Briony opened both eyes in response to this wholly male demand, tempted to tell Nicky that breakfast would have to wait.
‘Mummy won’t wake up,’ she heard Nicky saying solemnly, and then before she could protest, the covers were twitched back by a tanned male hand and Kieron was standing in front of her dressed in jeans and a thin cotton shirt unbuttoned to the waist, his eyes laughing as he surveyed her sleepy, tousled indignation.
‘Come on, lazybones,’ he grinned. ‘Nicky and I have been up for ages, haven’t we, old son?’
Nicky nodded. ‘Daddy had to dress me,’ he told Briony accusingly.
Briony glanced at her watch. Half past seven. ‘Poor Daddy,’ she said tartly.
Kieron leaned over the bed, his eyes wicked as he whispered, ‘He’ll dress you as well, if you ask him nicely.’
She shot off the bed, furious as his laughter followed her about the room as she hurriedly found clean underwear, a brief top and shorts.
‘Don’t be long, Mummy, ‘cos we’ve got a surprise for you,’ Nicky instructed as she disappeared in the bathroom. ‘Can I bounce on this bed?’ she heard him asking Kieron as she stepped into the shower. It gave her a faint pang to think of Kieron washing and dressing his son while she slept unaware.
The bedroom was empty when she emerged from the shower. She made the bed quickly, going into Nicky’s room to tidy up his things. Héloise had told her that she was not to worry about such things and that she was at the villa for a holiday, but sheer force of habit had her doing the small tasks without really thinking. Already her skin had taken on faint colour—more a soft apricot glow than a tan, but her skin seemed to have a bloom it had lacked for too long, and as she sat down to brush her hair and apply a faint touch of make-up she was disturbed to see how her eyes glowed so softly. She had all the
unmistakable signs of a woman deeply in love, and if she wasn’t careful Kieron was going to see them and put two and two together.
When she walked out on to the patio, the others were already there, Nicky’s face bursting with excitement and impatience.
‘Can I do it now?’ he asked Kieron.
Kieron nodded his head, and just as Briony started to frown uncomprehendingly, Nicky burst out, ‘Happy birthday, Mummy, come and see what I gotted you!’
Her birthday! She realised with a start that with their marriage and then this holiday, she had completely forgotten the date. Nicky was beaming with excitement, and for the first time she noticed the small pile of presents by her plate. A huge lump rose in her throat. It had been so long since anyone remembered the occasion. Kieron had got up and was walking towards her, and she swallowed the betraying tears. Marian was smiling at her understandingly, and for once she felt no inclination to shrink away as Kieron took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. As she looked up at him she knew he had been responsible for the surprise, a legacy of those long, long, hot summer days they had shared, when her birthday had been something they had celebrated with champagne and he had bought her pink roses and perfume. Even so she was surprised that he had remembered.
‘Open mine first, Mummy,’ Nicky demanded ‘It’s that one.’ He pointed to a small flat package wrapped in pretty pink paper and tied with silver bows.
It was a silk scarf printed in shades of green, so beautiful and sophisticated that Briony knew Nicky alone had not been responsible for its purchase.
‘Daddy and I went and boughted it,’ Nicky said importantly. ‘Do you like it?’
‘I love it,’ Briony assured him, dropping a kiss on his head.
There were cards from Héloise and François and a huge bottle of her favourite perfume from Marian, as well as a silver-framed photograph of Nicky.
‘Oh, you shouldn’t have,’ she protested impusively, kissing the older woman warmly. ‘But thank you very much. Where’s Louise, by the way?’ she asked lightly, determined not to betray any awareness of the fact that there was no gift from Kieron. Of course there was no reason why Kieron should buy her anything, just the opposite!
‘Louise is still in bed,’ Marian announced, breaking in upon these unhappy thoughts. ‘But, Kieron, haven’t you bought Briony anything?’
Briony longed for the question to have remained unasked, but then of course, as far as Marian was concerned, their marriage was perfectly normal, and she would expected Kieron to have bought his wife something.
‘Yes, I have,’ Kieron astounded her by drawling, his eyes amused as they rested fleetingly on her startled face. ‘But to spare her blushes I thought it might be better if I gave it to her when we’re alone. In fact,’ he added, getting up from the table, ‘I was going to ask if you would keep an eye on Nicky for us while I did.’
Marian laughed, and told him he was making Briony blush.
‘I know,’ was his wicked response. ‘I like it.’
There was no way Briony was going to get out of going with him, and with a rather forced smile she thanked Marian for looking after Nicky and got up to follow Kieron.
When he opened the french windows to their sitting room, she hesitated, and he watched her through narrowed eyes.
‘Scared?’ he taunted softly. ‘My gift isn’t anything physical, although you’re on the right lines. I’m hoping it will help that long-buried woman in you to surface. Here you are.’
He threw her a large oblong parcel wrapped in soft green tissue paper and tied with matching ribbons.
Confused, Briony caught it, fingering the paper doubtfully.