“Will you marry me, Cassie?”

She glared at him. “It’s not funny!”

Nick sat down and took her hand. “Look, Cassie, just for now play along. Until Max and Julia sort themselves out, at least.”

Cassie eyed him suspiciously, then sighed. “I suppose so.”

He put a finger under her chin. “In the meantime, would you be surprised to know…I do want to kiss you? Most of the time.” His lips settled on hers. When she made no protest he slid his hands into her hair and held her fast, kissing her with an unexpected tenderness that breached her defenses far more than any masterful display of passion.

CATHERINE GEORGE was born in Wales, and early on developed a passion for reading, which eventually fueled her compulsion to write. Marriage to an engineer led to nine years in Brazil, but on his later travels the education of her son and daughter kept her in the U.K. And instead of constant reading to pass her lonely evenings, she began to write the first of her romantic novels. When not writing and reading she loves to cook, listen to opera, browse in antiques shops and walk the Labrador.

Fiance For Christmas
Catherine George

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER ONE

CASSIE was good at organisation. And sharing a house was a lot of fun. Most of the time, anyway. But to get the place to herself for once, to entertain a special guest to dinner, had taken only slightly less organisation than the Olympic Games. Now, at last, two of her friends were at that very moment winging their way to a Christmas ski-holiday, and the other two were safely out with their men after swearing a blood oath not to return before the small hours.

Not, of course, that Rupert was certain to stay that long. But he might. In the meantime there were things to be done. Not famed for her cooking skills, Cassie had opted for a visit to the hairdresser instead of attempting the impossible, and lashed out on an extravagant, ready-to-cook meal on the way home. After a swift bath, and twice the usual time spent on her face, she ran down to the large sitting-room to make sure it was immaculate for once. Normally she ate with the others in the kitchen, or from a tray on her knees in front of the television, but tonight, for Rupert, something special was called for. Which meant using the small round table under the window. Cassie eyed it thoughtfully, wondering whether to use her embroidered scarlet cover as a tablecloth, or save it for her bed.

Cassie quickly draped the cover over the table. No male had ever crossed the threshold of her bedroom up to now. Nor been invited to do so. But if by any chance things did progress that far Rupert would hardly take time out to admire the decor. Not, of course, Cassie assured herself, that things would get that far. But with Rupert it just might be different.

As eight o’clock loomed closer Cassie stepped into her dévoré velvet dress and turned the heating up to compensate for brief sleeves and a lot more sheer dark stocking on view than usual. No way could she spoil her splendour with a woolly cardigan and opaque tights. She eyed her reflection, searching, wondering if she’d gone too far over the top. She’d fully intended having her fair curly hair straightened and smoothed out, to look more sophisticated. Instead she’d let the young male hairdresser cajole her into a few strategic gilt highlights before he transformed her mop into a mane of extravagant ringlets. Combined with the skimpy burgundy velvet, the effect was vastly different from Cassandra Lovell, efficient administrative assistant, who wore neat suits to her job at the bank, and brushed her hair into a French pleat.

Cassie put tomato and basil soup in a pan over a low flame, placed salmon in watercress sauce ready in the microwave, and arranged baby vegetables ready to steam over tiny potatoes. Everything, she decided, was as ready as it could be. The only thing missing was the guest of honour. When the doorbell rang, ten minutes earlier than expected, Cassie took a quick look in the mirror over the kitchen sink, then hurried into the hall and switched on the light—with no result. She sighed, made a mental note to put electric lightbulbs on the communal shopping list, then opened the door, smiling in welcome.

‘Where is she?’ demanded the man who pushed past her. Without so much as a glance at her he strode into the sitting-room, his mouth tightening as he eyed the table set for two.

‘Very cosy, Julia,’ he snarled, and spun round to face the girl who stood glaring at him from the doorway.

‘What on earth are you doing here?’ demanded Cassie furiously. ‘Julia doesn’t live here any more.’

If she hadn’t been so angry Cassie would have laughed at the blank astonishment on Dominic Seymour’s face. He was blue with cold under a deep-dyed tan, his black, collar-length hair dishevelled; he was in dire need of a shave, and fatigue dulled brilliant blue eyes rimmed with lashes so black the eyes appeared set in, Irish fashion, with a sooty finger. He wore a raincoat over a crumpled linen suit totally unsuitable for London in December, and he was shivering.

‘Cassandra?’ he said, frowning.

‘That’s me,’ she snapped. ‘And delighted though I am to see you, of course, I must ask you to go. I’m expecting company.’

‘Until I saw you in the light I thought you were Julia. You’ve grown up, Cassie.’

‘Unlike you!’ she retorted. ‘Still chasing after my sister? Can’t you just let her alone?’

The effect of her words were startling. He closed the space between them and seized Cassie ungently by her bare elbows. ‘I wasn’t chasing after Julia. I’m looking for Alice. Is she in bed?’

Cassie stared at him incredulously. ‘Alice? No, of course not. I haven’t seen her since I took her out from school for the day three weeks ago—’ She stopped, biting her lip, and Nick’s hands fell away as he stood back.

‘It’s all right. I know you see her from time to time,’ he said quickly.

‘Good,’ she said defiantly, and folded her arms across her chest. ‘Julia’s the one forbidden to see her. Not me. Nor my mother.’

The blue eyes softened for an instant, then blazed again with anxiety. ‘But hell, Cassie, if Alice isn’t here, where is she?’

‘I don’t know,’ she retorted, troubled. ‘I thought Max was collecting her today for the Christmas holidays.’

‘That was the plan,’ he returned grimly. ‘I’ve just got in from Riyadh to find my celebrated brother isn’t back from New Guinea.’

Cassie gazed at him in horror. ‘But what about Alice? She’s eight years old, for heaven’s sake. Surely he arranged some emergency plan—’

‘He did. Don’t panic,’ said Nick swiftly. ‘The minute I got back I contacted my answering service. There was a message from the school to say some people called Cartwright were taking her home with them.’

‘Laura Cartwright’s her best friend,’ said Cassie in relief. ‘If they’ve got her she’s fine.’

‘The school gave me their number, but there was no answer. If Alice is with these Cartwright people, surely someone should be there at this time of night?’

‘You’d think so certainly,’ agreed Cassie, worried, then her eyes flashed. ‘Which doesn’t explain why you came storming round here. Though I can guess!’

‘Alice left this number with my service for emergencies, so I assumed these Cartwright people had brought her here.’

‘An address you once knew very well, of course,’ snapped Cassie. ‘Sorry to disappoint you but I took over Julia’s share of the house—but never mind all that. Try the Cartwrights’ number again.’

Nick raised a hostile eyebrow at her tone, but after a quick look in his diary punched in the Cartwrights’ number on his cellphone. With no result. ‘I don’t like this,’ he said grimly.

‘Neither do I!’

They stared at each other in worried silence, then Nick heaved a ragged sigh. ‘Look, could I have a wash, please? I slept in fits and starts on the flight back. My head’s full of cotton wool. Perhaps if I freshen up I can think up something constructive.’

‘Of course. Upstairs, first on the right.’

Cassie went into the kitchen to switch off the heat under the soup, trying not to panic. She was fond of young Alice, and could have wrung Max Seymour’s neck for not getting home on time to pick his little daughter up for the Christmas holidays. When the front doorbell rang again, dead on time, Cassie sighed despairingly. She’d spent so much time and effort on this one evening, and now all she could think about was Alice. She opened the door in the dark hall and Rupert Ashcroft, resplendent in formal suit, fair hair gleaming under the streetlamp, handed her a large bouquet of flowers.

‘Hello, Cassie, these are for you.’

