“Two women in as many days seems slightly——excessive.” About the Author Books by Carole Mortimer Title Page Dedication CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN Copyright

“Two women in as many days seems slightly——excessive.”

“No, Ellie,” he drawled. “Two women in one day is excessive!”

Her head went back defensively. “May I remind you that you also propositioned me two evenings ago?”

“But you didn’t take me up on it.”

“You still made the suggestion!”

“I didn’t realize who you were then.”

Ellie stiffened at the insult she could hear in his tone. “And what difference would it have made if you had?”.

Daniel looked at her consideringly. “A lot,” he finally answered. “You aren’t my type of woman, Ellie. I like my women to be soft and feminine and—”

“Clinging! What are your other requirements?”

“Thinking of applying?”

CAROLE MORTIMER

says: “I was born in England, the youngest of three children—I have two older brothers. I started writing in 1978, and have now written over ninety books for Harlequin Presents.

“I have four sons—Matthew, Joshua, Timothy and Peter—and a bearded collie dog called Merlyn. I’m in a very happy relationship with Peter senior. We’re best friends as well as lovers, which is probably the best recipe for a successful relationship. We live on the Isle of Man.”

Books by Carole Mortimer

HARLEQUIN PRESENTS

1727—WAR OF LOVE

1793—THE ONE AND ONLY

1823—TWO’S COMPANY

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One-Man Woman

Carole Mortimer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For Peter

CHAPTER ONE

WHAT was she doing?

It was like something out of one of those farces that used to be on television years ago. Her sister Beth loved that sort of humour, but the only thing about them that appealed to Ellie was the precision timing as the actors and actresses disappeared out of the main room into cupboards and adjoining rooms immediately before another performer made an entrance. That Ellie was able to appreciate—but because it was clever, not because it was funny.

And this wasn’t funny.

Not when she was the one who had just disappeared inside the wardrobe!

And only just in time too. Because she could hear the sound of footsteps as the occupant of the hotel suite approached the bedroom.

She could have brazened it out, of course. In fact, she wished now, secreted in the wardrobe as she was, that she had done so. But when she had heard the key turning in the lock of the adjoining lounge she had panicked, hadn’t been able to think of a plausible reason for the owner of the hotel to be in one of the guest’s suites at eight o’clock at night. But by the same token, she thought now, crowded between two rather expensive-looking suits, what excuse could she give for being found in his wardrobe? The woodworm excuse had already been used in a more recent comedy programme that Beth liked to watch, and Ellie didn’t think dry rot would sound any more convincing.

If only she hadn’t panicked in the way she had when she’d heard that key turning in the lock! What if Daniel Thackery, the guest in this suite, had left something inside the pocket of one of these suits? He had told her earlier, when she’d booked him in, that he would be dining at the hotel this evening, so he had probably changed before going downstairs. In fact, it had been because Ellie knew he was dining at eight o’clock that she’d thought this would be a good time to come in here. Her timing stank. As did her hiding place. Her first choice had been the bathroom, of course, but there was absolutely nowhere to hide in there—and if Daniel Thackery had decided to go in there...!

He was coming into the bedroom now. Ellie could see his feet through the slats of the wardrobe door—expensively shod feet, the black leather shoes looking handmade. Which they probably were, Ellie realised disgustedly. As was the black evening suit she could see as far as waist-high, the angle of the slats making it impossible for her to see any higher.

Not that she particularly wanted to see his face. She had seen that earlier, when she’d booked him into the hotel. Too stunning-looking for his own good—and that of every woman between the ages of sixteen and sixty, Ellie had decided. Piercing blue eyes had looked at her steadily but without any real interest, his nose was aquiline, he had a firmly sensuous mouth above an arrogantly jutting jaw, and slightly overlong dark hair, brushed back in a carelessly fashionable style.

But Ellie doubted that the expression on that face would be as smilingly uninterested as it had been earlier if he were to open the wardrobe door and find her hiding there!

She wouldn’t be too happy herself either if—

‘Make yourself comfortable,’ he called out in a husky voice. ‘I just have to make a quick telephone call.’

‘Angela?’ drawled a throatily female voice.

‘Of course,’ Daniel Thackery drawled drily.

Oh, God, he wasn’t alone, was all that Ellie could think at that moment!

‘Oh, dear,’ the woman continued lightly. ‘She would be very upset if she realised the two of us were here together.’

‘Do you really care?’ Daniel Thackery derided.

‘Not particularly,’ the woman confirmed in a bored voice.

He chuckled softly. ‘I thought not. I shouldn’t be long. Help yourself to a drink from the mini-bar while you’re waiting.’

‘OK, darling,’ the woman accepted lightly. ‘But don’t be too long; I’m longing for my dinner,’ she added with husky persuasion.

Well, at least they were still going to dinner! For a few moments there Ellie had had a terrible feeling that she might have landed herself in a worse position than she had originally thought she had. What if Daniel Thackery had brought that woman back here to— to—? There was no way Ellie could have stayed hidden in the wardrobe with that going on in the bedroom!

He was fully inside the bedroom now, closing the door behind him to walk over and sit on the side of the bed, his back towards Ellie, his shoulders broad in the black evening jacket, that overlong dark hair brushed over his collar.

If Ellie could have stopped shaking long enough she might have been able to appreciate—in an abstract way, of course—that Daniel Thackery was a very attractive-looking individual. But as it was taking all her energy to stop her teeth from chattering too loudly with fear of discovery all she knew at the moment was that he was in the room—and she wished he weren’t!

Especially as she could now see what she had come looking for. His briefcase. Standing neatly beside the bedside table. All she wanted was one brief little glimpse inside there, to see if what she suspected was true.

Beth had an altogether different reason for wanting to know what Daniel Thackery was doing here—an emotional reason—and it had been because of that very emotion that Ellie hadn’t thought Beth the right person to come up here. Now that this had happened she was more than a little relieved that Beth hadn’t been the one; much as she loved her younger sister, she knew Beth would have given herself away. And then God knew what would have happened! It would—

‘Hello, Angela,’ Daniel Thackery drawled as his call was answered, turning to lean back against the headboard, swinging his legs up onto the bed.

With his shoes still on, Ellie noted. Really, some people had no respect for other people’s property. This might be a hotel, but even so...

‘Yes, of course I’m back in England,’ he answered drily now. ‘I’m well aware the wedding is next week. No, you don’t need to send me an invitation.’ His expression hardened along with his voice. ‘As one of the key participants, I think I’m well aware of the time of the wedding and exactly where it is! Just organise everything with your usual efficiency, Angela, and trust that I will be there, at your side, at the right time.’

