“You’re not mad at me for lying to you?”
“How could I be? What choice did you have? I’m honored that you trust me now. And you never slipped!”
“I almost do once in a while, but I’m pretty good at it by now. I’ve never told any man before, or anyone really, except Rose, Bert, and the nuns.”
“I’m truly honored,” he said again and meant it, and then looked at her with a broad smile. “Well, this certainly is interesting.” He had huge respect for her, even more than he’d had before, and it showed.
They talked about her writing career late into the night, in the library after dinner, and then they went upstairs and made love again. She was an honest woman now, and felt as light as air. She loved sharing the secret with him, and he teased her about it and had brought out a bottle of fabulous champagne to celebrate her confession and the fact that she was not secretly Mrs. Alexander Green, which was the greatest relief of Miles’s life.
He woke up in the morning smiling at her, and they went back to the city as late as possible, after riding in the hills one last time, and taking a long walk. He told her how much he loved her, and that he wanted to come back here with her as soon as they could get away.
And when he dropped her off at the house, she asked if he wanted to come in. He hesitated, not wanting to get caught, but there was no one to catch them now. She was living in the house alone.
“Are you sure Mr. Green won’t mind?” he teased her.
“I’ll talk to him. I handle him pretty well.”
“You certainly do, you devilish little creature I adore,” he said, and then followed her into the house, looking very circumspect, as though he were going to a meeting with the author himself at eleven o’clock at night. And as soon as they closed the door behind them, he kissed her, and they made love in the master suite, and then sat in the bathtub together for hours.
It was as though their two lives and hearts and souls had blended in the past three days.
“I don’t know how I’m going to pretend we’re just friends on the set tomorrow,” she said wistfully while they were sitting in the bathtub drinking champagne.
“Are you serious? You’ve been leading a double life as an imaginary man for six years, you can do damn near anything…and you write the best fucking books in the world. And I’m going to make you the best TV series you’ve ever seen.” He kissed her and grinned. “And then I’m going to make love to you for the rest of your life. You are the most wonderful woman I’ve ever known, even if you’re an incredible liar.” He laughed, set down his glass, and made love to her again.
Chapter 19
Miles left the house before she did the next morning, so her driver wouldn’t see him, or his car, and he hoped no one else would either. They had agreed that in the future, he would put his car in the garage, particularly when he spent the night. And they were exemplary on the set, friendly, cordial, and professional. No one would ever have suspected they had spent three days together, had made love incessantly, confessed their love for each other, and he knew the deepest secret of her life. At most, they seemed like friends and nothing more.
The actors were in good form again, and the filming moved forward at a rapid pace. Too rapidly for them. They got another break in early November, and hadn’t been back to his farm since the first time. There was snow on the ground, winter had come early, and they spent two heavenly days making love and trying to figure out their plans. They had made a pact that she would not tell anyone that she had shared her secret with him. It was better not to and would panic everyone. It was their secret now that he knew who Mr. Green was. And that he spent every night with her. He left every morning by seven, they worked together side by side, and he was back every night. She had never been happier in her life, and it was devastating for both of them when the filming was over. They had shot the whole first season of TV shows. It was mid-December, the nuns were expecting her in Boston for Christmas, and she had to make a decision whether to extend her lease on her apartment in New York. She hadn’t been there since the summer.
Miles was going to Johannesburg to see his children for Christmas, leaving in a week, and he had another show to produce in January, which would take him several months, so he would have no time to come to New York to see her.
They spent their last days together after the show was finished, at his farm. The production company had given up the house, and allegedly Mr. Green had gone to Montana on his plane the day after the shooting ended, and she was going to move back to Claridge’s, but disappeared to the farm with him instead. But this time it was not joyous, it was mournful. London was wearing all its finery for Christmas and looked festive, but they had to face that their time together was over. They couldn’t be with each other every day on the set, fall asleep in each other’s arms, or wake up side by side in the morning. And she was going to start a book in January in New York, while he worked on his new project in England. The thought of not seeing each other every day was agonizing for both of them, and when he left her at Heathrow for her flight to JFK, they both cried. Alex was in a daze, alternately crying and sleeping as she flew home, and when she got to her apartment, he called her the minute she walked in and they talked for an hour. He was leaving for South Africa in two days and she was taking the train to Boston after meeting with Rose for lunch. Her latest book was currently number one on the bestseller list and Rose wanted to celebrate with her, but Alex was pining for Miles.
Mother MaryMeg noticed immediately that Alex seemed serious and more grown up when she met her at the train station, although the others didn’t see it. She asked if Alex was all right, and if everything had ended well in London, and Alex couldn’t lie to her either.
“I fell in love with the producer,” she said in a breathless voice as tears filled her eyes, and the mother superior’s heart went out to her.
“And did something go wrong?” She hoped not, but Alex looked devastated.
“No, it was perfect. We love each other. But he lives there and I live in New York. We don’t know what to do now.”
“Is he married?” MaryMeg couldn’t understand the problem.
“No, he’s divorced.”
“Do you think he’ll ask you to marry him?” Her heart took a little leap, thinking about Alex moving to London permanently this time, but she wanted her happiness above all. And like any child, Alex had never belonged to them. She was on loan. She belonged to herself now, and possibly to Miles.