She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but it was a small space. A thin hall led to a square living room with a long window that looked on to the square. As Dominic switched on a lamp, she looked around, absorbing the details of the room, the details of the way he lived his life. There was a bookcase stuffed with novels, an olive-green sofa, pictures of far-flung places – deserts, jungle and mountains – lining the walls. The largest piece of furniture was a desk that stretched the length of the window.
There was a typewriter on the desk, together with a stack of Capital magazines and a pen pot. The place was sparse and ordered, a home that did not feel very lived in.
A small drinks trolley sat in the corner of the room. Dominic poured them each a whisky, then disappeared to the bathroom, returning with a wet flannel and a bottle of iodine.
‘Stay still,’ he said quietly as he stood behind her.
She could feel his breath on her neck, then the cold flannel on her crown and the iodine starting to sting.
‘Who were those men?’ she asked after a moment. ‘The men that came to the office. Who were they if they weren’t the police?’
‘You don’t want to know.’
‘I do.’ She winced as Dominic applied more iodine.
‘They deal with problems.’
‘Legally?’ asked Ros with a jolt of concern.
‘Yes, legally.’
‘So they’re Special Branch?’ she said, feeling curious.
‘Not exactly, but they’re friends of mine and I trust them. They will know how to deal with Brian.’
‘It was a good job you came up to the office,’ she said finally.
‘Yes, it was.’
‘Why did you come?’
‘I didn’t want the night to end as it did,’ he said, and she felt herself shiver.
‘What am I going to tell Sam?’
‘The truth.’
‘I still can’t believe it. I still can’t believe Brian would want to do a thing like that.’
‘I guess you never really know someone. Not truly.’
‘I’m not the person you think either,’ she said, turning round.
Dominic put the flannel on the desk.
‘Oh yes?’ he said, moving closer.
‘You’ve been so nice to me, and yet sometimes I’m a bitch to you.’
He gave a low, slow laugh. She liked his laugh. It was one of the many things she loved about him.
‘I don’t know why I do it. I don’t blame you for wanting to have nothing to do with me.’
He took another step towards her. They were so close now they were sharing the same air.
‘Ros, I knew you were trouble from the moment I heard the words “fire Dominic Blake” drifting through my office window. I’ve given this a great deal of thought, and to be honest, I think there’s only one way to shut you up . . .’
He tipped her chin up with his fingertips and then he kissed her, and it wasn’t the bump on her head or the trauma of the evening that made her feel weak and delirious. And as she kissed him back, tasting him, feeling his soft lips against hers, Ros knew with absolute certainty that Dominic Blake was the love of her life.