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family for years. I didn't know you still kept in touch, you've never mentioned him to me. I never liked him much, he was such an arrogant boy I don't suppose he's changed.' 'Not much,' Juliet admitted wryly, giving Simeon a brief, sideways glance. 'Mum, he brought me some sad news --' 'Your father?' Shirley's voice changed, sharpened. 'No, his,' Juliet said quickly. 'He died a few weeks ago.' 'Oh, I'm sorry, Robert was a nice man,' her mother said soberly. 'Yes,' Juliet agreed, then changed the subject. 'Why did you ring, though, Mum? Anything wrong? How's Giorgio?' 'Oh, he's fine, there's nothing wrong here, but I rang London just now and heard about the weather down in Cornwall, so I was worried about you. Is it the snow really heavy there? Will you be able to drive back to London today? Now, I don't want you killing yourself trying to drive on icy roads, just to get back to work, darling.' 'I couldn't if I wanted to,' Juliet said heavily. 'The roads are completely blocked around here for the moment. We're hoping the snow ploughs will be able to get out and clear the main roads but unless the weather changes overnight I shan't be able to get back to London for a while, but I shall ring the office in the morning and tell Helen to hold the fort.' 'Your secretary can't run the business, though,' Shirley said. 'I had better fly back.' 'Wait until tomorrow morning, and check with me again, Mum,' Juliet said firmly. 'If I can get back to London, somehow, without killing myself, I promise you, I will. You stay there with Giorgio. How is he now?' Shirley sighed. 'Calmer, thank heavens. Poor darling. But, Julie, don't you think I ought to come back, just in case...?' 'No, I think your place is with Giorgio, and, anyway, there's nothing urgent happening for a few days. Helen can cope, and I am sure I'll be able to get back to London somehow. I can always take a train.' If I can get as far as the nearest railway station, seven miles away, she thought wryly, but didn't say to her mother. Shirley suddenly asked, 'But why did Simeon Gerard come all the way to Cornwall to tell you that his father was dead, darling? And why was he so nasty when he answered the phone just now? Really, he scared the life out of me I thought I'd got a wrong number for a minute.' 'Oh, well,' Juliet said, desperately thinking of some excuse without explaining how angry Adam was because she knew that her mother would feel guilty if she knew that he resented Juliet coming down to Cornwall to check up on the cottage. 'Well, you see, I'd had a couple of funny phone calls... you know the sort, heavy breathing.' 'Oji, how frightening!' Shirley gave an audible shudder. 'Ugh...I am sorry, darling. But how lucky Simeon turned up this morning and could answer the phone instead of you! Knowing there's a man there should put a stop to that! Did you ring the police? Oh, you should, Julie. He may be dangerous.' 'OK, Mum,' Juliet said. 'You still haven't explained why Simeon came all that way, though,' remembered Shirley. 'Were you mentioned in the will? You aren't going to be very rich, are you?' 'Afraid not, nothing so exciting,' Juliet casually said. 'But I am mentioned in the will, and that is why Simeon came down here. Just something Robert wanted me to do... I'll tell you all about it later this call must be costing a fortune. Keep in touch, Mum, love to Giorgio.' 'Bye, darling,' Shirley said, and Juliet hung up. She turned to face Simeon, who was eying her with dry mockery. 'So,' he said. 'You didn't have the nerve to tell her the truth. Does she even know we're married?' She lifted her chin with defiance. 'No, and I'd rather she never found out, I don't want anyone to know. What I want is for you to divorce me --' 'After you've had my child,' he promised, and his face was relentless. CHAPTER FIVE JULIET stood there looking at Simeon dumbly, wondering how she was going to make him understand that she couldn't, it was impossible, the very idea made her blood run cold; and he watched her without expression now, his grey eyes cool and alert. Then his face changed and he groaned. The coffee! I switched it off and poured two cups.' She had forgotten the coffee too. They both ran for the kitchen, but the coffee in the cups was cold, and there wasn't enough left in the percolator to make two good cups. 'I'll make some more,' Juliet said but Simeon shook his head, glancing at the kitchen clock. 'I'll have instant I'm quite happy with that, especially as it is almost lunchtime.' He filled the kettle and put it on and found a jar of instant coffee granules in a cupboard. 'Lunchtime?' She looked at the clock, too, amazed to see that he was right. It was almost one o'clock, and as soon as she realised that she began to feel hungry. 'What shall we have?' she thought aloud, opening cupboards and looking in the fridge. There wasn't that much choice. She would have to fall back on something from her stock cupboard, and a tin or two. 'How do you feel about rice or spaghetti with a tomato sauce?' she asked him and he shrugged. 'Fine with me. There are some mushrooms left, too, and I bought onions.' 'Then we're in business,' she said, and began to prepare the meal while Simeon made the coffee and sat down at the table with his, apparently to watch her work. Blandly, Juliet asked, 'Can you chop onions, or do they make you cry?' 'Nothing makes me cry,' he said, grinning at her, and she wondered how true that was. It could be, from what she knew of him he seemed impervious enough to her. But what did anyone know about another human being? He could get angry, but could he be hurt? She handed him a kitchen knife and a large onion, and went to look for a pan in which to make the sauce while the water for the spaghetti boiled. When she looked round, a pan in her hand, Simeon was already chopping away with quick, deft movements. 'You've done that before,' she said, and he nodded without looking up, his attention on what he was doing. 'I cook for myself, although I have someone in to do the cleaning. I stick to plain cooking, mostly preferably something I can grill or leave to cook in the oven all day while I'm out. Casseroles, or steak, or maybe fish. I bake potatoes in the oven, too, or make a salad.' 'Good heavens, chef of the year,' she mocked, and he laughed. 'Well, I did eat out a lot at one time, but that gets boring, and once a woman starts cooking for a man she gets ideas.' He had finished; there was a neat little pile of chopped onion on the wooden board. He turned to ask, 'What about the mushrooms?' 'I'll wash them and just halve them,' she said, wondering how many women had offered to cook for him over the past eight years. He was a sexy man, no denying that; there must have been plenty of women buzzing around that particular honey- pot, and she felt a niggling little jab under her ribs at the images forming in her head. Sharply she told herself that it was none of her business; she wasn't a lovestruck teenager any more, she was a sane, sensible woman and Simeon Gerard's love-life was his own affair. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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