Good Girl or Gold-Digger? (6 page)

‘Choose your horse. Any horse,’ she said with a smile, and went into the centre to set up the organ.

Felix had half-expected her to send him round on his own, but she jumped on to the revolving platform and walked round to him, climbing onto the ostrich next to his horse when it was at its lowest.

‘Daisy, that’s—’

‘Something I’ve done for at least fifteen years, so stop panicking,’ she said, reaching across to pat his hand. ‘It’s not dangerous, because I know what I’m doing, I know where to put my feet and I don’t take stupid risks.’

He stopped protesting and just enjoyed the ride. But what he enjoyed more was the sheer pleasure in her face as she sat next to him, one hand resting lightly against the gilded barley-sugar pole.

He couldn’t help wondering: what would those clever, capable hands feel like against his skin?

Halfway through the next song, she vaulted lightly off the ostrich and was back at the controls in the centre of the ride, slowing it down as the music came to a halt.

‘Enough, or do you want another go?’

‘Enough,’ he said with a smile. ‘You really love this, don’t you?’

She patted one of the horses. ‘Yes. Do you get it now?’

‘If I say no, does that mean I get to try out the other rides?’

She laughed. ‘You’re on.’ She took him over to the swing boats and moved a set of ladders next to one of the boats. ‘In you get.’

‘Ladies first.’

‘So you can stare at my behind? I think not. Anyway, I’m lighter than you. It’s best if the heaviest one gets in first.’

‘So you can stare at
my
behind?’ he retorted.

‘All right, all right. Since you’re fishing, Mr Gisbourne, you look fabulous in those jeans. Satisfied?’

‘It’ll do for now.’ He climbed up the ladder and stepped into the boat. ‘So how old are these?’

‘This set was built in the 1920s, though they’ve been around for a lot longer than that.’ She took one of the ropes. ‘The harder you pull, the higher it goes.’

It took him a couple of goes before he got the rhythm right, and then it felt incredible. Incredible to be working as a team with Daisy. He was pretty sure that she felt it, too; he could see a mixture of surprise and pleasure in her eyes.

‘You have to imagine this with lights and music,’ she said as they both stopped pulling and let the swing settle.
‘And all around you’ve got people laughing, forgetting their troubles. That’s what the travelling showmen brought to village fairs—sheer entertainment, something to look forward to after months of working hard and trying to make ends meet.’

And the ironic thing was that she, Bill and the fairground staff were trying to do the modern version of it—except they were the ones struggling to make ends meet.

Next, she made him climb the stairs to the top of the helter-skelter, and handed him a rush mat. ‘Keep hold of the mat,’ she said, ‘and don’t try to grab on to the sides or you’ll burn your hands.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

The ride was much faster than he’d imagined, much more fun. Though there was one thing missing…On his third time round, Felix waited for Daisy at the bottom, helped her to her feet, then bent his head and kissed her.

‘What brought that on?’ she asked.

She was aiming for cool and calm, he knew, but he could hear the breathiness in her tone. That kiss had affected her as much as it had him, even though it had been light rather than a full-on kiss. ‘Isn’t that the idea? Kiss me quick, squeeze me slowly?’

‘That,’ she said, ‘is a seaside slogan. We’re five miles from the sea.’

He stole another kiss. ‘That one was for luck,’ he said, smiling at her. ‘Which I think is a valid slogan anywhere.’

‘Indeed.’

But she was blushing. And she looked incredibly pretty. She didn’t need make-up or designer clothes to make her look good. She was perfect just as she was. Felix had to jam his hands back into his pockets to stop himself grabbing her and kissing her properly.

She took him round all the rides, one by one. Then, finally, she took him over to the gondola. ‘Remember, when this was in vogue most of the passengers had barely seen a car, much less ridden on one. This one’s a bit on the slow side, but that’s because there aren’t any seatbelts. I have to comply with health and safety legislation, and this is the compromise they agreed.’ She smiled. ‘It’s still a great ride, though. And it was mind-blowing when it first came out.’

‘Are you coming in the car with me?’ he asked when she walked into the centre to start the engine.

She shook her head. ‘I converted this to an electric motor, but I can’t walk about on this like I do on the platform of the gallopers.’ She smiled wryly. ‘I wish now I’d sorted this out on remote control, but never mind. Enjoy.’

The lights were on and the fairground organ was playing, and Felix found himself craning over the side, looking for Daisy and waving to her when he passed her.

