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CHAPTER TWO

‘THAT really was the best Christmas I’ve ever, ever had,’ Fleur said as she and Mia helped Pat to clear up in the kitchen. Pat, with assistance from Beryl, her mother, had produced the most amazing food all over the holiday, and now, with everyone else having just departed, it was time to wind down from the festivities.

‘I don’t think I’ll want another thing to eat—not until tomorrow, anyway!’ Mia joked. ‘You really are fantastic, Pat—thank you so much for all your hard work. I’m still dribbling after that goose!’

‘Well, you know I always look forward to you and Sebastian being home,’ Pat said, spreading some tea towels to dry, ‘and all your friends were very appreciative. No one left anything on their plates, anyway,’ she added. ‘Always a good sign.’

Mia glanced at Fleur, thinking how easily she had fitted in with everyone else, and how she’d seemed to enjoy all the festive food—despite her apparent lack of appetite.

‘Yes, everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly,’ Mia said. ‘We might do it all over again next year!’ She giggled. ‘Mandy’s such a naughty girl, though, isn’t she? She told me that she’d intended seducing Sebastian this time—she’s tried before—hoping that the spirit of Christmas, or Christmas spirits, might make him fall for her charms.’

‘Hmm, some hopes,’ Pat snorted. ‘Sebastian is much too clever for antics like that. And I don’t blame him either.’ Pat had known the family for too long not to feel quite comfortable about expressing her opinions. ‘Especially in view of…you know…’ Her voice trailed off.

‘Yes, you’re right, Pat. Poor old Seb…’ Mia began, pulling out a chair to sit down.

‘What’s the matter with poor old Seb?’ he demanded as he came into the kitchen.

‘Oh, I was just saying how incorrigible Mandy is,’ Mia said hurriedly. ‘Flirting outrageously with all the guys—including you, Seb. Or didn’t you even notice?’

Sebastian merely grinned at that, and Mia went on, ‘Not that you showed your face much anyway; we hardly saw anything of you.’

It was true that he’d been rather conspicuous by his absence, Fleur thought as she glanced up at him briefly. He’d apparently spent Christmas Eve with friends in the area, not coming home until the small hours, but had joined them for the main Christmas Day meal and for supper again on Boxing Day. But he’d seemed to prefer leaving the eight of them to enjoy themselves without him—and Fleur couldn’t blame him. They were all just that few years younger than him, and she’d noticed that sometimes their chatter and alcohol-fuelled banter had appeared to bore him. Her eyes narrowed briefly. He was sort of…mysterious…in a way, she thought. Certainly not your normal run-of-the-mill handsome bachelor. The only woman he seemed to have eyes for was his sister—who he clearly adored. But Fleur couldn’t help wondering what he thought about her. She’d noticed him glance at her speculatively from time to time, but he didn’t seem to like—or dislike—her. She was, after all, just another of his sister’s friends, who he seemed to tolerate but, as Mia was entitled to invite whoever she wanted to, he’d have to put up with it.

By now, it was late afternoon and already darkening outside, and Fleur suddenly felt a need to get out into the open air. Although they’d all gone for short walks once or twice during the holiday—keeping strictly to the paths which Sebastian had recommended—most of the time had been spent eating, drinking, dozing, watching films and telling ghost stories.

‘I’d love to go for a walk, Mia,’ she said, looking down at her friend, who was lounging back in her chair lazily. ‘Just for half an hour…can we?’

‘Oh, Fleur…count me out!’ Mia begged. ‘Tramping about in soggy undergrowth is the last thing on my mind. But—hey, Seb will go with you—he’ll protect you from all the wild animals out there. Won’t you, Seb?’

Fleur felt a huge wave of embarrassment sweep over her. ‘No! There’s no need for that…It doesn’t matter, really,’ she said quickly. ‘It’s just me being silly. Forget it.’

‘No need to forget it,’ Sebastian said casually. ‘But we must go now while there’s still some light.’ He glanced at her. He’d already observed her obvious stylish dress sense, and on Christmas evening, as they’d all sat around the candle-lit table, her simple black low-necked dress and the fine gold chain around her neck had, in his opinion, set her apart from everyone else. ‘You’d better dress warmly—you brought some walking boots with you, I hope.’

