by Helen Brooks
‘No. Other than me, her only relatives are a pair of elderly grandparents.’
‘Poor little thing!’ He smiled wryly. ‘As you can probably tell,I was trying to find out whether I was trespassing on someone’s preserves.’
‘If you were I would have said no,’ she assured him, and got on with her excellent dinner. The meal passed very pleasantly, they opted for coffee at the table afterwards, but when they left the dining room Kate stopped at the foot of the main staircase in the hall and held out her hand.
‘I’ll say goodnight now, Philip.’
‘Shall I see you at breakfast in the morning?’
She shook her head smiling. ‘I’m not a morning person. I’ll probably see you at school later on.’
‘I hope so. Goodnight, Kate.’ He shook her hand very formally. ‘Thank you for your company.’
Once she reached her room Kate rang reception to order breakfast there instead of in the dining room as she would have much preferred. Having dinner with a stranger was one thing, breakfast a different thing entirely. Philip Brace, she suspected, was another man finding it hard to adjust to single status.
Kate’s phone rang when she was settled down in bed with a book. She checked the caller ID and smiled smugly. ‘Hello, Jack.’
‘Are you in your room?’ he asked, ‘or have I interrupted your dinner?’
‘I’ve had dinner. I’m reading in bed.’
‘Anna Maitland told me where you were this weekend. Why couldn’t you have told me?’
‘Last time we spoke you weren’t exactly friendly.’
‘I’d just heard you’d been to the theatre with Forster.’
‘It’s not against the law.’
‘True. Why didn’t you tell me where you were going this weekend?’
‘To be honest, Jack, it never occurred to me.’
‘God, you’re a cruel woman!’
‘Why did you want to speak to me tonight?’
‘Must I have a reason?’
‘It’s a bit late for a chat,’ she said tartly.
‘I waited until now to avoid interrupting your dinner. Was it good?’
‘Very good indeed.’
‘Did you dine alone?’
Kate ground her teeth. ‘As it happens, no. The father of one of the other pupils is staying here. He suggested we join forces.’
‘Is he with you now?’
‘No, Jack,’ she snapped. ‘I told you. I’m in bed.’
Jack chuckled. ‘You’re annoyed.’
‘Such intuition! Is that why you rang? To annoy me?’
‘No. I rang to invite you to dinner at Mill House next Saturday. With the Maitlands and the Beresfords.’
‘Ah. Lucy won’t be livid after all, then.’
‘Run that past me again?’
‘I spoke to Anna earlier. She didn’t know you’d invited Mrs Beresford.’
‘Were you offended because I hadn’t asked you?’
‘Not in the least. You’re obviously repaying Anna’s hospitality. You haven’t had any from me.’
‘No,’ he agreed with a sigh, ‘just hostility.’
‘Nonsense. I’ve given you coffee.’
‘Did you give Richard Forster coffee?’
‘No. He left me very correctly on my doorstep.’
‘Are you seeing him again?’
Kate bristled. ‘As a matter of fact, he suggested dinner tonight, but Jo had a prior call on my time.’
‘Good. If he suggests next Saturday, tell him I have a prior call on your time.’
‘I most certainly will not. Besides, I haven’t accepted your invitation yet, Jack.’
‘You mean you’ve got some other man on a string as well?’
‘I could be seeing Philip Brace.’
‘Who the hell is he?’
‘The man I had dinner with tonight. He lives in Worcester. It’s not far to drive.’
‘Do you intend seeing him again?’
‘None of your business, Jack.’
Instead of hanging up on her as Kate half expected Jack laughed in her ear. ‘It is, you know. Are you coming next Saturday or not?’
‘I might as well.’
‘I’ll take that as a yes.’ He paused. ‘By the way, are you having breakfast with your new friend in the morning?’
‘Yes,’ lied Kate angrily, and disconnected, seething. Jack had absolutely no right to interfere in her social life. If she wanted to see other men she would, damn his eyes. But as she calmed down she was forced to admit the unpalatable truth. Compared with Jack Logan, all other men paled into insignificance.
