The Mistress's Child by Sharon Kendrick Read Free Book Online

to push open the door. 'I enjoyed that!'
    'No, thank you,' he said gravely, but as soon as she had slammed the door closed behind her, he made the car pull away. He didn't want to watch her confident young stride as she walked to the office, or the way her firm young breasts pushed against her soft, clinging sweater.

           
    Lisi saw Philip seven, maybe eight times after that—on a purely professional basis. Sometimes Jonathon would accompany him on the viewings, but mostly it was her. For some reason she grew to know his tastes better than Jonathon. Often she would mentally reject a house once she had skimmed through the details, then phone him and suggest that he might like to see it.
    'Do you like it?' he would demand.
    She hesitated.
    'Do you, Lisi?'
    'I don't think it's quite what you're looking for.'
    'Then I won't waste my time coming to see it.'
    Leaving her wondering why she had been so foolish! Why hadn't she said that it was the most gorgeous place she had ever set eyes on?
    Because then he wouldn't trust her judgement, and the fact that a man like Philip did meant more to her than it should have done.
    She adored him, despite his emotional distance, but she kept it hidden from everyone—from Jonathon, from Saul Miller, even from her mother. And, especially, from Philip himself. Maybe she was aware that to fall for Philip Caprice would be batting right out of her league. And besides, it would be strictly unprofessional.
    But she looked forward to his visits and they became the highlight of her life. Casually, she used to scour the diary to see when he was coming next, and—although she didn't make it look too obvious—she always felt her best on those days. Her hair always newly washed, and a subtle touching of fragrance behind her ears and at her wrists.
    And then one glorious spring afternoon Philip walked into the office without his customary, flinty expression. He had loosened his tie and he seemed lighter in his mood, Lisi thought, though she wouldn't have dreamed of asking

him why. That was not the way their relationship worked. They talked houses. Interest rates. Business trends.
    'Hello, Philip.' She smiled.
    He looked into her aquamarine eyes and smiled back. Carla had moved her fingers last night. The doctors were cautious, but quietly optimistic, and for the first time since the accident Philip had slept the night without waking. This morning he had awoken without the habitual tight knot of tension in his stomach. 'Hello, Lisi.' He smiled back. 'So what have you got for me?'
    I think you'll like it,' she said demurely.
    The house she had rung him about was about as perfect as it was possible for a house to be. She had never heard Philip sound quite so enthusiastic, and the offer he made was accepted immediately. A rather more generous offer than usual, she noted, and briefly wondered what had made his mood quite so expansive.
    It was getting on for six o'clock by the time he drove her back into Langley, and all the way along the lanes the hedges and trees were laced with the tender green buds of spring. He sighed. Spring. The time of new beginnings. He prayed that the signs were not misleading, and that there would be a new beginning for Carla.
    Lisi heard the sigh, saw where he was looking. 'It's beautiful around this time of year, isn't it?'
    He glanced across at her as she put her notebook back into her bag and snapped it shut.
    He liked her. She worked hard and she didn't ask any questions. With Lisi he could relax, and he tried to think back to the last time he had done that. Really relaxed. 'I feel like celebrating,' he said.
    'Well, then—why don't we? A quick drink won't hurt.' Her heart missed a beat while she waited to hear what he would say.
    'Okay.' He changed down a gear. 'Where shall we go?'

           
    'There's the pub or the hotel—either are good.'
    'Yeah,' he said thoughtfully. 'I'm driving on to Somerset tomorrow, so I'm staying at the hotel.' Maybe