allowed himself to be so uncharacteristically candid. But sometimes the pain of losing Robbie and remembering the bleak reality of their childhood was so crushing that he thought he might go mad if he didn’t ever speak his feelings out loud. Yet he knew in reality that he couldn’t afford to show even a hint of such weakness to anybody. In his illustrious family it just wasn’t done.
‘Was he married? Did he have a family of his own?’ Georgia ventured.
‘The answer is no, to both of those questions. Thank you for your condolences, but I really do need to get on.’
‘Right.’
He saw her own guard come up, and immediately regretted it.
‘So? Presumably you wanted to talk to me about work?’
She crossed her arms over her chest in the too-large navy blue sweatshirt she wore, with its recognisable sports motif, and Keir realised that it had probably belonged to her brother at some point. The realisation immediately reminded him of how close the two of them must be, and he knew again a faint yet disturbing pang of envy.
Because Robbie was dead, and he would now never have the chance to be close to him even if he wished it, and because he’d been forced to return to Glenteign when he’d rather be a million miles away, Keir’s pain spilled over into sudden irritation.
‘I know it’s Sunday, but we’re going to have to make a start on things today. Everything’s got far too behind to be left until tomorrow, so the sooner we start to tackle the backlog, the better. If you had any plans to look round the gardens or drive into the village, then I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.’
‘I didn’t make any plans to go anywhere, and I’m perfectly aware that I came here to work. It’s no problem for me to work on a Sunday…I’ve done it many times.’
‘Good. Then might I suggest that you change into something a little more appropriate for work, and come back here in…’ he gave a perfunctory glance at his watch ‘…say twenty minutes?’
‘I’m only dressed like this because I took Hamish for a walk!’
‘The shirt is your brother’s, I take it?’
‘Is that a problem?’
For a moment Keir saw mutiny in her surprised glance, and as his gaze descended from those flashing hazel eyes of hers to her softly bare mouth an unexpected jolt of sexual heat zig-zagged hotly through his insides. The sensation staggered him, arising unbidden as it did—and in what could hardly be deemed a ‘provocative’ situation.
‘I don’t have time to stand here bandying words with you, Ms Cameron…Just go and do as I say, will you?’
CHAPTER THREE
THE SLIGHTLY COOLER evening air that breezed in through the open casement windows arrested Georgia’s attention with the ravishing floral scent it brought with it. Seated at the absent Valerie’s desk, immersed in typing yet another long and involved letter regarding estate business, she briefly closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The hypnotic perfume of roses in full bloom was almost soporific, and undeniably sensual as well. Lifting her arms, she stretched like a contented cat, her breasts pushing against the Indian cotton of her blouse, and the ache in her back from sitting too long eased.
‘When you’ve finished that letter we may as well call it a day.’
Her eyes flew open again at the sound of Keir’s rich, cultured tones. They’d worked alongside each other mainly in silence save for a couple of telephone calls he’d had to make, with Keir and herself only speaking when it was absolutely essential. Having been quite content with this arrangement, Georgia had to reacquaint herself with the sound of his arresting voice.
A brief surge of disturbing heat flowed through her in response, and she quickly dropped her arms and turned her head to look at him.
Having observed her unknowingly seductive stretch, and seen the points of her breasts strain the material of the soft white blouse she wore, Keir reeled from the thunderbolt of desire that shot through his insides at the sight. In fact, he’d plainly detected a husky inflection in his voice that had been the direct result of that moment of unexpected sexual excitement.
‘Are you sure? I don’t mind working on for another hour or so, if you need me to,’ she replied.
He was sorely tempted to agree. If only to hope that he might glimpse such an unwittingly sensual little manoeuvre again…Good God, he had been working too hard! Suddenly impatient with himself, Keir got to his feet and swept the pile of correspondence he’d been diligently sifting through deliberately aside.
‘Enough is enough,’ he said gruffly, raking his fingers through his straight dark hair. ‘Besides…dinner is at seven on a Sunday, and no doubt you’ll want to take Hamish for a walk before you go and get ready.’
‘He’s not the only one who could do with a stretch of the legs.’ Georgia smiled. ‘I feel as if I’ve been welded to this chair, I’ve sat in it so long!’
‘Finding the going too tough already? This is only the tip of the iceberg. The week ahead will be even harder.’
His mocking words completely demolished her smile.
‘It’s not too tough at all! I’m used to a fairly punishing pace, and I can handle it so please don’t worry on that score.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. Tomorrow morning we’ve got a hundred and one things to get through, not least catching up with the rest of this wretched correspondence! It seems to have grown into a veritable mountain since Valerie’s accident. I also need you to liaise with Moira and the kitchen staff about a couple of dinners that I’m giving at the house which are coming up. After that I need you to familiarise yourself with the local post office in Lochheel, because I’ll need you to take the post there at the end of each day, and after that…’ He paused, to make sure she was keeping up with this itinerary. ‘In the evening I’ll need you to come with me to Dundee, where I’m attending a classical concert. It’s a charity benefit, organised by a friend of mine, and as I have an invitation for two I thought you might as well come and enjoy the evening with me. Did you bring anything suitable to wear to a black-tie event?’
He was asking her to sit through an entire concert with him? Listening to some blissful classical music would not be in the least bit arduous, but spending the evening with a man who seemed not to even know the meaning of the word ‘relax’ definitely would! Even though they had worked together in relative peace, she had still easily sensed the tension in him. Every time he’d moved, even a little bit, he’d practically made her jump! And, reflecting quickly on the contents of the suitcase she had brought, Georgia knew straight away that she didn’t possess the kind of sophisticated outfit that he was no doubt hoping she possessed to wear to this event.
‘No…I’m afraid I don’t,’ she told him. ‘I didn’t expect that I’d need—’
‘In that case I’ll have to talk to Moira. There are a couple of vintage dresses that have been in the family for years. I’m sure there must be one in your size. I’ll ask Moira to show you, and you can try them on.’ His relentlessly blue eyes narrowing impatiently, Keir frowned. ‘If they’re not suitable then we’ll just have to add shopping to our itinerary and get you something.’
Georgia’s