Well, that sounded a bit headmasterly, Fleur thought, but still—presumably he had her best interests at heart. ‘Oh, yes—Mia warned me that I’d need them,’ she said. She went towards the door. ‘I’ll get a thicker sweater and a waterproof. Shan’t be a minute.’

As soon as she’d gone, Mia said, ‘Seb, I want you to do me a big, big favour—’ and he interrupted.

‘Not another one. What’s it this time?’

‘It’s not for me, personally,’ Mia replied. ‘It’s just that…well…Fleur is going to stay on for a bit—about ten days—after I’ve gone back. Pat has kindly agreed to look after her for me, so that’s no problem…’

‘It’ll be a pleasure,’ Pat said, as she finally emptied the dishwasher. ‘I like your friend, Mia—she was always the first to offer to help us out.’

‘What’s it got to do with me?’ Sebastian demanded.

‘I want you to kind of…well…take her under your wing while she’s here. You said you weren’t going back to London until the end of the month, and…’

‘What exactly does “taking her under my wing” involve?’ Sebastian said resignedly.

‘Oh, nothing much, you know…just be nice—be around to share the occasional meal with her, maybe show her the area, take her down to the pub…’ She paused. ‘I’m worried about her. She’s lost weight since I last saw her, and I know she doesn’t sleep too well. A bit of a holiday here will do her the world of good, but she will need some company now and again and you’re just the man.’

‘Now, look Mia…’ Sebastian began.

She said at once, ‘Oh, don’t worry, Seb, it’s not what you’re thinking. I wouldn’t dream of trying my hand at the matchmaking game. Never again. Not with you or anyone else. I’ve learned my lesson in that department.’

‘I should think so too, and I’m very glad to hear it,’ he said flatly. It had been another “best friend” of his sister’s—she seemed to have so many—who, not so long ago, he’d become engaged to, which had turned out to be a total disaster. And since then he’d hardly looked at another woman, no longer seeming to need female company. Not in any serious sense. And that worried him slightly.

‘In any case,’ Mia went on, ‘Fleur is not on the market, so you can relax. She’s not interested in tying herself down to any man, so you’re quite safe. I guarantee it.’ She sighed. ‘I feel so sorry for her, that’s all. Despite all her outward success and although ostensibly she’s a free woman, she seems sort of…trapped…as if she can’t break free to be really happy. It must be dreadful to feel like that.’ Mia made a face as she thought about it.

‘Well, I don’t mind being civil, if that’s what you mean,’ Sebastian said shortly, ‘but don’t expect me to provide non-stop entertainment for her, will you? I’ve got four weeks to catch up on things here before I’m due back in London, and I’ve got appointments in Truro with the surveyor and the accountant…but…’ he paused ‘…yes, all right, I’ll arrange to be here for some of the time to hold your friend’s hand—if that’s what you want.’

Mia smiled up at him. ‘You don’t need to go that far,’ she said demurely, ‘and Fleur won’t thank you for getting close enough to hold her hand, either. Just be your darling self and keep her company now and then, that’s all I’m asking. You’ll be just the tonic I think she needs.’

Fleur, about to go back into the kitchen, had paused outside the door just long enough to overhear most of what had been said…and she froze, horrified. The last thing in the world she wanted was to be a burden to anyone—certainly not to the somewhat austere Sebastian! How could Mia put him—put them both—in such an awkward and embarrassing position? But what could be done about it now? She could hardly burst in and tell them she’d heard his reluctant reply to Mia’s request—or even say that she’d changed her mind and wasn’t going to stay after all. What excuse could she give? She’d already accepted the invitation, and Pat had been so touchingly pleased. Fleur bit her lip, feeling her cheeks flood with colour as she stood there. It was obvious that Sebastian saw her as an unwelcome intrusion into his busy life, and that was the last thing she’d envisaged when she’d accepted Mia’s suggestion. Then common sense prevailed, and she took a deep breath. There was a simple way out of this, she thought. She’d stay a day or two after Mia had gone before inventing a telephone call telling her to return early. It could be about something important in the lab that needed her input. That was it—no need to panic, after all, she told herself.

