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‘Oh, it’s not that,’ she assured him ‘But actually I had intended to work over Christet the house finished as quickly as possible because they want to open it to the public next summer These houses are so expensive to run that every penny of revenue is needed’

‘Uenerous in that respect, from what I hear Of course he’s virtually a millionaire, so I daresay he won’tfirms from his father, and has since added to them, and then old h you’d never have known it “Close”, we call it up here’

Chelsea wasn’t surprised to learn the extent of Slade’s wealth It showed in the panache hich he reacted to life; the cool arrogance overlaid with a superficial charrit of the personality beneath Experience told her that no man was as financially successful as that without the qualities of strength and determination—and the ability to be ruthless when necessary The knowledge did little to lessen her conviction that she had erous adversary, but she coht that there was little he could accomplish in the short time before now and Christmas, and by the time he returned she hoped her task would be co a careful ca her voluntarily into his arms, but what he didn’t knoas that her reaction to hiht was never likely to be repeated and that there was no force on earth that would bring her willingly into such close physical proxiain

‘Here we are’ Tom parked the car deftly in front of the se It belonged to the local doctor and his wife, ere apparently close friends of his ‘Val and I were at school together,’ he explained as he helped Chelsea out of the Range Rover ‘You could have knocked me doith a feather when she married Guy He’d been in private practice in London,’ he told Chelsea ‘His first as killed in a car accident and heto be a doctor herself now, but she’s at home at the moment’

As Chelsea had expected from Tom’s brief coer than her husband, a tall fair-haired man with shrewd eyes and a wry smile Valerie in direct contrast was s personality and a friendliness that put Chelsea at her ease immediately

‘No wonder Torinned as she took Chelsea’s coat ‘He’s a canny lad, is our Too and check on the kitchen, will you?’ she appealed to her husband ‘You’d never believe that I once coped quite efficiently running rimaced to Chelsea, ‘but soo I seerip’

‘Take no notice of her,’ a new voice chi herself down And before you ask,half-brothers are both fast asleep’

‘Thanks, Sandy, you’re an angel!’

There couldn’t have been es of the tomen, but Chelsea sensed that Valerie and Sandy had an excellent relationship, which see when one reflected that Sandy er when Valerie married her father

Her own offer of help in the kitchen was firmly refused, and while Tom and their host talked about the probability of snow before Christ at Darkwater House

‘I love the Borders,’ the younger girl told her ‘Which is quite strange really, when you think that until we moved up here I’d never been north of Watford My mother adored London’ Her eyes restedup here was certainly the best thing for my father It’sto go into practice with him when I qualify Is it serious between you and Tom?’

The abrupt change of front surprised Chelsea

‘We barely know one another,’ she told her ‘I’ve only known him a feeeks’

‘Sometimes it only takes minutes to feel you’ve known someone all you life’

The door bell rang, and Sandy excused herself to answer it Chelsea heard the door open and then sounds of laughter in the hall

A frisson of awareness ran over her, her heart dropping as the door opened and Sandy returned, accompanied by Slade Ashford

Valerie e with pleasure as she accepted his kiss