CHAPTER 2

           While making her way around the room, talking to one group of folk and then others, Audrey was uncomfortably aware of a pair of blue eyes watching her every move. Most people had plates of Amy’s delicious buffet in their hands by now but, although Anthony had wandered off into the dining room, she knew James Mayer had not budged from his stance by the door.

“Who is Maxim de Winter type Dad’s been talking to?”

          As Audrey joined the group consisting of Anthony’s children and their partners and his wife, it was Clarice, Anthony and Gillian’s youngest daughter, and the only child still unattached, who spoke.

“He’s new around here, isn’t he?”

“Oh, Clarice.”

           Her mother shushed her, but Clarice continued.

“What, Mum? You know you want to know as well.”

          Turning to Audrey, she added.

“Dad just said he’s an old friend but Mum doesn’t know him and she thought she knew all of Dad’s friends.”

          Audrey smiled. Clarice was the maneater of the Blackburn sisters. A confirmed bachelorette with a fantastic career, she had announced early in life that marriage and children weren’t for her. Neither were permanent relationships it would seem.

          It was common knowledge she ate men up and spat them out and, being a tall redhead with curves in all the right places and come-to-bed blue eyes, they queued up for the privilege of having their hearts broken.

          And Clarice had obviously set her sights on James Mayer. She was so welcome to take him for the spin of his life.

“His father was an old friend, not him. Apparently, your father and mine grew up with his. His name is Mayer. James Mayer.”

“Mayer?”

          Gillian was born and raised in Cornwall, unlike Audrey’s mother who had moved to the district from the north of England with her family when she was a young woman.

“Oh, I see now… He must be George Mayer’s son. Yes, I can see it now although he’s a head taller than his father was. But George was very good-looking, too. They’ve got the same black hair and piercing blue eyes. It was a combination that used to make all the girls turn to mush over him. With your father being fair as a prince, Audrey, and George being so dark, they used to have the girls throwing themselves at them.”

“What about Dad, Mum?” Clarice interjected a little defensively.

“Oh, no… He was off-limits. Your sweet, gorgeous father was always mine,” Gillian said comfortably. “And I made sure everyone knew that.”

          Clarice’s gaze was on James Mayer again.

“He’s barely taken his eyes off you, Addie. And he’s got a very sexy mouth,” she added, almost to herself. “As a matter of fact, let me say he’s ‘very’ everything.”

“Clarice Blackburn!”

          This time, her mother really meant it and Clarice recognized the tone.

“Sorry,” she said quickly to Audrey. ‘I wasn’t being disrespectful regarding your mum and dad, Addie. You know how much I loved them…”

“It’s fine, Clarice. Don’t worry.”

          It really was. In fact, she preferred Clarice’s spontaneity to the awkwardness with which most people were treating her today.

“Why don’t you go across and introduce yourself?” she suggested, keeping her voice light and easy, knowing Clarice was longing to. “You’ve got the excuse he’s an old friend of your father’s and, furthermore, he doesn’t know anyone. You’ll be taking pity on him.”

“That’s just what I thought. Hmm… Great minds…”

          Delighted, Clarice was off.

“Oh, that girl…”

          Gillian shook her head while her two sons and eldest daughter and their respective spouses smiled indulgently.

“I don’t know what it is about her but she attracts the men like bees to a honeypot. He’ll be taking her out for dinner tonight. You just wait and see,” Audrey said something non-committal and moved on.

          She didn’t care if James Mayer took half of Cornwall out for dinner tonight. Audrey thought he was the rudest man she had ever met. If she saw him again after today, it would be too soon.

          Clarice was utterly welcome to have him for breakfast, dinner, and lunch. She Thinking about it, if anyone could bring such a man to bend the knee, Clarice could. She purposely didn’t look over the other side of the room for some time, but when she did it, was to see that James Mayer and Clarice had been joined by the rest of Anthony’s family and they were all chatting and smiling.

