A Wicked Persuasion (16 page)

‘I suggested something hearty and meaty, plus a vegetarian
choice and salads, so she’s going shopping first thing in the morning. I’ll pay her when she comes back.’

Julia turned with a smile as Aubrey came in. ‘You weren’t long.’

He smiled genially. ‘I thought I’d keep you company and let Harriet get to bed early, ready for work tomorrow. Though she works too hard, in my opinion.’

A good thing she did, Harriet reflected darkly as she got ready for bed. It gave her less time to worry. And right on cue, as if she’d conjured him up at the mere thought, James rang.

‘How are you?’

‘Better. Thank you.’

‘I wasn’t alluding to your migraine!’

‘I’m perfectly fine otherwise, too,’ she assured him.

‘I’m not to be a father after all?’

‘Not of any child of mine.’

Silence.

‘Is that the truth, Harriet?’

‘Yes,’ she said tightly, fingers crossed.

‘If I were there I’d know. You were never good at telling lies.’

‘Why on earth would I lie about something like this?’

‘That’s obvious!’

‘Not to me.’

‘If you were expecting my child your father would have you married to me in a flash now my money’s made me eligible. Eligible to him, at least, if not to—’

Harriet rammed her finger on the off button, and managed to put the phone down gently instead of hurling it across the room.

The next few days were so full there was no opportunity to dwell on personal problems. After hiring a car for
the week to get into town, life was hectic in work but, because Julia would be the necessary family presence at River House, Harriet’s watchful eye was unnecessary at home while an amazing amount of people took it over during the fashion shoot, which went off without a hitch. When it was all over, Charlotte handed over the cheque, minus her fee, Julia went straight back to London and Aubrey delayed his return home until Margaret had put the house to rights after the shoot.

‘I hope this hasn’t worn you out, Margaret,’ said Harriet when it was all over.

‘Good heavens, no. It was such fun being part of it, and everyone was complimentary about my cooking. John enjoyed working with me too.’ Margaret smiled wryly. ‘He’s finding retirement a bit boring. He doesn’t play golf like your dad, and our garden isn’t huge, so he really likes helping out up here.’

‘I could pay him to do that on a regular basis now if he likes,’ offered Harriet.

‘He’d be only too pleased.’ Margaret frowned at Harriet as she burnished the gleaming counter tops. ‘He could do the mowing for a start, which would save you doing it at weekends. I worry about you, Harriet.’

‘Why?’

‘Someone has to,’ the woman said darkly. ‘You’ll be tired out after going down to Wales by train to fetch the car.’

‘Not much option. I need transport.’

W
HEN
a television crew moved into River House to film a couple of scenes from a popular sitcom Harriet decided to ask Sophie if she fancied to driving over to watch. Her sister shrieked with delight, and promised to be there next morning after taking Annabel to nursery school.

‘Pilar can pick her up—it’s just wonderful to have her back, Harriet.’

‘I hope you’re paying her enough.’

‘Gervase gave her a big rise and bought a new television for her room. And not just because she’s so good with Annabel,’ added Sophie hastily. ‘We’re really fond of her.’

Aubrey went off to stay at Fossedyke Court again before the television company invaded to take over the house, and Harriet’s only option was to take more leave to maintain a watchful family presence. Two spare bedrooms were made available for the actors, but a catering truck was set up for meals this time round. Utterly fascinated by the cameras and lights and cables trailing everywhere on the ground floor of the house, Harriet kept out of the way in the hall to watch well-known faces at work, amazed by the extraordinary number of technical people needed to shoot the scenes.

Sophie arrived, dressed to the nines and buzzing with
excitement as she took in all the activity. ‘Are they paying a lot of money?’ she whispered to Harriet.

Harriet nodded. ‘Enough to swell the River House business account and pay Margaret the extra she deserves to clear up afterwards.’

‘Fabulous! Can we watch as they shoot an actual scene?’

To take advantage of the good weather, the outdoor scene was shot first. The sisters watched the proceedings together in fascination, Sophie delighted when they were invited to eat lunch with the crew.

