His laugh was a harsh sound in the night. “Believe me, if there is something going on, I will bring an end to it.”
CHAPTER ONE
“Ian! John! Come here now!”
“We’re hiding!” The sweet little voice, unmistakably Ian with it’s huskier tone, emerged from beneath the sofa. Sophie made a show of lifting the cushions on an opposite dais before moving towards the piano. She sat on the stool with a melodramatic sigh and pretended not to see the chubby, tanned fingers splayed across the floor.
“I do hope I haven’t lost those twins. Their mummy and daddy would be so cross with me.”
A giggle erupted – she couldn’t have picked which twin it belonged to, for their laughs were identical. Matching little peals of amusement that always brought an answering grin to her own face.
“Then again, I suppose I could dress their teddies up in the boys’ clothes. Perhaps that would fool them. I would, of course, need to take the teddies to the park. And feed them their marmite toast.” Another giggle.
She walked across the room and picked up one of the teddies. It was threadbare in places, from having been hugged so tight.
“What do you think, Mr Teddy? Would you be Ian? Or John?” She tapped his little nose and then crouched down onto her knees. “What’s that Mr Teddy? You see them? Where?” She pushed the bear under the sofa and moved his head up and down. The giggles were loud now, loud enough to reach the three people assembled in the corridor. Helena, her face pale, looked nervously towards the lounge area.
Alex followed her gaze. His sister was hardly herself. Where once she had smiled easily, her face was now pinched. “Where are my nephews? I am anxious to see them.”
Eric apparently didn’t perceive a hint of tension. Nor did he question the unexpected arrival of his brother-in-law. That a man as powerful as Alessandros Petrides should decide on a whim to visit was not unusual. Alex had always marched to the beat of his own drum, and done very much as he wished, when he wished it. Eric was simply pleased to see the man he cared so much for. He put an arm forward, indicating that Alex should move into the lounge area.
When they arrived at the door, Sophie was lying on her stomach, half under the sofa. What Alex could see earned a flicker of interest. Her waist was narrow, and her shirt had lifted to expose several inches of honey-coloured skin. She wore pale jeans that showed off her slender, curved legs and rounded rear. Her feet were bare.
“Oh, Mr Teddy. How right you were. You are a genius, and so beautifully furry too. What did we do before we found you?” Giggles emerged from beneath the furniture; two boys and one woman’s. Her accent was Australian, her tone pleasingly soft.
“Now, we have a serious mission this evening, boys.”
“What? What-iddit?” The voice of John emerged, slightly blurred by laughter.
“Ah. You’ll have to come out with me if you want to know that. Are you ready? Shall we fly out together?”
“Fly? We can’t fly.”
“Of course you can. So long as we hold hands, we can do anything.”
“No, that’s not true.” Ian was always more serious than his brother; he was a thinker, intent on knowing how things worked. “Little boys can’t fly.”
“Well, ordinarily not, no.” She leaned closer, and in the darkness beneath the sofa, she saw both boys clamour closer, their eyes shining. “But have I ever told you about Peter Pan and the lost boys?”
They shook their heads in unison. “Goodness me. What an omission. Perhaps that is the book we shall read next.” She held hands with both boys. “Now, I don’t personally have any fairy dust with me right now, but we will learn, from the book, where I can get some.”
“Fairy dust?” Ian was sceptical, and it brought a small smile to Sophie’s lips.
“Or so they say.” She shifted her head so that she could see John; it was no mean feat in the small space she occupied.
“I want to read the book!” It was John. Always enthusiastic and ready for adventure. In many ways, he was a kindred spirit of the lovable Peter Pan.
“Well, let me see if I can remember what we need to say. Second star to the right, and straight on ‘til morning.”
The boys did their best to repeat it, and then Sophie began to slide backwards, with the boys inching along behind her. Their hiding was forgotten now; one adventure completely swamped by the promise of another.
Sophie stood, and for the first time, became aware that there were other people in the room.
Alex was, momentarily, transfixed.
Helena had not exaggerated this woman’s charms. In fact, Helena, as a woman, perhaps didn’t even completely comprehend the sensual promise that was offered in every inch of this petite, curvaceous woman. From her shimmering blonde hair that was scraped carelessly into a pony tail, to the wide-set, clear blue eyes and dainty nose with a little ski jump tip, to the lips that were full and pink, to a body that men would go to war for and skin that was soft and golden, the nanny was undeniably gorgeous.
“We’ve been hiding,” she said unnecessarily, her manner instantly guarded compared to how she’d been with the boys.