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The Rich Man's Bride
CATHERINE GEORGE


Ever since gamekeeper's granddaughter Anna Morton was snubbed by Ryder Wyndham and his upper-class friends, she's stayed away from Ryder, the man she once worshipped. But then Anna is forced to live with Ryder on his English country estate, and the tension between them turns to temptation. Anna is a career-minded city girl with no plans to settle down.But Ryder needs a wife, and he's decided that Anna will become his lady-of-the-manor bride!









The Rich Man’s Bride



Catherine George









www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)




CONTENTS


CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE




CHAPTER ONE


COLD, tired and desperate for an early night, for once Anna was glad she had the flat to herself when she got home. She gave a sigh of frustration as the bell on the street door rang and snatched up the receiver. If this was Sean, he was out of luck.

‘Ryder Wyndham,’ said a voice over the intercom.

Anna’s eyes lit up. ‘Ryder? What a lovely surprise. Come on up.’ She buzzed him in and opened her door to wait for him. She felt a sharp pang of sympathy when the new heir to the Wyndham Estate emerged from the lift. It was only months since she’d last seen him, but with his thick black curls cut close to his haggard face he looked years older and even taller than usual in a long dark overcoat over a formal suit and black tie.

She smiled warmly. ‘Hi. Come in.’

Her visitor stalked past her, looking round him at the room which reflected her landlady’s eclectic taste. ‘Are you alone, Anna?’

No smile, not even a hello? ‘Yes. How are you, Ryder?’

‘I’ve been better.’

She nodded gravely. ‘I was desperately sorry to hear about your brother. Edward’s death must have been a huge shock.’

‘It was,’ he agreed curtly.

‘Can I offer you a drink?’

He refused, giving her a head to toe scrutiny which rang warning bells in her head. ‘I suppose I can see his point,’ he said at last, mystifying her.

‘Whose point?’

‘I’m coming to that.’ His eyes remained hostile. ‘You don’t look it, but by my calculations you must be at least thirty-three now.’

She frowned. ‘You’ve come here to talk about my age, Ryder?’

‘No, dammit,’ he snarled. ‘I came to tell you, face to face, to leave my brother alone.’

Anna stared at him in blank amazement. ‘Dominic?’

‘Who else? Eddy’s dead,’ he said brutally.

She took in a deep, calming breath, trying to make allowances for him. ‘Look, Ryder, you’re obviously under great strain. Take your coat off; let me make you a drink.’

‘I don’t want a drink. I want to know what the hell you’re playing at!’

Anna’s chin lifted. ‘I think you’d better explain.’

‘By all means.’ His hostile eyes locked on hers. ‘After Dominic came here to break the news about Eddy, you were all he could talk about—how sexy and gorgeous you are these days, and how sweet you were to him. He came up to London several times before he went back to New York—’

‘You think he came to see me?’ she said in disbelief.

‘Officially he was visiting friends, but it’s obvious now that he was coming here to visit you, Anna. I was too taken up with my various problems to suspect where it was actually leading.’ His mouth twisted in disgust. ‘He’s barely twenty-three, so it’s glaringly obvious why a woman of your age should want to marry a man so much her junior.’

‘Great sex?’ retorted Anna, suddenly so furious she could have hit him.

‘In this case, money,’ he snapped, looking down his nose in disdain. ‘When Dominic told you he inherited a nice little packet from my aunt, you obviously sent the current man in your life packing and seized your chance.’

A surge of hurt anger welled up so violently it threatened to choke her. ‘I can’t believe you said that,’ she said at last, when she could trust her voice. ‘I had no idea Dominic had come into money. Nor do I care a toss if he did,’ she added savagely. ‘I have no intention of marrying your baby brother.’

‘You expect me to believe that?’ he demanded.

She stood with arms hugged across her chest. ‘Whether you believe it or not, it’s the truth, Squire. When he came to tell me about Edward it was the first time I’d seen Dominic in years. Just for the record,’ she added cuttingly, ‘he also paid me a second visit to say goodbye. And, if we’re still counting, I caught a brief glimpse of him at the funeral.’

Ryder frowned. ‘You were there? I didn’t see you.’

‘I left straight after the service to drive back to London.’

‘I see. Your grandfather passed on your condolences, but I didn’t know you’d actually made it to the church.’ His eyes hardened. ‘The fact remains that Dominic rang me from New York early this morning to say that you’d agreed to marry him.’

She stared in disbelief. ‘If he did, he was lying—or joking. The phone’s on the desk over there. Ring him right now and ask him. I won’t even charge you for the call.’

Ryder shook his head. ‘I’ve already tried, but I had no luck at his apartment and his mobile’s switched off. Before we got cut off he said something about ringing me with the details tonight. I had to come up to London today to sort out probate—’

‘So you came to warn me off at the same time. Or maybe even buy me off?’ She gave him a taunting smile. ‘What’s the going rate to get shot of unsuitable brides like me, Ryder?’

He gave her an icy stare. ‘That was never my intention, and you well know it.’

‘Oh, I see!’ Anna shook her head in mocking reproof. ‘You expected to order me off and I’d meekly agree, with no expense involved. A bit cheap for a man with your kind of money, Ryder!’

To her intense satisfaction his eyes blazed with outrage for an instant. ‘If I’m mistaken I shall, of course, apologise,’ he said stiffly.

‘If?’ Her eyes flashed coldly. ‘Not good enough, Squire. I demand an unqualified apology right now.’

He shook his head. ‘Not until I hear from Dominic. And for God’s sake stop this blasted Squire nonsense!’

‘Certainly.’ Anna turned on her heel, stalked to the outer door and flung it open. ‘I’d like you to leave now.’

A flicker of doubt lit the dark-ringed blue eyes as Ryder passed her. ‘Anna, if I’m wrong—’

‘Of course you’re wrong. Totally,’ she said scornfully. ‘And I deeply resent the insult about money. We don’t see each other so much any more, but I thought you knew me better than that.’

‘That’s the point. So did I.’ He went out on to the landing, then turned to look at her. ‘Anna—’

But Anna could take no more. She slammed the door shut so he wouldn’t see the tears she’d been too proud to shed in front of the new Squire of the Wyndham Estate.

Later that night Ryder Wyndham learned that his young brother’s proposal of marriage had been accepted by Hannah Breckenridge, granddaughter of the founder of the New York auction house which employed him. Not by Anna Morton, granddaughter of the Wyndham Estate head gamekeeper who’d taught Dominic to shoot and fish. Appalled, Ryder rang Anna immediately to apologise. She cut him off mid-sentence and refused to pick up when he rang back. Next day he sent flowers which Anna promptly gave to the caretaker for his wife. Finally Ryder called at the flat again to apologise in person, but Anna refused to let him in, and made it bitingly clear that the ban was permanent.

When they met again, almost a year later, it was in the last place either would have wished.



The fog thickened with every mile on the road through the Marches. When a break in the swirling mist revealed the signpost she was looking for, Anna turned off to drive at a snail’s pace through the familiar maze of intersecting roads and sighed with relief when she saw lights in Keeper’s Cottage. She drew up in the lane behind the car parked at the gate and got out, smiling guiltily as her father hurried down the path to greet her.

‘Hi, Dr Morton. They passed my message on at the surgery, then.’

‘By the time I got it you were well on your way so I didn’t risk ringing back.’ His voice was gruff with anxiety as he gave her a hug. ‘What in heaven’s name possessed you to drive from London alone so soon, Anna? And in this weather!’

‘Clare intended coming with me, but she started sneezing yesterday and stayed the night with her ex to avoid giving me her germs.’

‘Sensible girl, your landlady,’ he approved, taking her suitcase. ‘I’ve turned the heating up to maximum, so come in quickly and get warm. If I’d known you were so determined to come, I would have fetched you.’

‘Which is precisely why I didn’t tell you, Dad. You lead a busy enough life as it is without flogging up to London and back for the umpteenth time again,’ she said as he hurried her inside. ‘I wanted to save a hard-worked doctor the trouble.’

‘I am not recovering from pneumonia! And you look like a ghost.’ Her father took her pulse, then went into the kitchen to switch on the kettle. ‘I called at the village shop for eggs and milk and so on for your breakfast and the kitchen cupboards are still stocked with Father’s staples. But I’ll drive you to the Red Lion for dinner as soon as you’ve unpacked and Tom can bring you back afterwards. He should be there soon.’

