she mumbled mutinously. ‘I can’t find Daddy. I called him.’
Beth shot a glance at the kitchen. ‘I don’t suppose he could hear you. Shall we see if we can find him?’
‘Who turned that off?’ a voice yelled over the banisters, and a youth vaulted over the top rail on to the middle of the first flight and bounded down to the hall.
‘I did.’
‘Ah.’ He skidded to a halt at her feet and peered down at her. ‘Um—is Sophie all right?’
She looked up at a younger version of Gideon, thinner and still a little gangly, but filling out fast. The eyes were identical.
‘I think so—I imagine she was just trying to make herself heard,’ she said drily.
He flushed. ‘You must be the nurse.’ He held down his hand and hauled her to her feet with a grin. ‘I’m William.’
She returned the grin. ‘I’m Beth. I turned off your hot water, as well, but there wasn’t much left.’
There was a tug at her hand. ‘Find Daddy,’ Sophie demanded.
William scooped her up into his arms. ‘Daddy’s in the shower.’ He looked over Sophie to Beth. ‘He sends his apologies—he won’t be a sec. He’s had a bit of a crisis in the bathroom. You couldn’t help me get Sophie into bed so I can get the spaghetti on, could you? The sauce is made.’
‘I want ‘ghetti.’
‘You’ve had yours—go on, Tuppence, don’t be a pain.’ He kissed her and handed her over to Beth. ‘Top of the stairs, turn sharp right. You can’t miss her room—it’s got pink furry things all over the floor.’ Sophie giggled. ‘He means My Little Ponies. Want to see?’
Beth smiled at her, her heart twisting. She was such a cherub. ‘Love to. Shall we?’
She set her down and they walked together up the stairs, hand in hand, while Beth wondered what sort of a crisis Gideon could possibly have had in the bathroom. She didn’t have to wonder for long.
‘I had a bath,’ Sophie told Beth seriously as they mounted the stairs. ‘A big one.’
‘Oh,’ Beth replied just as seriously. ‘Very big?’
Sophie nodded. ‘Too big—all the water fell over the top, and all the bubbles. Daddy threw a mega.’
She caught the laugh just in time. That expression just had to be straight out of her big brother’s or sister’s mouth. Lips twitching, she turned the corner at the top of the stairs just in time to see Gideon cross the landing clad only in a towelling robe belted loosely on his hips.
‘Beth!’
She smiled uncertainly. ‘Um—Sophie was yelling for you. William asked me to put her to bed…’
‘That boy—OK, Tuppence, come on, let’s tuck you up —’
She hid her hands firmly behind her back.
‘Beth do it.’
‘No, Daddy do it—‘
‘No.’ The chin stuck out, the cherub lips pursed in a determined little pout.
‘Really, I don’t mind ——’
‘Sophie ——’
‘Please, Daddy, please?’
They stood looking down at the little minx, and Beth had a sudden pang in the region of her heart that just wouldn’t be denied. ‘I would like to—may I? I could read her a story while you get changed.’
He glanced down, as if he had suddenly realised he was hardly dressed for the occasion, and a slow, rueful smile crawled across his face.
‘Be my guest,’ he said gruffly, and turned away from her. ‘Ten minutes, Sophie, all right?’
‘All right,’ she piped, and, taking Beth’s hand, she led her into her room.
It was a lovely evening. Claire, the middle child, was quiet and watchful at first, but having established Beth was not a threat she opened up and was quite charming. Will was good fun, Beth decided, despite the shatteringly loud music, and Sophie—well, she had fallen in love with Sophie sitting on the hall floor and nothing had happened to change that. Gideon was a bit of an enigma, though, quiet and watchful like Claire but without opening up.
Maybe he never did. The children didn’t seem to think there was anything unusual in his behaviour, and he was perfectly polite. It was just that he was withdrawn, almost as if he regretted issuing the invitation, and when she said she ought to be going he leapt to his feet with alacrity.
‘I’ll walk you back,’ he said firmly, and so she said goodnight to the children, thanked William for cooking the meal and allowed Gideon to hustle her out of the door.
He didn’t really, it was just that she was being oversensitive—or perhaps just picking up accurately on something he had meant to keep to himself.
They walked back to the coach house with only the sound of gravel underfoot to break the silence, glad now of the outside lights that dispelled the shadows of the trees and drove the spooks away.
‘I’m sorry about the chaos when you arrived,’ he said finally as they arrived at her door.
She shot him a wry grin. ‘I should imagine it’s like that in most families in the evening,’ she replied, unaware of the slight wistfulness in her voice.
He tipped his head, watching her thoughtfully. ‘Do you have any brothers or sisters?’
She nearly laughed. ‘No,’ she told him instead. ‘Once was enough for my parents. I disrupted the even tenor of their peaceful academia quite sufficiently without them making a habit of it.’
‘You sound bitter.’
‘Do I? I’m sorry, I would have thought by now I’d got over that. I have, really. It’s just—well, tonight—you’re a very lucky man, Gideon. A very lucky man.’
His laugh was low and hollow. ‘It doesn’t always seem like that.’
‘When you’re mopping the bathroom floor, for instance?’
He snorted. ‘Exactly. Oh, well. Thank you for your help with Sophie, by the way. She can be a real treasure when she’s not arguing.’
‘I noticed.’
A silence fell between them, a silence heavy with awareness and tension. He reached behind her and opened the door, pushing it wide.
‘You’d better go in before you get cold,’ he muttered, his voice husky.
‘Thank you for a lovely evening.’
‘My pleasure. Goodnight.’ He turned and walked away, his footsteps crunching. She shut the
