Elusive as the Unicorn

One minute she was lying there, lazily contemplating a pleasant evening with Paul, after all, now that Marina’s mood had improved, and the next her dreamy state had been completely shattered.

‘Hello, darling,’ greeted a breezily familiar voice—the surprise of having Sophy disturb the utter tranquillity of the morning almost making Eve fall off her lounger.

She sat up hastily, pushing her sunglasses up into her hair to watch as the other woman strolled out of the house to join her.

‘I hope you don’t mind my coming out here like this.’ Sophy smiled down at her, very beautiful in a flamboyant red and white silk sun-dress. ‘Mrs Hodges told me the two of you were out here.’ She gave Eve’s grandmother a wave as she looked up and saw her with Eve.

Eve hadn’t spoken to the other woman since their heated exchange on the telephone three days ago. ‘If you’ve come here to apologise——’

‘Certainly not,’ Sophy dismissed briskly, dropping down on to the lounger next to Eve’s as she watched Evelyn Ashton’s progress towards them from the rose garden.

Eve frowned at the other woman. ‘Then why are you here?’ she finally asked when no explanation had been forthcoming.

‘Why?’ Sophy turned towards her, her own gaze puzzled now. ‘But——’

‘Sophy!’ Eve’s grandmother had finally reached them, and she greeted the other woman with pleasure. ‘But where’s Patrick?’ she frowned.

‘Parking the car and bringing in the luggage.’ Sophy stood up to warmly kiss the older woman’s cheek. ‘Actually, he’s taking rather a long time.’ She was the one to frown now. ‘Perhaps he can’t find Mrs Hodges to tell him where we are, poor darling. I’ll just go and get him.’ She shot Eve a slightly triumphant look before going off in search of her husband.

Eve instantly mistrusted that look; what were the other couple doing here?

‘Oh, dear, Eve, I am sorry I forgot to tell you about Sophy and Patrick coming,’ her grandmother said worriedly as soon as Sophy disappeared inside the house. ‘I’ve invited them to stay for the weekend, but with all this business with Marina the last few days and this morning, I’m afraid I forgot to mention it.’ She shook her head. ‘And it was really for Marina’s sake that I invited them,’ she added ruefully.

For the life of her, Eve couldn’t see how inviting Sophy here was meant to be for Marina’s benefit; the two women didn’t get on at the best of times, let alone when Marina was going through one of her difficult moods. Considering the fact that their grandmother was also aware of that, she waited patiently for a further explanation of this rather unpleasant development. She wasn’t feeling all that happy with Sophy herself at the moment, especially as Sophy still seemed so unconcerned with what she had done.

‘I thought perhaps,’ her grandmother continued distractedly, ‘after this recent—upset in Marina’s life, that she might be finding things a little dull around here, so I thought a weekend party while she’s here might be a good idea. And Sophy just happened to telephone when I was going through the idea in my mind, and so … I know she and Marina aren’t the best of friends,’ she grimaced. ‘But you have to admit, life certainly isn’t dull when the two of them are together!’

‘No, I can’t ever remember it being dull,’ Eve acknowledged ruefully, sharing her grandmother’s humour, at the same time remembering another person who had claimed that his life had been far from dull since he’d first met her …

Her grandmother brightened when Eve didn’t immediately put a dampener on the idea. ‘I did mean to talk to you about it this morning, but then Marina came in and mentioned going shopping, and—well, I got distracted.’ She made a face.

‘That happens to most people when Marina mentions going shopping.’ Eve echoed the grimace.

‘Yes, I——Ah, here they come now.’ She beamed at her guests over Eve’s shoulder.

Eve wasn’t really sure she was prepared yet to forget Sophy’s part in the events of the last week, but with the other woman as a guest in the house she wasn’t really going to have any choice in the matter; any strain between herself and Sophy would soon become apparent to her grandmother and, after the last few days they had had with Marina, she certainly had no intention of adding to the older woman’s worries.

Nevertheless, she really wasn’t prepared for the shock she received as she turned with a fatalistic sigh to greet Sophy and Patrick.

Adam Gardener strolled along at Patrick’s side, a warmly sensual smile lighting his face as his gaze met and held Eve’s stricken one.

What on earth was he doing here? Surely Sophy and Patrick hadn’t …

‘Sophy mentioned that they had a weekend guest of their own,’ her grandmother explained softly. ‘So I told them to bring him along too; I said we have plenty of room. Actually, I thought he might help even the numbers up,’ she confided ruefully. ‘I’m rather glad I did invite him now, he looks a very personable young man. At least Marina should be pleased!’

‘A very personable young man’ hardly described Adam Gardener in Eve’s opinion! And what could her grandmother mean about Marina being pleased he was here? Good lord, her grandmother didn’t really intend to partner Marina and Adam off for the weekend, did she? Adam had the ability to demolish the flirtatious Marina with a few cutting remarks!

But maybe he wouldn’t want to; after all, Marina was very beautiful. And her cousin was also completely available to return that attraction …

Unlike Eve, herself.

Why did these strange thoughts come into her mind whenever Adam Gardener was in the vicinity? She didn’t want to be available to return Adam Gardener’s attraction!

While she had stood by like someone suffering from shell-shock—as indeed,

she felt—Sophy had effected the introductions, Adam smiling with lazy charm as he greeted Eve’s grandmother.

‘But how incredible,’ her grandmother was saying dazedly. ‘Eve, dear, this gentleman’s name is——’