She opened the door and went inside, and Sebastian clicked his fingers for the dog to get up from the floor.

‘We’ll take Benson with us,’ he said, ‘as we shan’t be going too far. A short walk won’t tire him too much.’

Outside, it was much colder than Fleur had thought, and she turned up the collar of her jacket. Sebastian glanced down at her briefly.

‘We can always go back if you find you’re not enjoying this,’ he said casually.

‘No, it’s fine. I’d like to walk,’ Fleur said, not looking at him. ‘But…I’m perfectly all right by myself if you’ve things to do. I know this path because we all walked this way yesterday, and Benson will keep me company.’

‘Oh, Mia would kill me if I abandoned you,’ he said.

They walked in silence for a few minutes and, although it was certainly wet and soggy—as Mia had predicted—there was something magical about their surroundings…the magic Fleur had felt when she’d arrived at the beginning of her stay, and it made her say suddenly, ‘It must be wonderful to be able to wander in these enchanted woods whenever you want to…’ She hesitated. ‘Mia told me that you work part-time in London, but…how often do you get down here? You must hate having to go back to town.’

He thought about that for a moment. Then, ‘Sometimes I do,’ he admitted, ‘but, in any case, the time is coming when I shall have to part company with the firm I work for and live here permanently. It’s getting more and more difficult to stretch myself between the two places.’

Something in his tone of voice made Fleur look up quickly. ‘Will you mind that?’ she asked quietly.

‘I’m getting used to the idea,’ he said. ‘Of course, I knew it would come to an end one day, but I never expected it to happen quite so soon.’ He paused. ‘I’ve made a lot of friends in London that, with the best will in the world, I’ll eventually lose touch with. It’s inevitable. I’ll be well and truly buried down here for keeps. I’ve just got to accept it.’

Neither of them spoke for a few moments. ‘It’s very annoying—to say the least—when your life is planned out for you,’ Fleur began, and he interrupted.

‘You sound as if you speak from experience,’ he said, and she smiled up at him quickly.

‘Well, in a way I do,’ she said. ‘Not that I have been given the responsibility of having to hold the reins of a large family estate, nothing like that, but…’

‘Go on,’ he said, wanting to know more.

‘It’s just that, well, I had my own plans for what I wanted to do with my life but my father had other ideas.’ She paused. ‘He persuaded me…’ she didn’t utter the more truthful word insisted ‘…that my true vocation was in the sciences, and that with my “exceptional brain”—his words, not mine—I had a duty to use it for the good of others. So that’s why I’m in medical research.’ She shook her head briefly. ‘I enjoy the work—of course I do—it’s fulfilling and very exciting when we make any sort of breakthrough. But such a lot of it is painstaking and repetitive and often very disappointing.’ She looked up at him again. ‘So there you are—that’s my life sorted out for me. And I had such ideas of my own. Probably ridiculous when I really think about it.’

He grinned back at her and for the first time Fleur saw his heart-stopping smile, a smile enlivened by immaculate, strong white teeth. ‘Go on—I’m waiting for the punchline,’ he said.

Fleur sighed, looking away. ‘I always imagined myself as an opera singer,’ she said, almost apologetically. ‘I realize that it was probably an impossible dream—the professional stage is overwhelmingly competitive, and luck is such a huge factor. But it would have been good to at least have tried.’ She gave a short laugh. ‘Not that luck is my second name—I mean, I never win anything, never win raffles or anything that relies on chance. Some people win things all the time.’

‘Yes, they do,’ he agreed. ‘Actually, I do win things now and then.’ He didn’t bother to add that in the circles he mixed in he was constantly asked to purchase massively priced tickets for good causes and that he always obliged, very generously. Which probably increased his chances. ‘But do go on,’ he said. ‘You’ve obviously had musical training?’