‘How lovely, Rupert, thank you. Do come in. Go on into the sitting-room; I’ll just put these in water.’ When she joined him Rupert was surveying his surroundings with obvious satisfaction, taking in the table set for two with candles and flowers.

‘This all looks very inviting, Cassie—’ he began as he turned to her, then stopped, staring, transfixed. The Medusa-style ringlets, she thought, resigned, had a lot to answer for. One look at her and men turned to stone.

‘Cassie!’ said Rupert huskily, coming to life. ‘You look sensational!’ He moved closer, his smile altering subtly as his eyes roved over her in a way which made her suddenly very conscious of bare arms and generous display of legs.

She smiled warily. ‘Actually, I’m afraid I’m a bit behind with dinner—’ The rest of her explanation was cut off as Rupert took her in his arms and kissed her with an enthusiasm which hinted that her transformation had ignited him with an appetite for rather more than just dinner.

‘I can’t believe it,’ he said huskily, holding her tightly as Cassie tried to wriggle away. ‘Miss Efficient by day and Miss Sexpot at night—’

‘Am I intruding?’ enquired a voice from the doorway.

If an archangel with a flaming sword had appeared in Cassie’s sitting-room her guest could hardly have been less dumbfounded. Rupert let her go so promptly she staggered as the tall, hostile intruder came forward with outstretched hand.

‘Dominic Seymour.’

Rupert took the hand reluctantly, muttered his name, and cast an accusing look at Cassie.

‘Nick just flew in from the Middle East—he’s a civil engineer,’ she explained hurriedly, and turned to Nick. ‘I provide administrative assistance to the team Rupert works with.’

‘Team?’ he queried, as though Rupert played for some amateur soccer club.

‘I’m an analyst with an investment bank,’ said Rupert, bristling.

Cassie gave him a cajoling smile. ‘Look, Rupert, sit down and make yourself at home. Help yourself to a drink from the tray over there while I talk to Nick for a moment. He’s my sister’s brother-in-law,’ she added. ‘There’s a family emergency.’

The information seemed to appease Rupert slightly, and Cassie smiled at him again, then went off to the kitchen with Nick and closed the door behind them.

‘Ring the Cartwright number again,’ she said urgently.

This time someone answered, but as Cassie listened to the brief, one-sided conversation her heart sank.

Nick’s face was haggard as he rang off. ‘That was the Cartwrights’ teenage son. His parents are out, but he was quite definite that his mother had delivered Alice to Max’s place in Chiswick first, before bringing his sister home.’

‘Surely Mrs Cartwright wouldn’t have left Alice in a deserted house?’ said Cassie, getting more worried by the minute.

‘I bloody well hope not!’ said Nick savagely, and began punching buttons on his phone again. He listened for a few moments, then switched off the phone. ‘No response from Max’s place,’ he said tightly. ‘I’m going round there.’

At the thought of Alice, alone and frightened in Max Seymour’s house, Cassie’s enthusiasm for a cosy dinner for two vanished completely. ‘I’ll make my excuses to Rupert and come with you.’

‘You will not!’ he objected. ‘I’m Alice’s blood relative. I’ll do what’s necessary.’

‘And leave me here, wondering what’s happened to her?’ retorted Cassie angrily. ‘I’m very fond of Alice. I may not be related, but who actually turns up for Sports Day and exeats from school, Dominic Seymour? My mother, or me, now Max won’t let Julia near Alice. When Daddy and Uncle Nick are on the other side of the world the poor little thing’s a bit short of blood relatives when it matters, isn’t she?’

They were standing close, her dark eyes spitting flame into the angry blue ones locked with hers.

‘Am I intruding?’ said a sarcastic voice from the doorway, and both combatants spun round to face Rupert, staring at him blankly.

Cassie pulled herself together. ‘Rupert, I’m so sorry about this. The reason Nick is here is Alice, his eight-year-old niece. She’s missing, and we’re worried to death about her.’

Rupert’s face altered dramatically. ‘Oh, I say. I’m frightfully sorry. Is there anything I can do?’

‘No,’ said Nick curtly. ‘Thanks anyway. I’m just off to look for her.’

‘I’m coming with you,’ said Cassie firmly. She looked at Rupert in appeal. ‘I hate to do this, but would you mind terribly if we postponed dinner to another time? If—when—we find Alice, she’ll need me.’

Rupert Ashcroft controlled an involuntary look of dismay, duly insisted he didn’t mind at all under the circumstances, and even managed a smile. ‘I’ll take myself off, then, Cassie, and look forward to doing this some other time soon. Please ring me and let me know what happens.’

She nodded gratefully, saw him to the door and reached up to kiss his cheek. ‘Thanks for being so understanding, Rupert. See you Monday.’

He kissed her mouth very deliberately, ignoring the stony blue eyes watching the procedure, then went off to the gleaming Range Rover parked a little way down the road.

Cassie closed the door and raced past Nick in the hall. ‘Give me five minutes to change and I’ll be with you.’

‘There’s absolutely no need for you to come,’ he snapped irritably, but Cassie shook her head as she ran upstairs.

‘I’m coming, and that’s that. If you won’t drive me I’ll call a cab.’

Cassie heard Nick swear under his breath, but he was still there when she ran down again in jeans and a sweater, her ringlets tied up with a shoelace. She reached for a long dark overcoat from the assortment on the hall pegs, slung her bag over her shoulder and looked at the waiting man impatiently.

‘Come on, then.’

Nick Seymour’s car, like Rupert’s, was an all-wheel drive, a fairly new Subaru estate. But, unlike the gleaming Range Rover, it was splashed with mud and obviously covered a lot more territory than a few miles along city streets.

Nick drove rapidly, in complete silence, for which Cassie was thankful. With thoughts of Alice alone and frightened uppermost in both minds, and mutual hostility latent beneath the surface all the time, polite conversation was impossible.

When they parked in a road lined with large, private homes, Cassie’s spirits rose as she saw a light in one of the ground-floor rooms in Max’s house.

Nick rang the bell, and kept his finger on it, but there was no response.

‘There must be someone there,’ said Cassie urgently. ‘The light’s on.’

‘Automatic for security, like the outside lights,’ said Nick briefly. He shivered in the icy wind as he bent to peer through the brass letterbox. ‘Alice!’ he called. ‘It’s Uncle Nick. Are you there, darling?’ He turned to Cassie. ‘You call. Perhaps a woman’s voice will be more reassuring.’

Cassie bent at once, holding the flap open to shout through it. ‘Alice, it’s Cassie. Don’t be frightened.’ After calling a few times more, she straightened and turned to Nick. ‘No use. Haven’t you got a key?’

‘Of course I haven’t,’ he snapped.

‘It was just a thought.’ Cassie hugged her arms across her chest. ‘So what now?’

‘I’m going to the police. Shall I take you home first?’

‘Not on your life!’ she flashed at him. ‘I’m coming with you—’ She halted suddenly. ‘I’ve just thought of something.’

‘What?’

‘Julia.’

‘What about her?’

‘She might still have a key.’

Nick rubbed a hand over his jaw. ‘She was the first one I thought of when I couldn’t track Alice down. That’s why I came round to your place.’

‘I knew you didn’t come to see me!’

‘Look,’ he said angrily, ‘I may not be your favourite person, Cassandra Lovell, but believe me, I’m genuinely worried about Alice.’

‘I do believe you,’ she assured him. ‘And I’m just as worried as you are. But if you’re thinking that Julia’s got her, you’re wrong. Max doesn’t allow her to see Alice, remember.’

‘I’m hardly likely to forget!’ he retorted, and turned up the collar of his raincoat. ‘In the meantime we’re freezing out here. Let’s get in the car.’

‘We’d better drive over to Julia’s, just in case,’ said Cassie reluctantly, as Nick started the car.