When the ride slowed and finally came to a halt, she left the organ playing.

‘So what do you think?’

‘I enjoyed it. Though I did wonder if I was going to fall out when I went up the hills backwards and seemed to be going forward at a crazy angle.’

She laughed. ‘That’s the point. I have to admit, this is my favourite out of all of them.’ She stroked the carved and gilded side of the gondola car. ‘My great-grandfather built this ride. My grandmother worked on it. My uncle rescued it. And I grew up with it. There’s a photograph of me riding on this when I was about eighteen months old, sitting next to Dad, smiling my face off. And now the next generation’s here: the twins love this one, too.’

Felix could see now that the fairground was her passion; whenever she talked about it, there was that extra sparkle in her eyes. He couldn’t help wondering what it would be like if she were to redirect that passion on him. The kisses they’d shared so far had been fairly chaste affairs, but Daisy Bell was definitely a passionate woman; it showed in the curve of her generous mouth.

She spread out the rug, sat down and patted the rug beside her. ‘Come on. I promised to feed you.’

Felix discovered that the cool box contained crusty French bread, a creamy Brie, sliced tomatoes and rocket.

‘It doesn’t have to be a hot meal to be balanced,’ she said, opening a tub of hummus and a container full of crudités. ‘Notice—vegetables, protein and carbs. Sorry, I’m not quite up to Michelin-star standard.’

‘This is lovely,’ Felix said, meaning it. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a picnic with anyone. Or when he’d wanted to lie on his back, looking up at the sky as the sun set.

They finished their meal with ripe nectarines that made a tiny rivulet of juice dribble at the corner of her mouth, and seriously tempted him to lick it off, and finally rich, chocolate brownies. ‘I thought I’d better bring these, seeing as you’re such a cake fiend,’ she teased.

‘They’re fabulous. Did you make them?’

‘No. I can’t believe you did a stint in the cafe and didn’t spot Shelley’s famous brownies.’ She scoffed. ‘Talk about unobservant. You’re slipping, Mr Gisbourne.’

‘I was on the cash desk,’ he defended himself. And then he frowned. ‘Does Shelley know why you wanted these?’

‘Yes. For dinner.’ She smiled. ‘I often buy something from the café for dinner, because I’m too busy to cook—
or too lazy, depending on how you see it—so don’t worry. People aren’t going to be gossiping about us.’

‘Good.’ Finally, he let himself give into temptation, leaned forward and kissed her. ‘You taste of nectarines and chocolate.’

‘So do you.’ She stroked his arm. ‘And this is really gorgeous.’

Him, or his sweater?

‘So soft.’

The sweater, then.

But it wasn’t as soft as her hair. ‘So’s this. And I really, really need to do this, Daisy.’ He slid his hands into her hair. ‘This is so lush. Like your mouth. It makes me want to…’ He kissed her again.

As the kiss deepened, he lay back against the rug, drawing her down on top of him.

He could feel the softness of her breasts against his chest. He stroked one hand over the lush curve of her bottom and settled the other against the flat of her spine, just as he’d wanted to do all day.

Right here, right now, it was just the two of them. It could’ve been blowing a gale and hailing and he wouldn’t have noticed. His senses were completely filled with Daisy Bell: with her glossy brown hair that smelled of strawberries, her lush mouth that tasted of nectarines, and the softness to her body that made him want to sink into her and lose himself completely.

Best of all, she was kissing him back.

Clearly he’d died and gone to heaven.

But, when he finally surfaced from the kiss, he saw wariness in her face.

‘I’m not going to hurt you, Daisy,’ he said softly.

‘Good.’

He sat up so she was kneeling astride him and cradled on his lap, and wrapped his arms round her. ‘I wasn’t expecting this to happen, either. But we’re going to have to deal with it.’

‘We’ll be sensible about it,’ Daisy said.

‘Will we? I can’t get you out of my head, Boots. And I have a feeling this whole thing has thrown you as much as it has me.’

‘Yes,’ she admitted.

‘So maybe we should…’ Looking into her face was a bad idea. Because her mouth was just centimetres from his. All he had to do was lean forward slightly, and…

‘Felix, we can’t. This is meant to be business.’

Her eyes were wide and full of panic. Time to back off. He kissed the tip of her nose and released her. ‘We’re adults. I think we’re both capable of separating business and whatever else this thing is, but I’m not going to push you. I’ll help you pack up.’

