"Are you the one who does all the travelling?"
"It's a small, family-run company. When we first set it up, we shared it a little more evenly, but at the end of the day, my brother's a natural-born accountant and pen-pusher—which apparently makes me the nomadic go-getter."
Laura cocked her head to one side. "If that's not what you want anymore, you should let him know."
Daniel stared out across the river. The town had been replaced by flat green banks and open blue sky, but he was only half paying attention to the scenery. He should be taking it all in, making notes so he could describe it to their customers in person or in the company's brochures and information packs.
"It's not always possible to have what you want," he said quietly. "Besides, Ben has a wife and family now. It wouldn't be fair to ask him to jet around all over Europe."
Sheer disbelief flitted across her face. "Your . . . your brother's married to Natalie? They have children?"
Daniel's mouth gaped open. "What? No! Whatever gave you that idea?"
Her disbelief was replaced with confusion. "But I don't understand. I . . ." She lowered her head and shuffled her feet awkwardly. "The other day, in the car park, you told her to go back to Ben because he needed her!"
The light dawned. "Ah. I see. No, Natalie works for us, that's all. Ben needs her because . . ." He hesitated. "Because we're a small company and she's good at her job. With me away so much, and Ben with family responsibilities, it's hard for him if she's away the same time as me, so I was hoping I could persuade her to go back to the office and take her holiday another time, when it was more convenient."
Daniel's eyes widened with horror at the sudden realisation that hit him. "You thought I was having an affair with my own brother's wife?"
Laura nodded miserably. "I suppose . . . maybe. I didn't know what to think. It's obvious you have a relationship with her . . ."
"Had a relationship with her," Daniel emphasised, anxious to make it clear that Natalie was in the past. "It was a mistake and it's over."
"She doesn't seem to agree with you on that score," Laura said wryly.
Daniel grimaced. "No, I'm afraid she doesn't. I didn't expect her to go to quite these lengths, though—joining me out here." He sighed. "But beyond making it clear that I'd rather she hadn't, at the end of the day, it's a free country and she's entitled to her holiday."
They were quiet for a few minutes while Daniel tried to work out whether he'd said too much or too little, and Laura presumably processed all the new information.
"You said it wouldn't be fair to expect your brother to do a lot of travelling," she said, finally breaking the silence. "But is it fair on you?"
Her voice and eyes were full of sympathy. Daniel could happily have drowned in whatever compassion she was ready to show him, but he wasn't willing to play on it.
"I can hardly complain." He shrugged. "I get to see new places, meet new people, stay at great hotels. Enjoy the sun." Stifled in my suit half the time, he wanted to add. Surreptitious inspections of properties, negotiations . . . It had been great for the first few years, but the novelty was wearing thin.
It seemed Laura wasn't convinced, either. "Couldn't you employ someone else?"
"I've thought about it, but there are a couple of problems there. The economy, for a start. The holidays we put together aren't exactly cheap. That's fine—it's a niche market. But even the well-off are feeling the pinch nowadays. Whoever we employed would need to be experienced, go-getting—with a salary to match."
"And the second problem?"
"Ah, yes." Daniel gave a rueful smile. "I'm afraid that's down to me. I've been doing this side of things myself for so long now, I suspect I've become a bit of a control freak."
"Really? I'd never have guessed!" The twinkle in Laura's eyes glittered dark blue amongst the amethyst, and Daniel felt his breath quicken.
They lapsed into silence again, both content to watch the passing banks as the boat moved slowly down the river. This trip was working out far better than Daniel could have hoped. Laura seemed to have forgiven him for his boorish behaviour yesterday, and accepted her newfound knowledge about his business in Portugal with interest but not an interrogation. In many ways, he was relieved she'd found out—now there was no more need for secrecy on his part, the atmosphere between them was more relaxed.
"So, have you found any suitable accommodation for your clients up here yet?" she asked him.
He gave her a sidelong glance. "I wanted to talk to you about that. I'm more than impressed with the Quinta Maria. It's off the beaten track, but near enough to a main town for shops and restaurants. The grounds are beautiful, the rooms are tasteful and spacious, and the whole place is clean and well-run. I think it would be ideal as one of the places we might recommend to our clients. But of course I would need to speak to the owners. When are they back?"
"The day after you leave, I'm afraid. Can't you stay on for a few days?"
He shook his head. "Everything's set up in Porto, and then I have to get back to the office. What about Maria? I know she doesn't speak English, but maybe you could interpret for me?"
"Maria takes care of the day-to-day running of the hotel on the domestic front," Laura told him. "And she organises the functions they hold. But Paulo has always been the one to deal with the finance and business side of things. Maria's in no better position to bargain with
