Christmas at Tiffany's by Karen Swan Read Free Book Online

Amazon, the Arctic cap, up in the Andes . . . that kind of thing.’ He shrugged.
    Cassie stared at him. ‘ Why? ’
    ‘Sometimes for rich collectors, but pioneering research mainly. All kinds of industries hire me – beauty, oil, car manufacturing. A lot of scientists believe that there are remedies in plants and flowers, not just for health benefits, but for other things as well.’
    ‘But cars?’
    ‘Sure. They’re looking for ways to run cars without tapping into the existing fuel supplies, so they’re investigating whether algae could be developed as a biofuel, for example. And now, with the Arctic cap melting, it’s not just shipping routes that are opening up. We’re discovering previously unknown plants that have been protected by the snow and ice and which were once inaccessible to man.’
    ‘How do you even become a . . . a . . . one of those?’
    He gave a small shrug. ‘I’ve got BScs in Biology and Marine Biology, and a Master’s in Zoology.’
    ‘That’s a lot of ologies. And so you’ve – what? Basically been all over the world? The very top, very bottom and all around?’
    ‘Pretty much. Saw more of Borneo than I wanted to when I discovered a new species of giant slipper orchid and got chased through the jungle by Abu Sayyaf bandits.’
    ‘Oh my God!’ she cried, appalled. ‘Were you okay?’
    He held his arms out and looked down at himself. ‘As you can see, a happy ending.’
    ‘I bet you haven’t been to the North Pole, though,’ she teased.
    ‘Sure. I’ve been there three times and the South once. I was on the expedition where they discovered the lost world in the Dry Valleys. Fourteen million years old. Can you believe it?’ He shook his head in amazement.
    ‘Not really. Your poor mother!’
    Henry chuckled, baffled by her response. His mother wasn’t what most women thought of when he told them he battled the harshest conditions on earth as a living. The alpha-hunter image tended to have a devastating effect on women. ‘My mother?’
    Cassie slapped a hand across her heart in pity. ‘She must never sleep for worrying that you’re going to be mauled by polar bears or shot by pirates—’
    ‘Or be used as a skittle by speeding penguins,’ he quipped.
    ‘Don’t joke! It all sounds so dangerous,’ she chided.
    ‘So’s crossing the road in this city,’ he said.
    ‘It’s not the same thing. There must be peril at every turn – disease, hypothermia, even just getting lost . . .’
    ‘We navigate by GPS. It’s all done by satellite now.’
    ‘Well, what if the satellite, I don’t know, stops working?’
    ‘Like it runs out of batteries?’ He laughed. ‘You worry too much, Cass. But thanks for the optimism. Maybe you could be the mascot on our next expedition!’
    ‘You’re going away again?’
    ‘Next year. That’s why I’m here, actually. Trying to drum up sponsorship. I’ve been invited to join an Arctic Biodiversity Assessment for two months next spring.’
    She shook her head, aghast. ‘Why has Suzy never mentioned any of this to me?’
    ‘Why would she? I don’t suppose I feature much in your conversations,’ he said, laughing lightly. ‘Although I’m sure they’re all the poorer for it.’
    Cassie shook her head, trying to absorb the scope of his world. His horizons, his adventures, his memories were literally global.
    ‘Wow. And to think I thought it was a big deal coming here .’
    ‘Your first time?’ he asked.
    ‘My first time anywhere. I haven’t even crossed the border into England since Gil and I got . . . married.’
    There was an awkward silence as Cassie attempted to sustain the impression of someone who was absolutely fine.
    Henry rescued them both. ‘Well then, seeing as this is your first time here, I hope you’ve drawn up your list,’ he said, changing tack.
    ‘List?’ she repeated blankly.
    ‘Yes. You know, the one you have to draw up every time you go somewhere new, of all the things you’re going to do, places