Recipe for Love (15 page)

‘No, you can’t because I’d have to find some pillows and it’s too late for that. Just don’t break her heart!’

‘Aren’t you worried that she’ll break mine?’

‘No. I imagine you’ve got a heart as hard as rock.’

‘I’d like to think that was true, of course.’

Zoe lay so still that if anyone had looked at her they might have thought she was dead. She was willing him to go on, say something more revealing.

‘You mean it isn’t true?’ Fenella was obviously intrigued.

‘As a general rule but in this particular instance …’

Zoe thought she would either stop breathing entirely or burst into some huge noise – a sneeze, a howl, hysterical laughter.

‘I do have a bit of a soft spot,’ Gideon went on. ‘Which means I have to be harder on her than any of the others in the competition. Fortunately she’s good. I couldn’t save her if she was due to go out.’

Zoe wanted to hug herself but kept perfectly still.

‘Well, I’m glad to hear you’ve got morals,’ said Fenella. ‘I’ll say goodnight now. See you for brekkie in the morning. I’ll invent somewhere Zoe could have slept to save her reputation.’

Too late for that, thought Zoe. Cher already thinks I’m sleeping my way to the top. I might as well get some fun out of it even if it does make him harder on me.

To Zoe, waiting anxiously for his return, Gideon seemed to take a long time in the bathroom. When he did emerge he stood over her for a few seconds. Then he adjusted a curl lying on her face – a tender gesture that nearly caused Zoe to scream – got into bed and turned out the light.

This was her moment, she decided. She wriggled a little in her pretend sleep and moved a bit nearer to him.

He seemed to freeze. She inched a little nearer. As he didn’t edge away she did a bit more wriggling.

‘Zoe.’ His voice was quite loud enough to wake her even if she had been asleep.

‘Oh, hello,’ she said, as innocently as she could. ‘Am I having an attack of déjà vu or am I in your bed again?’

‘You are in my bed again and if you don’t go over to your side you may live to regret it.’

She snuggled in closer. ‘I don’t think I will.’

‘You know what will happen? I’m only human. Those pyjamas are very erotic.’

‘Are you sure?’ She put her head on his shoulder. ‘They’re Cath Kidson. I always thought they were very respectable.’

‘Well, you were wrong. And I’m not sure I can cope.’

‘You don’t have to cope. Or at least, you don’t have to cope with …’ Unusually for her, she didn’t know what to say.

‘What are you telling me, Zoe? I need to be very clear.’

‘I’m trying not to have to put it into words.’ Golly, this seducing thing was much harder in real life than it was in the movies!

‘I don’t want you do to anything you’ll regret.’

Gentlemen were harder to deal with than cads. If anyone tried it on with Zoe and she wasn’t keen she had no difficulty in making them understand exactly how she felt. But how was she going to get Gideon to do anything without actually leaping on him?

‘You’re wearing a dressing gown,’ she complained. ‘Do you always go to bed in one?’

‘Only when I’m in bed with you,’ he said.

‘Is this a habit you could break?’ She fingered his lapel.

‘It’s not a habit, it’s a dressing gown.’

It took her a second to get the joke. ‘Very funny.’

‘Zoe, if I take off my dressing gown you know what will happen, don’t you?’

‘Of course! But I’m beginning to think nothing will!’

‘And you want something to?’

‘Should I employ a sky writer to tell you? What else do I have to do?’ She sighed in frustration. ‘I’m obviously not cut out to be a temptress.’

‘Oh, you’re tempting all right, I just—’

‘Listen to me! I want you! I’m in your bed. If you don’t
want
me just say! If you do – well, it would help if you weren’t wearing half a ton of towelling.’

He chuckled under his breath. ‘OK, I can take a hint …’

Shortly after this the half-ton of towelling and the Cath Kidson pyjamas were on the floor.

The sun was pouring in through the curtains the next morning as Zoe slid out of bed. It was a wrench but she had to think of a way to cover her tracks before the world awoke. The quickest shower on record plus the skimpiest tooth brush and she was on her way downstairs. Gideon was still lying in bed. Zoe had hardly dared even look at him. A tiny glimpse of his body, half under the duvet, his hair rumpled and his beautiful mouth very slightly open made it hard enough to leave. If he stirred and spoke to her she’d have been lost.

