AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Harriet bounced off the bed. She might as well go and get the last of her bits and pieces from the car, and then she would make her ceremonial first meal in the lavishly equipped kitchen.
Her Porsche was parked in her very own parking space in the basement, and Harriet gave it a loving pat as she lifted out the cardboard carton of old books, photographs and nick-nacks that had survived her ruthless house-clearing.
She was humming as she got back into the lift and bent to press the button for the right floor with her nose. She shifted her grip on the heavy carton as the lift paused at the ground floor, preparing a bright smile of greeting for one of her new neighbours, but when the doors opened her mouth rounded in a silent O as she saw the tall, familiar figure in a black suit instead of an intriguing stranger.
‘Hello, Marcus!’ she said breathlessly, recovering from her split second of disorientation.
‘Good evening, Harriet,’ he said gravely. She was suddenly glad that she had the box to hide behind, for Marcus’s elegance reminded her that she had dressed comfortably for the move, in a thin white T-shirt, jeans and sandals and a headband made out of a scarf to keep her hair out of her eyes. Marcus had his briefcase with him, she noticed, so he was obviously on his way home from work.
Her heart began to pump madly again. ‘Have you come to see me? I didn’t think you knew—’ She had presumed from his conspicuous lack of interference over the past couple of days that his daughter hadn’t reported Harriet’s latest extravagant impulse. She hadn’t expected her to last out for so long.
‘I suppose Nicola told you I was moving in this evening? Is she with you?’ She peered around him, but there was no sign of anyone else in the tiled foyer except the young security guard, who was watching them curiously. ‘I’m not really settled yet although I’ve moved almost everything in—I was just getting the last of my stuff from the car. You’ll be my first visitor—’
‘You shouldn’t be carrying heavy weights like that.’ Marcus cut through her nervous chatter and stepped into the lift, removing the carton from her slender arms.
‘Really—it isn’t very heavy,’ Harriet protested, but she didn’t bother to try to retrieve the box. By now she was used to the futility of arguing with Marcus’s chivalrous instincts.
He had certainly got his way over the Porsche, turning up on her doorstep on Monday morning just as she was preparing to leave for work and politely commanding her to drive him to the office while his chauffeur, who had dropped him off, took the Volvo in for its service check.
Harriet had been tempted to give him the hair-raising ride of his life, but his tense air of resignation had led her to believe that that was just what he expected her to do, so she had perversely decided to give his conservative soul nothing to complain about. His detached comments had actually been quite helpful, although her thanks had been grudging because his smile and bland thanks for a smooth ride had made her realise that she had been neatly manipulated into behaving with depressing meekness.
‘Heavy enough,’ he said, tucking the carton easily under one arm. ‘You should have asked someone to help instead of trying to carry it yourself.’
‘I don’t know anyone yet,’ she said as the doors closed again.
‘You know me,’ he pointed out.
‘I mean here, at the Harbourside,’ she said, untying the bandanna and running a hand self-consciously through her untidy hair. ‘I haven’t seen any of my neighbours so far, but the saleswoman told me that most of the apartments are occupied.
‘They’re very sought-after, you know,’ she boasted, her excitement about her new home brimming over now that she had someone to share it with. ‘Mine is a corner one so I get two different views of the city; it’s northfacing too, so I get the sun as well. As soon as I walked in I knew it was right for me so I bought it on the spot. And it’s really a fabulous bargain. Even you couldn’t have got a better deal!’
‘I’m sure I couldn’t,’ he murmured equably, watching her deep-set eyes sparkle and her mouth curve widely with satisfaction.
When the lift halted at the fifth floor she led the way down the short hall, and he waited patiently while she dealt with the unfamiliar lock and threw open the door with a flourish.
‘Well, what do you think?’ she said eagerly, when he was hardly inside the door. ‘Isn’t it terrific?’ She basked in self-satisfaction, not giving him a chance to reply. ‘There’s only one bedroom but the living areas are big and there’s plenty of room for parties, and for guests to stay over—’
‘Life is going to be one mad, social whirl for you, isn’t it?’ said Marcus, setting the carton carefully down on the honey-coloured dining table that had come with the apartment and placing his briefcase on the floor. As she moved restlessly under his steady blue gaze he asked smoothly, ‘May I look around?’
The thought of showing him her bedroom gave her a strange curling sensation in her stomach. ‘Yes, of course. Go ahead,’ she said, waving vaguely in the direction of the rest of the apartment.
His dark head tilted to one side. ‘Aren’t you going to show me?’
It was as if he knew what she was feeling. ‘I don’t think you’ll get lost,’ she said tartly, taking refuge in a hostessy smile. ‘I’ll get us a drink while you’re looking. What would you like?’
‘A fruit juice, if you have it.’
‘I have everything,’ she said emphatically, thinking of the lavish array of bottles now residing in her drinks cabinet, awaiting the flood of new friends that she intended to make.
He looked around at the pale room, tinted a rich gold by the evening sun. ‘It’s a beautifully warm room…may I take off my jacket?’
For no reason at all his polite request made her blush. ‘Of course…here, let me hang it up for you.’ She took it from him and he turned away, loosening his collar and tie with a grunt of relief.
The ultra-fine wool fabric was still warm from his body and Harriet thrust it hurriedly into the closet by the door, deciding that she had better stick to orange juice too. Celebrating her unexpected first visitor with anything more potent would be asking for trouble. Marcus’s mere presence made her feel light-headed enough—she didn’t need the added stimulation of alcohol.
‘How did your date go last night?’
The jacket almost slid off the hanger onto the floor. ‘You mean with Greg Pollard? Fine. It went fine.’