Anna gave him a coaxing smile as he spooned tea-leaves into a warmed pot. ‘Dad, please don’t be hurt, but I’m too tired for that tonight. I promise I’ll eat supper, but after that I’m off to bed. Otherwise I won’t be up to much tomorrow. Apologise to my big brother.’

John Morton looked ready to argue, but in the end he nodded reluctantly and patted her cheek. ‘All right, pet. An early night is probably a better idea for you. But promise me you’ll eat first.’

Anna held up her hand. ‘I do solemnly swear that I shall scramble some eggs. And then I’ll have a bath and go to bed with a book. What time is the service tomorrow?’

‘Twelve noon, then back to the Red Lion afterwards. Father’s idea. He gave me his funeral instructions a while ago, complete with choice of hymns.’ John cleared his throat. ‘To save me any bother when the time came, he told me.’

‘Oh, Dad,’ whispered Anna, her eyes filling. Her father held her tightly for a moment, then took her suitcase up to her room.

‘I’m really not happy about leaving you alone here tonight, Anna,’ he said forcibly when he came down. ‘If I’d known you meant to come, Tom and I could have stayed here with you. We still could, for that matter.’

She smiled ruefully. ‘Dad, don’t be offended, but just this once I really need to be on my own here.’

He touched a hand to her cheek. ‘I understand. Now, I’d better go. But, for God’s sake, ring if you feel ill.’

‘Dad, I’ll be fine!’

‘I hope so.’ He kissed her cheek. ‘I’ll be round in the morning early to make sure you’ve had breakfast.’

Anna waved him off, then suddenly so weary she needed to hang on to the rope looped through rings fastened in the wall she went upstairs. When she made it to the top she leaned in the open doorway of her grandfather’s room for a moment to catch her breath. Formal photographs of herself and Tom at their degree ceremonies stood on the chest of drawers, alongside a small snapshot of them with Ryder Wyndham, all three youngsters grinning in triumph as they held up the trout they’d caught. She gazed at it through a mist of tears, then scrubbed at her eyes, blew her nose and went next door to her own room to unpack a black suit she normally wore to work. Black was no longer mandatory for funerals these days, but her grandfather would have expected his family to show proper respect. And no one deserved it more than Hector Morton.

In the bathroom later Anna’s eyebrows rose in surprise. The expensive fittings and gleaming white paint were all new since her last visit. Her mouth tightened as she went downstairs. The squire certainly believed in keeping up the value on his property. Just a few months previously the small kitchen had been fitted with new cupboards and appliances and the overpowering black of the overhead beams shot-blasted back to the original wood throughout the house to add light. And it still amazed her that so much trouble had been taken over a tied cottage. Hector Morton had once been head gamekeeper of the estate, it was true. His original home had been a sizeable house which went with the job, but after his wife died he’d requested a move to Keeper’s Cottage, which Anna fell in love with at the age of eight because it looked like something from Hansel and Gretel. The exterior’s wreathing wisteria and latticed windows still retained the fairy-tale look, but since the renovations the interior looked like something from a magazine.

Anna went to the pantry to fetch eggs for her supper and discovered that part of the room had been partitioned off to create a brand-new shower cubicle. She began to laugh and ran to the parlour, fully expecting to find the giant inglenook fireplace transformed into a conservatory at the very least. But here all was more or less familiar. The two sofas had new fawn slip covers but they still faced each other in front of the big fireplace, with the familiar little Jacobean table in its place between them, and four Windsor chairs were still grouped with a small folding dining table against the inner wall. The shock discovery here was a brand-new television.

Anna rang her father before starting on her supper. ‘What on earth has been going on here, Dad?’

‘I thought you’d enjoy the surprise,’ John said, chuckling. ‘The bathroom had a makeover when the shower went in downstairs, but I’m to blame for the television. I bought it when Father had that bout of flu and couldn’t go out—though I doubt that he ever watched anything other than newscasts.’

‘I doubt it, too! Love to Tom. I’ll see you both in the morning.’

After supper Anna had a quick bath, then pulled on pyjamas and fleece dressing gown and went to work on her hair, praying that a good night’s sleep would do something for the circles under her eyes. But once she was settled against stacked pillows later she felt a lot better, as she always did the moment she was through the door of Keeper’s Cottage.

True to his word, John Morton arrived at nine next morning to find his daughter at the table, reading yesterday’s paper. She smiled smugly as she held her face up for his kiss.

‘There!’ She showed him the remains of her toast and marmalade. ‘I’ve eaten breakfast. Have you?’

‘Far too much.’ He patted his spare midriff ruefully.

‘What’s Tom doing?’

‘I told him to have a lie-in for once, but he’s up now. When I left he was wolfing down everything the Red Lion had to offer.’ John glanced at the paper Anna had been reading. ‘I thought I’d cancelled that.’

‘It’s mine. I brought it with me.’ She handed him a cup of tea. ‘Sit down for a minute, Dad. There’s something I want to say.’

His dark eyes narrowed anxiously. ‘That sounds ominous!’

‘Not really.’ She braced herself. ‘It’s just that if Ryder Wyndham gives me permission I’d like to do my convalescing here at the cottage.’

Her father frowned. ‘But this place is a bit isolated, Anna. Are you sure it’s a good idea?’

‘Yes,’ she said firmly. ‘I feel much better already, after just one night here.’

He eyed her closely. ‘You certainly look more rested.’

‘For the first time in ages I slept like a baby.’ Anna looked at him in appeal. ‘Dad, you and Tom both saw Gramp more recently than I did, thanks to my stay in hospital. I really need this time here to say my goodbyes to him.’

He nodded slowly in agreement. ‘I’m sure an old friend like Ryder won’t object.’ He downed his tea and stood up. ‘Right. I must get back. Several people arrived last night, but quite a few more are booked in for today, so I’d better be on hand with Tom when they turn up. I’ll be back for you at—’

‘No, you won’t, Dad! There’s no point in doubling back from the village to collect me. I’ll drive over and meet you both there.’

He shook his head. ‘Stubborn to the last! We’ll wait for you outside the church, then. And wear something warm.’

‘Yes, Doctor.’

Anna kissed him goodbye, then cleared away the breakfast pots and went upstairs to deal with the bright hair inherited from the mother who’d died when Anna was eight. Of pneumonia, she thought with contrition. No wonder her father was concerned. But, unlike her delicate mother, she was normally as fit as a fiddle. By the time she’d vegetated here for a few days—subject to the Squire’s approval, she reminded herself acidly—she’d be strong as a horse again and ready to get back to her job.

At ten-thirty she was ready in the slim black suit worn with a silk camisole over one of the lacy vests Clare had waiting when Anna was discharged from hospital. She added a long black overcoat, brushed a stray tendril back into her upswept knot of hair and put on dark glasses. She locked up carefully and then on impulse picked a posy of snowdrops from a flower bed, and threaded them through a buttonhole.

When Anna arrived at the church it was no surprise to find a long line of cars there before her. Hector Morton had been much respected as well as universally liked. A decent turnout was only to be expected. Anna smiled as her brother, sober-suited and his thatch of dark hair tidy for once, hurried to give her a rib-cracking hug as he helped her out of the car.

‘You look pale but gorgeous with it,’ he said, holding her away to look at her. ‘I like the celebrity shades.’

‘Camouflage in case I cry.’ She eyed him in approval. ‘You look pretty good yourself, Tom. After the long hours you moan about I thought you’d be wan and haggard.’

‘I was when I got here, but the cure was simple—a night’s sleep followed by the biggest breakfast of my entire life,’ he informed her, grinning. ‘And, unless that’s a very clever paint job, you look a damn sight better than you did in hospital.’

‘I’m absolutely fine now,’ she said firmly as they joined their father.

John kissed her cheek. ‘You look lovely, darling.’ He took Anna and Tom aside as the hearse glided to a stop outside the lych-gate. ‘We follow him down the aisle,’ he said in an undertone.

Faced with the harsh reality of the flower-crowned coffin, Anna heaved in an unsteady breath, grateful for Tom’s supporting arm as they entered the church. From that moment on the entire service passed in one long act of self-control. She sang the hymns her grandfather had chosen and even managed to listen without breaking down when her father spoke with humour and deep affection about Hector Morton, beloved father, grandfather and lifelong friend to many of those present.

In the churchyard later Ryder Wyndham stood slightly apart from the other mourners, watching as Anna took snowdrops from her buttonhole to let them drift down on the coffin in silent goodbye. When she looked up at last she gazed at him for a moment through the dark, concealing lenses, then inclined her head in slight, unsmiling acknowledgement and turned away.

