”

There was a knock at the door, and Charlie got up, wrapping a towel around herself. She returned with a breakfast tray.

“Get back into bed. I missed you.” Elda lifted the sheet and pulled Charlie on top of her, enjoying the heavy weight crushing her.

“I only went to the door.” Charlie laughed.

“I mean, I missed you these past few weeks. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run away from you. It was just all too hard.” Elda traced her fingers across the ridges of Charlie’s shoulder blades, her skin responding to her touch. She was struggling to put into words the emptiness that had appeared in her world without Charlie.

“Me too. I’m sorry I let you walk away.”

“You couldn’t have stopped me. I had to work things out on my own.” Elda pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m still furious with my mum, but I’ll have to sort that out too eventually.”

“You will. It’ll take some time. She has her own grief to work through.” Charlie caressed Elda’s cheek.

“You know what? You know what my nan would want me to do? Live my life. Live it until I die. That’s what she’d want, and that’s what I’ll do.” Elda gripped Charlie’s arms. “Yes, I’ll paint. We’ll be together. And I will adore you forever.”

“Are we going to stay here forever?”

“You weren’t serious about staying in Paris, were you?” Elda turned to face her.

“Of course.” Charlie sat up and relaxed into the feather pillows, revealing her breasts. “I’ve taken a couple of weeks off. If you want to stay here for a while, or for longer, then we will.”

Elda flipped the sheet, straddled Charlie’s waist, and ran her hands through Charlie’s bed hair. “I love you, Charlotte Mason.” She kissed her forehead. “But no, I’m not going to shatter your dream of becoming a top KC. I don’t want you to give anything up. You don’t need to. And finally, I’ve had the romantic night in Paris I’ve always dreamed of. But I want to go home with you.”

“Not yet though, eh? Let’s stay here for a while.” Charlie arched her back to reach Elda’s lips, and their bodies met as they kissed.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

A tremor coursed through Charlie. It wasn’t like her to feel nervous, but this was so far from her usual courtroom performance. The next conversation promised to be raw for both of them. “Hi.” She opened her arms wide, and Kim accepted the hug. “How’re you doing?”

“This week has been a good one. Thanks to you.”

“You’ve done all the hard work,” Charlie said. “How are the kids?”

“Settling back home now Darren has cleared off for good. Jacob’s oblivious, but Chloe has been quiet for a few days. She takes everything in.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. Keep an eye on her. How’s Sam?”

“Angry. Taking it out on the football pitch. His coach called me after the match last night and said he was a bit full-on with the referee. I filled him in on what’s gone on. I had to speak to the school as well because the police will be in touch. They need to make sure they’re safe.”