A Wicked Persuasion (11 page)

‘I know what you’re thinking, Harriet, but Gervase made some important contacts, so it was a very good thing we went to the party,’ Sophie said belligerently. ‘And, talking of parties, why were we left out of the one at River House?’

Harriet shrugged. ‘The invitations were from James Crawford, nothing to do with me, Sophie. Father was keen to go and I went purely to make sure nothing went wrong
as far as the house and gardens were concerned. The party was such a success it got a lot of publicity in the press.’ She gave her sister a significant look. ‘And I now have money for the roof.’

Sophie climbed down instantly. ‘Does that mean Daddy won’t have to sell?’

‘It’s a start. Julia is bringing her people down for a shoot soon, and Charlotte Brewster has other things lined up after that, so for the time being the outlook is a bit brighter.’

‘Oh, thank God,’ sighed Sophie. ‘Is Daddy pleased?’

‘Delighted,’ Harriet assured her. ‘This looks delicious, Sophie, but I’d rather we got Annabel to bed before I eat anything.’

‘Fine. You go on up and I’ll join you once I’ve had a word with James Crawford.’ Sophie eyed her sister speculatively. ‘You never mentioned that you’d already met him, by the way.’

‘It was such a long time ago I’d forgotten,’ said Harriet casually, and carried the sleeping child from the room. ‘Be careful you don’t disturb Annabel when you come back up, because I need to leave …’

But Sophie was already hurrying across the hall to the drawing room. Harriet mounted the stairs slowly, careful not to disturb her little burden, but the moment she tried to put Annabel down in her pretty bed the child made pitiful little moans of protest. With a sigh Harriet sat down with her in a rocking chair and stroked the tangled curls until Annabel was finally quiet. The child made no protest when she was transferred to her bed at last but Harriet waited a few minutes longer, praying that Sophie would be quiet when she came in. Twenty minutes later there was no sign of her sister so Harriet took one last look at the flushed, sleeping little face and went downstairs to the drawing
room, where Sophie was busy pumping James for all the details she could get about the party.

She flushed guiltily as Harriet arrived. ‘There you are! Is Annabel asleep now?’

‘Yes. But go carefully as you check on her.’

‘We will,’ said Gervase, smiling remorsefully at Harriet. He took his wife by the hand. ‘Excuse us for a moment, Crawford.’

The moment they were alone James led Harriet to a sofa. ‘For God’s sake sit down; you look exhausted.’

Which meant she was a wreck. Harriet sank back against the cushions gratefully. ‘It’s been a worrying day. Annabel is very unwell, poor scrap.’

James sat beside her. ‘Not my business, of course, but if the child was that ill why did your sister go out and leave her?’

Good question. ‘Sophie knew Annabel would be safe with me.’

He looked unconvinced. ‘I didn’t see your car outside.’

‘It wouldn’t start this morning,’ she said, yawning. ‘I came by taxi.’

‘In that case I’ll drive you home. Or are you staying the night?’

‘I can’t. I’m seeing a client first thing.’ She frowned. ‘Look, James, it’s very kind of you, but I can’t let you make a double journey like that.’

‘I won’t have to. There’s a bed always ready for me at the Old Rectory.’ James got to his feet as Gervase came back into the room. ‘How’s your little girl?’

‘Sleeping, thank God. Harriet, could you pop upstairs? Sophie wants a word.’

‘Of course.’ Harriet smiled politely at James. ‘If you’re gone before I come back down I’ll say goodbye now.’

‘I’m in no hurry,’ he assured her.

‘Good man,’ said Gervase, shrewd eyes looking from one to the other. ‘Since you’re driving, Crawford, how about some coffee?’

In Annabel’s room, Sophie touched a finger to her lips and led her sister outside onto the landing. ‘Please stay the night, Harriet. I’m going to need some help with Annabel, and you’re so good with her.’

‘Sorry; I must get back. I’ve got a meeting with a client first thing in the morning.’

‘Your job is more important than helping look after your niece?’ demanded Sophie with her usual drama.

‘A mere party today was more important to you than staying home with your daughter,’ Harriet pointed out. ‘Look, Sophie, I love Annabel dearly, but my job is the way I earn my living. I have to go home.’

‘Oh, very well, but you’ll be lucky to get a taxi to take you that far at this time on a Sunday!’ said Sophie petulantly, unaware that her statement made her sister’s mind up.

