A Kiss by Candlelight

by Joanna Mansell

  Cathryn was liking the sound of this less and less. She was a personal secretary, not a nursemaid!

  ‘I want you to know precisely what you’d be taking on,’ added Sir Charles, ‘so I’d better warn you that the combination of the accident and the long stay in hospital have more or less shot his nerves to pieces. He flies off the handle at the slightest provocation, and doesn’t seem to care how rude or obnoxious he is. If you do agree to stay with him for the next couple of weeks, you certainly won’t get any thanks for it from Nicholas. But you would have my extreme gratitude,’ he finished quietly.

  Cathryn wished that she could just say straight out that she didn’t want to do this. Because she didn’t. As far as she was concerned, Sir Charles’s brother sounded thoroughly unpleasant, and she had absolutely no desire even to meet him, let alone spend the next two weeks with him.

  On the other hand, this was the first time that Sir Charles had ever asked her for any sort of personal favour. And she knew how very important it was for him to go on this trip to the States.

  ‘Look,’ she said slowly, at last, ‘I’ll think about it. And I’ll give you a decision in the morning. Is that all right?’

  Sir Charles was already looking relieved that she hadn’t refused him outright. ‘That’s fine. Now, shall we get on with some work, and forget about my damned brother until tomorrow?’

  But Cathryn didn’t find it that easy to put the problem of Nicholas Ellis out of her mind. It kept coming back to distract her all through the day, and then kept her awake for much of the night. The problem was, of course, that she very much wanted to refuse Sir Charles’s request. It was extremely unreasonable of him to ask her to do something like this, she told herself crossly. But the very fact that it was so unreasonable told her just how desperate he was.

  By the morning, though, she had decided that she wouldn’t do it. She really didn’t think she was cut out to be a nursemaid, even a temporary one. As she walked into Sir Charles’s office, she was determined to tell him that. He would just have to try and find a private nurse who was made of stronger stuff than the three that Nicholas Ellis had already managed to drive out!

  Then she looked at Sir Charles’s anxious face, saw the faint lines of sleeplessness and worry under his eyes, and found herself telling him that she would stay with his brother for the next two weeks.

  She had no idea what had made her change her mind at the last moment, and she regretted it as soon as she had said the actual words. It was too late to retract them, though. Relief had already begun to spread over Sir Charles’s features, and he started to look more like his old, vital self.

  ‘Get a taxi to my London flat on Monday morning,’ he told her. ‘This is the address.’ He scribbled it down on a sheet of paper, and handed it to her. ‘I’ll introduce you to Nicholas and show you around. Then I’ll head straight for the airport, to catch my flight to the States.’

  Cathryn spent the whole of the weekend trying to think of some plausible excuse for not turning up at Sir Charles’s flat on Monday morning. She couldn’t come up with any, though, and, short of bluntly telling him that she had changed her mind, she knew she was going to have to arrive on his doorstep at nine o’clock.

  She got out of bed on Monday in a thoroughly bad temper, had a quick bath, and then began to sling clothes into a suitcase. The taxi she had ordered turned up at a quarter to nine and, with a heavy sigh of reluctance, she picked up her case and set off.

  Sir Charles’s London flat was in a very fashionable—and expensive—part of the city. Cathryn’s eyebrows lifted gently as the taxi drew up outside a large and elegant Georgian house, set in a quiet square that was surrounded by similarly impressive residences.

  ‘Very nice,’ she murmured under her breath. As the taxi drew away, she stood and looked at the house for a few moments. A couple of weeks of living here in quiet luxury would have been very pleasant—if it hadn’t been for the fact that she was going to have to share the flat with Sir Charles’s brother!

  She walked up the steps and rang the bell. She could see from the name-plates that Sir Charles’s flat occupied the entire ground floor of the house, and she could only guess what it cost to rent a place like this. Nor was this Sir Charles’s main home. He had a large country house, where he spent any free weekends.

  Cathryn was just wondering what it would be like to be able to afford this sort of lifestyle when the door opened and Sir Charles beamed down at her.