The man was getting married next week! Ellie gave an alarmed glance towards the closed bedroom door. ‘Darling’ was in the other room, waiting for this man to take her out to dinner—and God knew what afterwards—and he was in here on the telephone talking to his fiancée about their wedding next week! And he didn’t exactly sound thrilled at the prospect either. Not that Ellie was so surprised by his attitude; it fitted in with what she already thought of him. She detested men like this—men who thought—

‘OK, fine.’ He sighed heavily now. ‘I’m sorry too. I agree, this attitude is nonproductive for everyone involved. Yes, Angela, I love you too. Take care. And I’ll see you next week.’ He put down the receiver on conclusion of the call, then put his folded arms behind his head, his eyes narrowed, his expression enigmatic, obviously deep in thought—until a sudden sneeze, quickly followed by another one, had him sitting up on the side of the bed again, his expression now one of deep irritation.

Ellie was glad of the diversion—couldn’t quite believe the telephone conversation she had just overheard. Daniel Thackery wasn’t even going to bother seeing his fiancée until the wedding next week. What sort of—?

Her attention shifted back to him as he slowly stood up, her restricted view still only allowing her to see up as high as his waist. He just stood there, making no effort to leave the room. Why didn’t he move? Leave the bedroom. The hotel suite. The hotel!

She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that he was finally moving—that relief quickly followed by dismay as she saw him bend down to pick up the briefcase before crossing the room. That must be the reason she hadn’t seen the briefcase earlier; he must have taken it out with him, and now he was taking it out with him again. Damn! He—

Her breath caught in her throat once again as he came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the room, turning slightly before taking a step towards the wardrobe. Oh, God, no. He had left something in his suit earlier when he’d changed. And now he was going to open the wardrobe door, find her here—and all hell was going to break loose!

‘Darling?’ A knock on the bedroom door accompanied the woman’s call. ‘We’re going to be terribly late if we don’t go down now.’

‘I’ll be right with you,’ Daniel Thackery called back.

Ellie could almost feel the warmth of his breath through the slats of the door as he stood so close to her now. Her own breathing seemed to have stopped seconds ago and not resumed. She could see his hand now, a long, slender hand, the nails clipped short, reaching out towards the wardrobe door. Oh, God, he was going to open it!

What was she going to do? What was she going to say to him? Would she need to do or say anything? The chances were he would take one look at her and call the management. And she was the management! When he finally called the police the only explanation she would be able to come up with would be that she had wanted to look inside this man’s briefcase—through his private and confidential papers. They would lock her up and throw away the key!

This man was Daniel Thackery—an entrepreneur of world renown. She very much doubted that the police—or even Daniel Thackery himself—would believe that the only papers in his briefcase that she had any interest in were ones that might concern her family. If there were any such papers. Which she wasn’t convinced of at all.

Beth had been the one to go into a panic when a secretary had telephoned the hotel a couple of days ago and booked a suite for Daniel Thackery for an unspecified length of time, claiming that it would all depend on ‘how long it takes him to conclude the business he has in the area’. Because Beth was convinced that part of that ’business’ was the acquisition of this hotel!

Beth had met Daniel Thackery at her wedding to James just over a year ago—the other man was an old friend of James’s from their schooldays. And she remembered a conversation she had had with Daniel Thackery at the reception given downstairs in one of the function rooms about the hotel business, and how impressed he had been with the efficient running of their hotel, and how he’d said it was a business he was interested in getting into himself. And now, knowing that they’d overstretched themselves financially because of an extension to the hotel, and that they were actually in danger of losing the hotel altogether if they didn’t very quickly do something about it, Beth was convinced that Daniel Thackery, being the opportunist that he undoubtedly was, had come here to snap up their hotel.

In itself Beth’s theory wasn’t too convincing as far as Ellie was concerned—their small, seventy-bedroom hotel was surely not in the league Daniel Thackery liked to play in. But aside from Beth’s argument that it wasn’t a business he knew, only one in which he wanted to get in on the ground floor, was the fact that James and Beth had separated a month ago and James was privy to the seriousness of their financial dilemma—information he could have passed on to his friend Daniel Thackery. Beth also had a second worry, Ellie knew, and that was that Daniel Thackery perhaps had some information concerning James’s possible divorce proceedings.

Anyway, in the end Ellie had felt she had no choice but to come up to Daniel Thackery’s suite and at least make a token show to Beth of having a look around. Because if she hadn’t she knew Beth would have done it herself. And, considering Beth’s emotional state since her separation from James, that definitely was not a good idea in Ellie’s opinion. To Ellie’s mind, there was still hope for Beth and James to sort out their differences, and she certainly didn’t want her sister to add fuel to the fire by being caught spying on one of James’s friends.

Although it was strange the way Daniel Thackery was carrying the briefcase around with him every-where... Maybe Beth’s idea concerning the hotel wasn’t so far-fetched after all. Well, if Daniel Thackery thought that just because they were financially stretched at the moment he could make a move on their hotel he was going to have a fight on his hands; this hotel was Ellie’s life.

But talking of hands—that slender hand was on the wardrobe door now. He was going to open it. And he was going to find her crouched here like an—

And then he sneezed again. And again. And again.

Ellie had noticed him sneezing earlier in Reception, when she’d handled his booking. Perhaps he was coming down with a cold. Ellie didn’t particularly care what had caused the sneezing fit; all that concerned her was that it had distracted his attention from the wardrobe. She watched through the slatted door as he moved to the dressing table to take a tissue from the box there.

He continued to sneeze as he walked over to open the bedroom door, and a pair of long, silky-covered legs joined his in the doorway.

‘Are you starting a cold?’ the woman asked concernedly.

‘I don’t think so,’ he dismissed slowly.

‘It’s a bit late in the year for hay fever,’ the woman teased throatily. ‘I hope you aren’t allergic to me, darling.’ A teasing pout could be heard in the voice.

‘I’m sure I’m not,’ Daniel Thackery answered with certainty. ‘Come on, let’s go and have some dinner; we’ve wasted enough of our evening together already.’

The woman’s throaty laughter floated along the corridor as the two of them walked to the lift. Ellie stayed in her hiding place, giving them plenty of time to go downstairs before attempting to leave the safety of the wardrobe.

The wardrobe! She disgustedly admonished herself as she finally all but fell out of the confined space, impatiently pushing back the heavy swathe of fiery red hair that grew straight to her shoulders, with a full fringe stopping abruptly above sparkling emerald-green eyes. She was not short by any stretch of the imagination—five feet nine inches tall in her bare feet—and it felt good to be able to straighten up to her full height after the cramped conditions in the wardrobe. But then, one hardly expected to have to spend any length of time inside one.

Unless ‘one’ had been caught where ‘one’ wasn’t supposed to be!

It all seemed so ridiculous now. She had only come up here at all in an effort to stop Beth making a fool of herself. And had almost made a complete one of herself!

