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I’m not remotely interested in Elizabeth Archer as a future wife, and I don’t think she’s remotely interested in me as a husband.
‘It’s okay,’ she says. ‘It’s not going to work, is it?’
‘What do you mean?’ I ask, circling around her comment and unsure what to say.
‘I mean, you clearly have something else you’d rather be doing—or someone—perhaps?’ She laughs in a conspiratorial manner.
I shake my head and meet her eyes. ‘Is it that obvious?’
She nods and pulls a wry expression. ‘Yes, I recognise the symptoms. I’m in the same boat. I’ve been seeing someone, but my family will never give their blessing for me to marry him.Not suitable.’
I sigh. ‘Sorry to hear that, Elizabeth.’
‘Please call me Lizzy. We can be friends. We both need an ally, given this awkward situation we find ourselves in.’
She’s not wrong, and I’m grateful for her pragmatic attitude.
‘What are we going to tell our grandfathers when they ask how our date went?’ I ask her.
We agree on a mutual course of action, and I thank her for her honesty.
She laughs when we emerge and see our drivers parked next to each other, waiting outside the restaurant.
‘Thanks for a lovely evening, Sebastian. It was good getting to know you. I will tell my grandfather you were the perfect gentleman.’
How will I ever find a suitable wife when all I could think about was Nathalie?
CHAPTER18
Nathalie
My alarm rings and I ease myself out of bed and open the shutters. It’s as bright and sunny as the forecast, and I wonder what the day will bring.
The excitement I felt about spending the morning with Sebastian and Daisy at the park has waned since I realised he went on a date.
I’m still on edge about what happened yesterday and, to make it even worse, I’m beating myself up about being on edge. It’s not my place to judge him, and now I’m making myself wrong for how I feel, so it’s double heartache.
My head throbs as conflicting thoughts crucify me. Daisy’s excited about our outing, and I pull myself together and paste a smile on my face as her small hand slips inside mine on the way downstairs.
When she sees Sebastian, she flies into his arms. ‘Sugar plum,’ he says, pushing the open newspaper aside and pulling her onto his knee.
I can’t help genuinely smiling at all the pet names he has for her. Many of them are new to me. I’ve not worked for a British family before, so I’m learning lots of new words.
The sun is high in the azure blue sky, and I can feel the heat on my face as we jump out of the car and walk across the carpark to a play area near a small café. It’s mid-morning and promises to be a scorcher. The deer are already seeking shade beneath the ancient oak trees.
Daisy sees one of her friends from school and asks if she can play with her. They run around on the grass playing tag and giggling. Sebastian and I sit on a café bench watching them. A tense silence descends over us, and I fumble for something to say. Last time we were here, there was an easy camaraderie between us, and I miss it. The future was full of the thrill of the unknown, but now I see only no-entry signs.
I chastise myself for being over-dramatic. This is just one job and I’ll move on when the time is right, and I’ll meet a man who loves me like I love him.
Won’t I?
I don’t understand why, but falling for Sebastian seems like a much bigger deal than that. We’ve not even slept together, so why does it feel like he’s taken a piece of my heart and I’ll never get it back? I muse whether he isthe one,and I will not get over him.
His phone buzzes, and out of the corner of my eye I see him send a quick text. Fleetingly, I wonder if he’s replying to his date from last night. He returns his phone to his pocket and says, ‘You’re very quiet this morning, Nathalie. Are you still mad at me?’
I fight back the blush that threatens to creep over my cheeks, and I turn to him. ‘I wasn’t mad at you,’ I say.
‘Upset then?’ He pauses. His deep, gravelly voice sends goosebumps over my skin. ‘I’m sorry I upset you. That was the last thing I intended to do.’
