are you doing here?’ Louis walked over and stood there, giving Cass a hard stare which wasn’t friendly. He got a cold, narrow-eyed look in return.
‘How are you?’ Sian asked, her presence of mind deserting her at this unexpected meeting. Their last meeting had been so violent; each had said things that had hurt and were best forgotten, and Sian hadn’t quite got over either their affair or the abrupt ending of it. She wasn’t still in love with Louis; she never had been deeply in love, but she had cared about him, and his angry accusations had been disturbing. He had demanded that she choose him or her job—and in asking that he had focused her attention on a painful truth. She had had to realise that her career and her love-life were in opposition, and might always be incompatible unless she found some very special man who could take the sort of life she led, the sort of woman she was, and that it wouldn’t be Louis; it might never be anyone.
That hadn’t been a very happy realisation, and she was flushed and upset by seeing Louis again.
‘I’m fine,’ he said oddly. ‘I can see you are.’
There was a sting to that, and he underlined it by giving Cass another cold look. Sian realised then that Louis must have read the morning papers, too, and he probably believed what he had read. He thought she had started an affair with Cass, and seeing them here tonight made it certain. Louis might have chucked her over, but he resented the fact that she had got over him so soon and found another man, especially one as wealthy as William Cassidy.
Louis would have sulked over any man she was with, even though she didn’t belong to him any more. He had always been a possessive man, as well as a selfish one.
‘It was odd, because he was very good-looking and had a lot of charm. You wouldn’t think he needed to be possessive; women had always liked Louis, and a lot of girls had let Sian see they envied her when she’d gone out with him.
‘How’s the job?’ he asked with a faint sneer, looking at Cass again. Did he expect Cass to resent her career the way he did? Or was he hinting that she was using Cass to further her career?
‘Terrific,’ she said coolly, aware of Cass watching them both, his grey eyes frozen but observant. He hadn’t said a word, and she hadn’t tried to introduce Louis. She didn’t think Cass wanted to meet him.
‘We ought to get together again soon,’ Louis said, unbelievably, and she just looked at him, her green eyes wide with derision. Why had he said that?
‘I’ll give you a buzz,’ he said. ‘See you.’
She stared after him, still baffled, then the waiter came to take her plate away and looked reproachfully at her uneaten food.
‘Sorry, I’m not as hungry as I thought,’ she apologised, and he removed her plate with an offended smile.
‘So, who was that?’ Cass asked while they waited for their next course. ‘A fellow scribe?’
‘Sorry, I’d have introduced you if I thought you wanted to meet him,’ she lied, and was given a dry, disbelieving look.
‘What made you think I didn’t want to?’
She made flustered noises. ‘Well… I…’
‘I got the idea he was more than just a colleague, though,’ said Cass, and her eyes slid away, her skin burnt.
‘I can’t think why you should…’
‘I thought he was jealous,’ Cass coolly continued over her stammering.
‘Jealous?’ she laughed, a little wildly and unconvincingly. ‘Good heavens, no! Jealous of what?’
‘Of me,’ said Cass, and she laughed some more.
‘Of you? Of course not.’
‘He certainly didn’t like finding us together,’ he said, watching her closely.
Sian shot him a look, then away. ‘I haven’t seen him for ages,’ she volunteered in the hope of stopping the discussion there. A hope misplaced.
‘Why not?’ enquired Cass, and she opened her mouth and closed it again, daunted by the prospect of explaining.
‘Oh, you know the way it goes,’ she offered.
‘No,
‘How are you?’ Sian asked, her presence of mind deserting her at this unexpected meeting. Their last meeting had been so violent; each had said things that had hurt and were best forgotten, and Sian hadn’t quite got over either their affair or the abrupt ending of it. She wasn’t still in love with Louis; she never had been deeply in love, but she had cared about him, and his angry accusations had been disturbing. He had demanded that she choose him or her job—and in asking that he had focused her attention on a painful truth. She had had to realise that her career and her love-life were in opposition, and might always be incompatible unless she found some very special man who could take the sort of life she led, the sort of woman she was, and that it wouldn’t be Louis; it might never be anyone.
That hadn’t been a very happy realisation, and she was flushed and upset by seeing Louis again.
‘I’m fine,’ he said oddly. ‘I can see you are.’
There was a sting to that, and he underlined it by giving Cass another cold look. Sian realised then that Louis must have read the morning papers, too, and he probably believed what he had read. He thought she had started an affair with Cass, and seeing them here tonight made it certain. Louis might have chucked her over, but he resented the fact that she had got over him so soon and found another man, especially one as wealthy as William Cassidy.
Louis would have sulked over any man she was with, even though she didn’t belong to him any more. He had always been a possessive man, as well as a selfish one.
‘It was odd, because he was very good-looking and had a lot of charm. You wouldn’t think he needed to be possessive; women had always liked Louis, and a lot of girls had let Sian see they envied her when she’d gone out with him.
‘How’s the job?’ he asked with a faint sneer, looking at Cass again. Did he expect Cass to resent her career the way he did? Or was he hinting that she was using Cass to further her career?
‘Terrific,’ she said coolly, aware of Cass watching them both, his grey eyes frozen but observant. He hadn’t said a word, and she hadn’t tried to introduce Louis. She didn’t think Cass wanted to meet him.
‘We ought to get together again soon,’ Louis said, unbelievably, and she just looked at him, her green eyes wide with derision. Why had he said that?
‘I’ll give you a buzz,’ he said. ‘See you.’
She stared after him, still baffled, then the waiter came to take her plate away and looked reproachfully at her uneaten food.
‘Sorry, I’m not as hungry as I thought,’ she apologised, and he removed her plate with an offended smile.
‘So, who was that?’ Cass asked while they waited for their next course. ‘A fellow scribe?’
‘Sorry, I’d have introduced you if I thought you wanted to meet him,’ she lied, and was given a dry, disbelieving look.
‘What made you think I didn’t want to?’
She made flustered noises. ‘Well… I…’
‘I got the idea he was more than just a colleague, though,’ said Cass, and her eyes slid away, her skin burnt.
‘I can’t think why you should…’
‘I thought he was jealous,’ Cass coolly continued over her stammering.
‘Jealous?’ she laughed, a little wildly and unconvincingly. ‘Good heavens, no! Jealous of what?’
‘Of me,’ said Cass, and she laughed some more.
‘Of you? Of course not.’
‘He certainly didn’t like finding us together,’ he said, watching her closely.
Sian shot him a look, then away. ‘I haven’t seen him for ages,’ she volunteered in the hope of stopping the discussion there. A hope misplaced.
‘Why not?’ enquired Cass, and she opened her mouth and closed it again, daunted by the prospect of explaining.
‘Oh, you know the way it goes,’ she offered.
‘No,
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