  ‘Good. You’re on time. Come in and I’ll show you around.’ He took her case and set it down in the hall, which was high-ceilinged, and had arched doorways leading off on either side. Sir Charles glanced at his watch. ‘I don’t have long, I’ve got to leave for the airport in fifteen minutes. I’ll just show you where everything is, and then you can take it from there.’

  ‘Fifteen minutes?’ echoed Cathryn in alarm. That didn’t seem much time to introduce her to his brother.

  Sir Charles was already setting off on a hurried tour of the flat, though, with Cathryn scurrying along behind.

  ‘Drawing-room, dining-room, bathroom, kitchen,’ he reeled off, opening doors and offering Cathryn little more than a glimpse of each room before moving on to the next. ‘Don’t worry about food,’ he added. ‘The freezer and cupboards are stocked up with more than enough stuff to last you for two weeks. If you do want anything else, I’ve left the number of the local shop next to the telephone. Just ring up and tell them what you want. They’ll deliver it, and put it on my account.’

  Cathryn wondered what he considered to be his local shop. Harrods?

  Sir Charles was already moving on, though. ‘Front bedroom, guest bedroom—this is the one you’ll be using, I think you’ll find it quite comfortable—second bathroom, and that’s Nicholas’s room.’

  Cathryn stared with some apprehension at the closed door which confronted them.

  ‘Er—is your brother in there?’ she asked. ‘Shouldn’t I meet him before you go?’

  ‘Nicholas is still asleep,’ Sir Charles said briefly. ‘He’s had a bad night. I thought it would be best to let him go on resting, and then you can introduce yourself when he wakes up.’

  ‘But—you’ll be gone by then,’ said Cathryn, beginning to feel just a little panic-stricken. She would have much preferred to have met Nicholas for the first time while Sir Charles was still there.

  But Sir Charles was already heading towards the front door, where his suitcases were waiting. ‘One of the things you’ll soon learn is that it’s always best to let Nicholas sleep for as long as possible,’ he told her in a dry voice. ‘It’s one of the few times when you’ll get some peace and quiet.’

  An impatient hoot from outside announced that his taxi had arrived.

  Sir Charles turned back to Cathryn for a few moments. ‘As you know, I’ll be travelling around once I reach the States, but I’ve left a list of telephone numbers. If anything really urgent comes up, you should be able to reach me on one of those numbers, or get in touch with someone who can pass a message on to me.’ He paused for a moment, and the worried look was back in his eyes again. ‘You will be able to cope, won’t you, Cathryn? I realise I should never have asked you to do this, but I really couldn’t think of anyone else who is as capable as you are.’

  Cathryn realised that he was paying her a great compliment and she flushed slightly. Sir Charles was always very sparing with his praise.

  ‘Yes, I’ll cope,’ she assured him, hoping that she wasn’t being over-optimistic. The taxi hooted again. ‘You’d better go,’ she said. ‘You don’t want to miss your flight.’

  But Sir Charles paused in the doorway. ‘Promise me that you’ll stay with my brother for the whole two weeks?’ he said quietly. ‘You won’t walk out on him, no matter what he says or does?’

  ‘Yes, I promise,’ said Cathryn, after a moment’s hesitation.

  He nodded in satisfaction. ‘That’s good enough for me. I know you’re a girl who won’t break your word.’

&nb
sp; Cathryn looked up at him. ‘You really do care for your brother, don’t you?’ she said softly.

  ‘My feelings towards my brother are very mixed,’ replied Sir Charles, the grim note back in his voice again. ‘But I wouldn’t walk out and leave anyone on their own in this sort of situation—not even Nicholas.’ As the taxi hooted for the third time, he picked up his cases. ‘See you in two weeks, Cathryn. And good luck.’

  A couple of minutes later he had gone, and Cathryn was alone in the flat. No, not alone, she reminded herself, looking uneasily at the closed door. Nicholas Ellis was behind that door. And sooner or later she was going to have to meet Sir Charles’s brother.

  Because just the thought of it made her feel uncharacteristically nervous, she occupied herself by taking her suitcase into the guest bedroom and putting her clothes into the spacious cupboards and drawers. Then she went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee.

