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‘I didn’t dig it all myself,’ he responded, trying not to get too distracted by the sudden desire to make her smile some more, ‘but, yeah, my ego is pretty healthy.’
She exhaled a soft crumpled laugh and looked away, her cheeks a little flushed.
Nik couldn’t rip his eyes off her.
‘Your little girl,’ he coaxed, ‘what’s her name?’
Her expression instantly softened. ‘Fleur.’
‘It’s a pretty name.’
‘My little flower,’ she said.
‘How old is she?’
‘Five and a half.’
‘I didn’t mean to scare her,’ he said, the words feeling outsized, almost as if he was blundering again.
‘You didn’t scare her. She’s just not used to raised voices.’
‘Yeah, I deserve that.’
She eyed him almost shyly and again he got the impression Sybella wasn’t anywhere near as tough as she pretended to be—or maybe needed to be. ‘Your grandfather is teaching her to read. On Thursdays, when I’m here to take tours. Afterwards Fleur and I have tea with him.’
And he had forbidden her to come to the Hall again. He wanted to ask her why she hadn’t let him know this earlier, but then he knew he hadn’t given her much of a chance.
He was revisiting every hard thing he’d said to her since they’d met. He was beginning to think Sybella Parminter didn’t really want anything from anyone, she was so determined to do it all herself.
‘What I said about the house. I’m not here to ruin your or your daughter’s relationship with my grandfather.’
She nodded, focused on some point outside the car.
‘But I can’t have my grandfather’s home turned into…’
‘A theme park, I know, I heard you.’
He had a strong urge to pull her into his arms, but that wasn’t going to go down well.
‘Mr Voronov talks a lot about his grandsons.’ She looked over at him as if trying to read his face. ‘He—he seems very proud of both of you.’
‘Possibly simply relieved the two of us have managed not to break any laws or tarnish the family name,’ Nik said, the brief smile he gave her almost boyish, and Sybella’s heart did a stumble. ‘He’s not the robust man he once was. When my grandmother Baba died it was sudden and unexpected. We were all left floundering.’
Sybella suspected Nik was including himself in that floundering and her susceptible heart did more than stumble, it completely softened.
‘Deda went overnight from the man who adapted to anything to how he is now, sometimes querulous and unhappy and mostly set in his ways.’
Sybella privately acknowledged the older man could be difficult, but she suspected it was because he felt managed. ‘Mr Voronov has spoken to me of his wife.’
‘Baba was everything to him.’ And perhaps to her grandson, Sybella thought, watching a sadness weight his expression.
‘Why did he come here of all places?’
‘His health required visits to a clinic in London. I found myself with no choice but to accommodate his wish to not live in the city. He was in a hospital bed when he put a copy of Country Life in front of me and pointed out the photograph of Edbury Hall, and I hadn’t been in a position to say no.’
‘But you wish you had now.’
He was silent for a moment and then said quietly, ‘No, things have changed since I arrived yesterday. It’s not that clear-cut any more.’
Sybella told herself he wasn’t referring to her but it was difficult to hold his gaze when he looked at her like that.
Nik watched the shyness she worked so hard to keep hidden soften her features, her hands working nervously in her lap.
‘I don’t suppose we can sit here all day,’ she said, ‘or is that your intention?’
Nik laughed and she appeared taken aback, as if his amusement was something slightly shocking. Was he that bad?
‘Where do you want to go?’
He expected her to say back to work, but she looked out across the gravel courtyard and said, ‘I’ve got a window of an hour before I need to pick Fleur up. Why don’t we just go for a drive?’
There was a wash of colour in her cheeks again. He knew he couldn’t start anything with her, but it couldn’t hurt to take a drive.
