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If this is a duel, she thought, I’d say honours were even. But he nearly drew blood, so I must be careful. So very, very careful.
CHAPTER SIX
DANA WAS THANKFUL when the meal ended and she was able to escape to the terrace where, presently, Nicola joined her.
‘What a wonderful start to the day,’ she remarked, flinging herself into a chair. ‘I don’t know which of them I’d like to strangle first, Adam or Aunt Mimi.’
‘I thought I detected a whiff of sulphur in the air.’ Dana made herself speak lightly. ‘What’s happened?’
‘Aunt Mimi decided to lecture Adam on his role as the owner of Mannion—living up to his responsibilities—settling down—producing a son and heir.’ She rolled her eyes expressively. ‘She rounded off by urging him, in furtherance of these aims, to make his peace with Robina.
‘And Adam, alas, told her very bluntly that he would live his life as he saw fit without any interference from her. Expletives deleted. And all this before the cornflakes.’
She sighed. ‘But I’m sorry you had to take the flak. You must have felt you’d been cornered by the Spanish Inquisition.’
‘It was fine,’ Dana assured her.
‘I know Aunt Mimi is tactless and meddling,’ Nicola went on. ‘But I can’t forget how kind she was when the parents were divorcing and things were so awful, taking me to the cinema, the Zoo, Madame Tussauds with tea at Brown’s Hotel afterwards.
‘Not Adam, of course,’ she added bitterly. ‘He was far too grown up and superior. He deigned to come to the Natural History Museum once but disappeared halfway through the afternoon. Aunt Mimi was having fits, thinking he’d been abducted or eaten by a dinosaur, but he’d just gone home because he was bored.’
She sighed again. ‘And I do worry because Aunt Mimi isn’t very well off any more. Her savings and shares have plummeted in value which is why Serafina has let her stay here so often, and it’s something she’s come to rely on.
‘But in a matter of days now, Mannion will belong entirely to Adam, and I’m afraid Aunt Mimi will be toast.’
‘Oh, surely not,’ Dana said quickly.
‘Adam can really bear a grudge.’ Nicola shrugged. ‘But that’s not your problem. I really came to say that we’re all going over to Hastonbury Castle—apart from Adam and Zac who are going to play golf—and would you like to come?’
Dana hesitated. ‘To be honest, I’d rather stay here. Saturdays are always murder at work and it’s such bliss to be able to relax for once.’
‘It’s your call.’ Nicola patted her arm. ‘I’ll tell Mrs Harris to bring you more coffee and the newspaper. See you later.’
The coffee and paper duly arrived and Dana settled down with the prize crossword, but her mind kept drifting back to Nicola’s comments about Miss Latimer which had made her feel vaguely uncomfortable.
She and I will never be friends, she thought, but surely Adam can see she’s just a silly, elderly woman. Besides she’s right in one way. Adam does need a wife—and children.
That was an aspect she’d never contemplated before, she thought blankly. It had all been about winning. Getting what she wanted, rather than what might be required of her in return.
But she wouldn’t worry too much. She didn’t yearn to be a mother, but it was a natural consequence of marriage and she would deal with it when the time came.
But for now, she thought luxuriously, stretching out on her padded lounger, time could simply—slip by.
* * *
‘Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.’
The words seemed to be part of the dream she’d been having. A bed, soft as a cloud, and someone’s arms—Adam’s arms—holding her close.
Smiling, she opened her eyes and found Adam—no longer a dream—bending over her.
‘Heavens.’ She struggled upright, pushing at her hair. ‘Please tell me I wasn’t snoring.’
‘Not a sound,’ he said. ‘Scout’s honour.’
‘I bet you were never in the Scouts. Did you enjoy your golf?
‘We didn’t play. Zac apparently had other plans, so I spent some time on the driving range.’ He paused. ‘And you didn’t fancy the castle ruins?’
‘I’ve seen them before.’
‘But not for quite a while.’ Another silence. ‘Do you ever think about those days—when you lived here?’
