Catherine thought back reluctantly to their arrival. Luc had gone straight to greet Rafaella. Catherine had no idea what had passed between them but the brunette had been smiling and laughing, switching on to the ultra-feminine mode she invariably employed around Luc. Then, with a pretty little speech about not wanting to intrude, she had climbed into her car, no doubt smugly aw
are that she was leaving bedlam in her wake between husband and wife…and mother and son.
Daniel had been sitting like a solemn little old man in one of the downstairs rooms. Her attempt to put her arms round him had been fiercely rejected. ‘You tol’ me my daddy was dead!’ Daniel had condemned and, from that point on, the reunion had gone from bad to worse.
Rafaella had done her work well. Daniel might be a very clever child but his grasp of adult relationships was no greater than any other four-year-old’s. He understood solely that his mother had lied to him. Hurt and confused, terribly nervous of meeting this father Rafaella had described in over-impressive terms, Daniel had taken the brunt of his conflicting emotions out on Catherine.
Luc had taken over the same second he chose to join them, crouching down on his son’s diminutive level to engage his attention. ‘I don’t know anything about being a father,’ he had confided cleverly. ‘I’ll probably make mistakes. You’ll have to help me.’
‘I don’t want a daddy who bosses me around all the time,’ Daniel had traded in a small voice, but quick as a flash with the return.
‘I wouldn’t either,’ Luc had agreed smoothly.
‘I’m not sure I want one,’ Daniel had admitted less argumentatively.
‘I can understand that, but I am very sure that I want you to be my son.’
‘Have you got any other ones?’ Daniel asked innocently.
‘Only you. That is what makes you so special.’
Catherine had hovered like a third wheel, watching without great surprise as Daniel had responded to Luc. Luc had put in a performance of unsurpassed brilliance, quieting all of Daniel’s fears. It had gone on for ages. A series of extremely subtle negotiations on Luc’s side and of blossoming confidence and curiosity on Daniel’s.
Luc hadn’t moved too far, too fast. A mutual sizing-up had been taking place. After an hour, Daniel had been chattering confidingly, flattered by Luc’s interest in him, relaxed and unthreatened by his manner. Clover had been mentioned. It had taken Luc precisely five seconds to recognise that the retrieval of an elderly donkey from an animal sanctuary would do much to cement his new relationship with his son. And never let it be said that Luc would look a gift horse or, in this case, a gift donkey in the mouth. A phone call had established that Clover was still in residence.
‘I think we should go and get her now, don’t you?’ Luc had suggested with the innate cool of a master tactician, and Daniel had been so overcome with tears, excitement and gratitude that he had flung himself at Luc, breaking the no-physical-contact barrier he had until that moment rigidly observed.
They had departed before lunch. ‘He’s a beautiful child,’ Luc had murmured, choosing then to notice Catherine for the first time since their arrival. ‘And I am very proud that he is mine.’
She still wasn’t sure whether that had been a compliment, a veiled apology, a mere acknowledgement of Daniel’s attractions or a concealed criticism that he had had to wait this long to meet his own son.
‘You should have gone with them,’ Peggy told her.
‘I wasn’t invited. Anyway,’ she sighed, ‘I needed to talk to you. I thought you’d be furious over all that’s happened.’
‘Are you kidding? The last two days have been excitement all the way!’ Peggy laughed. ‘I was staggered when Rafaella showed me that picture of you with Luc at the airport and by that time the first reporter was ringing. Someone in the village must have tipped them off. Lots of people knew I was taking Daniel up to my parents’ place. When I go back, I can bask in your reflected glory…’
‘There’s not a lot of it around at the moment. You’ll catch a chill,’ Catherine warned ruefully. ‘When all of this comes out—’
‘When all of what comes out? Don’t exaggerate,’ Peggy scolded. ‘You lived with him, it broke down, and now you’re married to him. You can’t get a lot of scandalous mileage out of that. Daniel’s his, end of story.’
‘It’s not that simple—’
‘Neither was the amount of information you contrived to leave out when you once briefly discussed Daniel’s father with me,’ Peggy interposed. ‘I’ve met him for about ten minutes now and I’m not sure I’m very much the wiser. Mind you, he has three virtues not to be sneezed at. One, he’s generous. I won’t add that he can afford to be. Two, he has to be the best-looking specimen I’ve ever seen live off a movie-screen. That’s a sexist observation, Catherine, but, shamefully, that was my first reaction. Three, anyone capable of charming Daniel out of a tantrum that fast is worthy of respect.’
‘Anything else?’
‘When he breezed off with Daniel and left you behind like faithful Penelope, I found myself hoping that Clover would be in a more than usually anti-social state of mind when he has to get close and enthuse. I bet he’s never been within twenty feet of a donkey before!’
That so matched Catherine’s thoughts that she burst out laughing, but her amusement was short-lived. She sighed. ‘If I hadn’t lost my memory, I’d have had to tell him about Daniel last week. That wouldn’t have been quite so bad.’
‘If you ask me, and you won’t, so I’ll give it to you for free,’ Peggy murmured, ‘where Daniel’s concerned, Luc got what he deserved. If he hadn’t made you so insecure you’d have trusted him enough to tell him. And it strikes me that he’s bright enough to work that one out for himself.’
If he wants to work it out, Catherine reflected unhappily. And nothing Luc had said earlier in the day had given her the impression that he intended to make that leap in tolerant understanding. She walked Peggy back to her car, both dreading and anticipating Luc’s return.
Clover arrived first, as irascible as ever, snapping at the gardener, who was detailed to take her to the paddock. Catherine was interrupted in the midst of her thanks to the lady who ran the animal sanctuary and had taken the trouble to deliver Clover back, and was informed with an embarrassed smile that Luc had made a most handsome donation to the sanctuary. Ironically, that irritated her. Why were things always so easy for Luc?
He strolled in after ten with Daniel fast asleep in his arms. On the brink of demanding to know where they had been all day, she caught herself up. The cool challenge in Luc’s gaze informed her that he was prepared for exactly that kind of response. Moving forward, she took Daniel from him instead. ‘I’ll put him to bed.’