Catherine George - Sweet Surrender

“I was thinking that if you did want to take me to bed perhaps it might be a good thing,” she said thoughtfully, and felt him tense against her.

“Would you say that again?” he demanded.

“I’m sure I don’t have to.”

“So why do you think it would be a good thing? From my own point of view it’s a ravishing idea, of course, but—”

“I think it would give me closure.”

“Closure?” Alasdair put an ungentle finger under her chin to raise her face to his. “What does that mean?”

Kate looked at him defiantly. “Meeting you again has revived old ghosts. Maybe going to bed with you would lay them for good.”

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CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

KATE was about to dismiss her class of lively eight-year-olds for half-term, when the headmaster called her outside into the hall.

Bill Vincent eyed her hopefully. ‘Can you do me an enormous favour, Kate?’

‘Of course, if I can. What’s the problem?’

‘Could you possibly hang on with young Abby Cartwright for a while? Her father’s on the phone from the hospital—’

Kate winced. ‘Not the baby already?’

‘Weeks early, hence the panic. Fortunately the grandparents were arriving today anyway. Abby’s uncle is fetching them from Heathrow, and will collect her on the way back.’

‘Which means Uncle’s not likely to collect Abby any time soon, then,’ she said, resigned.

‘Afraid not. I’ve got a Consortium meeting, or I’d stay myself—’

‘Better if I do it,’ said Kate promptly. ‘I’m her teacher, the one she knows best. She’s new this term, and so shy she’s finding it hard to make friends. I’ll take her home with me.’

The Head smiled, relieved. ‘Thanks a lot, Kate. Will you give Tim Cartwright the glad news? I’ll look after your class.’

Kate picked up the phone in the office to reassure a distraught Tim Cartwright.

‘I’m on a hospital payphone, Miss Dysart, so I’ll be brief,’ he told her. ‘Julia’s desperately worried about Abby and wants me to go home, but I hate the thought of leaving her. Mr Vincent said you’ll take care of Abby, but are you really prepared to do that until my brother-in-law arrives? He could be late.’

‘No problem at all, Mr Cartwright,’ said Kate soothingly. ‘You stay with your wife and tell her not to worry. I’m taking Abby home with me. Laurel Cottage at the end of the village. But could you contact her uncle, please, and give him my phone number?’ Kate waited as he made a note of it, cut short Tim Cartwright’s fervent thanks and went back to her class to report to Bill Vincent that everything was sorted.

When the other children streamed out to join waiting parents Kate called Abby Cartwright from the window. The child turned quickly, her blue eyes anxious behind her spectacles, fine flaxen hair escaping from its bunches.

‘Abby,’ Kate said gently, ‘your father won’t be picking you up today. He’s just taken your mother to the hospital to have the baby—’

‘But he can’t come yet, Miss Dysart, it’s too soon!’ said the child in alarm.

‘You know it’s a boy, then?’ Kate smiled reassuringly. ‘Don’t worry. Baby brother’s in a hurry, that’s all. Your uncle’s coming to collect you on the way back from the airport.’

‘Then he’s gone to fetch Grandma and Grandad,’ said Abby with relief. Her face fell. ‘But do I have to wait here at school until they come?’

‘No. I’ll take you home with me.’

After Kate had collected her belongings and surrendered the classroom to the caretaker who doubled as cleaner, she said goodbye to her colleagues and took Abby out to her car. Because the village school was too short of space for a car park her elderly little runabout was outside in the village street, as usual, and as Kate approached it with Abby a man emerged from a sleek foreign vehicle parked a short distance away.

Kate stared in utter amazement, convinced for a moment that she was seeing things. But Alasdair Drummond, even taller than she remembered in a formal dark suit, was too solid a figure to be an apparition.

‘Hello, Kate.’ He strode towards her, hand outstretched, his smile familiar and self-confident.

Kate touched the hand briefly. ‘This is a surprise, Alasdair. What on earth are you doing here?’

‘I came to see you, Kate.’

He expected her to believe that?

When she made no response his eyes narrowed. ‘I realise I should have got in touch first, but I’ve been to a funeral, so on impulse I came out this way afterwards on the chance of seeing you.’

Kate turned to the child beside her. ‘I’ll just pop you in my car, Abby, while I talk to this gentleman for a moment. Shan’t be long.’

Kate fastened Abby into the passenger seat, closed the door and looked up at Alasdair Drummond, displaying none of the over-the-moon delight he’d obviously expected. At one time she would have given her soul to see him turn up out of the blue like this. But not for many a long year, and certainly not here, where they were attracting far too much attention from her departing colleagues.

‘One of your pupils?’ asked Alasdair.

‘Yes.’ Kate explained the situation briefly. ‘So I’m afraid you’ve come out of your way for nothing—I can’t even ask you to my place for a coffee.’

‘I’d hoped for a lot more than coffee.’ His eyes held hers. ‘Take pity on an old friend, Kate, and have dinner with me tonight.’

He had to be joking!

‘Sorry, Alasdair.’ Not that she was, in the slightest. ‘Even without the present complications I’m much too busy. I’m going home tomorrow for half-term—’

‘I know. Your brother told me over lunch yesterday.’

Kate’s eyes narrowed. ‘You’ve seen Adam?’

‘He’s auctioning some furniture for me.’

And Adam hadn’t seen fit to mention it?

Kate caught sight of Abby’s anxious face through the car window. ‘Look, I really must go.’

Alasdair caught her hand. ‘I’ll ring you later. Adam gave me your number.’

Less pleased with her brother by the minute, Kate detached her hand, said goodbye, got into her car, backed it away carefully to avoid contact with the pristine Italian paintwork of Alasdair’s, and, with a cool little wave to him, turned to the child in apology as she drove off. ‘Sorry about that.’

After the shock of meeting Alasdair Drummond again, Kate was halfway home before her attention returned to the tense, silent child behind her. ‘Are you all right, Abby?’

The little girl looked up at Kate, her eyes desperately worried behind her spectacles. Her lower lip trembled. ‘Does it hurt a lot to have a baby, Miss Dysart?’