Trust in Me (12 page)

“If you’re worried you should forbid her to see him. Three years is a big difference at her age. Theo might be gorgeous, but be honest, what does he know about teenage romances?”

“More than us obviously, because he’s right. However much I don’t like the situation, I’m going to have to sit tight and hope it fizzles out.”

“There must be some way you can put a stop to it.”

“Not that I can think of.” Rosie sighed. “And it could be worse – she could have taken up with someone who rode a motorbike and I’d have to worry in case she rode on the back of it.”

“I suppose so. I don’t like it, though.” Julia sighed heavily and then tucked into her cake.

Rosie frowned. She couldn’t help but wonder why Julia took such a great interest in the way Rosie raised Evie. Whatever the problem or decision, Julia was always forceful in her opinions. Rosie supposed it was the kind of advice close friends offered and she was grateful for the support so she really shouldn’t be questioning Julia’s motives. Best to change the subject. “This frosting is heavenly it’s like eating a soft, fluffy, sweet cloud.”

“Thank you – it’s cream cheese. I don’t think we’re ever going to agree about Theo,” Julia admitted. “You’ve proved you can manage without a man – but just because you can doesn’t mean you have to.”

Rosie bit back a smile. Since Julia had married Bob and become step-mother to Louise, she’d been preaching the joys of marriage and family life to anyone who’d listen. “Not everyone is as happily married as you and Bob, you know. Besides, Theo said I should relax and have fun. He didn’t suggest that fun should be with him. And he certainly didn’t suggest he’d be happy to help me manage without a man.”

“Of course he meant for you to have fun with him. And you never know, a bit of fun can lead to something serious once in a while. Besides, you can’t let the lifestyle your father chose to jeopardise your future happiness.”

“This has nothing to do with Dad. I’m doing just fine on my own.”

“One of these days I hope you fall in love and you won’t know what’s hit you.”

Rosie shook her head. “Never going to happen. Now, can we change the subject?”

Julia shook her head, obviously pitying Rosie’s single status. “How are plans going for the move?”

Rosie grimaced. She still wasn’t happy at having to move into Farnham House, but Theo still wouldn’t entertain the alternative of them staying at the manor. “Theo’s arranged for an army of people to redecorate the place. They should be done by the end of next week.”

“It’s amazing what money can do,” Julia commented wistfully. “Bob and I have been trying to get someone to come in and decorate our living room for months.”

“I was kind of hoping it would take ages to sort the house out. I’m not keen on leaving the manor.”

“I know, honey.” Julie patted her hand. “But that old manor’s been nothing but trouble. You can have a fresh start and you won’t be beholden to Harry for anything.”

That was true. Instead she was going to be dependent on Theo’s goodwill. Somehow that didn’t scare her half as much as it should have.

***

Theo was looking for Rosie. He seemed to spend his life looking for Rosie, these days. And oddly, he didn’t seem to mind.

He found Evie in the kitchen. “Any idea where your sister is?”

At first he thought he was seeing things. He blinked. Twice. He’d had no inkling any of Evie’s donkeys were domesticated.

“At Julia’s. She won’t be long.” Evie poured herself a glass of orange juice and replaced the carton in the fridge. It seemed, as far as the teenager was concerned, that there was nothing amiss.

His initial instinct had been to say nothing, but curiosity got the better of him. “Evie, why is there a donkey in your kitchen? And why is she eating an apple from the fruit bowl?”

“This is Jessie,” Evie told him solemnly, stroking the little donkey’s grey fur. “She’s been my best friend, like forever.”

“I thought Louise was your best friend.”

Evie’s eyes narrowed. “You know what I mean,” she told him impatiently.

He supposed he did. Animal companions were supposed to be very comforting – although he’d never been able to see the attraction himself.

“She likes to go for walks around the estate, so I often bring her down here.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And what does Rosie have to say about that?”

Evie laughed. “Okay, correction. I often bring her down here when Rosie’s out.”

Theo smiled. He’d thought as much. “You said she wasn’t going to be long,” he warned as he glanced out of the window. “In fact, isn’t that her now, walking towards the manor?”