  She wished it weren’t so quiet. Somehow, she found the silence rather unnerving. Her own flat was on a busy road. Although she often cursed the traffic that streamed by endlessly, she found herself missing the familiar sound of cars whizzing past, and the chatter of voices or the sound of a television programme echoing through the thin walls.

  Probably the only sounds around here came from the birds singing quietly in the trees in the square, or the soft purr of a Rolls-Royce drawing up outside one of the elegant houses!

  Cathryn wondered what she was supposed to do with herself all day. Or would Nicholas Ellis prove so demanding that filling the next two weeks wouldn’t be any problem?

  Every time Sir Charles’s brother crossed her thoughts, her nerves gave a sharp twitch. She wished she had had a chance to meet him while Sir Charles was still here. It would have made that first encounter so much easier.

  She finished her coffee, and wondered whether to take a stroll around the garden. Although it was late autumn, the weather was unseasonably mild, with warm, hazy sunshine.

  Anything was better than just sitting around, feeling more and more nervous, Cathryn told herself. She got to her feet, went to move towards the sink to wash up her cup, and then stopped dead as she saw the man standing motionless in the doorway, watching her.

  The flat was completely silent, and yet Cathryn hadn’t heard him approach. Her gaze slid to his face, and locked on to his eyes. They were green—somehow, she hadn’t been expecting that. And they were knowing eyes. Eyes that had perhaps seen too much.

  Nicholas Ellis stared straight back at her. So far neither of them had spoken a word, and yet Cathryn had the curious impression that a great deal had already been said. And, instinctively, she knew that she wasn’t going to like this man.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Very slowly, Cathryn put down her empty coffee-cup. As she did so, Nicholas Ellis came further into the kitchen. He had a pronounced limp, and walked with the help of a stick. The stick had a rubber tip, and so it made as little sound as he did as he moved across to the chair and rather heavily seated himself in it.

  ‘So,’ he said at last, in a cool voice, ‘you’re the nursemaid.’

  ‘I’m the nursemaid,’ Cathryn agreed flatly.

  At the same time, she took a closer look at his face. He had very little colour, which was hardly surprising after all those weeks in hospital. Cathryn searched for some physical resemblance to his brother and, to her surprise, found it. Not in the eyes, of course. Sir Charles’s eyes were hazel, not that unfriendly shade of green. But the more she studied him, the more she realised that this man was a sharper, more vivid image of his older brother. His hair was a little darker, his bone structure more clearly defined, and his mouth fuller, and yet somehow harder.

  Nicholas Ellis made himself comfortable in the chair. He propped the stick up within easy reach, and then half raised one dark eyebrow as he saw Cathryn looking at it.

  ‘Are you surprised to find me mobile?’ he asked. ‘Did you expect me to be on crutches? Or even in a wheelchair?’

  ‘No,’ said Cathryn slowly. ‘Sir Charles told me that you could walk. Actually, I’m surprised to find you using a stick. I thought you were the type of man who’d refuse to use a prop like that.’

  His eyebrow rose even higher. ‘We’ve only just met. Miss Harrison,’ he mocked her gently, ‘and yet you already think you know the type of man I am?’

  ‘I just thought—‘ Then she quickly stopped herself. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said crisply. ‘I shouldn’t have made such a personal remark. Obviously, you use the stick because you need it.’

  ‘Obviously,’ he agreed, his tone giving absolutely nothing away now. ‘But you’re right, I don’t like using it. It’s slightly less embarrassing, though, than falling down every time I try to take a few steps.’

  ‘Will you always have a limp?’ she asked him.

  ‘Direct, as well as perceptive!’ Nicholas Ellis commented. ‘But to answer your question, no, I won’t always limp. Another few days, and I’ll be able to dispense with the stick. A few weeks, and I should be able to walk fairly normally. Do you have any other highly personal questions, Miss Harrison?’

  ‘Not at the moment,’ Cathryn replied, somehow managing to keep her own voice even and steady.

  ‘Aren’t you even interested in knowing what happened to my last three nursemaids?’ he enquired gently, his green eyes suddenly gleaming with sly amusement.

  Cathryn gave a deliberately exaggerated sigh. ‘I’ve a feeling that you’re going to tell me, whether I want to know or not.’