‘James Crawford has kindly offered to drive me back,’ Harriet told her.

Sophie’s eyes widened. ‘All that way and back again tonight?’

‘No. He’ll stay overnight at his sister’s house in Wood End.’

‘In that case I’d better let you go,’ said Sophie reluctantly, and then touched Harriet’s hand. ‘I am grateful, really. Thank you for looking after Annabel.’

‘I won’t say I enjoyed it because she was so poorly, but I’m always happy to spend time with her. She’s a darling. I’ll give you a ring tomorrow to see how she is.’

Harriet took a few minutes in the bathroom to wash her face, had a last peep at her sleeping niece, and then
followed her sister downstairs to the drawing room. She smiled brightly at James. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ll just collect my belongings.’

Without missing a beat, James turned to Sophie to express his good wishes for her daughter’s recovery, shook Gervase’s hand, and took charge of Harriet’s tote bag.

‘So what changed your mind?’ he asked as they set off.

‘Sophie wanted me to stay the night.’

‘A ride home with me was the lesser of two evils?’

She shook her head. ‘Not at all—I’m very grateful to you, James.’

‘You surprised me by announcing you were ready to leave.’

‘You didn’t look surprised.’

‘I’ve learned to hide my feelings over the years.’

‘So have I,’ she said bitterly.

‘I could tell that the day I came to your office. You must have been shattered to find I was the man who wanted to hire your house, but you never turned a hair.’

‘That wasn’t the worst part of the deal,’ she assured him. ‘When you got up to make a speech at your party, for one horrible moment I thought you were going to tell the world you’d hired River House as a way of humiliating my family.’

He shot an appalled stare at her. ‘Good God! Surely you knew me better than that, Harriet?’

‘The man I once knew, yes, but I hardly recognised the James I knew in the man you’ve become.’

‘Obviously, if you actually thought I’d subject you to such public humiliation. And quite apart from that, only a fool would ruin the party before it had even started. I may be many things but I’m no fool. At least not any more,’ he said, in a tone that tied her stomach in knots. ‘For your information, Miss Wilde, the well-being of my workforce is
a damned sight more important to me than any half-cocked ideas about revenge.’

The rest of the journey passed in silence so tense after that Harriet could have cried with joy when James turned up the drive to the Lodge.

‘Thank you so much for driving me home,’ she said, and slid out of the car before he could help her.

‘Not at all,’ he said distantly, and handed her the tote bag. ‘I hope your niece gets better quickly.’

‘So do I.’ Harriet’s hand shook as she unlocked the door. Unable to look up to meet the eyes she knew would be coldly hostile, she muttered goodbye and would have dived inside like a sinner seeking sanctuary but James took her hand.

‘Harriet. Let’s not part like this.’ He drew her into his arms and she leaned against him limply. ‘Please promise me you’re going straight to bed. You look ready to drop.’

‘I am.’ She smiled up at him. ‘Thank you for bringing me home.’

‘Any time,’ he assured her. ‘Sleep well.’

When the last sound of James’s car engine had died away a sudden gurgle from her stomach reminded Harriet that she’d had nothing to eat all day. Common sense nudged her into making toast and tea, which she got down somehow before going upstairs to fall into bed. She slept like the dead and found it hard to get out of bed next morning. Her head ached and she felt thoroughly out of sorts as she rang the garage and asked for the loan of a car when they collected hers. She rang to enquire about Annabel while she waited for a mechanic to arrive, and learned that the doctor had been called back first thing.

‘I’ve arranged for a private nurse,’ Gervase said wearily. ‘The doctor swears it’s just a virus, but at three in the
morning I was worried it was something a whole lot worse. Sophie was hysterical with worry.’

Harriet rolled her eyes. No need to tell her that. ‘I feel so guilty I couldn’t stay to help, but I have meetings today—’

‘For God’s sake, Harriet, you’ve no need for guilt,’ he said instantly. ‘You have a job to do. I can pay for whatever nursing is necessary for Annabel.’

Poor child, thought Harriet. ‘Give her my love. Sophie, too. Are you going in today?’

‘I must for a while, but only after the nurse gets here. From then on I’ll work from home until Annabel is on the mend.’

