your mind.'
'I wasn't intending to conjure up action replays of our fights, I'm not a masochist.'
'Lisa, this is the beginning of a new life for you and your daughter. That's all I'm trying to say. Toby doesn't belong in it any more.'
She nodded. He was right. Whatever lay ahead of her now it was quite obvious that Toby Walker wouldn't be a part of it, and for that she was extremely grateful. So grateful that she pushed the other worry, the worry over exactly what Neal would want from her in the future, to the back of her mind. He was a friend of Simon's and she had to stop thinking the worst of everyone.
If he wanted to help her, he could obviously afford it. For the moment, Jessica was her priority. With Neal's help she could spend as much time with Jessica as she liked, without any financial worries at all. It was an offer anyone in her position would find very hard to refuse. And so, holding her baby daughter in her arms, she climbed out of the sleek silver Rolls-Royce and up the two steps into the entrance hall of her new home, leaving Toby Walker behind her.
Not, however, forever.
Chapter Seven
The new house was beautiful. The ground floor consisted of a large living-room with open plan stairs, plus a small kitchen where Lisa could eat but not entertain, while on the first floor there was a vast room with a door concealing two steps up into a tiny room in the roof where Jessica would eventually sleep.
It was carpeted throughout in cream wool with tiny flecks of beige. The beige had then been picked out as the base for all curtaining while the walls were a restful shade of leaf-green, with the exception of the kitchen which was wood-paneled, matching the wood of the folding table and two chairs in the furthest corner of the room.
Despite being small, the kitchen contained everything Lisa could possibly want, from a six-place-setting dishwasher to a microwave oven, which would make preparing Jessica's meals blissfully easy when that time came. A small fridge-freezer just fitted in by the sink, which was complete with waste disposal unit. The rest of the room had fitted cupboards and oven plus a small hob.
For the first few days she didn't really appreciate just how convenient and tasteful the house was because she spent nearly every moment of her time looking after Jessica, but as the baby settled into a reasonable sleep pattern she gradually took more notice of her surroundings.
She was both surprised and a little disappointed when Neal didn't come to see her within the first week. However, he sent a car round each day with some small gift, either for her or Jessica, plus the standard instruction for her to tell the chauffeur if there was anything she needed.
The chauffeurs varied. Most of them were young, unsmiling but highly respectful. The only trouble was they didn't ever want to talk. The exception to this was a cheerful, open-faced young man called Mike. He always had a smile for Lisa, and often consented to a cup of coffee in the kitchen where he would listen to her talking and admire the baby as though there was nothing else in the world he'd rather be doing.
After a week she asked Mike why Neal wasn't coming to see her himself. He stirred the sugar in his cup for an extra long time before giving a wry grin. 'Why do you think?' he queried.
'Is he busy at work?'
'He's always busy at work! Guess again.'
'He's waiting until I'm looking more presentable?' 'Don't fish for compliments! Talking of fishing… ' 'Yes?'
'If you want my honest opinion, he's playing a fisherman's game with you.'
'What on earth's a fisherman's game?'
'He's set out the bait, now he's waiting until he thinks it's been taken.'
She leant against one of the worktops and stared at Mike, unaware of how beautiful she was looking after the peace of the past few weeks and the joy of Jessica. 'You mean this house is bait?'
'That's only my opinion. Mind you, it's expensive bait; hardly your common or garden earth worm!'
'In that case
'I wasn't intending to conjure up action replays of our fights, I'm not a masochist.'
'Lisa, this is the beginning of a new life for you and your daughter. That's all I'm trying to say. Toby doesn't belong in it any more.'
She nodded. He was right. Whatever lay ahead of her now it was quite obvious that Toby Walker wouldn't be a part of it, and for that she was extremely grateful. So grateful that she pushed the other worry, the worry over exactly what Neal would want from her in the future, to the back of her mind. He was a friend of Simon's and she had to stop thinking the worst of everyone.
If he wanted to help her, he could obviously afford it. For the moment, Jessica was her priority. With Neal's help she could spend as much time with Jessica as she liked, without any financial worries at all. It was an offer anyone in her position would find very hard to refuse. And so, holding her baby daughter in her arms, she climbed out of the sleek silver Rolls-Royce and up the two steps into the entrance hall of her new home, leaving Toby Walker behind her.
Not, however, forever.
Chapter Seven
The new house was beautiful. The ground floor consisted of a large living-room with open plan stairs, plus a small kitchen where Lisa could eat but not entertain, while on the first floor there was a vast room with a door concealing two steps up into a tiny room in the roof where Jessica would eventually sleep.
It was carpeted throughout in cream wool with tiny flecks of beige. The beige had then been picked out as the base for all curtaining while the walls were a restful shade of leaf-green, with the exception of the kitchen which was wood-paneled, matching the wood of the folding table and two chairs in the furthest corner of the room.
Despite being small, the kitchen contained everything Lisa could possibly want, from a six-place-setting dishwasher to a microwave oven, which would make preparing Jessica's meals blissfully easy when that time came. A small fridge-freezer just fitted in by the sink, which was complete with waste disposal unit. The rest of the room had fitted cupboards and oven plus a small hob.
For the first few days she didn't really appreciate just how convenient and tasteful the house was because she spent nearly every moment of her time looking after Jessica, but as the baby settled into a reasonable sleep pattern she gradually took more notice of her surroundings.
She was both surprised and a little disappointed when Neal didn't come to see her within the first week. However, he sent a car round each day with some small gift, either for her or Jessica, plus the standard instruction for her to tell the chauffeur if there was anything she needed.
The chauffeurs varied. Most of them were young, unsmiling but highly respectful. The only trouble was they didn't ever want to talk. The exception to this was a cheerful, open-faced young man called Mike. He always had a smile for Lisa, and often consented to a cup of coffee in the kitchen where he would listen to her talking and admire the baby as though there was nothing else in the world he'd rather be doing.
After a week she asked Mike why Neal wasn't coming to see her himself. He stirred the sugar in his cup for an extra long time before giving a wry grin. 'Why do you think?' he queried.
'Is he busy at work?'
'He's always busy at work! Guess again.'
'He's waiting until I'm looking more presentable?' 'Don't fish for compliments! Talking of fishing… ' 'Yes?'
'If you want my honest opinion, he's playing a fisherman's game with you.'
'What on earth's a fisherman's game?'
'He's set out the bait, now he's waiting until he thinks it's been taken.'
She leant against one of the worktops and stared at Mike, unaware of how beautiful she was looking after the peace of the past few weeks and the joy of Jessica. 'You mean this house is bait?'
'That's only my opinion. Mind you, it's expensive bait; hardly your common or garden earth worm!'
'In that case
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