not going to pass up the chance of getting rid of you for a week,' she said. 'It's your father's turn to suffer.'
At the train door they hugged each other vigorously. 'Be good,' Sonya said, and hopped on board before Lee could protest.
Daniel had been out of town for a few days, but they were to see each other that evening. Lee prepared with great care, putting on the beautiful dress, then taking it off, and finally putting it on again. At last she spoke to herself firmly. It was time to stop being nonsensical. She was a grown woman and she'd made up her mind, finally, definitely, once and for all. At least-she thought she had.
Daniel pulled open the door as she ran up the steps of his house, and no sooner had it shut behind her than she was in his arms being hungrily kissed in a way that made her head spin.
'I haven't kissed you for a hundred years,' he murmured when they paused for breath. 'Has it occurred to you that this is the first time we'd ever had total privacy?'
'Not really,' she gasped. 'I've spent evenings here before, when we were quite alone.'
'Yes,' he agreed between kisses, 'but that's not quite the same thing.'
Suddenly there was a violent hissing noise from somewhere in the background. Daniel jerked free with an appalled cry of 'Ye gods!' and vanished into the kitchen. Lee followed just as he opened a window, frantically flapping at the smoke.
'Is the dinner ruined?' she asked cheerfully.
'No, that was an early stage-a minor disaster and easily remedied. Here-' He poured her a glass of red wine and made her stand clear.
'Can't I help?' she protested.
'Menial tasks only. Women shouldn't really be allowed in kitchens. You're all rotten cooks.'
When she saw how at home he was in his gadget-filled kitchen, she had to concede his point.
'You're a fraud,' she laughed as they stood watching bubbling saucepans. 'You told Phoebe she had to go to Paris out of politeness, but you were actually getting rid of the poor girl.'
'She really did have a long-standing engagement with the Bressons,' Daniel protested, 'and it would have been rude to break it. But I must admit I'm glad to have the house to myself for a week.'
'Yes, I know exactly what you mean,' Lee said. 'I felt the same when I was finally alone. Perfect freedom from inquisitive, adolescent eyes.'
'But haven't you still got Mark with you?'
'Not any more. He announced yesterday morning that he felt like taking a driving holiday, and by evening he'd gone.'
'In that thing?' Daniel asked hilariously. 'He's mad. Where does he think it's going to take him?'
'He was very cagey about his destination, but he couldn't meet my eye and his passport's missing.'
'You're trying to tell me that he's gone to Paris, aren't you?'
'I think it's likely.'
Daniel sighed. 'What it is to be young! Only besotted love could explain his taking that contraption on a long journey and actually expecting to get there. Thanks for telling me. I'll phone Madame Bresson and warn her to look out for an English boy with a moonstruck expression.'
While he tended his saucepans Lee left the kitchen, meaning to make herself useful by setting the table. But on the threshold of the dining room she stopped, riveted.
Everything was prepared, including a small round table for two, covered with a cloth that swept the floor all the way around. It was exquisitely laid with silver and crystal. Silver candelabra stood waiting to be lit, and by one of the place-settings was a tiny vase bearing a single flower.
Lee's eyebrows rose a fraction and her mouth moved in a tender smile. Whoever had gone to so much trouble over this room had meant to be taken seriously.
When the meal was ready Daniel loaded it onto a heated trolley and wheeled it in. He made Lee sit while he served her, and smiled as he saw her looking at the rose. When her starter was before her he lit the candles and went to switch off the electric light. The room was immediately thrown into romantic dimness, lit only by the dancing flames.
'You forgot the sweet music,' she murmured.
'No, I didn't.' Daniel made his way to the hi-fi, touched a switch and immediately there was the faint background sound of violins. 'How's that?'
'Perfect,' she said, her lips quivering. 'You haven't missed a trick.'
He'd seated himself opposite her and looked up to find her eyes, full of fun, fixed on him. 'You're very disheartening,' he growled, 'when I'm doing my best.'
'Daniel, I think it's all wonderful, I really do. But I can't see what I'm eating.'
Grumbling, he got up again and put on the light. By the time he'd turned back to her she'd managed to rearrange her face in sober lines.
'What shall we talk about?' he demanded despondently. 'The stock market? The state of the country? You name it.'
'Did Phoebe show you my pictures of her?'
'Yes, I think they're wonderful. And I'm very grateful for whatever it was you said to her.'
Lee stared at him. 'What do you mean? Didn't she tell you what I said?'
'No, and I was tactful enough not to ask. But you must have discouraged her pretty thoroughly because she's been sunk in thought.'
Lee frowned. 'I don't think I could say I discouraged her. I warned you I'd give her the truth if she asked for it, and she did.'
She related as much of the conversation as she could remember. 'I did emphasise what a hard life it is, and how uncertain,' she said at the end. 'But I couldn't compete with her in an argument, especially when she started throwing legal maxims at me.'
'Tied you in knots, did she?' Daniel asked sympathetically. 'She does that with me. Don't worry, darling. She's got it out of her system now.'
They put the dishes in the kitchen and stood with their arms entwined while the coffee perked. Daniel carried the coffee-tray back into the dining room and placed it on a low table by the sofa. Then he pulled Lee down beside him and gave her a swift kiss before pouring her coffee. As he handed it to her he studied the slight frown on her face.
'What is it?' he asked, concerned.
'Nothing. I just think Phoebe's going to give you a surprise. She's as stubborn as you are.'
'Forget it,' he said with a smile. 'I've never had to become the heavy father to win battles with Phoebe. I rely on low cunning. It's far more effective.'
'How?' asked Lee, who'd always found that, however low her own cunning, Sonya's was lower.
'When she was little we had the classic struggle about her going to sleep.'
'And you won it?' Lee asked, wide-eyed.
'It was a push-over,' he declared cheerfully. 'I just used to bet her fifty pence she couldn't stay awake all night. The poor little soul used to lie there fighting to keep her eyes open, and she'd be asleep within ten minutes.'
Lee was awed. 'Now I know you're a genius.'
He grinned and poured her a brandy. 'I'm full of dirty tricks like that. I'll teach them to you when we have our children.'
'You're taking a lot for granted,' she said, speaking lightly to disguise the jolt his words gave her.
'Am I? You know I want to marry you, and now I'm in a mood to kidnap you and carry you off to church. I want to see my ring on your finger and my baby in your arms.'
'Don't I get a choice about that?'
He smiled in self-mockery. 'You can choose, darling-as long as you choose me. I've waited, and I'll go on waiting if I have to.' He drew her gently into his arms. 'But, for both our sakes, don't make me wait too long,' he murmured.
She wasn't sure how to answer this, but his kiss made words unnecessary. The pressure of his lips was tender and gentle, coaxing her to relax and welcome him. Yet behind it she could feel the strength of purpose. As soon as she began to kiss him back his arms tightened. His tongue coaxed her lips apart and she let him invade her. Delicious sensations were filling her, making her body come alive with desire. It was something she'd never wanted
