at the Manor House and she might have expected her to let Nate know what was happening in the village. As to talking with him, surely it would be best, from her viewpoint, to steer very clear of both Branscombes, but especially Nate? Already she was conscious of a knot forming in her stomach and a fluttery feeling growing in her chest. In every way he was dangerous to her peace of mind. Her alarm system was on full alert.
Nate must have taken her gesture for agreement. He nodded once more to both of them and then left, walking over to the table at the corner of the terrace. As Nate went to sit opposite his father, Sophie saw that another man had come to join them—a man she recognised as Lord Branscombe’s Estate Manager...his most recent Estate Manager. Her father had done the job for a good many years before him. She sucked in a sharp breath.
Jake’s gaze followed them. ‘I wonder what will happen to the estate if Lord Branscombe really has lost most of his money overseas. That’s what the newspaper articles are saying...that he’s gambled his son and heir’s inheritance on a doomed investment and lost.’
‘I think there’s a lot more to worry about than Nate’s inheritance. There are more than two dozen houses on the estate with tenants who will be worried about what’s going to happen to their homes.’
Jake’s expression was sombre. ‘And your father’s one of them. It’s understandable if you, of all people, feel angry about the way Lord Branscombe’s behaved.’
‘Maybe.’ She frowned. ‘But, like I said, I think I’d prefer not to talk about that right now.’
‘Of course. But at least it sounds as though Lord Branscombe’s finally getting his comeuppance.’
She didn’t answer. The waitress came and refilled Sophie’s coffee cup, glancing surreptitiously over to where Nate was sitting. Absently, she went to pour a refill for Jake.
‘None for me, thanks,’ he said, covering his cup with his hand.
‘Oh, okay.’ Still casting quick looks in Nate’s direction, the girl slowly walked away.
Jake made a wry smile. ‘He’s lost none of his charm, has he?’ he murmured, glancing at Sophie. ‘He still has that charisma that had all the girls hankering after him.’ There was a hint of envy in his voice.
‘Mm hmm.’ She was hardly immune to it herself—no matter how much she’d told herself in the intervening years that Nate didn’t have any power over her feelings, it had taken only a few seconds in his company for him to prove her profoundly wrong. ‘I suppose so.’
They chatted for a while, about Jake’s work and her job as a children’s doctor, until, reluctantly, he glanced once more at his watch. ‘I should go,’ he said. ‘Do you want me to see you back to your car?’
She shook her head. ‘No, that’s all right. I still have to finish off this coffee. You go ahead. I’ll leave in a minute or so.’
‘Okay.’ He stood up, leaning over to give her a quick, affectionate kiss on the cheek. ‘I’ll see to the bill on my way out.’
‘Thanks.’ Sophie watched him leave and then slowly sipped her coffee. It was hot, a new brew fresh from the pot, so she had to take her time. Lord Branscombe, she noticed, glancing idly towards his table, was picking at a plate of food with hardly any appetite, while his Estate Manager was tucking in to a steak and all the trimmings. Nate wasn’t eating. The three men seemed to be having an avid discussion about something—the way forward, she supposed.
A short time later she pushed her cup away and picked up her handbag, getting ready to leave.
‘You’re going already?’ Nate must have been watching her because he suddenly appeared at her side, his hand coming to support her elbow as she stood up. ‘I didn’t want you to leave without my having the chance to talk to you again. Perhaps I could walk with you?’
‘I... Yes... I mean...’ She was flustered, startled by the way he’d homed in on her, and she stayed silent as he accompanied her down the stairs. By the time they reached the lounge area of the restaurant, though, she had managed to recover her equilibrium enough to say, ‘Won’t your father be expecting you to keep him company?’
‘I’m sure he’ll be fine without me for a while. Besides, I’ve said all I need to say to him for now. He knows my opinion. I’ve no doubt he and Maurice will be battling things out for another hour or so yet.’
They walked out of the white-painted building and stood by the railings on the cliff path, looking out over the rugged crags to the beach below. ‘I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to see you with Jake,’ Nate said. ‘You were always good friends...but I saw that he kissed you. Are you and he a couple now?’ He was studying her intently. ‘Are things serious between you?’
She blinked at the suddenness of the question. She’d forgotten how direct he could be. ‘Oh, we met up again fairly recently,’ she answered cautiously. ‘I think he’s fond of me but, really, we’re just friends.’ She suspected Jake would like to take things further, but after a couple of ill-fated relationships over the last few years, she wasn’t about to step into another one in a hurry. Perhaps she was the problem. She’d seen what had happened with her parents’ marriage and she wasn’t ready to put her trust in anyone any time soon.
‘I see.’ He studied her closely as though gauging her response. He didn’t seem to believe the ‘just friends’ scenario. ‘I’ve always cared for you, Sophie. You know that, don’t you? It was hard for me to see you hurting so much after what happened to your father. I felt perhaps you blamed me in some way—perhaps you thought I should have tried to stop my father from flying—’
‘You must have known he had angina.’ She stared at him, and the pain must have been clear in her eyes. ‘Surely there was something you could have done?’
His gaze travelled over her, searing her with its intensity. ‘You know what he’s like. He never admits to weakness. And I was working at a hospital in Cornwall at the time.’ His mouth flattened. ‘Sophie, I never wanted there to be this rift between us. You didn’t seem to want me around but I always hoped—’
She stopped him before he could say any more. ‘No—let’s not go there,’ she said quickly, anxious to ward off complications. He’d gone away to work abroad, leaving her to pick up the pieces. Perhaps, like he’d said, it was hard for him to see her pain, to witness the heartache his father had caused. ‘A lot’s happened in the last few years. I’m sure we’re very different people now—leastways, I know I am. These past two years have changed me.’ She braced her shoulders. ‘So what’s happening with you? Is there someone in your life these days?’
He pulled a face and shrugged. ‘You know me,’ he said. ‘Can’t settle—too much going on all the while.’
‘Hmm. And it’s going to take time, isn’t it, to find the right woman...the one with the class and breeding to take her place at Branscombe Manor?’ She said it with a smile, with the wry knowledge that he would most likely exhaust all possibilities before making his pick.
‘Oh, you know me so well, don’t you?’ he said with a short laugh, reading her mind. ‘Or at least you always thought you did.’ He sobered, studying her thoughtfully.
‘Oh, cryptic now, are we?’ She let that one pass and asked seriously, ‘So...have you come back to sort out the estate?’
He raised
