park, Hester found herself wondering why Connah’s edict had annoyed her. Any Norland-trained nanny worth her salt should have been glad that he refused to have her wait on him. But she felt hurt that he didn’t want her in and out of his study on a regular basis. The rapport of the night before had obviously been a figment of her imagination.
‘What’s the matter, Hester?’ asked Lowri, eyeing her anxiously.
‘Nothing, why?’
‘You were frowning.’
‘The sun’s strong today.’
‘I know. I’m hot! Can I buy us some ice creams again, please?’
‘Of course.’ Hester fished in her purse for change. ‘Only this time let’s sit down to eat them.’
‘OK.’ Lowri ran off to the café, but before Hester could find an empty bench she spotted a man speaking to Lowri and raced towards them, pressing the button on her phone for Sam as she went, by which time Lowri was in possession of two ice cream cones and the man was nowhere to be seen.
‘Who was that man, Lowri?’ gasped Hester, her heart in her throat.
‘I don’t know. He wanted to buy me an ice cream.’ Lowri grinned at Hester’s look of outrage as she handed one to her. ‘Don’t worry, I said no, thank you—very politely—and he went away. It’s all right,’ she added soothingly, ‘that kind of thing’s hammered into us in school.’
‘What kind of thing?’ demanded Hester.
‘Never to talk to strangers, and never, ever, let them sell you anything or buy anything for you.’
‘So you know the drill. Good,’ said Hester, fighting for calm. ‘What did the man say?’
‘He asked if you were my mother—wow, Sam’s in a hurry,’ Lowri added as he sprinted to join them.
‘What’s up?’ he demanded, and Hester explained while Lowri demolished her ice cream.
‘Before we go back to the car,’ said Sam, his eyes hard, ‘how about we take a walk through the park, Lowri? If you see the man, point him out to us.’
She shrugged. ‘I didn’t take much notice of him, Sam. But he had smart clothes. He was rather nice.’
‘What’s the matter?’ Hester asked, as Lowri sighed heavily.
‘I suppose you’ll stick to me like glue from now on.’
‘You’d better believe it!’
The child’s mouth drooped. ‘If you tell Daddy, you won’t have to—he won’t even let me come in the park any more.’
Or sack the nanny on the spot.
But Connah was surprisingly calm when Hester reported the incident the minute they got home. ‘Did you know the man?’
‘No.’
‘Would you know him again?’
‘I doubt it. I took one look, and ran to break it up. But he’d disappeared by the time I reached them. I do apologise. I’ll know better another time.’ Hester looked at him squarely. ‘If there’s to be another time. For me, I mean.’
‘Of course there will,’ he said, surprised. ‘My daughter’s become attached to you so quickly there’d be hell to pay if I tried to replace you.’
‘And I to her,’ Hester assured him. ‘In the circumstances, perhaps Sam could take us further afield for our walk tomorrow.’
‘Good idea. Take a picnic lunch.’ Connah’s eyes softened slightly. ‘Relax, Hester. There was no actual harm done.’
She sighed. ‘I suppose not. But in future I’ll be doubly vigilant.’
Connah Carey Jones took so long to get his daughter to bed that night, he felt respect for Hester and for Alice before her, who, like his mother, managed the process so effortlessly. When it became obvious that Lowri was drawing it out to see how far she could go before he lost patience, he kissed her one last time and told her to go to sleep, or else.
‘Or else what, Daddy?’ she said, smiling at him.
‘Try it and find out,’ he growled, and Lowri, knowing she’d pushed the envelope far enough, blew him a kiss and settled down.
Connah smiled to himself as he closed the door. Lowri was growing up fast. The thought gave him a sharp pang as he went downstairs. All too soon she would be a teenager, with all the problems that entailed. Problems he would have to deal with single-handed.
As he passed the lower landing window, he caught sight of Hester’s graceful, athletic figure coming into view and stood still, watching her walk towards the house, suddenly aware of how empty it had felt without her for a few hours. He raised a sardonic eyebrow. Empty, with Lowri and Sam in residence? Lacking, then, rather than empty. After only a matter of days, Miss Hester Ward had become a vitally necessary part of life in Albany Square. To him, he admitted, as well as to Lowri. Which was preposterous in such a short time. But a fact, just the same. He wanted more of Hester’s company than just at mealtimes with Lowri, or a few minutes when the child was in bed. With sudden decision he thought of the ideal way to achieve it, then his eyes narrowed as he saw Hester pause at the foot of the steps to speak to a man who’d been following her along the pavement. Connah craned his neck, but the man was just out of view. After a moment or two Hester ran up the steps to ring the bell and he hurried downstairs to intercept her as she made for the kitchen.
‘You’re home early,’ he commented.
She smiled at him. ‘There’s a film on television I missed at the cinema, so I left after supper to walk back in good time. Robert wanted to drive me, but I felt like the exercise—always a good move after one of my mother’s little suppers.’
‘I saw you from the landing window,’ Connah informed her.
‘You were watching for me?’ The dark blue eyes frosted over. ‘Am I late?’
‘Of course not. I happened to be passing the landing window when I noticed a man following you. Was he someone you know?’
‘No. Just someone asking directions to Chester Gardens,’ she said coolly, and went past him into the kitchen.
‘If you’re making coffee, I’d like some too,’ he said, feeling wrong-footed as he made the request. She was in his employ, dammit. He had the right to ask her to make him a cup of coffee. His jaw set as she promptly laid a tray with a solitary cup and saucer. ‘I want your company while you drink it,’ he informed her crisply.
Hester looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. ‘Very well.’
‘Put another cup on the tray and come up to the study with me. Please. I want to talk something over with you.’
Connah took the tray from Hester and waved her ahead of him up the stairs.
‘Is it something about Lowri?’ she asked, then regretted it. What else could it possibly be?
‘Actually,