‘Oh, yes—I was allowed that,’ Fleur said, a slight trace of bitterness in her tone. ‘I achieved all my grades up to the point where I should have gone on to gain higher qualifications…then the paternal foot was well and truly put down. So—’ she sighed ‘—as you so rightly said, it’s hard to do two things at once. In my case, impossible.’ She shrugged. ‘So I content myself with enjoying music at a distance, as a listener and a devoted member of numerous audiences. And singing along with my CDs. When I was still living at home, that was how I learned all the famous arias, making sure that my father was never around when I was doing it. He would not have approved!’

The tangible note of regret in her voice made Sebastian’s brow crease slightly. That didn’t sound fair, he thought. ‘Well, in a way, our situations are not dissimilar,’ he said. ‘We’ve both ended up doing what others have decided we should. Although—’ he smiled down at her again ‘—in my case it was the hand of fate that merely hastened my inevitable destiny.’ He hesitated. ‘But it’s not too late for you, is it? You could change the course of things, couldn’t you?’

Fleur chuckled. ‘My father would never forgive me if I did that,’ she exclaimed. ‘And he would make me feel so guilty if I gave up my career to pursue such a dramatically different path. Which, in his view, would be a very flippant one. I mean, you don’t save lives by singing songs, do you? He has no time for music and rarely listens to any. But my mother does—though she doesn’t often play the piano any more because it disturbs my father when he’s working.’ She shook her head. ‘No, it is much too late for me now, Sebastian.’

With a little jolt of surprise, Fleur realized that that was the first time she had called him by name…but the easy conversation had seemed to put them on a more comfortable footing.

By this time they’d walked on quite a bit further than Sebastian had intended, and he glanced at the dog, who was padding rather forlornly behind them.

‘I think we ought to go back now,’ he said. ‘Benson’s had enough and we shan’t be able to see a thing in a minute, though I did bring my torch.’

Fleur smiled up at him. ‘We don’t want to tire Benson out, but I could carry on like this for hours!’

Yes, I believe she could, Sebastian thought. Even though she was obviously more used to being in town, Fleur had a definite affinity with the countryside, had picked her own way over the pits, humps and bumps of the terrain without any help from him. He hadn’t once felt the need to put his hand under her elbow, or steady her as they’d made their way. Perhaps she wasn’t as fragile as she looked.

When she knew that their walk was coming to an end, Fleur made a sudden decision—thanks to the rather unexpected familiarity which seemed to have developed between them. Keeping her eyes fixed firmly ahead, she said lightly, ‘By the way, Sebastian, you needn’t worry that I’m going to get in the way of your plans while I’m here.’ She hesitated. ‘And I’m…sorry…that Mia has put you in the unenviable position of being my “minder”. But I assure you that I am very used to looking out for myself. I do it all the time, because I live alone.’ Now she did look up to find his searching eyes—black and intense and clearly visible, even in the gloom—staring right into hers. ‘It was wrong of Mia to expect anything from you where I’m concerned—anything at all—I certainly don’t. It’s extremely kind of you—of both of you—to invite me to stay, and I don’t anticipate being bored. I can never remember being bored, in any situation,’ she added. She smiled. ‘I shall explore the area thoroughly, and lock it all into my memory so that when I get home I can relive it. And you must just…just pretend that I’m not here.’

Sebastian was ready to admit that it would be hard to follow that instruction! Fleur Richardson was the first woman for a very long time to excite his interest. But, although it was patently clear that the conversation with his sister had been overheard, it didn’t worry him in the least. He was seldom embarrassed or fazed by anything any more.

‘Isn’t there a man at home who’ll be gasping for your return?’ he asked bluntly.

Fleur smiled at that. ‘No,’ she said simply. ‘No, there isn’t.’

His rather peremptory enquiry made Fleur feel that she could ask a similar question. What was sauce for the goose…

‘And you?’ she asked coolly. ‘Don’t you have a lady ready to be mistress of Pengarroth Hall?’

‘Don’t bother to ask,’ he replied, his mouth tightening at the thought.