But, whatever Daniel Thackery’s reason for being in their hotel, he was hardly likely to leave incriminating evidence lying around in his suite. And to have looked inside his briefcase—even if he had left it behind, which he hadn’t—would have been a criminal offence. It was bad enough that she was in the suite at all without any real reason for being there, but there was no way, she freely acknowledged now, that she could have snooped around in his personal belongings...!

Although she might as well turn the bed down now that she was here. She could tell Doris, the maid, not to bother with the suite, that she had done it herself while up there for another reason. She didn’t have to say what that reason was!

It was a large double bed, and as Ellie turned back the quilt and top sheet she couldn’t help wondering whether she ought to turn the other side down too; she doubted Daniel Thackery would be spending the night alone. Her anger towards him returned as she thought of the way he had gone off for the evening with ‘Darling’ after talking to his fiancée on the telephone. The man was unprincipled!

Which made her wonder if perhaps Beth wasn’t right; if he was completely without morals in his private life, then surely he must be doubly so in his business life...?

She was willing to accept the possibility that maybe he was here for a reason—and she intended finding out what it was!

‘You didn’t see anything that—well, that might have given the impression James had sent him? About the divorce,’ Beth added with a grimace.

The younger of the two sisters, Beth was nothing like Ellie to look at. She took after their mother, with her short stature and fragility of looks, her hair short and blonde. Ellie had always looked more like their father, who was a tall red-haired man.

‘I told you,’ Ellie replied irritably, the two of them now seated in their private sitting room at the back of the hotel. ‘I didn’t see anything.’ It had been difficult to do so inside the wardrobe! ‘Although I very much doubt Daniel Thackery is the sort of man to be “sent” anywhere.’ She could visualise his arrogant face all too easily, and knew instinctively that Daniel Thackery did no one else’s bidding but his own. ‘By anyone!’ she added with feeling.

‘Besides, it’s only a matter of weeks since James left; he can’t be thinking of divorce already.’ She frowned as Beth didn’t look convinced. ‘Is that really what you think Daniel Thackery is here for? I thought you said he might be after our hotel—’

‘Oh, he is interested in buying into hotels,’ Beth dismissed with an uninterested wave of her hand—a hand still adorned with her engagement and wedding ring. ‘I just thought that if there was any information in his room concerning this hotel it would also mean he must have spoken to James recently, and—’

‘I think I’m beginning to get the picture,’ Ellie interrupted wearily.

The two of them were able to take this short time off because this was the quiet part of the evening for them; dinner was being served and the bar was open at the front of the hotel, and most of the guests were in either of those two places or had actually gone out for the evening. Daniel Thackery and his guest were now in the dining room, Ellie had been pleased to note when she’d got downstairs a few minutes ago.

‘Beth, James isn’t going to divorce you; he loves you,’ she said with certainty, convinced that whatever difficulties her sister and her husband were going through they were only temporary; the couple had been in love since the moment they’d met, and had been married—happily, most of the time—for the last year.

‘But if you really think Daniel Thackery may have seen James during the last four weeks, why don’t you just ask the man? You know him, don’t you?’ she prompted reasonably, still shaken from her narrow escape in his suite earlier.

‘Not exactly.’ Her sister shook her head slowly. ‘I’ve only met him once, and that was at the wedding just over a year ago. He’s always so busy that James sees him rarely himself, although he did enjoy the couple of years he worked for him. So we haven’t met up with him again since the wedding. Why don’t you ask him?’ Beth suggested frowningly, chewing on her bottom lip. ‘You’ve always been so much more forward than me, and—’

‘Because I don’t know the man at all!’ Ellie pointed out impatiently. ‘If you remember, I missed the wedding completely because I was rushed into hospital at the last minute for an emergency appendectomy—’

‘I offered to cancel the wedding—’

‘Don’t be silly, Beth; I wasn’t complaining, just explaining,’ Ellie dismissed irritably. “The wedding had been planned for weeks; you don’t cancel something as important as that just because one of the guests can’t make it.’

‘That guest was my sister!’ Beth protested.

‘And I talked to James and persuaded him that going ahead with the wedding was the right thing to do,’ Ellie sighed.

‘He shouldn’t have listened to you.’ Her sister shook her head. ‘He—’

‘Beth, I don’t really think it matters who was or wasn’t at your wedding, when the two of you now seem to be talking of divorce—Oh, God, I’m sorry.’ She was instantly contrite as she saw the way her sister paled; she had always had an uncanny ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time! It was the reason why she was still unmarried at twenty-seven, according to her equally straight-talking mother; no man was strong enough to brave her vitriolic tongue long enough to fall in love with her.

‘But, Beth, the wedding is unimportant now, can’t you see?’ she continued more gently. ‘It’s a fact that I didn’t meet Daniel Thackery there, and it now appears he has returned to our hotel and we have to be wary of him on two fronts. But I certainly can’t just march up to him and ask him outright what he’s doing here!’ She frowned deeply.

Beth’s expression lightened. ‘I don’t see why not; it’s what you would usually do!’

But Ellie acknowledged that Daniel Thackery wasn’t the type of man she usually met; she was sure he would just turn round and tell her to mind her own business. And she would have no choice but to do exactly that. She would also have alerted him to the fact that they were curious as to his reason for being here and thereafter he would be on his guard, which wasn’t going to help anyone.

‘Do you know what I think we should do—you should do?’ she corrected pointedly. ‘Invite the man to dinner with the two of us,’ she announced triumphantly. ‘It has to be you, Beth, because you know the man and I don’t,’ she said persuasively as she saw that her sister was about to protest at the idea. ’He was a guest at your wedding, is a friend of James’s, and as far as I’m aware you haven’t even said hello to him yet.

‘I accept you’re a bit wary of him,’ she added hastily at Beth’s increasingly dismayed expression. ‘But it would be perfectly natural for you to invite him to dinner in the circumstances, whereas it would look damn funny if I did the inviting—a woman who doesn’t know him from Adam!’ Besides which, she still felt very uncomfortable about her presence in his suite earlier this evening. He couldn’t possibly know about that, of course, but she did, and she was going to find it difficult facing him again.

Beth still didn’t look convinced. ‘I doubt that he will stay here very long—’

‘Then make the invitation for tomorrow evening,’ Ellie interrupted impatiently, standing up to smooth down her straight black skirt to its just above the knee length. ‘I have to go and take over in Reception for the rest of the evening now, so I’ll leave you to think about it. But if you really want to know if he’s at least seen James I think dinner would be the best way of finding out.’

This last remark was perhaps a little below the belt on her part, but if they were to find out Daniel Thackery’s motive for being in the area someone had to make a move, and as she’d pointed out, it would look odd if she approached him with a dinner invitation.

It was quiet on Reception at this time of night, and Ellie took advantage of the lull to catch up on some of the paperwork that seemed never-ending where running a hotel was concerned.

