To his surprise, the lock turned and the door opened almost instantly. Eyebrows raised, Luce stared at him and said, ‘Threats aren’t traditionally very relaxing, you know.’
But baths clearly were. Especially for Dr Lucinda Myles.
She’d changed out of those clothes he’d been longing to run his hands over, but since she’d replaced them with a slippery, silky purple dress he really wasn’t complaining. Her hair was pinned up off her neck, with a few damp tendrils curling behind her ears and across her forehead. She smiled at him, her deep red lips curving in amusement. ‘I didn’t think you were the sort of man to do speechless. I like it.’
A rush of lavender hit his lungs as she swept past him, reminding him of the château in summer, and he realised he still hadn’t spoken. ‘If I’d known you were using your time so well I’d have been much more patient,’ he said, finding his voice at last.
Luce slipped her arms into her coat, her fingers reaching into the pocket for her phone. Time for another distraction. Ben offered her his arm and she took it, forestalling her return to the world of technology and messages from people who wanted far less fun things from her than he did. ‘Now, if you’re ready, won’t you let me escort you to dinner?’
She still looked suspicious as she nodded, but she left the room beside him, steady on higher heels than he’d have expected her to be comfortable wearing. Ben smiled. This was going to be a good evening. He was sure of it. The hotel and the business were fine, and he had the company of a beautiful and intriguing woman for the night—one he might be able to help a little. And then he’d get to decamp to the cottage for the rest of the week, feeling good about himself.
Life was great.
* * *
There should be laws against men looking quite that good in a suit. Men she was determined to resist, anyway. If Dennis had ever looked even half as good maybe they would have managed more than a few coffees and the occasional fake date when he needed a partner for a university dinner or she needed someone for a family event.
Actually, no, they wouldn’t. Quite aside from the fact that Dennis became intensely irritating after more than a couple of hours in his company, she’d never felt that...spark—that connection she needed to take the risk of building an actual relationship. To her surprise, Ben Hampton had a spark. Not a relationship one, of course, but maybe something more intense. Something that definitely hadn’t been there the last time they met. Which was just as well, as he’d been dating her roommate at the time. But there was definitely something.
It was almost a shame she didn’t have the time, energy or courage to take him up on his offer to find out exactly what.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket and her fingers itched to reach for it. She hadn’t called her mother back, and she’d only worry if she didn’t hear from her. Well, actually, she probably wouldn’t. Tabitha saved her concern for Tom and Dolly, safe in the knowledge that Luce could take care of herself far better than the rest of them.
Still, she’d get annoyed, which was even worse, and pull a guilt trip on Luce next time they spoke.
She really should call her back. But Ben’s arm held her hand trapped against his body, and she could feel the warmth of him even through his coat and suit jacket. Was that intentional? Trying to cut her off from her real life and keep her in this surreal bubble of a night he’d created?
Ben Hampton had invaded her life and her personal space since she’d bumped into him again, only a couple of hours ago, and she’d let him. Sat back and let him take charge, point out the problems in her life, rearrange all her plans for the evening. What had happened to taking responsibility and control?
Okay, she needed a new plan for the night. Something to wrest back control. At the very least she needed to know if he remembered her...
She shivered as they left the hotel lobby, the bitter night air stinging her face and her lungs. Icicle Christmas lights dangled above the cobbled streets, twinkling in the night like the real thing. Ben tugged her a little closer, and she wondered how it was he stayed so warm despite the winter chill.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, belatedly realising he hadn’t even told her where he was taking her. Some fancy restaurant, probably, she’d figured when pulling out the dress she’d packed for the conference gala dinner. But that wasn’t the point. No one knew where she was—least of all her. It was madness. She was out in a strange city at night with a man she barely knew. A little surreptitious internet searching in the bar while he’d been fetching the drinks had told her the bare bones of his professional career since university—which mostly seemed to be doing whatever his father needed him to do—but it hadn’t told her what sort of a man he was. She hadn’t seen him in eight years, and she hadn’t known him all that well back then. He certainly hadn’t been the kind of guy the twenty-year-old Luce had willingly spent time with. This was foolishness beyond compare. Dennis would be horrified.
