by Anne Fraser
She was being daft, of course she was. Ciaran loved her. Just because he didn’t create fireworks because he might not see her very often over the next few months was no reason to feel a little…disappointed? Deflated? Unappreciated?
Relieved?
If anything, the last twenty-four hours had deepened the feeling of unease she felt whenever she thought about her impending marriage.
* * *
As before, she flew back to London on Daniel’s private plane. Her third flight in less than two days. She could get used to this way of travelling. No endless queueing for her bags to be checked, or to go through security or to have her passport examined. Everything happened as if by magic. As soon as she stepped into the arrivals’ hall, Daniel’s driver was waiting to take her suitcase, his car right outside, so she barely had to walk.
Colleen reached for the car door before the chauffeur had a chance to open it for her. She looked up at him and smiled. ‘I’ll lose the use of my own arms if I don’t use them.’
‘Yes, madam.’
‘Oh, no. None of that madam stuff. Please call me Colleen.’
‘Yes, madam.’
Oh dear.
Suddenly the driver grinned and held out his hand. ‘I’m Mike.’
She shook it, feeling relieved. Much more of that madamising malarkey and she would have gone crazy.
* * *
They had driven through London before coming to a halt in front of large wrought-iron gates that swung open as if sensing their arrival.
Once again, Colleen got to the door before Mike could do it for her.
‘I don’t suppose I can carry my own bags?’ she said to him.
‘No need. They’ll be taken up to your room and unpacked for you,’ Mike replied, taking her embarrassingly bedraggled-looking bags from the boot.
Colleen looked up at the most enormous mansion she’d ever seen. It was like something out of Country House Rescue, except she had no doubt that there would be no crumbling plasterwork or peeling paint in Daniel Frobisher’s palace. Hooking her handbag over her shoulder, she skipped up the sweep of steps. As if by magic, the huge front door swung open, revealing a man in his early fifties, wearing the same black suit, white shirt and tie as the uniform of the chauffeur.
‘Welcome to Carrington Hall, Miss McCulloch.’
Colleen held her hand out. ‘Mr Haversham, I presume?’
The man couldn’t have looked more shocked had she attacked him with a deadly weapon. Colleen let her hand drop.
‘Mr Haversham is Mr Frobisher’s personal assistant. I’m Burton, Mr Frobisher’s butler.’
Did people really still have butlers? This felt more and more like she was in a period costume drama.
‘Please call me, Colleen. Don’t you have a first name, Mr Burton?’
‘Just Burton, miss. Please follow me,’ the butler said, taking her bags from Mike. ‘Mr Frobisher sends his apologies. I am to tell you that he is unable to welcome you personally, but unfortunately he has pressing business to attend to. He says he’ll see you at dinner.’
Colleen hid her dismay. Daniel had made all that effort to get her here in the first place, but couldn’t spare the time to greet her! If he truly cared about Harry, shouldn’t his son and not a business deal be his first priority? The sympathy she’d been feeling towards him faded. If he thought he could hand Harry over to her and leave it at that, he’d made a mistake. She was here to help him care for his son and Daniel’s involvement was absolutely critical. She had to make that clear and the sooner the better.
‘He had pressing business, did he? Well, I would like you to get Mr Frobisher on the telephone and let him know that his presence is needed here.’
Burton raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible. Mr Frobisher does not care to be interrupted when he’s working.’ Was she mistaken or did Burton shudder slightly, as if remembering a time when he had made the mistake of interrupting his boss? Well, she wouldn’t be so easily intimidated.
‘If you could let me have his telephone number, then I’ll call him myself.’ Colleen scrambled around in her bag for her phone, eventually finding it caught up in some sweet papers. One day she would have to find the time to give her bag a good clear-out. She waved her mobile at Burton. ‘Number, please?’
This time, the penguin-suited man did shudder. And folded his arms. And looked at her with unmistakable resolve. ‘As I said, Mr Frobisher will see you at dinner. In the meantime, maybe you’d like to see your room?’ He looked at her and his lip curled. ‘And freshen up. Perhaps change?’
