looked at him for a moment, then nodded. ‘I’ll be back from the hospital about eight-thirty. If you want, you can ring me up at the house then.’
‘You’re staying here?’
‘I’m living here, Mr Dysart. At least, for the time being. I’m Gabriel Brett.’
‘Gabriel?’ Adam Dysart stared at her in astonishment, then held out his hand, his smile sudden and delighted. ‘It’s so long since we met I didn’t recognise you. Though Lord knows I feel I know you well enough. Harry talks about his brilliant daughter all the time, pleased as punch that you’re following in his footsteps—swears you’re even more skilled than he is.’
‘I’m taking over from him for a while,’ she said, ignoring the compliment. ‘But I’m up to my ears in the work he’s got on hand, so I just can’t help you at the moment. And if you’ll forgive me, Mr Dysart, I really must get on. Goodbye.’ She gave him a cool nod of dismissal, and went back across the barn to the task she’d been involved in before the interruption.
Adam Dysart stared after her in blank, offended disbelief for a moment, then turned on his heel and dived into his car.
Wayne and Eddie glanced across at their boss’s daughter afterwards in trepidation. The slim, boiler-suited figure was rigid with such obvious displeasure they kept to their tasks in total silence until Gabriel took off the binoculars at last and eyed them with resignation.
‘What’s bugging you two?’ she demanded.
Wayne, tall, thin, with fair curly hair kept in place by a towelling sweatband, exchanged a look with dark, stocky Eddie.
‘The thing is, Gabriel, your dad usually drops everything when Adam Dysart comes in with his latest find. Gives him priority.’ He shrugged apologetically. ‘Just thought you ought to know.’
‘Thank you for sharing that with me, Wayne,’ said Gabriel tartly, ‘but I know all about my father’s arrangement with Dysart’s Auction House. Nevertheless, with Dad in hospital and work piled up here, I refuse to drop everything just because the Dysart crown prince demands immediate attention.’
‘Does your dad know that?’ asked Eddie, backing away in mock terror at the look she gave him.
‘Because of this very arrangement,’ said Gabriel crisply, ‘Dad’s workload got too heavy at times because he couldn’t say no to Adam Dysart. And since Alison left Dad’s had too much on his plate all round, even with you two on hand. No wonder he had a heart attack.’
‘Have you got cold feet about restoring Adam’s painting yourself?’ asked Eddie bravely.
‘I certainly have not!’ Gabriel glared at him. ‘But Mr Dysart will just have to wait his turn, like everyone else.’
‘Dysart’s are holding one of their major auctions soon,’ said Wayne, holding up a print to the array of fluorescent tubes mounted behind his workbench. ‘Fine art and furniture. Adam’s probably found something he’s keen to put in.’
‘Too bad. He’ll just have to take his hot property elsewhere,’ said Gabriel, then sighed impatiently. ‘What now?’
‘You can’t do that, Gabriel, it’ll upset your dad,’ remonstrated Wayne.
‘Not,’ she said menacingly, ‘if no one tells him.’
‘We won’t,’ muttered Eddie. ‘But Adam might.’
‘He doesn’t know which hospital Dad’s in,’ she reminded them.
Wayne shrugged. ‘It wouldn’t take much detective work. All he has to do is get on the phone to Pennington General.’
It was a thought which occupied Gabriel to the exclusion of all else until she reached the hospital to visit her father that evening. To her relief Harry Brett looked a lot better, his eyes bright with the familiar twinkle which had worried her sick by its absence since the heart attack.
‘Hello, my love, you look rather delicious tonight,’ he said, eyeing her with pleasure.
‘I bet you say that to all the girls,’ she retorted, depositing some magazines on his bedside table. ‘I took extra special care tonight, to vamp Mr Austin.’ She smiled at the frail, elderly gentleman in the next bed, and won a beam of such delight in response Harry chuckled.
‘Remember we’re invalids, love. Just looking at you is probably rocketing my friend’s blood pressure.’
Gabriel chuckled, pleased that her efforts had not gone unnoticed. Her unruly fair hair had grown out of its London cut, and it had taken time and patience to make it hang smoothly to the shoulders of the cornflower-blue shirt she wore with white cotton trousers. ‘It’s so hot I almost wore shorts, but I chickened out in the end in case I fell foul of Sister.’ She kissed his cheek. ‘How are you? The truth, if you please—not soft soap to console the anxious daughter.’
‘I’m better. Officially better,’ her father assured her. ‘According to the amazingly young consultant I could be home in a few days if I play my cards right.’
Gabriel heaved a sigh of relief. ‘That’s wonderful news, Dad.’ She drew up a chair and sat down, bracing herself. ‘Has anyone rung to enquire about you?’
‘If you mean your mother, no, she hasn’t.’ He waved a hand at the flower arrangement beside him. ‘But she sent that. With a get well card.’
‘No other telephone calls?’
‘Nary a one.’ He frowned. ‘What’s up, pet? Something’s bothering you.’
Gabriel hesitated, then pulled a face. ‘I wasn’t going to tell you in case you got upset, but I’d better own up. I had a visit from Adam Dysart today.’
Harry’s eyes, a deceptively sleepy slate-blue like his daughter’s, lit up. ‘He’s made another find?’
‘Probably.’
‘What do you mean, probably?’
She eyed him defiantly. ‘I didn’t get as far as asking the details. I told him I had too much on and sent him away.’
‘Gabriel!’ Harry Brett stared at her, incensed. ‘What the devil possessed you to do that? The Dysarts are old friends. And, quite apart from that, Adam is one of my best customers since he’s developed the fine art side of the business.’
‘We’ve got a lot of work on hand, Dad.’ She eyed him mutinously. ‘Besides, I didn’t see why I should drop everything just because Adam Dysart snapped his fingers.’
Her father made a visible effort to keep calm. ‘As I recall, most of our work on hand is for private owners with no deadline attached. But Adam’s got an auction coming up soon. If he wants something restored in time for it, Gabriel, we’ll do it.’
Her lips tightened. ‘By “we”, you mean me. I’m surprised you actually trust me to work on something for your precious Adam!’
‘Put your claws away. You know perfectly well you’re even better than your old dad these days.’ He eyed her