Of course her mother would probably be relieved. Tabitha had always been a little afraid that her daughter had inherited none of her more flighty attributes at all.
‘A little French restaurant I know,’ Ben said, answering the question she’d almost forgotten she’d asked. ‘It’s up past the Cross, on the Rows. You okay to walk in those shoes?’
‘Of course.’ Luce spoke the words automatically, even though the balls of her feet had started to smart as she struggled over the cobbles. Show no weakness. That was another of her grandad’s rules to live by. If she couldn’t keep the other one tonight, she might as well try to hang on to something.
‘You never used to wear shoes like that.’
Luce couldn’t tell if the warm feeling that settled over her shoulders at Ben’s words was relief or confusion. ‘You do remember me, then?’ she blurted out before she could stop herself. ‘I wasn’t sure.’
‘You think I invite strange women up to my suite all the time?’
Luce shrugged. ‘University was a long time ago. I have no idea what kind of man you are now. And, actually...’
‘Yeah, yeah.’ Ben rolled his eyes. ‘Eight years ago I’d have invited all women up to my room.’
‘I hope you’ve grown up a little since then.’ A hitch in Ben’s step made her glance up. ‘What?’
He shook his head. ‘Nothing. Just depends who you ask.’
Picking up speed again, Ben led them up the very steep steps onto the medieval Rows, a second layer of shops and restaurants above the street-level ones. The historian in Luce was fascinated by the structure—the timber fronts, the overhanging storey above making a covered walkway. There was no other example in the world—the Chester Rows were unique. She should be savouring every detail.
And instead all she could think was, He remembers me. Well, at least she knew now. Except...just because he remembered her, that didn’t mean he remembered the last time they’d seen each other.
Maybe he’d forgotten it entirely. And maybe that meant she could, too.
It was too cold for much more conversation. They made their way along the Rows, Luce tucked tightly into Ben’s body for warmth, until he said, ‘Here we are,’ and Luce’s whole body relaxed at the sight of a cosy little restaurant tucked away behind a few closed shops with sparkling Christmas window displays.
‘Thank God for that,’ she said, smiling up at Ben. ‘I’m freezing.’
CHAPTER FOUR
SMILING UP AT HIM, complaining about the cold, Luce seemed relaxed for the first time. As if this was any usual date, not a peculiar arrangement to help an uptight woman cut loose. And she remembered him. That was a start. He wasn’t sure he could have made it all through dinner without knowing.
Ben pushed open the door to La Cuillère d’Argent and let Luce walk into the warmth first. Her face brightened in the candlelit restaurant, and she glanced back at him with surprise on her face.
‘I’m overdressed,’ she said, taking in the rustic wooden tables and chairs. There weren’t many other people eating there, but those who wer
e wore mostly casual clothes.
‘You look perfect.’ He smiled at the waiter approaching. ‘Table for two, please?’
Seated at a candlelit table in the window, looking out at the people hurrying past, Luce stripped off her coat and asked, ‘How did you know about this place?’
‘Not what you were expecting?’
She shook her head, and Ben knew what she was thinking. She’d expected somewhere impressive, somewhere fancy and expensive—somewhere that would make her feel kindly towards him when he paid, possibly impressed enough to take him to bed when they got back to the hotel. Somewhere like The Edge. Somewhere that said, I’m Ben Hampton and I’ve just inherited half of a multi-million-pound hotel chain, and I still have time to flatter and treat you. Aren’t you impressed?
But that would have defeated the object of the evening. He wanted Luce to relax, and he knew she wasn’t the sort to be impressed by or enjoy over-priced, over-fiddly food. Too practical for that, with her epic ‘To Do’ lists and her martyr complex. She’d probably feel guilty the whole time, which wouldn’t help his cause at all.