‘Great house you have here, Miss Wilde,’ said the director. ‘I’m Ashley Wade.’

‘My sister, Sophie Barclay,’ said Harriet, and Sophie beamed at him.

‘This is all so fascinating! How long will you be here?’

‘The weather should let us do all the outdoor stuff today, so with luck we should be finished by Friday at the latest.’ He smiled at Harriet. ‘You’ll be glad to have the house to yourself again.’

‘You didn’t tell him you don’t actually live there,’ whispered Sophie as they went down to the Lodge afterwards.

‘No need for him to know,’ Harriet said.

‘He’s very attractive!’

‘Is he?’

‘Oh,
Harriet!
You’re impossible. By the way, I’ve invited some friends to dinner on Saturday and I insist that you come too. Now don’t say no. You’ll feel flat once this lot go away so make the effort. I promise you’ll like the people I’ve invited.’

Sophie was right. Once the film crew had departed with all its traffic and trailers the quiet was so intense by contrast Harriet was glad of an evening away from River House.

The weather was so warm Harriet drove her credit card
to town. She returned home later to a phone call from Moira, who thanked her for the flowers, reported that she was no longer infectious, and could Harriet manage lunch one day in the week to tell her all about the filming? There was no mention of James.

Harriet whiled away the rest of the afternoon by pampering herself. Tonight she would do Sophie proud. The creamy-pink linen shift she’d bought earlier was demure enough from the front, but cut lower in the back and shorter in the skirt than she would have preferred. It had been so pricey her only consolation was the matching jacket which meant it could be recycled for Lily’s wedding later in the summer, along with the nude pumps bought for the party.

‘My God, Harriet, you’re a delight to the eye,’ exclaimed Gervase, as he opened the door to her. ‘Where’s the car?’

‘I parked it along the road for easy getaway.’ She smiled as her sister appeared in a jade silk dress which had probably cost at least twice as much as Harriet’s. ‘Hi, Sophie.’

Her sister smiled in approval as she kissed her. ‘That’s new! I
love
the dress.’

Harriet flung out her arms as a small figure in a nightie came running down the stairs, with dark, pretty Pilar hot on her charge’s heels.

‘Auntie, I’m better now. Look, look! Pilar came back.’

Harriet swung Annabel up and kissed her soundly. ‘So you are, and so she has. Hello there, Pilar.’

‘Hola señora.’
The girl smiled warmly, and held out her arms for Annabel. ‘Come, I take you to bed.’

‘I’ll be up to read you a story as soon as the last guest arrives,’ promised Sophie.

‘I’ll do that,’ said Harriet quickly, and blew kisses to her beaming niece as Pilar took her upstairs. She followed Gervase and Sophie to join the guests in the big garden at
the back of the house and accepted a glass of Pimms to sip during the introductions and greetings session.

‘I’m Philip Mountford,’ said a late arrival. ‘Who are you, and what do you do, and if you live here in town why haven’t I met you before?’

Harriet smiled politely. The man was good-looking, very much aware of it, and very much not her type. ‘I’m Harriet Wilde, sister of your hostess, I’m an accountant and I don’t live in Pennington.’

‘Harriet,’ said Gervase, joining them with a Pimms jug. ‘Let me top up your glass.’

‘No, thanks. I’ve had my quota. Long drive home, remember.’

‘Stay the night this time! Annabel would love that.’

For once, as an alternative to the Lodge of a very empty River House, Harriet was tempted. ‘Better not. Father’s away over the weekend.’

Philip Mountford’s eyes gleamed. ‘Where do you live?’ he asked.

‘An hour away by car,’ said Gervase, and took her hand. ‘Excuse us, Mountford, our final guest has arrived by the sound of it.’

Sophie was all smiles as she ushered her companion out into the garden. ‘I’ll introduce you to everyone later, James. You know Harriet already, so I’ll leave you in her capable hands.’

