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Having Alistair along made all the difference. Raina didn’t have to juggle with bags and keeping hold of Anya’s hand, and he seemed genuinely to love playing with Anya. He made her a paper boat to float on the lake, and spun the duck food pellets so that they landed right in front of whichever duck Anya pointed out to him. He wiped melted ice cream from her hand and carried her when she got tired. And he talked to her about everything they saw, his own interest in the things around them matching that of an inquisitive three-year-old.
All that was left for Raina to do was to watch and enjoy. And to try not to think about how things might have been. Alistair was here with one purpose in mind, and if it didn’t seem like that to Anya, then Raina should remember it.
After they’d explored the park, Alistair took them for afternoon tea in a smart hotel. As he ushered them into the plush reception area, Raina wondered if this wasn’t a little too much for Anya, but Alistair held her hand, pointing out the twinkling chandeliers to her, and she was entranced.
‘These are
the stairs that all the princesses use.’ He stopped at the bottom of a wide, sweeping staircase, and Anya nodded gravely.
‘Uncle Alistair...’ She held up her arms and Alistair picked her up so that she could see the twinkling lights that cascaded down the stairwell. Raina saw Anya’s head bob back and forth, taking in everything around her, as he walked slowly up the centre of the red stair carpet.
The tea table was set with fine china cups and saucers, and heavy silver cutlery, on a snowy white tablecloth. A smiling waitress brought a high chair for Anya and Alistair pulled a chair back for Raina.
‘This is really nice...’ Raina sat down, feeling a little like an imposter. This looked a lot like a handsome man bringing his wife and daughter for afternoon tea. Alistair’s attentiveness certainly bore that conclusion out, if anyone was tempted to jump to it.
He nodded. ‘What do you think, Anya? Do you like it?’
‘Yes. I like the pretty cups.’
‘They’re really nice, aren’t they?’ Alistair picked up a cup, keeping hold of it while Anya turned it in her hand, examining it. Everything he did was designed to get Anya to touch and manipulate things. ‘Let’s have a look at the menu, shall we?’
He started to read through the menu with Anya, and Raina picked hers up. This was way beyond what she could afford for afternoon tea. She nudged his foot with hers, under the table.
‘Alistair, this is a bit pricey.’ She whispered the words, wishing she’d thought to look at the menu on the reception desk.
‘It’s my treat...’ He silenced her protests with a firm look. ‘Indulge me. Or I’ll have to resort to unfair tactics and point out that Anya will be really disappointed if she doesn’t get one of those cakes.’
He gestured towards the cake stands, which sat on a side table ready for serving. Anya looked round and her eyes suddenly became as round as saucers.
‘Those are unfair tactics, Alistair.’
‘What’s a guy supposed to do? You have me outnumbered.’ He grinned and Raina’s heart melted.
‘This is a lovely treat. Thank you.’
He caught the waitress’s eye and ordered an afternoon tea for three. The young woman disappeared and then came back with cake stands containing small sandwiches and cakes, and a pot of tea. There was also a beaker of orange juice for Anya, and a glass of champagne for Raina.
‘Alistair!’
‘Come on. I know you like it.’ He filled his own glass from the bottle of sparkling water that the waitress had brought.
‘And this is part of your strategy, is it? Making the mothers tipsy while you spoil their children.’ Raina selected a couple of sandwiches and put them onto a plate for Anya.
‘One of my strategies. I’m just trying it out on you to see whether it works.’ He grinned at her with such obvious relish that Raina smiled.
‘It’s working.’ She couldn’t help it. Alistair had made this into a fun day for both her and Anya.
He was enjoying this too. She could see it. Anya responded to his attention by being on her best behaviour, and Raina began to relax again. This was a very nice treat, and one that she couldn’t afford these days.
It was nice to talk as well. Raina had forgotten how much she’d missed talking with Alistair about almost everything. This was the man she’d fallen in love with, the one who could make her laugh, and had something interesting to say on just about every subject under the sun...
‘Mummy...’ Anya suddenly started to rock in her chair, as if she wanted to get down from the table. Then she slid her residual limb into the front of her cardigan and Raina’s heart fell. Not now. Please not now, when they were having such a nice time.
Alistair was looking round, at a pair of middle-aged women, who had arrived at the table next to theirs. Both were staring at Anya, and one had actually turned in her seat to do so.
Alistair grinned at them broadly and they both looked away. Raina gave Anya a smile and tried to get her interested in choosing a cake.
It seemed that the women weren’t going to give up, though. They started to talk, glancing every now and then in Anya’s direction, and Raina caught some of the words.