Kate would have felt a whole lot better if she could have seen Jack pacing round his kitchen at Mill House at that very moment, cursing himself for behaving like a jealous school-boy. He was supposed to be patient, he reminded himself savagely. The plan was to win her back, not drive her away for good. He stopped dead so suddenly he stepped on Bran, who yelped in anguish. As he stroked the dog in apology Jack gave thanks for the second chance life had given him. This time he would make sure he took full advantage of it. He’d had no thought of marrying again, ever, until he’d met up with Kate again. He’d made work his life. But work was no longer enough. He wanted Kate back in his life for good this time, as his wife. When the time was right he’d tell her that and put his mother’s ring back on her finger where it belonged.
There was no sign of Philip Brace when Kate arrived at the school next day and she drove Joanna back to lunch at the hotel with a light heart, prepared to savour every minute as her companion chattered happily throughout the deliberately careful journey.
The meal was a conventional roast, and Joanna ate hugely and then wandered with Kate in the hotel grounds in the pale winter sunshine afterwards.
‘I’ve got another Sunday out before the end of term,’ she informed Kate. ‘But no Saturday.’
‘Never mind. I’ll drive over and back the same day, but you can still eat here if you like.’
‘Is it very expensive?’ asked Jo anxiously.
‘No,’ said Kate firmly. ‘It’s starting to rain. Let’s watch television before tea.’
‘I get tea as well?’ said Jo rapturously.
‘You bet.’ Kate cast an eye at the slender, long-legged child, already as tall as her aunt. ‘Where do you put it all?’
The afternoon passed far too quickly for Kate, but to her relief they arrived at the school just after Emma and Jane, Jo’s bosom pals. In the flurry of introductions to parents and the comparisons the girls were making about their lunch, the dreaded parting was less painful than expected and Kate was halfway home before she remembered Philip Brace.
It was an unpleasant journey, with sleet slithering against the windscreen all the way. Her brightly lit house was a hugely welcome sight when Kate eventually turned into Park Crescent, and with a sigh of relief she locked the car, hurried into the house, deactivated the alarm, then locked her front door and threw the bolts. She’d turned off her mobile phone rather than have it ring while she was driving, and as halfexpected there was a message waiting from Jack demanding a call when she got home.
She reported in to Anna first and then rang Jack.
‘I’m back,’ she said, in response to the barked ‘Logan’ in her ear.
‘Thank God for that; I was worried. It’s a hell of a night.’
‘Tell me about it. Freezing fog added to driving sleet for the last few miles.’
‘Do you have the right kind of phone in your car?’
‘No.’
‘Then get one, Kate. It’s only common sense when you’re driving long distances alone.’
‘Yes, Dad.’
‘I’m not your father!’
‘True. You’re my friend.’
He breathed in audibly. ‘How was your day? Did your niece have a good time?’
‘I think so. She certainly ate well. Jo must have a fantastic metabolism; she’s as slender as a reed.’
‘Takes after her aunt. By the way,
did you manage to avoid your dinner partner today?’
‘I forgot all about him when I took Jo back to school. I was too busy being bright and cheerful to give him a thought.’
‘Good.’
‘Why good, Jack?’
‘Save your thoughts for me, Kate. I’ll be in touch before Saturday. Sleep well.’
Kate woke next morning to the discovery that she’d slept very well indeed. During the week she had spent restless nights, worrying over what she would find when she saw Jo again. But reassurance over Joanna had combined with a tiring journey home and the gratifying chat with Jack to give Kate her best night’s sleep for quite a while.
When the Suttons decided to send Joanna away to school Kate had been against the idea, convinced that the child would be miserable away from her family at the tender age of eight. But Jo had taken to boarding school life like a duck to water. And when Elizabeth and Robert were so cruelly removed from her young life the security of the familiar school background was a contributing factor in helping Jo to cope with her loss. And she still has me, thought Kate, as she wrote to Jo to tell her how much she’d enjoyed their weekend together. She made no mention of the extra care she’d taken on the drive back to ensure the safety of one of the few relatives Joanna Sutton had left in the world.
