Kingfisher Morning

Ross, joined her later, alone. She gave him a secret, amused little glance, then asked innocently, 'Oh, where's Amanda? Didn't she want any tea?' She had laid out shortcake on a rose-strewn plate, placed three cups on a tray.

'No, she did not,' Ross said shortly.

'Well, you do surprise me,' Emma murmured, eyes lowered to hide the gleam of amusement.

He shot her an unsmiling look. 'Don't be funny with me, Emma. I'm not in a humorous vein.'

She lifted her eyes to his dark face, a dimple at the side of her pink mouth. 'Why, you do sound fierce!' Laughter brimmed in the warm brown eyes.

He took her suddenly by the elbows, shook her vehemently. 'You little cat! How dare you make fun of me?' But he was not as grim as he sounded, the grey eyes held a smile as he looked down into her upturned face.

'Amanda's very lovely,' Emma said with apparent irrelevance.

'Oh, exquisite,' he nodded. 'Like a Dresden shepherdess, fragile and lovely and very, very expensive.'

'Is she a member of the Daumaury family?' Emma asked, wondering if Ross avoided Amanda because he felt her to be above his touch, a bright star forever out of his reach.

He turned away from her and stared out of the latticed windows at the bright, sunlit garden. 'Yes,' he said curtly.

'Is she Leon Daumaury's granddaughter?'

'I'm not certain what the exact relationship is,' Ross said brusquely. 'I think she's his great-niece, but it may not be as close as that.'

'Do her parents live at the house, too?'

'They're dead,' said Ross.

'Oh…' Emma looked upset. 'Poor Amanda! How very sad.'

Ross shrugged. 'It was years ago. She got over it long ago.'

'Does one ever get over things like that? There must always be a gap.'

'What about you?' He looked at her. 'Your parents? Still alive?'

She smiled. 'Of course, and very busy. My father's a doctor in Norfolk, a rather remote village practice. My mother breeds Siamese cats. I've got three brothers and a sister, all married, and five nephews and a niece.' Her brown eyes were filled with loving warmth. 'We're a close sort of family. I'm the only one who left Norfolk, in fact.'

'You left to take up your art training, I suppose?'

'Yes. I had no option. London is the best place to train, although, of course, I could have gone to an art college locally.'

'But you were eager to taste big city life?' His voice was gently mocking.

She laughed. 'Something like that.'

'So you're country bred, after all,' he murmured. 'Why didn't you say so before? Why let me go on making false assumptions about you?'

She gave him a sparkling glance. 'Perhaps it will teach you not to jump to conclusions about people in future!'

He pinched her cheek. 'Miss Impudence! Do you have a flat in London?'

'Yes,' she said.

'Share it, or live alone?'

Her eyes lifted, wide and innocent. 'Share it, actually.'

'Oh? Is your flatmate nice?'