‘In case she has a key, or in case she has Alice?’

‘A key!’ she said indignantly. ‘It’s best to make sure Alice isn’t right here at home before dashing off to the police.’

Julia Lovell Seymour lived in the ground-floor flat of a small terraced house in Acton.

‘We should have rung first,’ said Cassie tersely as she pressed the buzzer.

‘She would never have let me through the door,’ said Nick grimly.

‘Do you blame her?’ said Cassie scornfully, then listened as her sister’s voice answered warily. ‘It’s only me, Julia.’

‘Cassie? I thought you had a heavy date tonight.’

‘It fell through. Let me in, please.’

Cassie went into the house ahead of Nick, who stopped dead in his tracks as Julia came towards them like an avenging fury.

‘What in the world are you doing here, Dominic Seymour?’ Julia demanded in a fierce undertone. ‘Be quiet,’ she added, ‘or you’ll wake her.’ She beckoned them into a small kitchen and closed the door behind them, turning on her sister angrily. ‘Now then, Cassie, what are you playing at?’

‘She’s asleep?’ said Nick eagerly.

Julia gave him a hostile look. She wore an unflattering navy dressing gown, and under the harsh striplight her violet eyes were deeply shadowed, her face tired and pale under gleaming hair the exact shade of the gilt streaks in Cassie’s.

‘Why did you tell him, Cassie?’ she said accusingly.

‘Tell me what?’ demanded Nick.

‘I didn’t tell him anything, Julia,’ said Cassie quickly. ‘We’ve come about Alice.’

‘Alice?’ Julia’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘What’s the matter? Is something wrong?’

‘She’s not here, then,’ said Nick in despair, suddenly haggard as the colour drained from his face, leaving it sallow beneath the tan.

‘Of course she isn’t!’ said Julia hotly. ‘Your brother won’t let me near her—but never mind that, what’s happened?’

Her pallor increased as she listened to Cassie’s terse explanation.

‘You mean Max is stuck in some jungle somewhere instead of taking care of his daughter?’ She gave a short, mirthless laugh. ‘And I’m the one who’s deemed not fit to look after her!’ Her face crumpled suddenly, and she clutched at Cassie. ‘Surely there’s been some mistake?’

‘We came to see if you still had a key to the house,’ said Nick with constraint.

Julia rounded on him, eyes flashing through sudden tears. ‘To see if I’d stolen Alice, you mean!’

He shook his head vehemently. ‘Not stolen, Julia. I hoped to God you did have her.’

‘But I don’t, I don’t—’ Julia snatched a tissue from a box and wiped her eyes. ‘Although, unknown to Max, I do still have a key. After I locked myself out of the house in Chiswick once I had a spare made.’

‘We thought there might be messages on Max’s machine,’ said Cassie, wanting badly to cuddle her sister, but knowing Julia wouldn’t appreciate it in front of her tense brother-in-law. And Dominic Seymour was very obviously having difficulty in reconciling this pale, weary woman with the Julia he’d last seen as his brother’s glamorous, beautiful wife in surroundings far removed from these.

Julia searched her handbag and produced a Yale key. ‘I wish I could come with you to see if Alice is all right,’ she said anxiously, as she handed it to Nick. ‘But under the circumstances—’ She looked up as a cry came from a distance.

‘Let me,’ said Cassie eagerly, and Julia hesitated, then nodded, resigned.

Cassie left Nick and Julia, eyeing each other like boxers shaping up for a fight, and went along the hall to a bedroom where a nightlight showed a little figure standing up in a cot. When the child caught sight of Cassie she smiled widely and held up her arms.

‘Hello, Cassie! Where Mummy?’

Cassie scooped up the little body, caught up a blanket and wrapped her in it and cuddled her close. ‘Hi, Emily. How’s my gorgeous girl?’

The child chuckled, her face bright with a victorious smile as Cassie bore her off to the kitchen to meet Dominic Seymour.

‘I see you were putty in her hands as usual,’ said Julia dryly, and gazed at Nick with defiant eyes. ‘I don’t believe you’ve met my daughter, Nick. This is Emily.’

Nick stared at the child wildly, then at Julia and Cassie. ‘No one told me.’

‘Why should they?’ said Cassie, nuzzling her niece’s feathery curls.

‘I don’t understand,’ said Nick blankly. ‘If you were expecting his child why in hell did Max break up with you, Julia?’

‘He thought she was yours,’ she said without emotion.

‘Mine?’ Nick stared from Julia’s beautiful, haggard face to the smooth, rosy cheeks of the little girl. ‘Has he ever seen her?’

‘Of course not,’ said Cassie scornfully.

‘Max must be mad. The nearest I ever got to Julia was to put an arm round her shoulders once. And we all know what happened after that,’ said Nick grimly, then his eyes softened as the child eyed him curiously. ‘But just look at her! She’s the image of Max—a lot like Alice, in fact.’ His eyes darkened. ‘And Alice is missing.’

‘Right, let’s be on our way.’ Cassie gave Emily a kiss and returned her to her mother. ‘Thanks for the key, Julia.’

‘Ring me as soon as you find out anything,’ ordered Julia urgently, hugging her small daughter so tightly Emily protested a little.

‘I will,’ promised Cassie. ‘Night-night, Emily. See you tomorrow.’

Emily flapped her hand, beaming. ‘Ni-night, Cassie.’ She turned large green eyes on Nick. ‘Bye-bye.’

Nick waved back automatically, his eyes riveted on the child’s face, then thanked Julia and said goodbye.

The moment they were back in the car he began demanding explanations. ‘Why the hell didn’t anyone tell me?’ he said eventually. ‘When my brother deigns to put in an appearance I’ll tell him a few home truths, the stupid idiot.’

Cassie let out a screech, clutching at the door handle as they hurtled round a corner. ‘Slow down, or you’ll get the police after you. Anyway, when Max came home and caught you with Julia—’

‘It wasn’t like that!’

‘Whatever you were doing, Max couldn’t take it. After he threw you out he went berserk when Julia told him she was pregnant, and utterly refused to believe the child was his. He told Julia the marriage was over and she couldn’t see Alice again. Which,’ added Cassie with passion, ‘was cruel. Julia had been Alice’s stepmother for only a year, it’s true, but she’d been working in the house for a long time before that as his secretary. They adored each other. The poor little thing was only six years old. It hurt Julia horribly.’ She gave Nick a straight look. ‘It didn’t do Alice much good either. And now we haven’t a clue where Alice is, and your brother is too busy with some prehistoric tribe to come home to his daughter, let alone care that he has another one he’s never seen.’

CHAPTER TWO

WHEN they arrived in Chiswick, Max Seymour’s house was as quiet and deserted as before.

‘Let’s hope he hasn’t changed the locks,’ said Nick grimly.

Cassie sighed with relief as Nick gave a grunt of triumph and opened the door, then switched on lights to reveal an undecorated Christmas tree standing in a bucket near the foot of the stairs, looking incongruous in the panelled hall.

‘Alice!’ yelled Nick, and took the stairs to the upper floor, two at a time. Cassie started after him, then changed her mind as she saw red lights glowing on the telephone on the hall table. With no compunction for listening to Max Seymour’s private business, she pressed the button, her disappointment intense when she heard the voice of his agent, saying he needed to see Max the minute he got back from New Guinea.

You’re not the only one, she thought grimly, then a familiar small voice made her heart beat faster.

‘No one here,’ said Nick, running down the stairs.

Cassie hushed him frantically as Alice’s voice sounded on the machine. ‘Hello, Daddy, this is Alice. I’m in Janet’s house. Mrs Cartwright wanted to take me home with Laura, but I wanted to wait here for you. Janet was here, so I wasn’t on my own. When you didn’t come Janet said best to go home with her for the night and come back tomorrow, because she’s got to cook Ken’s supper. Come and fetch me when you get home,’ ended Alice, on a quavering note which tore at Cassie’s heartstrings.

