Lucan. After she had imagined his lips and mouth against her naked breasts—
Stop it,
Lexie, she instructed herself firmly.
Stop it right now!
She straightened abruptly. ‘I’m just making some coffee, but Mr St Claire is outside getting our luggage if you want to join him?’ she said dismissively. The curiosity she could see in those friendly blue eyes warned her that John Barton would rather linger in the kitchen for a while and satisfy his curiosity about her than go in search of his employer.
He smiled. ‘My wife has sent over a few supplies to see you through.’ He indicated the box he had placed on the worktop. ‘Milk, bread and butter, cheese—stuff like that. I would have brought it over earlier, but Lucan didn’t tell me what time he would be arriving,’ he added.
‘What a surprise!’ Lexie muttered dryly as she crossed the kitchen to inspect the box of groceries. As well as the supplies John had mentioned there was also a promising-looking covered glass dish, filled with some sort of meat casserole. Her eyes glowed with pleasure as she turned back to John Barton. ‘Please thank your wife—’
‘Cathy,’ he supplied lightly.
Lexie had been occasional friends with a girl in the village called Cathy when she was growing up. Not enough for the two of them to have remained in touch once they went off to different universities at eighteen, but enough for Lexie’s grandmother to write and tell her that Cathy had married the previous year.
But there was no reason to think it was the same Cathy. No doubt John Barton’s wife was as Scottish as he was.
‘Do you both come from around here?’ Lexie prompted conversationally as she studiously began to take the supplies from the box.
‘Obviously I’m originally from Scotland.’ John Barton gave a rueful smile. ‘But Cathy’s a local girl—from the village,’ he added lightly. ‘I expect she’ll pop over to say hello to you both sometime tomorrow—’
‘I don’t think Mr St Claire is planning on staying for very long,’ Lexie cut in sharply. Dear God, it probably
was
the same Cathy!
Blonde-haired, green-eyed Cathy, whom Lexie had no doubt made the amiable John Barton as wonderful a wife as he made
her
a loving husband!
‘I believe I said we would probably be here for a couple of days at least, Lexie.’
She turned sharply to face Lucan as he filled the doorway into the main house, heavy lids lowered over those dark eyes as he returned her gaze challengingly. Lexie swallowed hard before speaking. ‘Mr Barton has very kindly brought over some milk and other supplies.’
‘Just the basics,’ the other man explained as he crossed the kitchen. ‘Sorry this business had to bring you back so soon, Lucan.’
‘No problem, John,’ Lucan lied as he shook the other man’s hand warmly. ‘I was thinking of taking Lexie to theRose and Crown for dinner this evening, so I’m hoping they still serve meals?’
‘Mr Barton’s wife has very kindly provided us with a casserole for this evening,’ Lexie put in quickly.
The Rose and Crown pub in the village was another place she had no intention of going while she was here; Bill and Mary Collins, the landlord and his wife, were both well aware of exactly who she was, and of her connection to Sian Thomas.
One thing Lexie was now absolutely sure of: she had to go down to the village and visit her grandmother in person, before there was even a possibility of Nanna Sian hearing from anyone else that her granddaughter was currently staying at Mulberry Hall with Lucan St Claire!
CHAPTER FIVE
‘I WOULDN’T have thought preparing dinner came under the heading of your duties as a PA, either?’ Lucan prompted softly an hour or so later, when he returned to the kitchen after seeing John out and then returning upstairs briefly to change out of his suit. A kitchen which was now filled with the wonderful aroma of the thick and meaty casserole visibly warming through the glass door of the oven.
Blue
Stop it,
Lexie, she instructed herself firmly.
Stop it right now!
She straightened abruptly. ‘I’m just making some coffee, but Mr St Claire is outside getting our luggage if you want to join him?’ she said dismissively. The curiosity she could see in those friendly blue eyes warned her that John Barton would rather linger in the kitchen for a while and satisfy his curiosity about her than go in search of his employer.
He smiled. ‘My wife has sent over a few supplies to see you through.’ He indicated the box he had placed on the worktop. ‘Milk, bread and butter, cheese—stuff like that. I would have brought it over earlier, but Lucan didn’t tell me what time he would be arriving,’ he added.
‘What a surprise!’ Lexie muttered dryly as she crossed the kitchen to inspect the box of groceries. As well as the supplies John had mentioned there was also a promising-looking covered glass dish, filled with some sort of meat casserole. Her eyes glowed with pleasure as she turned back to John Barton. ‘Please thank your wife—’
‘Cathy,’ he supplied lightly.
Lexie had been occasional friends with a girl in the village called Cathy when she was growing up. Not enough for the two of them to have remained in touch once they went off to different universities at eighteen, but enough for Lexie’s grandmother to write and tell her that Cathy had married the previous year.
But there was no reason to think it was the same Cathy. No doubt John Barton’s wife was as Scottish as he was.
‘Do you both come from around here?’ Lexie prompted conversationally as she studiously began to take the supplies from the box.
‘Obviously I’m originally from Scotland.’ John Barton gave a rueful smile. ‘But Cathy’s a local girl—from the village,’ he added lightly. ‘I expect she’ll pop over to say hello to you both sometime tomorrow—’
‘I don’t think Mr St Claire is planning on staying for very long,’ Lexie cut in sharply. Dear God, it probably
was
the same Cathy!
Blonde-haired, green-eyed Cathy, whom Lexie had no doubt made the amiable John Barton as wonderful a wife as he made
her
a loving husband!
‘I believe I said we would probably be here for a couple of days at least, Lexie.’
She turned sharply to face Lucan as he filled the doorway into the main house, heavy lids lowered over those dark eyes as he returned her gaze challengingly. Lexie swallowed hard before speaking. ‘Mr Barton has very kindly brought over some milk and other supplies.’
‘Just the basics,’ the other man explained as he crossed the kitchen. ‘Sorry this business had to bring you back so soon, Lucan.’
‘No problem, John,’ Lucan lied as he shook the other man’s hand warmly. ‘I was thinking of taking Lexie to theRose and Crown for dinner this evening, so I’m hoping they still serve meals?’
‘Mr Barton’s wife has very kindly provided us with a casserole for this evening,’ Lexie put in quickly.
The Rose and Crown pub in the village was another place she had no intention of going while she was here; Bill and Mary Collins, the landlord and his wife, were both well aware of exactly who she was, and of her connection to Sian Thomas.
One thing Lexie was now absolutely sure of: she had to go down to the village and visit her grandmother in person, before there was even a possibility of Nanna Sian hearing from anyone else that her granddaughter was currently staying at Mulberry Hall with Lucan St Claire!
CHAPTER FIVE
‘I WOULDN’T have thought preparing dinner came under the heading of your duties as a PA, either?’ Lucan prompted softly an hour or so later, when he returned to the kitchen after seeing John out and then returning upstairs briefly to change out of his suit. A kitchen which was now filled with the wonderful aroma of the thick and meaty casserole visibly warming through the glass door of the oven.
Blue
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