Her parents had run the hotel until two years ago, when her father had suffered a mild heart attack and been ordered to take it easy for a while—an opportunity her mother had taken to whisk him away to Spain to live in early retirement. Their parents had given the hotel equally to Beth and Ellie, but since taking over Ellie had realised exactly why the hotel had been such a strain on her parents; it was a twenty-four-hour-a-day job, and left little time for anything else. She—

‘Good evening, Ellie,’ greeted a huskily male voice. ‘Do you ever get away from this place?’

The question so echoed the sentiments of her own thoughts that she wasn’t able to maintain her usually bright smile as she looked up at Peter, their master chef, as he stood at the other side of the reception desk.

The restaurant was open to the public as well as to guests, and it was one part of the hotel that did make a profit. And justifiably so; Peter was a chef of a calibre Ellie had never met before, and had brought people into the restaurant from far and wide since he had taken over in the kitchen six months ago. She knew they were lucky to have found him and didn’t question their good fortune too deeply—she just gave thanks for it every day. Without Peter’s expertise as a chef she knew they would be in even more dire financial straits than they already were.

‘Not as often as I would like, Peter,’ she answered somewhat wistfully, her chin resting on her palm as she leant on the desk-top looking up at him; he was one of the few men she could look up to when she was wearing high-heeled shoes, as she was now—Peter was a little over six feet tall, a good-looking man in his late thirties.

He shook his head. ‘I wish you would accept my invitation for the two of us to go out. I see by the rota that you’re off tomorrow evening too...’

This was, as Peter had so rightly pointed out, far from the first time he had invited her out. It wasn’t that she didn’t find Peter’s blond good looks attractive, because she did, very much so; she just didn’t think it was a particularly good idea to go out with someone she was working with almost every day. It could be very uncomfortable for everyone if it didn’t work out. And Peter really was an excellent chef...

Besides, she was hoping that tomorrow evening she and Beth would be dining with Daniel Thackery!

She gave Peter an apologetic smile. ‘I already have an appointment tomorrow evening. I’m sorry.’

He grimaced, obviously in no hurry to leave. His shift was over for the evening and the restaurant would be closing shortly—only the lingering coffee-drinkers were left. ‘Out of luck again,’ he said teasingly. ‘Who’s the lucky man?’

He didn’t know who he was himself yet, and she somehow doubted he would think of himself as ‘lucky’ when he did—although hopefully a sense of politeness towards James’s wife would make him accept the invitation. ‘No one you know.’ She shrugged dismissively.

‘Aha!’ Peter looked interested now, leaning conspiratorially across the desk. ‘A secret lover, hmm?’ His brown eyes twinkled with mischief.

‘Hardly!’ Ellie chuckled softly. ‘I don’t have time for lovers—secret or otherwise—’

‘Are there any messages for me?’ interrupted a harshly cold voice.

Neither she nor Peter, she was sure, had been aware of anyone approaching the desk. But Ellie recognised that voice only too well; hadn’t she listened to him earlier when he’d been talking to ‘Darling’ before making that telephone call to his fiancée? And she was sure, from the faintly disdainful expression on his face as he looked at the two of them, that he had overheard her ill-timed remark about lovers!

She turned to check the box for his suite, studiously hiding any awkwardness she might feel at his having heard her conversation with Peter. ‘No messages, Mr Thackery,’ she told him with a brightly professional smile, noticing the woman standing a short distance away watching the exchange uninterestedly—probably ‘Darling’, of the long, silky legs!

He nodded abruptly, his expression still grimly disapproving as he glanced briefly at Peter. ‘I’ll be in the bar if there are any—’ He broke off abruptly as he was racked by a sudden sneeze. ‘Damn it!’ he muttered furiously, his gaze a fierce blue glare now.

Ellie maintained her smile of cool politeness. ‘You seem to be starting a cold, Mr Thackery. I’m sure we have something you could take for that, if you—’

‘I don’t have a cold,’ he cut in harshly. ‘I’ll be in the bar if there are any calls for me.’ He gave an abrupt nod of dismissal before turning on his heel and striding off across the reception area to join the woman waiting near the entrance to the bar—a tall, blonde woman, her beautiful face animated as she put her hand through the crook of Daniel Thackery’s arm.

If his fiancée called again he would be in the bar, Ellie guessed crossly. Well, she hoped none of them were expected to lie for this man; if Angela telephoned again Ellie had every intention of telling the other woman exactly where he was. Not who he was with, of course, but it would be up to Daniel Thackery to explain away his presence in the bar. She—

‘I seem to know that man,’ Peter said slowly as he gazed after Daniel Thackery with narrowed eyes.

Peter was a hotel employee, so there was no problem in revealing the identity of a guest to him. Besides, after her exploits in Daniel Thackery’s suite earlier, who was she to preach about a guest’s right to privacy?

‘That’s Daniel Thackery,’ she told Peter flatly.

‘The Daniel Thackery?’ Peter said slowly.

Was he ‘the’ Daniel Thackery? He was known worldwide as a very successful businessman, with his restaurants in the capitals of the world frequented by the cream of society, so she supposed that, yes, he was ‘the’!

‘Yes,’ she confirmed abruptly. The man under discussion had entered the bar with the beautiful blonde now, and Ellie turned her full attention back to Peter.

‘I see.’ He whistled softly through his teeth. ‘What does a man like that want in a sleepy little place like this?’

What indeed? It was what Ellie wanted to know too. ‘Anonymity, probably,’ she snapped. ‘If the woman he’s with is anything to go by.’ She grimaced her disapproval of the other woman.

Peter’s brows rose. ‘She looks rather beautiful to me.’

Oh, there was no doubting that the blonde was absolutely gorgeous to look at—tiny in height, with an hourglass figure, long legs and a youthfully beautiful face. But there was also no dismissing the fact that the man she was with was getting married next week—or that ‘Darling’ was well aware of Angela’s existence!

‘The two of them aren’t married,’ was all that Ellie could think of by way of explanation for her own bitchiness; after all, she could hardly admit to hearing of the existence of Daniel Thackery’s fiancée while hiding in his wardrobe!

Peter grinned, leaning conspiratorially over the desk towards her. ‘Signed themselves in as Mr and Mrs Smith, did they?’ He gave her a teasing wink.

Ellie had to smile at that ludicrous wink. ‘Sorry.’ She gave a rueful smile. ‘There’s just something about that man that puts my hackles up.’ That had to be an understatement; just being anywhere near that man seemed to set her teeth on edge!

Peter still smiled, straightening away from the desk. ‘That isn’t—or so we’re led to believe by the newspapers—what women usually have to say about him!’

‘Well, I’m not one of his usual women.’ The tartness returned to her voice, her green eyes flashing. ‘Anyway, he seems to prefer tiny blondes,’ she added scornfully.

