A Masterful Man

before you say anything this was her idea, not mine, darling. But I'll help you with the luggage,' she added kindly.

'You'd help me a lot more, Loretta, if you didn't wind her up-'

'I didn't! I've been as good as gold!' And she smiled a wide, white, sultry smile at him.

'If you think bringing this amount of luggage with you is not winding her up, I know bloody well it is!' Steve Warwick countered scathingly, and appeared to then count to ten just beneath his breath. And Davina thought with an inward grin that she was enjoying this… All the same, she came to his rescue.

'Uh… lunch will be ready in about half an hour, Mrs Warwick. I thought it might be nice to have it on the terrace, it's such a lovely day.'

Loretta turned to her and said warmly, 'What a great idea! I'll just freshen up. Now let me see, I think I can manage these two, Steve.'

He returned to the kitchen when all the luggage had been disposed of looking thoroughly annoyed and muttering, 'Why the bloody hell I put up with them I can't imagine.' 'For the sake of the child?' Davina suggested as she tossed a salad, and bit her lip. 'Sorry, it's got nothing to do with me.'

'You're quite right, nevertheless,' he said moodily and sat down at the table. 'What do you think of her?' 'Candice?'

'Yes, Candice,' he said sardonically. 'She can be a proper horror when she sets her mind to it.'

'If she's had her mother and her grandmother fighting over her ever since she can remember, it's not surprising.'

He grimaced and folded his arms. 'Do you know, my father was a very sane, sensible man, I always thought. How he could have left a mess like this is beyond me.'

'Don't you have any-affection for her?'

'Yes I do,' he said shortly. 'But I'm only a man, Davina, and there are times when even I am at a loss- my father couldn't stop them fighting and how the hell I'm supposed to is, upon occasions, beyond me.'

'Very difficult, I would have to agree, now I've met them,' Davina said.

'Thank you.' He grimaced again.

'You're welcome.' She carried the salad to the fridge then looked around, but everything else was done.

'How do you think you'll cope with her?' he queried, tilting the chair back irritably.

'Only time will tell.'

'You're a fount of wisdom this morning, Mrs Hastings,' he said with soft mockery.

'And you should guard against winding me up, Mr Warwick, or trying to,' she retorted.

He smiled quizzically and opened his mouth, but they both heard footsteps coming down the stairs and his smile deepened to a genuine grin as he stood up with alacrity and murmured, 'I'll leave you to it-by the way, I won't be here for lunch. I've told them so you don't have to worry about it, but I will be back for dinner.' And so saying, he left via the back door, whistling cheerfully.

Davina stared after him frustratedly.

It was Lavinia who came into the kitchen and she got straight to the point. 'How did my grandson hire you, Davina? He made no mention of any such intentions to me,' she said as she walked around the kitchen, examining surfaces and trailing an experimental fingertip along the windowsill.

Davina explained about the agency and mentioned that she'd be serving lunch on the terrace.

'I see. Personally, I'm always happier eating inside; I don't hold with putting oneself at the mercy of bugs, beetles, birds and whatever when one is consuming food, but if you've already-'

'I have,' Davina said quietly. Lavinia stopped her tour and looked at Davina keenly, which Davina didn't ignore but didn't allow to fluster her at all.

'Hmm, I see,' Lavinia said again. 'So, you know your own mind, Davina? I like that in a person.' 'Thank you,' Davina replied calmly. Whereupon Lavinia put her head on one side and said thoughtfully, 'You don't look the kind of person to be doing this kind of job, if you don't mind me saying so.' 'All the same, I'm quite good at it,' Davina said with a faint smile. 'How long have you been here?' 'Three days.'

'And you'd never met Steven before?' 'Never.'

'So-he had no idea he was going to get you?' 'None at all, nor was he particularly pleased when he did get me,' Davina said levelly, thinking, If this old lady is fishing in the manner I'm pretty sure she is, I might as well get this over and done with even though it's become less than true in some respects, but all the same… 'He, too, didn't think I looked the right type for the job. But, of course, the proof of these things is always in the pudding, isn't it?'

'Indeed,' Steve Warwick's grandmother said slowly. 'Indeed.' And with the kind of turn around that was rather devastatingly reminiscent of her grandson, added charmingly, 'Do tell me what's for lunch. I'm starving.'

'Uh… quiche lorraine with a salad, and fruit and icecream.'

'Excellent! I'll hurry the other two up, not that it's ever much good hurrying Loretta, she is the most unpunctual, lazy person I know. And, what's more, if she thinks that on this holiday she'll succeed in getting her hooks into Steven, she'll find she's as mistaken as she has been before or I'm a Dutchman.' And, with this stunning parting shot, she left the kitchen regally.

Davina stared after her and blinked dazedly.

CHAPTER FIVE

Lunch was apparently successful.

Davina declined an invitation to join them, saying she'd already had hers, and got the impression that both Mrs Warwicks were hungry enough to be somewhat mellowed during the meal. Then Loretta took herself upstairs for a short siesta, as she put it; Lavinia took the second Land Rover to see a friend, inviting Candice to join her but she refused surlily, so her grandmother left with a haughty look.

Half an hour later, Davina was aware of Candice mooching around moodily and decided this might be one of the times when she should act as a babysitter.

'Did you bring any games with you, Candice?'

'Like what?'

'Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly-I thought we might play something together.'

'I grew out of Snakes and Ladders years ago,' Candice said scornfully. 'Besides, I don't like playing with grownups. I don't like grown-ups much at all, if you want to know.'

'Is that so? Oh, well, we all have things we like and don't like, I guess.'

A spark of interest lit Candice's eyes behind her glasses. 'Don't you mind if I don't like you?'

'Not at all,' Davina said cheerfully, and walked away.

Ten minutes later, Candice sidled into the laundry where Davina was scrubbing her sand-shoes, trying to rid them of the mud stains they'd collected on Mount Lidgbird, and asked her what she was doing.

Davina explained.

'Well, when you've finished, I suppose we could play something,' Candice said grudgingly. 'I've got nothing else to do and Mum will sleep for hours,' she added darkly. 'She's a night person, she says.'

Davina made no comment, but eyed her shoes critically. 'Something tells me they'll never be the same again,' she murmured. 'Why don't we go for a swim, instead?'

A further spark of interest showed. 'Steve's the only person who takes me swimming,' Candice said. 'When he can tear himself away from work. Mum can't swim and Gran says she's too old. Mum does lie on the beach a lot, though, getting a tan and catching the eye of all the men around. But she hardly ever gets herself wet. I'm not a very good swimmer.'

'I see. I am,' Davina remarked.

'So you'd come right in with me?'

'All the way.'

'OK, if it's what you want.'

They rode to Ned's Beach, and for an hour or so Candice became like any ordinary little girl, giggling and squealing with enjoyment while she clung to Davina and they fed the fish that zoomed in on them as soon as they