In the end she bought much more than she could really afford, three pretty flowered skirts and half a dozen blouses that could be worn with any of the skirts, as their colours contrasted. She also bought a new dress for the company dinner, an emerald-green silky dress that emphasised her feminine curves, its below-knee length showing a long expanse of her slender legs.
‘Now what do we do about your hair?’ Her mother looked at her critically once they were back out on the street, laden down with their expensive purchases.
Laura frowned. ‘There nothing wrong with my hair.’
‘It needs styling,’ her mother insisted. ‘It’s a beautiful colour, and all those natural waves should be styled properly. It will be my treat,’ she added as Laura went to protest. ‘Now that I know I’m not going to be made redundant I can afford to be generous.’ Two of her fellow workers had been given notice, but she had managed to keep her job.
In the end Laura had to give in, as her mother had found a hairdresser that could fit her in immediately. She had to admit that the finished result was worth it. Instead of falling in disordered waves to her shoulders her hair had been cut in layers and feathered to a shorter style, framing her face in wispy tendrils, adding depth to her cheekbones, emphasising the colour and size of her eyes until they seemed to dominate her face, like huge jewels.
‘I knew I had a beautiful daughter under there somewhere,’ her mother smiled her satisfaction as Laura stood ready for her afternoon date with Gideon.
Her mother was right, for once in her life she looked beautiful, and for the first time in her young life she actually felt beautiful. The green and black flower-print skirt swung about her slender legs, her ankles narrow and shapely in the black sandals she wore, the black blouse tucked neatly into the narrow waistband of the skirt, her make-up light, her hair still in its new easy-to-manage style.
When the Jaguar drew up outside the building, and she heard Gideon’s firm tread on the stair, her heart leap with anticipation of his reaction to her appearance. Would he too think she looked beautiful?
Her mother went to answer the door. ‘You stay in your room until I call you,’ she instructed. ‘You mustn’t let him think you’re too eager.’
Laura shook her head as her mother bustled out of the room. Gideon must already know how she felt about him, she wasn’t exactly an expert at hiding her feelings. She left that to him.
After several minutes, when her mother still hadn’t called her, she decided she had better go out anyway. She soon discovered the reason for her mother’s omission. She was holding Natalie Maitland in her arms, completely enraptured by the child.
The photograph on Gideon’s desk was a little out of date, the child her mother was holding was no longer the baby she had looked then, but was now an adorable little girl. The pretty pink dress and matching pinafore suited her blonde cuteness, her teeth were very small and white as she chuckled at Laura’s mother. She was a beautiful child, turning with interest as she sensed Laura’s presence in the room. Huge blue eyes dominated her dimply face, the lashes long and silky.
Her own appearance forgotten, Laura moved towards her mother and the toddler. ‘Oh, Gideon, she’s beautiful!’ She tentatively touched the dimply fingers that reached out to her.
He had stood up as soon as she entered the room, more casually dressed than she had ever seen him, although the denims and black silk shirt were of the finest quality. But nevertheless he looked more ruggedly handsome than she had ever seen him, the denims old and faded, fitting low down on his hips, held in place by a thick black leather belt.
It hadn’t occurred to her that Gideon would bring Natalie up to the flat, but as he was driving them himself he could hardly leave the little girl downstairs in the car. Natalie was certainly a hit with her mother, the two of them were chuckling together.
Laura let go of the little girl’s hand, turning to Gideon. ‘She’s adorable,’ she told him huskily.
‘So are you,’ he said. ‘You’ve changed your hair,’ he frowned.
She looked at him uncertainly, unsure whether his words were critical or complimentary. What if he didn’t like it… ‘Yes,’ she acknowledged with reluctance.
Gideon smiled. ‘I like it.’
‘You do?’ she sighed with relief.
‘It’s very pretty,’ he nodded. ‘Now, shall we get Natalie and be on our way?’ he suggested.
‘I—Yes. Mum?’ She put her arms out for the little girl, experiencing a thrill of pleasure as Natalie didn’t even hesitate, her dimply arms clinging about Laura’s neck.