The cheek. There was nothing wrong with her freshly washed jeans and T-shirt. She was here to work—not look like something from a catwalk.
‘I’d rather go straight to Harry’s room to make sure everything’s in order,’ Colleen said stiffly. She’d only been here ten minutes and already she was wondering what she’d let herself in for. ‘That’s why I’m here. I understand from what Mr Frobisher said that his son will be coming home the day after tomorrow. I’m sure there is a fair bit to organise before then.’
Burton jumped back, startled, as she swept past him. The marbled hall with its high-vaulted ceilings and imposing staircase took Colleen’s breath away. This was more like the entrance to a private hotel than a house. But despite the grandeur, it wasn’t a place she would call home. It was too dark and gloomy with its wooden panelled walls and deep-green wallpaper.
‘But, miss, Mr Frobisher insisted…’
‘Mmm…well, see, here’s the thing.’ Colleen waved a finger in the air. ‘I’m here for Harry. Everyone—and I mean everyone—is second in importance to that. So, which way to Harry’s room?’
‘If you wait here, miss, I’ll just get Mr Frobisher for you. He’s working from home today,’ Burton replied, regaining his composure.
So Daniel wasn’t even at work? He was here all the time, yet couldn’t be bothered to make the time to greet her. If possible, she felt even more uneasy. None of this matched the little she knew of Daniel. In Dublin and at the hospital, she hadn’t doubted for a second that he cared about his son.
* * *
She heard Daniel’s footsteps on the marbled floor before she saw him. Somehow she’d expected him to be suited and booted again, not wearing faded denim jeans and an open-necked pearl-grey shirt. His dark hair was kind of mussy, as if he’d been pulling his hands through it, and he had the beginnings of a five-o’clock shadow. It made him look more approachable and really quite sexy in an uptight British way.
‘Colleen, welcome. Did you have a good flight?’ he asked, with only the briefest of smiles.
‘Everything about my trip was great, thanks,’ Colleen replied, coolly.
‘I gather you wish to speak to me. What is so important that it can’t wait?’
‘I’d like to see Harry’s room, but Mr Burton appears reluctant to show it to me. He seems to want to pack me off to my room so I can change. I tried to tell him that I don’t need to rest or change or freshen up, or whatever it is that he seems to think I need to do, but he’s not having it. I’m not in the least bit tired, I’m almost as clean as I was when I showered this morning and I want to see Harry’s room. Is that a problem?’
A smile, more genuine this time, crossed Daniel’s face.
‘Of course not. Burton was just following instructions. Guests normally like to settle in to their rooms when they arrive.’
‘But I’m not a guest, sure I’m not.’
Something glinted in Daniel’s eyes. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn it was laughter. He regarded her calmly without saying anything. She already that knew that he wasn’t exactly a chatterbox. But if he thought his silence would make her back down meekly, he had another think coming.
‘Here’s the thing,’ she continued doggedly, trying to ignore the way her heart was racing, ‘I’m here to do the best job I can for Harry, but in order to do that—what I say goes. Do we understand each other?’ Colleen held her breath as
she waited for Daniel to reply. Despite the instant connection she’d felt with Harry, she couldn’t work here unless she had free rein to do what she thought was best for him. She needed to make that absolutely clear from the start. Daniel studied her through narrowed eyes.
‘Perfectly. But let me make something clear, too. If, at any time, I feel you are not up to the job, I will find someone else.’
He was pinning her with that look again. Her heart was galloping like one of the horses in the field back home. Jeepers, life in this household wasn’t going to be easy.
‘Have you forgotten that you were the one who hounded me to take the job and not the other way round? But that’s fine by me, just as long as whatever happens, you don’t renege on your donation to the rehab unit.’
‘I never go back on my promises, Colleen.’ The words were quietly spoken, but held a thread of steel. ‘And something tells me you don’t either.’
Colleen just couldn’t make Daniel out. For two pins she’d insist on being taken back to Ireland. If it weren’t for the fact that Daniel was right—she never backed out of a promise. She’d told Harry she’d be here when he came home and she’d keep that promise.
