Lexie felt flustered at the mere idea of John’s wife coming to the house. It might not be the Cathy she knew, but chances were—the way Lexie’s luck was going—that she was.
John nodded. ‘But I didn’t think it was a good idea for her to come over today, in this weather. She’s expecting our first baby in three months’ time,’ he explained happily.
‘Congratulations! Maybe next time.’ Lexie managed togather herself enough to speak, knowing there wouldn’t be a ‘next time’ at Mulberry Hall for her. Not if she had any say in the matter. And she did.
Lucan gave her one last questioning glance through narrowed lids before he and John went out into the hallway.
Alerting Lexie to the fact that she hadn’t quite managed to hide the panic she’d felt when John had told her Cathy wanted to come over and say hello.
‘So what’s your problem with meeting Cathy Barton?’ Lucan prompted as soon as he rejoined Lexie in the kitchen once John had left.
‘Sorry?’ Lexie raised innocent brows as she turned from staring accusingly out of the window at the falling snow.
To Lucan’s sharp gaze Lexie’s expression looked a little too innocent to be true. ‘You seemed… unsettled earlier by the idea of meeting Cathy Barton.’
‘Don’t be silly, Lucan,’ she dismissed lightly. ‘If I appeared concerned then it was probably at the thought of a heavily pregnant woman even thinking of venturing outside in this weather.’
Except Lucan knew that John hadn’t mentioned that his wife was pregnant until
after
Lexie had responded so alarmingly to his statement that Cathy wanted to meet Lexie.
‘Your concern is admirable,’ he drawled dryly. ‘So you don’t have any objections to meeting her?’
‘I’ve just said that I don’t,’ Lexie answered slowly, warily, not at all happy with the challenge she sensed in Lucan’s attitude.
He nodded. ‘In that case there’s no problem with my having accepted the Bartons’ invitation for both of us to join them for dinner this evening.’
Lexie’s only outward show of emotion at that statementwas the curling of her hands into fists at her sides. Hands that clenched so tightly her nails were digging painfully into her palms.
Have dinner with the Bartons? With Cathy Barton—a woman Lexie was becoming more and more convinced was the Cathy Wilson she had known and been friends with all those years ago.
She swallowed hard. ‘Is it a good idea for us to go out in this weather?’
Lucan gave a rueful shrug. ‘I think we’re going to have to if we want to eat something other than toast.’ He gave a pointed glance at the empty plate in front of Lexie, with several toast crumbs still on its surface.
‘We still have Cathy’s casserole from last night,’ Lexie reminded him.
He grimaced. ‘I doubt that’s going to be very appetising when it’s already been warmed up once and left.’
Lexie was starting to feel more and more as if she were standing in quicksand rather than snow.
‘We could always go to the pub in the village, I suppose,’ Lucan continued lightly. ‘Although that might be a little insulting when I’ve already accepted John’s invitation.’ He quirked dark questioning brows.
‘Why don’t
you
go?’ Lexie encouraged, her voice brittle. ‘I’m not really hungry after eating toast, and I’m feeling a little tired, too, after my walk this morning. I’ll probably just read for a bit and then have an early night.’
‘An early night sounds good.’
It also, Lexie thought warily, sounded slightly threatening when Lucan said it in that sensually husky voice.
She looked at him searchingly, sure she saw a glint of laughter lurking in the darkness of his eyes before it was quickly masked. Could he possibly be playing withher? If he was, then he had chosen the wrong woman to play with!
‘You
have
to go to the Bartons, Lucan,’ she insisted. ‘It would look rude if neither of us showed up after you’ve accepted the
John nodded. ‘But I didn’t think it was a good idea for her to come over today, in this weather. She’s expecting our first baby in three months’ time,’ he explained happily.
‘Congratulations! Maybe next time.’ Lexie managed togather herself enough to speak, knowing there wouldn’t be a ‘next time’ at Mulberry Hall for her. Not if she had any say in the matter. And she did.
Lucan gave her one last questioning glance through narrowed lids before he and John went out into the hallway.
Alerting Lexie to the fact that she hadn’t quite managed to hide the panic she’d felt when John had told her Cathy wanted to come over and say hello.
‘So what’s your problem with meeting Cathy Barton?’ Lucan prompted as soon as he rejoined Lexie in the kitchen once John had left.
‘Sorry?’ Lexie raised innocent brows as she turned from staring accusingly out of the window at the falling snow.
To Lucan’s sharp gaze Lexie’s expression looked a little too innocent to be true. ‘You seemed… unsettled earlier by the idea of meeting Cathy Barton.’
‘Don’t be silly, Lucan,’ she dismissed lightly. ‘If I appeared concerned then it was probably at the thought of a heavily pregnant woman even thinking of venturing outside in this weather.’
Except Lucan knew that John hadn’t mentioned that his wife was pregnant until
after
Lexie had responded so alarmingly to his statement that Cathy wanted to meet Lexie.
‘Your concern is admirable,’ he drawled dryly. ‘So you don’t have any objections to meeting her?’
‘I’ve just said that I don’t,’ Lexie answered slowly, warily, not at all happy with the challenge she sensed in Lucan’s attitude.
He nodded. ‘In that case there’s no problem with my having accepted the Bartons’ invitation for both of us to join them for dinner this evening.’
Lexie’s only outward show of emotion at that statementwas the curling of her hands into fists at her sides. Hands that clenched so tightly her nails were digging painfully into her palms.
Have dinner with the Bartons? With Cathy Barton—a woman Lexie was becoming more and more convinced was the Cathy Wilson she had known and been friends with all those years ago.
She swallowed hard. ‘Is it a good idea for us to go out in this weather?’
Lucan gave a rueful shrug. ‘I think we’re going to have to if we want to eat something other than toast.’ He gave a pointed glance at the empty plate in front of Lexie, with several toast crumbs still on its surface.
‘We still have Cathy’s casserole from last night,’ Lexie reminded him.
He grimaced. ‘I doubt that’s going to be very appetising when it’s already been warmed up once and left.’
Lexie was starting to feel more and more as if she were standing in quicksand rather than snow.
‘We could always go to the pub in the village, I suppose,’ Lucan continued lightly. ‘Although that might be a little insulting when I’ve already accepted John’s invitation.’ He quirked dark questioning brows.
‘Why don’t
you
go?’ Lexie encouraged, her voice brittle. ‘I’m not really hungry after eating toast, and I’m feeling a little tired, too, after my walk this morning. I’ll probably just read for a bit and then have an early night.’
‘An early night sounds good.’
It also, Lexie thought warily, sounded slightly threatening when Lucan said it in that sensually husky voice.
She looked at him searchingly, sure she saw a glint of laughter lurking in the darkness of his eyes before it was quickly masked. Could he possibly be playing withher? If he was, then he had chosen the wrong woman to play with!
‘You
have
to go to the Bartons, Lucan,’ she insisted. ‘It would look rude if neither of us showed up after you’ve accepted the
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