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‘I did it for Mark. He was upset at not seeing you again. We came to the school yesterday; you’d already gone. In fact, I’m in Mark’s bad books because he wanted to go sooner and I promised to get home early from work, but I got held up and then—’
‘So it was your fault that you missed me,’ she said, amused despite herself.
‘Yes, and then the caretaker told me you’d left in a van, but didn’t know where.’
‘Otherwise you’d have come chasing after me like we were in some Grand Prix.’
‘Mark was upset. And may I remind you who it was told me that I should listen more to him?’
‘Oh, very clever!’ But what could she say? It was true. ‘So how did you know how to find me?’
‘You told Mark you had a cottage by the sea.’
‘I didn’t tell him where.’
‘Well, I just—’ reading wrath in her eyes again he became deliberately vague ‘—I just asked around.’
‘Where?’ she asked implacably.
‘I went to your flat. One of the neighbours was very helpful—’
‘You mean you had me investigated like a criminal?’
‘I had to find out where you were.’
They glared, each baffled to find the other so unreasonable. Justin wondered why she couldn’t understand that he’d done whatever was necessary to get what he wanted. That was what he always did, and it seemed simple enough to him.
To Evie it was also simple. She disliked being treated like prey to be hunted down for his convenience. But she wouldn’t say so while Mark might be within earshot. The real quarrel could wait until later.
‘Dad,’ Mark called, reappearing around the side of the building. ‘It’s a wonderful place. Is it really yours?’ This was to Evie.
‘Sort of,’ she said. ‘Come in and have something to eat.’
But Justin said, ‘It’s getting late. Mark’s tired and needs to go to bed soon, so I guess we’ll find a hotel, if you’ll tell us where the nearest one is.’
It was a direct challenge, and thoroughly unscrupulous.
‘You know I won’t turn you out at this hour,’ she said.
He gave her a smile that was suddenly charming.
‘But you can’t just put us up without warning. I don’t suppose you have the room, and I don’t want to inconvenience you—’
‘That is not true,’ she said, speaking lightly but with a glitter in her eyes that gave him fair warning. ‘You do not care if you inconvenience me. You don’t care about anything as long as you get your own way. Now shut up and get in there before I stamp hard on your feet.’
The smile changed into a grin. He’d won again.
Mark was also grinning, Evie was glad to notice. For his sake she forgave his father everything.
Well, almost everything.
From the amount of luggage he hauled into the cottage it was clear that he’d come prepared to stay for a while. But it would just be until Andrew arrived, and not a moment longer.
‘It’s not what you’re used to,’ she warned. ‘No luxury. Just basic.’
‘You wouldn’t be trying to put me off?’ he said, regarding her ironically.
‘Would I do that?’
Again he gave that grin. This was Justin Dane in holiday mood. The grin was surprisingly attractive with a blazing quality that could lift a woman’s spirits unless she was on her guard against him. Which she was.
Mark dashed in and looked around at the large downstairs room with its big open fireplace.
‘It’s great!’ he enthused. ‘Just like a picture book.’
‘I didn’t think modern boys read that sort of picture book,’ she said.
‘Not now,’ he agreed, ‘but when I was a kid.’ He looked round and found something else to please him. ‘No central heating,’ he said ecstatically.
‘That’s a plus?’ Justin queried.
‘Radiators would have spoiled it,’ Mark explained.
‘That’s what Uncle Joe used to say.’ Evie chuckled. ‘He said he didn’t want to spoil the place with a lot of ‘‘new-fangled rubbish’’. We used to put electric fires on in winter.’
‘If there’s somewhere to lay our heads,’ Justin said, ‘that’s all we ask.’
‘You can have the guest room. It’s got two single beds.’
She’d just finished cleaning the room. Now she found linen and dumped it on the beds.
‘It won’t take you long to make them up,’ she said, smiling at Justin. ‘Mark, why don’t we leave your father to it, while you and I go into the kitchen and we’ll see what there is for supper?’
She departed, throwing a challenging look over her shoulder. He regarded her with his eyebrows raised, but did not seem disconcerted.
When they were in the kitchen Evie muttered to Mark, ‘What is your father playing at?’