‘Despite the way you went about securing my services, I’ve agreed to care for your son and I would never, ever let my—er—relationship…’ damn, that was the wrong word, but it was too late now to find a better one ‘…with a parent affect the way I treat a patient.’ And that was true. Even if she’d never felt like kicking someone before.
His smile was catlike. ‘At least we understand each other.’
Colleen let her breath out slowly, willing her heart rate to return to normal. ‘Okay, now that that’s out of the way, shall we get on?’
Daniel looked at his watch. ‘It’s okay, Burton, I can manage from here.’ He turned his gaze back to Colleen. She’d forgotten just how green those penetrating eyes of his were—even when he was frowning. ‘I can give you ten minutes. Follow me. Harry’s bedroom is on the second floor.’
Colleen remained silent for the rest of the way up the curving stairs and along the carpeted hallway lined with old-fashioned portraits of stuffy men in uniforms and aristocratic women in evening dresses. Daniel threw open the very last room at the end of the long corridor.
‘This is Harry’s room,’ he said over his shoulder. ‘I’ve installed a hospital bed as you can see. You’re in the suite next door.’
Colleen glanced round, taking in the bare walls and almost-empty shelves. An electric wheelchair stood in front of the unlit fireplace. She walked over to the bookshelf and tilted her head to the side, reading the titles along the spines: Great Expectations, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a couple of other tomes and a raft of other titles she didn’t recognise. Either Harry had unusual tastes for a twelve year old or these books didn’t belong to him.
She could sense Daniel’s impatience as he waited until she’d finished.
‘Would you like to see your room now?’ he asked.
‘There’s plenty of time for that later,’ Colleen replied.
He shrugged. ‘All right. You’ll find some uniforms laid out for you.’ He gave her an appraising look. ‘I’m pretty sure they’ll fit perfectly.’
‘I’m pretty sure they will, too, but I won’t be wearing a uniform.’ She pulled the heavy curtains back from the window and gazed down below. It was hard to believe they were in the centre of London—with the greenery in the garden below the concrete buildings of the city seemed miles away. She turned back to face him. ‘It’s important that Harry feels at home. Me wearing a uniform is not going to give him that impression. He’s already spent almost two months in hospital and I doubt he wants to be reminded of his experience there.’
Daniel tipped his head. ‘I see your point. It didn’t occur to me.’ He pulled his hand through his hair—she’d been right in her guess about where the mussy hair came from. ‘Clearly, I’m making a pig’s ear of this.’
His words, along with his baffled expression, disarmed her. He was after all, a father who wanted the best for his child. But she didn’t want to feel sorry for him—she already sensed that there was going to be more than one battle of wills between them. In many ways it was easier to deal with the arrogant, self-assured Daniel of earlier.
‘Don’t be too hard on yourself,’ she said gently, ‘you’ve never been in this situation before.’ She took a last look round the room. ‘Okay, that’s fine—I’ve seen enough. Could I see the rest of the house, please?’
She followed Daniel back down the stairs and across the vast hallway. He swung open the first door on the right, leading Colleen into a large lounge. Heavily polished rosewood tables complimented several worn chocolate-brown leather couches, which framed an enormous, slightly threadbare Oriental carpet in front of a head-height marble fireplace. Surely with all his wealth Daniel could get a new carpet and some modern furniture? The rug on the floor had clearly seen better days. She pointed to the fireplace. ‘Grief, Santa wouldn’t have any problem coming down your chimney, would he?’
Daniel didn’t answer, but she thought she saw that glint in his eyes again. There was a definite twitch of his lips.
Bay windows streamed in light with a broad view of the lush green garden bursting with flowers and shrubbery that she’d noticed from upstairs.