Shaken by the silent exchange, Anna would have given much to drive straight back to the cottage there and then. Instead she walked across the village green to the Red Lion and took her place beside her father and Tom to welcome an assortment of relatives and friends. She responded to kisses and condolences, assured people that she was well now and listened to affectionate reminiscences about her grandfather. Her tension mounted steadily until at last, during one of her regular checks to make sure no elderly relative was left alone, she saw Ryder Wyndham approaching.

‘How good of you to come,’ she said formally and held out her hand very deliberately to prevent him from kissing her cheek, as most other people had done.

He shook the hand briefly, his handsome face grave. ‘Hector was my oldest friend, Anna. I shall miss him very much.’

‘So shall I.’

‘Hi there, Squire,’ said Tom as he came to join them. ‘Long time no see.’

‘Far too long, Doctor.’ Ryder smiled warmly as he shook Tom’s hand. ‘You should take a break and go fishing with me again.’

‘Nothing I’d like better,’ said Tom promptly. ‘Look, we’re staying here tonight. Why not come over for a drink and a chat later when it’s quiet?’

‘Thank you. I may well do that.’ Ryder turned to Anna with concern. ‘You’re very pale. Let me get you some brandy.’

‘She’s just out of hospital. This was a huge strain for her today,’ said Tom, eyeing her closely. ‘How do you feel, love?’

‘Absolutely fine,’ she assured him and smiled politely at Ryder. ‘I’ll pass on the brandy, thanks, but I would like a word with you. Could you spare me a few moments tomorrow at the cottage—Mr Wyndham?’

His jaw clenched at the formality. ‘Of course, whatever time suits you.’

‘Eleven, then?’

‘Eleven it is. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must speak to your father.’

Anna nodded graciously. ‘Thank you so much for coming.’

‘You knew I’d be here.’ He turned to smile at Tom. ‘I meant it about the fishing. Give me a ring when the season starts.’

‘You bet, Ryder. Thanks a lot.’

Anna watched Ryder Wyndham thread his way through the room, pausing to speak with various people as he went.

‘Did I detect a certain froideur towards the Squire?’ asked Tom dryly.

‘Better not call him that to his face. I’ve heard he doesn’t like it.’ ‘He wasn’t too keen on the Mr Wyndham tag, either. What was all that about?’

She shrugged. ‘It seemed to suit the occasion.’

‘He was right, though. You look ready to drop.’ Tom gave her a professional scrutiny. ‘Look, I’ve had nothing much to drink yet, Anna. I’ll drive you back to Keeper’s. I can get your car back to you tomorrow.’

She shook her head firmly. ‘No, thanks, Tom. I’ll be much happier if you stay here to support Dad.’

Some people took so long over their leave-taking it was an hour before Anna could kiss her father goodbye and let Tom walk her to her car.

‘Text me as soon as you get back,’ he ordered. ‘And drive carefully.’

‘It’s not far, Tom!’

It was exactly three miles door to door from the church to Keeper’s Cottage, but it felt more like thirty to Anna by the time she parked outside in the lane. The garden path seemed longer than usual and the cottage so dark and quiet she switched on all the lights before sending a message to Tom to report in. Shivering with a mixture of reaction and cold, she turned up the heating and went upstairs to change. With a sigh of relief, she toed off her high black heels and exchanged her mourning black for grey flannel trousers, her heaviest roll-neck sweater and the sheepskin slippers her grandfather had bought for her in the local market on her last visit. She’d laughed at the time, but right now her icy, aching toes were deeply grateful for their warmth.

After a phone call to Clare to ask about her cold and report that all had gone smoothly, Anna unpinned her hair and wove it into a loose braid, then went downstairs to begin the ritual of making tea in her grandfather’s brown pot. She could cry at last if she wanted. But, in the perverse way of such things, she had no tears left now there was no one to see.

While Anna was looking through the cupboards to decide on her supper menu, Tom rang to ask if she’d changed her mind about having dinner with them.

‘No, Tom. The cottage is warm and, much as I’ll miss your company, I’d rather stay here and open a tin.’

He sighed. ‘OK, if you’re sure, Anna. It just seems wrong that we’re here and you’re up there alone.’

‘As soon as you and Dad get a weekend off together I’ll cook dinner in the flat. Clare would love that. So would I.’

‘Me too, great idea. OK—no more nagging. We’ll call in to see you when we set off in the morning. Have a good night, but ring if you need us.’

‘I’ll probably sleep like a log again. This cottage has good vibes for me, Tom, always has.’

‘I know. Otherwise Dad wouldn’t let you stay there alone, even at your age.’

Anna smiled as she rang off. These days no one ‘let’ her do anything; not even her father.

The doorbell rang while she was watching the ten o’clock news. She smiled fondly. Her father hadn’t been able to resist checking up on her after all. To reassure him that she was security conscious, she kept the new safety chain on as she opened the door, but her smile vanished as unmistakable blue eyes looked down at her through the aperture. The Squire, it seemed, had honoured his tenant with a visit.

‘May I come in, Anna?’ said Ryder Wyndham.

Her first instinct was a flat refusal for several reasons, not least because she was wearing the famous slippers and her face probably looked as grey as her sweater now her make-up had worn off. On the other hand, she needed a favour.

‘I won’t keep you long,’ he added.

Anna unhooked the chain and opened the door. ‘Come in, then.’

Her visitor followed her into the parlour, his hair, longer again now, almost brushing the beams. Anna waved him to a sofa and took the one opposite, wondering, not for the first time, if some gypsy blood had once nourished the Wyndham family tree. In his teens Ryder had traded on the look, sporting wild black ringlets and a gold earring that went well with slanting cheekbones and eyes surrounded by lashes that were still thick as flue-brushes, she thought resentfully. At the moment the eyes were surveying her with unnerving concentration.

‘In the churchyard today that knot of hair shone like a beacon among all the mourning black,’ he said at last, surprising her. ‘But worn like that you look about fifteen.’

‘Such a good thing for a woman to hear when she’s more than twice that age,’ said Anna, her tone as sweet and cold as the lemon sorbet she was partial to.

‘I know exactly how old you are.’

Her eyes glittered coldly. ‘You’ve told me that before.’

‘I called in at the Red Lion,’ Ryder said after an awkward silence. ‘Tom told me you came straight back here, too tired to stay there for dinner.’

‘It’s been a tiring sort of day.’

‘And you’ve been ill.’

She shrugged. ‘Something I’ll do my utmost to avoid in future. It worried my family and interfered with my job.’

The striking eyes remained steady on her face. ‘Are you still with the same firm of chartered accountants?’

She nodded. ‘Yes. I hope to make partner soon.’

‘So I heard. Your grandfather was very proud of your success. He thought the world of you, Anna.’

‘It was mutual.’ She looked at him levelly. ‘Why did you come tonight instead of in the morning?’

‘Your father asked me to call in to check on you.’

She frowned impatiently. ‘He really shouldn’t have done that.’

‘It’s no great thing. I had to pass the cottage on my way home, Anna.’ Ryder stood up, his presence filling the low-ceilinged room. In place of the black tie and dark suit of the afternoon he wore a heavy navy sweater with casual cords, but as always, Anna thought resentfully, looked exactly right.

‘Since you are here we might as well talk now and save you some time,’ she said shortly, but he shook his head.

‘You look exhausted, Anna. I’ll come back in the morning. Goodnight. Sleep well.’ He looked down at her as she opened the front door. ‘Put the chain on after I leave.’

She gave him a curt nod. ‘Goodnight.’

Anna had been tired and ready for bed before RyderWyndham turned up. But sleep was a forlorn hope now without a warm bath to soothe down the hackles her visitor had raised without even trying. She knew perfectly well that she should have said her piece tonight, but sheer vanity had prodded her to look more appealing when she coaxed Ryder to let her stay in the cottage for a while.

Anna groaned next morning when she faced her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Looking like this she was in no state to do any coaxing. Her hair was a wild tangle after the steam of her late night bath and her face was milk-pale—something she’d have to put right pretty sharply before her father and Tom arrived and carted her off home to Shrewsbury whether she wanted to go or not.

Later, in a scarlet sweater chosen to lend warmth to her skin, Anna did some skilful work on her face, but her efforts failed to deceive the brace of doctors she was related to.

‘Bad night, obviously,’ said her father, looking worried.

‘My own fault. I took an unplanned nap during the evening,’ she told him. ‘Fortunately I was awake when Ryder called. Bad idea, Dad. You shouldn’t have asked him to do that.’

