Lauren followed Henry back through to the room where Lydia and Aurelia were waiting. He reached back for her hand and she took it willingly. She touched the tape in her pocket once more, just to make sure it was there. She felt guilty that she hadn't just told Henry outright, but she had to know that he would be willing to give it all up for her. If she was going to have his child, she needed to be sure that he loved her enough...

And what if Tony was wrong? What if this wasn't the only copy? When she had called him just now, he had seemed certain, and she wanted to trust him. She wanted to see Lydia's face when she realised that she had nothing.

When they entered the room, still hand in hand, Lauren registered the surprise on Lydia's face as she turned to look at her. Aurelia continued to stare vacantly ahead of her.

"What's going on?" asked Lydia.

"I'll sign your papers," said Henry, releasing Lauren's hand and stepping forward, "but on one condition."

Lydia turned in her seat to face him. "Name it."

"I won't marry Annabel. I won't ever agree to that because there's only one woman I want to marry."

Lauren watched, glancing up at Henry as he stood by her side. Lydia looked from one to the other of them, realisation spreading across her features. And then she laughed. "You would give it all up for her?" She clapped her hands together and rocked back and forth. "This is brilliant!"

Henry stepped around the sofa and sat down, taking his pen from his pocket and taking off the lid. He stared up at Lydia. "If you agree, I'll sign wherever you want."

His pen hovered over the papers, and Lydia stared at him. Lauren knew time was running out; she had to step in and stop him signing everything over. He was willing to do it; he was willing to give the whole lot to Lydia and Aurelia. Everything he had ever known as a child; everything his father had wanted him to have. Here he was, ready to give it up, just so Lauren would take him back.

Lydia reached over the table and took his pen from his hand, shuffling through the papers. She laid them out on the table in front of her and scratched out certain paragraphs, which no doubt referred to the betrothal to Annabel. Then she passed them back and handed him the pen. "Go ahead. Sign them, and the two of you can run off and live like peasants. It'll be blissful."

Lydia's words lit a fire in Lauren, and just as Henry leant forward, his pen almost to the paper, she stepped up to the back of the sofa and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Wait." He turned to look at her without speaking, his eyes questioning. "We should watch this tape first." She pointed at the laptop, it's screen surprisingly large, almost like a small tv. "I would like to see what you've got on us," said Lauren, resisting the urge to smile.

"Why certainly. It'll be like a home video session for all the family," said Lydia, tapping Aurelia's knee.

Henry was still twisted around, staring at Lauren, and she knew he was wondering what she was playing at. But she didn't look down at him, and continued to stare at the screen instead.

As the images flicked over the screen, Lauren felt a moment of doubt as she watched Henry, his image small, walking towards the door. The door through which she was about to walk. Was Tony telling the truth? Had he actually switched the tapes? Lauren crossed her fingers behind her back and waited.

The first indication something wasn't right was the film beginning to wobble. And then the camera swung round and Tony's grinning face filled the screen. Lydia gasped and Henry turned to Lauren, his eyes wide. And Lauren smiled despite the pain in her lip, realising what Tony had done. He had filmed the moment that Annabel had watched the tape from his own footage, zooming right in on her tiny tv screen. It explained why the shot was so blurred. And then Tony began to speak.

"I really don't think this video is suitable for private viewing." He continued to smile idiotically. "So I've replaced it with something much more appropriate. Enjoy." The image shuddered and Tony disappeared to be replaced with a cartoon. Lydia squealed, her hands to her mouth as Hakuna Matata began to play, from the Disney film, The Lion King.

Lauren began to laugh, and Henry looked at her, his mouth breaking into a wide smile. A smile she hadn't seen for a long time; a smile that showed genuine amusement. The smile of a man with no worries.

Lydia stood up. "What is this? What's going on?"

"Looks like you have nothing," said Henry, laughing, reaching out for Lauren's hand and moving towards her.

Lauren smiled and took Henry's hand; thank god for Tony. And really, what he had done was pretty funny. Lydia's face was priceless. For the first time, Lauren dared to hope that there might actually be a chance for her and Henry.