‘Whereas I prefer tall redheads.’ Peter looked across at her appreciatively. ‘Sure I can’t tempt you with dinner tomorrow evening?’ he added wistfully, the subject of Daniel Thackery clearly forgotten.

At least, it had been forgotten by Peter. Ellie couldn’t forget about him—because she hoped she and Beth would be dining with him tomorrow evening!

‘I’ll even cook for you,’ Peter added persuasively. ‘If you come to my apartment.’

The temptation of eating a meal Peter had cooked was one not many women would resist. But Ellie had other priorities for tomorrow evening.

‘I’m really sorry, Peter,’ she refused again with a regretful smile. ‘I really am busy tomorrow night.’ She hoped!

‘I know when not to push it,’ he accepted with a dismissive shrug. ‘Another time. I had better be on my way,’ he said with a brief glimpse at his wristwatch. ‘My cat will be wondering if I’ve found myself a woman other than her!’

Ellie chuckled throatily. ‘See you in a couple of days’ time.’

He nodded. ‘Have a good time tomorrow night. Whatever it is you’re doing.’ He gave her another suggestive wink before leaving.

Ellie shook her head, smiling fondly. He really was the most outrageous man, but she liked him anyway, found his light-hearted banter refreshing. It was a pity about tomorrow evening because if it hadn’t been for this thing over Daniel Thackery she might just have accepted Peter’s invitation...

‘Could you arrange for an early-morning call tomorrow, please?’ rasped the harsh voice that was becoming so familiar to Ellie—unfortunately so!

She turned slowly to look at Daniel Thackery as he glared across the desk at her. He had only gone through to the bar a few minutes ago; what—?

‘An early-morning call,’ he repeated impatiently as she blinked up at him uncomprehendingly. ‘Do you think you could manage that?’

Colour darkened her cheeks at his sarcasm, and she bit her lip to stop herself returning an equally sarcastic reply. ‘I’m sure I can,’ she said tautly.

‘At seven-thirty,’ he nodded. ‘And coffee,’ he added tersely before he was racked by another sneeze.

Ellie automatically noted down the time of the early-morning call and the request for coffee.

‘Coffee for one,’ he corrected as he saw what she had written down on the pad in front of her, his mouth twisting with mocking amusement as Ellie looked up at him sharply. ‘My guest has departed for the evening,’ he explained drily as he saw Ellie’s instinctive glance behind him for the diminutive blonde.

Ellie could have kicked herself for being so obvious. But she had assumed—incorrectly, it now seemed—that ‘Darling’ would be spending the night with him in his suite. But she wished she hadn’t made what she had thought so obvious, hated that knowingly mocking glint in those deep blue eyes.

‘I only booked the suite for one guest,’ he told her softly. ‘Myself,’ he added, before he gave yet another sneeze.

She was regathering her scattered wits now, forcing herself to meet his derisive stare with a cool green gaze. ‘The suite is booked in its entirety, Mr Thackery,’ she told him coolly. ‘Regardless of the number of guests.’

‘Really?’ Dark brows rose. ‘In that case—’ his voice lowered huskily as he leant forward over the desk ‘—perhaps you would like to join me upstairs? For a nightcap?’ he added lightly as he saw the shocked way her eyes widened.

First the blonde. Then his fiancée. Then the blonde again. And now her. He really was having a busy evening where women were concerned, wasn’t he? Or was he...? Neither his fiancée nor the blonde was here, was she...?

Ellie smiled up at him with sweet insincerity. ‘You seem to be developing a rather nasty cold, Mr Thackery.’ She managed to keep her voice neutrally polite. ‘I would suggest it might be more beneficial—to everyone concerned—if you snuggled down in bed with a cold-remedy or a hot toddy rather than a woman!’ She met his gaze challengingly. Really, this man had an incredible nerve.

He appeared completely unruffled by her refusal. ‘Permit me to know what is “beneficial” to me,’ he dismissed arrogantly. ‘And, as I told you earlier, I do not have a cold.’ As if to prove him wrong he gave another sneeze. ‘I would suggest, however,’ he rasped once the sneeze had dispersed, ‘that if you do decide to join me in my suite for a nightcap you wash off your perfume before joining me. I happen to be allergic to Sapphire,’ he added with a grimace. ‘You see—Ellie...’ he said her name softly after looking at her name-tag attached to her blouse ‘...it makes me sneeze.’ He looked down at her unblinkingly now.

Ellie’s mouth opened. And then closed. And then opened again. But no sound came out.

He had sneezed late this afternoon when she had booked him in. And earlier in his suite—he had been sneezing then too.

Because she had been hiding in his wardrobe wearing Sapphire!

Every time he came near her he started to sneeze. As he had in his bedroom earlier tonight—and even more so as he’d stood on the other side of the wardrobe door. Had he known she was there? Did he know?

He gave a dismissive shrug as the silence stretched between them—through pure shock on Ellie’s part! ‘I won’t actually be going to bed for a while, so if you should change your mind about the nightcap... Or just feel in the mood for a chat,’ he added—tauntingly, it seemed to Ellie. ‘But don’t forget about washing off the perfume before you come up,’ he advised before strolling off in the direction of the lift.

Ellie stared after him, knowing her face was very pale. She was so stunned that she still hadn’t been able to make so much as a movement when he turned after stepping into the lift to give her a parting gesture of his hand before the doors closed in front of him.

Had he known she was in his bedroom earlier? Did he know?

CHAPTER TWO

‘IT’S a nuisance that it’s Peter’s evening off.’ Beth frowned as she battled to take the stone out of the centre of the avocado without actually damaging the fruit. ‘We could have done with his expertise in the kitchen tonight if we’re to soften Daniel Thackery up enough to get any information out of him!’ She grimaced as the stone finally popped out of the fruit only to roll across the floor.

To Ellie’s immense dismay Daniel Thackery had accepted Beth’s invitation to dinner this evening. Beth had managed to speak to him this morning before he’d left for a business appointment, and he had been only too pleased, according to Beth, to accept dinner with an old friend. But after his parting comments to Ellie the evening before she really had no desire ever to see the man again. She was certain that if he didn’t actually know for sure, then he at least suspected her presence in his suite the evening before—otherwise why would he have made those comments about her perfume and suggested a chat?

Her first instinct the night before, once she had recovered from the shock, had been to go up to his suite and brazen the situation out—at least find out what he did know. But then common sense had prevailed, and she had realised she would be playing into his hands by going anywhere near his suite again that evening; if she didn’t go near him, he couldn’t ask her any embarrassing questions.

But before she could tell Beth that she had changed her mind about inviting the man for dinner Beth had come and told her she had already asked him—and he had accepted!