‘When he does I’ll punch him in the nose,’ said Nick savagely.

‘Who’s Janet?’

‘She looks after the house for Max. She lives in during school holidays, but Ken, whoever he is, obviously had a prior claim tonight.’

‘Where does she live?’

‘Damned if I know. Let’s find out.’ Nick strode across the hall into a masculine, book-lined study dominated by a desk with a computer.

‘So this is where he writes the books,’ said Cassie, feeling a lot better now she knew Alice was safe.

Nick was rummaging through desk drawers at top speed, and seized on a leather address book. ‘Bullseye. I was afraid Max might have kept everything on disk.’ He flipped over pages swiftly, then frowned.

‘What is it?’ demanded Cassie impatiently. ‘Isn’t Janet there?’

‘Yes, she is,’ he said slowly. ‘Her name’s Jenkins.’

‘Is there a telephone number for her?’

Nick nodded, and began punching out numbers on his phone as he handed Cassie the book. ‘Read the other entry under “J”.’

She shot him a curious look, then ran her eye over the other names, her teeth catching in her lower lip as her sister’s name sprang out from the page. She held her breath as Nick began talking to someone on the phone, then let it out thankfully when his eyes blazed with relief.

‘No, don’t wake her up, Janet,’ he was saying. ‘I’m just glad Alice is safe with you. No, I’m afraid there’s no news of her father yet. In the morning tell her I’ll come round here to Chiswick about eleven, if that’s convenient. Thank you very much indeed. Goodnight.’

Nick sat down very suddenly in the captain’s chair behind his brother’s desk. ‘Thank God. Janet’s bringing her back here in the morning.’ He looked at Cassie levelly. ‘So you’ve found Julia’s address in there.’

Cassie nodded. ‘The odd thing is, Nick, it’s the Acton address, and she moved there only recently. He’s obviously keeping tabs on her.’

Nick got up, frowning. ‘On the baby, too?’

‘I don’t know.’ Cassie gave him a wobbly smile. ‘But don’t let Emily hear you say “baby”. She’s a big girl.’ Suddenly the events of the night all closed in on Cassie at once, and to her utter horror tears began rolling down her cheeks.

‘Hey!’ said Nick in alarm. ‘Don’t cry, Cassie. Please!’ He seized her in his arms, but the tears only flowed faster, soaking his thin suit jacket. ‘Look, if you don’t stop I’ll catch pneumonia. I’m not dressed for this weather—I’m freezing. If I get wet on top of it I’ll be in trouble.’

Cassie pulled herself together and pushed him away, sniffing hard as she rummaged in her pocket for a tissue ‘Sorry about that. Reaction. I kept imagining such terrible things—’

‘Don’t!’ said Nick harshly. ‘Alice is safe; that’s all that counts.’

‘Can I borrow your phone to ring Julia, please?’ Cassie’s reddened eyes flashed angrily. ‘I won’t use anything belonging to Max.’

Nick listened unashamedly as Cassie spoke reassuringly to her sister.

‘Thanks,’ she said briefly, handing the phone back.

‘You could have talked longer than that, Cassie.’

‘I couldn’t. Julia was crying too much. With relief, like me.’ Cassie sniffed inelegantly and rubbed at her eyes. ‘At least she can get to sleep now. And, if Emily permits, maybe have a bit of a lie-in tomorrow as it’s Saturday.’

‘What happens in the week?’

‘Julia works for a software manufacturer. The company provides a crèche where she can leave Emily.’

Nick scowled. ‘She’s got a job? No wonder she looks so exhausted.’

‘How else would she manage? Babies are expensive.’

He looked uncomfortable. ‘Forgive me for prying, but your parents live in the country. Wouldn’t they prefer it if she returned home to live?’

‘You bet they would! She did go home to have the baby, but when Emily was six months old Julia insisted on going back to work. Mother and Dad help as much as she allows, but Julia’s very independent. She feels she’s to blame for this mess—’

‘It’s my fault, not Julia’s!’

‘I blame Max,’ said Cassie with venom. ‘In fact, I could murder him with my bare hands at this precise moment.’

‘That makes two of us,’ he agreed. ‘Let’s get out of here. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.’ He smiled suddenly, the first real smile he’d managed all night. ‘Sorry I ruined your evening, Cassie. I’ll buy you dinner to make amends.’

Cassie caught sight of herself in the mirror on Max’s wall, and laughed. ‘With red eyes and mascara smudges? No way. Thanks just the same.’

‘You’re not quite the vision who let me in earlier on,’ agreed Nick, amused, as he locked up. ‘But I think I prefer the way you look right now—more like the young Cassie I used to know.’

‘You didn’t know me at all, Dominic Seymour!’ Which was all to the good, she thought with a shiver. If he had he might have noticed the crush she’d had on him once.

‘Cold?’ he said with sympathy, and turned the heater on full-blast.

Cassie settled low in her seat for the journey back to Shepherd’s Bush, feeling hungry, emotionally drained and in no mood for conversation. A mood which Nick obviously shared. When they reached the house he manoeuvred the Subaru into a space better suited to a Mini, then killed the engine and turned to her.

‘Cassie, I want to come in for a minute. I won’t keep you long. I need some advice.’

Cassie had rather hoped to see him off right away. Now the crisis was over she felt tired and hungry and in need of her bed. And oddly flat. ‘I suppose so,’ she said, resigned.

Once inside the house she hung up her coat on a peg with Nick’s raincoat, and because he was still shivering she turned the heating back on and took him into the kitchen, where it was warmest.

‘Before dishing out this advice you’re after,’ she said, yawning, ‘I’d better call Rupert and let him know Alice is safe.’

‘Does he know Alice?’

‘No. But he was very good about being pushed off without the meal I’d promised. And he did ask me to let him know what happened.’ Cassie marched past Nick and shut the kitchen door behind her so she could talk to Rupert in private. But he wasn’t home. Disappointed, she left a message, then went back to the kitchen to find Nick munching on a hunk of bread he’d cut from the loaf on the table.

‘Hope you don’t mind,’ he said indistinctly.

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake,’ she said impatiently. ‘If you’re that hungry I’ll give you a proper meal. But don’t kid yourself I feel any friendlier towards you, Nick. It’s only because I’m famished myself.’

Nick’s eyes glittered coldly, but instead of refusing, as Cassie expected, he forced a smile. ‘If you’re sure it’s no trouble.’

‘I wouldn’t offer if it was,’ she assured him. ‘It won’t take long.’

‘Thanks, Cassie. Mind if I have some more bread?’

‘Help yourself,’ she said, resigned, and lit the gas under the soup and the vegetables. She handed him a bottle of wine and a corkscrew. ‘Open that, please,’ she ordered, then went out to fetch the silverware and plates from the other room. The splendour of the red cloth and the candles had been for Rupert. Nick Seymour could make do with the kitchen.

He smiled sardonically as she set the table. ‘Ah! The honour of candles and tablecloth is not to be mine.’

‘No,’ she said shortly.

‘This is cosier,’ he assured her. ‘After all, we’re sort of family, you and I, Cassie.’

Her eyes flashed. ‘You mean you’re in love with your brother’s wife, who just happens to be my sister.’

For a moment Cassie was afraid she’d gone too far, but Nick held on to his temper with obvious, rather frightening effort.

