No! Alessandros could have laughed at the ludicrously indulgent pondering. She was no siren. She was a woman. A sexy, beautiful, undoubtedly self-interested woman. He studied her through narrowed eyes. Even her willingness to sleep with him showed her mercenary spirit. For though Eric was moderately wealthy and had aspirations to political power, he was nothing to Alessandros. That was not hubris nor vanity speaking. If Alex had any doubts as to his own power and success, he could not have borne it long in the face of the articles that had been run about him.
Gut instinct and self-confidence had done that. He would not let himself doubt those gifts now.
Helena worried that her husband was cheating, and now Alex knew for certain that he was. He would have put every penny he owned on a bet that something was going on between Sophie and Eric.
He smiled at her, but the pleasure was all for himself. Helena was going to be okay. Her marriage would survive this.
Because he would not allow Sophie to be a problem.
9 August, 11.08pm
From: Sophie
To: Ava, Olivia
Well, girls.
I’ve gone and done something really, drastically dense.
There! I’ve said it first, so neither of you needs to bother telling me that I’ve taken leave of my senses.
Do you remember I’ve told you about my bosses? Helena and Eric? Well, Helena’s brother’s in town at the moment. She paused typing for a moment, so that she could catch her breath. Back in her own bedroom, in the small room between the twins’ rooms, the whole affair felt almost like a dream. But it wasn’t! Three glorious nights, and Sophie knew. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she forced herself to put into writing what she hadn’t dared admit to herself. And I’ve fallen completely head over heels in love with him.
Okay, I can hear you rolling your eyes, Ava. I know just what you’d say. It’s not possible to love someone you barely know.
But I do know him. I know so much about him … we’ve talked and talked and talked until our words clog the air. We talk about everything and nothing and I fall asleep wishing I could hear more.
I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t even know how long he’s planning to stay in London. He’s … what? A billionaire? A mogul? A tycoon? She ground her teeth together and waded back into the email. Pretty busy, I think, so I guess he’ll have to go soon.
Anyway, I didn’t want to say anything before now, because I wasn’t sure it was real. But it is. It definitely is.
I miss you both.
Lots of love, S.
She pressed send and curled her knees up under her chin. The evening was warm – at least for London – and she was wearing only a simple cotton nightgown.
Was he still in the house? Her heart fluttered as she imagined him, somewhere there, his body warm, his arms strong. He’d taken coffee with Helena after they got back; a habit that Sophie didn’t personally appreciate. Coffee so late in the evening would have kept her awake.
And Sophie hadn’t wanted to intrude on their family time, anyway. When he took her away, to his house, or out on dates, they were ‘them’. Sophie and Alex, rapidly becoming an actual couple, despite the fact it had been less than a week since they had met.
But here, at No. 11 Herringbone Lane, Sophie was the children’s nanny first and foremost. The moment she began sitting around sipping drinks with Helena, Eric and Alex, was the moment the lines would be blurred in an odd way.
Yet Alex seemed to try to push it. To encourage her to sit with him even when she was obviously not prepared for that. Not prepared for the possible questions from Eric and Helena, either.
A noise sounded on her iPad. She flicked it open and grinned when she saw two new emails – one from each of her sisters. She opened Ava’s first.
9 August, 11.10pm
From: Ava
To: Sophie, Olivia
Sophie, no! What are you talking about? What’s the first thing mum taught us about love?
9 August, 11.11pm
From: Olivia