‘Come out again and have a glass of wine. It’s too early to go to bed.’
‘No, thank you.’
Connah looked down at her, his hard eyes wry. ‘I’ve obviously offended you past all forgiveness.’
‘I work for you,’ she said shortly. ‘I can’t afford to be offended.’
‘Dammit, Hester, that’s hitting below the belt! I know damn well I have no right to probe into your private life.’ He took the cup from her and put it on the tray, then fetched a bottle of wine from the refrigerator and gave her a smile she tried hard to resist. ‘It’s a pity to go to bed so early on a night like this. Can you honestly say you’ll sleep if you do?’
‘I’ll read.’
‘You can do that later. Come out and talk for a while.’
Because Hester had no real desire to go to bed, she swallowed her pride, went back outside and even accepted the glass of wine Connah poured for her.
‘So what do you want in Greve tomorrow?’ he asked.
‘Postcards, some food for supper. Real local fare from small grocery shops rather than a supermarket,’ she added.
‘Whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t involve cooking. I meant what I said. This must be a holiday for you before you go on to your next job. Particularly in the light of our recent discussion,’ he added dryly. ‘Will you enjoy looking after a newborn baby?’
Hester shrugged, resigned. ‘I’ve done it before in my last post, twins at that. But, much as I love babies, it’s a lot easier to look after someone like Lowri. And not just because she dresses and feeds herself,’ she added with a chuckle. ‘She’s such fun and good company. And she sleeps all night!’
Connah laughed. ‘Ah, yes, the broken nights. That’s one part you can’t be looking forward to.’
‘I won’t be doing it alone. Sarah Rutherford intends to feed the baby herself if she can, but I’ll be on hand to see to the rest. At least there’s just one to look after this time.’
‘I don’t know how you do it,’ he said, grimacing. ‘I wasn’t around much when Lowri was at that stage. My mother and Alice bore the brunt of it.’
Because he’d had to cope with his wife’s death, thought Hester with compassion, then eyed him quizzically when he gave a sudden chuckle.
‘Talking of Alice, I wonder how Mal and Owen will cope when the baby arrives.’
‘With someone of Alice’s experience, perfectly well, I imagine. By the way, Lowri told me that Alice isn’t at all like me.’
He let out a bark of laughter. ‘God, no. Nice, sweet creature though she is, I wouldn’t be sitting here with her like this.’
‘Why not?’
‘She’s very nervous around me, for a start. In the unlikely event that I asked her to sit and chat over a glass of wine, she’d run a mile.’ He shot a look at Hester. ‘Alice is a sweet, ordinary young woman from the village near Bryn Derwen and I’ll always be grateful to her because she came to us at a time when we needed her so desperately. I will never forget that. But she’s very different from you, Hester.’
‘In what way?’
‘You’re good looking, well read, and your qualifications are impeccable. Alice has no professional qualifications, other than willingness to work and her unbounded love of children.’
‘Then I salute her, because Lowri is a credit to her—and to your mother, of course,’ said Hester, and looked across at Connah. ‘And last, but very definitely not least, to you—the most important person in her life.’
‘I know,’ he said soberly. ‘And it’s a huge responsibility.’ He got up to refill her glass, but she shook her head.
‘No more, thanks.’
Connah sat down again, looking out over the starlit garden. ‘A pity we can’t do this by the pool.’
‘It’s too far away from the house—and Lowri.’
‘Exactly. I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately,’ he added, startling her. ‘I’ve tried hard to remember you as you were when I first saw you all those years ago. But all I can bring to mind is a teenager with long blonde curls and huge eyes.’
‘The curls were courtesy of a perm and the eyes looked huge because I was into heavy-duty eye make-up at the time.’ She laughed. ‘I was also rather chubby, but you’ve been kind enough to gloss over that.’
‘From the fleeting glimpse I had of you by the pool this afternoon, it’s not a word that applies any more.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘As a matter of interest, would you have stayed in the bikini if I’d been there alone with you and Lowri?’
‘Yes,’ she said honestly. ‘Lowri pleaded so I wore it.’
‘Then wear it again, when we’re safe from intruders.’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘You mean it’s not approved nanny wear?’
She nodded. ‘Or housekeeper wear.’
He chuckled. ‘A bit different from the archetypal Mrs Danvers.’ ‘So you’ve read Rebecca too.’
‘Afraid not—I saw the film. It’s one of the few films I’ve ever seen. I’m not a movie buff.’
Hester eyed him in surprise. ‘You must have watched one of Lowri’s DVDs with her?’
‘No. I keep to chess,’ Connah admitted.
‘A suitable film is another good way to keep her company while she spends a quiet hour out of the sun. Try watching one with her some time. She’d love it.’
‘Yes, Nanny.’
Hester chuckled. ‘Sorry.’
Connah shook his head. ‘Don’t be. I’ll take all the advice I can get. Pity the single male parent of a girl child.’
‘Speaking professionally, I think you make an excellent job of it.’
‘Thank you. But it’s going to get harder as she gets older.’ He sighed deeply. ‘And my mother’s convalescence is much slower than I’d hoped. It’s going to be some time before she’s in any kind of shape to look after an energetic child like Lowri.’ He shot a look at her. ‘I know the original agreement was six weeks, but if you’re not due in Yorkshire until October, Hester, would you consider staying on with us for an extra week or two to get Lowri ready to go back to school?’
‘Yes, of course,’ she said without hesitation. ‘If it helps you out, I’ll be happy to.’ More happy than he knew.
Connah smiled at her in relief. ‘Thank you, Hester. That should take us up to the middle of September when Lowri starts back. Can you do that?’
‘Yes. The Rutherford baby isn’t due until mid-October. I promised to start there two weeks beforehand, to help Mrs Rutherford get ready for the big day, so it works in quite well and still gives me time to spend with my mother and Robert first.’
‘That’s a great load off my mind,’ he said, smiling at her. ‘But that’s a long way off, so until then let’s enjoy our summer in sunny Italy. I’ve never indulged in so much leisure time, so I might as well make the most of it.’
‘Everyone needs to unwind now and then.’ Hester got up. ‘Time I went to bed.’
Connah rose immediately and put a hand on hers. ‘Hester, forgive me for my transgression earlier.’
‘Of course,’ she said lightly, and smiled at him. ‘Goodnight.’