One-Man Woman

Poor Beth—she wasn’t at all happy, Ellie realised. Not that she exactly blamed her sister for feeling the way she obviously did, but the two of them were here now; surely together they could get through this evening?

‘How nice,’ she murmured with complete insincerity. ‘I don’t think the two of us have ever been introduced.’ She moved forward into the room as she spoke, extending her hand in greeting. ‘I’m Beth’s sister, Ellie. And you are an old friend of James’s.’ She smiled at him as she spoke, and knew by the way his mouth tightened that he hadn’t missed the slight barb in her tone when she’d said ‘old’ friend. Not that Daniel was in the least old—probably in his late thirties at the most—but she intended keeping him slightly off-balance if she could.

He clasped the hand she held out to him a little too tightly, painfully so for a few brief seconds, before slowly releasing it again. “The two of you don’t look in the least like sisters,’ he murmured softly, his narrowed gaze taking in Ellie’s appearance.

‘We’ve fooled a lot of people with that over the years.’ Beth smiled, starting to look more relaxed now that she was no longer alone with Daniel.

Beth had always been tiny and blonde, Ellie tall and red-haired—some people might have described her as statuesque—and when they’d been at school together it had disconcerted more than one person to find that Beth had a big big sister.

‘I’ll just bet you have,’ Daniel said slowly, his narrowed gaze still on Ellie.

He looked very attractive himself in a dark blue suit and light blue shirt, with a conservatively patterned tie knotted meticulously at his throat. His hair had dried now, and was brushed back from his face, curling softly over the collar of his jacket.

‘I’ll just go and check on the chicken and put out our first course,’ Beth put in brightly before she hurried from the room, obviously anxious to get the meal started.

There was silence once Beth had left the room, and Ellie met Daniel’s gaze challengingly as he continued to look at her. She had no reason to feel embarrassed by the assumptions he had made earlier—but he did. Although she doubted embarrassment was something this man felt very often, no matter what the circumstances!

‘What happened to the husband and seven children?’ he finally said drily.

She gave a dismissive shrug. ‘You know how it is—here today, gone tomorrow!’ she said flippantly, green eyes alight with mockery.

‘Is that a family trait?’ he said hardily.

Ellie tilted her head questioningly, frowning slightly. ‘Sorry...?’

Daniel shrugged. ‘Your sister and James haven’t been married very long, and yet they appear to be separated.’

Her mouth tightened at the implication. ‘Surely that is between Beth and James?’ she said pointedly; if by some chance he was here on James’s behalf, she wanted to make it very plain what she thought of his interference.

He gave an abrupt nod. ‘And you aren’t the receptionist or the maid after all but the sister...’ he said slowly.

Ellie looked at him sharply, not altogether sure she liked the way he’d said that either. ‘Yes,’ she answered almost defensively. ‘I’m Beth’s sister.’

‘James has spoken of you,’ Daniel murmured evenly.

She frowned, trying to read from his expression the meaning behind those words. For she felt sure there was one. But Daniel Thackery had made an art, it seemed, out of the enigmatic expression, and consequently, if there had been a double meaning behind the statement, she wasn’t going to learn of it from looking at his face.

‘How is my brother-in-law?’ she returned just as guardedly; at least she might be able to find out the answer to the question that was most bothering Beth at the moment.

‘The last time I saw James he was very well,’ Daniel returned noncommittally, obviously having no intention of telling her exactly when that meeting had taken place.

It could have been months ago, before Beth and James’s separation, for all Ellie knew. Although somehow she had an instinctive feeling that it hadn’t been...

Ellie continued to meet Daniel’s gaze for several seconds before finally turning away. ‘Can I get you a drink while we’re waiting?’ she offered with cool politeness.

‘Your sister has already provided me with a glass of wine, thank you.’ He indicated the glass sitting on the coffee-table beside him. ‘But I’ll pour you a glass, if you would like one?’ he offered mockingly.

