Page 27 of Book People

This is clearly the wrong thing to ask, because Sebastian’s expression abruptly closes down. ‘No,’ he says shortly. ‘Dad doesn’t live in Wychtree. He’s in Bournemouth.’

This is a touchy subject judging from his expression, and, inevitably, now I’m curious. I want to know what’s going on with his dad and why he’s so angry about it, but I don’t know him well enough to push. Also, we seem to have a détente and I like it. I don’t want to ruin it.

‘Okay.’ I let the subject of his father go. ‘So, what about these rumours of an affair, then? Are they true, do you think? Was it . . . illicit or something?’

‘I’m not sure. I’ll need to check through those papers and see what’s there.’

Instantly, I straighten and get to my feet, because there’s no point in wasting time. ‘Well, don’t just sit there. Let’s go and have a look at them, then.’

Chapter Eight

I don’t have a facility with words, unlike the great poets. So this might sound trite, but . . . you captured me from the moment I saw you.

H

SEBASTIAN

I blink as Miss Jones looks down at me, her grey eyes full of glimmer and sparkle.

‘What?’ I am unable to hide my surprise. ‘Now?’

‘Of course now.’ She gives me a smirk. ‘Unless you have something better to do?’

Clearly implying that I do, in fact, have nothing better to do than go straight back to my flat and unearth my great-grandfather’s personal papers.

Naturally, now I want to give her a list of all the ten million other things I absolutely have to do instead, but that would be petty.

I’m not above a little pettiness, but looking through those papers is in my interest too, and, after all, itwasmy idea. And I did very much like the glow in her eyes when I suggested it. That instant spark of curiosity.

I like her curious, though I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t like the thought of taking her to my flat, of her being in my space, in my territory, either, but I do.

I’m the biggest cliché known to man.

I’m a Neanderthal.

I flick a glance towards Dan, but he’s deep in conversation with Gerry. The traitor. I shouldn’t have risen to his obvious bait with his half-spoken dinner invitation, yet I did. I couldn’t help myself. Now he’s going to see us leave together and he’ll be assuming all kinds of things.

Prick.

I can’t pretend I’m not attracted to her now, not to him. And definitely not now I’ve given myself away so blatantly. But at least I haven’t acted on it yet. Which I won’t. I’ll still be able to tell him with a straight face that I’m having nothing to do with her.

Honesty is important.

Ironic when I’ve been lying to myself for the past two months, but still. Admitting an attraction is one thing, acting on it is quite another, and I haven’t committed that sin yet. And I won’t.

I’m thirty-two. I’m a bloody man, for God’s sake. I’m not fifteen. I’m not going into uncontrollable throes of ecstasy at the glimpse of a pert breast or a hint of thigh. Miss Jones, in her pretty blue dress that reveals no skin and yet is somehow sexy as hell, will not get the better of me.

‘Where’s the rush?’ I won’t allow myself to be hurried. ‘Can’t this wait?’

‘Why wait?’ Her smile is a delicate ray of sunshine. ‘If there’s a legitimate secret romance in your great-grandfather’s papers, then we need to find out, because that’s something that Lisa is going tolove. I mean, seriously. A secret historic romance is kind of her jam. Especially if it’s forbidden.’

‘What about privacy issues?’

She lifts a golden eyebrow. ‘Hey, you were the one who mentioned it as something that might entice her. You can’t get cold privacy feet now. And if we look and there’s nothing of interest there, then we can go on thinking of other things.’

She’s not wrong, dammit.

I got carried away with finding a solution to our little problem of how to get Lisa here. Miss Jones was glittering away across the table from me and all I was able to think about was how to keep her glittering. I didn’t fully think through the implications.

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