‘As I said in the contract I faxed over to you, there is a heated swimming pool in the basement as well as a gym that you are welcome to use. You may have your meals in your room, or with Harry, or in the dining room. I’ll leave that up to you. I’ve engaged night nurses to look after Harry from eight in the evening to eight in the morning, and you will be free to do whatever you wish between those hours. You may take every second weekend off and my plane will be at your disposal should you wish to go back to Ireland for the weekend. A car will always be available to you—’
‘I am able to read, Daniel,’ Colleen said with a smile. ‘The contract was very detailed.’ She paused. ‘How easy is it to get down to the pool?’
‘It’s down a flight of steps and along a corridor.’
‘Any chance of getting a lift installed?’ she asked. ‘Then we could take Harry down to the pool for his physio. A lot of patients find the water makes it easier for them to move their arms and legs.’
‘I’ll get Haversham on to it straight away. Anything else?’
‘What’s through the double doors there?’ Colleen pointed to the middle of the room.
‘The dining room. Look, if you want a tour of the house I’ll ask Burton to show you around. I should get back to work. I’m expecting a conference call in…’ he glanced at his watch ‘…five minutes. We can talk later. Over dinner, if you care to join me.’
‘Can I see the dining room?’
With a barely concealed sigh of irritation, Daniel waved his hand. ‘Help yourself.’
Colleen pushed open the doors and grinned. This room was perfect. ‘Daniel, would you come in here, please?’
‘What is it?’
‘I think this should be Harry’s new room.’
‘I’ve just shown you his bedroom—it’s what he’s familiar with.’
Colleen shook her head. ‘It’s too far away from the rest of the household. And it will be difficult getting him up and down the stairs.’ She pushed open the French doors leading out on to a patio. ‘This room will make a perfect bedroom for him.’ She swung round. ‘If you could arrange to have the furniture cleared out of here straight away so we can get Harry settled in.’
‘No.’
‘No? What do you mean “no”?’
‘Harry is sensitive to noise. There is no way he’d get the peace and quiet he needs down here.’
The silence stretched between them. Clearly when he said he’d give her free rein in the care of Harry, he meant it still had to be on his terms. It was time to change tack. ‘I’d kill for some tea—any chance of a cuppa?’
‘Sure. I’ll get Burton to bring a tray to your room.’
/> ‘Can’t we have it down here? It’s obvious to me that we need to discuss Harry’s care in more detail.’
Daniel frowned and looked at his watch—again. ‘I really have to take that call. We can discuss whatever it is you wish to this evening.’
‘I’m sorry, but that won’t work. Harry is coming home the day after tomorrow and we’ve got to get everything ready for him.’ She forced herself to keep her tone as neutral as possible, although frustration and annoyance was beginning to bubble again.
Daniel’s expression hardened. ‘Everything is ready for my son.’ His tone was clipped. ‘I’ve made sure of that. All you’ve got to do is do your job. That’s what I’m paying you for.’
This wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought. He needed to be reminded that she was a professional and was not prepared to be bossed around.
‘Haven’t we just had this conversation, Daniel? You have to trust that I know what I’m doing.’ She kept her voice even. ‘I wouldn’t suggest changes if I didn’t think they were important.’
‘Forgive me,’ Daniel replied with a disarming smile. ‘It’s just that I’m not used to relinquishing control. And, if I’m honest, I’m just so damned nervous about Harry coming home.’
Colleen found herself smiling back. Of course he was bound to be anxious. No wonder he was being prickly. Anyone would in his situation.
Colleen pulled out one of the high-backed dining chairs and sat down at the mahogany table. Taking her notebook out her bag, she thumbed through it. ‘Have you told him what’s happening on Tuesday? That that’s the day he’s coming home?’
Daniel leaned his arms on the back of a chair. ‘I did. I don’t know how much of it he took in. Sometimes he won’t talk at all, so we’ve worked out a system. One blink means no, two means yes. When I told him I was taking him away from the hospital and you were coming to look after him, he blinked once.’ Daniel ran his hand through his hair. ‘I have no idea whether that means he doesn’t understand or whether that means he doesn’t want to come home.’
‘It’s important not to push him too much right now, but I think if he didn’t want to come home, he’d have made that clear.’