against a tree for a few moments, then sat down on a piece of log a foot or two away from the dog. With her chin in her hands, she stared pensively at him and, hardly blinking, Benson stared back.
By now, the rain had become a steady downpour and both she and Benson were looking distinctly the worse for wear. Fleur had scarcely noticed that her hood had slipped off, or that her hair was hanging in wet ringlets around her face. ‘No one warned me that you were a difficult creature, Benson,’ she said sorrowfully. ‘What on earth am I to do with you?’
‘And what on earth am I to do with you?’ Sebastian’s voice intervened and, with an unmistakable sense of relief, Fleur saw him striding towards them. He stopped and looked down at her. ‘What’s going on?’ he said. ‘Pat’s gone on home, but she did tell you she’d arranged lunch for one o’clock—didn’t she?’
Fleur didn’t bother to get to her feet, but nodded towards Benson, who was viewing them both pensively. ‘Ask him,’ she said. ‘He just refused to get up. I couldn’t leave him here, could I?’ She sighed. ‘I must be rubbish at handling dogs.’
Sebastian cocked one slightly amused eyebrow, then clicked his fingers. ‘Come, Benson,’ he said masterfully, and at once the dog got to his feet and padded over to lick his hand.
Fleur could hardly believe it! The naughty animal, she thought. He’d seemed rooted to that spot, yet two words from Sebastian and he’d obeyed at once. ‘Obviously it’s his master’s voice that he responds to,’ she said sniffily, getting up and falling into step with Sebastian as they began to make their way home.
‘No, I think the fact was he was enjoying your company so much, he didn’t want the walk to end,’ Sebastian said generously, glancing down at her. She was soaking wet, her hair looking as if she had just come out of the shower, and he smiled faintly to himself. Not many of the women he’d known had shown such stalwart tendencies, usually running for cover at the first brush with the elements. But Fleur seemed to almost revel in being wet and untidy.
It took another half an hour to get back, with Benson now trotting quite happily ahead. ‘I don’t believe that dog,’ Fleur said. ‘Look at him. What did I do wrong?’
‘Nothing,’ Sebastian replied. ‘I expect he just felt like a lie down, that’s all—you had gone quite a way—much further than I usually take him nowadays.’
Fleur looked up quickly. ‘Oh, dear…I hope we didn’t overdo it…I mean, I don’t want to be the cause of any trouble…’
‘Shut up,’ Sebastian said cheerfully. ‘The dog’s fine. The only one suffering any discomfort is me, because you’ve kept me waiting for my lunch.’
‘Well, why didn’t you go on and have it without me?’ Fleur began.
‘What, knowing that my dog and my…er…charge…were missing, believed lost?’
Fleur decided to ignore the word he’d used because she knew he was teasing her.
Back at the house, she had a quick wash, then took her place opposite Sebastian at the kitchen table. He had placed the ham and pickles and the piping hot, gloriously brown jacket potatoes in front of them, and soon they were both tucking into it all, while Benson lay flat out on the floor, snoring.
Without asking her whether she wanted any, Sebastian filled Fleur’s glass with water from the jug, before taking some for himself. She was glad that there was no wine on offer because, as she’d already told him, she seldom drank alcohol during the day. That must have made her sound terribly goody-goody, she thought, because most of her friends had no problem with having a glass or two at lunch time. But she didn’t care what Sebastian Conway thought of her, anyway—about anything at all—she’d always made a point of never altering her principles to suit others, and she wasn’t about to start now.
Finishing his lunch, he asked mildly, ‘What are you going to do with yourself this afternoon?’ He realized that it wasn’t a polite enquiry, but he was curious and admitted that he would much rather spend the rest of the day with Fleur than helping Frank. But suddenly the phone on the wall rang and he stood up to take the call. It was Pat and, after listening for a few moments and glancing across at Fleur, he said, ‘No, you must stay with her, Pat…That’s no problem. For heaven’s sake, we can cope alone, sort ourselves out.’ There was a pause. ‘Sorry? Oh, yes…of course. I found them…up Middle Hill. Yes, right up there. Soaking wet, with Benson having gone on strike. He didn’t want to come home, apparently. But they’re both here, safe and well, and we’ve just enjoyed the lunch—thanks, Pat.’ Another pause. ‘Absolutely not—you stay with Beryl. We’ll be fine.’ He listened again, then, ‘OK, got it. And it’s best you don’t come back tonight at all—your mother needs you more than we do just now. See what the doctor says, and we’ll see you tomorrow some time, when the panic’s over. OK? Cheers, Pat.’
He replaced the receiver. ‘Pat’s mother has just had another of her angina attacks, so I’ve told her that we can look after ourselves for twenty-four hours.’
‘Of course we can,’ Fleur said at once.
‘And apparently we’re having steak for our supper—they’re in the ’fridge, along with mushrooms and tomatoes and stuff…’ He eyed her hopefully. ‘Can you cook? I’m not the greatest,’ he added.
‘Well, then, you’d better leave it all to me,’ Fleur said, realizing how quickly she and her host had become so…so comfortable with each other, with no pressure, no emotional vibes cutting into the warmly pleasant atmosphere they seemed to be enjoying. Well, what else did she expect? He was Mia’s brother. She had always loved her friend…and she was beginning to love him, as well…in a purely brotherly way, naturally, she assured herself. ‘Not that I shall hope to come up to Pat’s standards,’ she went on, ‘but beggars can’t be choosers. It’s me or nothing.’
He treated her to one of his rather enigmatic smiles. ‘You’ll do nicely,’ he murmured.
She took their empty plates over to the sink, thinking that he needn’t concern himself. She’d always enjoyed cooking, and she knew she could produce a meal to satisfy anyone. And she’d bet anything that he’d like his steak cooked rare.
He turned to go. ‘Right, I’ll be back up the top with Frank for the rest of the day.’ He paused. ‘You don’t envisage wearing my dog’s paws out again, do you?’
‘No. I shall be having a long, hot bath and washing my hair.’ She made a slight grimace, knowing that she must be looking totally scruffy after the morning’s drenching. ‘After which, I might watch a DVD, and then think about our supper.’
He stopped to look down at her, suddenly feeling a wave of pleasure sweep through him. It would be rather good to think of coming home to Fleur after a heavy day outside, he thought, for them to share a meal and just sit and relax and chat. And to have her here, all to himself, at Pengarroth Hall. As he dwelt on that for a second or two, and despite his avowed intention to watch it where women were concerned, a ripple of anticipation coursed through his veins and stopped him in his tracks. It had been a long time since he’d experienced these sensual instincts. The need to be with a woman, close enough to touch, and it had taken this rather unusual friend of Mia’s to make him realize how much he’d missed it!
CHAPTER FIVE
‘WELL, that was a surprise,’ Sebastian said as he and Fleur were relaxing in the sitting room after supper. ‘Eleven out of ten for the way you did my steak, Fleur—thanks.’
He glanced across at her as he spoke. Curled up as she was on the sofa, with her knees drawn up comfortably and her eyes closed, she looked ridiculously at ease.
‘I’ll take that as a compliment, rather than an insult, if you mean that you were surprised I didn’t ruin that wonderful meat,’ Fleur said drowsily.
When he’d returned late in the afternoon, he’d lit the fire and now the logs were crackling and hissing in the flames. With the