‘You must bring your daughter to see us again,’ Laura’s mother told him. ‘She really is lovely.’
‘Yes,’ he nodded abruptly. ‘If you’re ready to go, Laura?’
Her mother raised her eyebrows at Gideon’s brusque behaviour, but Laura just shrugged it off. She knew what had caused his terseness. Over the next couple of hours she discovered that Gideon loved his daughter with a reluctance that the baby was too young to realise yet. His manner was offhand to say the least, his only show of emotion to her coming when Natalie slipped and fell, scraping one of her knees enough to make her cry.
Gideon scooped her up into his arms, inspecting the slightly bleeding knee. ‘You should have been watching her more closely,’ he turned on Laura. ‘It was your idea to let her run around on her own. You should have watched her,’ he accused.
Laura didn’t think now was the right time to point out that it had been his decision to let Natalie toddle around. The Zoo was completely enclosed, so she couldn’t come to any serious harm. And she had been watching the little girl, she just hadn’t been quick enough to catch her when she tripped. Much as she knew Gideon would deny it, he was reacting like any other worried parent would when their child hurt itself, blaming everyone else but himself.
‘Let me take her to the washrooms and get her cleaned up,’ she offered soothingly. ‘I think I have some plasters in my bag.’
Natalie stopped crying as soon as they entered the washroom, while Gideon prowled about outside. ‘You little fraud!’ Laura laughed as the little girl beamed at her. ‘So you just wanted Daddy to make a fuss of you, did you?’ Maybe Natalie did sense her father’s reservation towards her after all, she had heard that children could sense things when adults couldn’t. ‘Your daddy loves you,’ she assured her as she cleaned up the knee, discovering that only one of the scratches was big enough to bleed, and even that had stopped now. It certainly didn’t seem to bother Natalie any more, although she looked down interestedly as Laura applied the plaster.
‘Bad,’ she announced proudly.
She looked so cute in that moment, her little chin jutting out determinedly, her face full of charm, that Laura knew a wealth of love for the little girl. How easy it would be to love this toddler almost as much as she loved the father.
Gideon stopped his pacing as they rejoined him, sparing only a cursory glance for his daughter, his grey-eyed gaze fixed on Laura’s glowing face. ‘I’m sorry,’ he muttered.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ she dismissed, unable to look at him, an apology was the last thing she had been expecting. ‘Show Daddy your knee, Natalie.’
‘Bad,’ the little girl announced again.
‘It’s better now, Natalie,’ her father smiled, once again turning to Laura. ‘I’m afraid I’m the one who was bad. I didn’t mean to shout at you, Laura,’ he repeated his apology.
Delicate colour tinged her cheeks. ‘I told you, it doesn’t matter. I think Natalie might like something to eat now,’ she suggested.
‘Cake,’ Natalie put in hopefully.
Both adults laughed. Gideon’s arm went about Laura’s shoulders as she carried his daughter. ‘I’ll have to remember in future that she understands what I say to you,’ his tone implied that some of the things he said wouldn’t be suitable for young ears.
Laura glowed with the implication that there would be a future for them, not caring at all when Natalie spilt some of her orange ju
ice down her new skirt.
‘She’s a little free with her food and drink,’ Gideon bent to mop up the excess fluid. ‘I’m sorry about this—’ he had looked up, their gazes locking and holding, and Laura trembled from the warmth of his hand on her thigh. ‘Let’s get out of here,’ Gideon muttered. ‘I want to be alone with you.’
Laura flushed, wanting to be alone with him too. A sudden awareness had sprung up between them, an awareness that needed to be assuaged.
Natalie chose that moment to start throwing cake on the ground, chortling her delight.
‘Oh no, you don’t, young lady!’ Laura removed the plate from out of harm’s way, wiping the baby clean with a napkin. ‘Time to leave, I think,’ she smiled at Gideon, the little girl having been forgotten during that brief moment of awareness.
‘Later?’ he prompted huskily. ‘When Natalie has gone to bed?’
‘I—Yes, later.’ She couldn’t meet the warmth of his gaze, his eyes no longer the cold, hard grey she had become accustomed to.
