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'If you're going to insult e I don't understand Taued Deverenko'

David wasn't about to let her consolidate her victory 'But I was right about the rest, wasn't I? I can talk until I'e an inch I wouldn't put it past you to keep Tim buried down here just to spite me,' he said sullenly

'You're not so important in my life that I would bother,' said Clare loftily, but she couldn't resist dipping a flae she had just h as it happens I've decided that the school ht be best for Tim, after all'

'What?'

Clare was unnerved by the brightness of the conflagration she had caused, and hurriedly backed off 'I said ht I'd have to know a lot more about it first…before I made my final decision…'

CHAPTER EIGHT

Clare sipped her glass of wine and sher ear off for the past half-hour It was tough appearing fascinated when she was in danger of dropping off to sleep, but it was a ratitude that she conceal her boredo curiosity of all those who had seen her arrive at the elegant soiree on David Deverenko's aruest list was a who's who ofman, an accountant, was the only other person Clare had met who shared her tenuous connection with the irlfriend of teeks was a cello player with the NZSO The rescue, Clare sensed, was mutual… two philistines adrift in a sea of culture

To give the devil his due, David had stayed by her side for the first hour, introducing her to all and sundry, but Clare was at her worst in large crowds of strangers Although she knew she was looking her best in the hurriedly bought black dress, she feared that she had come across as the archetypal dumb blonde with hardly a word to say as the informed discussions about music and musicians ebbed and flowed around her It would have eased her tongue-tied shyness if she had known that, far frorapevine had already labelled her an intriguing uest of honour that she could afford to be laid back

Clare nodded vaguely at so out David's dark head She found hi women As if she had touched hiroups of people between the stare She felt a renewed stirring of resentment What did he have to be annoyed about? She was the one who had had this sprung on her at the last moment She was the one who had had to put up with his i their brief trip to Auckland Defiantly she raised her glass to hi -winded story

Clare had expected David to be all char her in favour of his school, not infuriating her to the point that she wished never to see hiain Well, almost to the point

He had certainly been quick enough to capitalise on her surprising change of mind about the Music School No one could accuse David of procrastinating Hardly were the words out of Clare's anised this weekend It was impossible just to describe his school, it seemed; one had to see it in action And this weekend was the perfect time Usually most of the children went home at weekends, at least the ones whose homes ithin reasonable distance, but a series of special weekend concerts by the pupils had been organised to coincide with the Auckland Arts festival Clare's own feeble attempts at procrastination—how could she leave Tim when the doctor had pronounced a bad cold? How could David leave Tamara when she was still wrapped in furious, silent hostility towards both of them?—were summarily dismissed Miles was back He would do her job for her and keep an eye on Tim and Taain Clare had been literally swept off her feet, and in no ti out theof the helicopter's luxurious passenger cabin at a very stiff-upper-lipped Tim as he stood in the curve of Miles's arm He hadn't said much when she'd told him about the purpose of her trip, but she could see that he was both excited and disturbed by the possibilities He was too intelligent not to realise that there was a price attached to the drearaphy had dealt in detail on the Music School, and Tim knew that residence was one of the rules Hoould he react if possibility became reality? Clare didn't know, and neither did Ti that bothered him Tim was usually quick tohe subscribed to, particularly when it involved anything to do with his musical obsession

Clare had to s a luures recede in a swirl of cross-winds from the rotor blades

'He'll be all right Miles will keep hiet in touch with you,' David had told her abruptly, reading her thoughts He had been strangely curt all through breakfast Perhaps he orried about his daughter, who had predictably been absent from the farewell

'Did you talk to Tamara?'

He shook his head broodingly The girl had been avoiding everyone since the confrontation in Clare's suite two nights before 'I talked at her I don't know if she took any of it in She didn't even ask if she