Once he’d shaken the grass off the rug and folded it up and everything was back in the picnic basket, he walked back to where they’d left her bicycle and his car. ‘Do you want to put that in the back of my car and I’ll drive you home?’ he suggested.

She shook her head. ‘It’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

He smiled at her. ‘Thank you for this evening. I enjoyed it. And you’re right, I get it, now. It’s the lights and the music and the movement. It makes it feel as if the very air is sparkling.’

She blinked at him, looking surprised. ‘That’s exactly how I feel about it.’

But not all of it’s the fairground, Felix thought. A lot of the sparkle’s to do with you. And it scares the hell out of me at the same time as making me want more. ‘See
you tomorrow, Boots.’ He waited until she’d relocked the gate before driving in the opposite direction towards the hotel.

Tomorrow suddenly seemed much too far away.

T
HE
next morning, Felix volunteered to do the tea run. Somehow Daisy ended up being last on his list.

Who was he trying to kid? Of course she was. He’d planned it that way so he could linger a little. Talk to her. Spend time with her.

And right now she was singing, ‘Getting To Know You’.

Very appropriate.

Titan opened one eye from his prime position on the engine and stared at him.

‘Hey. She has a beautiful voice. Of course I want to listen,’ Felix said.

The cat continued to stare, though this time his gaze seemed to be on the brown-paper bag Felix was holding.

‘It’s your choice, cat. I can’t give you any salmon unless I’ve cleared it with her first,’ Felix said. ‘So it’s in your best interests to tell her she’s got a visitor.’

If cats could roll their eyes, he thought, Titan was definitely rolling his. But the cat duly jumped off the engine to fetch Daisy.

Daisy emerged from the other side. ‘How long have you been there?’ she asked as soon as she saw him.

‘Long enough.’

She blushed; right at that moment, shapeless clothes and all, she looked adorable. ‘You look like one of the urchins in
Oliver’
he said.

She laughed, and sang the first few bars of ‘Consider Yourself’.

He laughed back. ‘I brought you tea and a moggie bag.’

‘What, salmon again?’ She stroked the cat. ‘I know someone who’s going to be impossible next week.’

Did she mean when he’d left?

‘But thank you. For the tea
and
the salmon.’

Titan miaowed, as if in full agreement.

‘So who are you shadowing today?’ she asked.

‘I was thinking about spending an hour on each of the main rides. Even though I know how they work, it’ll help me see your visitor throughput and which ones are the most popular.’

‘Want to drive the train?’

When he didn’t respond, she looked puzzled. ‘Most people leap at the offer. I thought all men wanted to be train drivers when they were little.’

‘No. I didn’t really travel by train.’ He’d always been driven back to boarding school. And not always by his parents; they’d been too busy.

At the time, he’d accepted it at face value, though for a while now the doubts had crowded into his head. Maybe Tabitha had had a point—maybe he hadn’t been interesting enough for them, either.

He’d questioned an awful lot of things since the moment three years ago when he’d overheard Tabitha talking to her friends on the balcony of their flat, telling them how she really felt about him. He’d looked at his childhood with a fresh view and he’d
wondered if he’d misread it as badly as he’d misread his fiancee. And then he’d hated himself for doubting his family, for letting her make him so paranoid, insecure and needy.

He pushed the thoughts away.
Not now.
He was over Tabitha. He’d moved on. And he didn’t intend to let anyone close enough to him again that it would matter if their main concern was his money. His relationships had sharply defined limits nowadays, and they didn’t involve his heart. Ever.

‘So you’ve never been on a steam engine?’ Daisy asked.

‘No.’

‘What, not ever?’

He shrugged. ‘It’s not a big deal.’

‘Says you. We’ll be steamed up at ten. Meet me at platform one at five to—because you’re going to be driving the train.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Mind you, your shirt might get a bit grubby from the smuts.’

He couldn’t resist teasing her. ‘I could always take it off. Drive bare-chested.’

Colour shot into her face. ‘Go and see Maureen. She’ll get Mac to lend you one of his boiler suits.’

‘Mac being the guy who usually drives the train? Won’t he have something to say about me driving it—especially as I’ve never driven a steam train before?’

‘No.’ She smiled. ‘You’ll be with me.’

That said it all. And it was exactly where he wanted to be, right then. With her. Just the two of them. It was completely crazy, and he should know better. But for the life of him he couldn’t say no. ‘I’ll see you later, then.’