John Morton eyed her in surprise. ‘I knew he’d be passing on his way home. Besides, I thought you’d be pleased to see him.’

‘I was not looking my best by that time,’ she said tartly. ‘Not that it matters. Have you two got time for coffee before you take off?’

‘Sorry,’ said Tom regretfully. ‘I’m doing an outpatients clinic at two.’

‘And I’m seeing Father’s solicitor on the way back, so I must be off too,’ said John Morton, and peered into his daughter’s eyes as he felt her pulse. ‘How soon will you finish your antibiotics?’

‘Ten days to go.’

‘Good. But you look a bit anaemic to me, my girl. Add some extra iron to your vitamins.’

‘I’m already doing that, Dad.’

Once Anna had persuaded her men that she was perfectly capable of managing alone for a day or two, they drove off, one after the other, leaving her to wait for another visit from the Squire.

Ryder Wyndham arrived promptly at eleven, by which time Anna’s hair was in a careless-looking knot that had taken ages to achieve, and both she and the cottage were immaculate.

‘Good morning,’ said Anna as she let him in. ‘Coffee?’

‘Thank you.’

She opened the parlour door for him, but he followed her to the kitchen.

‘How are you today, Anna?’

‘Absolutely fine. Would you take the tray?’

When they were seated opposite each other in the parlour, Ryder took the cup she gave him and sat back. ‘For obvious reasons I was surprised when you asked to see me. So what can I do for you, Anna?’

She smiled politely. ‘Nothing too arduous. I just need your permission to stay on in the cottage for a few days. I’m supposed to convalesce for a while before even thinking of going back to work, and I’ll do that far better here than in London.’

He shrugged. ‘You don’t need my permission, Anna. It’s your grandfather’s house, not mine. He bought it from the estate years ago.’

‘What?’ She stared at him blankly. ‘Is that true?’

He looked down his aquiline Wyndham nose. ‘I’m not in the habit of lying, Anna. I admit it’s not our normal policy to sell off property, but Hector Morton served the estate faithfully all his working life, so my father made an exception in his case.’

Anna shook her head in amazement. ‘I had no idea.’

‘Surely you wondered why so much work was done here this past year?’

‘I assumed the Wyndham Estate was responsible.’

He shook his head. ‘My total input was to give any advice your grandfather asked for.’

‘It was very good advice, Ryder,’ she conceded. ‘The entire cottage looks a picture. Though I’m surprised he bothered at his age. He knew very well he wouldn’t have long to enjoy it,’ she added sadly.

‘His own enjoyment was never his intention. He was making the place more saleable.’

‘He meant to sell it?’ she said, startled.

‘No.’ Ryder put his cup on the tray and got up. ‘Anna, this puts me in a very awkward position. Hector showed me his will quite recently, but you obviously know nothing about it.’

‘Not yet. Dad’s calling in on the solicitor on his way back this morning. He’ll ring me tonight.’

‘Good. He can put you in the picture. How long will you stay here?’ he added.

‘A few days, maybe. I’ll see how it goes.’ Anna got to her feet, eyeing him in challenge. ‘Do you mind if I stay for a while, Ryder?’

‘Of course not.’ He smiled bleakly. ‘After all, we were good friends once.’

‘Something you forgot one memorable evening,’ she said bluntly.

‘Anna, if I could take back the things I said that night I would. It was a pretty rough time for me. I apologised humbly when I knew the truth,’ he reminded her curtly.

Anna eyed him with scorn. ‘Come off it, Ryder. You don’t do humble.’

His eyes glittered coldly. ‘I had a damn good try in your case! I failed spectacularly, I grant you, but your grandfather told me to give you time, that you’d come round one day.’

‘Did he really? For once in his life he was wrong.’

He gave her a challenging look. ‘Was he? In London you wouldn’t let me through the door, but here you’ve done that twice in two days.’

‘Only because I needed something from you,’ she assured him. ‘Have you heard from Dominic lately?’

‘Yes. I told him about Hector. I wouldn’t pass on the number here without your permission so Dominic asked me to give you his condolences.’

‘If he contacts you again, give him the number by all means, but I doubt that he’ll need it.’

‘You’re not so friendly with my little brother these days?’

Her eyes clashed with his. ‘I never was in the way you mean. In any case Dominic lives in New York now—and soon he’ll be married to someone much younger and a lot more eligible than me,’ she added tartly. ‘Tell me, Ryder. Was it just my advancing years you objected to, or the irrefutable fact that I was your gamekeeper’s granddaughter?’

His face hardened. ‘That’s an insult to your grandfather.’

‘Then I apologise to him. Thank you so much for coming,’ she added graciously. ‘I’m sorry I wasted your valuable time.’

‘Not at all.’ He shook her hand with cold formality. ‘If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to get in touch.’

She’d crawl over hot coals first!

At the front door he paused to look down at her. ‘Take good care of yourself, Anna. Tom told me you developed pneumonia because you went back to work too soon after a dose of flu.’

Her eyes flashed. ‘Tom should mind his own business!’

‘As a brother and a doctor,’ he drawled, ‘I imagine he feels that your health is his business.’

‘True, but it’s very definitely not yours, Ryder Wyndham—or should I say Squire and pull my forelock?’

‘By all means if you want to, Anna,’ he said, infuriating her, and fixed her with a glacial blue look. ‘Tom told me you’d been ill for the simple reason that he wanted me to keep an eye on you. Here’s my mobile number. Call me if you need anything.’

‘How kind. But I won’t,’ she assured him, and held the door open wide.

‘Keep the card anyway.’ Ryder nodded casually and went down the path to the Land Rover waiting at the gate.




CHAPTER TWO


ANNA heard from her father before he began evening surgery. ‘What’s up, Dad?’ she said, surprised. ‘I thought you were ringing tonight.’

‘I just couldn’t wait that long to give you my news, darling—’

‘Hold on. Before you start, I’ve got news for you too. Ryder says Gramp bought the cottage from the estate years ago. Did you know about that?’

‘No—at least not until this morning. Father left the cottage to you, Anna.’

She sat down with a thump on one of the kitchen chairs. ‘What?’

‘You get the cottage, and he put a sum of money equal to its value in trust for Tom and me. Old Fanshawe’s a dry old stick, but he had a twinkle in his eye when he told me my father had been playing the stock market for years. The old devil. He let me assume that the estate was paying for the work on the cottage. And all the time he was turning it into a desirable property to leave to you. He made it over to you years ago, Anna. Are you still there?’

‘Just about,’ she said faintly.

‘I’m having trouble taking it in too,’ admitted John Morton. ‘I had no idea Father had so much money to leave. But I wish he’d left it differently, instead of landing you with the responsibility of the house.’

‘Knowing Gramp, he had his reasons, Dad.’

‘He obviously expected you to sell it.’

Anna looked round her with assessing eyes. ‘I’m not so sure about that. He knew how much I loved the place, so maybe he thought I’d live here.’

‘You can’t commute to London, Anna!’

‘True. But it would be a perfect weekend retreat for all three of us.’

‘That hardly seems fair.’

‘What does Tom say about it?’

‘I haven’t told him yet.’ John Morton’s voice softened. ‘Now, forget about the will for a minute—how do you feel, darling?’

‘Thunderstruck.’

‘I mean physically.’

Anna thought about it. ‘Is a sudden yearning for bacon sandwiches a good sign?’

‘Excellent. But I didn’t buy any bacon for you.’

‘It’s a fine afternoon. I’ll drive down to the village shop.’

‘Good idea. Buy plenty of milk and fresh fruit too. Take care of yourself, pet. I’ll ring you tomorrow.’

Anna put on the ancient sheepskin jacket always kept in her wardrobe at Keeper’s and went out to the car, delighted by the idea of her grandfather playing the stock market. Good for him, she thought proudly as she drove through cold late afternoon sunshine.

Anna left the village stores later with a bag full of shopping and a head buzzing with condolences and local news, but arrived home with a proud sense of achievement because she’d managed it all without feeling exhausted. Her own home, she reminded herself in triumph. Keeper’s Cottage was now officially her very own property, all signed and sealed. She couldn’t wait to tell Clare.

Clare Saunders was an attractive forty-year-old divorcee, who owned a flat bought with her share of the proceeds when her marriage to a fellow journalist came to an end. The two women had met at a party and took to each other on sight—so much so that when Clare heard Anna was in sudden need for somewhere to live she suggested they try sharing for a month to see how it worked out. It worked out so well that John and Tom Morton soon looked on Clare as an extra member of the family.

