it takes,” he said as Wallace ushered her into the back seat of the Rolls.
Beau said his last goodbyes and settled onto the seat beside her. Wallace shut the door and with an air of a dignified custodian in control of his charges. He saluted those who’d delivered them to him, took the driver’s seat, and set the trip in motion.
“Got the tickets?” Beau asked her, his green eyes twinkling with good humour.
A nanny’s job in travelling, he’d declared, was to look after tickets, see that schedules were kept, ensure that nothing was left in planes, trains, restaurants and hotels, hold ready supplies of first-aid items and emergency medications, and generally see that proper meals were taken so appropriate energy levels were maintained.
Maggie suspected that putting her in charge of the tickets was meant to make her feel she always had a passport to freedom. Beau would not hold her with him. The choice was hers.
She patted her handbag. “All correct and double-checked.” A blissful sigh of satisfaction accompanied the welling sense of a dream turning into fact. “We’re really on our way.”
Beau laughed. “You’ll feel even more so once the plane takes off. It’s always a buzz.”
It reminded Maggie that Beau was more than a seasoned traveller. Exploring the world was what he’d chosen to do with his life. She wondered how he thought fatherhood would fit into it, whether he imagined her and their child tagging along with him wherever he went.
On the other hand, when he’d proposed marriage, he’d linked Rosecliff with it, so maybe he envisaged settling there for a while. Or settling her there with the child while he came and went. Maggie wasn’t sure she liked that idea but it was premature to be considering it anyway. This was a time for gathering a true sense of what life with Beau Prescott might be like.
“I checked the weather report for London, sir. They’re having a very cool spring. Nine to fifteen degrees Celsius. You’ll have to be snuggling up,” Wallace cheerily advised.
“Thank you, Wallace. We do have coats with us,” Beau dryly replied.
“Same in Paris and Berlin. Much warmer in Rome. Twenty-four degrees Celsius there. You’ll be able to thaw out once you’re in sunny Italy. Won’t need your heavy clothes on.”
“I dare say it will be a pleasant change,” Maggie commented, hoping Wallace wouldn’t go so far as to suggest stripping off entirely.
“Speaking of Italy, I saw a TV program on the Amalfi Coast the other night,” he went on. “A couple zooming around in a red Ferrari. Great car. They stopped at a fantastic village that was built like it was hanging on to a cliff. Positano it was called. Looked very romantic.”
“Well, we may make it there,” Beau said agreeably.
Wallace continued to be a font of information all the way to the airport. He didn’t precisely suggest Beau and Maggie become lovers but the implication was in everything he said. Maggie tried not to feel awkward about it. Beau was very smooth in making light of the more pointed comments. Nevertheless, the pressure to deliver on the promise got to her again.
It was a relief to say goodbye to Wallace but she was hopelessly tense once she was alone with Beau, keeping a rigid distance so there’d be no accidental touching in the airport terminal, fumbling with the tickets at the check-in counter, looking anywhere but directly at him. She found herself tongue-tied, too, nodding when he spoke to her, unable to offer any conversation as they made their way to the first-class lounge to await their flight.
She had a craven urge to run away. People in power make prisons but people you care about also make prisons, she thought. Before coming to Rosecliff, she’d only been responsible for herself. She hadn’t let herself become too emotionally involved with anyone or any place. Now she couldn’t shrug off those who cared about her and she also had to consider what was best for the baby. Running away wasn’t really an option anymore. It wouldn’t be fair.
She took a chair by the window in the lounge and stared out at a line of huge jet aeroplanes, waiting for their loads of passengers and cargoes. The only plane she’d ever been in was a four-seat Cessna, commonly used in the Australian outback. How these enormous machines lifted off the ground was a marvel. Soon she would be on one, flying off to the other side of the world. But not alone.
Never alone again, she thought, one hand straying to her stomach. She’d missed a period and the tightness in her breasts was another physical manifestation of her pregnancy. The changes in her body heralded changes in her life she couldn’t turn back from. Nor did she want to. Yet she couldn’t help feeling apprehensive about the future.
Beau brought her a cup of tea—she’d gone off coffee—and settled into the armchair beside hers. She muttered a “Thank you,” still not looking him in the eye.
“You don’t have to live up to others’ expectations, Maggie,” he said quietly. “Especially if it creates a conflict within yourself.”
She glanced up, oddly relieved he understood.
He caught her gaze and transmitted an empathy that stroked her troubled heart. “Stay true to whatever you believe is right for you,” he advised. “In the end, that’s what works best. For everyone. An unhappy person spreads unhappiness.”
She recognised the truth in what he said and felt the strength of mind and purpose he’d harnessed to follow his own path in life. In this respect, he was very similar to his grandfather, a natural leader, exuding confidence. It didn’t matter that he poured his energy into something different to Vivian. The charismatic power that drew others to him was the same. It made them feel safe within the radius of such strength.
He has a generous heart. Just like his grandfather. You’ll be safe with him, dear.
The insight suddenly burst upon her. “It’s you they need, not me. Do you realise that, Beau?”
“You mean Feathers and Sedgewick and...”
“Yes. Vivian was the focus of their lives. They’re clinging on to him through me because...” She hesitated, reluctant to starkly state what they wanted of her.
“They see you as a way to hold on to their lives at Rosecliff,” he said, openly revealing his perception and encouraging her to speak hers.
She leaned forward, earnestly pressing the truth she had just comprehended. “It’s not the place so much. It’s you. You’re Vivian’s natural heir, and I’m not referring to simply inheriting his property. They want you to give their lives purpose, providing a hub for them to work around as your grandfather did, and they’re afraid you won’t, afraid you’ll let them go and they won’t know what to do then.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Maggie. They’re my family. One way or another, I’ll answer their needs. You can count on it.”
In so saying, he lifted all responsibility from her shoulders and the burden on her heart. She sat back and smiled, happy he understood.
They were safe with him.
Beau had made her feel very unsafe but she realised now he had felt unsafe with her, too. It had been right to tell him about herself, good to clear the air between them. She relaxed, enjoying a sense of freedom in exploring more with him.
“Any other worries?’ he asked, obviously wanting to erase her fears.
“No. Except...” She nodded to the view outside the window. “...I hope our plane doesn’t crash.”
He grinned. “We’re flying with an airline that has an excellent safety record.”
“Those jumbo jets are so huge.”
“I’ll hold your hand.”
She laughed as warmth flooded through her. Maybe she and their child would be safe in his keeping. A strong man with a generous heart would surely make a good father. Would he be her mate for life?
An