‘He ate in the restaurant yesterday evening,’ Ellie told her sister distractedly. ‘He knows how good a chef Peter is.’

‘But even with the two of us making our best effort we’re nowhere near as good,’ Beth groaned, having retrieved the stone from the floor now and placed it in the bin.

Ellie shrugged, having been given the job of shelling the prawns to go with the avocado. ‘Just ply him with lots of wine—that should mellow him,’ she dismissed scathingly. ‘Anyway, I told you I have to stand in on Reception this evening, so you’re on your own with this dinner,’ she announced with satisfaction. She had never been so relieved in her life to have had two people call in sick for this evening, one of them being their evening receptionist; she did not want to spend several hours sitting with Daniel Thackery trying to be polite to him, no matter what his reason for being in the area!

She no longer cared what his reason was; he couldn’t buy their hotel if they weren’t interested in selling. And they weren’t! And Beth’s interest in James was a private thing; her sister didn’t need her presence at dinner to ask Daniel Thackery whether or not he had seen her husband recently.

‘You don’t have to go on Reception until ten o’clock,’ Beth protested. ‘Plenty of time for you to have dinner with us first.’

‘That’s true,’ Ellie accepted grudgingly. ‘But one of the bar staff is off sick too, so—’

‘Send Doris in there,’ Beth interrupted practically. ‘She’s done it before, so that shouldn’t be a problem. And the two of us can turn back the beds in the rooms. We aren’t that heavily booked, so it shouldn’t take long.’

She sometimes wished her sister weren’t so practical. Or so logically capable. But the two of them had been brought up in this hotel, had watched their parents’ management of it for years, and they had learnt how to deal with staffing and other problems. And Beth’s answer to the problem now was perfectly correct. It was just that Ellie didn’t want to be present at the dinner!

She wanted to avoid Daniel Thackery for the rest of his stay—still had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew exactly where she had been the evening before. And, if he did, there was no way he was going to let something like that pass without further comment.

‘Ellie, will you finish the prawns so that we can get on with preparing the chicken?’ Beth impatiently interrupted her wandering thoughts. ‘It’s almost seven o’clock now, and if we have the beds to turn back...’

Which meant she had lost her argument about joining Beth and Daniel Thackery for dinner. Damn. But she really couldn’t come up with another excuse not to join them—not without alerting Beth to the fact that she really didn’t want to spend any more time in the man’s company. There was just something about him, the wardrobe incident apart, that set her teeth on edge...

And, appreciative of the way her luck was going at the moment, she wasn’t in the least surprised when Beth elected to do the beds on the second floor, leaving Ellie to deal with the first floor. Daniel Thackery’s suite was on the first floor...

Taking all possible precautions against bumping into him accidentally, she rang up his suite first and received no answer. Nor did her loud knocking on the door of the suite. Good, he was still out. Although he was cutting it a bit fine if he intended joining them for dinner at eight o’clock; it was almost seven-thirty now...

He certainly wasn’t an untidy man. In fact, looking around at the neatness of the suite, she acknowledged that it was difficult to tell whether it was occupied or not—no personal effects were lying around anywhere. But he was definitely still staying here; Ellie would have been the first to know if he had booked out. And the first to give thanks. He had been a disruptive influence on her life ever since he’d first booked in. And she had to sit down to dinner with the man in—oh, just over half an hour.

She would get this over with as quickly as possible and make good her escape; the last thing she wanted was Daniel Thackery returning to his suite while she was still there!

She had barely begun to turn back the bed when she heard the sound of a door opening behind her. She turned sharply, her expression one of guilty dismay. Not that she had anything to feel guilty about tonight, but—

It hadn’t been the bedroom door that had opened, but the adjoining bathroom door. Daniel Thackery must have just taken a bath or shower. His hair was still damp—his body completely naked!

Ellie just stared at him, hardly able to breathe. He—She—They—Oh, God...!

Daniel looked no more pleased to see her standing in his bedroom, apparently rooted to the spot, than she was to see him. A dark scowl marred his handsome features as he returned her stare. ‘You again!’ he snapped disgustedly.

She was still too shocked to react to that ‘again’, keeping her gaze riveted to his darkly scowling face after that first shocked recognition of his nakedness. There would be time later to remember the smoothly muscled contours of his body, his darkly tanned skin, the almost black hair that lightly covered his body. For now she had to concentrate on explaining herself—and then getting out of here!

‘I did telephone and knock before coming in to your suite.’ She rushed into breathless speech. “There was no answer, so I—’

‘I was taking a shower.’ He drily stated the obvious, making no effort to cover up his nakedness. ‘But the offer was for last night, not tonight!’

Her face suffused with colour as his meaning became clear. ‘The maid wanted to turn back the bed—’

‘Then why didn’t she?’ Dark brows rose over piercing blue eyes.

Why didn’t he put some clothes on, instead of just standing there completely unconcerned with his nudity? He might be accustomed to being naked in front of women, but she certainly wasn’t used to being in the same room with men who had nothing on. And who seemed completely unruffled by the fact!

‘Because for this evening I am acting as the maid,’ she bit out forcefully. ‘Our usual maid is in the bar because we’re short-staffed, and—’

‘Never mind, Ellie,’ Daniel interrupted in a bored voice. ‘I get the picture. You—’ He broke off with a frown as the telephone began to ring on the bedside table. ‘It’s like being stuck in the middle of a traffic junction! Get that, will you, while I put something on?’ he said impatiently.

She was relieved that he was at last going to cover his nudity, but she was not his personal secretary. The fact that she was here at all was because of a set of circumstances she had no control over. She—

‘Ellie!’ he prompted again harshly as the telephone continued to ring and she made no effort to answer it. ‘Just get it, will you?’ he said wearily at her mutinous expression, turning away to open the wardrobe door and look through its contents for something to put on.

She snatched up the receiver. ‘The Grafton Suite,’ she barked automatically, keeping her gaze firmly averted from Daniel, not wanting to watch him as he dressed. It would be too intimate an action, and intimacy was definitely something to be avoided between herself and Daniel Thackery.

‘Oh, good grief.’ The female voice on the other end of the line sounded almost as impatient as Daniel had when the telephone had begun to ring seconds ago. ‘I asked to be put through to Daniel Thackery’s room, and instead I’ve been connected with another part of the hotel. Are you able to put this call back to Reception?’ the woman continued briskly. ‘Or will I have to call back and start again?’

She didn’t exactly sound pleased at the prospect. ‘Actually, you have been put through to Mr Thackery’s suite,’ Ellie answered while giving Daniel Thackery a beseeching look.

She was relieved to see that he was at least wearing a pair of black underpants now. Not that the brief garment made any difference to the intimacy of the situation. He might be wearing as much now as he would at a swimming pool or at the beach, but this wasn’t either of those places—and the two of them were completely alone here in his bedroom. Except for his female telephone caller!

