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But Caradoc was there first, swinging his legs out and standing so that their bodies almost touched.
“Don’t open the door for me,” he said darkly.
Her smile was weak. “It’s my job.”
“Not now.” He closed the door, but didn’t move away from her. “You’ll come and see me tonight.”
“I …” She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Caradoc?” A very fine, brittle voice interrupted the words he’d been about to speak. Or had he been about to kiss her? To show her how amazing their connection would be?
His eyes were flecked with annoyance. “Later,” he promised, and he made do with reaching down and squeezing her hand. “You can’t fight this.”
Then he turned, just as the woman in possession of the voice appeared from the house, like a dark wraith from the reeds of the lake. She was tall and slender – so slim she looked like she might snap with a heavy gust of wind. She was dressed in head to toe black, and her long blonde hair was loose around her shoulders. Her face, free of makeup, was beautiful. Her eyes were red-rimmed.
“Thank God you’re here.” She addressed him without paying any heed to Seraphina. Then again, she was used to that. Her job was, for the most part, to be unseen. She slipped back into the driver’s seat and gently shut the door. The engine was still running. She checked her mirror to be sure they were several feet away from the car, and then she nudged it forward, towards the garages at the rear of the property, per her instructions.
Was that Caradoc’s step-mother? She barely looked older than him. He must have been in his early thirties; she might have been late thirties. Possibly early forties. Certainly not in the same age bracket as Caradoc’s father must have been.
What did it matter to her?
She couldn’t pursue this fascination. It was dangerous. So, so dangerous for her. She shivered as she remembered how it had felt when his fingers had gripped hers. How his hands had felt on her shoulders?
It was too good.
In the solitude of the car, she let out a groan now.
The garage was easy enough to find. The building was separate to the house, and had several wide timber gates along its frontage. One had been left open, and as she approached, a young man wearing jeans and a grey anorak appeared.
He strolled to the driver’s window with an easy athleticism and made a motion for her to wind it down. She pressed the button and he propped his elbows against it. “Heya,” he said, his smile broad, crinkling his cheeks with dimples. “You just come up from London?” His accent was Irish.
“Yeah,” she nodded, trying to put Caradoc from her mind. “I’m Finn.”
“Finn, pleasure. I’m Dougal. I run the cars here at Bagleyhurst.” He nodded towards the garage. “You made good time.”
“Did we?” It had felt like it, but perhaps that was because she’d been so pleasurably distracted. “I got a flat on the way out; had to pull over to swap it. I presume you’ve got a mending kit?”
“Yeah, I’ll give you a hand with it on the ‘morrow.”
“That’s okay,” she said with a shrug. “I can do it.”
“Okay then, I’ll watch.” He pushed up from the window. “Head her into this bay then I’l
l show you your room.”
“Thanks.” She felt better instantly. Safer. This was much more familiar ground. This man – Dougal – was like her. He worked for the family and he was setting up clear boundaries that she was happy to keep to.
She cut the engine and stepped out, grateful to be at their destination. Dougal was at the boot, lifting her bag out. “I can get that,” she said, reaching for it.
“It’s no trouble.” His smile was gentle. “I live upstairs,” he nodded above the garage. “It’s real nice. Old Gower had it fitted out years ago for my predecessor. An old family friend, I think. In any event, when he retired, I took over. Best quarters any mechanic in the country’s got, I’ll wager.”
“It must be nice to have your own space.”
“Absolutely. My job before this was at a smaller house and I was in a flat attached to the main building. My wall abutted the kids’ room. And boy, were they little devils.” He grimaced. “Up all night screaming like drunken banshees.” He shuddered. “Put me off ever having me own, that’s for sure.”
She smothered her smile by angling her head towards the house.
“This place is something else.”
