His Convenient Mistress by Cathy Williams Read Free Book Online Page B

boy!’
    Sara helplessly looked at the girl behind the old-fashioned wooden counter, who shot her a sympathetic smile.
    â€˜I…I…’ she stammered, making her way to the table.
    â€˜Naturally we were curious about this relative of Freddie’s. The old rogue never breathed a word about having a niece. Did he, ladies?’
    â€˜You poor thing. Could you not get away from that big old place a little sooner? Heaven knows, you must have been up to your elbows in it! And you with a wee lad as well to look after.’
    â€˜Would that be why we haven’t spied you in town before?’
    â€˜I…I…’ Sara repeated weakly.
    â€˜And what’s your name, child? I bet you’ve come here for an ice cream. This place makes the best ice creams in Scotland!’
    â€˜And you should know, Angela. You eat far too many of them for your own good.’
    â€˜Now, dear, why don’t you pull up a chair and we can all have a cosy little chat.’
    â€˜I…well…’ Sara licked her lips nervously, while Simon hesitantly accepted a teacake from one of the ladies and began chatting in his low, childish voice to her.
    â€˜You might be able to help us! We’re trying to sort out the summer fête at the manor. Some fresh input might be just what is needed, would you not agree, ladies? And no, Valerie, we are not going to be accommodating your daughter’s suggestion about a disco. For a start, Maria would go mad!’
    â€˜Well, well, well…’ a familiar velvety voice drawled from behind her and Sara felt as though fingers had lightlyslithered up her spine, making her pulses race. ‘I see you’ve been caught by the local witches.’ There was a wicked grin in his voice when he said that, and Sara didn’t need to turn around to imagine the expression on his face. One of utter charm. She could see it in the way the six ladies tittered. ‘Be warned, you may not escape this place in one piece.’
    â€˜Now, now, young man!’
    â€˜Where’s your mother, James? She said she would be here by eleven. I’m very much afraid she’s missed the first pot of tea.’
    â€˜Trouble with one of the gardeners. His daughter’s been admitted into hospital, it would seem.’
    â€˜That would be young Emma. Baby’s on its way, poor thing.’
    One of the gardeners? Sara wondered whether she had heard wrong. She had gleaned that the man lived in a big house and was doubtless wealthy or else how could he have a place in London as well, but how big was his house if he needed more than one gardener to control the lawn ?
    Suddenly she didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to feel his breath against her averted face, because he was standing so close to her that she could. Nor did she want to find herself wondering about him. She already knew enough.
    â€˜I… If you don’t mind, I have a thousand things to do before I go home, and…and…’
    â€˜You’ve frightened her,’ he said on a low laugh, and Sara had the impression that in some peculiar way he was toying with her.
    â€˜Don’t be ridiculous!’ she snapped, whipping around to look at him. Her blazing eyes made little impact. He continued to smile in amusement and had not even been surprised into stepping back. She felt engulfed by his physical presence and hurriedly spun back round so that she waslooking at the women, although she knew that her cheeks were burning.
    â€˜I really don’t mean to be rude, but…but Simon, my son, is just getting over a chest infection and I wanted to try and make it to the pharmacy to buy a few things for him.’
    â€˜A chest infection? Oh, you poor wee thing.’
    Looking down, Sara wryly observed how he puffed himself out in the face of all the sympathetic tittering from the old ladies.
    â€˜Is that one of the reasons that you came up here?’ one of the ladies asked. ‘They