Felix met Daisy at the platform at exactly five to ten, dressed in a boiler suit that just about fitted. She’d changed into a clean boiler suit; her hair was still hidden
under a cap, but this one was clean and was emblazoned with the word ‘Fireman’.

She smiled at him. ‘Well, Mr Gisbourne, don’t you look fabulous in green?’

‘What’s the fireman thing about?’ he asked.

‘You need two people to drive a steam train. You’re the driver—you use the steam to move the train. And I’m the fireman; I know the layout of the track, so I know when you’re going to need the steam to power the train, and it’s my job to make sure it’s there for you.’

She produced a red cap with a black band above the visor that said ‘Engine Driver’; he recognised it as part of the stock in the shop. ‘Pressie for you.’

She really expected him to wear that?

It seemed so.

But any latent grumpiness evaporated when she ushered him on to the train and all the children started waving at him.

‘You have to wave back,’ she said
sotto voce.
And completely unnecessarily, as he was already doing it. ‘Mac’s just getting the last of the passengers on board now.’

‘So what do all these levers do?’ he asked.

She talked him through the levers and valves, pointing out the water gauge. ‘That’s the most important glass on the train. If the water level’s too low, you’ll end up with a boiler explosion and you’ll wipe out the whole fairground.’

‘And you still think it’s safe for me to drive?’

She grinned. ‘You’ve got the chief mechanic with you—who’s been hanging around this part of a steam train for twenty-odd years, I might add. So what do you think?’

‘OK. And what’s this can for?’

‘Ah, that. It’s Mac’s tea-billy. Because it lives above
the firehole door, it means the tea’s always hot.’ She grimaced. ‘But Mac’s tea is so strong it’d dissolve a spoon, so if he offers you any…’

‘Say no?’ he asked, laughing back.

‘If you value your teeth, yes.’ She laughed. ‘OK, now blow the whistle—you need two short blasts to signal we’re about to move.’ She took his hand and placed it on the cable, and desire trickled all the way down his spine. Instead of driving the train, he wanted to tangle his fingers with hers and draw her body close to his. And kiss her.

‘Pay attention, Mr Gisbourne. Two blasts.’

He dragged his mind back from fantasyland and pulled the cable twice.

‘Release the brake,’ she directed. ‘That’s great. Open the throttle, then shove it most of the way back. Now open it gradually until I tell you to stop.’

And then they were off. The engine juddered, smoke swirled from the chimney and made the air smell sharply of cinders and the steam chuffed. Felix had never experienced anything like it in his life. But suddenly he could see why Daisy was so enthusiastic about it. And, from what he could see, the people lining the route were enjoying the spectacle as much as the passengers were enjoying their trip.

Living heritage. That was what made Daisy tick.

And now he understood exactly why.

‘Did you enjoy it?’ she asked at the end.

‘I loved it,’ he answered honestly.

‘Good. Because now you’re going to help me turn the engine round, ready for Mac to take it out again. And it’s a manual turntable.’

‘You’re telling me we’re moving this train
manually?’

‘Just the engine. All eight and a half tonnes of her.
Here, let me do this bit. We need to be a bit precise about where we stop and it’s not fair to put that burden on a rookie driver.’

She really played to the crowds, telling them she needed their help to turn the engine. ‘After a count of three, I want you to blow.’ She jumped out and sorted the rails, saying under her breath so that only Felix could hear her, ‘Push the engine anti-clockwise.’

All the children c rowded by the fence did exactly what she said, clapping madly as Felix walked the engine round the turntable. She was a real showman, he thought. It was in her blood.

‘And now, everyone, we need three cheers for Felix the Driver.’

They were cheering him?

This was surreal. He usually spent his day behind a desk, or looking over businesses he was thinking about working with. This impromptu lesson in driving a steam train and turning an engine round was so far out of his normal world he couldn’t begin to compare them. Physically, it was hard work. But it was also enormous fun.

When, he wondered, had his life stopped being fun?

Because now he realised that it had. Daisy had shown him what he was missing. Something he’d been missing for too many years. Again, Tabitha’s words came back to him.
Of course I don’t love Felix…He’s so
dull!

He pushed the thought away. He didn’t love Tabitha any more. His feelings for her had died the instant he’d discovered why she was really getting married to him. It was the self-doubt he was finding harder to come to terms with; unlike Daisy, he didn’t trust himself to see the good in people any more. Not where relationships
were concerned. Which was one of the reasons why he’d buried himself in work.

