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Silly question!
Tears brimmed and fell. 'The last day. The last day I saw him. He was going to be out of the country for a while. We were in his flat. He took me there,' she said ingenuously. 'My blouse was all torn. He couldn't have been sweeter. He even phoned through to his office and got his secretary to buy me a new one, and bring it round. He was the only person ever to make me feel special, and important—other than you and Mum, of course.'
'I'm going to fix us a hot drink.' Caro couldn't stay in the room a moment longer, not without giving vent to the red-hot anger that was consuming her.
'Don't want anything.' Katie was pleating the sheets in shaky fingers.
'Yes, you do. We both do. Then you can tell me more about it.'
Her mother caught up with her in the kitchen while she was heating milk for cocoa. Caro hated the stuff but would gladly drink gallons if only to persuade Katie to take the first nourishment she'd had for days, apparently.
'How is she?' Pretty and pale with anxiety, Emma Farr hovered in the doorway and Caro answered briskly.
'Not good, but she'll get better; just give it time. It's not the after-effects of tumbling into the lake.' No way would she confide that Katie had as good as admitted she'd tried to drown herself. 'Actually, she's suffering from a first love affair that went wrong.' The more innocuous she made it sound, the better her mother would be able to cope.
'Don't try to get her to talk about it; she'll tell you in her own good time. And what I suggest is that you take her on a long holiday, see new places and faces and have fun. I'll square the cost of it with Gran, and you'll both need new clothes. Lots of them. I'll square that, too. I'll make the bookings on Monday. A world cruise suit you? All you have to do is make sure your passports are up to date and drag Katie out to buy those new glad rags.'
It was difficult to persuade her sister to take that extended holiday, but she managed it. Nevertheless it took ages for the young girl to get back to her normal, sweetly contented self.
Finn Helliar had left scars that took a long time to heal. And Caro wasn't able to discover much more about the shameful affair. Katie was vague about how and where they'd met, saying it didn't matter—nothing mattered now, did it?
* * *
Caro opened her eyes, squeezed tightly closed for too long, as the familiar anger came surging back.
Finn Helliar was a louse. Seducing an innocent seventeen-year-old and walking away to marry the woman who was carrying his baby! And how sweet of him to go to the enormous trouble and expense of getting his secretary to replace the blouse he'd torn in his uncontrollable lust!
He would pay for that! And Caroline Fair knew exactly how she would make it happen!
CHAPTER FIVE
The dazzling blue of the sky, coupled with the sheer brilliance of the midsummer sunlight, was such a contrast to the darkness of Caro's recent thoughts, it made her feel dizzy.
The sensual warmth of the sun on her bare arms, the caress of the light breeze as it moulded the soft, floaty cotton of her cream-coloured skirt around her legs and the scented freshness of the air all combined to make her poor head spin.
Or had the dizziness, the frightening feeling of not being in complete control, got something to do with the way Finn turned and looked at her as she walked—strangely hesitant now—down the path to where he stood on the curving lawn?
Just looked at her with that spine-prickling, breath-snagging expression in his smouldering silver eyes, straightening up slowly. The child was at his feet, contentedly playing with a handful of daisies, oblivious to the tension Caro could taste on every trembling breath of air she pulled into her lungs.
'Entrancing,' he murmured at last, his voice so low she wondered if she'd imagined the compliment on her appearance.
She wasn't wearing a nanny get-up, quite deliberately. Prison-warder outfits didn't fit the bill for what she had in mind. So she'd chosen this floaty, almost transparent skirt, a soft coffee-coloured camisole top and a pair of strappy sandals designed to emphasise the arch of her instep. And the height of the heels had to be responsible for the way her body seemed to sway...
'Thank you.' She even managed to smile, just a little. Managed to curb the impulse to run right out of his life, or tell him precisely what she thought of him. Doing either of those things would be a mistake and ruin the game before play had started.
'Let's investigate what the village stores have to offer in the way of provisions.' Finn lifted Sophie into his arms, pulled a daisy stalk out of her mouth and tilted an enquiring brow at the hired nanny who definitely looked good enough to eat.
It had been his sensible intention to suggest she stay here with his daughter, allowing them both the time to get to feel at home with the cottage and garden while he drove into the village to stock up with what they'd need for the next day or so.
But sense, it would appear, had flown out of sight. He didn't want to leave her behind. He wanted her with him. Because the question of why she was in his employ at all and inexpertly posing as a qualified nanny intrigued him? Or did it go further than that? He knew darn well it went further than that. 'OK.' The smile she gave him was warm and winning and he caught his breath, wanting more, wanting to drown in the enticing fascination of that smile, but she turned, depriving him of the opportunity, and he followed her back along the path.
He locked the cottage door and strode across the gravel to the parked car. Sophie, now comfortably strapped into her seat, was about to fall asleep, and one of the loveliest young women he had ever had the good fortune to set eyes on was waiting for him in the passenger seat.
Life was good!
So, the day was good, his mood was better—no need at this stage to try to force the truth from her. Leave it. This was a day to be enjoyed, savoured, one of those perfect days the English summer came up with every now and then, and Caroline Farr—apparently discarding her prickles and suddenly in holiday mood—was too exquisitely entrancing to frighten away with pushy questions.
'I only hope the whole village doesn't close down at lunchtime!' A sideways smile into her eyes as he turned the key in the ignition met with a sudden, unexpected flash of wariness, a slight quick frown which was successfully hidden by the way she immediately swung her head round, staring out of the passenger window.
