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‘Of course,’ Cal said, surprised. ‘And Miss Reid is excellent at keeping me updated on their progress.’
‘I’m sure she is.’
Anna gave Heather a speculative look, and Cal suddenly regretted drawing attention to her. Still, they were nearly out of the woods. Just one more day and then Anna would be back on the early train to London, and he and Heather could sit down and figure out what happened next.
Preferably naked.
* * *
Heather was halfway through gluing a cardboard evacuee’s suitcase together, while Ryan held the sides and Daisy found vital things to put in it when it was dry, when Mrs Peterson knocked on the schoolroom door.
‘Miss Reid?’
The housekeeper had the same, slightly disapproving look on her face that she’d had ever since Heather had arrived at Lengroth Castle. The only slight consolation was that the look Mrs Peterson gave Anna Jenkins was even more scathing.
‘Mr Bryce is looking for you.’
‘He is?’ Heather got to her feet. ‘Keep holding that, Ryan, I’ll be back in a moment.’
What on earth could Cal want? They’d agreed that they needed to stay away from each other as much as possible during the day while Anna was roaming the castle. At night it was a different matter. The only person likely to see Heather then was apparently the Lengroth ghost—and even she’d been absent since that first night Heather had spent with Cal.
Heather knocked on the office door lightly, then let herself in.
Cal looked up from his computer screen with surprise. ‘Heather! What’s wrong? Do you need something?’
‘I thought you did.’ Heather frowned. ‘Mrs Peterson said you were looking for me. Which I thought was strange because you knew exactly where I’d be...’
Their eyes met and they both reached the same conclusion at the same time.
‘Anna!’ they said, in unison.
‘Your stupid castle is too big,’ Heather muttered as they hurried down the endless stone-walled corridors back to the schoolroom.
‘Yes, it’s definitely the castle that’s the problem here,’ Cal replied, striding ahead. ‘And it’s not my castle. It’s Ryan’s.’
Ryan.
Ryan and Daisy—who were probably being cornered by that shark of a reporter right now, being asked heaven only knew what about their lives, their family, their parents’ deaths—maybe even Cal and Heather.
Thank goodness they’d held back on telling them about the baby. Heather dreaded to think what Anna would have made of that.
Still, Heather’s heart pounded as they rounded the final corner to the schoolroom and heard Anna’s voice from inside.
‘And how do you both feel about being sent away to boarding school by your uncle so soon after your parents’ deaths?’ she asked, her tone sweet but her words sharp.
Cal pushed past her to get inside, obviously not wanting to hear the answer to that one. But he wasn’t as fast as Ryan’s mouth.
‘We’re not going,’ Ryan said defiantly. ‘Heather would never let Uncle Cal send us away from Lengroth.’
Cal froze in front of her and Heather could almost hear his heart beating too fast, too hard, at his nephew’s words.
‘Do you think your nanny has that sort of influence?’ Anna asked. ‘I thought she was only here for the summer...’
‘Heather’s not just the nanny,’ Daisy replied, her tone scathing. ‘She’s pregnant with Daddy’s baby. And Uncle Cal is in love with her.’
‘So she’s going to stay for ever and we’ll all be a family again!’ Ryan shouted. ‘You’ll see!’
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
RYAN PUSHED PAST Anna and ran out through the schoolroom doorway—and barrelled right into Cal, who pulled him into a hug, holding the boy’s trembling body against his chest.
Behind him, Heather slumped back against the wall, and he didn’t need to look at her to know that she had to be looking as stunned as he felt.
How did they find out about the baby?
A question for later. Once he’d dealt with the enormous problem directly at hand.
‘I think it’s time you left Lengroth Castle, Miss Jenkins,’ he said over Ryan’s head, his tone icy.
