‘You are saying that you did not have an affair with the woman who just came in here?’ He mentally tried out explanations. Even his razor-sharp instincts could not begin to unpick this maze.
Paul shook his head, then grinned. ‘But given the chance—’
He never reached the end of the sentence; instead he found himself standing up against a wall. His friend, not looking very friendly at all, still holding his collar in both fists.
He held up both hands, slopping the drink he still held. ‘S-sorry, didn’t mean to tread on your toes. I should have remembered you always did have a thing about redheads,’ he mused, giving a shaky laugh. ‘The headmaster’s daughter? If I hadn’t covered for you that night when we were in...the sixth form or fifth...? If you’d have been caught—’
Cesare looked at his friend and shook his head. How long had he been making excuses for the other man? How long had he been tolerating behaviour that he would have been the first to condemn in someone else? With a snort of disgust he released Paul, who staggered backwards.
‘Hell, man, what’s got into you?’
‘I grew up. I suggest you do the same.’
The coldness in Cesare’s voice made the other man blink, but he nodded amenably. ‘Of course, of course, you’re right. Tell me what to do. I need Clare and the kids...’
Cesare shook his head and asked himself how many times he had responded to that request. What had Angel called it? Enabling? How come his little sister had seen what he hadn’t? ‘How old was this Rosie when you had an affair, Paul?’
The other man responded to the question with a petulant half-resentful shrug. ‘I don’t know.’
‘I think you do.’
‘Around twenty, I think.’
‘Around twenty as in nineteen?’
‘She was very mature.’
Cesare had an overwhelming urge to shake his friend until his teeth rattled. Instead he dug his hands into his pockets as he strode across the room to the old-fashioned bell pull, which he yanked hard.
‘Mrs Mack will get you a taxi.’
A look of utter astonishment crossed the other man’s face. ‘You’re sending me away? Not going to help me? But what will I do?’
‘Your mess, Paul, you figure it out.’ He delivered the long-overdue tough love and found it a lot easier than he had anticipated. On cue, the housekeeper bustled into the room. ‘Mrs Mack, Mr Dane will be needing a taxi to the village.’
Paul reached out his hand, touching the taller man’s arm. ‘But, Cesare—’ A glance from Cesare’s hooded eyes made his hand fall from his sleeve.
‘One suggestion, Paul—stop thinking of yourself as the victim here. You’re not—Clare and the kids are. The girl you charmed is. So show a little of the guts you showed when you risked your life diving into that swollen river to pull me out of the car.’ At the door he turned back. ‘You have what many men would give a lot to have.’ He might not be one of them, but Cesare knew many who would have swapped places with Paul in a heartbeat. ‘Good luck, Paul,’ he added, meaning it. ‘You’re a lucky man. I hope you wake up and realise how lucky before it’s too late.’
‘What if it already is?’ For the first time there was genuine fear in the other man’s voice.
CHAPTER NINE
JASMINE HAD RANSACKED several drawers in her bedroom in her search for the pair of pyjamas she wanted to take with her for the sleepover. The contents now lay in a brightly coloured jumble on the bedroom floor.
Having waved goodbye to the excited little girl, Anna set about picking up the crumpled items of clothing. Then, after smoothing the pretty quilt and plumping up the pile of cushions, she closed the door behind her and with a sigh leaned against it.
Rather than welcoming the relaxing evening that lay ahead, Anna found herself dreading it. Time to think with no distractions was something she definitely didn’t want.
She had told herself that she wouldn’t think about Cesare’s weird behaviour, but how could she not? With the rest of the evening to herself, what else did she have to do?
She walked around the room twitching a tartan throw that didn’t need twitching, punching a cushion, then, instead of putting it back on the sofa, walking over to the deep mullioned window with it clutched to her chest. Her expression abstracted, she stared down at the manicured lawn below, allowing her gaze to move beyond the grounds to the monumental craggy mountains that stood out against a rare blue sky.