‘Would you mind coming to mine? I’m parked just around the corner.’ He gave a hesitant smile. ‘Heated seats.’
He’d found her. He’d come for her and had stood in the cold for hours, waiting for her. And despite everything, that unspoken connection between them was still as strong as it had ever been. This was like walking on the edge of a precipice in the darkness, but Nell couldn’t stop herself. She took his arm, and Hugo started to walk.
‘What’s the clinic like?’
‘It’s tough. There are a lot of kids who are sick and have been through a lot. Adults, too. Any progress is hard won, but it’s rewarding work.’
‘Do you think you’ll stay?’
If what he meant was would she forget about all this and come back with him to Montarino, the answer was no. Not to see their relationship crumble once more and feel that heartbreak all over again.
‘Yes, I’m thinking about it.’
‘Good. I’m glad you’ve found this.’
What did he want? To sit in the car and reminisce about old times? It didn’t really matter, whatever it was, Nell knew she’d see it through to the end. He stopped beside his car and opened the passenger door. Nell got in.
He was cold, and the long wait had given all his fears the chance to settle heavily around his heart. But Hugo had found out what he wanted from life, and he wasn’t going to give it up without a fight.
Nell’s warmth hadn’t changed. He still felt it, binding them together the way it always had. If her voice was tempered with sadness, it was the sadness that he felt in his own heart, too.
She pulled off her knitted hat, putting it in her lap with her gloves. She was staring at the steering wheel, as if that was safe middle ground. Not straight ahead, Nell was never that cold. Not at him, because he’d broken her heart. She didn’t need to say it; he could see it in her eyes.
‘Nell, I’ve thought about this a lot, and there are only four things that truly matter.’
She glanced at him, turning her gaze away quickly. ‘Four?’
‘Yes. That you follow your calling as a doctor. That I follow mine. That’s two. The third, and most important, is that I love you.’
‘But...you don’t want me.’
‘I’ve always wanted you, Nell. I sent you away because I thought I couldn’t have you without you having to sacrifice number one. Now I know better.’
She turned suddenly, wide-eyed. ‘And the fourth?’
‘That’s up to you. If you love me, then we can work everything else out.’
Her lip began to quiver. If she cried now he wouldn’t be able to stop his own tears. Maybe that was just yet another proof of the connection that he felt with Nell.
‘What about Montarino?’
Hope thumped almost painfully in his chest, and he ignored it. It was just his heart beating, and that was proof that he could live long enough to show Nell how much he loved her.
‘There are people who will oversee the building of the clinic, just as well as I can. The royal calendar can do without me from time to time, my parents have it all pretty well tied down. Montarino doesn’t need me, it was me who needed Montarino. I needed something to dedicate myself to.’
‘And you don’t now?’ She frowned, shaking her head. ‘Hugo, you love the place.’
‘Yes, I love it. It’ll always be my home. But you’re the one and only love of my life, Nell. You’re a lot more important to me.’
Her gaze searched his face. Then one tear dropped from her eye, tumbling down her cheek. ‘You’re the one and only love of my life, too.’
He reached for her, wishing that they were somewhere less cramped so he could hold her properly. But it didn’t matter. Hugo knew what really mattered now, and that was being able to look into her eyes. Wipe away her tears and brush a kiss onto her lips.
‘Where are you staying?’ Finally she broke the warm silence that curled around them like a blanket.
‘At the Grand.’
‘That’s right across town!’