Mac was there to couple the train back to the carriages and take control of the driving again, Rodney took over as the fireman and Felix fell into step beside Daisy as she headed back to her work.

‘That was amazing,’ he said when they were back in the workshop. ‘I think you just gave me something missing from my childhood.’ Though he regretted the admission as soon as he saw her eyes darken.

‘Felix, you’re breaking my heart for the little boy you were. You were lonely, weren’t you?’

‘Of course I wasn’t,’ he fibbed. He really hadn’t intended to tell her that. Or to let her this close to him. Dangerously close. ‘I have two sisters. How on earth could I have been lonely?’

She raised an eyebrow.

‘If you tell anyone, I may have to denounce you as a madwoman,’ he drawled, affecting disdain.

To his surprise, she stepped forward, slid her arms round him and held him close, as if she really cared how he felt.

As if she wanted to make it better.

Something inside him felt as if it was cracking.

‘I won’t tell anyone,’ she said softly. ‘I was lucky; I grew up knowing my whole family loves me—even if they don’t approve of my career choice and they drive me crazy by constantly reminding me that I’m the baby of the family.’

‘My family loves me,’ he protested.

‘On their terms? I bet they’re still trying to get you into the stockbroking stuff. Especially as you’re so good at fixing things.’

She was too close to the truth for his comfort. He needed to distract her, and fast. But the completely wrong thing came out of his mouth. ‘Have dinner with me tonight?’

‘What, so I have to wear a dress again?’

‘Not if we have dinner on my balcony.’

He had to be completely mad. He wasn’t in the market for a relationship, and he really ought to put some distance between them, so why was he suggesting seeing her tonight? Why was he suggesting a much more private venue than the hotel dining room?

She released him and took a step back, looking at him through narrowed eyes. ‘Your balcony. Which is just off your bedroom, right?’

Strangely enough, her wariness reassured him. ‘There aren’t any strings, Daisy. Dinner means
dinner.’

She didn’t say a word; her expression said it all for her:
does it?

And that gave him the courage to say the weird, conflicting feelings in his head out loud. ‘I admit, I find you attractive—and I think it’s mutual—but I’m asking you to eat with me tonight because I enjoy your company, not because I’m planning to take you to bed.’ Even though he’d like to do that, too. ‘I’ll send a taxi for you, because I’d like to share a couple of glasses of wine with you.’

She moistened her lower lip, and it was all he could do to stop himself dipping his head and kissing her. What was it about this woman that turned his common sense upside down?

‘What time?’ she asked.

‘Seven?’

‘I’ll be there.’

‘Good.’ He stripped off the boiler suit and tried not to
think about how much he’d like to strip the boiler suit from her, too. To take off the rest of her clothes, very slowly, and touch her and taste her until she was going as crazy as he was. ‘Can you recommend a laundry service?’

‘Don’t worry, it’ll go in with the rest of the overalls.’ She took it from him. ‘See you later.’

Dinner with Felix.

Daisy knew she could always borrow another dress from Alexis, but that would involve explanations. As would borrowing high heels. She couldn’t ask Annie, for the same reason. She was finding it hard to explain to herself, let alone to her best friend and her sister-in-law. In the end, she compromised with the outfit she normally wore for her presentations to schoolchildren: smart black trousers, a plain cream, strappy top, a bright red cardigan and plain, well-polished black loafers. At least business dress might help to keep her mind on business and not on how beautiful Felix’s mouth was—or on wondering how it would feel if he followed through on that suggestion and traced a line of kisses along her collarbone.

I find you attractive
—
and I think it’s mutual…

He was too perceptive for her liking. It was definitely mutual. What was it about him that had her feeling so mixed up inside, longing for him and yet wanting to run a mile in the opposite direction at the same time?

When she walked into the reception area, Felix was waiting for her in one of the leather wing-backed armchairs. He was wearing a suit and white shirt, but for once he wasn’t wearing a tie. It made him look a hundred times more approachable. Touchable.

She really should’ve said no. Made excuses. Done anything rather than turn up here to see him.

‘Ready for dinner?’ he asked.

She nodded, though the idea of eating with him on his balcony made her heart thud so hard that it drowned out any words in her head.

He ushered her over to the lift. It was as opulent as the rest of the hotel, with carpet you could sink into, recessed lighting in beautifully carved panelling and a very discreet mirror. As the doors closed behind them, they were completely alone.