Monday was never Harriet’s favourite day of the week. This one was made particularly difficult by the headache, which persisted through a prolonged meeting first thing with one of her most demanding female clients. In the afternoon a long drive in an unfamiliar car to visit another client made her late getting home, with a headache warming up to full migraine standard. Desperate for a bath and bed, her heart sank when she found Miriam Cairns waiting for her. Sometimes, Harriet thought, as she kissed her, she had regrets about giving Miriam a key to the Lodge.

‘Working late again? You look ghastly,’ accused her godmother militantly, ‘and you didn’t return my call yesterday.’

Harriet explained why, and offered to make tea.

‘ Sit down; I’ll make it. And throw a sandwich together.’

‘I’m not very hungry, but tea would be good.’ Harriet smiled wanly as she loosened her hair. ‘Thanks, Miriam.’

For once it was good just to sit there and let someone else take over as Miriam set to work in the small kitchen, though Harriet could have done without the running commentary of complaints about Sophie. When Miriam came
back with wafer thin sandwiches and buttered scones as well as tea, Harriet smiled ruefully.

‘You’re spoiling me!’

‘About time someone did. You ought to be eating a good roast dinner, but if you’re as tired as you look these might go down more easily,’ Miriam said, her voice gruff to hide her concern.

‘Your scones always do,’ said Harriet, touched. ‘I was going to ring you this evening. It was too late by the time I got your message last night—which reminds me; I’d better ring Sophie before I eat.’

‘Ring her afterwards, girl.’

‘No. I’ll do it now.’

Gervase reported that Sophie was lying down and Annabel was much the same, but at least not worse. Fortunately, she liked the excellent paediatric nurse the agency had sent, which was giving her parents some respite.

‘That’s good. Give her my love. How are
you
, Gervase?’

‘Marginally happier now we have professional nursing help.’ He sighed. ‘One feels so helpless when a child is ill. I can’t thank you enough for looking after Annabel yesterday.’

‘Only too glad to help. Tell Sophie I rang.’ Harriet closed her phone and drank some tea.

‘Sophie not available?’ asked Miriam acidly.

‘She was resting. Fortunately, Annabel likes the nurse they hired.’

Miriam snorted. ‘I’ve never had children, so I can hardly throw stones, but I remember your mother coping with all three of you through all the usual childhood complaints. You’d think Sophie could manage one small girl without paying a nurse. She ought to be on her knees giving thanks for a husband rich enough to indulge her with such luxuries.’

‘Mother had Margaret to help,’ Harriet reminded her.

‘And wonderful help she was. But Sarah was the one who actually nursed you and got up in the night when you cried!’

‘True.’ Harriet sighed. ‘I did think of taking some time off to—’

‘Not to look after Annabel?’ Miriam shook her head in disbelief. ‘Let Sophie look after her own child. Better still, find someone suitable to father one and have a child of your own.’ Her eyes gleamed. ‘I hear you’ve been seeing quite a bit of the man who took your father’s place at the bank.’

‘Have you, indeed! Nick Corbett is just someone pleasant to go out with now and then.’

‘Better than nothing, I suppose.’ Miriam got up. ‘Stay where you are, I can see myself out. By the way, did Aubrey ever discover who actually hired River House?’

‘He certainly did. We had a big, big row.’

Belligerence gleamed in Miriam’s dark eyes. ‘Let me know if he turns nasty on you, and I’ll sort him out.’

Harriet shook her head. ‘I’d better bring him up to date about Annabel. He dotes on that child.’

‘She’s a sweet little thing,’ allowed Miriam, ‘which is a miracle with a mother like Sophie. Aubrey was always too indulgent with that girl.’

‘She was such a pretty child.’

‘Handsome is as handsome does,’ retorted Miriam. ‘Eat some of this lot, finish off the tea, then get to bed, dear.’

‘I will. Thank you for coming round.’ Harriet smiled crookedly. ‘It’s rather nice, this spoiling thing. I could get used to it.’

Miriam laughed, and surprised Harriet by kissing her goodnight.

Harriet couldn’t, after all, face anything to eat. She took pills, drank tea, then put the tray on the floor and rang her father to leave a message about his granddaughter. Duty done, Harriet stretched out on the sofa. She would get up in a minute and get out of her office clothes …

She woke with a start to the sound of hammering on her door and dragged herself to her feet, head spinning. She took in a deep breath, pushing the hair from her face as she opened the door and found James, city-suited and furious, glaring at her.

She managed a feeble hello before darkness swallowed her. When she opened her eyes she was back on her sofa, staring up into James’s face as he yelled at her to snap out of it and wake up.