  ‘I just thought you might find it helpful if you knew what to expect.’ Nicholas’s gaze rested on her again, as if assessing her very carefully. ‘The first one left because she couldn’t cope with my bad temper. My brother tells me that you never lose your temper, Miss Harrison. You could find that a very valuable advantage, since I lose mine quite frequently.’ He tapped his fingers together lightly, and Cathryn absently noticed that he had scars on the backs of his hands and another, longer one, up his right forearm. ‘The second left because she didn’t approve of bad language,’ he informed her. ‘She was a most exasperating girl, and I’m afraid I swore at her quite often.’

  ‘I don’t like bad language either,’ Cathryn told him calmly. ‘But I’m not going to run out of the door the moment you swear at me. And since I’ve accompanied your brother around plenty of building sites, I doubt if you’ll use any words that I haven’t heard before.’ She allowed a slightly bored expression to cross her face. ‘Are you going to tell me about the third girl?’

  Nicholas’s tone turned silky. ‘As in all the best novels, I’m afraid that sex reared its ugly head. She really was quite gorgeous, and I tried to seduce her. Three months in hospital is a very long time,’ he added meaningfully.

  Outwardly, at least, Cathryn managed to remain quite unruffled.

  ‘Since we’re going to be living under the same roof for the next couple of weeks, I suppose the question of sex was bound to come up sooner or later,’ she said in a deliberately detached tone. ‘I didn’t think it would be quite so soon, but I suppose we might as well get it out of the way right now. To put it bluntly, I’m not interested,’ she told him very coolly. ‘So, as far as I’m concerned, it isn’t going to be a problem.’

  ‘Not interested?’ repeated Nicholas thoughtfully. ‘With me, or not interested in general?’

  ‘Not with you, not with anyone,’ Cathryn replied, keeping her face as expressionless as her voice.

  Curiosity showed briefly in Nicholas’s eyes. Cathryn had the feeling that it was the first genuine emotion that he had shown for a very long time.

  ‘Is this a general dislike, or did something happen to put you off?’

  ‘Who’s asking the personal questions now?’ she challenged him. ‘But, since you want to know, nothing dramatic happened. I tried it and I didn’t like it. Some women don’t. I only mentioned it because I don’t want to have to go through some tiring seduction scene with you.’

  ‘Well, that’s honest enough,’
he said, to her surprise. ‘Why don’t we drop the subject, and move on to something else?’

  Cathryn was heartily relieved at his suggestion. This was not the sort of conversation she had envisaged having with Nicholas Ellis on their first encounter!

  ‘What else do you want to talk about?’ she asked.

  He shrugged. ‘How about telling me exactly how you see your duties over the next couple of weeks? Then I’ll know what kind of nursemaid you’re going to turn out to be.’

  ‘I am not a nursemaid,’ she snapped back at him, her patience suddenly wearing dangerously thin. Perhaps this odd conversation had got to her more than she had realised. ‘I’m Sir Charles’s personal secretary. I like my job, and right now I’d prefer to be getting on with it! I’m only here as a personal favour to your brother.’

  ‘And what exactly has my brother done to deserve such devoted service?’ Nicholas murmured. His eyes narrowed reflectively. ‘Would you do anything for my brother, Miss Harrison?’

  Sir Charles had been right, Cathryn decided. His younger brother was quite objectionable!

  ‘No, I wouldn’t do anything,’ she replied, somehow managing to keep control of her temper. ‘And I certainly didn’t want to do this!’

  ‘But you’re here,’ Nicholas pointed out.

  ‘Only because the alternative was that Sir Charles would have had to cancel his trip to America. He refused to go away and leave you on your own.’ Cathryn’s eyes fixed on him. ‘Your brother really does care for you, you know. You might not want to believe it, but I’m sure I’m right.’

  ‘No, I don’t believe it. And you’re not right.’ A strange smile touched the corners of Nicholas Ellis’s mouth. ‘Don’t make pronouncements about something that you can’t possibly understand. Just take my word for it when I say that my brother has very little love for me. Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing out of a sense of duty. Charles was always very strong on duty.’

  ‘And I dare say you were always strong on ingratitude!’ Cathryn retaliated. ‘And cynicism.’