Catherine George - Fiance For Christmas

‘Laura Cartwright’s her best friend,’ said Cassie in relief. ‘If they’ve got her she’s fine.’

‘The school gave me their number, but there was no answer. If Alice is with these Cartwright people, surely someone should be there at this time of night?’

‘You’d think so certainly,’ agreed Cassie, worried, then her eyes flashed. ‘Which doesn’t explain why you came storming round here. Though I can guess!’

‘Alice left this number with my service for emergencies, so I assumed these Cartwright people had brought her here.’

‘An address you once knew very well, of course,’ snapped Cassie. ‘Sorry to disappoint you but I took over Julia’s share of the house—but never mind all that. Try the Cartwrights’ number again.’

Nick raised a hostile eyebrow at her tone, but after a quick look in his diary punched in the Cartwrights’ number on his cellphone. With no result. ‘I don’t like this,’ he said grimly.

‘Neither do I!’

They stared at each other in worried silence, then Nick heaved a ragged sigh. ‘Look, could I have a wash, please? I slept in fits and starts on the flight back. My head’s full of cotton wool. Perhaps if I freshen up I can think up something constructive.’

‘Of course. Upstairs, first on the right.’

Cassie went into the kitchen to switch off the heat under the soup, trying not to panic. She was fond of young Alice, and could have wrung Max Seymour’s neck for not getting home on time to pick his little daughter up for the Christmas holidays. When the front doorbell rang again, dead on time, Cassie sighed despairingly. She’d spent so much time and effort on this one evening, and now all she could think about was Alice. She opened the door in the dark hall and Rupert Ashcroft, resplendent in formal suit, fair hair gleaming under the streetlamp, handed her a large bouquet of flowers.

‘Hello, Cassie, these are for you.’

‘How lovely, Rupert, thank you. Do come in. Go on into the sitting-room; I’ll just put these in water.’ When she joined him Rupert was surveying his surroundings with obvious satisfaction, taking in the table set for two with candles and flowers.

‘This all looks very inviting, Cassie—’ he began as he turned to her, then stopped, staring, transfixed. The Medusa-style ringlets, she thought, resigned, had a lot to answer for. One look at her and men turned to stone.

‘Cassie!’ said Rupert huskily, coming to life. ‘You look sensational!’ He moved closer, his smile altering subtly as his eyes roved over her in a way which made her suddenly very conscious of bare arms and generous display of legs.

She smiled warily. ‘Actually, I’m afraid I’m a bit behind with dinner—’ The rest of her explanation was cut off as Rupert took her in his arms and kissed her with an enthusiasm which hinted that her transformation had ignited him with an appetite for rather more than just dinner.

‘I can’t believe it,’ he said huskily, holding her tightly as Cassie tried to wriggle away. ‘Miss Efficient by day and Miss Sexpot at night—’

‘Am I intruding?’ enquired a voice from the doorway.

If an archangel with a flaming sword had appeared in Cassie’s sitting-room her guest could hardly have been less dumbfounded. Rupert let her go so promptly she staggered as the tall, hostile intruder came forward with outstretched hand.

‘Dominic Seymour.’

Rupert took the hand reluctantly, muttered his name, and cast an accusing look at Cassie.

‘Nick just flew in from the Middle East—he’s a civil engineer,’ she explained hurriedly, and turned to Nick. ‘I provide administrative assistance to the team Rupert works with.’

‘Team?’ he queried, as though Rupert played for some amateur soccer club.

‘I’m an analyst with an investment bank,’ said Rupert, bristling.

Cassie gave him a cajoling smile. ‘Look, Rupert, sit down and make yourself at home. Help yourself to a drink from the tray over there while I talk to Nick for a moment. He’s my sister’s brother-in-law,’ she added. ‘There’s a family emergency.’

The information seemed to appease Rupert slightly, and Cassie smiled at him again, then went off to the kitchen with Nick and closed the door behind them.

‘Ring the Cartwright number again,’ she said urgently.

This time someone answered, but as Cassie listened to the brief, one-sided conversation her heart sank.

Nick’s face was haggard as he rang off. ‘That was the Cartwrights’ teenage son. His parents are out, but he was quite definite that his mother had delivered Alice to Max’s place in Chiswick first, before bringing his sister home.’

‘Surely Mrs Cartwright wouldn’t have left Alice in a deserted house?’ said Cassie, getting more worried by the minute.

‘I bloody well hope not!’ said Nick savagely, and began punching buttons on his phone again. He listened for a few moments, then switched off the phone. ‘No response from Max’s place,’ he said tightly. ‘I’m going round there.’

At the thought of Alice, alone and frightened in Max Seymour’s house, Cassie’s enthusiasm for a cosy dinner for two vanished completely. ‘I’ll make my excuses to Rupert and come with you.’

‘You will not!’ he objected. ‘I’m Alice’s blood relative. I’ll do what’s necessary.’

‘And leave me here, wondering what’s happened to her?’ retorted Cassie angrily. ‘I’m very fond of Alice. I may not be related, but who actually turns up for Sports Day and exeats from school, Dominic Seymour? My mother, or me, now Max won’t let Julia near Alice. When Daddy and Uncle Nick are on the other side of the world the poor little thing’s a bit short of blood relatives when it matters, isn’t she?’

They were standing close, her dark eyes spitting flame into the angry blue ones locked with hers.

‘Am I intruding?’ said a sarcastic voice from the doorway, and both combatants spun round to face Rupert, staring at him blankly.

Cassie pulled herself together. ‘Rupert, I’m so sorry about this. The reason Nick is here is Alice, his eight-year-old niece. She’s missing, and we’re worried to death about her.’

Rupert’s face altered dramatically. ‘Oh, I say. I’m frightfully sorry. Is there anything I can do?’

‘No,’ said Nick curtly. ‘Thanks anyway. I’m just off to look for her.’

‘I’m coming with you,’ said Cassie firmly. She looked at Rupert in appeal. ‘I hate to do this, but would you mind terribly if we postponed dinner to another time? If—when—we find Alice, she’ll need me.’

Rupert Ashcroft controlled an involuntary look of dismay, duly insisted he didn’t mind at all under the circumstances, and even managed a smile. ‘I’ll take myself off, then, Cassie, and look forward to doing this some other time soon. Please ring me and let me know what happens.’

She nodded gratefully, saw him to the door and reached up to kiss his cheek. ‘Thanks for being so understanding, Rupert. See you Monday.’

He kissed her mouth very deliberately, ignoring the stony blue eyes watching the procedure, then went off to the gleaming Range Rover parked a little way down the road.

Cassie closed the door and raced past Nick in the hall. ‘Give me five minutes to change and I’ll be with you.’

‘There’s absolutely no need for you to come,’ he snapped irritably, but Cassie shook her head as she ran upstairs.

‘I’m coming, and that’s that. If you won’t drive me I’ll call a cab.’

Cassie heard Nick swear under his breath, but he was still there when she ran down again in jeans and a sweater, her ringlets tied up with a shoelace. She reached for a long dark overcoat from the assortment on the hall pegs, slung her bag over her shoulder and looked at the waiting man impatiently.