It was almost as if he knew how much in need she felt of a soothing sip of wine! Probably he did. This man wasn’t disconcerted for long; he had recovered fast from the surprise of realising she was Beth’s sister.

‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly let you do that,’ she refused with saccharine politeness. ‘After all, you’re our guest.’

‘So it would appear,’ he conceded drily. ‘I notice, from my lack of sneezing, that you aren’t wearing Sapphire this evening?’

Ellie eyed him warily. ‘I do wear other perfumes,’ she told him defensively. ‘And in view of your remark concerning your allergy...’ She shrugged with a casual dismissiveness she was far from feeling; she would rather not get into a discussion about the perfume that made him sneeze every time he went near someone wearing it! He might start to question her about the occasions when he had been sneezing during the last two days...!

His mouth twisted. ‘That’s very kind of you.’

‘I can be kind, Mr Thackery—’

‘Daniel, please,’ he cut in smoothly, his gaze lightly mocking.

‘Daniel,’ she acknowledged distantly, moving to the dresser where Beth had left the tray containing the cooling bottle of white wine and the necessary glasses. ‘Let me fill your glass up for you.’ She smoothly crossed the room to pour the wine, hoping she had successfully diverted his attention away from that damned perfume; in view of the trouble it had almost caused her she never intended wearing it again.

Where on earth had Beth got to? She only had to check that the chicken hadn’t gone dry and put the prepared avocados and prawns on the table; surely it couldn’t be taking her this long just to do that?

‘Cheers!’ Daniel held up his glass once both glasses were filled. ‘To an enjoyable dinner,’ he toasted drily.

It was as if he knew very well that neither she nor Beth was actually looking forward to sharing this meal with him! Which he probably did. After all, Beth had run off like a scared rabbit and not returned, and Ellie knew she wasn’t exactly being welcoming.

‘Cheers,’ she echoed abruptly, lightly touching her glass to his, pointedly not echoing his remark about ‘an enjoyable dinner’.

Basically, she doubted it would be. There was an edge to her own conversation with Daniel, and Beth was hardly relaxed in his company either. What a wonderful evening this promised to be!

‘Shall we sit down?’ she invited as she smoothly lowered herself into one of the armchairs, crossing one knee over the other, her legs long and silky in the slightly dark tights.

Daniel sat opposite her, totally relaxed, still looking at her with narrowed eyes. ‘I don’t remember meeting you at the wedding,’ he finally said thoughtfully—as if he would have remembered only too well if he had met her!

Which he probably would, Ellie conceded; the sparks seemed to have been flying between them since the moment they’d first met! ‘Unfortunately I missed it because I wasn’t very well,’ she explained dismissively.

Dark brows rose. ‘So unwell you couldn’t make your only sister’s wedding?’

Ellie sensed the censure in his tone and frowned. ‘Yes,’ she bit out tersely, having no intention of explaining to him, of all people, the reason she hadn’t been able to attend Beth and James’s wedding.

‘That must have been rather upsetting for your sister.’ He met her gaze challengingly. ‘Although I believe your parents did come over from Spain for the wedding...?’ He arched dark brows.

‘Yes,’ she answered slowly. Of course her parents had come over for the wedding; they had stayed on for several weeks afterwards to help at the hotel too, what with Ellie in hospital and Beth away on her honeymoon.

Daniel nodded. ‘I believe they left you and Beth in charge here after your father’s illness?’

‘Yes.’ She replied warily this time; he had been busy doing his homework about them, hadn’t he?

‘So you and Beth must have come to rely on each other a lot over the last couple of years?’ he ground out harshly.

She and Beth had always been close. At this precise moment Ellie felt as if she was under attack—and she wasn’t exactly sure why. What difference did it make to this man whether or not she had been at Beth and James’s wedding? What business was it of his anyway?

She shrugged. ‘Beth understood why I couldn’t be at the wedding.’