His mouth tightened. ‘It was an accident waiting to happen. The towpath on a foggy night is no place for a drunk.’
‘Hal…’ she warned, with a touch to his arm, reminding him that they weren’t alone. Curling her fingers back when he looked across at her. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know. About your dad.’
‘Why would you? You were never around when he came home after closing time.’
‘No.’ Had he been a violent drunk, or a sullen one? She restrained a shiver. ‘Even so it was a shocking thing.’
‘Why don’t you say what’s really on your mind, Claire? Where was I when my mother needed me?’
‘No… At least I assumed the ban was still in place,’ she said. ‘I begged my mother to speak to Sir Robert. It seemed so cruel.’
‘Did you?’ Was that a smile? Stupid question, her heart rate had gone through the roof… ‘And did she?’
She shook her head. ‘She said I didn’t understand. That it wasn’t that simple. That you’d never come back.’
‘How wrong can you be?’ He took the slip road off the ring road. ‘Have you told her?’
‘That you’ve bought Cranbrook Park? No.’
‘Mothers. Always the last to know anything…’ He shrugged. ‘Well, when you do you can inform her that she was wrong on both accounts. It wasn’t the ban that kept me away.’
He slowed for the roundabout, his hand brushing her leg as he changed down. She jumped as his touch shot through her like a charge of electricity but he didn’t appear to notice.
‘The boring truth is that I was in India on business when it happened and my mother made sure that I didn’t hear about it until it was all over and done with. I had her out of here the minute I did.’ He glanced at her. ‘She wouldn’t leave before. In case you were wondering.’
‘Why would I wonder? I had no idea you were so successful. Or that she might be unhappy.’ She swallowed. ‘I’m sorry, Hal.’
‘Don’t be. At least not for me.’ He picked up speed, reached for the stick shift to change up but before she could move her knees out of the danger zone, he said, ‘Jack North wasn’t my natural father.’
Claire, stunned, opened her mouth, but couldn’t think of a thing to say and closed it again.
Hal, shockingly, laughed. ‘Could that be you losing the power of speech?’ he asked.
‘No!’
Not his father?
Well, that made sense in a weird sort of way. They hadn’t been a bit alike…
‘Well, maybe. Just a bit,’ she admitted, with a rueful smile.
So who was? Someone on the estate? Who did he look like? There was something flickering in the back of her mind. Something she’d heard, maybe, or seen…
‘Was that your intention?’ she asked, refusing to ask him outright. If she’d learned anything in her brief dealings with Hal North, it was that if he wanted her to know something he’d tell her. If he didn’t, he’d change the subject.
Then, suspiciously, ‘Was it even true?’
Working with Hal North Rule Number Five: Don’t believe everything he says.
‘If it was my intention, clearly I’m going to have to try harder,’ he said, turning off the road and pulling into the riverside car park. ‘But why would I lie?’
‘To wind me up?’
‘Why would I bother when you do such a great job all by yourself.’
Okaaay…
Working with Hal North Rule Number Six: Disregard Rule Number Five.
But why would he tell her something so personal? Did he really believe that removing her from the news desk would totally silence her? Surely no man so careful of privacy would be that naive?
No way. He’d told her because it didn’t matter. She’d mentioned the tragic accident in that first piece she’d written about him, but Jack North was a drunken labourer who’d fallen into the river and drowned one misty night. How much worse could it get?
No. He simply wanted to shock her. Send her off on some wild goose chase, no doubt. But while her curiosity was aroused she felt nothing but relief that she wouldn’t have to write it.
Get this Wish thing over with and she’d happily report town-council meetings and agricultural shows until the cows came home.
He’d climbed out, opened Ally’s door while she struggled to make sense of it. ‘First one to the island gets an ice cream,’ he said, as he lifted her down, then having wound her up, stood back to let her race away over the bridge.
‘Oh, for goodness sake.’ She scrambled down. ‘Not before lunch!’
‘And the milkshake you promised her?’
She glared at him. ‘Don’t go too close to the water, Ally!’
‘Spoil sport.’
‘Try responsible…’ She sighed. ‘Oh, never mind.’
He was right. She’d been happy enough to use a treat to wind up Hal and Ally was having a miserable half term. An ice cream would do no harm.
She walked on, Hal’s hand still on her arm, holding her at his side as if fearing that she, too, might bolt, run on ahead.
‘I’m sorry, Hal. It’s half term. Jessie Michaels usually has her in the mornings. She and Savannah are best friends, were best friends. They’ve fallen out.’
‘How are you managing?’
‘Like every other woman in my situation. And every man. With a combination of help from my friends, expensive childcare and, when all else fails, doing what I did today and taking her with me to the office.’
‘Not ideal.’
‘No. She’s being good, but it’s a bit like living with a volcano with the lid on. You know it’s going to blow and that the longer it takes the worse it’s going to be.’ She sighed. ‘At least now, thanks to you, I can work at home.’
‘You don’t sound particularly grateful.’
‘Forgive me if I don’t weep with gratitude, Hal, but I don’t think you meant to be kind.’
They’d reached the far end of the bridge where Ally was waiting for them, jumping up and down with excitement.
‘I won, I won…’
‘You beat us,’ Hal said, taking a handful of coins from his pocket. ‘Okay, let me see… I think I’ll have a ninety-nine…’
