Terms Of Engagement

Emma hesitated, then nodded. Company was just what she needed to take her mind off what she had just done. ‘That would be lovely, thank you.’

‘I’ll get Sandra to bring them through for you,’ Angela said as they made their way into the other room.

She noticed how Frazer had to bend his head to get into the bar. The man by the fire looked up, then seemed to fall back to sleep again.

‘Lively place, isn’t it?’ Frazer remarked with a grin as he led the way up to the sofas in the window. Emma sat opposite to him.

There was a feeling of tension as she met his eyes. It was strange, but he made her very aware of herself as a woman. She wondered if her hair was a mess after that rain, and wished now she had excused herself and gone to the ladies’ before following him in here. The opportunity to refresh her lipstick and tidy her hair would have been most welcome. She moistened her lips nervously. His eyes rested for a moment on the softness of her mouth. There was something blatantly sensual about that look, something that made Emma’s pulses quicken.

She searched for something to say, something to break the bizarre intimacy of the moment. ‘When does your friend get married?’ It was the best subject she could come up with.

‘Saturday week.’

‘It’s to be hoped the weather picks up,’ she said idly, looking past him at the rain which pounded against the windows, obscuring the view of the harbour in a watery haze.

‘Yes, I hope so. Especially as they’ve hired a marquee for the occasion.’

‘Apparently they come with heating installed, and it doesn’t really matter if the weather isn’t good,’ she continued lightly.

‘As long as it isn’t blowing a gale,’ Frazer said with a grin, ‘they should be all right.’

When he smiled it lit his eyes. They were wonderfully warm and dark. With difficulty she turned her attention away from his good looks.

‘Are you the best man?’

Frazer nodded. ‘I’ve known Mark and Ruth for years.’

A young woman brought a tray of coffee and put it down on the table. She smiled at Frazer shyly, and blushed when he smiled back at her.

‘Thanks, Sandra.’

She nodded and left them.

‘That’s Angela’s young sister. She’s seventeen.’ Frazer reached to pour their drinks. ‘Do you take cream and sugar?’ He glanced up at her.

‘No, I take it black, thanks.’

‘So where do you hail from, Emma? May I call you Emma?’ he asked casually.

‘Please do.’ She noticed how small the delicate cup and saucer looked in his hand. She took the drink from him, being careful not to brush against his skin. Why, she couldn’t have said.

This man was having a very curious effect on her.

Emma leaned back in the sofa and crossed her long legs, trying her best to appear relaxed. ‘I was brought up in Kent, but I’ve lived most of my life in London.’

‘So you’re a country girl at heart?’

She smiled. ‘I like to think so, but I’ve still got a lot to learn.’

‘You’re determinedly forging your way through those library books?’ He laughed.

She felt herself colouring with embarrassment. ‘I know it probably sounds silly to you. Obviously there is no substitute for experience. But I’ve got to start somewhere.’

He nodded. ‘It doesn’t sound silly. I shouldn’t have laughed,’ he said gently.

The sincere note in his voice made her senses respond to him in a very strange manner. Maybe her first judgement of him had been harsh.

‘I was just stunned that you were attempting to run that estate on your own with no real knowledge of even the basics of farming.’

‘I’m getting the hang of things,’ she assured him swiftly. ‘And I’ve got farm labourers to help.’

‘You’ve got guts. I’ll give you that.’ He leaned forward, an earnest light in the darkness of his eyes. ‘But you know that estate is in a bad state of disrepair. It’s going to be bleak there this winter. Life can be harsh up here at the best of times.’

She felt the hand of reality settle firmly on her shoulder, and with it disappointment. ‘This isn’t a prelude to you offering to buy the estate from me again, is it?’ she asked warily. ‘Because, if so, the answer is still no.’

‘It’s just neighbourly concern,’ he said gently. ‘Ethan’s estate isn’t really the place for a young widow on her own. Especially a woman who is used to the city.’

‘Well, I can assure you I’m going to be fine,’ Emma said firmly. ‘And I’m not a widow,’ she corrected him. ‘I’m divorced.’

‘Oh!’ He sat back. ‘I’m sorry. The talk in the village was that you were recently widowed.’

Emma’s eyes widened. ‘I don’t know where they got that idea from.’

He laughed. ‘Did you ever play that game Chinese Whispers when you were a child?’

She smiled. ‘Yes, I think I did.’

‘Well, Glenmarrin is the home of that kind of gossip. What one person says is distorted as it passes down the chain, until it bears little resemblance to the truth once it reaches the last person in the line. And the trouble is you can’t avoid hearing the rumours even if you try. News of a young widow inheriting Ethan’s place has been the number one subject for weeks.’

‘Sounds like the social scene in London. Maybe things in the country aren’t so different after all.’ Emma grinned, then added impulsively, ‘Anyway, they’ll probably all know the truth by tomorrow. I’m divorced, and one of the rooms I’ve just booked was for my ex-husband.’

Frazer studied her over the rim of his coffee cup. ‘Are you planning on getting back together, then?’

‘Heavens, no! He’s just coming up to discuss some business. He’s remarried now, to a very beautiful Italian girl called Gina.’

‘But you’ve still got a soft spot for him?’ Frazer hazarded a guess.

‘No!’ Emma’s voice was emphatic, and louder than she had intended.

The man by the fire looked over at them curiously.

‘Certainly not,’ she repeated in a softer tone. ‘Jon is a film producer and he’s looking for a Scottish location for his latest production. He’s going to take a look at my estate.’

Frazer made no reply to that, just continued to look at her with those intense dark eyes. There was something about those eyes that made her feel he could look into her soul. It unnerved her for a minute.

‘They pay a lot of money for a good location,’ she continued briskly. ‘And, as you said yourself, the farm is very run down. I could do with an injection of cash.’

Frazer considered what she had told him for a moment, before saying calmly, ‘It’s none of my business, but it sounds to me like you’re playing with fire.’