Just before they stepped into the pool of light shining from the house, they both automatically slowed in their tracks, as if neither of them wanted to bring this particular time to an end, and standing closer to her now, closer than he had during their walk, Sebastian looked down at her.

‘I do have things to do during January,’ he said, ‘but I’m also due for some time off. So…as Mia has told me I must, it will give me great pleasure to spend some of it with you. And, because I always obey my sister’s wishes, I will take you under my wing—and you must try and enjoy it. Because,’ he said patiently, ‘that’s what Mia wants us to do.’ He smiled down at her then, a crooked, knowing smile that made Fleur’s knees tremble slightly.

Well, he seemed to have cleared the air without any difficulty, Fleur thought, feeling strangely relieved. He obviously believed in coming straight to the point in any situation. But, whatever he said, she’d make herself scarce most of the time she was at Pengarroth Hall. There was certainly no need for him to add her name to his list of commitments!

CHAPTER THREE

MIA lay quite still, watching Fleur’s sleeping form in the bed opposite her. Frowning momentarily, Mia wondered how her friend would really manage to enjoy herself when she, Mia, had returned to London. It would naturally feel very different at Pengarroth Hall without her, Mia realized, and although Sebastian had said he’d ‘look after’ Fleur—as much as his work would allow—would that be enough to keep her happily occupied? Not to mention the fact that Seb could be an unknown quantity at times.

As if she knew she was being watched, Fleur suddenly opened her eyes and smiled, turning to lie on her back and stretching her arms above her head. ‘Morning,’ she said sleepily.

‘D’you know what the time is?’ Mia enquired and, without waiting for a reply, added, ‘It’s gone ten-thirty.’ But she was genuinely pleased that Fleur seemed so much more relaxed and was definitely sleeping better than when she’d first arrived.

Fleur sat up then, hugging her knees. ‘Well, we were very late to bed, weren’t we?’ she said, yawning. ‘I’ve never spent New Year’s Eve in a country pub before, with everyone so friendly and singing along…’ She paused. ‘You and Sebastian knew almost everyone there.’

‘Quite a few,’ Mia agreed. ‘Like us, some return home for holidays and the festive season, so we meet up then. But it’s all very uncomplicated and informal.’

‘I thought it was great,’ Fleur said appreciatively, ‘and I’ve never been kissed by so many complete strangers in my life when the twelve o’clock chimes rang out!’ She didn’t bother to mention that Sebastian hadn’t joined in with that part of the proceedings—not that she could see, anyway—he certainly had not kissed her! But, even in that large, milling crowd, he had stood head and shoulders above most of them and had looked very debonair, casually dressed, his black hair sleek and shining with health.

‘Oh, that only happens on this one night of the year,’ Mia said, ‘when everyone goes a bit crazy. I wouldn’t like you to have the wrong impression of our neighbours, or our lifestyles!’ She threw back her duvet and went across to the window, drawing back the curtains. ‘Oh, look—there’s been a really heavy frost again…everything looks so pretty.’ She paused. ‘And there’s my brother, with Benson.’ She yawned loudly. ‘Seb’s always up and about at the crack of dawn—I wonder if he ever goes to bed at all.’

‘You and Sebastian are very close, aren’t you,’ Fleur said enviously. ‘I wish I’d had a brother—or a sister.’

‘Hmm,’ Mia said. ‘Seb and I have always got on brilliantly, it’s true, but I think the age gap between us sometimes makes him feel responsible for me. Too responsible. He has played the heavy-handed head of the house once or twice—which can be extremely annoying—and with which I am not well pleased, I can tell you.’

‘Oh?’ Fleur said, not altogether surprised. Even though Sebastian seemed very tolerant and affectionate towards Mia, she could imagine him playing the dominant male when he felt like it. ‘Why—what happened?’

‘Oh, it was over relationships, of course…I used to feel he was vetting my boyfriends all the time, but the big crunch came over Andrew…You remember Andy? You met him once or twice, didn’t you…About four years ago, it was.’

‘I did,’ Fleur said at once. ‘He was a real charmer, and I thought he was the one for you. I was staggered when that all fell apart.’

