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'I normally eat just a grapefruit for breakfast,' she said gloomily as she sat down with a plate of food in front of her.
If it hadn't been for the mist and the accident, she would have gone out last night to the village shop and bought supplies—fresh bread, fruit, salad, eggs. It wasn't far in a car, just five minutes away, but she wouldn't care to walk it in a thick river mist; it would be easy to miss a turning or walk off the road into the low-lying fields or even into the river.
'You're in no danger of putting on weight,' Keir assured her and she bristled at the way he was eyeing her.
'Keep your eyes on your breakfast!'
He laughed. 'Can't I even look?'
'No,' Liza said with a bite, her eyes serious, and he stopped smiling, his face tightening. She heard him draw an angry breath, staring at her, his eyes blindingly bright and icy.
'You're beginning to annoy me. Miss Thurston! Stop picking me up on every word. Have you got some sort of hang-up about men? You seem very touchy—mustn't touch, mustn't look! What's your problem, Miss Thurston ?'
You, at the moment, Mr Zachary,' she told him coldly, 'I wouldn't have to tell you not to touch if you kept your hands to yourself, and as for looking, it all depends on the way you do it, doesn't it? Some stares can be an insult.'
He didn't like that; a dark flush crept up into his face and his eyes narrowed dangerously on her, threat in them. He expected every woman he made a pass at to swoon into his arms, no doubt. He wasn't used to getting a red light—but he was getting one from her, whether he liked it or not. Liza lifted her chin and glared back at him.
'Afraid your boyfriend will be jealous?' he asked and the sneer made her angrier. 'Leave Bruno out of this!'
'Bruno!' he repeated, his mouth twisting. 'What sort of name is that for a man? It's a name for a teddy bear!' 'I like it!' she snapped.
Are you in love with him?' he asked curtly, watching her closely.
She didn't answer, beginning to eat, and he waited a minute before he concentrated on his breakfast too. It was good; Liza had to admit that. She wasn't sure how he did it with such unpromising materials, but she ate every scrap on the plate and enjoyed every mouthful, even though she was in a very bad temper by then.
'If there was any justice, you'd have indigestion for hours," Keir told her as he got up from the table. T probably will! Eating when you're furious is a mistake.'
'When are you leaving?' Liza merely asked, although she knew she ought to tell him how good the meal had been. She should, but she couldn't because Keir Zachary made her feel aggressive. The sideways glance of those blue eyes made her blood run faster and hotter and did something drastic to her peace of mind. The only way she could handle the way he made her feel was to lose her temper. Ever since she'd met him in the mist her temperature had been rising and she had to have some safety valve.
'As soon as I can, don't worry!' he snapped back, dumping the dishes into the sink and running hot water on them.
'Leave that, I'll do it,' Liza said.
'I can walk out now, if you don't mind the vultures getting a shot of me leaving the house,' he said nastily, and she felt like hitting him because he knew very well that she did not want a photo of him appearing in the papers.
'Maybe they've gone,' she said optimistically and went into the sitting-room to peer out through the curtains, taking care not to be seen herself.
The car was still there, but she couldn't see anyone in it. Perhaps the two men had gone off to the pub to check on the fishing contest? It was far too early for the bar to be open, but perhaps they were eating breakfast?
'They've gone. Hurry!' she told Keir, who joined her and studied the empty car thoughtfully without seeming in much haste.
'Will you be OK on your own? ' he asked, without moving.
'Yes, don't just stand there—get moving!'
'I'll have to collect my case,' he said, wandering away, as if he had all the time in the world.
They may be back any minute,' she pointed out, then remembered something. 'We didn't exchange addresses
when your car has been fixed, send the bill to me. I've got a card in my wallet. Hold on, I'll get it for you from my bag.' He might not feel any sense of urgency, but she did. She ran all the way, and was breathless when she got back from her bedroom.
It was the agency business card, not her private address; he studied it when she handed it to him and his brows curved upwards in that dry, sardonic way of his.
'The Gifford Building? You must make a fortune to be able to afford offices in that.'
'We're successful,' she admitted with quiet pride, because when she set up the agency nobody had believed in her ability to run a company. She had been risking her own money; no bank would lend her any then, although now she could walk in anywhere and be sure of a warm reception and a loan. When you had money it was easy; it was when you didn't that problems started.
'You must be,' Keir drawled. 'And if you're dating one of the Giffords you're moving in the big league, too. They built that block a few years ago, didn't they? One of the new monsters on London's skyline; all that glass and concrete—there was quite an outcry, I remember. Do you like it?"
