‘The two go hand in hand.’ She gave him a conciliatory smile. ‘She’s unhappy, can’t you see that? She’s suffered not having a mother-figure. I’m sure most children do—’
He slammed his coffee-cup on to the table and the liquid spilled over the rim, leaving a wet patch. ‘She damn well doesn’t need a mother-figure!’ he ground out. ‘She’s already had a mother-figure, enough to last her a lifetime.’
Roberta’s eyes widened at his tone of voice. She had touched on a raw nerve here. Her mind flashed back to his reaction to her when he had spotted her physical resemblance to his wife. Was that why he filled his time with women? Because no one could ever live up to the woman he had married and loved?
What had she been like? She bit back the compulsive desire to ask, knowing that that would definitely cause a major explosion.
‘And I hope you’re not entertaining any thoughts of putting yourself in that position,’ he said tersely.
She looked at him with bewilderment. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Don’t give me that innocent stare. You already know that my wife and you share certain physical attributes, even if they are only superficial—’
The gist of what he was saying became patently clear and Roberta felt a rush of blood to her head. ‘You may think so!’ she snapped. ‘Emily has made no mention of any similarity!’
‘Emily rarely notices anyone but herself. Subconsciously, I’m sure she’s drawn the inevitable comparisons. All I’m saying is that I hope you don’t intend to exploit that fact. I hope you don’t let it slip your mind that you’re an au pair and not a prospective mother-figure for her.’
‘Is that a warning?’
‘It’s a piece of advice. You may have come here in good faith, but now that you know the situation there’s nothing to stop you from manipulating it to your own advantage.’
‘Nothing except a few principles,’ Roberta informed him coldly. She could have laughed aloud at his train of thought if she wasn’t so damned angry at his assumption. Involvement with a man? Good grief! She had had enough of the male sex to last her a lifetime.
‘Principles can become very elusive when there’s financial gain in the offing,’ he said with infuriating calm. ‘I’ve seen it in action and, believe me, it’s not a pretty sight.’
‘Well, you can rest assured that I have no intention of doing any such thing,’ she said briefly, thankful that the hot emotion which he seemed to arouse in her had not deprived her of her power of speech. ‘I’m not after your bank balance. In fact, I don’t find you or your money the slightest bit appealing.’
Her words seemed to echo in the kitchen, and she could have kicked herself. She didn’t want to indulge in any conversation that strayed from the strictly professional subject of his daughter with this man, yet here she was, saying the first thing that came into her head.
‘Now there’s an admission,’ he drawled, his green eyes flickering with faint mockery. ‘I was wondering what sort of man appealed to you.’ The savagery had left his face completely. Now she wished heartily that it was back there because it was far easier to handle.
‘Were you?’ Roberta said, pink colour creeping up her cheeks. Her power of speech didn’t seem nearly so reliable now. In fact, she was totally lost for words as he looked at her curiously.
‘I was,’ he murmured softly, ‘so why don’t you tell me? Not afraid, are you?’
‘Of course not!’ Roberta denied with a vigour she was far from feeling.
‘Then please fill me in. I’m interested.’ He leaned back in the chair, his hands clasped behind his head, and continued to survey her through narrowed eyes.
At this point, she thought, I should have some freezing retort on my lips. But nothing came to mind. All she could see was his overwhelming sexiness. The silence stretched around them until she was suffocating in it. Finally she gathered her wits and said with composure, ‘I don’t like men who are smooth and charming.’
A picture of Brian flashed into her head, and she found herself describing him in minute detail. She was hardly conscious of the edge of jaded disillusionment that had crept into her voice.
‘And are you going to tell me who he was?’
Grant’s question caught her by surprise and she stared at him and blinked. Everything settled back into perspective, and she recalled with horror what she had told him. She had not mentioned names, but she had nevertheless found herself imparting personal information without even realising it. Either she had suffered some bout of temporary insanity, or else he was more adept at listening than she had given him credit for.
‘No one,’ she said, standing up, furious with herself for dropping her defences. ‘I was generalising.’
‘Were you?’ His eyebrows shot up in disbelief and she had an urge to throw her coffee in his face.
‘If you don’t mind,’ she said, ignoring his question and shifting her eyes away from the mesmeric lines of his face, ‘I think I’ll head upstairs now and check on Emily. It’s been a long day. I want to have a bath before dinner.’ Her voice faded into the silence, and she pursed her lips tightly.
‘Of course,’ he said, not pursuing the topic. ‘Toronto can be exhausting. Particularly the Eaton Centre. A marvellous place to shop, so I hear, but very tiring on the legs.’
‘Isn’t it?’ Roberta replied politely. She wanted to get away now. As soon as his attention was off her, as he reached to pour himself another cup of coffee, she quietly slipped out of the kitchen, her face thoughtful as she headed towards Emily’s bedroom.
She had made a mistake bracketing him with Brian, she decided. There really was no comparison. Brian’s charm was all superficial. She could see that now, and quite probably she would have seen that at the time, had she not been so wrapped up in her own personal misery.
But Grant Adams... She frowned. He was a different cup of tea altogether. He possessed that rare, innate ability to get people to talk, to make them respond to his magnetism, and she knew that she was a novelty to him.
There was no doubt that women were attracted to him in droves, and there was also no doubt that men who could get what they wanted frequently pursued the things that were inaccessible.
He might warn her off, but there lurked a niggling thought at the back of her mind. What if, despite everything he had said, her resemblance to his wife succeeded in whetting his appetite?
You’re being over-imaginative, she thought with a little laugh. Playing amateur shrink, as he had put it. It was a game she would do well to refrain from.
Emily was lying on her bed when Roberta entered, her eyes red. She immediately sat up and scowled.
‘Who asked you here?’ she snapped, and Roberta sat on the edge of the bed with a little shrug. ‘Did he ask you to follow me up here?’
‘No,’ Roberta replied truthfully.
‘Then why have you come?’
‘To see how you were, of course. I know that you were upset, but—’
‘I wasn’t upset,’ Emily denied, pushing her hair out of her face. ‘I was annoyed. How can he carry on about me when he’s the same? He’s rude, arrogant...’ She spluttered speechlessly and her ferocious scowl deepened.
‘You are quite similar, now that you mention it,’ Roberta agreed drily. ‘Does he sulk as well?’
‘I never sulk.’ Emily’s lips twitched in the glimmer of a smile. ‘I react to situations.’
Roberta laughed aloud at that one. ‘You’re made to be a politician