“I’m upstairs in my bedroom I won’t be” Before she could finish her sentence Bette was in the room with her “.a minute.”

“I was missing you” said Bette all bright-eyed like a puppy, “And anyway I need to familiarise myself with geography of your home.  You know just in case you invite me around.” Bette at least had the good grace to blush slightly as she said this.

“You really are full of yourself this morning aren’t you?” Tina said, thinking Bette was like an excitable child on Christmas morning.

“I’ve told you I feel very lucky today.”

“Actually Bette, I feel lucky too.”  Tina leant in to Bette and gave her a tender kiss.

Bette picked up Tina’s weekend bag and made her way downstairs.

Tina made one last check on the doors and windows and said “OK we can go now.”

They climbed in Bette’s Volvo XC90 and within fifteen minutes they were on the M11 motorway headed out to Bette’s family home.

“So Bette who will I meet this weekend?”

Let’s see.  Well Daddy aka Sir Melvin will be there and Mummy’s supposed to be home this week and one or both of my brothers might be there.”

“That’s a point, what do I call your father?

“Officially you’re meant to call him Sir Melvin but he doesn’t object to being called Melvin, just let him suggest it and you’re supposed to call Mummy Lady Marjorie, but she prefers to be called Lizzie in an informal setting.  And my brothers are Hal and Teddy.”

They drove along chatting about this and that, singing along to songs on the radio.  In the times of companionable silence Tina reflected on her life over the last 48 hours and what was in store for the next 48 hours, if she thought too hard it made her head spin.  Bette was right, they just had to take each day as it came and Bette didn’t appear at all disconcerted when Tina said she had strong feelings for her.  She looked over at Bette who was driving the powerful car confidently; Bette must have sensed Tina looking at her because she reached over and took Tina’s hand in hers and brought to her mouth and kissed it.

“Penny for them” Bette said.

“Oh, I’m just daydreaming.”

“About?”

“Nothing really.”

“About?”

“About you and me.”

“I’m encouraged by that” Bette said cheekily, gently squeezing Tina’s hand.

“You see I shouldn’t have said anything, the last thing you need Miss Porter is encouragement!”

They drove along with Tina’s hand in Bette’s resting on Tina’s thigh.  Tina was dozing slightly she was pulled from her reverie by Bette gently calling her.

“Tina, Tina sweetheart, wake up we’re almost there.  And look!  There’s Lilly!”

“Lilly?  Who’s Lilly?”

“How could I forget to mention that Lilly would be here, she is after all the love of my life?”

Tina’s stomach dropped at this statement.  Oh my God what a fool I’ve been, I’ve exposed myself emotionally to Bette and I’m stranded in the middle of Essex, without a car fifty miles from home while she spends the weekend with the ‘love of her life’.  Tina closed her eyes determined not to let the tears she could feel building spill over and thought to herself I don’t believe this is happening.

Bette  pulled up on the gravel in front of an ornate Tudor manor house and no sooner had she parked she was out of the vehicle shouting “Lilly, Lilly I’ve missed you so much baby.” And with that Lilly threw herself in to Bette’s waiting arms.

TBC