Her Sister's Baby. Alison Fraser

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СКАЧАТЬ It had been money well spent when Pen had come home in seventh heaven at having been accepted on the books of a modelling agency.

      But dreams of being a supermodel hadn’t quite become reality. Pen hadn’t been tall enough for catwalk and had been too slim for glamour. She’d managed to win a few catalogue assignments, mostly for the teen market, and when they’d dried up she’d settled for PR work at trade shows.

      It had been through promotional work she’d met the Carlisles and, almost from day one, what had once been a joke—marrying money—had turned into a mission statement. Initially the talk had been of a Drayton Carlisle until Pen had decided he was too ancient and had subsequently transferred her affections to his younger brother, Tom.

      Cass should have been appalled and had been really, but it had kept Pen happy. She hadn’t anticipated Pen being successful. Pen had still been only seventeen and, though scarred by experience, had been surely transparent to any man with insight.

      She hadn’t reckoned on Thomson Carlisle. Some years older than Pen, but oddly immature. A privileged childhood fractured by the loss of his parents. Sweet, if a little weak-natured.

      Had Pen loved Tom Carlisle? Cass had never been certain. Pen had appeared in triumph, waving a diamond engagement ring. At that point Tom had been an unknown quantity, and Pen had been infuriatingly vague. He’d been around twenty-two or -three or -four, had had a flat somewhere in South Ken and had been something in the family engineering business. She’d been more specific about the sporty Merc he’d driven and his two hundred and fifty thousand pounds a year trust fund.

      In fact, Cass hadn’t met Tom first, but Drayton Carlisle. He had appeared on the doorstep one evening, this tall, immaculately dressed, studiously polite, breathtakingly handsome creature from another planet. Cass had felt this curious twisting sensation in her stomach, seconds before her normal barriers had gone up.

      She’d already been in a bad mood; his uninvited presence had put her in worse. She’d spent the day cleaning the house and worrying about Pen who had been out all night, and in ten minutes she’d been due to start an evening shift as a checkout girl at the local supermarket where she’d been working since abandoning her studies.

      ‘Yes?’ she’d fairly barked the word at this stranger.

      He returned politely. ‘I’m not sure if I have the right address. I’m looking for a family called Barker.’

      ‘Yes,’ Cass repeated, without committing herself.

      ‘Are you Penelope’s sister?’ he added after studying her face.

      He sounded mildly surprised. He’d possibly expected a petite, short-skirted blonde like Pen, and ended up with a tall, nylon-overalled mouse.

      ‘You’re Tom?’ Cass was surprised, too. This man looked far too mature for Pen.

      He shook his head. ‘I’d better introduce myself. I’m Drayton Carlisle, Tom’s brother. And you are…’

      Confused, that was what she was. She had yet to meet Tom and here was his big brother on the doorstep. She smelled a rat.

      ‘Cass,’ she replied abruptly.

      ‘Cass?’ He checked he had it right, ‘That’ll be short for…?’

      Cass thought it fairly obvious and said with irony, ‘Castleford.’

      ‘Castleford?’ he repeated quizzically.

      ‘Town up t’North,’ she relayed, exaggerating her Yorkshire vowels.

      His eyes narrowed briefly. Did he realise she was winding him up?

      ‘How unusual,’ he commented dryly.

      ‘And Drayton isn’t?’ she couldn’t resist countering.

      ‘Family name,’ he grimaced. ‘My mother was a Drayton.’

      ‘Really.’ Cass pretended to be impressed. ‘One of the Draytons?’

      Of course, she’d gone too far. She’d put him down as an upper-class twit. She was right on one count but not the other.

      He stared straight at her for a moment. It was an intense scrutiny. His eyes were ice-blue and hard and intelligent.

      ‘More Northern humour, I presume,’ he finally concluded before directing at her, ‘Is Penelope in?’

      ‘No, sorry.’ She shrugged into the jacket already in her hand. ‘Is there a message I can pass on?’

      ‘Are you expecting her back soon?’ he persisted.

      How to answer that? Pen came and Pen went. Cass had long since lost any control over her movements.

      Cass confined herself to a shrug.

      ‘In that case, perhaps you and I could have a talk about matters?’ he suggested, a hint of steel now behind the polite, well-modulated tones.

      Matters being his brother marrying a nobody that he’d known five minutes. Even Cass could see the family would be less than thrilled.

      ‘Look—’ she glanced at her watch ‘—I don’t mean to be rude, Mr Carlisle, but can we make it some other time? I have to be in work in fifteen minutes.’

      ‘Is your work close?’ he asked as she shut and locked the door behind her.

      ‘A mile or so.’ She was going to have to run.

      He must have read her mind as he said, ‘I’ll give you a lift.’

      Cass was briefly tempted, before replying, ‘It’s all right. I can be a little late and I don’t want to put you to any bother—’

      ‘It’s no bother.’ He followed her out on the pavement, and directed a remote unlocking device to the row of cars ahead.

      She saw a set of tail-lights briefly illuminate but it wasn’t until they were level that she read the logo and had a good look at the sleek sports car.

      She kept her face impassive. Pen might be impressed by fast cars but she refused to be.

      He opened the passenger door for her, and waited as she debated whether to accept this lift or not. He looked safe. Well, safe as in unlikely to turn out to be a psychopath or safe as even less likely to be interested in girls dressed in supermarket overalls.

      She climbed in and found herself sinking into opulent leather. How the other half lived.

      She gave him directions and, though it wasn’t far, they were caught in the rush hour.

      ‘I wondered—how do you feel about their relationship?’ he asked as they inched along the High Street.

      ‘I really can’t say.’ Cass knew Pen would never forgive her if she did. ‘I haven’t met your brother.’

      ‘Then you must have some doubts,’ he was quick to conclude. ‘Your sister’s only…what, seventeen? Rather young to be rushing into marriage, don’t you think?’

      Quite, СКАЧАТЬ