for being so blind that he couldn’t see the unselfish love right in front of his eyes? A love he was about to lose…
Or Andie for seeming so indifferent about Audrey’s imminent departure?
Or was he just angry with himself?
The latter was probably the more truthful, he accepted. He had gone along for years believing nothing would ever change, that Rome, Audrey, and the three girls would be there, as they always had been.
But nothing had stayed the same. Harrie and Danie were both married now, with homes of their own. Audrey had decided it was time for her to leave the family. And Andie—Andie had become a stranger to him.
And self-pity, he decided determinedly, was not an option!
CHAPTER TWO
AUDREY gave a wistful smile. ‘It’s simply time for me to move on, Andie,’ she lightly answered the latter’s enquiry.
Andie hadn’t meant to come to the estate at all this weekend, had felt she was going to need time on her own after her enforced leave of absence from the magazine had started yesterday. But annoyed as she might have felt at Adam’s remarks earlier in the week, they had struck a chord, and she had decided she had to come down after all and talk to Audrey.
She had arrived at the estate the previous evening, but this was the first opportunity she had had to talk to Audrey on her own, Rome a glowering presence at the dinner table the evening before, but luckily out on estate business this morning.
Audrey looked as beautiful and composed as she usually did, the blue of her tailored dress a match for the colour of her eyes, her blonde hair loose about her shoulders. But there was also a sadness in those blue eyes Andie had never seen there before…
‘But move on where?’ she questioned now as the two women enjoyed a mid-morning cup of coffee together in the sun-lounge.
Audrey gave a laugh. ‘I haven’t exactly thought that far ahead yet,’ she admitted.
Andie’s eyes widened at the admission. ‘You haven’t…?’ she said slowly. ‘But I assumed—I thought you must have found yourself a better job?’ She frowned her confusion.
Was it her imagination, or did Audrey’s gaze suddenly become slightly evasive. And if so, why had it?
Could Adam be right, after all—damn him!—and there was more to Audrey’s decision to leave than was at first apparent?
Audrey shrugged. ‘I’m actually thinking of not getting another job for a while. I have quite a bit of money saved—after all, what do I have to spend it on?—and so, I thought I might travel, see some of the world.’
Andie didn’t feel in the least reassured by this answer. ‘But you travel with Daddy all the time…’
The other woman sighed. ‘Travelling with Rome is nothing more than a series of business meetings. Most of the time I have no idea which country I’m in at any particular moment; boardrooms look the same the world over!’
This explanation sounded feasible enough, Andie decided. After all, Audrey was only in her early forties, still young enough to want to do some of the things that she might have dreamed of in her youth. And yet…
Adam had put these doubts into her mind, Andie realised irritably. After all, it was Audrey’s life, and she must be allowed the freedom to do with it what she wanted. The same freedom Andie had recently insisted on in her own life…
‘You never know,’ Audrey added with a smile, ‘I might just meet someone and have children of my own. I’m not too old yet, you know.’
‘You most certainly aren’t,’ Adam remarked firmly as he strolled unannounced into the sun-lounge. ‘And whoever he is, he’ll be a lucky man!’ he added warmly.
Andie had known Adam would be here this weekend—he had made that more than obvious on Monday!—but, nevertheless, she was rather nonplussed at having him walk in on her conversation with Audrey in this way.
It was also a little disconcerting to hear him talking to Audrey in this slightly flirtatious way, especially as she was still processing Audrey’s remark through her own thoughts!
She was ashamed to admit she had never thought of Audrey in that particular way before, had always assumed the older woman was happy with her life and career. Or maybe Adam was right, and they had all just selfishly taken Audrey’s presence here for granted all these years…!
But Audrey was quite right, too; at only forty-two, there was still time for her to have a family and home of her own.
From the warmly appreciative way Adam was looking at Audrey now, he was more than aware of the other woman’s attraction. And why shouldn’t he be? There were only just over two years’ difference in their ages…
‘Thank you for that kind remark, Adam,’ Audrey told him warmly as she stood up to kiss him on the cheek.
‘I’m not being kind, Audrey.’ He looked down at her intensely. ‘I’m stating a fact.’
‘I thank you, anyway.’ Audrey smiled up at him as she squeezed his arm. ‘I’ll just go and get another cup and you can join us for a coffee,’ she said before disappearing out of the room.
The silence that followed her departure was stilted to say the least, Andie decided as she glanced across at Adam beneath long lashes.
He was dressed casually today, in a black silk shirt teamed with fitted black denims, having thrown his silver-grey jacket into one of the wicker chairs as he’d entered the sun-lounge a few minutes ago. He was looking tall and lithe, his slightly overlong silver-blonde hair brushing the collar of his shirt, a slender gold watch nestling in the golden hair of his right wrist.
Adam looked exactly what he was, Andie realised: a highly successful businessman, and a very eligible bachelor!
His expression was guarded as he looked across at her. ‘You decided to come down, after all,’ he murmured distantly.
He was still angry, Andie realised. But by what right? Okay, so they had all been a bit unthinking where Audrey’s resignation was concerned, but Adam had no idea of the circumstances of the last few weeks—and he would remain in ignorance as far as she was concerned! He had no right to judge what he didn’t understand. Besides, she still stuck by her position that it wasn’t for any of them to stand in the way of what Audrey had decided she wanted to do.
‘Yes, as you can see,’ she replied, sitting forward in her seat as she prepared to stand up. ‘You’ll have to excuse me, I’m afraid; I was just about to go over to the hothouse to check on Mummy’s roses.’
Adam gave her a derisive glance. ‘I’m sure they can continue to grow for the next ten minutes or so without your checking on them! Long enough for you to sit with me while I drink my coffee, at least.’
She drew in a sharp breath at his undoubted mockery. She and Adam seemed to have been at odds with each other just recently—and she couldn’t say it was something she was very comfortable with.
‘I’m sure they can,’ she acknowledged softly as she remained seated. She was