‘Evening, Crawford,’ said Gervase affably. ‘Could you drink a Pimms, or shall I get you a beer?’

James’s dark, lean elegance was a striking contrast to the florid good looks of Philip Mountford. Harriet’s heart rapped against her ribs as he shook his host’s hand, requested a beer and then turned to smile at her. ‘You look very beautiful this evening, Miss Wilde. I was told to give you a message. Annabel is ready for her story.’

Sophie came rushing across to intercept her. ‘I’ll read to her, Harriet. You stay and talk to James.’

Harriet shook her head and put her glass down. ‘I promised. See you later, James.’ She walked away without haste, hoping her back view was worth the money she’d paid for it.

‘One story only,’ Sophie called after her. ‘Dinner’s almost ready.’

Annabel patted the bed beside her eagerly as Harriet entered the bedroom. ‘You were a long time, Auntie.’

‘Sorry, darling. Which story do you want?’

As soon as the short, but harrowing tale of a lost puppy restored to its owner ended Pilar came in, and Harriet kissed her little niece lovingly.

‘Goodnight, darling. I’ll see you again soon. Goodnight, Pilar.’

James was waiting at the foot of the stairs when Harriet went down. ‘In case you’ve forgotten the way there, I’m ordered to escort you to the dining room,’ he informed her.

Harriet smiled brightly as they crossed the shining expanse of hall floor. ‘I didn’t know you were coming tonight.’

He raised a sardonic eyebrow. ‘Obviously. Or you wouldn’t be here.’

‘Wrong. My father’s away and the television people who were filming at River House all week have finished, so the place felt a bit lonely after they’d gone.’

‘Even though you don’t actually live in it?’

‘There you are,’ said Sophie, beckoning to them. ‘Come and sit down; the first course is on the way. I’ve put you between James and Philip,’ she whispered to Harriet, ‘so have fun.’

The wine, as always with Gervase, was lavish and because most of the guests knew each other well the conversation
was easy and entertaining, and Harriet soon found she was enjoying herself far more than expected. The bittersweet pleasure of sitting close to James was marred only by the proximity of Philip Mountford, who seemed convinced she was there solely for his benefit and kept crowding her.

‘Shall I pop him in the eye?’ James whispered at one stage, and grinned as she stifled a giggle.

‘If all else fails I’ll ram my heel into his foot,’ she murmured. ‘This crab is delicious,’ she said aloud.

‘So are you,’ James whispered in her ear.

Harriet stared at him wide-eyed, her colour rising as she realised Sophie was calling to her.

‘I was just telling everyone about the filming at River House, Harriet.’

Harriet found herself suddenly the focus of everyone’s attention. Questions were fired from all directions as she and Sophie described the experience. She shot an apologetic glance at her sister after a while. ‘Sorry—we must be boring everyone.’

Sophie smiled with unusual benevolence. ‘Of course we’re not. It was fascinating. Who’s next on the list, Harriet?’

‘A cookery show is filming an episode there next.’

‘You must be coining it in hand over fist,’ said Philip with relish.

Gervase gave him a cold look. ‘A bit personal, Mountford?’

Philip shrugged. ‘No offence. Given the chance to swell my cash flow, a film crew could take my place over any time.’

‘But you live in a modern monstrosity,’ called someone.

‘Who’d want to film there?’

‘If it’s the right kind of modern, they might,’ said
Harriet, and turned to James in an effort to change the subject. ‘How is your sister? Is she completely over her flu now?’

When everyone transferred to the garden for coffee later, James took Harriet firmly by the arm. ‘This is where I make it clear to that jerk that you are not available.’ He was as good as his word and kept so close to Harriet from then on that Sophie cast knowing glances at them from time to time, obviously convinced her matchmaking had been successful.

‘I can hardly blame the man for trying,’ said James at one point. ‘You look ravishing tonight.’

‘Why thank you, kind sir.’

He moved closer. ‘Are we friends again?’

‘Of course.’ She sighed regretfully. ‘But lovely though this is, I must be leaving soon.’