‘But he—er—be can’t come to the telephone just now,’ she continued conversationally as Daniel Thackery made no move to take the receiver but continued to look through the wardrobe for his clothes for the evening. ‘He—’

‘What do you mean, “he can’t come to the telephone just now”?’ the woman cut in sharply. ‘What—?’

‘Thanks, Ellie.’ Daniel at last took the receiver from her unresisting fingers, lifting it to his ear. ‘I thought it must be you, Angela.’ He spoke drily into the mouthpiece. ‘A member of the hotel staff. Yes, a female member of the hotel staff,’ he acknowledge, with a mocking look in Ellie’s direction. ‘How observant of you, Angela. No, I’m not up to anything,’ he added hardily. ‘Angela,’ he said impatiently a couple of seconds later, ‘will you stop giving me a damned day by day countdown to the wedding? I’m well aware of the fact that it’s only ten days away!’ he snapped harshly.

Wedding...Good God, yes—this man was getting married in ten days’ time.

Ellie had been standing close to him, unable to take her eyes off the lean strength of his body, aware of the clean, male—unscented!—smell of him, all of her senses aware that he really was a very attractive man. But the realisation that he was talking to his fiancée on the telephone, to the woman he intended marrying next week, was enough to break the spell. She had to get out of here, had to—

‘Where are you going?’

Ellie had almost reached the door, and escape, but she knew from the way Daniel had raised his voice that he was talking to her. She came to an abrupt halt, turning slowly to raise her gaze to meet his. Daniel was watching her from across the room with narrowed eyes, his hand over the mouthpiece of the telephone, his full attention on Ellie.

‘Where are you going?’ he repeated evenly. ‘I thought you came in here to turn down the bed,’ he reminded her mockingly, his blue eyes gleaming with humour now as he saw the almost desperate way she eyed her avenue of escape only feet away before turning back to look at the almost untouched bed beside him.

Her eyes flashed deeply green at his mockery. ‘It’s a courtesy thing only,’ she snapped. ‘I’m sure you’re more than capable of dealing with it yourself!’

He eyed her challengingly. ‘Surely it’s what your employer pays you to do?’

Two bright spots of colour appeared on her cheeks. Who did he think—? A sudden realisation occurred to her: he didn’t know she was co-owner of this hotel, appeared to have no idea she was Beth’s sister. Probably because he didn’t expect to see the owner of the hotel on the reception desk or in the rooms turning back the beds. But this was a small, family-run hotel, and she and Beth had always filled in wherever necessary.

And then another, more wicked thought occurred to her. If he didn’t know she was Beth’s older sister, then he didn’t realise he was having dinner with her later this evening either...

‘And I suppose you would tell her I’ve been lax in my duties,’ she said in a disgruntled voice, deliberately keeping her head down as she moved to turn back the bed; if she had looked up at him at that moment he would have seen the laughter in her eyes—at his expense! ‘And if I lose my job what will happen to the husband and seven children I have at home?’ she added accusingly.

His mouth twisted. ‘You’re too young to have seven children!’ he scorned disbelievingly.

Ellie met his gaze with steady innocence. ‘I was a child bride.’

‘You would have to have been,’ he said drily. ‘Are you really—?’

‘Don’t you have someone waiting to talk to you on the telephone?’ Ellie reminded him lightly. ‘And I have the rest of the rooms to see to.’ She walked back to the bedroom door. ‘I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay, Mr Thackery,’ she told him dismissively as she prepared to leave.

‘I’m sure I will,’ he said slowly, his frown obvious in his voice.

Ellie didn’t turn to look at him, making a dignified exit and no longer feeling at such a disadvantage where Daniel Thackery was concerned. Yes, he might have his suspicions about her presence in his room last night, but she had also been in his suite this evening, so if directly challenged she could always make the claim that it must have been the lingering smell of her perfume that had caused him to sneeze.

And she now had a certain advantage inasmuch as he didn’t realise that she actually co-owned this hotel and that he was having dinner with her this evening. She didn’t feel quite so awkward about the situation now. In fact, she was quite looking forward to the dinner now!

Beth eyed Ellie with a frown a short time later as she moved about the kitchen humming to herself as she put the finishing touches to the dessert. ‘You seem to have cheered up since our conversation earlier,’ she said suspiciously.

Ellie gave a dismissive shrug. ‘I was a bit concerned about the staff problem. But it’s all sorted out now, so we can relax for a while. Will you be OK here while I just go and change?’

‘Fine,’ Beth answered distractedly, still eyeing her uncertainly. ‘But what’s wrong with what you’re wearing?’

She was still in the smart skirt and blouse she had been wearing to work in all day, and while she accepted that they were perfectly suitable to entertain in she wanted to be able to disconcert Daniel Thackery completely. And, looking and feeling her best, she felt sure she would be able to do that.

‘I feel like changing,’ she dismissed. ‘I won’t be long.’

Just long enough to freshen up and change into her little black dress—a figure-hugging sheath of a dress that finished just above her knees. Her legs were long and shapely, her hair she had washed that morning, so it swung silkily about her shoulders, and she added light make-up to her creamy complexion, red gloss to her lips. The overall effect was one of cool elegance.

Let’s see what Mr Daniel Thackery thought now of the hotel receptionist-cum-maid who was also a child bride with seven children!

She could hear the murmur of voices in the sitting room as she approached—Both seemed to have relaxed enough at least to engage in conversation with their guest. What was he going to think when Ellie joined them?

He turned frowningly when she opened the door to enter the room, that frown turning to puzzlement as he instantly recognised her. Well—he thought he recognised her; he obviously still had no idea she was Beth’s sister. He rose slowly to his feet.

‘Ellie!’ Beth said with some relief. It was evident that she wasn’t as relaxed in their guest’s company as she had been trying to give the impression she was. ‘Daniel is here,’ she said unnecessarily.

Poor Beth—she wasn’t at all happy, Ellie realised. Not that she exactly blamed her sister for feeling the way she obviously did, but the two of them were here now; surely together they could get through this evening?

‘How nice,’ she murmured with complete insincerity. ‘I don’t think the two of us have ever been introduced.’ She moved forward into the room as she spoke, extending her hand in greeting. ‘I’m Beth’s sister, Ellie. And you are an old friend of James’s.’ She smiled at him as she spoke, and knew by the way his mouth tightened that he hadn’t missed the slight barb in her tone when she’d said ‘old’ friend. Not that Daniel was in the least old—probably in his late thirties at the most—but she intended keeping him slightly off-balance if she could.

He clasped the hand she held out to him a little too tightly, painfully so for a few brief seconds, before slowly releasing it again. “The two of you don’t look in the least like sisters,’ he murmured softly, his narrowed gaze taking in Ellie’s appearance.

