She didn’t know quite how to answer that. ‘You have an answer for everything, don’t you?’ she muttered crossly. Her voice wasn’t as acidic as she would have liked, mainly because, with the palms of her hands pressed against his chest so hard she could feel the beat of his heart, and the smell and feel of him all around her, her head was beginning to spin.
‘Do I?’ There was a strange note in his voice, and when he lifted a hand to her face, his fingertips caressing the silk of her cheek, she was quite unable to move.
‘Oh, I’m sorry!’
A flustered voice from the doorway brought Rosalie’s head jerking round, but Kingsley continued to hold her for another moment or two before he turned, managing to put an arm round her waist and pulling her firmly into him as he did so.
‘Beth.’ Rosalie had never felt so rattled. ‘I didn’t hear you come in. I mean—’
‘You must be Rosalie’s aunt.’ Kingsley was all charm as he deposited Rosalie gently back into her chair before striding across the room with his hand outstretched towards the pretty, plump woman in the doorway. ‘I’m Kingsley Ward. How do you do? I was hoping to surprise Rosalie and take her out to dinner, but it appears I’m too late.’
He was all white teeth and winsome smiles, Rosalie thought furiously, watching Beth go down before him like a ninepin.
‘Oh, what a shame.’ Beth darted one quick glance towards Rosalie, who groaned inwardly at the delighted gleam in her aunt’s eye. Beth had been on at her for years to find herself a nice man and enjoy life—the two were synonymous in her aunt’s mind—and Kingsley was clearly the answer to all her hopes. ‘Have you come far?’ she asked worriedly.
‘New York.’ He grinned winningly. ‘Not too far.’
Beth wasn’t going to be taken in by this drivel, was she? It appeared she was.
‘Really? But that’s too bad. Look, Rosalie’s coming to us for the weekend; why don’t you come too? We’ve a couple of spare bedrooms now the children are all doing their own thing. We’ve two at university and one’s up in Scotland doing goodness knows what on an archaeological dig.’
‘A dig, how interesting, but I couldn’t impose…’
‘It wouldn’t be imposing, we’d absolutely love to have you. Wouldn’t we, Rosalie?’ Beth was really going for it now.
Two pairs of eyes looked her way; one pair earnest brown, and the other alive with wicked blue delight. Rosalie warned herself her aunt had had a sheltered life and might faint on the spot if she said what she was thinking. ‘I’m sure Kingsley has things to do over the weekend, Beth,’ she said tightly. ‘He’s a very busy man.’ She glared at him pointedly as she spoke.
‘But all work and no play…’ Beth beamed at the tall, dark and wonderfully handsome man in front of her. If she had gone out and sifted through all the men in London, she couldn’t have found better for Rosalie, she thought happily. He was a hunk.
Oh, he plays all right. Boy, does he know how to play! Rosalie opened her mouth to set her aunt straight, but Kingsley was there before her. Wouldn’t you just know it?
‘If you are sure it’s okay I would love to come,’ he said with outrageous humility. ‘I called here to see Rosalie straight from the airport so I’ve all my things in the car, as luck would have it. It’d be great to have a relaxing weekend.’
This was too much. Rosalie was almost choking with rage. And how could Beth invite him like this without checking with her first? But she knew how. Her aunt had been looking into those blue eyes and had lost all reason.
‘Lovely.’ Beth was almost wriggling like an ecstatic puppy. ‘That’s settled, then. And it will give you a chance to meet my husband, George—that’s if we can manage to drag him out of his study. He’s in the middle of preparing a paper on the origins of anthropomorphism, whatever that is.’
‘The attribution of a human form or personality to a god or animal or thing, I think,’ Kingsley supplied helpfully.
‘Yes, that’s right!’ Beth gazed at him admiringly. ‘Goodness, aren’t you clever? You’ll get on like a house on fire with George. He’s a lecturer at City University and I think he despairs of intelligent conversation now the children have all flown the nest. They all take after him, you see, rather than me.’
‘Then I’m sure that’s their loss.’
She’d be sick if she listened to much more of this. Rosalie coughed meaningfully, and, having got their attention, said crisply, ‘I’m sorry but I’ll be another ten minutes finishing in here. Why don’t you give Kingsley the address, Beth, and he can make his way later?’ Which would enable her to fill her aunt in on the background to this crazy situation, and make it very clear any match-making possibilities were out of the window.
‘Or why don’t I disappear and do a bit of shopping I need to get, and see you both back at the house?’ Beth put in cheerfully. ‘You can show Kingsley—that’s an unusual name, isn’t it?’
She interrupted herself mid-flow, not an unknown occurrence for Beth. Kingsley smiled. ‘My friends call me King, and I’m sure we’re going to be friends?’
Beth giggled. ‘King, it is, then. Gosh, how grand.’
Rosalie shut her eyes for an infinitesimal moment.
‘Anyway, as I was saying, Lee can give you directions, then, if that’s all right?’ Beth continued. ‘And I’ll see you later.’
‘That would be great. Thanks, Beth.’ Kingsley turned to Rosalie, his eyes taking in her burning cheeks and hot eyes. ‘I’ll wait outside in your secretary’s office until you’ve finished,’ he said gently, ushering Beth out with him and shutting the door behind them both.
Rosalie stared at the door for a full ten seconds. Then she sagged back in her chair, the breath leaving her body in a long whoosh. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, she thought helplessly. Who else but Kingsley would have managed that so perfectly for his own ends? He was amazing, and she didn’t mean that in a laudatory sense either!