His grasp tightened. ‘If you’re returning to an empty house I’ll follow you home.’

Harriet’s heart leapt. ‘It would mean far too long a drive back for you afterwards.’

He shook his head. ‘I’ve done it before, remember.’

She did, vividly. ‘It’s very kind of you, but I wouldn’t dream of putting you to so much trouble again. I’ll be fine on my own!’

‘Of course you will,’ he said harshly, and to her dismay turned away to speak to someone else.

At that point the party ended for Harriet and, pleading her drive home as the reason, she took her leave. Sophie grasped her hand urgently as she said goodbye. ‘Is Daddy staying with Mrs Fox again?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you think they’ll get married?’

‘I don’t know, Sophie.’

‘You should get married, too, you know, whether Daddy
does or not.’ Sophie surprised Harriet with a hug. ‘I’m glad you came tonight. We Wilde girls must stick together.’

Harriet hadn’t driven far before she regretted turning down James’s escort. A swift, startling thunderstorm resulted in heavy rain, which made the journey slow going. When she finally turned up the dark, tree-lined drive to the house she was grateful for the security lights. Wind rustled through the dripping trees as she bolted from the car to the Lodge door. She fumbled as she tried to fit the key in the lock, then stiffened, her heart in her mouth at the sound of footsteps.

‘Harriet?’

She let out a shaky breath as her father came into view, wielding a golf umbrella. ‘Lord, you frightened me. I thought you were staying with Mrs Fox.’

‘I was. But I asked Sophie to let me know when you left her party.’ Aubrey’s face looked tense under the security light. ‘May I come in? Or would you prefer to come up to the house?’

‘Let’s get out of the rain.’ For once Harriet was glad of company as she unlocked the Lodge door and switched on lights. ‘Is something wrong?’

Her father put the umbrella in the porch and came into the room, looking very sober. ‘I know it’s late but I need to talk to you, so I’ll get straight to the point. I’ve come to ask for your blessing, Harriet.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘Blessing?’

He nodded. ‘Madeleine and I are getting married. Quite soon, in fact. At our age there’s no point in hanging about.’

‘Congratulations.’ Harriet managed a smile. ‘What are your plans exactly?’

‘We’ll live at Madeleine’s place.’ Aubrey smiled ruefully. ‘So you can have River House all to yourself at last now you’ve found a way to make it pay.’

Harriet shook her head, depressed. ‘Not feasible, I’m afraid. While the film people were here I used some of my annual leave to keep an eye on things, but I can’t keep on doing that. Nor can I depend on the house being hired often enough to provide sufficient income if I gave up my job.’ Suddenly it all seemed too much. ‘There’s only one thing for it. There’ll be hell to pay with Julia and Sophie, but you’ll just have to sell, Father.’

To her surprise, he looked relieved. ‘I was hoping you’d say that. Your mother would be appalled if she knew you were devoting your life to River House. You need a husband and children and a less demanding home of your own, Harriet.’

Her eyes hardened. ‘If you recall, you once put paid to my hopes in that direction!’

‘Crawford’s not the only man in the world, Harriet. Besides, back then I thought it was just one of those boy and girl things doomed to die a natural death.’ He sighed. ‘But the only thing that died was your relationship with me. Which I regret, deeply. Do you still care for him?’

Unfortunately, yes. ‘I hadn’t thought of him in years before he turned up to hire our house.’

‘Then why the devil haven’t you found someone else?’ Aubrey demanded. ‘You could have had any number of men in your life since if you’d wanted, Harriet, Nick Corbett for one. Instead, you channelled all your energies into your job and the house.’

She looked at him squarely. ‘Actually, I recently decided that it was time I left you with the running of River House now I’d set the ball rolling with the hiring scheme, but if you’re moving out to marry Mrs Fox that’s obviously not on. You’d better put the house up for sale as soon as possible.’ She smiled bleakly. ‘But to soften the blow, will you
try to find a buyer who wants the house as it is? I’d hate to see it turned into flats or a residential home.’