With no chance of talking to her friend until Clare got home from work that evening, Anna settled down with a book for the daily rest her father had insisted on as part of her recovery programme. But excitement over her windfall made it hard to rest and even harder to concentrate on the written word. Her mouth tightened. A shame she hadn’t known all this sooner. There would have been no need to coax Ryder Wyndham to let her stay here. Though at one time that would have posed no problem at all. As he’d reminded her, they’d been good friends when they were young.

She gave up on her book and leaned back, her mind on the past. She’d spent almost every school holiday here with Tom after their mother died. Hector Morton had been only too pleased to look after his grandchildren, ready to give any help he could to his grieving, hard-working doctor son. He’d kept a watchful, tolerant eye on Anna and Tom as they roamed the estate with Ryder. Edward Wyndham, the eldest son, was several years Ryder’s senior and, as heir to the estate, too involved in helping his father run it to have time for siblings. Dominic had surprised everyone, not least his parents, by appearing on the scene when Ryder was thirteen and Anna ten.

But five years after that everything changed for Anna.

The Wyndhams gave a party to celebrate Ryder’s eighteenth birthday and, to her wild excitement, Anna received a formal invitation. John Morton bought her the dress of her dreams and Hector drove her to the Manor that night, proud as Punch of his granddaughter. Anna received a warm welcome from all the family, but felt shy as she was introduced to the other guests. The boys were friendly, but the girls ignored her. They were sophisticated creatures, with long hair and strapless satin dresses, and the moment she laid eyes on them Anna found that her new elfin haircut and pastel chiffon party frock were all wrong. For the first time in her life she was conscious of the social gulf which yawned between Anna Morton from Keeper’s Cottage and Ryder Wyndham from the Manor. His mother, unfailingly kind as always, made sure that her youngest guest never lacked for partners when the disco music started thumping out in the marquee, but once supper was over Anna couldn’t get away fast enough. She thanked her hostess and, with the excuse that her grandfather was waiting for her, slipped away, desperate to go home.

But Ryder went racing after her and when he found that Hector’s old shooting brake was nowhere in sight, drove her home in the sports car he’d been given for his birthday. He’d laughingly demanded a goodnight kiss for taxi fare, the first they’d ever exchanged, and with a careless wave drove back to the party, leaving Anna to stand at the gate gazing after him in a daze. To Ryder the kiss had so obviously meant nothing more than an affectionate exchange with an old friend that Anna suffered a crushing sense of rejection as he returned at top speed to the Manor, eager to get back to the girls who’d been so hostile towards her. Anna watched the scarlet car roar away into the night and knew that nothing would be the same again. It was time to grow up.

Life also changed for the youngest Wyndham. According to Hector, Dominic grew up wild and rebellious, narrowly missed being expelled from school after his mother died, and insisted on taking a fine art course instead of studying law as his father wanted. Anna hadn’t seen him for years until the evening he came to tell her about Edward Wyndham’s sudden, tragic death.

She had been dressed ready for a party and knew with hindsight that she’d made more of an impression on her visitor than she’d realised in a clinging black sheath with her hair in an expensively tousled amber mane. But, no matter what Dominic said to his brother afterwards, she thought bitterly, she had merely offered her visitor coffee and sympathy, and even offered a tissue when his feelings overcame him and tears welled in the familiar blue Wyndham eyes. They had talked over old times together, and Dominic described his job in the fine arts section of a prestigious New York auction house, of the ‘nose’ he’d developed for finding sleepers that turned out to be lost masterpieces. He’d also talked a lot about the wonderful girl he worked with there. When Anna asked after Ryder, Dominic told her his brother was keeping his feelings under wraps, as usual. But Anna had eventually learnt exactly how Ryder felt the night he came to confront her with his accusations. And, even after all this time, the wound he’d inflicted was still painful.



Anna shrugged the memories away as she made supper. Afterwards she rang Clare to pass on the astonishing news about her legacy and tried to coax her friend to come down for the weekend. But Clare was now deep in the throes of her cold and in no state to go anywhere but bed.

‘Sorry, can’t make it, love,’ she said thickly. ‘It’s a good thing you’re safe out of the way down there. The last thing you need is assault and battery by a new set of germs.’

‘You sound terrible, Clare. For heaven’s sake look after yourself—remember what happened to me!’

‘A salutary lesson, darling. Never fear, I’m dosing myself with pills washed down with hot lemon and honey laced with single malt my dear old ex brought me.’

‘Is Charlie with you?’

‘He’s mopping my feverish brow as we speak.’

Anna grinned as she heard familiar male laughter. ‘I’ll leave you to enjoy ill health, then. Take care.’

Tom rang later to exclaim over their grandfather’s legacy. ‘Will you sell the cottage, Anna?’

‘It’s the sensible thing to do, but I don’t want to. As I told Dad, the three of us can use it as a weekend retreat.’

‘But that’s not fair. You didn’t get any cash, and you’ll need some just to keep the place ticking over.’

‘I know that, Tom, but I can manage that quite easily on my salary. Besides, this place is so full of Gramp I can’t bear the thought of strangers living here.’

‘Me too, but you may well change your mind after a few days on your own down there.’




CHAPTER THREE


DETERMINED to prove Tom wrong, Anna settled into a pleasant, restful routine. She slept reasonably well, drove to the village after breakfast every morning for a daily paper and anything else she fancied, then after lunch went for a walk if the weather was good or a drive when it rained. By the evening she was only too happy to talk on the phone with friends for a while before settling on a sofa with a book, or to watch television, and her mirror confirmed that she looked a lot better. To her relief she saw no more of Ryder Wyndham, but her father checked on her daily and promised to drive down to take her to lunch at the Red Lion the following Saturday.

Anna spent the morning tidying up the day before, went for a drive in the afternoon and on the way back called in at the village shop to lay in extra supplies for her father’s visit. She was so late getting back it was dark by the time she reached the cottage. She dumped her shopping down in the hall and switched on lights, then went into the parlour to draw the curtains. And stopped dead in the doorway. The place was a mess. The sofa cushions had been thrown to the floor and the television was missing, along with two oil paintings and the set of Spode plates from the inglenook…She stiffened, swallowing dryly. The intruder could still be in the house. Armed with a poker from the fireplace, she tiptoed through to the pantry but, to her enormous relief, met no one on the way. The burglar was long gone, taking the microwave, kettle and kitchen wall clock with him, she noted in fury. A chill ran down her spine. He might be upstairs.

Anna forced herself to creep up the narrow staircase, then sagged against the wall on the landing in relief when she found no sign of the intruder other than the chaos he’d caused. She stayed on the landing to look into each bedroom and ground her teeth in fury at the sight of drawers yanked out of the furniture and mattresses heaved to one side. As the final straw, her suitcase had been opened and her underwear tossed in a tangled heap on the carpet. But she was wearing her watch and signet ring and she’d taken her wallet with her, so the pickings in that field had been slim for the intruder, which was some consolation. Her instinct was to rush into each room and tidy up, but caution told her to leave everything as it was and ring the police to report the break-in. After making the call she found she was trembling with reaction. She knew she ought to ring her father. But he was a long way away and well into evening surgery by now and Tom had even further to drive, even if he was available.

Nevertheless she was in urgent need of support from someone right now. In the end she searched for Ryder’s card, stared at it for a long moment, then shrugged and rang his number. Hot coals or not, this was an emergency.

‘Ryder, it’s Anna. I’m sorry to trouble you, but I didn’t know who else to ring. I’ve been burgled.’

‘Good God. Are you all right? Are you hurt?’ he demanded.

‘No. I was out. I’ve just got in. I’ve rung the police.’

‘Good. I’m on my way.’

Anna put her shopping away while she waited, but in shorter time than she’d have believed possible she heard a car speeding down the lane, footsteps racing up the path and hammering on the door.

‘Anna, let me in.’

She threw open the door and Ryder closed it behind him, his face stern.

‘Tell me what happened,’ he ordered.

‘I went out this afternoon,’ she said unsteadily. ‘When I came back I found the place in a mess and some things had been taken. My first thought was to ring Dad, but it would have taken him ages to get here and you did say to contact you if I needed anything.’

‘Of course. It was exactly the right thing to do,’ he said, eyeing her closely. ‘Are you sure you’re all right, Anna? You’re as white as a sheet.’

‘Fright,’ she said tersely. ‘I’m fine otherwise.’

