when he replied, ‘I did. It sounded too final.’ He, by the sound of it, was not ready to admit to that finality yet—and neither was she.
In contrast to the silence that had existed between them on the journey out, they had been in the air around ten minutes when Gideon Langford looked across the small aisle at her and enquired, ‘You mentioned your sister has money of her own; does that mean that neither of you has to work?’
‘Justine never did get the hang of working,’ Ellena replied truthfully. ‘Though the way she’s spending, she’ll be lucky if her money lasts her longer than a couple of years.’
‘It was an inheritance?’
‘Money our parents invested for both of us to have when we reached twenty.’
‘You’re—how old?’
Ellena stared at him from frank blue eyes. Nothing like asking! He’d be demanding how much the investment was next. ‘Twenty-two,’ she answered. ‘I received my money two years ago.’
‘But you’ve still some of it left?’
Was there a purpose behind his questioning—it escaped her if there was. ‘Some of it went—cars for Justine and me, clothes, and... But, yes, there’s still a little left,’ she owned.
‘From your remarks about your sister not getting the hang of working—and that’s not criticism,’ he slipped in, causing her to realise she must have bridled a touch without knowing it, ‘Kit is very much the same,’ he soothed any ruffled feathers. ‘But, to get back, I take it that you do know the meaning of the word “work”?’
‘I enjoy my job so much I hardly think of it as work,’ she owned.
‘What sort of work would that be?’
He had a certain kind of charm, she realised. Sufficient, anyway, to have her put her present worries to the back of her mind for a short while. ‘I’m an accountant,’ she answered, and, because that sounded, a little like showing off, ‘Though I’ve only recently qualified.’
‘Who are you with?’ he wanted to know.
‘A. Keyte and Company,’ she replied, and, realising it was a very small business compared with the enormous accountancy firm he must deal with, she added, ‘It’s only a tiny company, but I love it there.’ Agonising thoughts and worries were soon back as she relayed, ‘I rang Andrea this morning. She said to take as much time as I...’ Her voice tapered- off. Ellena looked away from him as she fought for and gained control of her emotions. ‘Anyhow, much as I enjoy working for her, I may have to look elsewhere.’
‘You have some problem?’
She glanced across at him again. He had seemed so much on her wavelength about almost everything, it surprised her that he wasn’t this time. ‘Well, I’ll obviously try to make some arrangements that will mean I don’t have to leave my present employer, but if all else fails, I shall have to try and find a firm that has crèche facilities. V—’
‘You’re thinking of taking that baby to live with you?’ He seemed astounded at the very idea!
But that he should be astounded at something which, to her mind, was a foregone conclusion, annoyed her. ‘Naturally, I’m taking her,’ she stated forcefully. Adding, for good measure, ‘That baby is my niece!’
Only to be left staring at him open-mouthed when, ‘And mine!’ he stated quietly, purposefully.
Ellena closed her mouth, but was still staring at him incredulously, still not believing the deliberate intent behind his quietly spoken words. She just could not take in that he seemed to be saying that he wanted charge of Violette. Then her feeling of shock gave way to a feeling of fury—fury born of panic. Over her dead body! ‘You can’t possibly want her!’ she erupted furiously. ‘You’ve had nothing to do with her. I’ve seen her most every weekend!’ she staked her claim. ‘In the week, too, if her parents needed a babysitter,’ she tacked on for extra strength. ‘Why,’ she hurried on, barely pausing for breath, ‘you didn’t even know of Violette’s existence until I told you about—’
‘So now I do know,’ he cut in calmly. ‘And I have as much right as you to...’
‘No, you haven’t!’ she denied. ‘You don’t know her, you don’t love her, you...’
‘You live in a flat near Croydon.’ When had she told him that? She was too het up to remember. ‘I have a house in open country.’
Who said her flat wasn’t in open country? It was a wasted argument, she realised. ‘You led me on!’ she accused him furiously.
‘How the devil did I do that?’ he challenged harshly.
‘You know!’ she hurled back. ‘Finding out that while I have some funds they’re peanuts in relation to your wealth. Finding out that I have to work, so I won’t be able to be with Violette all the time. You’re despicable! You’re...’
‘You’re off your head!’ he countered. ‘It hadn’t so much as occurred to me that you’d want guardianship of that infant when I indulged in a little—polite conversation—to help the flight along.’
‘Polite conversation, my aunt Fanny!’ she tossed at him rudely, not believing it for a minute. ‘Well, you may make a claim for her, Mr Langford, but I’m having her!’ No way was she going to let the poor mite live with this brute!
‘I’ll see you in court,’ he drawled—and that infuriated her. Just because he had more money, a house in the country, he thought he could ride roughshod over other people. She loved the baby but he didn’t even know her!
‘You won’t stand a chance!’ Surely love came before money?
‘How do you figure that?’
She hadn’t yet. But, thus challenged, she slammed at him, ‘I’ve an unsullied reputation, for one thing!’
His look said, How boring. ‘You mean with the opposite sex?’ he drawled, and she wished she’d kept her mouth closed. But that How boring expression niggled her, forcing her on.
‘Which is more than can be said for you!’ she attacked sniffily.
‘It’s true, I’ve had my moments,’ he admitted mockingly. ‘But are you saying that you’ve never had any member of the opposite sex—er—staying over?’
‘That’s got nothing to do with you!’ she retorted hotly, starting to feel a shade warm around the ears.
‘It has, if you intend to stand up in court and swear to it,’ he derided.
He was infuriating. True, her experience of men was limited, though she was certain that there couldn’t be many around like him! ‘I’m prepared to do that if I have to,’ she told him snappily.
‘Ye gods!’ he exclaimed, seeming to find it incredible that she’d reached twenty-two without being tempted.
And that annoyed her. ‘From what I hear, you were chief practitioner of the love ’em and leave ‘em ethic.’
He shrugged.