‘Yes, well, it fell apart because my big brother found things out about him and confronted him about it…in my flat! It was the most embarrassing, hurtful night of my life!’ She shuddered. ‘In Seb’s defence, he had tried several times to warn me, privately, but of course I wouldn’t hear a word against Andy. Wouldn’t believe it. So in the end the whole wretched business was brought right into my sitting room! And Andy couldn’t deny any of it! I thought I was going to die at the time, but of course I didn’t,’ she added cheerfully.

‘Another woman?’ Fleur said, curiosity overcoming her normal reluctance to pry into other people’s affairs.

‘Oh, nothing as simple as that,’ Mia said, reaching for her dressing gown. ‘No, it turned out that Andy was engaged in financial skullduggery—big time. Sebastian had obviously decided to make some enquiries, and he dug out some real dirt, I can tell you. And I was as mad as hell that my brother had interfered in my life…I felt I should be allowed to make my own mistakes. But, of course, every single thing he’d found out about Andy proved to be true—and if I’d had my own way I might be visiting my husband in jail by now!’ She grimaced. ‘I am grateful to Seb—but I didn’t see it quite like that at the time.’ She turned to look at Fleur. ‘And the last remark Andy made to me was that he’d make damned sure his next woman didn’t have a hard-nosed, interfering lawyer for a brother!’

‘Where’s Andrew now?’ Fleur wanted to know.

‘Oh, disappeared to Spain or somewhere, I believe…no doubt carrying on his nefarious exercises undetected—for the moment. Seb never took it further—as he said, he’s not a member of the police force. All he wanted was Andrew out of my life. And in that he was very successful indeed!’

Even though it had clearly been very fortunate for Mia that her boyfriend’s activities had been exposed before it was too late, Fleur could readily understand how her friend would have felt. And it confirmed Fleur’s impression of Sebastian. A force to be reckoned with and a force not easily deterred. Like someone else she knew!

‘I am going to be very jealous thinking of you here, just lazing around,’ Mia said, changing the subject. ‘Though I do hope the days won’t drag for you, Fleur.’

Fleur got out of bed as well then, and went across to join Mia. ‘Don’t give that a thought,’ she said. ‘I’m never bored. It’ll be wonderful to just let each day take care of itself instead of trying to make every hour count.’ She paused. ‘The only thing is, I didn’t bring enough clothes with me for an extended stay…I’ll probably have to do some washing.’

‘That shouldn’t be a problem, and I know we’re not the same size—or shape,’ Mia said quickly, ‘but help yourself to anything of mine, Fleur…Well, you’ll be all right for skirts if my jeans don’t fit. And sweaters galore, which remain here permanently. Anyway,’ she added, ‘no one dresses up down here. Just be warm and comfortable and forget about looking good. Not that you wouldn’t look good, even in sackcloth and ashes!’ She turned away. ‘You go and shower first,’ she said, flopping back down on her bed. ‘Take your time—I told Pat we’d get our own breakfast and lunch today so that she could go home to her cottage for a few hours.’ She smiled. ‘And that’s another thing I’ll be picturing—you sitting down to Pat’s glorious meals.’

‘She’s certainly a fantastic cook,’ Fleur said. ‘I shall be twice the size by the time I go home.’

‘Hmm,’ Mia said, thinking that even if she was, Fleur wouldn’t ever reach her weight. But she was really pleased to see how relaxed she had become over the days. She looked less wan and more like the enthusiastic young woman she’d always been at school and university.

Neither of them spoke for a few moments as Fleur remained by the window, gazing out at the gardens below, her eyes searching the near and far distance…but Sebastian had gone.

The following morning, after Mia had left Pengarroth Hall, Fleur decided to explore the area outside the house and grounds. She had not yet seen anything like the full extent of the estate, but felt it would be a good move to go somewhere different today. She didn’t want to keep bumping into Sebastian—whom she and Mia had seen very little of since New Year’s Eve. He’d looked in on them briefly last evening, but hadn’t joined them for supper. It was obvious that he was very preoccupied, and Fleur had seen him and Frank in the distance once or twice, clearly in deep discussion.

