Page 78 of Three's a Crowd
They were still living in London but had moved to Richmond, eschewing the showiness of Primrose Hill where a number of Zach’s contemporaries seemed to have settled for the lovely river walks and quiet domesticity of the pretty town.
It was pitch black when they left the restaurant and Daisy pulled her jacket around her shoulders for warmth. Even though it had been balmy earlier, the temperature had dropped with the disappearance of the sun.
Zach put his arm around her and gently drew her away from the others.
‘We’ll see you back at the house in a bit,’ he called to Adam and Suzie as they started to head back to the holiday house.
They waved their hands in understanding and continued along the narrow road away from them.
‘Where are we going?’ asked Daisy, intrigued.
‘You’ll see,’ Zach said, with an enigmatic grin.
He led her down a shallow slope and towards the sea front. They walked in silence for a minute, taking in the gentle lapping of the sea against the beach and the dark night sky with its myriad of stars twinkling overhead.
Reaching the end of a short gangplank that led them down onto the beach, they gingerly stepped their way across the sand.
They found themselves in a small cove, with steep cliffs rising majestically ahead of them, the dwindling lights of the Cornish town where they were staying glinting in the distance. Zach took her hand and lead her to a small formation of rocks, near to where the cliff started to rise out of the sand, and motioned for her to sit down.
‘I found this place earlier on my walk. It’s so peaceful,’ he said, looking at her with love in his eyes.
‘Gorgeous,’ she breathed, feeling a little light headed under his adoring gaze.
What was going on here?
‘I have something for you,’ he said, pulling a small, black case out of his pocket.
Daisy suddenly had a strong sense of déjà vu.
Zach opened the lid of the box and offered it to her.
She gazed at the contents.
Her platinum friendship knot shone back at her, the diamond in the heart of it sparkling in the pale moonlight.
‘How—?’ she began, amazed at the sight of the beautiful piece of jewellery that she thought she’d lost forever. She’d admonished herself so many times since for her hasty actions on that dreadful night in Cannes all those years ago.
‘I had it commissioned a few months ago, from a design I drew,’ Zach said, lifting it gently out of the box and undoing the delicate clasp.
‘Oh! I thought this was the one I l-lost,’ Daisy stuttered in amazement.
‘No. That one’s still at the bottom of the Mediterranean, as far as I know,’ Zach said, with one eyebrow raised in mock disapproval.
‘So, that one…’ she started, beginning to realise the full extent of what she had done.
‘Yes, I designed that one and had it especially made too. It’s one of a kind. Well, two of a kind now,’ he said, putting his arms around her neck and gently fastening the clasp.
Drawing back to look at her, he gave her an admiring nod. ‘Beautiful,’ he said, looking straight into her eyes now.
‘Oh, Zach, I’m so sorry,’ she said, devastated by the thought of her previous hurtful impulsivity.
He’d had that beautiful necklace made especially for her – had taken the time to design it himself – and she’d tossed it into the sea. No wonder he’d looked so horrified when she did it. She’d thought he’d just bought it at a jeweller’s shop – anexpensive one, obviously – but now she realised it had meant so much more to him.
‘I have a confession to make,’ he said. ‘It’s not a friendship knot.’ He looked at her steadily. ‘It’s a love knot. It always was, I just couldn’t tell you that.’
Looking into his dark eyes, she saw a flash of the old pain that used to be there.
‘I needed to be able to think of you wearing something of mine, even under false pretences, that told you how much I loved you.’ He smiled sadly at the bittersweet memory. ‘I’m sorry I lied to you. I promise I won’t ever do it again.’