Evie raced over to the window. “Oh no. We have to get Jessie out. Quick, help me. Rosie will go bananas if she catches her in the house again. I promised last time it wouldn’t happen again.”

Theo stifled a smile. “I think it’s a bit late to smuggle Jessie out.”

Rosie was talking into her mobile as she came through the door. “I’ll be there as soon as I can... Yes, Miss Morris, very inconvenient, I understand that... Okay, I’ll see you in a minute.”

“What’s wrong?” Evie asked.

“Your donkeys are out,” Rosie face was a picture of dismay. “Running wild all over the village.”

“Oh, no.”

“Yes. Oh, no.” Rosie put her hands on her hips and Theo braced himself for shouting. But at least it wouldn’t be directed at him. “And what is Jessie doing inside – again. I’ve told you before, donkeys are not indoor animals.”

“I was just about to take her back to the sanctuary,” Evie replied.

“Too right you’re taking her back. And stay with her until we find out how the others got out. There might be a gap in the fence somewhere. In the meantime, I’d best go and round up the escapees.”

“I’ll give you a lift down to the village,” Theo offered.

The fact she was happy to go to the village in his car told him how desperate she was to minimise inconvenience to the locals. They stopped briefly at the sanctuary so Rosie could collect the halters she would need to lead the animals back. While there, they easily spotted the weak spot in the fence where the animals had pushed through.

“It will be Mr Kennedy’s fault,” Rosie decided. “He’ll be the ring leader in all this. He always frets when Jessie’s not here. Evie knows that. He will have gone looking for her and the others will have followed.”

This all made very little sense to Theo. “Why would Mr Kennedy have gone looking for Jessie when there were other donkeys in the field to keep him company?”

Rosie sighed and got back into Theo’s car with the halters. “He’s in love.”

This was just bizarre. “Do donkeys fall in love? Really?”

“Don’t laugh,” Rosie scolded. “You only have to see the two of them together to see – he follows her everywhere.”

On the way, she called George to have a look at the fence. And, as they drove into the village, Miss Morris was waiting for them.

“It’s pandemonium,” she shrieked. “I’ve even had to shut the shop to keep an eye on them. Running wild, they were.”

Theo glanced over at the four donkeys peacefully grazing on the village green and immediately wanted to laugh at Miss Morris’s exaggeration of the circumstances.

“I’m so sorry you were inconvenienced,” Rosie told her. “And thank you for letting me know. Evie was due to check on them shortly and we’d have been worried when they weren’t there.”

“Glad I was able to help. If I hadn’t spotted them anything could have happened.” Miss Morris was in her element as the one who had averted certain disaster.

“What could have happened to them?” Theo asked in an urgent whisper as Miss Morris returned to reopen her shop.

Rosie smiled. “Probably not much. They would have stayed here grazing for most of the afternoon. Of course, if they’d wandered back onto the road it might have been a different matter.”

She slipped a halter onto the nearest donkey. “Okay, Mr Kennedy, old boy,” she told him soothingly. “Let’s see if we can get you back to your girlfriend.”

“I’ll walk with you.”

“What about your car?”

“I’ll come back for it later.”

It didn’t take them long to lead the donkeys back to the sanctuary. Evie was already there with Jessie. George was working to repair the damage to the fence. As though to prove Rosie was right, Mr Kennedy broke free and trotted over to where the little grey donkey was rolling happily in the grass.

Rosie looked over her shoulder and grinned. “What did I tell you? He’s a donkey in love.”

Theo grinned back, feeling quite sorry for poor old Mr Kennedy – and very grateful that he had guarded his own heart against such foolishness.

Chapter Twelve

They had all been right. Rosie hated to admit it, but she loved the new house as soon as she and Evie moved in. It was properly insulated, watertight, light and airy. Everything the manor wasn’t. And it was less than half the size, so there would be less to clean. If she hadn’t been so stubborn, so adamantly preoccupied with the history of the place, she and Evie might have moved to live in some comfort years ago.

“Well?” Theo demanded as he put down a box of kitchen equipment on the counter. “What do you think?”

“Honestly?”

His brow creased. “Yes.”