She’d like to stay there all morning. She’d never felt like this before and was pretty sure that the bubble in her stomach and her inability to breathe properly was what everyone went on about. She had it bad, she realised. It was wonderful but also slightly scary. She felt so completely thrown, as if she was sickening for something. It was her own fault – entirely. If she hadn’t slept with him she could have kept her emotions in check. But she’d made her decision and now she had to live with it. She also had to make sure her rashness didn’t mean she got thrown out of the competition because her mind wasn’t on her cooking. Or because someone found out what she and Gideon had done. She’d have to make sure beady-eyed Cher couldn’t pin anything on her.

She got back into her pyjamas and crept down the stairs. She stopped as she heard voices in the kitchen. There was nothing for it, she’d just have to brazen it out.

She heard Cher’s voice through the open kitchen door.

‘I came because I was so worried about Zoe. She went off last night because her bed was a bit damp – I think she must have left the window open – and didn’t come back. I wondered what had happened to her.’

Zoe was forced to admire Cher’s acting ability. She sounded quite genuine, although as Zoe had spent the night in the house before and Cher hadn’t worried it obviously wasn’t real concern.

Zoe opened the door before Fenella or Rupert had to say anything that wasn’t quite the truth.

‘Hello, Cher! What are you doing here?’

‘Zoe! I was so worried! What happened to you? Where did you sleep last night?’

So Cher obviously just wanted to catch her out. Zoe said, ‘I don’t know how it happened but I fell asleep on the sofa in the little sitting room. I must have been so tired!’

‘We were having a drink and a snack,’ said Fenella, possibly trying to give the impression that it had been hot milk and digestive biscuits not wine and enormous sandwiches.

‘Yes,’ Zoe went on. ‘One minute I was with Fen and Rupert and the next thing I knew I was covered in blankets. It took me a minute to work out where I was when I woke up.’

‘But you slept OK?’ asked Fenella.

‘Oh yes. That sofa is really comfortable.’

Although none of what she had said was untrue, Zoe felt herself blush. She
had
fallen asleep on the sofa in the little sitting room, she
had
wondered where she was when she woke up, but quite a lot had gone on between.

Cher’s eyes narrowed. ‘You’re not stiff or anything?’

‘Why should I be?’ She was a bit stiff actually, but it wasn’t from sleeping on the sofa.

‘Oh, you know how it is when you fall asleep somewhere funny.’

Zoe felt as if Cher could see marks on her body that would betray her but she hadn’t seen any in the shower. ‘Anyway, can’t stay here chatting, I’d better get dressed.’

‘Come back and have breakfast,’ said Rupert. ‘I’m doing a bit of a fry-up. You too, Cher,’ he added.

‘Are you going to grill the bacon?’ Cher asked daintly.

‘No, fry it. The hint is in the name,’ said Rupert, smiling.

‘Agas do great breakfasts,’ said Fenella. ‘Sometimes I do the bacon in the oven but Rupert likes to make fried bread …’

Zoe left the room just as Cher gave a little scream of horror at the thought of carbs and bacon fat in the same toxic mouthful.

When she returned, Gideon was sitting at the table attacking a huge plate of breakfast. He looked up when Zoe came in and winked so quickly no one but she noticed. At least that’s what she hoped. She pulled out a chair. Cher was sitting next to him and she saw her slide a rasher of bacon on to his plate and look up at him coyly.

‘Are you trying to bribe a judge with bacon?’ he asked, looking down at Cher in a way that stabbed Zoe, although she knew perfectly well she had no reason to be jealous. Had she?

‘Of course not. I could never compete with Zoe in that department but I couldn’t eat another scrap.’

To Zoe’s eternal gratitude Rupert came in immediately. ‘But you’ve hardly eaten one scrap! One streaky rasher and a tomato. You won’t be able to get through until lunchtime on that.’

‘Oh, I never eat much. I get full really quickly.’ She looked pointedly at the loaded plate Fenella had put in front of Zoe as she sat down.

