CATHERINE GEORGE - Reform of the Rake

‘Please thank her warmly on my behalf, and tell her how much it was appreciated,’ said Lowri, surprised to find her appetite alive and well after all. ‘This is lovely. All of it,’ she added.

Adam leaned forward and gently removed the sunglasses, his eyes hot with sudden anger as he examined her eye. ‘Exactly how did that happen?’ he asked harshly, giving her back the glasses. ‘If the swine hit you I’ll go back and break his jaw this time.’

Lowri hastily explained her accidental contact with Guy Seton’s elbow. ‘He was obviously high on something. Wouldn’t take no. Heaven knows why—I never gave him the slightest encouragement,’ she added irritably.

Adam looked grim. ‘He didn’t need any. The girl he lives with gave him the push yesterday. She delivered an ultimatum. He was to see sense about his cocaine habit or she was leaving. Seton objected. She could take him with all faults or not at all, since, I quote, he could pull any woman he wanted any time, and would prove it.’ Adam’s jaw tightened. ‘He stormed round in a state to Caroline, who’s always adored him. She was terrified to leave him on his own, and, knowing I’d refuse if she told me why, she insisted we take him with us to the party. You were the obvious choice for Seton to make good his boast. I’m sorry. I should never have let the bastard anywhere near you, Lowri.’

‘It wasn’t your fault,’ she assured him, and smiled. ‘Now let’s forget about Guy and just enjoy the sunshine. We don’t get enough to waste it, and tomorrow I’ll be back at my desk. Not that I mind,’ she added happily, ‘I can’t wait to find out what happens next in Rupert’s novel. We’re approaching the climax of the story.’

‘He’s a master of his craft, I agree.’ Adam smiled. ‘And damn lucky to find someone willing to work so hard for him.’

Lowri shook her head. ‘The luck’s all mine. When I left home I never dreamed I’d find something so interesting to do, especially with a flat thrown in. I owe such a lot to Sarah and Rupert.’

He eyed her curiously. ‘Why were you in such a hurry to leave this home of yours?’

Lowri looked away. ‘Dad and I have been closer than most, but now he’s got Holly it’s only fair to leave him to his new life without me in the way. Especially now Holly’s pregnant.’

‘Ah. Do you mind that?’

‘No—at least not now. It was a bit of a shock at first. Though I should have expected it; pretty obvious really from the way—’ She stopped, flushing.

‘I take it your father’s very much in love with his new wife,’ said Adam quietly.

‘Exactly. And she with him.’ Lowri turned away to investigate an insulated jug. ‘Mmm, wonderful—coffee. Want some?’

They fell silent as they drank the dark, fragrant brew provided by Mrs Hawkridge. After a while Adam leaned over and took her hand.

‘Never mind, Lowri. One day you’ll marry and have a baby of your own, and no more regrets about your new little stepbrother—or sister.’

She withdrew her hand swiftly. ‘My regrets were very short-lived, Adam.’

‘Sorry.’ He lay flat on his back, hands linked behind his head. ‘Nevertheless I meant what I said. You’re exactly the type for marriage and babies, Lowri Morgan.’

‘Because I’m not blonde and voluptuous and a frequenter of fashionable haunts—like Caroline Seton and Miss Thirty-two E?’

Adam opened a disapproving hazel eye. ‘That’s not what I said. Those two are just to play with. You’re the sort men marry.’

Lowri grinned impudently. ‘Whereas you blench at the mere thought of marriage, I suppose!’

‘How right you are. I’ve got too much to do to get married. When Dad retires, Hawke Electronics will be wife, mistress and family rolled into one. I’ll have no time left over for the normal kind. All my energies will be concentrated on the company.’

Such a waste, thought Lowri, her eyes on the powerful, sprawled figure.

‘Besides,’ said Adam, his eyes closed, ‘I’ve good reason to be allergic to the sanctity of marriage.’

Lowri sat very still. ‘I heard what happened to your brother, if that’s what you mean.’

‘I do. I keep thinking I could have prevented what happened if I’d been home. Stupid really. Peter was always a highly strung, sensitive sort of chap—nothing like me. But to end it all just because his wife walked out on him! Damned if I would—but enough of that.’ Adam leapt suddenly to his feet, holding out his hand. ‘Come on, let’s pack this stuff back in the car and go for a walk.’

As Lowri strolled with Adam Hawkridge through the sunlit afternoon, it suddenly occurred to her that she was finally living out the fantasies she’d indulged in before coming to live in London. She was actually wandering over watermeadows with a tall, devastatingly attractive man, a thought which added such sparkle to her mood Adam showed gratifying signs of reluctance when he parted with her in Hamilton Terrace.

‘I won’t come in, Lowri,’ he said, as he stopped the car. ‘I should have been somewhere else half an hour ago, so give my best to Sarah and Rupert and tell them I took great care of their little cousin.’

‘It was a lovely day. Thank you, Adam.’

He smiled at her and patted her hand affectionately. ‘My pleasure too, Lowri. You’re very sweet—take good care of yourself.’

Lowri hesitated, then gave him a funny little smile. ‘Can I ask you a very personal question, Adam?’

He grinned. ‘Feel free.’

‘Is Caroline the thirty-six C angel blush?’

Adam threw back his head and roared with laughter, then squeezed her hand, winking at her. ‘Actually, no. You haven’t met Miss Thirty-Six.’

