Molly had been working mainly in American theatre the last few years, with the occasional television role thrown in, and until recently had had every intention of remaining out there. But a couple of months ago Sam had sent her the first script he had written for the new Bailey series, due to begin filming in the New Year, along with a cryptic message. ‘As I wrote the Daisy role based on you, only you could possible play her! Come home. I need you.’ Enough to evoke anyone’s curiosity.
Although Molly hadn’t been quite so sure after reading the script of that one episode!
The character of Daisy was an outgoing, dangerously inquisitive private detective, endearingly naive when it came to the vagaries of human nature, and most of all accident-prone—to the point where objects—usually bodies—seemed literally to throw themselves in her path for her to fall over.
Based on her? she had wondered, slightly dazed. She was outgoing, yes, and could be slightly eccentric, yes. But she wasn’t too sure that any of the other character traits fitted her, no matter what Sam might think to the contrary…
But the director of the programme had seemed happy enough with her audition when she’d returned to England a couple of weeks ago, and hadn’t hesitated about offering her a contract to cover the next Bailey series.
She had thought that particular snippet of information hadn’t yet been leaked, but obviously she was wrong; it was one of those well-guarded secrets that everyone knew about!
‘I actually meant, do you mind that I’m going to appear in the Bailey series with you?’ Molly corrected ruefully.
David raised dark brows. ‘The director assures me you were brilliant at your audition; why should I mind?’
She gave an awkward shrug. ‘Well…Sam is my brother.’ She pointed out the obvious. ‘And I wouldn’t like you to think—some people might think that had something to do with my getting the part.’ She grimaced.
‘The word you’re looking for is nepotism,’ drawled an insulting voice.
Gideon Webber’s voice. Of course. He seemed to lose no opportunity to insult her.
Was it acceptable for the godmother to hit one of the godfathers at a christening party? Molly wondered angrily.
Probably not.
Pity.
‘Gideon!’ David greeted the other man warmly—giving Molly the necessary time to clasp her hands tightly together in order not to give in to her initial impulse, after all. ‘It’s really good to see you again,’ the actor added smilingly.
Again? Molly wondered frowningly. Since when did television actors’ and interior designers’ paths ever cross? Never, or so she had hoped when she had decided on this move back to England. Although it now appeared she might have been wrong about that…
‘You can forget nepotism,’ David added with a grin. ‘From all accounts, this little lady can act her socks off.’
‘And any other part of her clothing. Or so I’m led to believe,’ Gideon Webber returned dryly.
Molly’s gasp of indignation was lost in David’s roar of laughter. Obviously he thought the other man was just joking. Molly knew better.
She looked up at Gideon Webber with narrowed eyes. His expression was openly scathing, and the colour slowly crept up into her cheeks. Exactly what had he meant by that remark?
‘How did you know she has to take her clothes off in episode four?’ David prompted the other man humorously.
Gideon’s gaze didn’t waver from Molly’s as he answered the other man. ‘Just an educated guess.’
Molly had no privacy to digest what David had just said. She had to take her clothes off?
Having only returned from America a couple of weeks ago, and been busy since then moving into the flat she had found in London, there hadn’t been time yet for her to read any of the other episodes in the new Bailey series.
She didn’t have a bad figure, definitely had curves in all the right places, but nevertheless Molly wasn’t sure she wanted to take all her clothes off for public display. Even with someone as nice as David.
And, if the derisive look on Gideon Webber’s face was anything to go by, he didn’t think her body was good enough for public display, either…
DAMNED cheek!
There was nothing wrong with her body—no excess bulges, her breasts pert, her waist narrow, hips slender, legs shapely—so why didn’t Gideon Webber think she was up to playing a nude scene?
Molly angled her chin challengingly at Gideon before turning to smile at David. ‘I think it might be rather fun,’ she assured him airily, hoping that none of her inner trepidation showed.
Until this moment there had been no mention of the fact that she had to appear nude in episode four or anywhere else. And she had signed the contract now!
Just wait until she got hold of Sam!
‘So do I.’ David grinned boyishly. ‘I have to say that Sam’s happy marriage to Crys has certainly livened the series up!’
So it would appear. She really did need to talk to Sam—if only to see if there were any other surprises that he hadn’t told her about.
‘They are happy together, aren’t they?’ Gideon murmured ruefully, looking across now to where Sam and Crys were talking softly together, their eyes glowing with the love they felt for each other, which had only deepened on the birth of their son.
‘Of course they are,’ Molly said waspishly, frowning.
Surely this man, just because Crys had once been married to his younger brother, didn’t begrudge her the happiness she had now found with Sam?
Molly knew that Crys had loved James very much, but she was only twenty-nine now—the same age as Molly herself. Surely Gideon didn’t think Crys should have remained faithful to his brother’s memory for the rest of her life? If he did, then he should never have agreed to be Peter’s godfather.
Gideon turned back to her, blue eyes hard as sapphires. ‘Then let’s hope they stay that way,’ he bit out harshly.
Molly’s frown deepened. ‘Why shouldn’t they?’
‘I think those two have already had their fair share of bad luck where love is concerned.’ David was the one to put this in quietly.
Molly knew exactly what bad luck David was referring to: Crys’s past loss was obvious enough, and Sam hadn’t looked at a woman until Crys after being publicly persecuted by his ex-fiancée twelve years before.
But, after David’s own recent loss, it was insensitive of Molly and Gideon to be carrying out this conversation in front of him at all. Even if the antagonism between the two of them was so intense it could be cut with a knife.
‘You’re right, David,’ Molly soothed, putting an apologetic hand on his arm. ‘Isn’t he, Gideon?’ she prompted hardly.
‘I think so—yes,’ Gideon agreed lightly, but a much stronger emotion burned briefly in the darkness of his gaze as he continued to look down at Molly.
And just what did he mean by that remark? And that look?
This man was too deep for her, too enigmatic; in fact, she could definitely feel a headache coming on!
She drew in a sharp breath as she deliberately turned away from that compelling gaze. ‘If you’ll both excuse me…? I just want to go and spend a few minutes with my parents before they leave,’ she added apologetically, knowing her parents had to