‘Good. Come and sit down and tell me what’s missing.’ His voice was so sympathetic Anna fought an urge to lay her head on his shoulder and cry her eyes out. ‘Hector’s obituary was in the local paper today,’ he said grimly. ‘Someone obviously read it and came to take a look.’

She stared at him, aghast. ‘You think it was as calculated as that?’

‘It’s pretty common practice. What was taken?’

Anna ticked off the list on her fingers as she told him. ‘Luckily Gramp gave me Grandma’s jewellery ages ago…’ She bit her lip.

‘What is it?’

‘I’ve just remembered. Gramp had a gold watch—a half hunter with a heavy gold chain and fob. I didn’t look, but they probably got away with that as well.’ She gave a shiver. ‘They ransacked the drawers and threw some of my things on the floor, but I didn’t actually go in the bedrooms. I left that for the police.’

‘Good thinking,’ approved Ryder. ‘You look shaken, Anna. I’ll make you some tea while we wait for them.’

‘You don’t have to wait.’

‘Don’t talk rot,’ he said brusquely.

Anna groaned in dismay. ‘You can’t make tea. They’ve taken the kettle.’

‘What a townie you are these days,’ he mocked. ‘A saucepan on the stove will do the job just as well—provided they left the tea.’

‘It should be in the caddy with the portrait of the Queen.’

‘I know. Hector often made tea for me in that big brown pot,’ said Ryder soberly. ‘I miss him too, Anna—’ He broke off as the bell rang and went to the door to let in the police.

The constables who came in answer to Anna’s call had known Hector Morton well. They offered condolences, made a thorough inspection and found the window broken in the spare bedroom. The burglar had climbed up the wisteria, smashed the glass next to the window latch and hopped over the window sill, splintering wood and tearing curtains down in the process as he rushed to let his partner in through the front door. Ryder assured the policemen that he’d block up the window until a glazier could be organised and, after providing the men with a list of everything she knew to be missing, Anna felt weary by the time they left.

‘I don’t care about the television and the electrical stuff they took,’ she told Ryder as he finally gave her the promised tea, ‘but the paintings and plates and the kitchen clock were Gramp’s wedding presents.’

‘It won’t be easy to track them down, Anna. There are so many cop shows on television every likely lad wears gloves to do his breaking and entering these days,’ he pointed out.

She nodded, depressed. ‘Dad’s coming to take me to lunch tomorrow. When I tell him about this he’ll insist on taking me home with him. In the meantime I’d better ring the Red Lion—’

‘Why?’

She pulled a face. ‘I don’t fancy sleeping here tonight with a broken window for company.’

‘You’re not going to. You’re coming home with me.’

Anna stared at him in surprise. ‘I can’t do that.’

‘Why not?’

She could think of a great many reasons, none of which she wanted to share with Ryder.

‘I’m not exactly short of bedrooms,’ he reminded her. ‘And Mrs Carter is still around. God knows what I’ll do when she retires. She’s been a godsend since I took over. I employ plenty of help from the village, but she’s getting on a bit and does so much I tend to worry about her.’

‘Is staff easy to find?’

‘The women who help in the house have been working there for years, so up to now the problem hasn’t arisen. The estate manager retired recently and I haven’t found anyone to take over his job yet so I’m doing that myself as a learning exercise. My father and Eddy died within months of each other, which meant double death duties, so there’s a lot to sort out.’

‘So Dominic told me.’

Ryder smiled sardonically. ‘Did he mention that my engagement ended about that time as well?’

‘No, he didn’t. Tom told me only recently. I’m sorry,’ she added awkwardly.

He shrugged. ‘Past history now. Right then, Anna, if you can supply me with a plastic bag I’ll raid Hector’s tool box for some masking tape and seal that window while you pack some things for the night.’

Not, thought Anna as she handed him a bin liner, that she was as sorry as she should be about the missing fiancée. Edwina French had been one of the unfriendly girls at the party all those years ago.

Ryder made short work of sealing the bedroom window, made a note of the splintered ledge and crumbling plaster the burglar had left in his wake, and went along the landing to Anna’s room. He frowned when he saw the tangle of underwear on her floor. ‘You can’t wear any of that!’

‘Absolutely not,’ she said, shuddering, and stepped over it to look in her wardrobe. ‘Nothing seems to be touched in here, thank goodness. My sweaters are still in their polythene bags. I’ll just throw the other things in the bath—’

‘Stuff them in a bag instead and take them with you. Mrs Carter will run them through the washing machine and have them ready by morning.’

‘The poor woman has enough to do without that. I’ll ask her to let me do it,’ said Anna firmly.

‘You can ask, but she’ll take one look at you and rush you off to bed.’

Ryder was right. He rang Mrs Carter to tell her he was bringing Anna to stay the night, and why, and by the time they arrived she had prepared a room and had the kitchen door open the moment Ryder drove into the back courtyard. Neat as always in a navy dress and flowered apron, every grey hair in place, she beamed in welcome as Ryder helped Anna down from the Land Rover.

Unlike the black and white half-timbered houses common to most local architecture, the Manor was a classic Georgian cube with a pillared portico and floor to ceiling windows. Anna glanced up at them with a shiver, remembering the light blazing from them as she made her escape from Ryder’s party all those years ago.

‘Here she is, Martha,’ said Ryder.

‘You poor dear,’ said the housekeeper as Ryder took Anna inside. ‘What a thing to happen.’

‘I’m sorry to give you so much trouble, Mrs Carter,’ said Anna. ‘Ryder said you wouldn’t mind if I put some things in your washing machine. The intruder pawed through them and left them in a heap on the floor.’

‘Dirty beast,’ said Mrs Carter fiercely. ‘Just you hand them over, dear. I’ll see to them. I’ve put you in the little blue guest room because it heats up the quickest, but I’ve put hot-water bottles in the bed just in case. I’ll bring you a tray of supper after you’ve had a rest.’

Maternal coddling had been missing from Anna’s life since she was eight and, after the shock of the robbery, it was the last straw for her self-control. ‘So sorry,’ she said thickly, mopping at tears.

‘Don’t you apologise. You’ve got every right to cry after such a nasty shock. Now, I’ll see to these things while Mr Ryder takes you up to your room.’

Anna blew her nose and followed Ryder up a panelled staircase lined with portraits of former Wyndhams. He took her along the landing to a small, reassuringly cosy guest room, eyeing her searchingly as he put her bag down. ‘Do you really want to go straight to bed?’

She shook her head. ‘Are you going out?’ she asked awkwardly.

‘No.’

‘Then could I just sit downstairs with you?’

‘Of course,’ he said courteously. ‘If that’s what you prefer, I’d be delighted to have your company, Anna. I’ll tell Martha. Your bathroom’s through that blue door. In the meantime, take it easy for a while. I’ll be back for you in an hour.’

Anna felt grubby from mere contact with the clothes the intruder had handled. She would have liked a bath, but with no clean underwear at her disposal she contented herself with a vigorous wash before changing into the red sweater she’d packed. When Ryder came back for her she was sitting in a small blue armchair by the window, leafing through out-of-date magazines.

‘You look much better,’ he said in approval, then smiled as he noticed her reading matter. ‘We used to provide those for guests, but I haven’t done much entertaining since my father and Eddy died.’

‘Because you’re still grieving for them, Ryder?’ asked Anna, surprised to feel a pang of sympathy.

‘That’s certainly part of it. Losing them both in such a short space of time was pretty devastating. I needed time to myself to mourn them. I was also landed with a job I wasn’t trained for. Since the estate manager retired I’ve worked so damned hard I don’t have much inclination for socialising.’ He smiled wryly.

‘A lot different from life for you at one time,’ she commented.

‘Too true. In the old days in the City, juggling with other people’s millions, I burnt the candle at both ends, never imagining that one day I’d have to take over here. Eddy was the heir; I was just the spare.’ He smiled. ‘Dominic refers to himself as The Accident.’

‘During the very brief time we spent together,’ said Anna very deliberately, ‘Dominic told me he’s doing well at his auction house.’

Ryder acknowledged her barb with a wry smile. ‘He’ll do even better after he marries the founder’s granddaughter.’

‘Plus the inheritance you thought I lusted after,’ she reminded him tartly. ‘Did you really believe I was after Dominic—of all people—for his money?’

Ryder shrugged. ‘No point in lying. Until you put me right on the subject, I admit that I did, briefly. I couldn’t see what the attraction was otherwise in someone you’d known as a baby.’

‘At least you’re honest! Didn’t your aunt leave you anything?’

‘Aunt Augusta said I made too much money of my own to need hers. And she didn’t leave Eddy anything because he was the heir to the estate, so Dominic got the lot.’

