Heaven Here On Earth

Ryan didn’t wait to hear any more, but ran down the stairs to pick up the telephone. ‘Mark!’ she greeted him with breathless relief.

‘Who else?’ he said cheerfully. ‘How’s it going?’

‘Well, I had to walk from the station, the house is enormous, my cottage isn’t ready, I have—–’

‘Hey, slow down, slow down!’ he laughed. ‘I heard all about that from Mandy. I also heard you had some strange-looking animal with you. I’m sure you were alone when Diana and I saw you off this morning,’ he teased.

Mandy hadn’t wasted much time relating her unusual arrival. ‘You almost saw me off,’ she reminded him. ‘You arrived just as the train was pulling out of the station. As for the dog, he’s adopted me,’ she dismissed. ‘Mark, your brother has very kindly invited me to stay in the house until the cottage is ready, but—–’

‘Have you seen the studio yet?’ he interrupted.

She frowned. ‘No.’

‘Get Mandy to show it to you. I guarantee you won’t want to leave then.’

‘I don’t want to leave now. I just feel—uncomfortable, with your family.’ That was the understatement of the year!

‘What did you think of Grant?’

‘Think of him?’ she returned guardedly.

Mark chuckled softly. ‘Handsome devil, isn’t he?’

‘Very handsome,’ she acknowledged stiffly.

‘I thought you’d like him,’ he mocked.

‘Who said anything about liking him?’ she snapped, knowing that she was, foolishly, blushing. ‘I just admitted he was handsome, that doesn’t mean I like him.’

‘Of course not,’ Mark replied blandly. ‘And how about Mandy, what do you think of her?’

‘She’s very pretty.’

‘Isn’t she?’ The smile could be heard in his voice as he guessed at her evasion. ‘She’s also very sweet under the bitchiness.’

‘I’m not sure I’ll get that far,’ Ryan said dryly.

‘You will,’ he laughed. ‘Could you put her on for a few minutes? I want to talk to her.’

Much to Ryan’s embarrassment she found Mandy Montgomery standing in the open doorway when she turned, giving every impression of having been there for some time. How much of the conversation had she listened to? She hoped not the part where she had admitted that Grant was handsome!

‘He wants to talk to you,’ she held out the receiver to the other girl.

Mandy strolled over, in no hurry. ‘Thanks,’ and she instantly turned her back on Ryan.

So much for getting past the bitchiness! She wasn’t even sure she wanted to.

‘I’m not your servant!’ Mandy was telling her brother angrily. ‘All right,’ she agreed finally. ‘But Grant isn’t too happy about the way you deceived him. You know exactly what I mean. It isn’t funny, Mark, Grant is furious about it.’

It didn’t need two guesses what Grant Montgomery was ‘furious’ about. He had been expecting a man, and instead she had turned up. She was always having the same trouble with her name, although this time she was inclined to believe, as Grant did, that Mark had done it on purpose. It was the sort of thing he would find funny. Obviously his brother didn’t share his sense of humour. She wasn’t sure she did in this case either. It had certainly got her off to a bad start with the other two members of the Montgomery family.

Mandy had rung off now, and turned to her with that insolent stare. ‘Mark wants me to show you the studio.’

She blushed. ‘If you’d rather not, I’m sure I could find it on my own.’

Dark eyebrows rose in a facsimile of her eldest brother. ‘I doubt if Grant would welcome you wandering about the house on your own,’ she drawled.

Ryan’s mouth tightened at the other girl’s insulting tone. ‘I don’t think your family silver would look right in my flat,’ she snapped.

Mandy smiled, at once looking younger. ‘So you can stand up for yourself if you have to. That could come in useful in this house.’ She led the way up the stairs, with Ryan walking at her side. ‘Don’t be fooled by Grant’s mild manner of earlier, he can be a swine at times.’

If his rudeness to her and condescension to Ragtag had been his mild manner, then he must indeed be a swine at his worst! ‘I’ll remember that,’ she said coolly.

‘I should,’ Mandy advised softly. ‘When Grant has one of his boils the whole household knows about it.’

‘Then let’s hope that he doesn’t “boil” while I’m in the house!’

‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ the other girl said dryly. ‘It happens pretty regularly. Here’s the studio,’ she flung open double doors at the top of the last flight of stairs, standing aside for Ryan to enter.

As Ryan walked inside she forgot all about Mandy’s snobbishness, Grant’s arrogance, Mark’s disregard for anything but his own plans, and her face lit up as she took in the perfection of the studio. Mark certainly hadn’t exaggerated.

The studio covered most of the loft space, huge windows having been put in as skylights each side of the sloping roof, giving the room a very light and airy feeling. Several easels stood about the room, empty of canvases, in fact, the whole room had an unused look.

‘Mark doesn’t use it very often,’ Mandy stated the obvious. ‘He doesn’t come home very often either,’ she added in a resentful voice. ‘He prefers his London friends.’

‘Really?’ Ryan was only half listening, her excitement increasing as she looked around the room. It was perfect, absolutely perfect. She could spend the rest of her life working in here. Although three weeks would have to do!

‘Are you a—special friend of his?’ Mandy probed.

She shrugged. ‘I don’t know about special, but I’ve known him a long time.’ She was already planning where she would put her easel for the best light. How her fellow students would envy her this opportunity, most of them having to make do, as she usually did. She had a feeling she was going to do some of her best work here.

‘If you’ve quite finished looking round,’ Mandy said tightly.

‘Mm? Oh—oh yes,’ Ryan blushed. ‘It’s lovely,’ she said inadequately.

The other girl nodded. ‘Mark often lets his friends use it, but you’re the first female.’

This fact really seemed to bother the Montgomery family, although Ryan couldn’t for the life of her think why. Didn’t they have friends of both sexes?

‘Perhaps you would like to join me for tea in the lounge?’ Mandy asked grudgingly.

‘I’d like that,’ she accepted. ‘But I have to feed my dog first.’

The other girl’s mouth twisted mockingly. ‘I’ll see you later, then.’

So dismissed, Ryan made her way down to the kitchen, finding that Grant had already told the cook she would be requiring the food.

Ragtag sat outside the stable rather than inside it, basking in the sunshine, although he got up and trotted to her side as soon as he saw her, his nose going into the food-bowl as if he hadn’t eaten for a month.