‘You’re wrong!’ he said harshly at last. ‘I was a bit of a fool about Julia when I was younger, I admit, but she only had eyes for Max—always. Once they were married I steered clear of the house unless invited. I called unexpectedly that particular day because I was off to work in Nigeria for a while. I found Julia feeling off-colour and miserable because Max was about to leave on one of his endless trips into some wilderness, so I gave her a hug. Max walked in on a bit of brotherly comfort on my part and the rest is history.’ He looked Cassie in the eye. ‘I had a callow, immature crush on Julia once, it’s true. But it died a natural death. On the day in question I was just providing a convenient shoulder to cry on.’

‘It’s a pity you never managed to convince your brother of the fact,’ she pointed out, stirring the soup.

‘I tried, believe me,’ said Nick wearily. ‘No one was more appalled by what happened than I was.’

‘I seriously doubt that!’ Cassie slid the salmon into the microwave and fetched soup bowls from the cupboard. ‘The effect on Julia was shattering.’

‘I know. She refused to have anything to do with me afterwards. I haven’t seen her since, until tonight.’ He looked up, the striking blue eyes full of remorse. ‘She looks so much older, Cassie.’

‘So would you if you were a single parent juggling a lively toddler with a demanding job,’ she retorted. ‘Besides, Julia doesn’t usually look like that. You caught her at the end of a long working week, trying to get her baby to sleep. She was entitled to look tired.’

Nick nodded morosely, then brightened visibly as Cassie brought bowls of hot, fragrant soup to the table. ‘This smells wonderful. I’m impressed.’

‘I aim to please,’ she said briskly, sitting down. ‘Have some more bread.’

Cassie was almost as hungry as Nick, and neither of them said much until the soup bowls were empty. But when she put a plate of salmon and vegetables in front of him Nick gave her a wry look.

‘This was intended for Ashcroft, of course. I’m hellish sorry I ruined your evening, Cassie.’

She shrugged philosophically. ‘There’ll be other times. I see Rupert every day, anyway.’

‘So this is a regular occurrence?’ Nick began on his meal with relish. ‘If so, he’s a lucky guy.’

Cassie poured wine into their glasses, her resentment flaring up again. ‘Actually this was our first real date. I haven’t known Rupert long. He’s taken me out for a drink after work sometimes, but when he asked me out to dinner I suggested he came round here instead. So tonight was rather special.’

‘And I wrecked it.’ Nick drank some wine, his eyes sombre. ‘Something I’m bloody good at where the Lovells are concerned.’

‘Oh, get on with your supper,’ she said irritably. ‘After all,’ she added, trying to be fair, ‘when it comes to wrecking lives it was Max who did the demolition job on Julia’s, not you.’

‘He’s not doing much better with Alice, either, if today is anything to go by,’ said Nick grimly. ‘Let’s talk about something else. You, preferably. I know you went to college. What did you read?’

‘I did a BA in secretarial administration.’ Cassie added more vegetables to Nick’s plate.

‘And after that?’ he prompted. ‘Go on. I’m interested.’

‘I did temping for a while. I liked the variety, and it gave me experience, and a chance to find a job I really liked. These days I provide administrative support to a team of eight at an investment bank in the City. The group analyses the credit quality of various companies and so on.’

‘And young Rupert is one of the team,’ stated Nick.

‘Yes.’ Cassie frowned at him. ‘And he’s only a couple of years younger than you, Nick Seymour.’

‘And what exactly is this “support” you give Rupert?’

‘Exactly what the rest of the team gets,’ she said evenly. ‘All of them travel a lot, and I spend hours on the phone organising their itineraries and co-ordinating meetings.’

Nick grinned. ‘So it’s not just a spot of dictation and typing, then.’

‘No. I have all the usual keyboard skills, of course,’ said Cassie loftily, ‘but I use them to draft letters and presentations, mainly. I love my involvement in the job. I was able to smooth Rupert’s path quite a lot when he joined the team.’

‘As I said, lucky guy. Are you in love with him?’ added Nick casually.

Instead of snubbing him, Cassie thought it over. ‘I’m certainly attracted to him,’ she said at last.

‘When I arrived the scene looked set for a very intimate evening, Cassie. Was he hoping to take you to bed at the end of it?’

‘It’s none of your business!’ she said angrily.

‘I apologise, Cassie,’ Nick said promptly, and gave her a hopeful smile. ‘Would there be pudding by any chance?’

‘You’ve got a nerve,’ she said, shaking her head as she got up to take his plate. ‘As it happens I do have a pudding for once—tartelet aux cerises, to be precise.’

‘Cherry tart—wonderful!’ he said with relish. ‘I don’t seem to have eaten much these past few days.’

‘Why not?’

‘There were hold-ups on a hotel construction in Riyadh. I’ve been on site there for the last two months, troubleshooting and generally getting everything back on schedule. I’ve been working all hours so I could get back to the UK for Christmas.’ Nick’s eyes gleamed as Cassie served him the warmed tart with a spoonful of whipped cream. ‘That looks good. My Somali cook out there had certain specialities he served at every meal. I’d be happy never to see a jacket potato again.’

‘They’re my staple diet,’ said Cassie. She topped up his wine glass and leaned back in her chair. ‘Four minutes or so in a microwave, a spoonful of cottage cheese, and dinner’s ready.’

‘So you don’t cook like this every night?’

She chuckled. ‘I don’t cook like this any night.’

His eyebrows rose. ‘You mean you had this sent in?’

‘No. I just bought it all on the way home and read the instructions on the packets. I had my hair done instead. Much more important than slaving over a hot stove.’

Nick threw back his head and laughed, and suddenly he was so much more like the young man Cassie had once fancied so much she felt a pang of nostalgia for times past, before Max’s jealousy had disrupted so many lives.

‘Were you going to admit all that to young Ashcroft?’ he demanded.

‘Only if he asked,’ said Cassie honestly. ‘I was hoping he’d be too fascinated by my company and my appearance to care where the meal came from.’

‘As he was!’ said Nick emphatically. ‘I walked in on how fascinated he was.’ He sobered suddenly. ‘Was the dress new, bought specially for the occasion?’

Cassie nodded, the look in his dark-rimmed blue eyes putting her on guard. ‘Yes. Why?’

‘I feel more of a heel than ever. You obviously spent a lot of money on a dress and your hair, not to mention the meal—’

‘If you bang on about ruining my evening again, I’ll throw my plate at you,’ she said irritably. ‘Finding Alice was a lot more important than any dress, and if it makes you any happier you can jolly well pay for the meal, since you’ve eaten most of it, Dominic Seymour.’

‘All right, all right,’ he said hastily. ‘Pax, Cassie. If I’m paying, can I have some more wine? I’ve been living without such niceties these past few weeks.’

‘You’ve got to drive home,’ she reminded him.

‘How have I organised my life without you up to now?’ he said with sarcasm, and commandeered the bottle to pour himself a second glass of wine. ‘If it won’t inconvenience you too much, Cassandra Lovell, I’ll leave the car here and take a cab tonight. Alcohol doesn’t play a big part in my life, but after the shock of finding Alice missing is it a sin to fancy a glass of wine or two? Especially after two months of abstinence?’

‘No, of course not. Sorry.’ She shook her head when he made to refill her glass. ‘Not for me, thanks. I’ll make some coffee later. Bring the bottle and your glass and we’ll go and sit in the other room. You look tired.’

Nick got up, yawning. ‘Life’s been pretty hectic lately.’ He followed her into the other room and sank down on the sofa with a sigh after she curled up in a chair. He eyed her gloomily. ‘What the hell am I going to do, Cassie?’

‘About Alice?’

‘Yes. And Max, too. Frankly, I’m worried. There’s been some unrest near the particular region he was heading for. I hope he hasn’t got tangled up in any of it.’

‘So do I!’ Cassie shivered. ‘Though only because of Alice,’ she added with candour.