No, he needed somewhere cosy and intimate, somewhere he could actually talk to her, learn about her life since uni, find out what made her tick. This place was perfect for that. Ben blinked in the candlelight as he realised, belatedly, that he wanted to know her. Not just seduce her or entertain her. He wanted to know the truth of Luce Myles.
Of course seducing her was still firmly part of the plan. He just didn’t mind a little small talk first.
‘Have you been here before?’ Luce asked, scanning the wine list. ‘Do you live in Chester?’
Ben shook his head. ‘Just visiting to check on the hotel. But I came here with my mother years ago. She was born in France, you see. Knew every great French restaurant in the country.’ It must have been fifteen years ago or more, he realised. ‘I checked while you were in the bath to make sure it was still here, actually. It really has been a while.’
‘What does it mean?’ Luce asked, staring at the front of the menu, where the restaurant name curled across the card. ‘“La Cuillère d’Argent”,’ she read slowly.
‘The Silver Spoon,’ Ben translated, tapping a finger against the picture under the words—an ornate piece of silverware not unlike the ones on the table for their use.
‘I like it,’ Luce announced, smiling at him over the menu.
Ben’s shoulders dropped as a tension he hadn’t realised he was feeling left him. That was wrong. She was the one who was supposed to be relaxing. He was always relaxed. That was who he was.
‘Good,’ he said, a little unnerved, and motioned a waiter over to order a carafe of white wine to start. He rather thought he might need it tonight.
They made polite conversation about the menu options, and the freshly baked bread with olive tapenade the waiter brought them, before Luce asked, ‘So, if you’re just visiting, where is home these days?’
Ben shrugged. Home wasn’t exactly something he associated with his stark and minimalist penthouse suite. And since he hadn’t been to the cottage in Wales for over a year, and the château in France for far longer, he was pretty sure they didn’t count.
‘I’m based out of London, but mostly I’m on the road. Wherever there’s a Hampton & Sons hotel I’ve got a bed for the night, so I do okay.’
Across the table Luce’s eyes widened with what Ben recognised as pity. ‘That must be hard. Not having anywhere to call home.’
Must it? ‘I’m used to it, I guess. Even growing up, I lived in the hotels.’ A different one every time he came home from boarding school, after his mother left. ‘I’ve got a penthouse suite in one of the London hotels to crash in, if I want. Fully serviced and maintained.’
‘Thus neatly getting out of one of the joys of home ownership,’ Luce said wryly.
Ben remembered the ‘House Repairs’ entry on her ‘To Do’ list.
‘Your house takes some upkeep, then?’
‘It’s falling apart,’ Luce said, her voice blunt, and reached for her wine. ‘But it was my grandfather’s house, and I grew up there. I could never sell it even if I found someone willing to take it on.’
‘Still, sounds like a lot of work on top of all your other commitments.’ Was this something else she was doing for her family? For the sake of others? ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t be happier in a cosy little flat near the university?’
He was mostly joking, so the force of her reply surprised him. ‘Never.’
‘Okay.’
Dropping her eyes to the table, Luce shook her head a little before smiling up at him. ‘Sorry. It’s just...I worry about it a lot. But one day I’ll finish fixing the place up and it’ll be the perfect family home. It’s just getting there that’s proving trying.’
Ben shrugged. ‘I guess I don’t really get it. I mean, I own properties and such. I’ve even renovated one of them. But they’re just bricks and mortar to me. If I had to sell them, or if getting rid of them gave me another opportunity—well, it wouldn’t worry me.’
‘You don’t get attached, huh?’ She gave him a lopsided smile. ‘Probably a good choice if you’re always moving around.’
‘Exactly. Don’t get tied down. It’s one of my rules for life.’
‘Yeah? What are the others?’
Ben couldn’t tell if she was honestly interested or mocking him. ‘Most importantly: enjoy life. And avoid responsibility, of course.’
‘Of course,’ she echoed with a smile, reaching for the bread basket. ‘You never were big on that.’
There was an awkward silence while Ben imagined Luce rerunning every stupid moment he’d had at university in her head. Time to change the subject.