CHAPTER SIX
THE prospect of dinner at Mill House added a tinge of excitement to a week that was busier than usual. After Kate’s weekend away she was obliged to labour hard and long to finish the dining room in the time left over from the work that brought in the money. She even refused an invitation to supper with Anna and Ben mid week, too tired by evening for anything more strenuous than a bath and an early night.
‘I’ll be seeing you on Saturday, anyway,’ she said, when Anna objected.
‘I was hoping you’d come shopping with me on Friday first, Kate. I need something new for Saturday.’
‘You’ve got loads of clothes.’
‘I can’t get into the formal stuff. My waistline’s expanding by the day. Lord knows what I’ll be like by the time Junior actually arrives.’
In the end Kate agreed to an hour’s shopping before the afternoon painting session. ‘But one hour only,’ she warned.
The hour expanded into an entire afternoon with a tea break incorporated into it, rather than afterwards in Park Crescent, due to Anna’s aversion to paint smells.
‘Can’t cope in my condition,’ said Anna, eyeing her reflection in a changing room. ‘What do you think? The silk tunic and skirt, or the dress I tried on first.’
‘That shade of blue looks great on you,’ said Kate, and grinned. ‘But so does the black dress. Buy both. Ben won’t mind.’
Anna took the advice she wanted to hear, but no amount of coaxing persuaded Kate to buy something.
‘I’ve got enough from my former life to last me for ages. No point in wasting money on something new.’ Kate patted Anna’s hand. ‘I promise I won’t let you down again. No jeans this time.’
‘You didn’t let me down,’ protested her friend. ‘You made all the other women green with envy. Did you wear jeans when you had dinner with Jack?’
Kate shook her head. ‘I thought we were eating out, so I honoured him with the dress intended for your party—the one I wore at your place at Christmas.’
‘The drop-dead job with the cleavage?’ Anna grinned. ‘That must have got his juices flowing.’
‘Is pregnancy to blame for this sudden earthiness of yours, Mrs Maitland?’
‘No, just for my appetite. I need tea and cream cakes right now!’
By the time Anna dropped her off at home Kate had lost all enthusiasm for more painting. There was only one wall left to do and that, she decided, could wait. Now she had a sitting room worthy of the name she would spoil herself and stretch out on her new chaise to read instead of doing any one of a long list of things she should be doing instead. She enjoyed a whole hour deep in the intricacies of a courtroom thriller before the telephone rang to spoil her fun.
‘Richard here, Kate. How are you?’
‘I’m well. How are things with you?’
‘Busy. Did you enjoy your weekend?’
‘I did, very much. Nasty journey back, but it was worth it.’
‘I’m sure it was. Look, Kate, I know this is short notice, but are you free tomorrow? A film, meal, anything you like.’
‘Sorry, Richard. I’m already booked for dinner tomorrow.’
Kate could feel her face growing pink during a pause which lasted too long for comfort.
‘Is that the truth?’ he asked at last, ‘or is it your way of letting me down lightly?’
‘Richard,’ said Kate on impulse. ‘Are you going home about now?’
‘Yes. I’m just locking up.’
‘Would you like to call here for a drink first?’
‘Of course I would. See you soon.’
Kate checked on the contents of the fridge and went back to the sitting room to her book. When she heard a car stop outside she put a marker in her page and got up to answer the door, then stared in dismay.
‘You were expecting someone else?’ Jack inquired sardonically.
‘Yes, I am.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s a bit awkward, but come in, if you like.’
‘But you’d rather I made myself scarce.’
‘Yes, please. I’ll explain later.’
He threw her a flinty look, strode to the Jensen at the kerb and drove off with a growl of engine just as Richard Forster’s car turned into the Crescent.
‘Was that Logan?’ he asked as he got out.
‘Yes. Do come in.’
Kate showed him into the sitting room. ‘I can offer you beer or a glass of wine. Or medicinal brandy,’ she added as an afterthought, feeling rather in need of one herself.
‘Beer would be good. Attractive house,’ he added, looking round.