‘But you’re a cook,’ said Rupert. ‘Surely you have to taste things?’

‘Only a bit. And I hardly ever eat a full meal.’ She looked across at Zoe. ‘I can’t think why Rupert thinks you need to eat all that.’

Zoe, who had no body issues and never thought much about her weight suddenly felt like a hippopotamus – a loved-up guilty hippopotamus. She stole another look at Gideon. She felt a foot gently touch hers. She couldn’t be sure if it was accidental or not or even Gideon’s but the smile he gave her hinted that it was. Part of her felt a thrill at the danger of it all; part of her wanted to admonish him. There was more than her place in the competition at stake here. ‘I think Rupert is just generous,’ she said.

‘Yes!’ agreed Fenella. ‘He’s a feeder. That’s why I’m so enormous. Cher, what was the weather like when you came over?’

‘It’s clearing up nicely,’ said Cher.

Zoe suddenly felt hugely grateful for the British obsession with the weather.

‘That’s good. With the wedding tomorrow it would be nice if everything could dry off a bit first. Darling?’ Fenella turned to Rupert. ‘Sarah and Hugo will be here in a minute. Is there anything left to feed them on?’

‘About half a pig. Now everyone, what about toast?’

‘Golly, not for me!’ declared Cher as if anyone who wanted toast had to be second cousin to Gargantua. ‘But I’m sure Zoe could fit in a couple of rounds.’

‘I’m still eating sausages, Cher,’ said Zoe, irritated.

‘Well, you are what you eat!’ Cher trilled and Zoe could have kicked herself for giving her the opportunity.

‘Girls,’ said Rupert sternly. ‘No need to bicker.’

As she hadn’t been bickering, Zoe felt aggrieved but accepted he couldn’t just pick on Cher.

‘That was the most amazing breakfast, thank you very much,’ said Zoe. She got up from the table, gathering nearby dirty plates. ‘I’ll just put these in the dishwasher.’

‘You don’t have to,’ said Fenella weakly. ‘There’ll be another lot when Sarah and Hugo get here.’

‘Is that the Sarah Stratford who arranged Carrie Condy’s wedding?’ Cher said. ‘I saw all the pictures. Her dress was amazing.’ She continued to sit while Zoe cleared.

‘Yes,’ said Fenella. ‘It really got us started, didn’t it, Rupes?’

‘Sure did. Zoe, that’s very kind of you.’

‘It’s just habit,’ said Zoe. ‘Now I’d better go and sort out my bed.’

‘Oh, stay and meet Sarah and Hugo,’ said Fenella.

‘We’re meeting them at half past eleven anyway, aren’t we?’ said Zoe, who felt she’d intruded quite enough on Fenella and Rupert.

‘But you’ll get ahead of the game if you stay,’ said Rupert.

‘I’m staying!’ declared Cher. ‘Hugo Marsters is a celebrity photographer.’

Fenella frowned slightly. ‘He is celebrated certainly but I don’t think he takes photos for
Hello!
magazine.’

‘Oh, whatever,’ said Cher.

Zoe decided she couldn’t cope with watching Cher flirt with this photographer as well as Gideon. Besides, she needed some time on her own to process what had happened and to enjoy the feelings. It had been so, so special. Nothing like that had ever happened to her before. She suddenly got the point; she knew what sex and love were about for the first time.

‘I need to do something about my bed,’ said Zoe, getting up with determination.

‘Well, don’t worry about the mattress, we have spares,’
said
Fenella. ‘My lovely cleaning ladies are coming today. They’ll find you a new one and put the wet one in the boiler room to dry.’

‘Great. I’ll drape the bedding about the place.’

‘Really, don’t worry about it.’ It was Fenella being firm now.

But Zoe did tidy up a bit and have a calming walk round the garden before she grabbed her pad and headed towards the reception room where they were all to be briefed on the wedding the next day.

‘Right! Everybody!’ Mike’s rallying call was familiar now but it still made Zoe nervous. ‘Sarah Stratford, who’s in charge of the wedding, is going to tell you what she wants you to do. Sarah?’