No More Lonely Nights

'The biter bit,' he drily commented, letting her sit up on the seat and smiling at her. 'Now you know how all your own victims felt.'

'I keep telling you, I'm not a gossip columnist. I'm strictly a news reporter, a very different animal. I cover facts, not bedroom whispers.' She looked at her watch and frowned. 'If we're to get away before we're trapped by the press, we'd better go soon. Look at the time!'

Cass pulled her to her feet. 'My car is parked in the old stableyard at the side of the house, right away from the gardens where the party is being held. If we go through these trees we can run across to the yard in two minutes, and once we're at my car we can get away easily enough.'

'Another chase!' Sian said ruefully, making a face. 'Ever since the day I picked Annette up, I seem to have spent most of my time running away from someone or other. Well, one last time won't kill me, I suppose.'

Cass had been smiling as she talked, but he suddenly sobered, staring at her in a frowning way. 'Oh, God, yes,' he said inexplicably. 'Sian, how do you feel about weddings?'

Bewildered, she flushed. 'Weddings?'

'Do you want a white one with all the fuss and trimmings, I mean? Your family and friends, and mine, and a big reception—all that?'

'Are you proposing?' She was breathless again and laughing. 'Cass, really! Aren't you rushing things a bit? Give me time to…'

'Don't you see?' he interrupted grimly. 'I couldn't go through all that again. I'd have nightmares about it happening again; being left at the altar, all the newspapers gleefully hashing up what happened this time, people laughing…'

'Cass, I wouldn't do that to you,' she said gently, touching his face. 'Stop thinking about it. We have all the time in the world to get to know one another. Don't start fretting over something that won't happen—and anyway, if you don't want a white wedding we'll elope. That would be more fun, anyway. We needn't tell another soul, just go away and telegrams later.' She laughed. 'I'd like it best that way, wouldn't you? No hassle, no problems, just us against the world.'

'Yes,' he said huskily, taking her hand and kissing the palm. 'Just us against the world.'

'If I decide to marry you,' Sian reminded him. 'I haven't even started to think about it yet.'

'Start now,' he said, kissing the fast-beating blue vein at her wrist.

'If we don't go soon, we won't get out of here alive,' said Sian breathlessly, and Cass took her hand tightly in his, and they ran together through the trees, across some grass into the stableyard where his car was parked. As they drove out of the gates, Sian saw some old friends from Fleet Street strolling lazily into the garden party. One of them caught sight of her in the car and his head swung, his jaw dropped. He began to run back to his own car, but Cass put his foot down and they shot away too fast for pursuit. Sian laughed.

'I think we'll find ourselves in the gossip columns tomorrow, anyway. Will you mind?'

'At the moment, I don't really mind about anything,' Cass said. 'You've had five minutes to think over my proposal—made up your mind yet?'

'Don't rush me!' she said plaintively, but of course he did.