Anna eyed him searchingly. ‘Do you hanker after your old life, Ryder?’

He shook his head. ‘Oddly enough, no. I enjoyed the cut and thrust of it at the time, not to mention the money that bought the smart flat and the sexy cars. But secretly I always envied Eddy. I would have exchanged it all in a flash to be in his shoes, running this place.’ Ryder smiled bitterly. ‘Then suddenly I was doing just that, in the last way I would have chosen. So, Anna Morton, the moral is to be careful what you wish for in case it’s granted.’

‘Amen to that,’ she said soberly as they went downstairs.

‘Mr Ryder won’t use the dining room these days,’ Mrs Carter apologised as Ryder seated Anna at a small table in the morning room.

‘This is much cosier,’ Anna assured her.

‘And much nearer the kitchen,’ added Ryder.

They ate perfectly grilled trout with lemon, served with small buttered potatoes and a green salad. Mrs Carter eyed Anna’s empty plate with approval when she arrived with their pudding. ‘Mr Ryder tells me you’ve had pneumonia, of all things, a young girl like you, Anna, so you need plenty of good food inside you to make sure you get over it properly. I’ve put cheese on the side table so I’ll just take these plates and leave you in peace.’

‘Thank you for a delicious meal,’ said Anna warmly. ‘This tart looks wonderful.’

‘I froze the raspberries myself in the summer, dear, so you enjoy a nice big slice with some cream.’ Mrs Carter smiled, pleased, as she bore her tray out of the room.

‘You heard what Martha said,’ commented Ryder as he served Anna. ‘You need to eat.’

‘Not hard to do when food like this is put in front of me.’ She helped herself to cream.

‘I hope you appreciate the eco-friendly menu. The potatoes and raspberries are home-grown and I caught the trout myself last season. That’s a very odd look you’re giving me,’ he added.

‘I was just wondering—but it’s none of my business,’ she added hastily. ‘Let’s talk about something else.’

He looked down his nose at her. ‘Are you wondering, by any chance, if the double death duties left me so stony broke I can’t afford to serve a decent meal?’

‘No, of course not.’ She bit her lip, flushing, wishing now she’d stayed at the cottage, broken window or not.

‘The simplicity of the menu,’ he said very deliberately, ‘is not due to lack of funds, Anna. It’s the kind of food we often eat. If I’d known it would worry you, I would have asked Martha to serve lobster and tournedos Rossini.’

Anna put down her fork without tasting the tart. ‘Perhaps I should have had supper in my room after all. You know perfectly well I wasn’t criticising the menu. And your funds, lack of them or otherwise, don’t interest me in the slightest—Squire.’

Ryder looked at her in silence for a moment. ‘I apologise for the cheap crack, Anna. Please eat the tart or Martha will be upset.’

‘I wouldn’t upset Mrs Carter for the world,’ said Anna pointedly and picked up her fork again.

‘Point taken,’ said Ryder. ‘But, just to put the record straight, I’m in a better position than some men who inherit this kind of place, due to the money I’d earned—and invested—in my banking days.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s good to have it as a cushion, I admit, but even without it I’m not destitute. I’m running the estate with the money left after the debts were settled, though I’m doing it rather differently from Eddy.’

‘In what way?’

‘By seeking new sources of revenue. When your grandfather retired, Eddy was all for selling off the shoots Hector used to organise, but there’s good money to be made in that area, so once I’ve hired a new gamekeeper I shall reinstate them. The facilities for catering are still in the barns and that kind of thing is pretty popular with jaded businessmen at weekends. I’ve also been approached by a television company to use the house as the setting for a period drama. Eddy would have hated that, but I jumped at the chance of more revenue for the estate.’

Anna nodded. ‘Sounds like a good move. By the way, did you show my grandfather how to play the market?’

‘Guilty as charged,’ he admitted. ‘Not that he needed much teaching. He was a natural.’

‘Do you still do that kind of thing yourself, Ryder?’

‘Sometimes, when it’s a cast-iron certainty.’ He smiled reminiscently. ‘I used to worry about Hector, but he’d just smile that slow smile of his and promise to be careful.’

‘Did he ever lose much money?’

‘To my knowledge he never lost a penny. A canny man, your grandfather.’

‘That he was. You know he left me the cottage?’

Ryder nodded. ‘He told me when he started the renovations.’

‘He left the equivalent in money to Dad and Tom and they’re worried that I got the poor deal.’ Anna shrugged. ‘But I earn enough to cover the running costs of the cottage. I’m a provident sort of female. And, contrary to some people’s belief,’ she added significantly, ‘money has never been my sole interest.’

‘Rubbing salt in my wound, Anna?’

‘Hard as I can!’ She smiled a little. ‘Though I shouldn’t when you’re being so kind, Ryder.’

‘The least I could do in the circumstances,’ he said, shrugging, and got up. ‘Martha will have coffee ready by now, so I’ll save her a journey.’

Anna felt a sense of intrusion as she took a good look round the pretty, comfortable room she’d never been in before. The kitchen had been the only territory familiar to her in the old days. Ryder had often taken the young Mortons in there for cake and drinks at the kitchen table, with Dominic delighted to be part of the group while his nanny enjoyed a cup of tea with Mrs Carter. She sighed. It all seemed so long ago, like something in another life.

‘What are you thinking about?’ asked Ryder, when he came back with a tray.

‘I was wallowing in nostalgia. It’s funny that Dominic, the youngest, will be the first of us to get married, after all.’

‘True. And I’m afraid this is tea, not coffee,’ added Ryder. ‘Martha thought it would be better for you after your shock.’

‘She’s absolutely right,’ said Anna gratefully. ‘I’d love some tea, if you’ll pour it.’

‘You feel shaky?’

‘Not in the least. I’m just afraid to touch that teapot. I saw one just like it valued at a frighteningly high price on one of the antiques programmes the other day.’

‘Really?’ Ryder eyed the pot with new respect. ‘We don’t use it normally. Martha obviously thought you merited the best china.’

‘I’m honoured!’

‘Hannah was the last one to merit the honour. Martha took to her in a big way.’

‘I suppose Dominic’s getting married in New York?’

‘Yes. Though when he brought Hannah on a visit to show her the ancestral home she was so taken with the Manor she was all for having the wedding in the village church with a reception right here at the house. But her parents, naturally enough, wanted her to be married from her own home.’ Ryder eyed her speculatively. ‘Talking of weddings, why aren’t you married yet, Anna?’

She shrugged. ‘Mr Right hasn’t shown up yet.’

‘But you lived with someone for quite a time. Hector used to keep me up to speed when I saw him.’

‘Did he also tell you he disapproved? To him it was living in sin.’ Anna pulled a face. ‘In actual fact it was nothing so exciting. Sean and I both worked such long hours we gradually saw less and less of each other. Eventually I discovered that we had totally different ideas about our relationship, so I moved out.’

‘Did he come here often?’

‘No. I preferred to visit Gramp on my own. You met Sean during the only weekend he ever came to the cottage. It never stopped raining and he never stopped complaining—not least because I insisted he slept in the spare bedroom. Gramp didn’t take to him, and not long after that I moved out of Sean’s flat.’

Ryder raised an eyebrow. ‘Because Hector didn’t approve?’

‘It was a contributory factor,’ she admitted. ‘They never said so, but I know Dad and Tom weren’t hugely keen either. But now I share a flat with Clare Saunders, someone my entire family approves of. Gramp took to Clare in a big way when she came to Keeper’s not so long ago.’

‘I met them when they were out for a walk.’ He looked at her. ‘You’d stayed behind. To avoid me, no doubt.’

‘Yes,’ she said frankly. ‘Gramp was keen to show Clare round the estate. I hope you didn’t mind.’

‘You really need to ask that?’

Her eyes kindled. ‘I wouldn’t have done once. But after the accusations you made I felt I didn’t know you any more.’

‘When I discovered my mistake I made sincere apologies,’ he reminded her coldly. ‘Since you flatly refused to accept them, I see no point in apologising again.’

‘Message received, Ryder.’ She got to her feet. ‘Thank you for supper, and for coming to my rescue. I’m a bit tired, so I’ll say goodnight.’

‘I’ll see you to your room,’ said Ryder, and walked upstairs with her in a silence he kept up until they reached the door of the blue room. ‘I hope you sleep well, Anna.’

‘Me, too,’ she said fervently.

He opened the door. ‘If you have nightmares about intruders, just yell. My room’s across the landing.’

