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He looked uncomfortable. ‘Forgive me for prying, but your parents live in the country. Wouldn’t they prefer it if she returned home to live?’
‘You bet they would! She did go home to have the baby, but when Emily was six months old Julia insisted on going back to work. Mother and Dad help as much as she allows, but Julia’s very independent. She feels she’s to blame for this mess—’
‘It’s my fault, not Julia’s!’
‘I blame Max,’ said Cassie with venom. ‘In fact, I could murder him with my bare hands at this precise moment.’
‘That makes two of us,’ he agreed. ‘Let’s get out of here. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.’ He smiled suddenly, the first real smile he’d managed all night. ‘Sorry I ruined your evening, Cassie. I’ll buy you dinner to make amends.’
Cassie caught sight of herself in the mirror on Max’s wall, and laughed. ‘With red eyes and mascara smudges? No way. Thanks just the same.’
‘You’re not quite the vision who let me in earlier on,’ agreed Nick, amused, as he locked up. ‘But I think I prefer the way you look right now—more like the young Cassie I used to know.’
‘You didn’t know me at all, Dominic Seymour!’ Which was all to the good, she thought with a shiver. If he had he might have noticed the crush she’d had on him once.
‘Cold?’ he said with sympathy, and turned the heater on full-blast.
Cassie settled low in her seat for the journey back to Shepherd’s Bush, feeling hungry, emotionally drained and in no mood for conversation. A mood which Nick obviously shared. When they reached the house he manoeuvred the Subaru into a space better suited to a Mini, then killed the engine and turned to her.
‘Cassie, I want to come in for a minute. I won’t keep you long. I need some advice.’
Cassie had rather hoped to see him off right away. Now the crisis was over she felt tired and hungry and in need of her bed. And oddly flat. ‘I suppose so,’ she said, resigned.
Once inside the house she hung up her coat on a peg with Nick’s raincoat, and because he was still shivering she turned the heating back on and took him into the kitchen, where it was warmest.
‘Before dishing out this advice you’re after,’ she said, yawning, ‘I’d better call Rupert and let him know Alice is safe.’
‘Does he know Alice?’
‘No. But he was very good about being pushed off without the meal I’d promised. And he did ask me to let him know what happened.’ Cassie marched past Nick and shut the kitchen door behind her so she could talk to Rupert in private. But he wasn’t home. Disappointed, she left a message, then went back to the kitchen to find Nick munching on a hunk of bread he’d cut from the loaf on the table.
‘Hope you don’t mind,’ he said indistinctly.
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake,’ she said impatiently. ‘If you’re that hungry I’ll give you a proper meal. But don’t kid yourself I feel any friendlier towards you, Nick. It’s only because I’m famished myself.’
Nick’s eyes glittered coldly, but instead of refusing, as Cassie expected, he forced a smile. ‘If you’re sure it’s no trouble.’
‘I wouldn’t offer if it was,’ she assured him. ‘It won’t take long.’
‘Thanks, Cassie. Mind if I have some more bread?’
‘Help yourself,’ she said, resigned, and lit the gas under the soup and the vegetables. She handed him a bottle of wine and a corkscrew. ‘Open that, please,’ she ordered, then went out to fetch the silverware and plates from the other room. The splendour of the red cloth and the candles had been for Rupert. Nick Seymour could make do with the kitchen.
He smiled sardonically as she set the table. ‘Ah! The honour of candles and tablecloth is not to be mine.’
‘No,’ she said shortly.
‘This is cosier,’ he assured her. ‘After all, we’re sort of family, you and I, Cassie.’
Her eyes flashed. ‘You mean you’re in love with your brother’s wife, who just happens to be my sister.’
For a moment Cassie was afraid she’d gone too far, but Nick held on to his temper with obvious, rather frightening effort.
‘You’re wrong!’ he said harshly at last. ‘I was a bit of a fool about Julia when I was younger, I admit, but she only had eyes for Max—always. Once they were married I steered clear of the house unless invited. I called unexpectedly that particular day because I was off to work in Nigeria for a while. I found Julia feeling off-colour and miserable because Max was about to leave on one of his endless trips into some wilderness, so I gave her a hug. Max walked in on a bit of brotherly comfort on my part and the rest is history.’ He looked Cassie in the eye. ‘I had a callow, immature crush on Julia once, it’s true. But it died a natural death. On the day in question I was just providing a convenient shoulder to cry on.’
‘It’s a pity you never managed to convince your brother of the fact,’ she pointed out, stirring the soup.
‘I tried, believe me,’ said Nick wearily. ‘No one was more appalled by what happened than I was.’
‘I seriously doubt that!’ Cassie slid the salmon into the microwave and fetched soup bowls from the cupboard. ‘The effect on Julia was shattering.’
