His face moved closer, as if involuntarily. Their eyes held. Then they heard Edie's voice outside, heard Robin's busy little feet hurrying along the path.
The moment shattered. They drew apart, both rather flushed. Emma lifted Donna from her chair at the sink, and Ross turned to greet the others. Time flowed on again.
CHAPTER FIVE
'We haven't discussed the subject of compensation yet,' Ross said a day later, as he and Emma amicably pruned the roses together while Edie took the children for a walk down the road to see Mrs Pat.
Emma's smooth brow wrinkled. 'Compensation?' She connected the word, not surprisingly, with the accident. 'I think Judith will have to get in touch with my insurance company, won't she? I was fully insured, thank goodness.'
'Not for Judith,' he said, grinning. 'For you, fathead.'
'Me?' She stared. 'I wasn't hurt!'
'Compensation for looking after the children,' he said patiently. 'A weekly wage, a salary—call it what you like. You're doing a great job. Judith will be very grateful. When I visited her yesterday she asked me to mention it to you—she left it to you to decide what sum to fix.'
'I don't want money,' she protested, horrified.
'Nonsense, of course you must be paid. Why should you do all this for nothing?'
'Two reasons,' she said coolly. 'Number one, I feel responsible for the accident. Number two, I'm having the time of my life. I ought to pay you. I'm having free board and lodging, an enchanting holiday, and I have the pleasure of looking after three adorable children. I haven't enjoyed myself like this for years.'
'You're a very surprising girl, do you know that?' He studied her like a scientist with some rare species of insect under his microscope. 'Look, are you sure about this?'
'Certain,' she said firmly.
He shrugged. 'Well, I'll leave the subject for the moment. No doubt Judith will have something to say when you see her.'
'Is it arranged that I take the children in to see her on Sunday, then?' she asked.
They had had a little difficulty over arranging for the children to visit their mother. She had been moved into an open ward, and small children were discouraged from visiting, since they might see sights which would disturb them.
Ross nodded. 'Just for five minutes, the ward Sister insisted. I think both Judith and the children need to have this visit, so I pressed hard for her to agree to it, or I think she would have been more difficult.'
'The children are secretly a bit worried about their mother,' Emma agreed. 'I hope that a visit, however short, will reassure them a little. Particularly Donna…She may be very young, but that makes it harder for her to understand what's happening.'
The gate creaked open behind them, and they turned. Amanda stood there, immaculate as ever in a cashmere twin set, creamy pearls and a misty blue tweed skirt.
'What a glorious afternoon,' she said, giving Ross one of her bright, admiring smiles.
Emma returned to her pruning, snipping away energetically as if her life depended upon it.
'Your nanny seems a little over-enthusiastic with those clippers,' Amanda drawled, delighted to put Emma into the wrong.
'Hey!' Ross grinned. 'Leave something on the bush, won't you?'
'I'll show you,' Amanda said sweetly, deftly removing the clippers from Emma's fingers before she realised what was happening. 'We know something about pruning, don't we, Ross?' She turned her attention to one of the standards, a soft apricot rose with damask petals and a mass of blooms. Emma reluctantly had to admit that Amanda certainly did know what she was doing. She pruned fast, but precisely.
Ross watched wryly, hands on hips. Amanda glanced up at him, her sapphire blue eyes gleaming gently. 'The gardens at Queen's Daumaury are looking their best just now, I think.' She spoke very softly, her tone curiously insidious, as though she trod on delicate ground. 'The roses are still in full bloom, but the shrubberies are so colourful. The buddleias!'
'I'm no gardener,' Ross cut in tersely. 'I keep this place tidy when I have time, but that's my limit. I'll go and see if Edie has put the kettle on.'
'I just saw her down at that public house,' said Amanda sharply.
Ross looked blank, as though he had forgotten. 'Well then, I'll put the kettle on myself.'
'No, let me,' said Emma sweetly. 'You stay and talk to Amanda, Ross.'
He gave her a wrathful glance, but unmoved, she left them together and went into the house.