Page 47 (2/2)

'I'irls, that's the point,' Cass said 'But none of the I had brief relationships, the girls were nice and usually pretty, but soain or not, and the house seeht I would wake up sometimes and listen to the silence and feel so lonely Then Annette started ith me, and she was such a link with my father, with life the way it had been before Dad died and the fa up At first I just felt comfortable with her I took her out to dinner if she worked late with me—I'd never have asked any of my other secretaries out because I'd have been afraid they would get ideas and that would ruin our working relationship But I didn't feel I had to worry about Annette; she was like another sister So I saw a lot of her and it was fun spoiling her, giving her presents, taking her to expensive places just to see her face She was still half a child in so what he had done I didn't set out to; it was instinctive, I wasn't really ahat I was doing'

'You were falling in love with her,' Sian said huskily, sing on the jab of pain she felt

'No,' he said, and she looked up then, eyes wide, angry

'Noho's lying? Of course you must have been'

He shook his head 'I never thought I was in love with her I knehat I felt, what in a way I still feel—affection, nostalgia, a desire to look after someone rather helpless She was still more of a sister than a lover, and when I knew her father had a bad heart I decided that e would be an answer for both of us I wouldn't coht after Malcolm married—and Annette wouldn't be left alone in the world when her father died I'd no idea, you see, that there was another ht she was lonely, too I had got to the age when you don't believe you'll ever feel anything world-shattering I'd never met that one woman and I didn't think I ever would But I was very fond of Annette, and we had our lives in common; we'd always known each other on that casual, day-to-day basis, and it seee turned into once the honeye most married couples reach after a while; we had e, and I didn't think that mattered'

Sian considered hihter 'You're crazy, do you know that?'

He slid along the seat and his hand touched her cheek 'I know that I learnt it froh you're crazy too'

She was so happy, she felt she was floating, and to tether herself down she caught hold of his hand and pulled it down frohtly

'I must be crazy to listen to this'

'You're world-shattering!' Cass said, so close now that hiswarm on her skin

'Stop that I don't know if I want to get involved with a lunatic'

'A lover and a poet,' he murmured, his voice husky with aht I'd sink to the level of writing poetry, of course, but for you I ht even do that'

'I'd insist on it,' Sian said, putting a hand up to push away his head It obstinately stayed where it was, his face buried in her throat, and she absently found herself stroking his thick, dark hair 'If I were stupid enough to consider getting involved with you, that is, which of course, I'm not'

'Aren't you, darling?' His ent on her neck; the words came out thickly, barely audible except to so he did and said

'If you weren't in love with Annette, ere you so violent when she ran away fro what he was doing, but deteret the whole truth