A Wicked Persuasion by Catherine George Page B

the sight of James leaning against his car, scowling in disapproval as she chugged past him.
    ‘Can’t stop,’ she yelled. ‘Must put this away.’
    In an agony of frustration at the machine’s slow speed, and horribly aware of his eyes on her sweat-soaked back as he stalked after her, Harriet negotiated the tricky slope with care. When the machine was finally stowed in the vast garage she switched off, slid from the seat and wrenched off her gloves as James cornered her.
    ‘Why in God’s name are you slaving away in heat like this?’ he said harshly. ‘Can’t this gardener of yours mow the lawn?’
    She took a wad of tissues from her pocket and mopped her face. ‘Of course he can, but I do it sometimes to leave him free to do the other stuff. Are you here for the weekend?’ she added politely.
    ‘Why have you cancelled tomorrow?’ he demanded, ignoring her. ‘Were you afraid of running into me again?’
    ‘Of course not,’ she said irritably. ‘Look, I can’t hang about. I need a shower.’
    ‘I’ll wait while you clean up,’ he said flatly. ‘Trying to get in touch with you by phone is so damned frustrating Iopted for the personal touch today when Moira said you’d cancelled. Come clean, Miss Wilde. Is there really a family crisis? Or can’t you face making polite conversation with me over the roast?’
    Harriet marched down the drive to the Lodge beside him, furious because he’d surprised her when she was dirty and sweaty, and probably didn’t smell too wonderful at close quarters. ‘Do you want to come in?’ she said ungraciously, and kicked off her shoes in the porch.
    ‘I said I’d wait,’ he reminded her. ‘But if you’d rather I didn’t come in I can sit in the car.’
    ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ She went ahead of him into the house and ran upstairs at breakneck speed.
    When Harriet eventually went down to the sitting room her uninvited guest was stretched out on the sofa watching cricket on her television. James got to his feet as she joined him.
    ‘I hope you don’t mind. It was the last few overs of the day.’
    ‘Not at all.’
    ‘Do you feel better now, Harriet?’
    She nodded.
    His eyes narrowed as he took in her yellow cotton dress. ‘You had a dress like that years ago.’
    She’d worn it the first time they went out together. ‘Really? I don’t remember.’
    ‘Don’t you?’ James met her eyes in a challenge Harriet chose to ignore.
    ‘I’m thirsty, I need a drink. Would you like one? No beer or wine, but I can give you mineral water, orange juice, tea, coffee …’
    ‘Anything—’ he broke in ‘—whatever’s easiest.’
    When Harriet got back with two glasses of mineral water James was standing at the window, frowning. ‘All thosetrees and flowers out there in the gardens, yet all you can see from here is a strip of lawn and a high laurel hedge.’
    ‘I get a good view of the gardens from my bedroom,’ she said defensively, and handed him a glass.
    He turned a hostile look on her. ‘I wouldn’t know. Bedrooms never featured in our relationship. And you never let me come back here again after the first day I came to mend your computer.’ His deep voice grew harsh. ‘Like a fool I allowed you to treat me like a dirty secret all that summer because I thought everything would be different once we had a place together. But it never happened.’
    ‘No,’ she agreed stonily. ‘It didn’t.’
    ‘And why the hell can’t you afford a bottle of wine?’ James demanded irritably. ‘You must earn good money, and you live here rent free—’
    ‘Actually, I don’t. I pay rent to my father. And this place is too small to entertain, so keeping wine or whatever for guests isn’t necessary—’ She broke off as her phone rang, and excused herself to answer Sophie.
    ‘Hi.’
    ‘Thank goodness I’ve caught you. Harriet, be a darling. Please put off your date, or whatever, and come this evening. Annabel is so looking forward to seeing you, and it would