‘We’ve fooled a lot of people with that over the years.’ Beth smiled, starting to look more relaxed now that she was no longer alone with Daniel.

Beth had always been tiny and blonde, Ellie tall and red-haired—some people might have described her as statuesque—and when they’d been at school together it had disconcerted more than one person to find that Beth had a big big sister.

‘I’ll just bet you have,’ Daniel said slowly, his narrowed gaze still on Ellie.

He looked very attractive himself in a dark blue suit and light blue shirt, with a conservatively patterned tie knotted meticulously at his throat. His hair had dried now, and was brushed back from his face, curling softly over the collar of his jacket.

‘I’ll just go and check on the chicken and put out our first course,’ Beth put in brightly before she hurried from the room, obviously anxious to get the meal started.

There was silence once Beth had left the room, and Ellie met Daniel’s gaze challengingly as he continued to look at her. She had no reason to feel embarrassed by the assumptions he had made earlier—but he did. Although she doubted embarrassment was something this man felt very often, no matter what the circumstances!

‘What happened to the husband and seven children?’ he finally said drily.

She gave a dismissive shrug. ‘You know how it is—here today, gone tomorrow!’ she said flippantly, green eyes alight with mockery.

‘Is that a family trait?’ he said hardily.

Ellie tilted her head questioningly, frowning slightly. ‘Sorry...?’

Daniel shrugged. ‘Your sister and James haven’t been married very long, and yet they appear to be separated.’

Her mouth tightened at the implication. ‘Surely that is between Beth and James?’ she said pointedly; if by some chance he was here on James’s behalf, she wanted to make it very plain what she thought of his interference.

He gave an abrupt nod. ‘And you aren’t the receptionist or the maid after all but the sister...’ he said slowly.

Ellie looked at him sharply, not altogether sure she liked the way he’d said that either. ‘Yes,’ she answered almost defensively. ‘I’m Beth’s sister.’

‘James has spoken of you,’ Daniel murmured evenly.

She frowned, trying to read from his expression the meaning behind those words. For she felt sure there was one. But Daniel Thackery had made an art, it seemed, out of the enigmatic expression, and consequently, if there had been a double meaning behind the statement, she wasn’t going to learn of it from looking at his face.

‘How is my brother-in-law?’ she returned just as guardedly; at least she might be able to find out the answer to the question that was most bothering Beth at the moment.

‘The last time I saw James he was very well,’ Daniel returned noncommittally, obviously having no intention of telling her exactly when that meeting had taken place.

It could have been months ago, before Beth and James’s separation, for all Ellie knew. Although somehow she had an instinctive feeling that it hadn’t been...

Ellie continued to meet Daniel’s gaze for several seconds before finally turning away. ‘Can I get you a drink while we’re waiting?’ she offered with cool politeness.

‘Your sister has already provided me with a glass of wine, thank you.’ He indicated the glass sitting on the coffee-table beside him. ‘But I’ll pour you a glass, if you would like one?’ he offered mockingly.

It was almost as if he knew how much in need she felt of a soothing sip of wine! Probably he did. This man wasn’t disconcerted for long; he had recovered fast from the surprise of realising she was Beth’s sister.

‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly let you do that,’ she refused with saccharine politeness. ‘After all, you’re our guest.’

‘So it would appear,’ he conceded drily. ‘I notice, from my lack of sneezing, that you aren’t wearing Sapphire this evening?’

Ellie eyed him warily. ‘I do wear other perfumes,’ she told him defensively. ‘And in view of your remark concerning your allergy...’ She shrugged with a casual dismissiveness she was far from feeling; she would rather not get into a discussion about the perfume that made him sneeze every time he went near someone wearing it! He might start to question her about the occasions when he had been sneezing during the last two days...!

His mouth twisted. ‘That’s very kind of you.’

‘I can be kind, Mr Thackery—’

‘Daniel, please,’ he cut in smoothly, his gaze lightly mocking.

‘Daniel,’ she acknowledged distantly, moving to the dresser where Beth had left the tray containing the cooling bottle of white wine and the necessary glasses. ‘Let me fill your glass up for you.’ She smoothly crossed the room to pour the wine, hoping she had successfully diverted his attention away from that damned perfume; in view of the trouble it had almost caused her she never intended wearing it again.

Where on earth had Beth got to? She only had to check that the chicken hadn’t gone dry and put the prepared avocados and prawns on the table; surely it couldn’t be taking her this long just to do that?

‘Cheers!’ Daniel held up his glass once both glasses were filled. ‘To an enjoyable dinner,’ he toasted drily.

It was as if he knew very well that neither she nor Beth was actually looking forward to sharing this meal with him! Which he probably did. After all, Beth had run off like a scared rabbit and not returned, and Ellie knew she wasn’t exactly being welcoming.

‘Cheers,’ she echoed abruptly, lightly touching her glass to his, pointedly not echoing his remark about ‘an enjoyable dinner’.

Basically, she doubted it would be. There was an edge to her own conversation with Daniel, and Beth was hardly relaxed in his company either. What a wonderful evening this promised to be!

‘Shall we sit down?’ she invited as she smoothly lowered herself into one of the armchairs, crossing one knee over the other, her legs long and silky in the slightly dark tights.

Daniel sat opposite her, totally relaxed, still looking at her with narrowed eyes. ‘I don’t remember meeting you at the wedding,’ he finally said thoughtfully—as if he would have remembered only too well if he had met her!

Which he probably would, Ellie conceded; the sparks seemed to have been flying between them since the moment they’d first met! ‘Unfortunately I missed it because I wasn’t very well,’ she explained dismissively.

Dark brows rose. ‘So unwell you couldn’t make your only sister’s wedding?’

Ellie sensed the censure in his tone and frowned. ‘Yes,’ she bit out tersely, having no intention of explaining to him, of all people, the reason she hadn’t been able to attend Beth and James’s wedding.

‘That must have been rather upsetting for your sister.’ He met her gaze challengingly. ‘Although I believe your parents did come over from Spain for the wedding...?’ He arched dark brows.

‘Yes,’ she answered slowly. Of course her parents had come over for the wedding; they had stayed on for several weeks afterwards to help at the hotel too, what with Ellie in hospital and Beth away on her honeymoon.

Daniel nodded. ‘I believe they left you and Beth in charge here after your father’s illness?’

‘Yes.’ She replied warily this time; he had been busy doing his homework about them, hadn’t he?

‘So you and Beth must have come to rely on each other a lot over the last couple of years?’ he ground out harshly.

She and Beth had always been close. At this precise moment Ellie felt as if she was under attack—and she wasn’t exactly sure why. What difference did it make to this man whether or not she had been at Beth and James’s wedding? What business was it of his anyway?

She shrugged. ‘Beth understood why I couldn’t be at the wedding.’

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