not sure,
madame.
She had breakfast with Madame Ryder an hour ago, but I think Monsieur Ryder’s taken her out with him.’
Without consulting her, or bringing Daisy up here to see her mother first? Sienna thought, stunned, wondering what could possibly have prompted such an action on Conan’s part when he seemed to have had very little time for his niece since she had been there. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help feeling that her role as guardian was being undermined.
‘Oh …’ she uttered, and hoped she didn’t sound as hurt or put out as she felt.
‘Is there anything else I can get you,
madame?
’ Claudette asked helpfully as she finished rearranging things on the tray.
‘No. Thank you,’ Sienna said, embarrassed by what the woman must be thinking about finding Monsieur Ryder’s sick young guest in Monsieur Ryder’s bed. ‘Oh—yes. Claudette …!’
The little maid was already on her way out.
‘Do you think you could bring me some clothes?’ She felt sticky and sweaty and she was longing for a shower. But she had no intention of risking anyone else in the house seeing her emerge from Monsieur Ryder’s bedroom wearing only Monsieur Ryder’s shirt!
‘Oui, madame.’
The woman was back in minutes with fresh underwear, a casual check shirt and jeans, which she placed tidily over the wooden arm of a richly upholstered gold brocade chair.
‘Shoes, too,’ she said, placing them beside the bed, where Sienna was sitting with the sheet still pulled up around her, in a rather futile bid to conceal her betraying appearance.
Claudette was looking pleased with herself, as if she did this sort of thing all the time.
Which perhaps she did, Sienna thought suddenly, biting into one of the warm, moist croissants, wondering why the thought of Conan entertaining other women like this should bother her in quite the way it did. Women like Petra Flax.
‘Claudette …’ Wiping crumbs from the corner of her mouth, Sienna tried to imagine what reason Conan might have given his employee for Sienna being in his bed. In case he hadn’t said anything, she felt she needed to put the record straight.
Now, though, as the woman waited for her to continue, Sienna merely shrugged. It was too complicated to try and explain.
After the maid had gone, she ravenously ate two of the croissants, finished her juice and a cup of coffee, and then, as Conan was clearly not around, took advantage of the facilities of his bathroom.
It was of a similar design to hers, though the long luxurious bath and the rest of the gleaming white suite was enhanced by a colour scheme of sage and dark green marble.
The sensuously appointed double shower was something she tried not to think about too much as she luxuriated in the steaming water from its powerful jets, while soaping her hair and her body with his citrus-fragranced shower gel.
Claudette hadn’t thought to bring her a robe, so she grabbed Conan’s when she’d finished, finding it hanging behind the door—a thick, white towelling garment that seemed to swamp her in its folds, and carried the disturbing and far too evocative scent of his body.
She was aching to see Daisy, though, and made short work of towelling her hair, needing to get downstairs and quiz her mother-in-law over where Conan had gone—and where he had taken his niece without
her
permission.
Standing in front of the mirrored wardrobe, teasing her hair into some semblance of order, she was trying to decide what she was going to say to him about it, particularly after he had rescued her from what would have been a very uncomfortable night, when the bedroom door suddenly creaked open just a crack—and then enough to allow a little grinning figure to scamper in.
‘Daisy!’
Sienna’s heart lurched as she swept her daughter up intoher arms. ‘Oh, goodness! I’ve missed you!’ She was hugging and kissing her as though she hadn’t seen her daughter for months, breathing in her infant scent, revelling in the feel
madame.
She had breakfast with Madame Ryder an hour ago, but I think Monsieur Ryder’s taken her out with him.’
Without consulting her, or bringing Daisy up here to see her mother first? Sienna thought, stunned, wondering what could possibly have prompted such an action on Conan’s part when he seemed to have had very little time for his niece since she had been there. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help feeling that her role as guardian was being undermined.
‘Oh …’ she uttered, and hoped she didn’t sound as hurt or put out as she felt.
‘Is there anything else I can get you,
madame?
’ Claudette asked helpfully as she finished rearranging things on the tray.
‘No. Thank you,’ Sienna said, embarrassed by what the woman must be thinking about finding Monsieur Ryder’s sick young guest in Monsieur Ryder’s bed. ‘Oh—yes. Claudette …!’
The little maid was already on her way out.
‘Do you think you could bring me some clothes?’ She felt sticky and sweaty and she was longing for a shower. But she had no intention of risking anyone else in the house seeing her emerge from Monsieur Ryder’s bedroom wearing only Monsieur Ryder’s shirt!
‘Oui, madame.’
The woman was back in minutes with fresh underwear, a casual check shirt and jeans, which she placed tidily over the wooden arm of a richly upholstered gold brocade chair.
‘Shoes, too,’ she said, placing them beside the bed, where Sienna was sitting with the sheet still pulled up around her, in a rather futile bid to conceal her betraying appearance.
Claudette was looking pleased with herself, as if she did this sort of thing all the time.
Which perhaps she did, Sienna thought suddenly, biting into one of the warm, moist croissants, wondering why the thought of Conan entertaining other women like this should bother her in quite the way it did. Women like Petra Flax.
‘Claudette …’ Wiping crumbs from the corner of her mouth, Sienna tried to imagine what reason Conan might have given his employee for Sienna being in his bed. In case he hadn’t said anything, she felt she needed to put the record straight.
Now, though, as the woman waited for her to continue, Sienna merely shrugged. It was too complicated to try and explain.
After the maid had gone, she ravenously ate two of the croissants, finished her juice and a cup of coffee, and then, as Conan was clearly not around, took advantage of the facilities of his bathroom.
It was of a similar design to hers, though the long luxurious bath and the rest of the gleaming white suite was enhanced by a colour scheme of sage and dark green marble.
The sensuously appointed double shower was something she tried not to think about too much as she luxuriated in the steaming water from its powerful jets, while soaping her hair and her body with his citrus-fragranced shower gel.
Claudette hadn’t thought to bring her a robe, so she grabbed Conan’s when she’d finished, finding it hanging behind the door—a thick, white towelling garment that seemed to swamp her in its folds, and carried the disturbing and far too evocative scent of his body.
She was aching to see Daisy, though, and made short work of towelling her hair, needing to get downstairs and quiz her mother-in-law over where Conan had gone—and where he had taken his niece without
her
permission.
Standing in front of the mirrored wardrobe, teasing her hair into some semblance of order, she was trying to decide what she was going to say to him about it, particularly after he had rescued her from what would have been a very uncomfortable night, when the bedroom door suddenly creaked open just a crack—and then enough to allow a little grinning figure to scamper in.
‘Daisy!’
Sienna’s heart lurched as she swept her daughter up intoher arms. ‘Oh, goodness! I’ve missed you!’ She was hugging and kissing her as though she hadn’t seen her daughter for months, breathing in her infant scent, revelling in the feel
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