Barbara Taylor Bradford - Master of His Fate

It was. As Alexis and Claudia left Delia’s house, she saw it at once. Her father was standing outside on this glorious sunny afternoon, leaning against the carriage door nonchalantly smoking a cigarette. As soon as he saw them he dropped it, stubbed it out with his foot. Then he began to walk towards them, a smile on his face.

After greeting his daughter in an affectionate tone, he said, ‘Won’t you introduce me to your friend?’

‘Of course, Papa.’ She looked at Alexis. ‘I would like to present my father to you … Sebastian Trevalian. Papa, this is Alexis Malvern.’

Sebastian bowed slightly, offering her his hand.

‘Good afternoon, Mr Trevalian. I am very pleased to meet you,’ Alexis murmured, taking his hand.

‘The pleasure is all mine, Miss Malvern,’ he responded, staring at her with great intensity. He was still holding her hand in his, struck by her vivid beauty: her luxuriant auburn hair, deep-green eyes, and English-rose complexion. She was stunning. A beauty. No, a great beauty, and extremely elegant in her cream gown.

Startled by her father’s attention to Alexis, even puzzled, Claudia cleared her throat several times.

Glancing at his daughter, noting the surprised expression on her face, he immediately let go of Alexis’s hand and took a step back. ‘Wherever it is you are going, Miss Malvern, we will take you there.’ Turning, he put a hand under her elbow and began to walk her to his carriage.

‘Thank you, Mr Trevalian,’ Alexis said, ‘I have my carriage here, but such a kind offer on your part.’

Claudia said swiftly, ‘I’m so glad we met, Alexis, and I look forward to visiting Haven House on Tuesday.’

Taking hold of her father’s arm, still amazed by his fascination with her new friend, she made to lead him in the direction of their carriage. He shrugged her off gently, an amused look settling on his face.

‘I shall escort Miss Malvern, help her into her carriage,’ Sebastian announced firmly, and did just that, with Claudia staring after him, more and more surprised.

After stepping up into her carriage and seating herself, Alexis rolled down the window and looked at him, her attention held by his pale-grey eyes.

‘Thank you,’ she murmured.

Sebastian stared back at her for a long moment, before saying, ‘I do hope we shall meet again, Miss Malvern. Soon. I shall have Claudia give a small supper. You will come, I hope?’

Alexis found herself saying, ‘I would enjoy that,’ and then she wondered why she had accepted so quickly.

He nodded politely, and as he turned away she noticed the small smile playing around his mouth.

Her carriage moved forward, the horses snorting, the driver urging them on. Alexis leaned back against the leather seat, thinking about Sebastian Trevalian. His behaviour had been a bit odd. No, not odd. Very male. She knew he had been surprised by her appearance. And he had been attracted to her. Very much so.

With a little jolt, she understood that Claudia had been startled by her father’s behaviour. And she wished she had not accepted his invitation with such alacrity. It might look too eager. And she didn’t have the slightest interest in him. None at all.

And yet her thoughts stayed with Claudia’s father as the carriage rolled on towards Mayfair. He was undoubtedly one of the handsomest man she had ever set eyes on. It was his silvery-grey eyes, translucent and clear, that were so arresting and compelling.

His colouring was very fair, his light brown hair filled with blond streaks. There was no doubt that he was an Englishman, although his face had strong lines. It was sharply chiselled, with a Roman nose, a masculine jawline and generous mouth. He looked too young to be Claudia’s father. Her guess was that he was only forty.

Oh bother, what does it matter, she thought, as the carriage finally pulled up at her front door, at the bottom of Chesterfield Hill on the corner of Charles Street. Why am I thinking about him? I’m not going to supper. I’ll never see him again.

But she was wrong.

Alexis crossed the marble-floored entrance foyer and noticed that the library door was half-open. She hurried forward.

Her father was sitting in a chair near the fireplace and immediately jumped up, putting the book he was holding on a nearby occasional table.

‘There you are, my dear. I hope you had a good afternoon and that all went well.’ His smile was welcoming.

She kissed his cheek, and went and sat on the edge of the chair opposite his. He also seated himself again.

‘Yes, it was a great success, Papa.’ Opening her reticule, she took out the envelope, explaining, ‘Delia has written to you about your donation.’

Henry Malvern took the envelope, opened it and read the note. He passed it back to his daughter, so she could read it for herself. ‘She expresses herself very well,’ he murmured.

‘And it is indeed a very generous gift to us. Thank you again, Papa. Delia’s husband donated and so did Vera’s, and Claudia Trevalian the same amount. We’ve suddenly got a nice cash reserve.’

‘You do indeed!’ he exclaimed. ‘Is your friend Claudia Trevalian by any chance related to Sebastian Trevalian?’ he asked, an interested expression on his face.

‘Yes, she is his eldest daughter,’ Alexis answered but, noting the curiosity, seeing an eagerness in her father’s eyes, she said nothing else.

Henry leaned back in the wing chair and was silent for a moment or two, wondering how well his daughter knew Claudia. Unable to resist, he finally asked, ‘Have you known Claudia a long time? Is she part of the charity?’

Although she knew where this was leading, Alexis understood she had no option but to continue the conversation. ‘No, not an old friend, I met her today. She’s Delia’s cousin, and yes, she really wants to be genuinely involved, from what she said. She’s come up with the idea of teaching some of the women to read and has offered to pay for bookshelves and bring books.’

‘How remarkable! And it’s an excellent idea. I’m certain a lot of those women never went to school. So now you’re all set to open Haven House, aren’t you?’

‘We are, Papa, and Delia and I will probably do so next week. We want to get the word around first, so that people know of its existence.’

‘I will tell Jack Holden and some of the other stallholders when I go to the Malvern on Monday. They’ll spread the word. Good news travels as fast as bad news, you know. And how old is your new friend?’

‘Claudia? Oh, I’m not sure – about twenty, I think.’

‘Yes, that sounds right. Her mother died when she was quite young … ten years ago, if I remember correctly, when Claudia was ten. And I must say Sebastian has done a wonderful job of bringing up his three girls. With the help of nannies, I’ve no doubt, but he’s been a spectacular father, devoted to them.’

Before she could stop herself, Alexis said, ‘You sound as if you know him.’

‘I do, but not in the sense of being a friend. He’s a nodding acquaintance, shall we say. We’re members of the same club.’

Alexis merely nodded, not wishing to be drawn into a conversation about Sebastian Trevalian. But her father had other ideas, and her heart sank when he began to speak.

‘Trevalian’s the most eligible man in London, from what I hear. Only forty or so, a widower with a fine reputation, no scandals about women. Handsome, rich and available. No wonder women fall at his feet.’

‘Oh really,’ Alexis muttered, ‘Have you seen them actually doing that?’

Henry began to laugh. ‘No, of course not; no one means it literally. It’s just a saying. They do flock around him, though, according to some of the other club members. A few of the men wonder why he’s never remarried, others don’t. They think he enjoys his bachelor life to the hilt.’