CHAPTER THREE

Laura stared at the clock listening intently to the ticks as the seconds faded away.  She hadn’t moved from the sofa since he closed the door to the bedroom and for all essential purposes, to their life together.  It had been three hours since he walked out, leaving her to go back to Los Angeles alone.  Hearing the sound of the doorknob turning, Laura’s jumped from the sofa in anticipation of his return and the chance to ask his forgiveness.  Instead, she was greeted by Mildred carrying a tray with a tea service and cookies.  Crushed, Laura sank back down to the sofa while tears streamed down her cheeks.  “What have I done, Mildred, what have I done?”

“Oh, it’s okay honey.  He’s probably just out taking a walk and lost track of time.  You know the boss, he’ll be back.  He always comes back.”

“No he doesn’t Mildred.  If we hadn’t have found him in London, who’s to say that he would have come back at all?  He took everything with him back then, everything.” She looked around the ornately decorated room.  “Look around at His Lordship’s newest toy Mildred.  He doesn’t need to play Remington Steele anymore. He doesn’t need the money anymore.”  Her voice trailed off and in almost a whisper she added, “He doesn’t need me…”

“Oh Miss Holt, you’re upset and worried.  I know him, he’s just working out some frustration and he’ll be back.  So what if he doesn’t need the cash.  So what if he’s got a new title to walk around with. It doesn’t mean anything if he doesn’t have someone to share it with.  And that someone is you.  He ADORES you. He’s giving the castle away and not just because it’s buried in debt, it’s because of you.”

“Are you sure Mildred?”  Laura asked mustering all of the courage she could.

“Of course I’m sure honey.  But you’re not going to do anybody any good if you’re spending the entire day staring at a clock in your bathrobe.  Why don’t you take a hot bath, get dressed and go for a walk too.  By the time you get back I’ll bet the boss will be here too and the two of you can patch things up in no time.”

“Maybe you’re right Mildred.  Thanks.”  Laura took a cup of tea and headed to the bathroom.  Mildred left the room and searched for Micheline to enlist his help.  Their mission: find Mr. Steele and bring him home.

Laura emerged from the bathroom about half an hour later and after scanning the room for the slightest clue that he may have come back, resigned herself to the knowledge that he still wasn’t there.  She walked out the door half encouraged by Mildred’s words that he’d be back and half feeling that he’d gone forever.  She took the keys to one of the cars and drove to Glen Cree.

Remington sat on a stool and drowned his sorrows at Finnegan’s pub.  Surrounded by Irishmen singing, soccer on the television and darts being thrown in the background, he seemed oblivious to his surroundings.  The only thing he heard were her words as they repeated through his mind.  “How do I know what happened last night is anything more than what Daniel always said it was: a roll in the hay that leaves you free to go because you were only staying long enough to get what you wanted?”  He finished the whiskey and ordered another straight shot as a woman slid herself onto the bar stool next to him. 

She leaned in closer and asked, “What’s your pleasure, handsome?” 

He never raised his head from looking down at the bar.  “Whiskey and women, a lethal combination.”

“Sounds like you could use a little company.  What’s your name?”

“Rem… Harry.”

“Well Harry, looks like today’s your lucky day.  I’m Laura.”

Remington looked at her with an expression of disbelief and incredible sadness.  “Sorry, but I’ve had my share of Laura’s lately.”  With that, he downed the last of the whiskey, paid his tab and slowly walked out of the pub.  The chauffeur had been waiting for him the entire time and Remington tried to make him leave.  It wasn’t long before Micheline and Mildred received a phone call tipping them off to His Lordship’s location and the two headed to town.

At the same time, Laura aimlessly walked the streets of Glen Cree and tried to convince herself that Mildred was right.  She tried to distract herself with shopping but every store she wandered into had something that reminded her of him.  She was standing outside an antique shop when she closed her eyes and thought of last night.  How incredible it was to have his arms around her, how safe she felt knowing that they were together at last, how nothing could erase the love they have for each other.  It was while she stood there that she felt an arm wrap around her waist.  Still caught in the moment, Laura left her eyes closed and leaned back against his chest.  She wanted nothing more than to feel his body next to hers and hear the sound of his gentle breathing.  She tilted her head and said, “I was hoping you would come back.”

“I told you I would.”

Suddenly Laura spun around and in utter shock looked at the man who had grabbed her.  “Tony!  What are you doing here?”  She pulled herself out of his grip.

“I told you I wasn’t giving up on you Laura.  You hung up on me last night and I knew something was going on.  Now I find you out here wandering the streets and if it wasn’t me you were expecting to come back then who was it, him?”

Laura tried to simply walk away but Tony remained in step with her.  “Tony, I’ve told you, there can’t be anything between us.  Why can’t you get that through your head?”

“Because I don’t believe you Laura.  You say there’s nothing going on between us and then you kiss me in Los Angeles.”

“That was to make him jealous.”

“And then you show up at the Flamingo Club in London and start kissing me again.”

“That was to catch you by surprise so I could figure out what was going on between you and your ‘mate’.”

“Then you kiss me on the train.”

“You were being hunted by the police and wanted for murder.”

“But that was no ordinary kiss Laura.  You wouldn’t have pulled away so completely breathless.  Let’s not forget the castle bedroom.”

“I thought you were him.”

“And the kiss on this very sidewalk…”

“A kiss that you started and I told you then couldn’t go any further.” 

“So then answer my question Laura.”

“What question?”

“If he’s so important and he’s the only one in your life, then why am I standing here talking to you instead of him?”

His words cut through her like a knife.  Laura turned away with tears in her eyes once again and started to walk away.  Tony reached out and grabbed her arm.  He pulled her to his body and tried to hold her.  Laura pushed away and shook her head.  “No,” she said.  “Please Tony, I can’t do this.”

“Can’t do this why?  Because he might see us or someone might tell him that we’re together, or because you’re afraid that what you’re feeling might be more real than you’re willing to admit.  Why Laura?”

He reached out once more but she pulled away.  She took two steps backwards and started to go but turned back one last time.  “Because I love him.”  It was the first time she had ever said it out loud and with those words, she once again began walking down the lonely road, leaving Tony standing on the sidewalk as rain slowly began to fall.