Nick was silent for a long interval, smiling his thanks when Cassie refilled his glass. ‘What the blazes am I going to do? How the devil do I provide a proper Christmas for Alice? I hope Janet’s willing to hang on in Chiswick. If she is I’d better take over one of Max’s spare rooms until he turns up. Whether he likes it or not,’ he added grimly. ‘We’ve seen as little as possible of each other since the break-up with Julia, but he lets me see Alice now and then.’

‘As well he might,’ said Cassie indignantly. ‘With no grandparents any more, the poor little thing’s not exactly awash with relatives!’

Nick frowned. ‘If Julia’s so fond of Alice, how has Max managed to keep her away from her?’

‘He was in such a rage that memorable day he actually threatened her with an injunction. But there are ways round that. I take letters and presents from Julia when I take Alice out from school. So does my mother.’ Cassie sighed angrily. ‘Your brother’s inhuman.’

‘Step-brother, actually,’ Nick reminded her.

‘Oh, yes. I’d forgotten that. You certainly don’t resemble each other.’

‘Max looks like his mother. She ran off with another man when he was a baby, so Dad hired a very highly qualified nanny by the name of Eileen Ryan, and fell in love with her. He married her as soon as the divorce came through, and a year or so later I was born.’

‘I’ve seen her photograph,’ said Cassie quietly. ‘You’re the image of her.’

‘I know. I miss her. I miss them both. So does Max. Which,’ said Nick, with sudden violence, ‘is why I can never understand why he keeps Julia away from Alice. He loved my mother, and she loved him. Just as Julia loves Alice.’

‘Perhaps it’s pride.’

‘Maybe he expects every woman to behave like his biological mother.’

Cassie pulled out the shoelace from her hair, which she’d grabbed from one of her sneakers in her hurry to look for Alice. The gleaming ringlets cascaded to the shoulders of her dark blue sweater, and she tugged on one of them absently with her teeth as a plan began to formulate in her mind. She looked up to see Nick’s eyes on her.

‘What?’ she demanded.

‘I was admiring the view.’ A smile tugged at the corners of his wide, well-cut mouth. ‘Poor Rupert.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I’m just beginning to realise what he’s missed out on tonight. A great meal—wherever it came from—and a beautiful companion to enjoy it with.’ He sighed theatrically. ‘I should feel guilty, but I don’t—even if I am just an interloper who got lucky.’

‘This is as lucky as you get,’ she warned him sharply, put out by something in his manner.

The spectacular eyes gleamed. ‘Don’t worry, Cassie. I wasn’t about to leap on your body.’

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ she retorted, bristling. ‘I prefer men who come without your history, Dominic Seymour.’

‘Why does my name sound like an epithet when you say it in full?’ he asked curiously.

‘It’s better than some epithets I could use!’

‘So you still dislike me?’

She shrugged. ‘I’m not crazy about you, I admit. Though Julia told me you weren’t really to blame for what happened. I know you were in love with her once, of course, but that was nothing new. Most men she met fell in love with her. I just wish she’d married any one of them instead of Max Seymour.’

‘Does she still feel the same way about him?’ asked Nick soberly.

‘We don’t discuss Max, but I’m pretty sure she does. Though how she can still love him utterly mystifies me. If a man treated me like that I’d either murder him or forget he ever existed.’

‘No grand passion for you, then, Cassie?’

‘No way. I’m not the type.’ She shrugged. ‘I quite fancy Rupert, but I don’t see him as something permanent in my life.’

Nick got to his feet, yawning. ‘I’ll withdraw to your bathroom, then I’d better call a cab.’

‘I’ll make some coffee first,’ she said, jumping up.

‘What a saint you are, Cassandra,’ he mocked, and breathed in deeply to steady himself as he followed her from the room.

Cassie went out to fill Meg’s expensive Italian machine with the Blue Mountain coffee she’d bought to impress Rupert. While it was brewing she washed up quickly, obeying the golden rule of the house. No dirty dishes left until next day. At last she filled tall mugs with fragrant dark coffee, and put them on a tray with cream and sugar.

Cassie nudged the sitting-room door open with her knee, then gave a sigh of pure frustration, mentally kicking herself for taking so long. Nick Seymour was stretched out on the sofa, fast asleep.

Cassie muttered something rude under her breath, put the tray down on the table and did her best to rouse Nick from a sleep so deep it looked like a coma. And it might just as well have been for all the good it did when she tried to wake him. In the end she gave up, bone-weary herself by this time. She took the tray back into the kitchen, gulped down some of her coffee and went upstairs to borrow a blanket and a double quilt from Hannah, who was skiing with Meg in Gstaad. Cassie eased Nick’s shoes from his long, chilly feet, put a cushion under his head and tucked the blanket and quilt round his sprawled, relaxed body, careless of whether she disturbed him. But Nick slumbered on, vanquished by a combination of jet-lag and stress topped off by a good dinner and three glasses of unaccustomed wine.

‘Sweet dreams,’ said Cassie, resigned, and turned out the light.

CHAPTER THREE

CASSIE surfaced next morning to find a scantily clad Polly shaking her awake.

‘You’re nuts, Cassie Lovell,’ her friend stated, eyes dancing, and perched on the bed. ‘What’s the point of wining and dining this Rupert person if you make him sleep on the sofa?’

‘Oh, heavens,’ gasped Cassie, the events of last night flooding back in full flow. ‘He’s still there?’

‘Sleeping like a babe. Though more sexy pirate than baby.’ Polly rolled her eyes. ‘I can see why you were so steamed up about getting him to yourself, ducky. Why on earth did you banish him to the sofa?’

‘I didn’t,’ said Cassie tersely, scrambling out of bed. ‘He fell asleep while I was making coffee.’

‘Oh, bad luck,’ said her friend with sympathy. ‘Was Rupert tired after a long day at the bank or something?’

‘No.’ Cassie shrugged on her dressing gown. ‘The man downstairs isn’t Rupert.’ She chuckled wickedly as Polly’s mouth fell open. ‘His name is Dominic Seymour—ducky. He’s my sister’s brother-in-law, but never mind that, I’ll explain later. And put some clothes on, Polly. A good thing Nick didn’t wake up if you barged in on him like that. He’s been working abroad without a drink or feminine company for a couple of months.’

‘How scrummy—I wish I’d known!’ said the irrepressible Polly, dodging the pillow Cassie hurled at her.

After a short interval in the bathroom, Cassie rushed back to her room to drag a brush through the tousled ringlets, then, ignoring Polly’s entreaties to tell all, she raced downstairs as she was, shivering in her striped pyjamas and old blue dressing gown. She turned the heating up and went into the sitting-room to find Nick still out for the count, his mouth open slightly, but not snoring. It was the only point in his favour. The growth of black stubble along his jaw had grown thicker overnight—Polly wasn’t far wrong with her pirate description. ‘Sleeping like a babe’ was hardly applicable. There was nothing helpless about Nick Seymour, awake or asleep.

Cassie shook him ungently and tried to pull the covers off, but Nick muttered ominously and held on like grim death, refusing to wake. With a sigh of exasperation Cassie went over to the windows and drew back the curtains on a sunny, frosty morning, the bright light doing more to penetrate Nick’s consciousness than all her shaking. He sat up suddenly, blinking like an owl as he saw Cassie standing over him, arms folded and a militant expression on her face.

‘The usual line is “where am I?”,’ she informed him tartly.

Nick shot to his feet, shivering, and rubbed his jaw in distaste. ‘I know where I am, Cassie, but why the hell am I still here?’

‘It wasn’t my choice, believe me,’ she assured him. ‘But when you sleep, you certainly sleep, Dominic Seymour. I couldn’t rouse you last night so I left you there. I hoped you’d wake up in the night and tactfully take yourself off. Instead you gave one of my fellow tenants a nasty shock this morning.’

