CATHERINE GEORGE - Will He Ask Her to be His Bride? - The Millionaire's Convenient Bride / The Millionaire's Proposal / Texas Ranger Takes a Bride

‘Come and sit down, Hester,’ said Moira. ‘Connah’s having a drink before driving you back.’

‘Tonic only,’ he assured her.

Hester sat down and let Robert refill her glass, knocked off her stride for the third time that day. ‘This is a surprise,’ she remarked.

‘I came to assure your parents that I’ll take good care of you in Italy,’ he said smoothly.

‘And we’re very pleased you did.’ Moira smiled warmly at Connah. ‘I’m so glad to see you again. I thought about you such a lot after your stay with us.’

‘I’ve never forgotten how kind you were,’ he said sombrely, then changed the subject and turned to Robert. ‘Is this garden all your work, sir?’

‘No, indeed. My lady wife works as hard as I do.’

‘And I’ve got the hands to prove it,’ said Moira, holding them up. ‘You have a delightful daughter, by the way, Mr—I mean Connah.’ She smiled wryly. ‘I confess I still tend to think of you as our mysterious Mr Jones.’

He grinned and glanced at Hester. ‘You, too?’

‘At first, but I grew out of it,’ she lied, flushing. ‘By the way, Mother, Lowri would like to visit you and Robert again when we come back, to tell you about her travels.’

‘We’ll look forward to that,’ said Robert, and patted his wife’s hand. ‘Just give Moira a couple of hours’ notice to make cakes.’

‘My daughter never stops talking about the wonderful time she had here,’ said Connah. ‘She keeps telling me she’s set her heart on a flat of her own like Hester’s one day.’

‘I know,’ said Moira, laughing. ‘She wanted you to come and see it. So now you’re here you may as well. Robert’s rather proud of it because he did the decorating himself.’

‘In that case I can hardly leave without taking a look,’ said Connah promptly. ‘With your permission, of course, Hester.’

‘Come this way,’ she said, resigned, and led the way across the garden and up the steps. ‘As I told you, there’s not much to see.’

Connah followed her into the long, uncluttered space, filling it, just as she’d feared, with his dominant male presence. ‘I can see why you feel at home in your room in Albany Square,’ he commented after a while. ‘This is remarkably similar.’

‘I’m very lucky to have it,’ Hester assured him, annoyed because she sounded breathless. ‘I chose the paint and the furniture while I was here for a weekend, and next time I came home, here it was, beautifully decorated by Robert and ready for occupation. Mother put up a couple of watercolours from my old room at home, and insisted on buying a few cushions to make this one look less spartan, but otherwise it’s all my own taste.’

‘I can see why Lowri likes it so much.’ Connah smiled wryly. ‘On the other hand, if you’d gone for carpet and wallpaper awash with cabbage roses she’d probably feel the same, just because it’s yours, Hester. She thinks the world of you.’

‘And I of her.’ Which was worrying, because in a few weeks’ time they’d have to part.

‘You can always come back and visit her in the future,’ he said softly, reading her mind, and held her eyes. ‘Your welcome would be warm, I promise.’

Hester controlled the urge to back away. ‘Thank you. But now I’d better get back to put Lowri to bed.’

The drive home was achieved in silence which neither broke until Connah turned into the private road behind the house in Albany Square.

‘You thought I was intruding tonight, Hester?’ he asked abruptly.

‘Of course not. Mother was delighted to meet you again.’

‘I had the feeling you were not.’

‘I was surprised,’ she said sedately, as the car glided into place beside Sam’s in the garage. ‘I was expecting Sam.’

‘Would you have preferred that?’ he questioned hastily.

Hester eyed him in surprise as she got out of the car. ‘Not particularly.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘You disapprove of fraternisation among the hired help?’

Connah threw back his head and laughed. ‘So there is some fire inside that cool shell. Come off it, Hester. You don’t look on yourself and Sam as hired help any more than I do. To me, Sam is both friend and employee, while you—’ he paused, thinking it over ‘—I’m not sure how to categorise you, exactly. I find it difficult to think of you as either nanny or housekeeper.’

She eyed him in alarm. ‘You mean my work isn’t satisfactory?’

‘God, no, quite the reverse.’ Connah leaned on the roof of his car, eyeing her across it. ‘You take good care of my child, you cook well and you’re not only easy to look at, I’m very comfortable in your company. The hard part is thinking of you as an employee.’

‘Nevertheless, I am,’ she said matter-of-factly, ‘and right now I must do what you pay me for and put your daughter to bed.’ She turned as he followed her up the stairs to Sam’s level. ‘Once she’s settled for the night, I need to talk to you.’

‘Why do I get worried when you say that, Hester?’ he said, sighing. ‘All right. Do what you have to do, then come down and have a drink. And this time don’t say no. Serious discussion goes better over a glass of wine.’

Lowri’s reception was so warm that Connah laughed as he reminded the child she’d been parted from Hester for only hours, not weeks.

‘It seemed like a long time. And I would have so liked to go with Hester to see her mother and Robert,’ said Lowri, sighing heavily.

‘They sent their love, and said they look forward to seeing you when you get back. And while you’re at the villa perhaps you’d like to send them postcards of the local scenery to show where you are,’ said Hester, and smiled at Connah. ‘Thank you for the lift.’

‘My pleasure. Goodnight, sleep tight, Lowri.’

‘Goodnight, Daddy.’ Lowri gave him a careless wave and slipped her hand into Hester’s. ‘Will you watch some television with me for a while? It’s early yet.’

‘It’s not early, young lady,’ said her father, ‘but Hester can stay with you for half an hour after she takes you up. But then you must get to sleep or you’ll be too tired to travel tomorrow.’

Lowri brightened and jumped to her feet, full of questions about Hester’s parents as they made for the door.

‘Half an hour,’ called Connah. ‘Then I need Hester myself.’

His choice of words had an unsettling effect that Hester couldn’t get rid of as she sat on her usual chair by Lowri’s bed to show her the wedding photographs she’d brought. Of course Connah hadn’t meant the words literally. But it would be good to be needed by someone like him as a woman, instead of as someone suitable to look after his daughter. Not just good—wonderful. And as much a fantasy as any of the dreams she’d woven about him when she was seventeen. Hester shook herself out of her reverie when she saw Lowri had fallen asleep.

She went downstairs to knock on the study door and found Connah reading the Financial Times , a half empty glass on the table in front of him. He got up with a smile and went to the drinks tray.

‘What will you have, Hester?’

‘Tonic water, please. Lowri fell asleep quite quickly, by the way.’

‘No prizes for guessing why. Once you were there to settle her down, she was fine.’ Connah poured the drink, added ice and slices of lime and handed it to her, his eyes sombre. ‘She’s going to take it hard when you leave us.’

‘She’ll soon adjust when she’s back in school. She likes it there, she told me.’

‘Yes, thank God. Now sit down and tell me why you need to speak to me.’

Hester described the incident outside the pharmacy. ‘It was the same man who asked directions the other night.’