“It’s okay.” The admission was grudging. Rosie didn’t like being wrong – even when it meant a better outcome for her. He grinned and, she couldn’t help it, the corners of her mouth tugged and before she knew it, she was smiling back. “Fine, you were right and I was wrong. I love it. Evie loves it, too. We should have moved years ago.”

She expected him to say he’d told her so and was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t. “Looks like you brought all your stuff over just in time,” he nodded towards the window. The wind had been high all day, making the move difficult and bringing down two trees that she knew of, but now heavy rain had been added into the mix.

Rosie shuddered just imagining the state the manor would be in. Their rain buckets would be needed with bells on today. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay on your own at the manor?”

“Why?” Arms folded, he leaned back against the work surface and there was a mischievous gleam in his golden eyes. “Do you want to offer me a bed here?”

She sighed. She was tempted. Very tempted. But having him stay with her overnight wasn’t the kind of example she wanted to set Evie. “I don’t like to think of you staying there while we’re living in such luxury.”

“So now you understand how I felt about you staying there. But yes, I’ll be fine for tonight. I have to go back to London in the morning in any case.”

“Oh.” The disappointment took her by surprise. Since when had it been any of her business what Theo got up to? And it wasn’t so long ago she’d have celebrated his departure with an energetic jig. He’d very quickly become a fixture and she was used to having him around.

“There’s a business merger at a delicate stage of operations and I have no choice – I have to be there.”

She nodded. Of course he did. He might have been playing at estates for the past while, but his real life lay miles away. She was just going to have to become used to his not being here.

The mobile in the pocket of her jeans rang. “Excuse me,” she told Theo as she fished it out. It was Marsha – near hysterical as she cried down the phon. Rosie winced. “Calm down, I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

“I tried to stop them, I really did. But George and his father just had the most awful argument. And they’ve run off into this terrible weather.”

“Who’s run off? Victor and George?”

“No,” Marsha sobbed. “George and Evie.”

“Evie? What was she doing with you?” As far as Rosie knew, she’d been at Louise’s house, doing homework.

It was starting already, she realised, the sneaking around, the untruths, so she could spend time with George. How much worse would it be if she forbade her sister from seeing the boy? Theo had been right, she had no choice but to accept it. But for now, a more pressing matter superseded her annoyance that Evie had misled her. “Where did they go, Marsha?”

“I don’t know,” Marsha wailed down the line. “I’m just so worried. The weather’s so wild and the sky’s so dark out there. And a tree’s just blown down across the lane here. What if something falls on them?”

Rosie bit her lip. Marsha’s tendency to over dramatise every situation annoyed her, but she realised maybe this time the drama was justified. “I’m sure they’ll be okay,” she muttered despite her own concerns.

“What’s wrong?” Theo asked as she was frantically trying to press the tiny buttons on her mobile.

“George fell out with his father and stormed out of the house. And Evie’s with him.” Her hands were shaking. “I’m just going to phone and see if they’re okay.” Evie’s mobile went straight to voicemail. “I can’t get through.” Rosie’s lips were numb. She had a bad feeling about this.

“Where do you think they’ve gone?”

She glanced towards the window again and shuddered. “Probably the sanctuary, to make sure the donkeys are okay.” Rosie snatched her waterproof jacket from the chair she’d draped it over and pulled it on. “I’m going to go and see if I can find them.”

“I’ll go,” Theo offered. “You should stay here in case they come back.”

“I can’t just sit here like a lemon.” She zipped her jacket up as she walked to the door.

He caught up with her in two strides and his hand closed around her upper arm and she could have sworn she felt the warmth of his fingers through her jacket. “Rosie, be sensible. You had trouble walking in here from the car and the wind’s much stronger now.”

“But you think you’ll be okay in it.”

“Given that I’m much bigger and heavier than you are, yes.”

She tried and failed to pull her arm out of his grasp and realised she was dealing with six foot four of solid muscle. Yes, he was stronger and bigger – that probably meant he’d be able to cover more ground than she would to in this weather. “Okay, but if you’re not back in ten minutes I’m coming after you.”

“Make it fifteen.” He opened the door, letting the wind howl into the kitchen, and then he stepped out into the storm, head down, collar pulled up. And then he was gone.