          Ridiculously, Audrey felt betrayed. The feeling disappeared almost as soon as it had come but it left her with stinging eyes and a trembling mouth. Suddenly she wanted her mother so much it hurt.

          ‘Oh, Addie… Please, stop acting so stupid,’ she told herself silently, walking across to the French windows and gazing out over the rolling grounds which stretched down to the high stone wall separating their property from the cliff path.

          She was a grown woman of twenty-seven and she had lived in London for the last five years since qualifying as an occupational therapist. She had a responsible job with a top London hospital and she had long since taken charge of her life. She was a grown-up, not a child.

          But all she knew, was useless now. Right at that moment, Audrey would’ve given everything she owned and was for five minutes with her parents.

          ‘You’ve still got Seymour House and Amy. And the Blackburns. You’re not alone.’

          Audrey hugged the thought to her as she fought back the tears. And, whatever it took, she would keep everything. She would find a job down here and live at home and hopefully if they were careful, she’d manage to pay the bills a large seven-bedroomed house like Seymour produced.

          They could always do bed and breakfast in the holiday season… Audrey had been thinking about that in the last few days since the accident. And she would take care of the grounds herself rather than have the gardener her parents had employed one day a week. If was needed, she would.

          Her eyes followed a seagull as it swooped and soared in the blue June sky. She had no idea if there would be any money attached to her parents’ estate. She and her parents had never talked of such things. There had been no need.

          Her parents had still been relatively young at fifty-seven and sixty respectively, and she’d had her flat and career in London. When she had come down to Cornwall for the occasional weekend or holiday, illness and death and wills had seemed as far away as the moon.

          Eventually, people began to take their leave. She knew the second Clarice and James Mayer began to walk towards her. Somehow, she had been vitally aware of him the whole afternoon.

          She hadn’t wanted to be… In fact, it had irritated and annoyed her. But somehow, he had forced himself on to her psyche in a way that would’ve been humiliating should anyone has been able to read her mind.

“We’re going, Addie.”

          Clarice enfolded her in a hug that was genuinely sympathetic.

“Call me as soon as you get back to the city and we’ll do lunch. I don’t know why we haven’t thought of it before with both of us based in London.”

“Goodbye, Clarice. I appreciated so much you being here.”

          Audrey hugged her back and then extracted herself to offer a polite hand to the tormentor of her afternoon.

“Goodbye, Mr. Mayer,” she said with deliberate formality. “I hope you have a safe journey home and once again, please, give my best wishes to your father.”

          He took her hand.

“I have some business to attend to before I return so I’m going to stay for a few days more. But I’ll speak to my father before then and pass on your regards, Miss Seymour.”

          His flesh was warm and firm and, in spite of herself, Audrey became aware of the faint scent of his fragrance. There was the shadow of black stubble on the hard square chin and the expensive suit he wore sat with casual nonchalance on the big frame.

          He was a man who was comfortable with himself and his sexuality. He would be dynamite in bed… The thought, coming from nowhere as it did, shocked Audrey into yanking her hand in a manner that was less than diplomatic.

          For a moment they stared at each other, James’s features etched in stone and Audrey’s eyes wide with confusion. Clarice, who had moved slightly to their left to say goodbye to her father, was thankfully unaware of what had transpired.

“Goodbye, Miss Seymour.”

          His tone, everything about him was impassive, cold. For a crazy, wild moment, she wanted to ask him what she had done to make him dislike her the way he did. They had never met before this day, so, he knew nothing about her.

          She had thought at first, he was probably the same with everyone, but he had been altogether different when he had been talking to Clarice and her family. Instead, she said ‘Goodbye’, took a silent gulp of air as she turned away from him left it at that.

          Audrey just wanted him to go away now. She wanted everyone to go away. But first, there was the formality of the will. Once that was done, she could get on with sorting out her life and the changes she would have to make to avoid selling Seymour House.