Page 34 of The Mad Marchams

“I can’t quite picture my grandmother either hanging out or being girlie, but I’m sure you’re right,” Colin said dubiously.

“I have some work to do, so if they get sick of me, I can always stick with that,” Mabel reminded him.

“I thought you were on vacation?”

“I’m definitely between projects, but occasionally something comes up.”

Mindful of Freddy’s earlier words, Colin asked, “You write code, correct?”

“Yeah.” She looked up at him, a hint of wariness in her eyes. “Software for new ventures, apps, and devices. Why do you ask?”

He shrugged. “I just wondered. Do you like doing that?”

“I love it.” She sighed. “Except I’ve been totally engrossed in work since I turned seventeen and recently it all kind of got to me. That’s why I was able to take this long vacation.” She peered at him in the gathering dusk. “I thought I told you all this before. Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all.” He hastened to reassure her. “I assume that kind of work is quite lucrative?”

Her slow smile made him stare longingly at her mouth. “Are you fishing for a loan or something? Because I already said⁠—”

He held up his hand. “Not at all! I know how expensive it is to live in Silicon Valley and you have family members to support and rent to pay. If you’re currently not working, you need your savings for that.”

Her brow creased. “Why does the idea of me loaning you money freak you out so much?”

“I suppose it’s because I’m tired of always being seen as a failure and I’d like to sort out my money problems by myself.”

She nodded slowly. “I kind of get that, but I’m not going to judge you when you’ve been handed a massive problem that isn’t your own making.”

“Thank you, but I’m still not expecting you to save my arse,” Colin said firmly. “Can we talk about something else?”

Mabel waggled her eyebrows at him. “I can think of something, but it depends how you feel about being tied to a fourposter bed.”

“That already happened to me once at university, and I don’t want to repeat the experience.” Colin finished washing up and put the last plate on the draining rack.

“You’re very hard to shock,” Mabel complained. She finished her coffee and handed over the cup.

“Well, they always say the British aristocracy are a law unto themselves and they’re definitely kinky.”

“Do I want to know how you ended up tied to a fourposter at college?” Mabel asked.

Colin frowned. “I think it had something to do with an escaped pig and a dare, but I’m rather hazy on the details. I can assure you that it wasn’t much fun.”

She pouted. “That’s a shame, because I’ve always had this fantasy of being tied up and ravished princess-like in a big fourposter bed.”

“Well, that’s different.” He threw the tea towel over the back of the nearest chair. “My experience will come in very handy then, won’t it?”

Mabel woke up to find Colin was already gone. He’d left a rose in a jam jar on her bedside table, along with a sweet note that made her blush. She leaned back against the pillows and enjoyed the sounds of the countryside—a mixture of birdsong and the horses and their caretakers in the nearby stables. She’d never lived anywhere so quiet. She liked it. She liked the pace of life, the way no one was bugging her about how much she earned, what her next project was, or anything transactional.

Freddy had tried to get her to open up to him a couple of times, but she wasn’t convinced his motives were entirely pure. The last thing she wanted was to give him any ammunition to use against Colin. Her slight smile faded. Could she live someplace like this? Not that Colin had indicated that he’d like her to stay permanently, or anything. But it did seem obvious he appreciated her support and her presence for the time being. And she liked him—she liked him a lot—he felt like home and made her feel safe.

She checked the time and decided to get up, figuring she should deal with her email before going off to find Felicity and Colin’s grandmother.

Mabel had given her mom strict instructions not to tell any of her work colleagues exactly where she’d gone, because she knew they’d freak out. As far as they were concerned, she was holed up somewhere in Napa Valley enjoying the vineyards.

After a leisurely soak in the huge bath, she fed Felix the kitchen cat and sat down at the pine table with her laptop and her phone beside her. The first couple of emails were easy to deal with because they were from her broker. The next four, not so much.

WHERE ARE YOU?

Joss had sent. It was the first of several messages from him.