Carole Mortimer Romance Collection. Carole Mortimer

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      He turned probing blue eyes on her just as she was about to eat a forkful of sticky pastry. ‘Has the first day been as bad as you thought it would be?’ he asked drily.

      The pastry never got as far as her mouth as she stared at him; what did he mean, ‘the first day’? Just how long did he and Diana intend to be at Carlyle Properties?

      ‘That’s hardly a fair question to ask her in front of me, Liam,’ Diana reproved lightly, having no qualms about eating her own pastry, and obviously relishing its sweetness.

      He raised dark blond brows. ‘I don’t ever remember telling Juliet I was going to be fair,’ he drawled mockingly.

      He hadn’t told her that he was going to be anything—that was the trouble! She just didn’t know what was going on when this man was about.

      ‘To answer your question,’ she said quietly, ‘if I knew what you wanted from Carlyle Properties, perhaps I could be more helpful.’

      His eyes took on a glacial sheen. ‘The truth,’ he bit out harshly. ‘That’s what I want from Carlyle Properties!’

      She frowned across at him. ‘Carlyle Properties has nothing to hide,’ she told him slowly, giving up on the pastry, her appetite once again deserting her. ‘Everything is up to date. You’re perfectly free to go to any of our work sites, view any of the paperwork——’ She broke off as she realised that there was one file he couldn’t view, for the simple reason that she couldn’t find it. And that appeared to be the only one he was interested in!

      ‘Exactly.’ Liam nodded abruptly at her hesitation.

      Her eyes glowed, deep grey. ‘What is so special about this one file, Liam?’ she snapped.

      ‘I believe that is my business,’ he returned icily. ‘Literally. You weren’t even involved in the company then!’

      Juliet was very aware of Diana as their audience, a Diana who seemed slightly nonplussed by Liam’s aggressive attitude towards her.

      She put down her fork, giving up any pretence of eating; she was only here at all because she had thought she was keeping Diana company. Now that Liam was here that was no longer necessary. And she certainly didn’t want to spend any more time in his company!

      ‘Then perhaps I had better not waste any more time, and should go back to the office to carry on looking for the damned file!’ Her own anger was barely contained.

      ‘Perhaps you had better,’ he agreed forcefully, his gaze never wavering from her angrily flushed face.

      ‘Liam—’

      ‘Stay out of this, Diana,’ he advised her hardly, not even glancing at her. ‘You just don’t understand.’

      ‘You’re right, I don’t,’ she acknowledged in a puzzled voice. ‘I’ve never seen—’

      ‘This is between Juliet and me,’ he cut in harshly. ‘Isn’t it?’ he prompted her coldly.

      It certainly was, but she wasn’t quite sure what ‘it’ was! When they weren’t angry with each other they appeared to be in each other’s arms—and neither of those situations was what she particularly wanted. How could they possibly sort out the business side of things when they were always so angry with each other? And as for being in Liam’s arms…! That just clouded the issue.

      Juliet bent to pick up her bag—the bag containing the key Liam had asked for…‘I’ll see you both back at the office,’ she said stiltedly, standing up.

      Diana gave her a sympathetic grimace. ‘Thanks for joining me for lunch.’

      Juliet gave her first genuine smile since Liam had joined them. ‘I enjoyed it.’ Until they had been interrupted! ‘Perhaps we can do it again some time before you leave?’

      ‘Don’t worry.’ Liam was the one to answer with soft menace. ‘You girls will have plenty of time to go out to lunch together again; I have a feeling we’re going to be at Carlyle Properties for some time!’

      Juliet didn’t answer him, just walked away, her back ramrod-straight as she crossed the restaurant to the door. Just how long was ‘some time’ going to be? However long it was, it was going to be too long as far as she was concerned! And she didn’t just have Liam all day at the office; he was actually at the house too. Wonderful!

      Except he wasn’t at the house that evening. Juliet returned from the office on her own at six o’clock, Liam and Diana having left some time during the afternoon and not come back. And Liam didn’t return for dinner either, leaving Juliet to face Janet alone.

      It was the first time she had seen the housekeeper on her own since the older woman had come into her bedroom the evening before and found Liam there too. Although Juliet knew her well enough to know that Janet wouldn’t mention that fact if she didn’t—and she had no intention of doing so—she nevertheless felt slightly embarrassed at facing her again.

      ‘Mr Liam rang to say that he won’t be back until much later this evening,’ Janet told her as she served the soup.

      Well, he could have told her that too—then she wouldn’t have spent the whole afternoon dreading seeing him again!

      ‘He always was a thoughtful young man,’ Janet lingered to remember fondly. ‘And he was a lovely little boy.’

      Of course, Janet had been here long enough to remember that. Strangely, Juliet couldn’t think of Liam as ever having been a ‘lovely little boy’!

      Janet’s expression clouded slightly. ‘It was a pity he and his father argued so much when he was older. Of course Simon—’ She broke off awkwardly. ‘Well, a lot of young men argue with their fathers; it’s all part of the male ego,’ she amended dismissively.

      Juliet looked at the older woman curiously. ‘Is it?’ she prompted softly. She had to admit she was curious about the relationship which the three men had once had. She had known them all as individuals, but somehow couldn’t quite imagine them as a family. Of course, Liam had been several years older than Simon, so the two of them had probably had little in common, but they had still been brothers, and it was a relationship that she found hard to imagine.

      ‘Oh, yes.’ Janet nodded knowledgeably. ‘My own brothers were horrors during their teenage years, arguing with anyone and everyone.’

      ‘Did Liam and Simon argue?’ she asked.

      ‘Like cat and dog.’ Janet sighed heavily. ‘William—Mr William was always having to get in between the two of them. I think he thought they might kill each other one day if he didn’t.’ She shook her head at the memory.

      Juliet tried to imagine Liam and Simon, five years apart in age, as two hotheaded young men. Simon had always been a bit wild, which was why William had been so pleased when he seemed to settle down slightly in his relationship with Juliet, but somehow she could never imagine Liam as a wild young man; he looked as if he had always had a wise head on young shoulders. Or maybe it was just the way he always looked so damned superior!

      And Juliet hadn’t missed the way that the housekeeper had slipped СКАЧАТЬ