‘Thank you. Goodnight.’ Anna closed the door, glad that someone would be close at hand in this big, empty house with its elegant high-ceilinged rooms. She’d been upstairs at the Manor occasionally when she was young, but only on rainy afternoons when Ryder sneaked her up the back stairs with Tom to his old room on the floor above. Now Ryder probably slept in state in the master bedroom that had been off limits to him in the old days.

The bed was comfortable, but Anna had no great hopes of a restful night after an evening that had been a strain from start to finish. And, added to that, she felt guilty about ringing Ryder instead of her father or Tom. It was only because Ryder was the nearest, she argued to herself, but that was only partly true. In spite of their differences, she’d had no hesitation in turning to him for help.

Ryder Wyndham had always been the ultimate hero to her—from the day she first met him, right up to the moment when he came crashing down from his pedestal. But tonight he’d come straight to her rescue and taken over with efficiency she couldn’t fault. If she was going to spend time at the cottage in future, it would be inconvenient to go on harbouring a grudge—much better to remember the casual, taken-for-granted friendship they’d shared as children. But in those days she had been blissfully ignorant of the social differences between them. Now, supposedly classless society or not, the gulf between the gamekeeper’s granddaughter and the Squire still yawned as wide as ever, as Ryder had proved beyond all doubt when he thought she had ambitions to marry into his family.

Anna woke to sunshine and a knock on the door.

‘Are you decent?’ called Ryder.

She scrambled upright, flipping her braid over her shoulder as she yanked the quilt up to her chin. ‘Yes.’

The door opened slowly as Ryder backed in with a tray. ‘Good morning. I saved Martha a trip.’

‘I would have come down,’ Anna protested as he laid the tray across her lap. And would have made sure she looked rather more appetising before she had.

‘Martha says you need looking after,’ said Ryder, shrugging.

Anna looked through a sudden mist of tears at the perfectly poached egg and crisp triangles of wholemeal toast.

‘Anna!’ Ryder stared at her in surprise. ‘You don’t have to eat the egg if you don’t want to.’

‘I do, I do,’ she said, sniffing inelegantly. ‘Sorry. It’s just that Mrs Carter’s so kind and—’

‘And you’ve had a shock and you’re grieving for Hector.’ The unexpected sympathy in his voice almost started her off again.

‘He always poached an egg for me when I was under the weather.’

Ryder went into the bathroom and came back with a handful of tissues. ‘Mop yourself up and try to eat something, if only to please Martha.’

‘Of course I will,’ said Anna, blowing her nose. ‘Sorry to be such a drama queen.’

‘Good girl. Martha will be up with some tea when you’ve finished.’

Good girl, thought Anna derisively as she began on her breakfast. Ryder behaved as though he were thirty years older than her, instead of just three. But from now on she must try hard to be less hostile, she reminded herself, for Gramp’s sake if nothing else. Hector Morton had been very fond of the Wyndham boys, Ryder most of all.

Mrs Carter arrived with a cup of tea and a bag of clean laundry just as Anna was finishing the last piece of toast. ‘That’s the way,’ she said, beaming in approval. ‘I didn’t want Mr Ryder to disturb you so early, but he said you’d be keen to get back to the cottage to put things straight before your father arrives.’

‘He’s absolutely right,’ said Anna with feeling. ‘But thank you so much for the laundry, and my delicious breakfast. I’ll just drink some tea, then I’ll get dressed. Would you tell Ryder I’d be grateful for a lift back in about half an hour?’

‘Very well, dear. Your bits of underwear are all fresh and clean and aired overnight on the Aga,’ said Mrs Carter, putting the bag on the bed. ‘You need to take care of yourself, Anna. You still look peaky to me.’

‘I’m fine, honestly, Mrs C.’ She pulled a face. ‘I have to be. I’m due back in work soon.’

Ryder was waiting in the kitchen when Anna got downstairs. He took her bag, waited while she said her goodbyes and then helped her up into the Land Rover.

‘Martha’s very worried about you,’ he stated as he drove off. ‘In her opinion you need to look a lot better before you can even think of going back to such a demanding job.’

‘Someone else might snaffle my demanding job if I don’t get back to it soon.’

‘Would that be such a tragedy?’

‘Not a tragedy exactly, but I’m good at what I do and it pays well. Now I’m a home-owner I need the money to keep my property up to scratch.’

‘Don’t worry about Keeper’s Cottage,’ said Ryder quickly. ‘I’ll make sure word gets out that I’m keeping an eye on it until the repairs are done.’

Anna shot him a startled look. ‘Heavens, I never thought about repairs. I’d better get something sorted before Dad arrives.’

‘How long is he staying?’

‘Just for lunch. He’s going back this afternoon.’

‘Then we’d better get a move on to inspect the damage.’

She shook her head decisively. ‘You needn’t stay to help me, Ryder! You’ve done more than enough already.’

‘That’s your phone,’ he said, ignoring her.

She fished it from her bag to read the text message. ‘It’s from Dad. He can’t make it today. He’ll ring later. Oh, well,’ she said philosophically, ‘that gives me more time to organise repairs. In which case I needn’t take up any more of your time, Ryder. I’m sure you have loads of things you should be doing.’

‘None of them more important than making sure you’re safe on your own in that house,’ he said flatly.

Anna shot a glance at his obdurate profile. She remembered that look well enough to know it was useless to argue. ‘I’m really very grateful for your help,’ she said at last.

Ryder shrugged. ‘Hector asked me to look out for you.’

‘So that’s why you’re doing it! You’re afraid he’ll haunt you if you don’t.’

He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the ruts in the lane. ‘I’m doing it for your sake as well as his. When we were children you were like a little sister to me—or maybe another brother, because in those days I never really thought of you as a girl.’ Ryder shot her a sidelong glance. ‘In spite of what’s happened between us since, the connection’s still there, Anna. You need help. I can provide it. It’s as simple as that.’




CHAPTER FOUR


RYDER dropped Anna off at the cottage, then took off again to fetch something from the village. When he got back he walked straight past her with a television he set down on the vacant stand in the parlour.

‘Did you buy that for me?’ she demanded, bristling. ‘Tell me how much and I’ll pay.’

He frowned impatiently. ‘It’s not a diamond necklace, Anna—it’s not even new. Brian James does them up in his spare time. Look on it as a present.’

‘Then thank you. It’s very kind of you,’ she added belatedly. She really needed another television. ‘Who’s Brian James?’

‘His father runs the garage in the village. Brian’s a local builder, but he can turn his hand to practically anything. He should be on his way by now to view the damage, so keep a look out for him while I heave mattresses around.’

Anna spotted a white van at the gate as she was finishing up in the parlour. She switched off the vacuum cleaner and called up to Ryder. ‘I think your man’s here.’

Ryder ran downstairs to open the door. ‘Be gentle with him, Anna. He’s a bit shy.’

‘Thank you for coming at such short notice, Mr James,’ she said warmly as the young man reached them.

‘No problem,’ he said, flushing.

‘Good man,’ said Ryder, taking the box Brian gave him. ‘In my opinion Miss Morton needs an efficient alarm system, new locks on all the windows and the two outer doors and a replacement pane of glass in the smallest bedroom, plus a new window ledge and some plastering on the wall below it. Miss Morton will take you up to have a look while I set the television up, and then come down and give me your opinion.’

‘What’s in that box?’ asked Anna suspiciously, after she’d left Brian upstairs assessing the damage.

‘Something else you need.’ Ryder handed it over, then stretched out on the floor to deal with plugs and sockets at the back of the television.

She laughed as she took out a new kettle. ‘Now this I’m really grateful for!’

‘I thought you might be.’ Ryder got to his feet, switched on the television, scrolled through the programmes, then switched it off again and handed her the remote control. ‘All yours.’

‘Thanks a lot, Ryder.’ She eyed him warily. ‘Sorry I was so ungrateful just now. It would have been a bit quiet here tonight without a television.’

He shrugged. ‘My thoughts exactly. Make up for your ingratitude by putting the new kettle on for coffee.’

While he drank his coffee, Brian gave them a rough estimate for the work needed. Anna, secretly amazed that the figure was so reasonable, asked him how soon he could start and, after arranging to begin the following Monday, Brian took off in his van. Anna immediately set to work, aided, to her astonishment, by Ryder, no matter how much she protested that she could manage perfectly well on her own.

‘I was asked to keep an eye on you,’ he reminded her. ‘In my book that doesn’t mean allowing you to exhaust yourself to the point of getting ill again.’




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