No More Secrets

‘She’s gone a bit quiet,’ admitted Cassie, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. ‘Only a fortnight to go, though sometimes I wonder if she’ll hang on that long. Angus arrived sooner than I thought. Still, the hospital’s just up the road, thank goodness.’

Thank goodness indeed, thought Kate.

‘So what’s been happening in your life since I saw you last?’ asked Cassie, and rather to her own surprise Kate found herself describing Dan Beaumont’s break-in and her own part in it.

Cassie roared with laughter. ‘Goodness, poor Dan! Ben told me he had a black eye, but I didn’t realise you gave it to him.’

‘It was pure fright coupled with luck,’ said Kate, grinning. ‘I let fly and managed to make contact.’ She pulled a face. ‘I thought I’d killed him at first.’

‘Serves him right for creeping around at night like that,’ said Cassie without sympathy, then smiled as Angus came running back into the room. ‘Hello, darling; is lunch nearly ready?’

‘Ten minutes,’ said Angus importantly, and fixed Kate with bright blue eyes. ‘Can you read?’ he asked hopefully.

‘What he means,’ said his mother, ‘is will you read.’

‘With pleasure,’ said Kate promptly. ‘What story would you like?’

Angus was a handsome little boy with a mop of brown curls like his mother and bright blue eyes which shone with pleasure as he fetched a book about trains. He was dressed very simply in a sweater, jeans and small suede boots, and Kate had to restrain herself from hugging him as he sat beside her on the sofa listening to the story. Cassie sat quietly, watching them, a smile on her face. There was no sign of Ben or Caroline, and Kate lost herself in the story, suitably dramatic when the occasion demanded, her performance obviously meeting with approval as Angus drank in every word. When the story finished he thanked Kate without being prompted, then looked at his mother.

‘Is it ten minutes, Mummy?’

Cassie consulted her watch. ‘Oh, yes. It is. Will you run upstairs and call Daddy?’

Angus nodded happily and scampered off, then Caroline popped her head round the door.

‘First course ready and waiting, ladies.’

‘Right you are, Caro. Give me time to heave myself up.’

Kate leapt to give Cassie a hand, then followed her from the room to a dining room. The table was laid for five with gleaming crystal and silverware and a flat centrepiece of miniature daffodils and freesias.

Caroline cast a glance over the table, checked the soup tureen on the hotplate at the end of the sideboard, then smiled at Cassie. ‘Right, then, I’ll be off now. See you in the morning. I’ll get my kiss from Angus on the way out.’

‘Enjoy yourself,’ said Cassie, then looked up with a smile as a tall, dark man entered the room with Angus. ‘Hello, darling; finished your paper? This is Kate Harker, the lady who organised my signing session the other week. Kate, this is my husband.’

‘Alec Neville,’ said the distinguished newcomer, shaking hands with Kate. ‘I gather you’re new to Pennington. Thank you for looking after my wife. I had to get Ben to deputise for me that day. I was operating.’

‘Alec’s a plastic surgeon,’ explained Cassie to a temporarily speechless Kate. ‘Angus, can you find your uncle, please? Tell him lunch is ready. Alec, will you open more wine?’

Kate ate delicious vegetable soup in a daze, trying to pull herself together and behave like a guest. One who might even be asked to visit this delightful household again if she was very, very lucky. Angus was seated between his parents, Ben next to Cassie, and Kate next to Alec Neville, who was an attractive man in his mid-forties and very obviously devoted to his wife. Cassie gave Kate a few searching glances, but once they’d embarked on the roast, and Mrs Hicks, the cheerful cook, had been paid sincere compliments and bidden an affectionate goodbye before she went off for the day, Kate had come to terms with her mistake and was able to contribute to the conversation.

Both men were amused when Cassie told how Dan Beaumont got his black eye.