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‘Of course I must apologise,’ Margaret insisted. ‘One of us should. Xavier’s guests have behaved appallingly tonight, and he shouldn’t have allowed it to happen. And I shall tell him so—’
‘Please don’t.’
‘Well, at least let me make up for your rocky start to the evening,’ Margaret insisted. ‘When you’re ready, I’ll be only too happy to introduce you around.’
‘You’re very kind.’
‘I’m very practical,’ Margaret argued. ‘As are you, Rosie Clifton. Ten minutes? Don’t worry. I’ll come back,’ she said, heading for the door. ‘Just call me when you’re ready.’ She glanced at the phone on the desk.
‘Now I understand why Xavier has you on speed dial,’ Rosie said, smiling at her new friend.
‘I do have my uses,’ Margaret agreed, shooting Rosie a brief, ironic look.
CHAPTER TEN
AFTER AN INTERESTING start to the evening, his party was deemed an unqualified success. Rosie had impressed him. She had moved with increasing confidence amongst his guests since Margaret had introduced her around. She looked stunning in an ice-blue dress cut on remarkably similar lines to her old yellow dress, though in some expensive designer fabric. Margaret had excelled herself as usual. The expression on Margaret’s face at this moment, however, did not bode well. She was sailing towards him like a galleon in full sail. Taking hold of his elbow, she ushered him out of hearing of the other guests. He didn’t complain. So long as he could still see Rosie, whatever Margaret wanted to say was fine by him.
‘She’s a diamond, that one.’
‘You like Rosie Clifton?’
‘Yes, I do. And you’ve treated her abominably tonight.’
‘Is that what she told you?’
‘Far from it,’ Margaret admitted. ‘She thinks you’re wonderful, which just goes to show how mistaken a person can be.’
‘I didn’t ask you here to give me a lecture,’ he chastised Margaret warmly, delighted to hear Rosie’s opinion of him.
‘You invited that poor girl, and then you left her stranded with people she didn’t know. That’s not good, Xavier. It’s not worthy of you, and you know I’ll speak my mind if I think you’ve done something wrong.’
‘That’s why I hired you,’ he commented dryly.
‘Then make it up to her. I’ve told her you’ll see her safely home tonight. She wasn’t happy about that, either,’ Margaret conceded, avoiding his interested stare. ‘But I’m sure you’ll find a way to make amends.’
He was too.
‘Use your powers of persuasion, if you want her to cooperate when it comes to the island,’ Margaret suggested, as if he needed a prompt. ‘Don’t try and pressure her, or she’ll fight back. She deserves better than that,’ she added, directing a level stare into his eyes.
Having delivered her rebuke, Margaret sailed off in search of more wrongs to right.
* * *
‘Who’s taking you home tonight?’ he asked, walking up to Rosie as she stood waiting to collect her wrap from the temporary cloakroom.
‘You are, apparently,’ she said, giving him one of her looks. She reserved her smile for the man who’d found her wrap, he noticed.
‘You’re very forward, Ms Clifton.’
‘I’m very forward? You have a lot of ground to make up for tonight. If Margaret hadn’t intervened, I’d be calling a cab back to the hotel right now.’
‘It would be my pleasure to take you home.’
‘Thank you,’ she said coolly. ‘Margaret said I must be sure not to leave without you.’
‘She makes me sound like an umbrella.’
‘Slightly more ornamental,’ Rosie commented as she turned to thank the cloakroom attendant.