‘I know. She refused to have anything to do with me afterwards. I haven’t seen her since, until tonight.’ He looked up, the striking blue eyes full of remorse. ‘She looks so much older, Cassie.’
‘So would you if you were a single parent juggling a lively toddler with a demanding job,’ she retorted. ‘Besides, Julia doesn’t usually look like that. You caught her at the end of a long working week, trying to get her baby to sleep. She was entitled to look tired.’
Nick nodded morosely, then brightened visibly as Cassie brought bowls of hot, fragrant soup to the table. ‘This smells wonderful. I’m impressed.’
‘I aim to please,’ she said briskly, sitting down. ‘Have some more bread.’
Cassie was almost as hungry as Nick, and neither of them said much until the soup bowls were empty. But when she put a plate of salmon and vegetables in front of him Nick gave her a wry look.
‘This was intended for Ashcroft, of course. I’m hellish sorry I ruined your evening, Cassie.’
She shrugged philosophically. ‘There’ll be other times. I see Rupert every day, anyway.’
‘So this is a regular occurrence?’ Nick began on his meal with relish. ‘If so, he’s a lucky guy.’
Cassie poured wine into their glasses, her resentment flaring up again. ‘Actually this was our first real date. I haven’t known Rupert long. He’s taken me out for a drink after work sometimes, but when he asked me out to dinner I suggested he came round here instead. So tonight was rather special.’
‘And I wrecked it.’ Nick drank some wine, his eyes sombre. ‘Something I’m bloody good at where the Lovells are concerned.’
‘Oh, get on with your supper,’ she said irritably. ‘After all,’ she added, trying to be fair, ‘when it comes to wrecking lives it was Max who did the demolition job on Julia’s, not you.’
‘He’s not doing much better with Alice, either, if today is anything to go by,’ said Nick grimly. ‘Let’s talk about something else. You, preferably. I know you went to college. What did you read?’
‘I did a BA in secretarial administration.’ Cassie added more vegetables to Nick’s plate.
‘And after that?’ he prompted. ‘Go on. I’m interested.’
‘I did temping for a while. I liked the variety, and it gave me experience, and a chance to find a job I really liked. These days I provide administrative support to a team of eight at an investment bank in the City. The group analyses the credit quality of various companies and so on.’
‘And young Rupert is one of the team,’ stated Nick.
‘Yes.’ Cassie frowned at him. ‘And he’s only a couple of years younger than you, Nick Seymour.’
‘And what exactly is this “support” you give Rupert?’
‘Exactly what the rest of the team gets,’ she said evenly. ‘All of them travel a lot, and I spend hours on the phone organising their itineraries and co-ordinating meetings.’
Nick grinned. ‘So it’s not just a spot of dictation and typing, then.’
‘No. I have all the usual keyboard skills, of course,’ said Cassie loftily, ‘but I use them to draft letters and presentations, mainly. I love my involvement in the job. I was able to smooth Rupert’s path quite a lot when he joined the team.’
‘As I said, lucky guy. Are you in love with him?’ added Nick casually.
Instead of snubbing him, Cassie thought it over. ‘I’m certainly attracted to him,’ she said at last.
‘When I arrived the scene looked set for a very intimate evening, Cassie. Was he hoping to take you to bed at the end of it?’
‘It’s none of your business!’ she said angrily.
‘I apologise, Cassie,’ Nick said promptly, and gave her a hopeful smile. ‘Would there be pudding by any chance?’
‘You’ve got a nerve,’ she said, shaking her head as she got up to take his plate. ‘As it happens I do have a pudding for once—tartelet aux cerises, to be precise.’
‘Cherry tart—wonderful!’ he said with relish. ‘I don’t seem to have eaten much these past few days.’
‘Why not?’
‘There were hold-ups on a hotel construction in Riyadh. I’ve been on site there for the last two months, troubleshooting and generally getting everything back on schedule. I’ve been working all hours so I could get back to the UK for Christmas.’ Nick’s eyes gleamed as Cassie served him the warmed tart with a spoonful of whipped cream. ‘That looks good. My Somali cook out there had certain specialities he served at every meal. I’d be happy never to see a jacket potato again.’
‘They’re my staple diet,’ said Cassie. She topped up his wine glass and leaned back in her chair. ‘Four minutes or so in a microwave, a spoonful of cottage cheese, and dinner’s ready.’
‘So you don’t cook like this every night?’
She chuckled. ‘I don’t cook like this any night.’
His eyebrows rose. ‘You mean you had this sent in?’
‘No. I just bought it all on the way home and read the instructions on the packets. I had my hair done instead. Much more important than slaving over a hot stove.’
Nick threw back his head and laughed, and suddenly he was so much more like the young man Cassie had once fancied so much she felt a pang of nostalgia for times past, before Max’s jealousy had disrupted so many lives.
‘Were you going to admit all that to young Ashcroft?’ he demanded.
