‘Close to Christmas? It’s only November.’
‘Most people start planning their schedule now so that they can grab some extra days off when the time comes. Pippa does the opposite, comes in earlier, works later. The nearer to Christmas it gets, the more of a workaholic she becomes. I could understand it if she was alone, but she’s got plenty of family. It’s as if she’s trying to avoid Christmas altogether.’
‘You make her sound like Scrooge.’
David grinned. ‘Well, I think I really have detected a touch of “Bah! Humbug!” in her manner.’
His phone rang. He answered it and made a face. ‘Don’t send him in or I’ll never get rid of him. I’ll come out there.’ Rising, he said, ‘Stay there and I’ll be back in a minute.’ He hurried out.
While waiting, Roscoe went to stand by the window, looking down on a part of London that spoke of wealth and manipulation, people in control, sophistication—rather like one aspect of Pippa Jenson. But not all of her, he thought, remembering the unselfconscious way he’d seen her joking with the headstone yesterday.
The door opened. Somebody flew into the room, speaking breathlessly. ‘Oh, my, what a day! But it was worth everything to see the look on Blakely’s face when I had all the figures—’
She stopped as Roscoe turned from the window.
‘Good afternoon, Miss Jenson,’ he said.
FOR a moment Pippa’s face was full of shock. ‘You,’ she murmured.
Then shock was swiftly replaced by a smile. ‘So prayers do get answered after all,’ she said.
‘I’m the answer to your prayers?’ he queried. ‘Now that I wasn’t expecting.’
‘Meeting you again is the answer to prayer,’ she said. ‘It gives me the chance to say thank you, otherwise I’d have had to search for you all over London. You came to my rescue three times last night—towing me to the garage, taking me home, bringing my papers over—and then I was rotten to you. I can’t forgive myself.’
‘No, that’s my job,’ he agreed. ‘Let’s forget it now.’
‘That’s kinder than I deserve. When I think—’
The door opened. It was David with the man he’d been trying to get rid of, and who was now talking nineteen to the dozen, causing David to make a face of resignation.
‘We’re in the way,’ Roscoe said. ‘Let’s have a bite to eat. Cavelli’s is very good, and it’s nearby.’
‘Great. I’m famished.’
Cavelli’s was a small restaurant over the road, just opening for the early evening. They found a table by the window.
‘I’d toast you in champagne,’ Roscoe said, ‘but I’m driving. What about you?’
‘I’m afraid my car’s still on the sick list. I came in by taxi.’
‘Champagne, then.’
‘Not on my own. What I’m really dying for is a cup of tea.’
He placed the order and sat regarding her for a moment. Her hair was pinned back again, as he’d first seen it, but the rich honey colour still had a luxuriant appearance. She was dressed for business in a dark blue trouser suit of decidedly mannish cut. But if she thought for a moment that it masked her vibrant sexual allure, she was deceiving herself, Roscoe thought.
He pulled himself together. This was a time for business. The ‘other’ Pippa, the one he’d seen last night, must be firmly banished. He did his best to achieve that, but it was hard when all around them people were turning to look at her in admiration.
They toasted each other in hot tea, and Pippa sighed theatrically with relief.
‘You don’t know what I owe you,’ she said. ‘Those papers won the case for me. Without them, it would have been a disaster.’
‘Yes, you couldn’t have made Frank Blakely sorry he was born, which I gather you did.’
She gave a triumphant chuckle. ‘I reported the figures, he disputed them, I produced the papers that proved them, he demanded to know how I came by those papers, I said my lips were sealed—’
‘That sounds a bit dodgy,’ Roscoe said, grinning, pleased.
‘Do you mind?’ she demanded, mock-offended. ‘I am not “a bit dodgy”’
‘I beg your pardon—’
‘I’m very dodgy—when I have to be. It depends on the client. Some need more dodginess than others. Some don’t need any.’ She added wickedly, ‘They’re the boring ones.’
‘I see you believe in adjusting to their requirements,’ he said appreciatively.
‘That’s right. Ready for anything.’ She chuckled. ‘It makes life interesting.’
‘Miss Jenson—’
‘Please, I think we’ve passed the point where you could call me Pippa.’
She didn’t add, After the way you saw me, but she didn’t need to.
‘Pippa—I’m sorry if I embarrassed you last night. I only wanted to return your property.’
‘It wasn’t your fault. It was just unlucky that you turned up…well…at that moment.’
‘He seemed to feel very strongly about you.’
She sighed. ‘He’s a nice boy but he can’t understand that I don’t feel the same way. We went out for a while, had some fun, but there was nothing in it beyond that.’
‘Not on your side, but surely his feelings were involved? ‘
For a moment Roscoe fancied a faint withered look came over Pippa’s face.
‘And if it had been the other way around, do you think he’d have cared about my feelings? ‘ she asked quietly.
‘Perhaps. He seemed to have really strong emotions about you.’
The look vanished so fast he couldn’t be sure he’d seen it. ‘Life’s a merry-go-round.’ She shrugged. ‘You have to look forward to the ups but always be ready for more downs.’
‘So there’s nobody special in your life at the moment? Or are there a dozen like him ready to spring out like last night?’
‘Possibly. I don’t keep count. Look, I just wanted to apologise for the way I flew at you. After what you did for me, you deserved better. Today was a triumph. I had two job offers as I was leaving