‘So, you’re in Chester for some conference thing?’ he asked.
Luce nodded, swallowing the bread she was chewing. ‘“Bringing History to the Future”.’ Ben smiled at the sarcasm in her voice.
‘You’re not a fan?’
‘It’s not that,’ Luce replied with a shrug. ‘It’s just...there’s so much important preservation and research to be done, and finding a way to make the importance of our history fit into a series of thirty-minute television programmes with accompanying books does tend to interfere a bit.’
‘But if it’s not important to the bulk of the populace...?’
‘Then we lose funding and the chance to study important sites and documents. I know, I know...’
From the way she waved her hands in a dismissive manner Ben gathered this wasn’t the first time she’d heard the argument. ‘You have this debate a lot?’
Luce gave him a lopsided smile. ‘Mostly with myself. I understand the need, but sometimes I’d rather be holed up in a secluded library somewhere, doing real research, real work, not worrying about who was going to read and dissect it without understanding the background.’
‘This is your book?’ Ben tore himself another piece of bread and smeared it with tapenade, but kept his gaze on her.
Luce pulled a face. ‘My book is somewhere between the two. “Popular history for armchair historians,” my editor calls it. Or it will be if I ever finish it.’
‘What’s it about?’
‘An obscure Welsh princess who became the mistress of Henry I, and whose rape caused the end of the truce between the Normans and the Welsh.’ The words sounded rote, as if she’d been telling people the same line for a long time without making any progress.
Ben scoured his vague memory of ‘A’ Level history, but they hadn’t covered much Welsh history in his very English boarding schools. ‘You’re still based in Wales, then?’ he asked.
Luce nodded. ‘Cardiff. But not just for the history. It’s where I grew up. Where my family lives. It’s home. And when Grandad left me the house I knew it was where I was meant to stay.’
‘That’s nice,’ Ben said absently, thinking again of the overgrown château that was his heritage from his maternal grandmother. He should probably check in on it some time soon.
The wa
iter brought their meals, and the conversation moved on to discussing the dishes in front of them.
‘So,’ he said, when they’d both agreed their food was delicious, and Luce had stolen a bite of his rabbit with mustard sauce, ‘tell me more about this Welsh princess of yours.’
Her eyebrows jumped up in surprise. ‘You’re interested?’
‘I have a cottage in Wales,’ he explained. ‘Down in the Brecons. It’s where I’m headed tomorrow, actually. A good story might get me in the right mood for my rural retreat.’
‘What do you want to know?’
Ben shrugged. ‘Everything.’
The surprised look stayed, but Luce obliged all the same.
‘Um...Princess Nest. She was the daughter of the King of Deheubarth, in South West Wales, and she gave Henry I a son before he married her off to his steward in Wales.’
‘Nice of him,’ Ben murmured.
‘How things worked then. Anyway, the reason she’s remembered, really, is her abduction.’
‘She was kidnapped?’ Letting his fork drop to his plate, Ben started paying real attention. Against the odds, this was actually interesting.
Luce nodded. ‘Owain ap Cadwgan, the head of the Welsh resistance, fell in love with her. He and his men stole into Cilgerran Castle and took her.’
Ben blinked. ‘What happened next?’
‘A lot of things.’ Luce smiled. ‘A whole book’s worth, in fact. Some people say she fell in love with Owain, too. But really, if you want to know the whole story, you’ll have to read my book.’
‘I will,’ Ben promised. If she ever finished writing it, of course.
* * *
Okay, she had to give Ben Hampton this much—he was a better judge of restaurants than she’d expected. And a better conversationalist than she remembered. He’d actually sounded interested when she’d talked about Princess Nest and her book, which was more than anyone in her family had ever managed. Of course he was only doing it to get her into bed—she wasn’t stupid, and he’d all but told her as much—but she had no qualms at all about turning him down at the bedroom door. She couldn’t imagine for a moment that someone with the charm and self-confidence of Ben Hampton would have any trouble shaking off that kind of rejection.
Stranded With the Tycoon Page 4