‘Only if he asked,’ said Cassie honestly. ‘I was hoping he’d be too fascinated by my company and my appearance to care where the meal came from.’
‘As he was!’ said Nick emphatically. ‘I walked in on how fascinated he was.’ He sobered suddenly. ‘Was the dress new, bought specially for the occasion?’
Cassie nodded, the look in his dark-rimmed blue eyes putting her on guard. ‘Yes. Why?’
‘I feel more of a heel than ever. You obviously spent a lot of money on a dress and your hair, not to mention the meal—’
‘If you bang on about ruining my evening again, I’ll throw my plate at you,’ she said irritably. ‘Finding Alice was a lot more important than any dress, and if it makes you any happier you can jolly well pay for the meal, since you’ve eaten most of it, Dominic Seymour.’
‘All right, all right,’ he said hastily. ‘Pax, Cassie. If I’m paying, can I have some more wine? I’ve been living without such niceties these past few weeks.’
‘You’ve got to drive home,’ she reminded him.
‘How have I organised my life without you up to now?’ he said with sarcasm, and commandeered the bottle to pour himself a second glass of wine. ‘If it won’t inconvenience you too much, Cassandra Lovell, I’ll leave the car here and take a cab tonight. Alcohol doesn’t play a big part in my life, but after the shock of finding Alice missing is it a sin to fancy a glass of wine or two? Especially after two months of abstinence?’
‘No, of course not. Sorry.’ She shook her head when he made to refill her glass. ‘Not for me, thanks. I’ll make some coffee later. Bring the bottle and your glass and we’ll go and sit in the other room. You look tired.’
Nick got up, yawning. ‘Life’s been pretty hectic lately.’ He followed her into the other room and sank down on the sofa with a sigh after she curled up in a chair. He eyed her gloomily. ‘What the hell am I going to do, Cassie?’
‘About Alice?’
‘Yes. And Max, too. Frankly, I’m worried. There’s been some unrest near the particular region he was heading for. I hope he hasn’t got tangled up in any of it.’
‘So do I!’ Cassie shivered. ‘Though only because of Alice,’ she added with candour.
Nick was silent for a long interval, smiling his thanks when Cassie refilled his glass. ‘What the blazes am I going to do? How the devil do I provide a proper Christmas for Alice? I hope Janet’s willing to hang on in Chiswick. If she is I’d better take over one of Max’s spare rooms until he turns up. Whether he likes it or not,’ he added grimly. ‘We’ve seen as little as possible of each other since the break-up with Julia, but he lets me see Alice now and then.’
‘As well he might,’ said Cassie indignantly. ‘With no grandparents any more, the poor little thing’s not exactly awash with relatives!’
Nick frowned. ‘If Julia’s so fond of Alice, how has Max managed to keep her away from her?’
‘He was in such a rage that memorable day he actually threatened her with an injunction. But there are ways round that. I take letters and presents from Julia when I take Alice out from school. So does my mother.’ Cassie sighed angrily. ‘Your brother’s inhuman.’
‘Step-brother, actually,’ Nick reminded her.
‘Oh, yes. I’d forgotten that. You certainly don’t resemble each other.’
‘Max looks like his mother. She ran off with another man when he was a baby, so Dad hired a very highly qualified nanny by the name of Eileen Ryan, and fell in love with her. He married her as soon as the divorce came through, and a year or so later I was born.’
‘I’ve seen her photograph,’ said Cassie quietly. ‘You’re the image of her.’
‘I know. I miss her. I miss them both. So does Max. Which,’ said Nick, with sudden violence, ‘is why I can never understand why he keeps Julia away from Alice. He loved my mother, and she loved him. Just as Julia loves Alice.’
‘Perhaps it’s pride.’
‘Maybe he expects every woman to behave like his biological mother.’
Cassie pulled out the shoelace from her hair, which she’d grabbed from one of her sneakers in her hurry to look for Alice. The gleaming ringlets cascaded to the shoulders of her dark blue sweater, and she tugged on one of them absently with her teeth as a plan began to formulate in her mind. She looked up to see Nick’s eyes on her.
‘What?’ she demanded.
‘I was admiring the view.’ A smile tugged at the corners of his wide, well-cut mouth. ‘Poor Rupert.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m just beginning to realise what he’s missed out on tonight. A great meal—wherever it came from—and a beautiful companion to enjoy it with.’ He sighed theatrically. ‘I should feel guilty, but I don’t—even if I am just an interloper who got lucky.’
‘This is as lucky as you get,’ she warned him sharply, put out by something in his manner.
The spectacular eyes gleamed. ‘Don’t worry, Cassie. I wasn’t about to leap on your body.’
‘I’m glad to hear it,’ she retorted, bristling. ‘I prefer men who come without your history, Dominic Seymour.’
