very important to her.’
He gave a faint smile but didn’t comment any further, and Alex was prompted to ask, ‘Would I be right in thinking your mother is the other person you know who is “driven”, as you put it?’
‘I guess so.’ He pressed his lips together briefly. ‘She’s a very fierce believer in getting things done. Once she sets her mind on doing something, it becomes the be-all and end-all…there’s no stopping her. Of course, that’s great, if you’ve a project that needs to be up and running, but it doesn’t bode well for anyone who would hanker after a cosy home life.’
‘Like you?’ She was frowning a little, wondering what it must have been like for him as a young child to live with parents who were constantly travelling the world. ‘I expect you must have seen more than your fair share of countries.’
‘That’s right. I always went with them in the beginning, but there came a time when I was due to start my secondary education, and I wanted stability. So that’s where my aunt and uncle came in…although my uncle passed away a few years ago. My parents kept in touch by phone and email—we even have a video link set up now.’ He smiled. ‘My mother was anxious about leaving me, but Aunt Jane is a home bird and she more than made up for any sense of loss I might be feeling. My uncle and aunt didn’t have any children of their own, and so I think they were glad of the chance to look after me.’
‘She’s a lovely woman,’ Alex said. ‘I took to her straight away—and the minute she saw that I had children she offered to help out. I still feel anxious about letting her take that on, especially with the school holidays coming up soon…but she seemed like a godsend at the time.’
He nodded. ‘Strange, that,’ he murmured. ‘I’d no idea that you had children.’ He stood up then to go and fetch biscuits from a cupboard on the wall. ‘We have bourbons, sandwich creams, plain, ginger…’ he said, rummaging through the various packets. ‘Or there are fruited tea buns left over from yesterday afternoon.’ He pressed the packaging to test their freshness, and his features lit up. ‘They seem fine. Would you like one?’
She grinned at his boyish pleasure. ‘Thanks, that would be great.’
He set them out on plates, and added a selection of biscuits. ‘I’m starving,’ he told her with a hint of apology. ‘My lunch was interrupted today—an emergency cropped up. It’s always happening—that’s why I keep a stash of goodies on hand in here.’
He came to sit back down, and pushed a plate towards her before biting into a tea bun. ‘You’ll be pleased to know that I made an appointment for my aunt to see a specialist friend of mine—I managed to arrange it for next week, so we should soon know the score about what’s causing the high blood pressure. Like you, I’ve been worried about her.’
‘I’m glad you did that.’ Alex smiled, and he looked at her, almost as though he was seeing her for the first time, his gaze lingering on her features for a while.
Then he seemed to pull himself together and said cautiously, ‘As I said, it was a bit of a shock to find that you had children. It must make things difficult for you, doing a high-powered job like this one and still having to maintain a family life.’
‘It isn’t easy, I grant you.’ Alex took a bite from the remaining bun, and chewed thoughtfully for a moment or two. ‘First there was the move down here to Somerset, that was an ordeal in itself, for me, at least, and it was a bit of a challenge for the children, having to settle into a new house.’
He glanced at the fingers of her left hand, and then frowned. ‘And your husband? I don’t see a ring. Are you and he divorced…separated?’
‘Neither. I’ve never been married.’ She finished off the bun.
He drew in a deep breath and looked faintly puzzled. ‘But the children’s father…’
‘Is in hospital. He’s my brother.’ She
He gave a faint smile but didn’t comment any further, and Alex was prompted to ask, ‘Would I be right in thinking your mother is the other person you know who is “driven”, as you put it?’
‘I guess so.’ He pressed his lips together briefly. ‘She’s a very fierce believer in getting things done. Once she sets her mind on doing something, it becomes the be-all and end-all…there’s no stopping her. Of course, that’s great, if you’ve a project that needs to be up and running, but it doesn’t bode well for anyone who would hanker after a cosy home life.’
‘Like you?’ She was frowning a little, wondering what it must have been like for him as a young child to live with parents who were constantly travelling the world. ‘I expect you must have seen more than your fair share of countries.’
‘That’s right. I always went with them in the beginning, but there came a time when I was due to start my secondary education, and I wanted stability. So that’s where my aunt and uncle came in…although my uncle passed away a few years ago. My parents kept in touch by phone and email—we even have a video link set up now.’ He smiled. ‘My mother was anxious about leaving me, but Aunt Jane is a home bird and she more than made up for any sense of loss I might be feeling. My uncle and aunt didn’t have any children of their own, and so I think they were glad of the chance to look after me.’
‘She’s a lovely woman,’ Alex said. ‘I took to her straight away—and the minute she saw that I had children she offered to help out. I still feel anxious about letting her take that on, especially with the school holidays coming up soon…but she seemed like a godsend at the time.’
He nodded. ‘Strange, that,’ he murmured. ‘I’d no idea that you had children.’ He stood up then to go and fetch biscuits from a cupboard on the wall. ‘We have bourbons, sandwich creams, plain, ginger…’ he said, rummaging through the various packets. ‘Or there are fruited tea buns left over from yesterday afternoon.’ He pressed the packaging to test their freshness, and his features lit up. ‘They seem fine. Would you like one?’
She grinned at his boyish pleasure. ‘Thanks, that would be great.’
He set them out on plates, and added a selection of biscuits. ‘I’m starving,’ he told her with a hint of apology. ‘My lunch was interrupted today—an emergency cropped up. It’s always happening—that’s why I keep a stash of goodies on hand in here.’
He came to sit back down, and pushed a plate towards her before biting into a tea bun. ‘You’ll be pleased to know that I made an appointment for my aunt to see a specialist friend of mine—I managed to arrange it for next week, so we should soon know the score about what’s causing the high blood pressure. Like you, I’ve been worried about her.’
‘I’m glad you did that.’ Alex smiled, and he looked at her, almost as though he was seeing her for the first time, his gaze lingering on her features for a while.
Then he seemed to pull himself together and said cautiously, ‘As I said, it was a bit of a shock to find that you had children. It must make things difficult for you, doing a high-powered job like this one and still having to maintain a family life.’
‘It isn’t easy, I grant you.’ Alex took a bite from the remaining bun, and chewed thoughtfully for a moment or two. ‘First there was the move down here to Somerset, that was an ordeal in itself, for me, at least, and it was a bit of a challenge for the children, having to settle into a new house.’
He glanced at the fingers of her left hand, and then frowned. ‘And your husband? I don’t see a ring. Are you and he divorced…separated?’
‘Neither. I’ve never been married.’ She finished off the bun.
He drew in a deep breath and looked faintly puzzled. ‘But the children’s father…’
‘Is in hospital. He’s my brother.’ She
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