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This was getting ridiculous. She’d dozed on and off throughout the journey, noticing each time she woke up that Cal seemed more and more tense and less and less talkative. She’d decided not to hold it against him, guessing he had to be as exhausted as she was after their all-nighter—and he’d had to do all the driving, because he was a tad precious about his new car. But honestly, what was the big secret?
‘Are Maddy and her family part of a witness protection programme?’ she asked, smiling sweetly as she held out her hand for her luggage. ‘Because getting you to talk about them is harder than cracking the Enigma code.’
‘Ha, ha,’ he said, but still didn’t elaborate.
Instead of handing Ruby her bag, he tucked it under his arm, held his own and placed his free palm on the small of her back.
‘I’ve got them,’ he said, directing her towards the front door. ‘Believe me, you’re going to need both hands when you meet Maddy,’ he added cryptically.
Ruby had only a moment to debate that before a slim young woman wearing a pair of denim cut-offs and a worn T-shirt burst through the front door. ‘Cal, you made it.’ Flinging her arms round Cal’s neck, she bounced up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. ‘At last.’
‘Hello, Maddy,’ he said as she bounced back down and turned to Ruby. ‘This is Ruby.’
‘Ruby! This is fantastic,’ she declared, grasping Ruby’s hand in both of hers. ‘It’s great to meet you.’
The woman’s eyes, the same striking emerald shade as Cal’s, warmed with excitement and avid curiosity. ‘I hope you didn’t mind me strong-arming Cal into visiting. It’s just Mia’s really attached to him. And it’s her birthday tomorrow.’
‘That’s absolutely fine,’ Ruby said, feeling uncomfortable at Maddy’s enthusiasm. It hadn’t really occurred to her that they’d be deceiving Cal’s sister by pretending to be a couple. The woman had greeted her as if she were someone significant, when she knew she wasn’t.
‘Where is Mia?’ Cal asked.
‘She crashed out about an hour ago. Thank goodness,’ Maddy said as she led them into the house. ‘When she heard you were definitely coming for her birthday she went into hyper-drive.’ Maddy beamed at them both as she pushed open a door into a huge kitchen-dining room, which had a picture window that looked out onto the cliffs and bathed the room in natural light. ‘Having her favourite uncle visit and a birthday party all in the same weekend is basically the definition of too much of a good thing for a three-year-old.’
‘I’m her only uncle,’ Cal remarked.
‘Rye’s checking on Mia,’ Maddy said, ignoring the blunt comment. ‘But I hope you haven’t had supper yet. We held dinner for you.’
‘No, we haven’t,’ Ruby answered when Cal remained silent. ‘I know you weren’t expecting me. I hope I’m not imposing.’
‘Don’t be silly. It’s wonderful to have you here.’ She waved the comment away. ‘And I adore cooking. I’m sure Cal’s told you I always make enough to feed a team of starving rugby players.’ Crossing to the stove, she whipped a tray of flaky pastries out of the traditional Aga cooker.
The delicious scent of butter and spices and freshly cooked salmon had Ruby’s stomach growling.
‘That smells terrific,’ she said, deciding not to divulge that Cal had mentioned virtually nothing about Maddy—except that she was deeply in love with her husband and her parents’ disastrous marriage had been tough on her. Knowing something so personal about the woman and very little else made Ruby feel like even more of a fraud.
As Maddy arranged the pastries onto a plate and placed them on the large oak table Ruby noticed it was already laden with an impressive array of salads and appetisers. Her heart went out to her host. She’d gone to so much trouble—had probably spent most of the evening preparing the meal.
‘What room are we in?’ Cal asked. ‘I’ll go dump our stuff.’
‘Oh, yes, of course,’ Maddy said, sounding flustered now as she paused in the process of putting another place setting onto the table. ‘I stuck you two doors down from Mia in the turret room. On the first floor. It’s got a fantastic view of the bay.’
He nodded. ‘Great.’
Ruby frowned as he walked out with the bags. Why was he being so stiff?
Maddy watched him go, her shoulders slumping slightly. ‘I’m sorry, I should offer you a drink,’ she said, shaking her head as if she’d momentarily forgotten Ruby was there. ‘How does a glass of Pinot Grigio sound?’ Maddy asked, her enthusiasm a little forced.
‘Like a fantastic idea.’ Ruby sent the other woman an encouraging smile, her empathy increasing. Men could be such morons. Especially men of the big-brother variety.
A little of the dancing light returned to Maddy’s eyes. ‘Come on, I’ve got a bottle in the fridge and some antipasti we can nibble on till the guys get back.’
They chatted about the trip down and the traffic out of London as Maddy uncorked the wine and poured Ruby a glass, then brought the promised plate of antipasti out of the fridge.
‘Aren’t you having a glass?’ Ruby asked as she selected a stuffed mushroom from the lavish tray of home-made canapés.
Maddy’s face flushed as she pressed a hand to her midriff. ‘I’m not drinking at the moment. Doctor’s orders.’
Ruby swallowed. ‘Oh, my goodness. Are you expecting a…?’ She stopped abruptly, knowing she didn’t have any right to ask such a personal question. She was only a stunt girlfriend, after all.
