Yorkshire Lady

Yorkshire Lady part 27

Part   27

Caroline slid off John and snuggled  close to him.   'I  do hope Guy can come out to play  sometimes when  we're back home'.

' He'd love to'.   John told her softly.

They lay together for some time  then a breeze from the sea prompted John to say.  'Time to head back do we think?'    

As they walked back into the villa Caroline suggested making some coffee to warm them up.  

 John had the  idea of a hot bath a deux.  Caroline wriggled and sighed happily at the thought of it so he went of to run them one   while she made coffee.

They lay in the  warm water feeling relaxed and languid basking in each other's closeness.......

Caroline's shy words of how much she'd enjoyed herself  were cut off  by a  succulent kiss from John  as he climbed out.   He wrapped a  towel around his own waist and lifting Caroline out  swathed her in another.  Like she was a little girl.    He  pressed  the tenderest of kisses onto her forehead.  ' Thank you'.  It was a quiet  awe filled sound that might have been the result of some  mystical experience.    His adoring smile set the seal on her joy   and they both got dressed.

On Tuesday they had a drive around the surrounding area, stopping off to  walk through ravishing villages and towns  or beautiful countryside.

They found an excellent market  and bought food for a picnic lunch, prawns and ingredients for a salad for supper and provisions for the next couple of days.

  They prepared their supper salad together and ate it with chilled white wine  and the prawns that they peeled and slipped into each other's mouths.

They  did without  coffee or a dessert,   preferring to settle on the sofa  for  some hight enjoyable kissing.

On their last  evening they  dined with  Dorothy and Jean Luc  who had already  booked  John, Caroline and the children in to stay with them in June  for Andy's wedding.

'We were unable to have  children ourselves'.   Jean Luc confided.  '  It  will make Dorothy very happy to have 2 little ones to fuss over'.

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Manchester was  having a surprisingly  fine day  as they walked out to their car with their luggage.

As soon as they were away from the airport,   Caroline  took out her mobile and  rang home, telling  Phyllis who answered that they were on the way home.    Then she dialled  Andy and Rebecca's number.

John was ashamed of the sense of unease  he felt whenever Caroline had to deal with Andy.

His wife's ex   was a  glamorous charismatic  international sex symbol   and sometimes he had a niggling worry about how he could compete.     Was she still attracted to Andy ?

It was odd that he could feel no such threat from her relationship with  her boys.

  Now she was asking to speak with Freddy and Charlie.   The longing unmistakable in her voice.

Her tone speaking to her boys was  full of a love not present when speaking to Andy  and she put down the phone with tears in her eyes.

'Only til tomorrow to wait now'.     John told her softly.  'I'm really looking forward to seeing them again too.'

The question in his mind was  niggling maddeningly.     Ask her you idiot.   He told himself firmly.    So he did.

'Caroline.............. Andy's.....well.   He's very glamorous and all that............I sometimes wonder if............you know............. Do you still have feelings for him. ?'

She smiled.  'John. John.     Andy is a fantasy figure for  a lot of women.   Some sort of  fairy tale prince.     But they haven't lived with him like I have  and been treated the way I was.

My  fairy tale prince is sitting right here with me now.   Andy Lawton doesn't get a look in.............Pull over to the hard shoulder......................' ( She took his hands  and kissed them).    'I love you  and I could never  say that to Andy'.

John kissed her softly   in  blissful relief.    '''I'm sorry.  Male insecurity   and I just love you so  much'. 

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Returning to  France for the wedding was a great pleasure.    Dorothy and Jean Luc were excellent hosts.   Freddy and Charlie  were as Mrs Boulton would have said  'ruined'    by their new honourary Aunt and Uncle.

The wedding  itself was a great deal more lavish and expensive  than John and Caroline's.   Paid for in part by the sale of the photos to  Hello magazine.   There was  something of a disagreement between  Caroline and  Andy about whether the boys should feature.

Caroline was adamant.    You can have them in photos but only ones that won't be sold to Hello.    I don't want my children  involved in that  circus thank you.

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July  brought 2 surprises  one wonderful  and the other not so.     

Caroline and   Simone had both  been feeling under the weather for a while.    One day at the start of the school holidays  Simone asked Caroline to come out for lunch in Hebden Bridge with her.

Over sandwiches  and scones  she cut to the chase.    'When  did you last have a period ?' She asked.    ' I've realised  mine was  March'. 

  Caroline thought over this and clapped a hand to her mouth.   'Me too......I think we ought to visit the chemists.'

20 minutes later  they each emerged  from a toilet cubicle and handed a small white wand to each other.     They both gazed at 2 blue lines.

They threw their arms around each other 'Congratulations honey !'

TBC