The tension between them was broken when Natalie pointed to the wolves and exclaimed ‘Doggy!’ in a loud voice. Several passersby joined in their amusement.
‘You’ll have to tell her about wolves once she’s older,’ Laura laughed.
‘Did your mother ever tell you about them?’ Gideon asked softly.
She looked up at him sharply. ‘She mentioned that it never pays to get too close to one,’ she said slowly.
He nodded, unlocking the car door for her. ‘Does she know about Nigel Jennings?’
Nigel? He had been talking about Nigel? ‘There’s nothing to know,’ she dismissed easily.
‘Nothing?’
‘No,’ she said tightly. ‘What is this, Gideon, an inquisition?’
He shrugged. ‘I just wondered if you’d ever been out with him.’
‘Not yet,’ she replied tautly, their camaraderie completely gone now.
Gideon’s expression tightened. ‘By that I take it you’re thinking about it?’
‘I could be,’ she nodded.
‘And if I asked you not to?’
‘Do you have that right?’
‘No,’ he ground out. ‘There was a lot to be said for the Victorian era,’ he snapped. ‘At least women knew their place in those days.’
‘Below stairs? Helping keep the master’s bed warm? Or having so many children they usually died twenty years too early?’ Bright spots of angry colour had appeared in her rebellious face. ‘I suppose that would have appealed to your machismo. Just think, Gideon,’ she scorned. ‘If this were a hundred years ago, as my employer you would be able to order me to go to bed with you.’
‘The idea of forced sex has never appealed to me,’ he said tightly, his face white beneath his tan, his eyes a cold, metallic grey.
‘You surprise me,’ she snapped, beyond being polite, her anger fiery hot.
The look he shot her spoke volumes. Laura turned away, staring fixedly out of her side window. What on earth was she doing, arguing with Gideon just because he had dared to question her about Nigel Jennings? It was a stupid, senseless quarrel, and she was aware that she could have alienated Gideon for ever.
She quite expected him to take her straight to her home, but instead he drove to Hampstead. His home was as she had expected it to be, a veritable mansion run by an army of servants. The inside was tastefully decorated and furnished, seeming to have a woman’s touch, even though there was no longer a mistress of the house, giving Laura the impression that Felicity Maitland had had a hand in the gracious beauty of this house before she died.
Laura felt lost amongst its opulence; the servants made her feel uncomfortable, Gideon’s air of command instantly taking him even farther away from her.
‘Sit down, won’t you,’ he invited distantly. ‘I’ll just get Jane to take Natalie up for her bath.’
Laura would have liked to have offered to do that, but she knew her offer wouldn’t be appreciated. Gideon looked very forbidding. She wanted to offer even more when it seemed Natalie didn’t want to leave her, her little arms clinging about her neck.
Gideon pried the clinging fingers loose and handed the now screaming child to the young girl who had come at his summons.
‘Dinner should be ready in about an hour,’ he told Laura stiltedly.
She bit her bottom lip. ‘Do you still want me to stay?’
He looked at her coldly. ‘Do you want to?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then stay,’ he shrugged dismissively. ‘Would you care for a drink?’ He moved to the array of drinks on the sideboard. ‘I know it’s only six-thirty, but I feel in need of one,’ his mouth twisted.
‘No, thank you, not for me.’ Laura watched as he poured himself a drink and drank it down in one gulp, refilling his glass to sit down in the chair opposite her. ‘Gideon… I’m sorry,’ she said pleadingly, knowing it was up to her to make the first move.
He looked at her coldly. ‘Are you?’
‘Yes. I—I said some stupid things just now, things I didn’t mean.’
‘Didn’t you?’
‘No! I—I’m just not used to being questioned about—about—’
‘Your other men,’ he drawled insultingly.
Laura flushed. ‘I don’t have any other men!’
‘Don’t you?’
‘No!’ she denied heatedly.
He shrugged. ‘If you say so.’
‘I do!’
‘Then why react the way you did?’
