‘He would turn into a donkey if he did.’ Anya cackled with laughter, clearly quite liking the idea.
‘Or a wiggly worm.’ Raina wiggled her finger and Anya nodded sagely. ‘Are you going to help me clear all this up?’
‘Yes. Make it all tidy.’ Anya liked tidying up even more than she liked making a mess. Her mother had told her that she was like Andrew in that, and that when he and Raina had been little, it had always been Raina who’d scattered her toys around and Andrew who’d put them neatly back in place. Anya’s idea of order wasn’t always entirely practical, but that was okay.
‘Shall we see if we can make a rainbow?’ Anya’s dresses were arranged in rainbow order in her wardrobe, and Raina’s mother had even made her a little orange dress to fill the gap.
‘Yes...’
‘All right, then. What comes first?’ Raina picked up the suit, wondering where grey might fit in. Somewhere in the corner, probably where it couldn’t be seen.
‘Red!’ Anya picked up a red blouse from the pile on the floor, brandishing it. Raina laughed, and suddenly the conference seemed less menacing.
* * *
DeMarco Pharmaceuticals’ conference centre was based in Sussex. The address suggested an ancient building, set in sleepy countryside, but nothing could be further from the truth. Gabriel’s father had offered his company’s state-of-the-art centre for The Watchlight Trust’s conference.
The building was mostly hidden from the road by trees, which fell away to reveal a structure that shimmered in the sunshine. Curved glass and steel seemed to rise organically from a large lake to one side. This would be tomorrow’s treasured landmark, a tribute to the twenty-first century.
The glass-sided reception area was triple height and flooded with light, the sound from a glass waterfall wall plashing quietly in the background. After the heat of the road it was cool and soothing, but Raina felt her cheeks redden when she saw Alistair.
He was dressed in a dark blue open-necked shirt and trousers. Just the right combination of crisp and casual. And mouthwateringly sexy. Maybe that part was just because Raina knew exactly what was beneath the shirt. How many times had she traced the ridges of his chest with her fingers?
‘You made it, then?’ He left Heidi talking to the receptionist, and approached Raina. ‘What do you think?’
‘It’s...stunning. Not exactly the kind of place you’d expect a charity to be using.’
Alistair chuckled. ‘Yes. We made it clear on the invitation that the place is lent to us free of charge by DeMarco Pharmaceuticals. I wouldn’t want anyone to think we have this kind of money to throw around. Let me give you the guided tour...’
‘Aren’t you busy?’ He could just show her to her room and let her explore for herself if he wanted. The kind of breath-catching awe that this place promised might be best to experience without the additional excitement of Alistair at her side.
‘No, Heidi’s making sure that everything goes smoothly, as usual. Gabriel’s on his way down with the Dream Team and I’m at a loose end until the delegates start to arrive in a couple of hours.’
Alistair bent to pick up her case, the twitch at the corner of his mouth indicating that he’d noticed its size and weight. ‘Maybe we’ll drop this off first.’
‘Yes. I...um...wasn’t sure what to wear so I ended up packing for every eventuality.’ Every eventuality apart from this. She hadn’t brought a blindfold, which was about the only thing that could stop her from noticing him. Or a peg for her nose, so that his clean scent couldn’t pleasure her senses.
‘Evidently.’ He strolled over to the reception desk and Heidi handed him a key. It seemed that Alistair was intent on playing porter, and she followed him through to the back of the reception area and into a glass-sided corridor.
She could now see that the building was crescent shaped, curved around a seating area with gardens and flowing water. The slate paving stones were broken up by twisting lines of thick glass, and when Raina looked carefully she could see running water beneath. The overall effect was one of peace and calm, as the man-made structure embraced the natural world outside.
The guest rooms were on the far side of the building, at the tips of the crescent. Cool and calm, with pale wood furniture and large windows, shaded by trees for privacy. Alistair placed her suitcase next to the bed, and gave her the key.
‘I hope you’ll be comfortable.’
Physical comfort was hardly in doubt. When she sat down on the cream quilted counterpane, the large bed was just the right mixture of springy and soft. And Raina imagined that the sunlight filtering through the trees in the morning would make this a lovely room to wake up in. If she tossed and turned at night, that would be a matter of mental discomfort.
And the best way to get over that was to face the situation head on. Inure herself to Alistair and their surroundings. Wear herself out so that she couldn’t help sleeping tonight.
‘I’m sure I shall. Does your offer to show me around still stand?’ She gave him a bright smile.
‘Yes, of course.’
* * *
Alistair had always liked this place. It did exactly what it was meant to do, helping delegates relax and focus. Right now he felt anything but relaxed, and completely focussed on Raina.
Beautiful wasn’t exactly the word. It intimated a calculation that had never entered Raina’s head. She was a force of nature, drawn to colour and texture because that was what she loved, without any notion of looking good in it. But she did. Her pale linen jacket, blue trousers and patterned top would have been a nice outfit on their own. Combined with Raina’s dark hair, her long legs and the graceful way that she moved, the effect was nothing short of stunning.