‘So I see.’ It was not a surprise; she’d rung ahead to let him know she was coming. So now she was feeling a little set up.
Only Nik looked just as taken aback as she felt.
‘What are you doing here?’ he growled.
‘Nikolai!’
‘I’ve brought biscuits.’ She held up the tin. ‘My mother-in-law made them and sends her regards.’
‘You didn’t whip them up yourself in between all the dusting and vacuuming?’ This was from Nik, who continued to lay a gauze strip over the wound and tape it up.
Sybella couldn’t help noticing he was utterly competent at the task. It didn’t exactly fit her image of him as the absent grandson. Clearly he’d done this more than once.
‘I would, if I whipped them up at midnight,’ she said, not sure of her footing here. ‘My mother-in-law doesn’t work. I do.’
Nik straightened up and Sybella was reminded all over again of his physical presence and how it could fill the room. He was entirely too dominant for her peace of mind.
It would probably be better for everyone if he left the village today, and quickly.
Only she kept remembering how his hands had felt against her skin, how gentle he’d been drying her hair and later kissing her, making all the lights turn on and leaving them on.
‘Nikolka, I think you should take Sybella to lunch.’
‘Oh, no, that’s not why I’m here.’ Sybella stumbled in her haste over the words and she knew she sounded rude but it was excruciating to think Nik might feel obligated to sit through lunch with her.
‘I just wanted to deliver the biscuits—’ she reached into her handbag ‘—and these. The letters you sent me, Mr Voronov, in your grandson’s name.’ She put them down on his side table. ‘I would appreciate it if you showed him the documentation I gave you. He might be a little kinder on all of us.’
She glanced up at Nik, who was now standing dangerously close to her. Her whole body was vibrating like a tuning fork. She had to get out of here!
‘This just proves we were in a correspondence, or rather I was with your grandfather, and everything I did was above board.’ She couldn’t look him in the eye or she’d lose all her courage.
‘What have you been saying to her, Nikolka?’
‘Nothing he didn’t have a right to—given he had no idea what was going on.’
She went over and crouched down, putting a hand on Mr Voronov’s arm. ‘I understand why you did it, but it’s caused me a deal of trouble and upset your grandson.’
The elderly man covered her hand with his own. ‘You cannot blame an old man for trying.’
Sybella rather thought she could, but she wouldn’t.
‘You really need to sort this out with your grandson, but whatever happens with the Hall, I’ll continue to bring Fleur here for stories. That won’t change.’
She glanced a little furtively at Nik, who looked as if he was about to say something, and straightened up, making her way to the door. Every step felt awkward but she couldn’t be in this room a moment longer with Nik Voronov looking at her like that.
Sybella was almost at her car when she heard his heavy crunching footsteps.
‘Sybella, we need to clear a few things up.’
‘There’s nothing to clear up.’ Sybella tried not to sound breathless, a little dismayed at how everything female in her sat up to pay attention. ‘We don’t have anything more to discuss.’
He looked down at her as if he didn’t agree.
‘You know everything now,’ she said in a tight voice. ‘I’m pretty much an open book, as you can see.’
She thrust her chin at the small cigar box he carried in his hand.
‘Let me drive you back to town,’ he said.
‘I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself, thank you very much.’
‘You haven’t done a very good job so far,’ he said bluntly. ‘You should have spoken up for yourself earlier.’
‘Right. Good to know for future reference, but, if you hadn’t noticed, I was thinking of your grandfather.’
She dipped her head as a tremor ran through her and without a word Nik put his arm around her.