The Barn on Half Moon Hill by Milly Johnson Page A

contemplation.
    â€˜No, it doesn’t bloody help at all. I should put it up for sale but I paid far too much for it and I’ll end up making a loss, if I manage to sell it at all. I can’t
afford to do it up, so I’m stuck with it.’
    â€˜Do you have a key?’
    Cariad reached into the side pocket of her handbag. ‘I carry one with me just in case I’m on the verge of doing anything impulsive ever again,’ she said. ‘It reminds me
to shut my mouth.’ She walked over to the door and jiggled the key in the lock.
    They stepped inside and gazed around. Okay, so it had a Swiss-cheese roof and straw on the floor, but the main room still held the air of a dancing studio. Cariad could clearly see it restored
in her mind’s eye, and it was torturous.
    â€˜Would you be a good dance teacher?’ asked Franco.
    â€˜I’d be the best, I’ll have you know,’ Cariad threw back at him, mightily aggrieved.
    Franco bowed. ‘May I have the pleasure of this dance, Miss Williams? I promise I won’t do the
Dirty Dancing
lift.’
    Cariad was about to tell him not to be so daft, but her limbs betrayed her and her hands came out to meet his. Together they gently waltzed around the dilapidated room and, as they did so,
Franco Mezzaluna had an idea.
    â€˜Pregnant?’ Jacques mouth formed the words, but no sound came out.
    Eve nodded. ‘Nearly three months. I haven’t been sick or anything, I just
knew
. I bought a pregnancy-testing kit that day in Manchester and it confirmed it.’
    â€˜And things got all mixed up in your head. Then throw some hormones into the mix.’ Jacques wrapped his arms around her and pressed his face into her dark-brown hair that smelled of
her lovely perfume. This news was the best Half-Christmas present he could have wished for.
    â€˜I haven’t told anyone I did the test. It wasn’t right anyone knew before you did.’
    â€˜So let’s go and announce it to the world,’ said Jacques, standing up. ‘Baby Glace is due on . . . when
is
the due date?’
    â€˜You really won’t believe me if I tell you.’
    Jacques made a quick mental calculation and then guessed it was Christmas Day – the date when Jonathan died. No wonder it had messed with Eve’s head.
    Of course, there was another way of looking at this.
    â€˜I think all the powers that be are trying to stamp out any bad memories you have of Christmas, don’t you?’ he said.
    Eve considered his suggestion. And then she thought back to the night when the candle flame she had kept lit for Jonathan suddenly went out. As if Jonathan himself had extinguished it so she
could let him go – and live her life.
    â€˜Oh, Jacques, I hadn’t thought of it that way. Do you think that could be true?’
    Jacques put his arm around her. ‘I wouldn’t rule it out as a possibility. Come on, let’s go and tell our family and friends the good news.’
    â€˜What do you think about having a business partner?’ asked Franco, suddenly coming to a stop, mid-twirl.
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜What if I paid for the renovations to this old barn and we became joint owners of the school. The Williams-Mezzaluna School of Dance. I’d let you have top billing.’
    â€˜Great idea,’ said Cariad, attempting to pull out of Franco’s arms. ‘I’d better ring you a taxi. They can take you straight to the loony bin.’
    But he wouldn’t let her go. ‘I’m serious. You know I love dance. My name would work as a draw, wouldn’t it? Would that pay off my debt to you?’
    â€˜That’s the most expensive fish and chips you’d ever buy then,’ Cariad said, laughing.
    Franco still didn’t release her. ‘I don’t just mean the debt for the meal, I mean for the support and for all those smiles you’ve given me over the years. I’ve
never been able to call