LITMIR.BIZ

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say no,’ his mouth twisted. ‘Good domestic help is hard to come by nowadays.’

      He wasn’t being patronising, merely stating a fact. Nevertheless, Chelsea wondered if the awesome-sounding Mrs Harvey viewed herself as ‘domestic help’. She knew that their own maid, Clare, would have been most insulted by the title. Her face shadowed. Poor Clare, she had been as devastated by Gloria’s death as everyone else; the elderly woman would probably never recover from the shock.

      Lucas frowned as he watched the expressions flickering across her candid face. ‘I’m not so sure you don’t need food more than rest.’

      And from the sound of it he personally intended seeing that she got it! But even the thought of food still made her feel ill, although she wasn’t sure she had the strength to fight this formidable man right now. She was saved the trouble of finding the energy to try as the telephone began ringing somewhere in the apartment.

      ‘I’ll go and answer that,’ he said somewhat impatiently.

      ‘I’ll probably have fallen asleep by the time you’ve finished with the call,’ she told him hastily, in no mood to have food forced on her.

      ‘Chelsea, I——’ He broke off irritably as the telephone continued to ring shrilly, seeming to become more and more insistent the more he tried to ignore it. ‘I’ll have to go,’ he strode to the door. ‘If you need anything——’

      ‘I’ll find you,’ she nodded.

      Lucas gave her a hesitant look before leaving the room to answer the telephone, the melodious sound of his voice muffled through the apartment walls.

      Chelsea sat down heavily on the single bed next to her now that she was alone, the weight of her mother’s death forcing her down, both mentally and physically. She would never, ever, forget finding her beautiful mother lying so peacefully in her bed she seemed to be only sleeping, her silver-gold hair spread out across her pillow as if brushed there, the blue of the silky nightgown she wore a perfect match for the eyes beneath the long, fanned-out lashes, her make-up perfect, her mouth seeming to be curved into a smile, almost a secretive smile, as if something pleased her even as she lay there.

      But that serene beauty had been disturbed from the moment Chelsea had contacted the emergency services. Her mother had no longer looked peaceful or beautiful as they tried to revive life where it had decided it no longer wished to be.

      And it had all been her fault. If she hadn’t decided to go bowling straight from work instead of going home as she had planned to do her mother might still be alive now, she might have been able to get the help soon enough to be of some good to her mother. It hadn’t seemed so strange when she received no reply at home when she called to tell her mother of her delay; since the two of them had lived alone they had lived pretty independent lives, both of them busy with new careers. She had simply assumed her mother had gone out to an early supper, her job as a realtor often keeping her late with prospective clients. She hadn’t dreamt, hadn’t guessed, the real reason her mother had been unable to come to the telephone. To come home and find her like that had shaken Chelsea to the core. She doubted she would ever get over not being there when her mother needed her the most. She knew with certainty that the guilt would always be with her.

       CHAPTER TWO

      THE shower she had taken had refreshed her a little, and although she still didn’t feel like eating, the thought of another cup of coffee—her staple diet of the last few days—seemed like a good idea.

      She could still hear Lucas on the telephone as she stepped out into the hallway, it hadn’t seemed worth the bother of dressing again so soon after undressing. Besides, the black towelling robe she wore was adequate clothing for the brief time she needed to leave her room.

      ‘—you know I’ve enjoyed the last few days,’ Lucas was saying impatiently as she tried to pass through the lounge unnoticed. ‘All right, a very enjoyable time,’ he added huskily after a brief pause. ‘But I’ve already explained to you, several times, that I can’t possibly go out and leave Chelsea alone tonight.’

      She had come to an abrupt halt at the sound of her name, blatantly listening to the rest of the conversation. If Lucas thought he had to baby-sit her he was mistaken!

      ‘God, Jennifer, you’re a mature woman of thirty-two, what attraction do you think a nineteen-year-old girl would hold for me?’ he answered the woman on the telephone exasperatedly.

      Chelsea knew half-a-dozen men of his age, a couple of work colleagues, and some friends of her father, who definitely didn’t think of her as a girl!

      Lucas seemed to become aware of her indignation emanating across the room at that moment, turning from his sightless gazing out of the window, his mouth tightening disapprovingly as he took in her appearance, her damp hair, the black robe, her bare legs and feet. ‘I’ll call you back, Jennifer,’ he spoke woodenly into the mouthpiece, his gaze still locked icily on Chelsea. ‘No, I’m not being difficult,’ he sighed as the woman obviously objected. ‘I’ll just have to call you back.’ He put down the receiver without waiting for a reply.

      Chelsea braced her shoulders as if ready for battle as she and Lucas faced each other across the room. ‘I was just on my way to the kitchen to get some coffee,’ she told him defensively.

      Lucas shrugged. ‘Feel free to help yourself to anything you want while you’re staying here,’ he invited.

      He was waiting for something else, and they both knew it. ‘You don’t have to alter your plans because of me,’ she said huskily. ‘If you intended going out tonight then please do so, I’m just going to fall into bed and go to sleep anyway.’

      He shook his head. ‘My plans to see Jennifer were not definite ones.’

      ‘But you’ve just spent the last few days with her, haven’t you?’ Chelsea frowned at his casual dismissal of the other woman.

      His mouth tightened. ‘Chelsea——’

      ‘Sorry.’ She held her hands up in apology. ‘Please forget I said that, it’s really none of my business. But she does sound like a good friend, and I certainly don’t need the company.’

      The brown eyes narrowed in surprise. ‘Are you dismissing me?’

      She flushed. ‘No, I—Yes, perhaps I am,’ she conceded ruefully. ‘Although I didn’t mean to. But when I asked if I would be making things awkward for you by staying here you said no,’ she reminded softly.

      ‘And you aren’t. Jennifer has been a friend of mine for some time, but she has no claims on me, as I have none on her. I certainly don’t have to justify my actions to her, or to anyone else,’ he stated arrogantly.

      She was sure he didn’t either. Although the fact that the woman Jennifer had been a ‘friend’ for some time looked as if she didn’t normally mind that. ‘I’d really rather you kept your dinner date,’ she told him huskily. ‘I’m not going to be any company at all, feeling as tired as I do.’

      He seemed to hesitate, finally shrugging agreement. ‘Maybe you’re right.’

      ‘I know I am.’ She nodded, relieved that she hadn’t had to try too hard to persuade him to go out. The last thing she needed was this complete stranger hovering over her.

      He nodded. ‘I’ll leave the telephone number on the pad where I can be reached if you should need me.’

      ‘I’m not a child, Lucas,’ she told him stiffly.

      His cold gaze raked over her from head to foot. ‘I can see that,’ he grated. ‘But you have had a severe shock, and——’

      ‘And I’m not likely to run around the apartment shrieking hysterically,’ she taunted. ‘The doctor gave me some pills,’ she sighed. ‘Maybe I’ll take a couple.’

      Lucas

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