He grimaced. ‘Sorry. I’ll apologise later. At the moment I need a bathroom. I don’t suppose you’d have a spare toothbrush?’

‘Polly might. I’ll find out.’

Polly, now fully dressed in skin-tight leather trousers and a curve-hugging ribbed sweater, was happy to oblige. ‘Always keep one for emergencies, pet,’ she said cheerfully, rummaging in a drawer. ‘Would Bluebeard like to borrow a razor, too, while I make breakfast?’

Nick accepted both offerings from Cassie with gratitude, and came downstairs later, hair relatively tidy and his jaw clean-shaven. Despite his rumpled clothes, he looked a lot better, and to the impressionable Polly obviously very fanciable indeed.

‘Hi, I’m Polly Cooper,’ she informed him jauntily. ‘Want some coffee?’

‘Nick Seymour,’ he returned, with a dazzling smile. ‘I’m told I gave you a shock earlier. My apologies.’

Polly assured him she’d suffered no ill effects.

Cassie took her eyes off the toast under the grill. ‘Want some breakfast, Nick?’

‘If you don’t think I’ve trespassed too much on your hospitality already,’ he said wryly, sitting at the table.

‘A few minutes more won’t matter, I suppose,’ said Cassie. She put the toast rack on the table and handed him a sales-slip from the well-known source of the previous night’s dinner. ‘I’m sure you’ll enjoy breakfast more if you settle up for this.’

‘Cassie!’ remonstrated Polly in horror. ‘You’re not making him pay for his dinner?’

‘Why not? It was meant for Rupert,’ said Cassie, filling three coffee mugs. She pushed the butter towards Nick.

‘I ruined her evening, so she’s entitled to make me pay. Though I think it’s for more than just dinner,’ added Nick, looking Cassie in the eye.

‘I was joking,’ she muttered, and snatched the sales-slip back.

Nick looked unconvinced. ‘Right. I’ll just finish this and be on my way. I need a bath and a change of clothes before I pick up Alice.’

‘Will you come back for me?’ asked Cassie.

‘Is that what you want?’

Polly looked on in fascination as the two pairs of eyes locked, one pair dark-rimmed blue, still shadowed with fatigue, the other pair oval, the velvety brown irises surprisingly dark below the fair hair.

Cassie nodded. ‘I’ve got something to suggest. So if you get back here in an hour it should give us time to talk before fetching Alice.’

Nick glanced at his watch, then finished his coffee quickly. ‘I’ll get off, then. I’ll be back as soon as I can.’

‘Wow!’ said Polly after Nick had gone. ‘Why have you never mentioned him before?’

Polly was a recent addition to the household. Knowing she wouldn’t let it rest, Cassie gave her the bare bones of her acquaintance with Dominic Seymour, leaving out the fact that he was in some way to blame for the break-up of Julia’s marriage. And when Cassie added the worry of the night before over Alice, Polly was full of sympathy.

‘Poor little thing. You’d think her father could have got home in time for Christmas.’

‘He may do yet—still four days to go.’

‘And what happens in the meantime?’ demanded Polly. ‘Will this housekeeper person look after her? Or does Nick have a girlfriend likely to lend a hand?’

‘No idea, on both counts. I hope we can sort something out later. Whatever happens,’ added Cassie firmly, ‘I’m going to see Alice this morning, let her know there are people who care about her.’

When Nick returned later, dressed in a cream twill shirt and heavy navy sweater with thick-ribbed cords and a fleece-lined suede jacket, he looked considerably better.

‘Polly’s gone shopping,’ said Cassie, letting him in. ‘Jane, another friend you haven’t met yet, stayed overnight with the boyfriend, so we’ve got the place to ourselves for a bit. We need to talk.’

‘I know.’ He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on a peg in the hall with a familiarity Cassie noted with disapproval. She didn’t want Nick Seymour to feel he was part of the scene in the house. This was her territory.

‘I’ll get the coffee. You can resume your former place on the sofa,’ she said firmly. ‘Won’t be a moment.’

When she returned with a tray Nick was eyeing the arrangement Cassie had finally achieved with Rupert’s flowers.

‘From your merchant banker,’ he commented.

‘Lovely, aren’t they?’ She put the tray down on the table beside them and handed Nick a mug. ‘Sugar? Milk?’

‘No, thanks.’

Cassie waved him to the sofa and curled up in her usual chair. During Nick’s absence she’d showered and dressed in a white shirt and russet wool sweater with a short tweed skirt. She wore thick, patterned wool tights and gleaming chestnut leather boots, and a broad brown velvet ribbon did its best to restrain her hair.

Nick eyed the result with unconcealed approval. ‘Are you meeting Rupert today?’ he asked.

‘No.’ Though Cassie had hoped to.

Nick got up restlessly, losing interest in Rupert. ‘Cassie, I’m hellish worried. There’s no news of Max, and Christmas is only four days away. I’ll move into the house in Chiswick, of course, but it’s going to be grim for Alice with just the two of us, poor kid.’

Cassie frowned. ‘Isn’t there a woman in your life these days?’

‘Several I could ask out for the evening.’ Nick’s mouth twisted. ‘But no one likely to help entertain a little girl.’

She nodded, unsurprised. Nick had never been short of female company, but in the past he’d been attracted more to social butterflies than earth mothers. ‘In that case I’ve a plan to put forward. I made a couple of phone calls this morning as a contingency plan, in case there was no news of Max.’

Nick sat down again, his eyes intent. ‘I’m grateful for any suggestion, Cassie, believe me.’

‘First I rang Julia, then I rang my parents and explained the situation.’

‘Their opinion of Max must be at a new low, then,’ said Nick bitterly.

‘Their concern was all for Alice.’ Cassie brushed back a stray, escaping curl. ‘My father is driving up from Gloucestershire to collect Julia and Emily today. Julia’s staying at home in Chastlecombe until the New Year. I’m joining them on Christmas Eve.’ She looked at Nick searchingly. ‘Alice could go back with them, spend Christmas at home with all of us. If you agree.’

His eyes blazed with such gratitude Cassie was dazzled. ‘It’s not up to me to agree or not. But I think it’s a fantastic idea.’ He paused, sobering quickly. ‘I’d have done my best for her, but she’d be so much better off with your mother and that cute little cherub of Julia’s. And if Max objects, what the hell?’ He breathed in a deep sigh of relief. ‘Cassie, you don’t know what a load you’ve taken off my mind.’

‘And you’ll be free to keep to your own plans, of course,’ she said, rather pointedly.

Nick’s jaw tightened. ‘My “plans”, as you put it, involve a couple of days on my own in a hotel near Worcester, booked before I went to Saudi.’

Cassie stared at him in surprise. ‘In that case Alice will definitely be better off with the rest of us in Chastlecombe.’ She jumped to her feet. ‘I’ll ring home now and tell them you approve—’

‘Would you mind if I spoke to your mother personally, to thank her?’ he put in. ‘Or do your parents regard me as the villain of the piece?’

‘No. That’s Max’s role,’ she assured him, then smiled suddenly. ‘Don’t tell her I told you, but Mother always had a soft spot for you, anyway.’

‘That’s music to my ears. I’m glad someone does,’ he said morosely. ‘You weren’t exactly friendly last night—nor Julia.’

‘Did you expect us to be?’

‘I make it a rule, Cassie, to expect as little as possible. It saves disappointment,’ he said bitingly, then looked at her very directly. ‘It’s a long time since I was in love with Julia, no matter what you think, but she’s still someone I regard as very special. It was painful to see her in those circumstances last night. It hit me for six.’

‘I could tell!’ She picked up her large leather satchel bag. ‘Right. Here’s my address book. The number’s on the first page, with Julia’s.’

