Chapter 20

They met as arranged but Tina was accompanied my Merle and Tania. Merle flung her arms round Christopher.

"Bend down, you giraffe," she ordered. "You need kissing."

He did as he was told and her hands went to his head to hold him still while she delivered a really smacking kiss.

"Well done!" Another kiss. "You are the best thing that could ever have happened to her." Another kiss. "I'm so happy for you both." Final kiss.

Then it was Tania's turn. She was rather more restrained. She did kiss him but then said quietly, "Congratulations, Christopher. I'm thrilled for both of you." Her smile endorsed that.

At the expense of some teasing but many congratulations Christopher had made some enquiries among his friends at work and had come up with the names of two jewellers at Hatton Garden.

They were greeted warmly. The salesman looked appreciatively at Tina.

"My goodness!" he said. "With that hair and those eyes you're going to put any gemstone to shame, be it sapphire or ruby. In fact, I would recommend a plain diamond or diamonds."

He was right. They tried sapphires and rubies which were beautiful but which as soon as she put them on seemed to fade. In the end they chose a solitaire diamond which seemed to reflect the colour of her hair and eyes.

Tina was utterly thrilled with it and when Christopher put it on her finger was unable to restrain herself, bursting into tears and flinging her arms round him. Order was finally restored and they left, Christopher quite a lot poorer but ecstatically happy at Tina's joy.

They found a pub on the way back for a quick light lunch. Christopher was far from certain that she would manage to eat anything. Her right hand held his left and she had to keep looking at her ring on the other when she squeezed the hand she was holding and looked up at him her face a picture of happiness.

He was thrilled, not just by her exuberant love for him but that she really had thrown off the shackles of her shame and had once again become the girl he had always thought her to be.

The rest of the week flashed by so happy were they and they drove down on Friday evening to Christopher's home. The traffic was as bad as the last time but with the summer evening it was still light and once they were west of Basingstoke Tina was able to see what Christopher meant by lovely countryside. They were also free of underlying worries.

They were both warmly welcomed. Sarah swept Tina into her arms and kissed her warmly. Ben picked her up like Christopher and gave her an equally warm kiss. Even the dogs seemed to remember her although they reserved their main attention for Christopher.

"Come in. Come in," Sarah ordered. "Leave your stuff for the moment. Drinks. It's well past the witching hour and Ellie should be here at any minute. She promised to get away in good time."

She was indeed, arriving only ten minutes later. She hugged and kissed Tina and then, being a good eight inches taller, whirled her round joyously. She then attacked Christopher leaping into his arms and kissing him.

"I've said it before but I'll say it again," she said as she released him, "I am so, so hap-hap-happy for you both."

Then she had to hug Christopher again. The parents looked on happily. They had always known of Ellie and Christopher's deep love for each other but had wondered what their reaction might be, particularly Ellie's, at either of them falling in love. They needed to have had no worries.

"Now," said Sarah when order had been restored, "we're bursting to hear the story of the dramatic weekend."

Christopher started. The two of them had rehearsed it. He told of his attraction for Tina from the start in January and of her reticence leading to him dropping her. Tina then told of her rape and subsequent shame, her move to Bromley-by-Bow and the threat from her landlord.

Ben was white with shock. Sarah was weeping silently. Ellie knew the first bit but at the mention of the threat her jaw dropped.

"S-so," went on Tina, "I rang the one person I knew who would and could help me and asked him to come and pick me up on Saturday morning at eight."

"We had a bit of an argument about that," said Christopher picking up the story, "but she wouldn't budge so I decided to do sentry duty until eight. Fat lot of good I was at that. I fell asleep somewhere around three."

"Sleeping on sentry duty. Court-martial offence," murmured Ben which lightened the mood slightly.

"At about half past five," Tina took up the tale, "I was woken up by a flash of light from the front window and saw someone climbing through. It was my landlord. I screamed and was bundled back in my bed and one arm was pushed into my mouth to stop me screaming any more. Then another man came in through the window and my landlord told him to close it in case I managed to scream again. Then he told me that they were there to collect my first week's increase in rent and I knew what he meant. The second guy dropped his trousers and grabbed my legs."

"Her scream woke me and I rang the police," Christopher went on. "I couldn't wait for them to arrive so I charged the door down."

He then went on to tell the rest of the story including how shaken Tina had been but yet how brave and how she had still shown her sense of humour even though she still needed a lot of cuddling and did not want to be left alone.

They both told how they had discussed her rape and how Christopher had persuaded her that she need feel no blame.

"By that time," said Christopher, "I had to tell her I loved her."

"But although I felt the same way I didn't feel I could tell him on the rebound. I talked to my old flatmates at lunch on Monday about it and was told in no uncertain terms to stop being an idiot. When we got back to Christopher's flat I was in a complete stew trying to find an opportunity and a way to tell him. He'd realised I was in a mess about something and said, 'Come on, Tina, spill it, ' so I did and after a big hug he proposed and I said yes."

"Whereupon in the middle of the next big hug my little sister rang and interrupted us."

Tears were pouring down Ellie's cheeks as well as Sarah's by this stage but she still managed to stick the tip of her tongue out at him.

There was a full half minute's silence while the three Coopers digested the story and then Sarah rose from her chair and knelt beside Tina.

"You poor little darling," she said and then reaching up hugged her. Tina hugged her back. They clung together.

Ellie followed her mother but went to Christopher. "I see what you mean about dramatic," she whispered. "Oh, Chris, I'm so proud of you."

She sat on his knees put both arms round his neck and clung to him.

Ben stayed where he was and said nothing. He had no opportunity. He was appalled by Tina's side of the story but very, very proud of his son. He would tell him so later in no uncertain terms when they had a moment to themselves.

At last Sarah disentangled herself and stood up. "Dinner in half an hour," she announced. "Ben darling, drinks. Ellie you come and give me a hand and you two stay there until you're called."