Outside, everything had turned white, and she felt something like peace slide over her. For even though it had been hard to leave, and it was going to be much, much harder to learn to live without him again, she didn’t regret what had happened. Finally she could accept that she and Laszlo would never have a future together. And, more importantly, she’d learned that there was nothing to fear from the past: her mother’s choices did not have to be hers.
She had the power to shape her life. Finally, she could face the future without fear or regret.
She shivered. Closing her eyes, she shrugged her coat over her body. But that was the future—right now she just wanted to get warm. Only, huddling into her jacket, she doubted she would ever feel warm again...
* * *
Staring at the museum’s sprinklers longingly, Prudence sighed. If only she could set them off... But, even though it was her last day at work, she couldn’t imagine herself ruining hundreds of priceless artefacts in exchange for one blissfully cool shower.
She scowled. London was in the grip of an Indian summer and she was sick of the heat. Tucking a strand of limp hair behind her ear, she took a breath of warm air and began to speak.
‘And this is the cast of the Belvedere Apollo.’ Gesturing to the statue in front of her, Prudence turned to the crowd of tourists gathered expectantly around her and smiled. ‘It’s a copy made for Lord Burlington in Italy, sometime around 1719. Before it came to the museum it was held at Chiswick House.’
She paused and glanced around at the faces staring up at her. Since leaving Seymour’s she had been working part-time at the museum, and although she’d enjoyed it she was looking forward to leaving. These people were her last tour group. And after that—
She bit her lip. After that she’d take it one day at a time. What was important was that Daisy and Edmund had been so understanding and so supportive. About everything. And, although she would of course like to get a place of her own, she had agreed to keep on living with them for the immediate future.
She looked up and took a breath. ‘The Belvedere Apollo takes its name from the Belvedere Palace in the Vatican, where it has resided since the early fifteen-hundreds. The sculpture depicts the Greek god Apollo as an archer. He is nude except for his sandals and a robe slung over his shoulders.’
Pausing, she took another breath. It felt hotter than Greece in the museum, and suddenly she remembered the crisp, cold mornings in Hungary. For a fraction of a second, her smile faltered but, gripping her clipboard tightly, she ploughed on.
‘That concludes our tour this morning. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I hope you enjoy the rest of your visit to the museum and your stay in London. Thank you.’
Picking up her handbag from behind the desk, she walked towards the hallway, where the air conditioning greeted her like a fridge door opening. Fanning her face, she sat down and closed her eyes.
‘Excuse me?’
For a moment, her brain was in free fall and then her eyes flew open as she thought she recognised his voice. But it couldn’t be him, could it? Why would Laszlo be in London? He hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye.
The sun was in her eyes. At first she could make out only a blurred dark shape. But then she saw his outline, and the breath seemed to freeze in her throat.
He stepped out of the light and she felt her legs slide away from under her.
He caught her as she fell.
‘Here...’
She felt his hands, warm and firm, guide her into a seat. Her head was spinning.
‘Drink this.’
Water from the water cooler. So cold and fresh it might have come from one of the streams that criss-crossed the fields around his castle.
She moaned and Laszlo crouched down by her side, holding a glass to her lips.
‘Just sip it.’
The noise of traffic surged into the room as downstairs a door was opened.
‘Are you okay, Miss Elliot?’ Now Joe, the doorman, was leaning over her. ‘Do you want me to get a doctor?’
She shook her head. ‘No. Thank you.’
And then Laszlo stood up, his body screening her from Joe’s anxious face. ‘I’ve got it from here.’
He spoke pleasantly, but some alarm must have shown on her
face, for Joe stood his ground. ‘And you are, sir...?’