Soon enough the room would be filled with the bustle of one hundred celebrity guests, the sound of troubadours and the scent of a genuine historic feast and Ruby knew the evening would be a success.
If only she cared.
She resisted the urge to put her head in her hands—of course she cared. This would be a career-tilting event—it would show the world that Ruby Hampton was the business. The restaurant at Caversham Castle would be launched in style, and she had little doubt that by the time they opened for normal custom in two weeks they would be booked up months in advance. Which was even better, because then she would be rushed off her feet.
Which would hopefully be the catalyst for the cessation of the stupid, mad feelings that swamped her every time she saw Ethan. The strange ache in her tummy when she wasn’t with him...the stranger ache in her heart when she was. It would almost be preferable to discover that it was an ulcer rather than what she suspected—she missed him. Missed the Ethan she had glimpsed for forty-eight precious hours.
Unfortunately that Ethan had vanished—had donned the cloak of professionalism and left the building. How did he do that? Maybe the same way she did. After all, hadn’t she been the epitome of a perfect restaurant manager? Could there be a possibility that he was hurting as she was?
But even if he was...what difference did it make? There could be no future. Her plan was to adopt and Ethan didn’t want a family. Ethan didn’t want anything.
In two days the ball would be over—it would be a new year and a new start. Ethan would waltz off to his usual business concerns and she would be able to get her head back together.
The back of her neck prickled and her whole body went to code red—a sure indicator that Ethan was in the vicinity.
‘It’s looking good,’ he said. ‘I need the final auction list, please. Rafael’s on his way and he wants to look at it en route.’
‘Sure. It’s good of him to be auctioneer.’
‘Yes.’
The terse edge of near indifference that veiled his tone made her foot itch with the urge to kick him even as she matched it. ‘I’ll email him the list straight away.’
‘Ruby?’
The sound of Cora Brookes’s even, well-modulated voice had her swivelling on her heel in relief. Cora, the new hotel administrator, had arrived two days before, and already Ruby was impressed by her smooth competence—though Cora had equally smoothly avoided all attempts at anything other than professional conversation.
‘I thought you should see this.’
‘What’s up? Don’t tell me the caterers have cancelled? Rafael Martinez has pulled out?’
For a second a faint look Ruby couldn’t interpret crossed Cora’s face. Then the redhead shook her head. ‘Nothing like that. Why would he? It’s great publicity for him... Plus it’s not often a playboy like him gets to feature in a celebrity magazine in a charitable light.’ She shook her head. ‘Anyway, here you are.’
Ruby accepted the netbook and looked down at a celebrity magazine’s website.
Breaking News!
Hugh Farlane engaged.
‘This time it’s the real thing,’ Hollywood star proclaims.
What?
Disbelief churned in her tummy. She’d barely given Hugh a thought in the past days. Apart from feeling a vague relief that he had obviously decided to stop offering her up as sacrificial goods to the press.
Mere weeks after his break-up with Ruby Hampton, now working within the Caversham Holiday Adventures empire, Hugh has announced his engagement to his long-term PA, Portia Brockman.
Portia? Beautiful, devoted to Hugh’s interests, she’d worked for him for years—the woman had to know him better than anyone else, so why on earth would she marry him? Surely it was another stunt. Or... She looked down at the image of Portia, who was gazing up adoringly at Hugh. Maybe a better question would be did Portia know it was a stunt?
Next query—what was Ruby going to do about it?
Which led on to another question: if she thrust a spoke in Hugh’s wheel what would he do? A flicker of fear ignited at the memory of his expression, taut with threat, as he’d ensured her silence.
It was a flicker she knew she had no choice but to ignore.
With a start she realised Ethan had removed the tablet from her grasp and was reading the article. A formidable frown slashed his brow as he handed it back to Cora.
‘I’ll have to go and sort this out,’ Ruby said briskly. ‘I’ll get a train up to London—I should be back late this evening. Cora, thanks for bringing this to my attention. Can I leave a few things for you to do while I’m gone?’