Lowri shook her head, laughing, waved him off then reported in to Rupert and Sarah. She took herself off to her own little domain later to reflect on the day and wish, rather irritably, that Adam thought of her as something more exciting than the Clares’ nice little cousin. She’d hoped against hope that he’d kiss her again, so she could show him she was all woman as well as just ‘sweet’. Sarah was right, she thought moodily, as she lay in a hot bath. Adam Hawkridge was a heartbreaker of the most dangerous type of all—totally unaware of his own power.

Lowri buckled down to work with a will next morning, determined to put Adam Hawkridge firmly from her mind. Rupert had almost finished dictating his novel. In a day or two he would have given her all the tapes and by the end of the week Lowri hoped to finish typing the first draft.

‘Then you’ll have to type the whole thing all over again, and not just once but several times, probably,’ warned Sarah. ‘Rupert’s rarely satisfied with it until about the fourth or fifth draft. Do you think you’ll cope?’

‘Of course I will,’ said Lowri cheerfully, then raised an eyebrow. ‘What happens when it’s finally finished? Does that mean I’m out of a job?’

‘Of course not! Rupert’s already got the next book in mind. You’ll be needed to research for ages before he actually starts on it. Which, I warn you, means long hours shut up in libraries, or lugging home weighty tomes to search for some obscure detail Rupert can’t do without.’

Lowri beamed, delighted. ‘Sounds great to me. History was my best subject at school.’

Rupert finished dictating his novel by mid-week and Lowri finished typing it late on the Saturday evening, ignoring all protests from the Clares about working on a weekend.

‘I just have to know how it ends,’ she said firmly, and refused to budge from her desk until the last line was typed. She sat back with a sigh at last, her mind buzzing with Jonah Haldane and his triumphant victory over his adversaries.

‘Well?’ demanded Rupert, when she went over to the house later to say she’d finished. ‘What do you think?’

Lowri heaved a great sigh. ‘It’s utterly magnificent, Rupert.’

‘Not recycled Dickens, then,’ said Sarah with satisfaction.

‘Sarah! What a horrible thing to say.’

‘Rupert’s description, not mine. I haven’t even read it yet.’

Lowri turned on Rupert in fury. ‘Don’t you dare say that, Rupert Clare! I’ve never dared admit it because I seemed to be in a minority of one, but Dickens always bored me rigid. Whereas your book—’ She waved her hands, searching for the right word. ‘I can’t express myself like you, Rupert, but what I’m trying to say is that when I came to the last line I wished desperately that I hadn’t finished it, that I was starting at the beginning again. And this is just the draft—think of the impact when you’re finally satisfied with it!’

Rupert threw his arms round her, laughing. ‘All right, you little spitfire. Every novelist should have a champion like you. How long will it take you to print the last bit?’

‘By Tuesday, I should think—Monday if I work tomorrow.’

‘Definitely not,’ said Sarah firmly. ‘Rupert’s giving you a treat tomorrow. At least I hope it’s a treat-Dominic’s sure you’ll be thrilled.’

‘Would you like to watch some Sunday cricket at Lord’s?’ said Rupert. ‘Sarah’s taking Emily to some birthday party, so how about coming to see Middlesex play your beloved Glamorgan with Dominic and me?’

Lowri was just as thrilled as Dominic had predicted. Lord’s cricket ground was within such easy walking distance of the house she’d been longing to get to a match there ever since moving to St Johns Wood.

‘Dad will be green with envy,’ she said with a sigh of pleasure.

Sarah smiled affectionately. ‘Not every girl’s idea of a fun day!’

‘But then,’ mocked Rupert, ‘Lowri’s a Morgan like you, by no means a run-of-the-mill type of female.’

After her week of gruelling work it was an enormous pleasure to Lowri to sit between Dominic and Rupert at the famous cricket ground, applauding with partisan enthusiasm as she watched the Glamorgan eleven pull out all the stops against Middlesex.

‘This is my second picnic in the space of a week,’ she commented happily as they shared the picnic she’d helped Sarah pack earlier. ‘Only this time I’ve got cricket as well and I adore one day-games. Dad’s such a purist that he looks down on Sunday cricket, but I think it’s exciting. Thank you so much for bringing me, Rupert.’

‘I want to be a professional cricketer,’ said Dominic indistinctly, wolfing a pork pie. ‘I hope I’ll be picked for the first eleven when I get to Shrewsbury.’

‘Of course you will,’ said a familiar voice, and all three turned round to see Adam Hawkridge laughing down at them. ‘Make a few more catches like the one you saw Lowri off with and you can’t fail. Greetings, everyone. May I join you?’

Rupert sprang to his feet to welcome the newcomer, Dominic beaming as he made room for Adam between himself and Lowri.

‘You were lucky to find us in this crowd,’ said Rupert, offering him a sandwich.

‘I rang Sarah—she told me roughly where you’d be.’ Adam smiled down at a suddenly shy Lowri. ‘I gather this is your reward for working so hard.’

‘Not every girl’s idea of a treat,’ said Rupert indulgently.

‘Actually I rang up to see if you were free tonight,’ said Adam, accepting a second sandwich.

‘Me?’ enquired Rupert blandly.

‘No, thanks, you’re not my type!’ Adam grinned, then turned to Lowri. ‘It was this lady I was after. I realise it’s short notice, but I wondered if you’d care for a meal tonight somewhere and a film afterwards?’

Lowri bolted an unchewed morsel of sandwich whole, eyes watering. There was nothing in the whole wide world she’d have liked better, but that was hardly the point. Caroline, or Fiona, or Miss Thirty-Six C or one of probably a dozen others must have let him down at the last minute, leaving him at a loose end. She smiled politely. ‘How very kind. But I’m afraid I’m tied up tonight.’