Guilty Love (Completed)

Chapter Forty

"No!" Ritchie firmly said.
"There's no need to tell them anything."

"But it's important to tell the truth, set the record straight..."

"The debt has been paid," Ritchie said.
"I paid it for you, and I don't want you to pay again."

"But........," she prompted and he put a finger on her lips, the coolness of his flesh against hers sending a shudder of sensitive awareness through her whole body.

"No buts. I'm deadly serious. You are not telling the police nor anyone else!"

She looked uncertainty at him, frowning. "I think I should..."

"No! If you told them, the police might feel forced to charge you, after all, they would have to admit they'd made a mistake, sent the wrong person to prison, so they would have to take steps to put matters right, wouldn't they? There was only one crime, why should two people pay the price for it? I've paid the debt to society and I don't want you paying too. So promise me, Linzi, promise me you won't tell anyone else what really happened."

"But I owe it to you above all!" she said unhappily.

Ritchie Shook his head, his face hard and insistent.
"Linzi, do as I ask, please. Promise me you won't breathe a word about any of this, except to the analyst we get you."

She gave a husky sigh. "I owe Barty the truth too, Ritchie."

"You don't owe him anything." He stroked her hair back from her distressed, uncertain face. "And I'm certain that if he was here now he'd say the same to you. You made him a good wife, you went on loving him long after many women would have given up on him, you tried to stay faithful and loyal when he had stepped beyond the bounds of the tolerable, and you put up with some stuff from him that you shouldn't have had to bear. But Barty died three years ago, darling. It's time to Bury him, forget the bad times and remember the good times, show him a little loving tenderness and say good-bye without any more bitterness or guilt. Let him rest in peace. Now that you know the truth I think you'll find it easier to do that."

She slowly nodded, her lip tremulous.
"My guilt held me back from saying good-bye to him all this time."

"Yes," he said simply.

She gave another long sigh.
"Oh, Ritchie, I wonder you can bear to talk to me, after all the pain I caused you!"

"I love you," he said quietly, then he opened the car door and came round to help her out, bent his dark head to kiss her mouth briefly, possessively. "Come inside now and let me show you just how much I love you," he whispered against her mouth.

She felt her heart turn over. The passion in his voice was spellbinding. Her mouth aching and burning from his kiss, she let him walk her towards the house, his arm around her waist, his step urgent, hurrying. The same fierce urgency possessed her. She couldn't wait to make love to him, she felt the hot need aching inside her body and her breathing was difficult. This time would be different, this time there would be no barriers of guilt and shame between her and Ritchie.

She lifted her glowing eyes to the blue sky. The sun was fully up now. Birds were singing in the Warwickshire wood, bluebells spread their blue mist under the oak and ash and beech trees. The bright day had begun, the world seemed newly minted. Linzi felt so light that she could almost have floated away into the cloudless sky...., finally free of the dark shadows of the past which had held her captive for si long.

Now she's looking forward living happily with Ritchie.
The man who loves her more than anything.

→ The End ←