Mark’s shrug was eloquent. ‘Dad sets his heart on something and he has to have it. He promised me I could talk to you again.’
‘Even if it means chasing me halfway across the country and missing a whole day’s work?’
Mark gave a snort of delighted laughter.
‘Actually he won’t be missing that much,’ he said. ‘He’s brought his laptop computer. He can send and read emails at any hour. And he’s got his mobile phone so that all his calls won’t go on to your phone—’
‘All his calls? How many calls will there be, and how long is he planning to stay?’
‘The actual time doesn’t matter,’ Mark said wisely. ‘Dad can get through more business in five minutes than anyone he knows. That’s what he says, anyway. And he always calls America in the evening because they’re five hours behind us, and he says that’s really useful—’
‘In other words, he isn’t actually planning to take any time off at all. It’ll be business as usual, just in a different setting.’
Mark nodded.
‘Until I tell him to leave.’
‘You wouldn’t,’ Mark said, awed by this reckless courage.
‘I would. I’ll be straight with you, Mark. At the right time, I’ll square up to your father and order him off my premises.’
‘Wow!’ he said, impressed. He moved closer and spoke like a conspirator. ‘Will you promise me something?’
She too leaned close. ‘What?’ she whispered dramatically.
‘That when you order Dad off your premises I can be there to see. Promise me.’
She laughed. ‘You wretched boy. All right, I promise you can be there to enjoy it.’
They jumped apart as Justin appeared with air of suppressed triumph.
‘Everything is done upstairs,’ he said. ‘If you’d care to look.’
‘Why are you looking so pleased with yourself?’ she asked.
‘Come and see.’
She was beginning to suspect the truth, but it was still a surprise to find the beds made perfectly and all the clothes neatly hung up in the wardrobe.
She realised that he was watching her closely, enjoying her expression.
‘Well done,’ she said. ‘Can you cook as well?’
‘Try me.’
‘I intend to,’ she said incredulously.
But again he proved himself better than her doubts. His egg and chips might not have been haute cuisine but they were properly cooked, even if both father and son drenched everything in tomato ketchup. She had to smile at the sight of them acting in unison, wiping their plates with bread, fearful of losing the last smidgen of ketchup.
When the meal was over she leaned back, watching him, her arms folded.
‘Well?’ she said.
‘Well?’
She inclined her head slightly towards the sink.
‘I did the cooking,’ he said indignantly.
‘Yeah, but we invited ourselves, Dad,’ Mark muttered.
‘Fine. I’ll wash, you dry.’ He rose. ‘Where’s the washing-up liquid?’
‘I’ll do it,’ she said, laughing.
In the end they all did it together in an atmosphere that was more pleasant than she would have dared to hope. Afterwards Mark asked to watch the television, and was amazed to discover that the set only received four terrestrial channels and had no teletext. Nor was there a video.
‘Gosh, it’s like history!’ he gasped.
‘Mark!’ Justin said sharply.
‘It’s all right.’ Evie chuckled. ‘He didn’t mean it rudely. It must be like something out of the Dark Ages to a modern child.’
In the end they settled down to watch the news, until they heard an ominous sound outside. Evie turned down the sound and they all listened in alarm.
‘It’s raining!’ Mark whispered in horror.
They went outside, where it was pelting down.
‘It’ll be all right in the morning,’ Evie said.
Mark looked at her. ‘Promise?’
‘Promise,’ she said recklessly. ‘And now I think you should go to bed. It’s late and tomorrow’s a big day.’
‘Can we go swimming?’
‘What about your cold?’
‘It’s better, honestly. Isn’t it, Dad?’
‘I wouldn’t have brought him here otherwise,’ Justin assured her. ‘Mark, you heard what Miss Wharton said. Up to bed.’
Mark took her hand. ‘Miss Wharton—can I call you Evie?’
‘Mark!’
‘Well, I’m not his teacher any more,’ she said. ‘Evie it is.’
Mark departed, satisfied.
‘I apologise,’ Justin groaned.
‘Don’t. He’s just being friendly.’
‘How friendly do you think he’ll be tomorrow when it rains?’
‘It won’t rain.’
‘How can you be sure?’
