You’re the expert. If you knew what a relief it is to me to have you here.’
‘You know I’ll do my best to look after him.’
‘That’s very sweet and generous of you after everything that happened.’
‘I’m not being sweet and generous,’ she said at once. ‘I’m being professional. Amos is my patient, even if he doesn’t know it.’ With a slight edge to her voice she said, ‘Feelings have nothing to do with it.’
‘Of course. I only meant— I don’t want you to think— Well, anyway, I’m grateful.’
He stopped abruptly. The air seemed to ring with his confusion and suddenly she too was confused. It wasn’t like Jackson to be lost for words.
‘I’ll leave you to get on with your unpacking,’ he said at last. ‘Tonight you’ll meet the rest of the crew. It should be a cheerful party.’
‘How have they felt about Amos being out here?’
‘They love him. When he started talking about the falcon god I saw Larry’s face light up. That’s Larry Lowton—the producer of the series. He’s a terrific producer and he’s treated Dad well. When we get to Edfu I think he’s going to find a way of including him in the show.’
‘What about you?’
‘I’m always there, talking to the camera.’
‘But you’re a Falcon too. Doesn’t he want to make use of that?’
‘You’re surely not suggesting that anyone could mistake me for a god, are you, Freya?’
‘I suppose not.’
‘Issuing edicts? Laying down the law? Nah! I’d be sure to make a mess of it, wouldn’t I?’ He regarded her with wry amusement. ‘That’s one thing I guess we can agree on.’
Here was dangerous territory. But she coped with ease, simply saying lightly, ‘If you say so.’
‘I do say so. Right, I’ll be going now. I’ll collect you in an hour.’
‘How do you dress for dinner here?’
‘Usually it’s pretty casual, but not tonight. Everyone’s poshing up in your honour. If you need me I’m just next door.’
He departed without waiting for a reply. Freya gave a small sigh of relief. So far it hadn’t gone too badly. Humour was a good way to deal with things.
It was a little disconcerting to know that he was next door, and when she went out onto the balcony she glanced at his window, ready to retreat if he appeared. But he didn’t, and she was able to breathe in the magical atmosphere undisturbed.
She’d brought a couple of elegant cocktail dresses with her. For dinner she chose one in blue silk that fitted her figure neatly without too much emphasis. Like Jackson, she was keeping her distance.
There had been that troublesome moment at the airport, when she’d feared that he had not come. But her feelings were easily explained, she assured herself. They needed him as a guide. No more. Nothing about him could bother her now. Not even the fact that he was in the next room.
After an hour he presented himself, dressed in an evening jacket.
‘You look fine,’ he said politely. ‘Let’s go and collect our parents.’
Both Amos and Janine were smartly dressed for the evening, and Freya was glad to see that the atmosphere between them was warm. Amos seemed to be enjoying himself.
Seven people were waiting for them.
‘This is Larry, the boss,’ Jackson said lightly. ‘He gives his orders and we all jump.’
‘That’s Jackson’s idea of a joke,’ Larry said. ‘I don’t think he’s ever taken an order in his life.’
Freya took to Larry from the start. In his early forties, he was moderately handsome, if slightly on the plump side, and he seemed to live permanently on the edge of laughter. He introduced her to Tommy, his second-in-command, a lively, feverish young man who sent her an admiring message with his eyes and started blurting out incoherent words—which Larry firmly silenced.
‘He’s a good lad,’ he told Freya under his breath, ‘but he can be exhausting.’
Jackson joined them and introduced the rest of the team, finishing with a dazzlingly pretty young woman who greeted him with a peck on the cheek.
‘This is Debra—Larry’s excellent secretary,’ Jackson explained. ‘And sometimes she deigns to act as my secretary too.’
That wasn’t her only role in his life, Freya thought; not if her teasing manner towards him was anything to go by. She watched as he sat next to Debra, giving her his full attention, laughing at something she said, meeting her eyes.
When the introductions were finished Larry led Freya to a chair and pulled it out.
‘Sit next to me,’ he said. ‘I want to know all about Jackson.’
‘Surely you know plenty about him by now?’ she said.
‘Only the trivial things. But every time we argue he wins. That’s got to stop. I want you to tell me about his weaknesses, so that I’ll have him at a disadvantage instead of the other way around.’
He spoke in a loud voice, inviting everyone to share the joke.
Jackson grinned. ‘He’s been trying to catch me on the hop since the day we met,’ he announced. ‘No success so far.’
‘But I can live in hope,’ Larry declared. ‘If this charming lady will be my co-conspirator?’
‘Nothing would give me more pleasure,’ Freya assured him. ‘I could always tell you about the time three years ago when— Well, let’s leave that until later.’
The mention of three years ago was a message to Jackson. This was a jokey conversation in which the recent past played no part. Tonight was simply for pleasure. His nod told her that he understood and agreed.
Larry was an entertaining companion, with a gift for telling anecdotes. One in particular reduced her to such a fit of laughter that everyone else at the table stared.
‘I’m sorry,’ she choked, bringing herself under control. ‘It’s the way you tell the story—were you ever an actor, by any chance?’
‘Yes, I was,’ he said. ‘I started as an actor and gave it up to become a director. And you saw through me. Boy, you’re really clever!’ He took both her hands in his, gazing deeply into her eyes. ‘Some time soon we must get together and you must tell me all about yourself.’
She wasn’t fooled. This wasn’t real flirting but a bit of harmless fun. And he expected her to understand it that way. His teasing glint made that clear. She had no problem in chuckling and saying with mock fervour, ‘I can’t wait.’
There was a cheer from the rest of the