There was a crash and the music stopped; Lauren turned back to see that Lydia had flung the laptop to the floor. "Where's the tape?"

"What tape?" asked Lauren, delighting in provoking her.

"The one with...the one..." Lydia's cheeks were red, her hands pulling at her hair.

Lauren slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out the tape. She held it up. "Oh, this one?" Lydia's jaw dropped. "I don't think anyone needs this anymore," she said, taking a step towards the fire, slipping her hand from Henry's. She held out the tape, dangling it before the fire, but before she tossed it into the flames Henry touched her arm.

"Wait," he whispered, before turning back to Lydia. "I don't think anyone will be signing anything today, do you?" he said, striding back towards the table and scooping up all the papers. He shook them in Lydia's face. "How does it feel to know you've been outsmarted? You have nothing. I want you out of my house, before I have you forcibly removed."

Henry tossed the papers into the fire, and Lydia groaned as the flames licked them. Lauren stared as they disintegrated. "You little whore," said Lydia, her voice tight as she screamed, lunging at Lauren. "I should have known -" She reached out but Lauren took a step backwards and Henry stepped between them, grabbing Lydia and holding her fast.

"Burn the tape," he said, still staring at Lydia, his eyes full of hatred. "Burn it." He laughed and pushed Lydia away. "Now get out."

Lydia backed off, retreating to where Aurelia sat, motionless. "Come on," she said, urging Aurelia to get up.

Henry moved towards her again. "I don't think so. I'm not letting you take my sister anywhere. I know you don't really care about her. You were only in it for the money-"

"I don't need money -"

"Of course you do. Everyone does. Marcus was paying you, wasn't he? Paying you to take me down, if you promised the club to him. If you kept his name out." Lydia's body jerked in a half-flinch, half-shrug. It was more than enough confirmation. "And you got greedy."

"Fine," she screamed. "But I wanted to take you down because you a misogynistic, homophobic asshole." Lauren moved away; Lydia was raging like a mad woman now, her limbs flailing. She was hopeless, pathetic.

"If you don't leave, I'll have you forcibly removed," said Henry, his voice scarily calm in comparison to Lydia's ranting. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, her fists balled tightly at her sides.

"I'll never forget this, Henry Banville. Don't think you've escaped that easily," she muttered as she collected her broken laptop and her handbag and left the room. Lauren wanted to laugh at the way Lydia tried to remain poised, impressive, as she strutted from the room. But it was all a front; she had nothing on Henry, and now she would never get anything.

When the door closed behind her, Henry stepped towards Lauren and she let him take her in his arms. "I thought it was all over...I thought she had won," he said, whispering into her hair.

Lauren looked up at him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I had the tape. I just wanted to see her face, when she watched it."

Henry laughed. "Completely worth it. I love you, you little genius," he said, planting a kiss on the end of her nose.

"It wasn't me. It's Tony you should be thanking-"

"Another man head-over-heels in love with Lauren Taylor? Why am I not surprised?"

"He's not -"

Henry raised an eyebrow. "Of course he is. He did all that for you. I'm pretty sure he didn't do it for me."

Lauren knew Henry was right. Tony was a good guy, and he definitely cared for her. But she could never love him, she could never feel about him the way she did about Henry. She didn't know what to say, so she just nodded into Henry's shoulder.

"Will you marry me?"

"What?" Lauren snapped her head back from his chest and looked up.

"You're all I want -"

"I can't say yes to that."

Henry stepped back, still holding her arms on either side. "Why not?"

"Because you haven't even met my parents," she said, but she couldn't help smiling.

Henry laughed. "I'd be more than willing..."

Lauren tilted her head to the side. "Well, my mum is hosting her annual drinks party tonight..."

Henry smiled and Lauren swelled with joy to see it. "If we're going to Essex, then we need to get you cleaned up first." And with that he swept her into his arms and carried her across the room.

"Wait," said Lauren, just as they reached the door. "What about Aurelia?"

Henry turned and looked over his shoulder at his sister. "Hey Reily," he called, and she looked up. "We're going to a party tonight."

And then she smiled.

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THE END

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