‘Because—because I resented your implication. And because since meeting you I’ve discovered a temper I never knew I had,’ she added lightly, wishing the bitterness would go from his eyes. ‘Oh, Gideon—’ she was prevented from saying anything further by a light knock sounding on the door.
It was Jane. ‘Natalie has had her bath and supper, Mr Maitland,’ she informed him breathlessly.
He nodded. ‘I’ll be up in a moment.’
‘Yes, sir.’ She went out, closing the door behind her, obviously infatuated with her employer.
Gideon stood up in one fluid movement. ‘I’m just going up to say goodnight to Natalie,’ he told Laura coldly. ‘I shouldn’t be long.’
She had never felt so miserable in her entire life. That short moment of intimacy at the Zoo might never have happened, from Gideon’s attitude to her now.
He came back fifteen minutes later, and she couldn’t tell what his reaction was to still finding her here. ‘I read Natalie a story,’ he revealed abruptly. ‘She doesn’t understand a word, but she seems to enjoy them.’
‘Yes.’ Laura’s eyes were wide with apprehension. Things seemed to have gone terribly wrong between them today, and she was aware that it was mainly her fault.
‘Gid—’
‘Lau—You first,’ he invited as they both went to speak at once.
She gave a nervy smile. ‘I was just going to repeat that I really am sorry.’
‘For what?’ he asked tersely.
‘For—for—’
‘You have nothing to apologise for,’ Gideon sighed, running a hand through his already tousled dark hair. ‘I’m behaving unreasonably—’
‘Oh no—’
‘Yes,’ he insisted. ‘It’s nothing to do with me who you choose to go out with, either now or in the past.’ He was prowling up and down like one of the caged tigers Natalie had found so fascinating that afternoon.
‘No…’ she agreed slowly.
‘Just as I don’t expect you to question me on my movements in the past.’
He couldn’t have told her more clearly how little she meant in his life, and all her fragile dreams of having him come to love her as she loved him fell in broken pieces at her feet. Something of her feelings must have shown in her face, because Gideon moved to sit next to her on the sofa.
‘Which isn’t to say,’ he said huskily, ‘that I don’t want you to be very interested in my movements now.’
She made herself smile at his teasing tone, not wanting h
im to guess how deeply her feelings were already involved with him, how she wanted to know what he did every minute of the day. She was just another woman to him, and would probably be replaced as rapidly as he had put her in Petra Wilde’s place.
‘Laura?’ he questioned sharply.
‘I—er—Yes?’
He smiled, not sensing any of her distress. ‘It may have escaped your notice,’ he drawled, ‘but we’re very much alone now.’
She blushed as she once again recalled the awareness that had suddenly sprung up between them that afternoon. ‘So we are,’ she agreed lightly, not wanting to appear too eager.
‘What are you going to do if I kiss you?’
Her mouth quirked. ‘Kiss you back?’
‘I hope so,’ he said softly, moving to sit closer to her, one of his hands coming up to gently caress her cheek. ‘In one short week you’ve grown into a beautiful young woman,’ he told her thoughtfully. ‘I can’t understand why you wanted to hide your beauty behind those drab clothes you used to wear for the office.’
‘Maybe to keep off the wolves,’ she mocked, not even knowing she was beautiful.
He gave a husky laugh. ‘It didn’t work.’
‘No. Actually, I did it to give me a look of mature efficiency.’
Gideon nodded. ‘It almost worked too.’
‘But you have a discerning eye,’ she said dryly.
‘Very discerning,’ he smiled. ‘Especially where sexy redheads are concerned.’
Sexy? Was she? ‘I’m not a redhead,’ she told him to cover up her embarrassment. ‘My hair is auburn.’
‘It’s beautiful. Laura—Oh damn!’ he muttered as Jane knocked on the door to announce dinner. ‘We get more privacy at the office,’ he groaned as they went through to the dining-room.
Laura was in a state of total confusion. Did Gideon want an affair with her after all? It would appear so. And was her answer to be yes or no? She was very much afraid it was going to be yes. Afraid, because she was going to be hurt by such a relationship. But she would be hurt even more if she said no!
Passion from the Past Page 7