Fleur had persuaded Pat that she could easily manage to get her own breakfast and lunch every day, and that at most she need only concern herself with the day’s main meal…and that was more for Sebastian’s sake than her own.

‘We’ll see about that,’ Pat had said ‘I shall be popping in and out, in any case, but it’ll be useful to be with Mum a bit, because she’s not too well at the moment. She’s going to be eighty-five this year,’ she added, ‘so it’s only to be expected if she has an off day sometimes.’

It was a clear, icy morning as Fleur set off along the winding drive, well wrapped up against the cold as Mia had instructed her, admitting to herself again that she hadn’t felt as good and as energetic as this for ages. She also had to admit that she’d scarcely thought about work—or her parents—for the entire holiday. A change of scene, especially with Mia there, was what she’d obviously been needing after all, she thought, not those tablets the doctor had prescribed. Then she put her hand to her mouth, suddenly realizing she’d forgotten to take any for the last two days. Oh, well, she’d take one tomorrow.

Outside the huge gate, she stopped for a moment, wondering whether to go up the hill or down to the valley—the direction in which Sebastian had driven them to the pub the other night. Downhill sounded the better option, she thought, turning decisively and starting to make her way along the narrow, high-hedged road.

She’d hardly gone any distance when she heard a car approaching rapidly behind her and she instinctively stood back, well into the side. It wasn’t a car—it was a Land Rover, with Sebastian at the wheel, and he immediately pulled up and spoke through the open window.

‘Good morning. Want a lift? Do you know where you’re going?’ he asked.

Fleur smiled faintly—this was just what she was trying to avoid. ‘No—on both counts, thanks,’ she said. ‘I’m just going to have a look around, sort of get my bearings.’ She paused, conscious that he was staring unashamedly at her, right into her eyes, burrowing his way into her soul! She hoped he approved of the thick jacket of Mia’s that she was wearing, with its fur-lined hood framing her face. But his expression remained as it always was—curiously unfathomable—and it had its usual effect so that she quickly tore her gaze away. ‘What’s at the bottom of this hill?’ she asked, pointing ahead.

‘Well, when you get there—and it’s more than a mile—there are some houses, cottages, a couple of farms, a few shops, the village hall and the pub. Which you’ve already been in,’ he said. ‘Plus the river, of course—which is in full flood at the moment.’ He paused. ‘Why don’t you hop in—I can at least give you a ride one way.’

Fleur hesitated, then, ‘Oh, go on, then,’ she said, slightly reluctantly. Her plan had been to give him a wide berth today, to keep clear of Pengarroth Hall and not be under his feet, but thanks to him, that plan had come unstuck straight away.

He leaned across and opened the passenger door, stretching out his hand to pull her up as she climbed aboard. His firm grasp enveloped her hand and she slammed the door quickly behind her, not looking across at him as he revved the engine. They set off down the hill at considerable speed and after a moment Fleur did turn her head. He was wearing heavy-duty gear, as before, she noted, though the sturdy fabric of his trousers couldn’t disguise the strength of his firm thighs. But his hands, brown and lean as he held the steering wheel, were surprisingly smooth, the fingers long and sensitive. Which was hardly surprising, Fleur thought, because although today he could be mistaken for a farmer, he was a businessman, a lawyer. A man of many parts, and of obvious distinction. She sighed briefly. Why was she dissecting him like this? she asked herself. He was just another male person, the sort she came across all the time. But…no…that wasn’t true, she acknowledged. She couldn’t remember ever having been in the company of someone so outstandingly handsome, so out-of-your-mind gorgeous. The fact that he had an undoubtedly imperious streak was a bit of a turn-off—she remembered their first encounter!—and yet, who could blame him? He had a lot of responsibilities, both here and in London. A weak-minded individual wouldn’t get very far. But he was obviously capable of other, much more likeable qualities—proved by his affection and care for Mia. On balance, Fleur thought wryly, she’d be very happy to have him for a brother.