‘Thank you. I won’t be a moment.’ Kate took a can of beer and a tonic from the fridge, filled two glasses and went back to the sitting room.
Richard took the beer and stood in front of the fireplace with the air of a man not expecting to stay long. ‘You’ve asked me here for a reason, Kate,’ he said without preamble. ‘Will you tell me what it is?’
‘It seemed better to talk to you face to face.’ She drank some of her tonic. ‘Firstly, I really am going out on Saturday night.’ At least she hoped so.
‘Firstly means a secondly coming up,’ he said dryly.
She nodded. ‘I have a question to ask. You don’t have to answer it, of course.’
He looked at her with steady blue eyes. ‘Ask away.’
‘Are you still in love with your wife?’
Richard blinked, startled, as though this was the last thing he’d expected. He was silent for a long time, his face like a mask, then shrugged, his eyes hard. ‘Yes,’ he said bitterly. ‘I am.’
Kate nodded. ‘I thought so.’
‘Because you’re still in love with Logan?’ he said, startling her in turn.
‘I used to be, once,’ she admitted.
‘Is he taking you out on Saturday?’
‘Not exactly. He’s asked me to a dinner party at his house—with other guests,’ she added.
Richard drank some of his beer, eyeing her over the rim of his glass. ‘I’ve heard that entertaining at home isn’t the Logan style.’
‘So have I.’
Richard put the glass down on the table, and looked Kate in the eye. ‘It’s now established that you have a prior engagement on Saturday, but why, exactly, did you ask about my wife?’
‘Look, Richard,’ said Kate, taking the bull by the horns, ‘I don’t think casual dating is your kind of thing. If I’ve got a colossal nerve to think you’d want something less casual with me, I apologise, humbly. But I thought it best to say, face to face—’
‘That a relationship of any kind between us is out of the question?’
‘Yes, Richard. And not because I don’t like you, because I do, very much. B
ut my gut feeling tells me that the only relationship you really want is with your wife.’
For a moment Kate thought he would make a furious denial, but after a fraught silence Richard nodded grimly. ‘Your instinct is right. I do want her back, for all the good it will do me.’
‘Is she involved with someone else?’
‘Not as far as I know. Caroline’s a journalist and her sole passion is her job.’
‘She might be finding it isn’t enough by now. Have you asked her?’
‘No.’ His eyes hardened again. ‘I refuse to go crawling. It’s up to her to make the first move.’
Kate shook her head impatiently. ‘Oh, come on! Forget all that macho nonsense. If you want her, make the first move yourself.’
Richard’s jaw clenched, and for a moment Kate was afraid he was going to tell her to shut up and mind her own business. But even tually a wry smile dawned in his eyes and she breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Maybe you’re right, Kate, ’he said at last. ‘I’ll go down to the flat on Sunday.’
‘Why leave it until then? Go tomorrow.’
‘She works on Saturdays.’ His mouth twisted. ‘The sky would fall in if Caroline knocked off before her beloved newspaper’s ready for Sunday breakfast tables.’
‘Insist that she does.’
‘Carry her out over my shoulder?’ he said, laughing, suddenly a different man from the wary lawyer of minutes earlier.
‘Why not?’
‘Why not, indeed!’ Richard drained his glass and got up. ‘OK, I’ll give it a whirl. Have you ever considered a career in Relate?’ he added.
She grimaced. ‘Absolutely not. This is my first—and last—venture into marriage counselling!’
He shook her hand formally as she saw him to the door. ‘Shall I let you know what happens?’
‘Yes, please. Good luck!’
Kate waved him off, then rang Jack.
‘What the blazes was all that about?’ he demanded.
‘Where are you?’
‘I’m with Dad.’
‘Can you come round for a minute?’
‘You just threw me out.’
‘If you want to know why, come back. Or not,’ she added crossly. ‘Up to you, Jack.’
‘It had better be good,’ he said ominously.
This time when Kate threw open the door Jack just stood there, waiting, tall and formidable and very much the head of Logan Development in a dark suit and long dark overcoat. ‘Don’t just stand there,’ she said irritably. ‘Come in.’
