by Sk Quinn
Mr Carmichael goes very white. ‘I … no, no. I wasn’t standing in anyone’s way. Here.’ He thrusts a business card at Patrick. ‘Seraphina can call any time. Any time. I’ll make sure the girls are free.’
‘Glad to hear it.’ Patrick takes the card. ‘And if I hear that you’ve given Seraphina any more trouble, you’ll have me to deal with. Clear?’
‘Yes sir.’ Mr Carmichael seems to kind of shrink before us. ‘Of course. Yes of course.’
There’s an awkward silence as Mr Carmichael cowers, and Patrick glares at him.
‘You can go now,’ Patrick prompts.
‘Oh. Yes.’ Mr Carmichael bows again, grab his wife’s hand and pulls her away.
‘It was good to see you Sera,’ Helen calls over her shoulder.
98
Patrick takes Wila and me out for dinner at the Peacock – a restaurant I’ve read about in celebrity magazines, but never seen in real life.
I can tell Wila is pretty chuffed. Her eyes are so wide when we arrive at the restaurant, I think they’re going to pop out of her head.
Waiters are turning people away at the door, but as soon as the head waiter sees Patrick, he hurries us to a table.
‘Lord Mansfield. You don’t need a reservation sir. We always have room for you.’
‘Thank you,’ says Patrick.
We head to a table, and Patrick pulls out chairs for Wila and myself.
We have a lovely dinner, with Wila staring wide eyed at Patrick the whole time.
Patrick, of course, is charming. The perfect gentleman. He asks all about Wila’s school and her friends and how she’s getting along. He squeezes my hand under the table, and throws me the occasional wink.
When Patrick goes up to pay the bill and thank the chef, Wila turns to me and bounces up and down in her chair.
‘Oh my god, oh my god, Sera! You and Patrick Mansfield! How did that happen?’
‘Steady on, Lala. It’s early days.’
‘Doesn’t look it,’ says Wila. ‘He can’t take his eyes off you. So. Are you like boyfriend and girlfriend?’
I laugh. ‘Things aren’t quite that simple. I don’t know what you’d call us.’
‘But you’re serious, right?’
I hesitate. ‘Yes,’ I admit. ‘I guess we are. He’s asked me to move in with him.’
‘Into his castle?’ says Wila.
I nod.
‘Oh wow. That’s like a fairy tale. My big sister. And Patrick Mansfield. This is the most amazing thing.’
‘Steady on,’ I say. ‘I haven’t said yes.’
‘You haven’t?’ Wila’s eyes widen.
‘No.’
‘Why not?’
‘Oh, there are things to think about.’
‘Like what?’
‘Like you. And my old life in London. And just … I mean, I have to be realistic Wila. We’re from totally different worlds, Patrick and I.’
‘Do you love him?’
‘Yes,’ I admit. ‘I do.’
‘Have you told him that?’
‘Yes.’
‘And he loves you too?’
‘That’s what he says.’
‘You should go live with him,’ says Wila. ‘You’ll have a lovely life. I’ll miss you but I’m doing fine down here. Just fine. And if you love him, Sera, what’s the problem?’
I sigh. ‘I don’t know. I guess I just feel like real life isn’t the same as story books. Something is bound to go wrong.’
99
It’s hard saying goodbye to Wila.
Patrick and I drop her off at her school, and loads of the girls call out to her as she heads into the dorm. I can tell she’s happy and popular, which makes me feel a little better.
We kiss and hug, and then I let her go. Back to her life. Her life without me.
‘Hard to say goodbye?’ Patrick asks, as we leave.
‘Yes,’ I admit.
‘She’s growing up,’ says Patrick. ‘It was the same when Jamie joined the army. I knew he didn’t need me any more. But I was always his big brother, whether he needed me or not. Just like you’ll always be her big sister.’
When we arrive back at the castle, I’m so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open.
Patrick carries me from his Land Rover to the entrance, and then up to his bedroom.
He lays me on the bed and turns out the lights.
I smile up at him, seeing the outline of his face in the moonlight. ‘Don’t you want to know what my decision is? About staying here with you?’
I see the glint of Patrick’s beautiful white teeth. ‘I know your decision.’
I laugh. ‘Would you mind telling me what it is?’
‘You’ve decided to live here. With me. You’ve decided to take your chances.’ He lays on top of me and slides his fingers into my hair. ‘Am I right?’
‘Yes.’ I sigh at the feeling of his fingers. ‘It would be a little crazy to walk away from what we have. Even if it goes nowhere, I couldn’t live with myself for not trying.’
Patrick laughs. ‘So optimistic.’
I look up into his eyes. ‘Just … scared. But I do love you. You know that, don’t you?’
‘Yes, but do you know that I love you?’ says Patrick.
‘Sometimes,’ I say. ‘Just about.’ I relax into the bed sheets. ‘But what’s going to happen with us Patrick? We’re so different. We’re from such different places.’
I can see the corners of Patrick’s lips, grinning in the moonlight. ‘I don’t know,’ he says. ‘But we’re going to have a lot of fun finding out.’
Want to hear more about Seraphina and Patrick?
Bed of Ice will be released in Summer 2014.
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Looking for more bestselling romance?
Try these titles from SK Quinn and Devoted Books …
The Ivy Trilogy
Teacher + Student = Passion Forbidden
Read on Amazon here: Teacher Student Romance
The Spotlight Series
Actress and Director … the stage is set for passion
Read on Amazon here: Bestselling Romance