Cassie went into the kitchen with the tray, leaving Nick to talk to her mother—a conversation which obviously went well judging by his reluctance to hand over the receiver for her to confirm arrangements with her delighted parent.

‘Mother’s so relieved,’ she told Nick as they got in the car. ‘She’s been worrying like mad over Alice’s Christmas anyway. She went up like a rocket when she heard what happened last night.’ She paused. ‘Are we taking things for granted, Nick? We’ve been busy making arrangements on Alice’s behalf, but we haven’t consulted her in any way.’

‘If she doesn’t like the idea, I’ll cancel my hotel booking and stay in Chiswick with her,’ said Nick promptly. ‘Whatever Alice decides, I’m grateful for your help, Cassie.’

‘I’ve done nothing much—’

‘On the contrary. You’ve organised everything, me included. This team you support is damn lucky.’

When they reached the house in Chiswick, Nick rang the doorbell. ‘I’d like to hang on to the key,’ he muttered. ‘I don’t want another scare like last night.’

The door was opened by a young woman dressed in jeans and jersey.

‘Hello, Janet,’ said Nick, smiling, and her pleasant face lit up with relief.

‘Good morning, Mr Seymour. Sorry I worried you by making off with Alice last night, but my fiancé was coming home on leave from the Army, and I wanted to be there when he arrived.’

‘Don’t apologise, Janet. I’m just grateful you took care of Alice,’ he assured her.

‘She’s ever so worried about her dad,’ she whispered.

‘I am too,’ he admitted, and introduced Cassie.

‘It’s so nice to meet you at last,’ said Janet, ushering them inside. ‘I’ve heard such a lot about you from Alice.’

Suddenly there was the sound of flying feet and a small figure came hurtling down the stairs to throw herself at Nick, who leapt up to meet her halfway and picked her up, giving her a smacking kiss on both cheeks.

‘Uncle Nick,’ cried Alice Seymour, burying her face in his neck. ‘Daddy hasn’t come home.’

‘I know, poppet. But he will, don’t you worry. In the meantime, look who I’ve brought to see you.’

‘Cassie!’ cried the child with delight, and raced down into the arms held out to receive her.

When the hugs and kisses were over, Alice tugged Nick and Cassie by the hand to pull them towards the Christmas tree, which was half trimmed, with open boxes of baubles and tinsel scattered round it.

‘We started on it this morning. I thought it would be nice to have it ready,’ said Janet quietly.

‘Brilliant idea,’ agreed Cassie. ‘Shall we finish it off together, darling?’

Alice agreed with enthusiasm, a lot less forlorn as she helped Cassie and Nick rummage in the boxes.

‘I’ll make some coffee then,’ said Janet, and Nick jumped up.

‘I’ll help,’ he said promptly. ‘I need a word with you, Janet.’

Alice Seymour was a thin little girl, rather tall for her age, with a mop of short tawny curls, freckles, and eyes the colour of moss, just like her father, with no resemblance at all to the photograph of the pretty blonde young mother who’d died when she was born.

She chattered happily to Cassie as they worked, full of questions about Julia and Emily.

‘I’ve got a present for Emily,’ she confided. ‘Janet helped me choose it. Will you give it to her, Cassie?’

‘I may be able to do better than that, darling,’ said Cassie, her eyes questioning as Nick came back with a coffee tray.

‘I’ve told Janet the plan and she thinks it’s a brilliant idea,’ he announced.

‘What plan, Uncle Nick?’ said Alice excitedly. ‘Is it something nice?’

‘Very nice—’ he began, then broke off as the phone rang.

Janet answered it, spoke briefly, then called Nick over, shaking her head in response to Alice’s eager demand to know if it was Daddy. ‘No, pet. It’s Mrs Cartwright. Have you found the fairy yet? It must be in one of these boxes.’

‘Mrs Cartwright sent her love,’ said Nick, hunkering down beside Alice. ‘I told her you were fine and she needn’t worry. She says you can go round and spend time with Laura whenever you want.’

‘Not today,’ said Alice promptly, clutching Cassie’s hand.

‘No,’ he agreed. ‘Not today. After Christmas some time. Talking of which, Cassie’s made a fantastic suggestion.’ He drew her to the stairs, sat down on the bottom step and took her on his knee to warn her that Daddy might be held up in New Guinea and not be able to get back in time for Christmas. Alice smothered a sob, and leaned against him so miserably Cassie badly wanted to snatch her from Nick to comfort her. Her eyes met his over the curly head, and she turned away quickly, busying herself with the search for the missing fairy.

Nick quickly outlined the plan for Alice to spend Christmas in the Lovell household with Cassie and her parents. ‘And Julia and Emily,’ he added.

Alice sat bolt upright, staring at him in disbelief, then jumped up and ran to Cassie. ‘Is it true?’ she demanded passionately. ‘Can I really have Christmas with Julia?’

At that moment, if Max Seymour had walked through the door Cassie would have caused him grievous bodily harm and revelled in it.

‘You bet,’ she said huskily. ‘If your father can’t get home for Christmas, I’m sure he’ll be happy to know you’re having a lovely time with my parents and me. And Julia and Emily, too,’ she added.

At which point Janet went off to have a private cry in the kitchen, while a supercharged Alice, in transports of delight, hindered Cassie’s efforts to finish decorating the Christmas tree, giggling wildly at Nick’s mutterings as he tried to get the fairy lights to work. Afterwards they sent out for pizza, and enjoyed a lively, noisy lunch in the kitchen with Janet.

‘I hope this New Guinea tribe of his eats Max for Christmas dinner,’ said Cassie viciously, after Janet had taken Alice off to pack.

Nick grinned. ‘I doubt they celebrate Christmas.’ He sobered. ‘It’s all a bit sad, really. Max and I used to be quite close for stepbrothers. But since the break-up that’s finished. I haven’t been in the country much at the same time as Max since, but when I’m in the UK I take Alice out for the day as often as possible.’

‘I know. She’s told me all about her outings with Uncle Nick.’ Cassie looked thoughtful. ‘Are there any women in Max’s life?’

Nick shrugged. ‘Not as far as I know. Alice never mentions anyone. But he probably keeps that side of his life from her. Lord knows he has ample opportunity. Alice doesn’t see much of him.’

‘Some people,’ said Cassie malevolently, ‘shouldn’t be parents. Come on—let’s hurry Janet up. Dad’s due at my place with Julia in a few minutes, if everything’s going to plan.’

After a grateful, emotional parting with Janet, the three of them set off for Shepherd’s Bush in a general mood of euphoria which intensified when they found a familiar, battered Range Rover had arrived before them. It was a good ten years older than Rupert’s, in need of a wash, and crammed with a highchair and baby seat, and a mound of luggage behind the wire mesh screen fitted to pen in the family dogs.

‘They’re here,’ said Cassie. Alice, white with excitement, her freckles standing out in relief, followed close behind as Cassie unlocked the door to reveal her father and Emily in the hall on all fours, playing trains.

‘Hi, Dad—be careful, you’ll do yourself an injury!’

Her father jumped up, smiling sheepishly, and gave her a hug. ‘Hello, sweetheart. Your friend Polly let us in.’ He peered behind her at Alice, his smile broadening. ‘And who’s this grown-up young lady, may I ask? Not Alice, surely!’

Alice greeted him shyly, delighted when he gave her a smacking kiss, then she dropped on her knees in front of the toddler. ‘Hello, Emily.’

‘Lally!’ said Emily, beaming.

Alice hugged her in delight. ‘She remembers me, Cassie! And her hair’s grown. It’s like mine.’

‘And the freckles,’ said Cassie, aware that Nick was watching the little scene with narrowed eyes.

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