‘Can’t have you freezing to death on your birthday, can we?’
She could feel that tension building up between them just like the night in Somerset and took a small deliberate step away from him to defuse it.
‘So?’
‘So what?’
‘Are you interested in Winterfold? I thought you’d bite my hand off. I know you Americans love all that lord of the manor stuff – well, here’s your opportunity.’
He didn’t smile back, in fact his blue eyes looked sad.
‘You know how much I love Winterfold,’ he said, ‘but I’m not sure I’m going to be needing an English stately home for much longer. I’m leaving London.’
‘You’ve leaving the London office?’ she asked masking her disappointment. ‘Are you being posted somewhere else?’
His eyes didn’t leave her face.
He nodded. ‘Back to New York.’
She felt a thickness in her throat, suddenly thinking about Cassandra’s smug news that Rob had been seen looking cosy with Madeline at Sant Ambroeus. She remembered how he had started to tell her something at the Christmas party before she had been disturbed by her mother.
‘But you’ve not been in London for even eighteen months.’
‘Something’s come up,’ he said trying to smile.
‘Madeline?’
He looked surprised. ‘What makes you say that?’
‘Cassandra saw you have lunch together at Sant Ambroeus.’
‘She’s the mother of my child, Emma, I am going to see her occasionally,’ he said, a smile pulling at his lips.
‘She said you were looking cosy,’ added Emma, trying to sound teasing.
Rob smiled and shook his head slightly.
‘We met up because she was telling me she’s getting married again. If I kissed her on the cheek or hugged her or whatever it was simply to congratulate her.’
Emma felt an enormous rush of relief flood over her.
‘Oh, I’m sorry … so why the move?’
‘I shouldn’t be telling you this, but an announcement is being made to Wall Street on Monday so …’ he paused to draw breath. ‘My father is retiring. Finally.’ He said with a small smile.
‘No way! I thought he was going to carry on forever!’
She thought back to a recent profile of Larry Holland in Forbes. The power-house titan who will never retire.
‘He’s ill.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, putting her hand on his arm.
‘Against all previous form, he has decided he wants me to take over. CEO. The big job.’
Emma gasped.
‘Wow, president of Hollander Media? That’s a serious position.’