Fated Attraction by Carole Mortimer

Author:Carole Mortimer [Mortimer, Carole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488029660
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1991-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘AS YOU realise, I’m not using my full name,’ Rhea-Jane told her brother drily.

‘ ‘‘Jane Smith’’!’ Jordan said disgustedly.

She glared at him. ‘You should try getting a job, any job, with a name like Rhea-Jane Somerville-Smythe. It isn’t just difficult, it’s impossible! If Father’s will hadn’t—’

‘I’ve told you already, I’m not responsible for Father’s will, only in seeing that his wishes are carried out,’ Jordan dismissed. ‘He would be very upset if he knew that clause in his will had resulted in what it has.’

Rhea-Jane shrugged. ‘He didn’t leave me much choice. But then, he never did, did he?’ Her tone edged on bitterness, although it was an emotion she had always shied away from where her father was concerned; he just hadn’t liked her, and there had been nothing she could do about it.

Her brother sighed. ‘You were a rebellious little madam.’

‘And he never forgave me for Mother dying when I was born,’ she defended heatedly.

Jordan’s hard face softened slightly. ‘He was never any different, Rhea.’ He used that first part of her name affectionately, as most people did who knew her well. ‘I had to prove myself time and time again as being worthy to carry on after him.’

And it hadn’t embittered him. Or had it? Jordan was even more difficult to know than Raff was, and he had no confidants, talked to Rhea if he talked things over with anyone. She had never thought about it before, but perhaps that too was as a result of having the father they’d had.

Jordan looked at her sympathetically. ‘But I suppose I did have the advantage of having a mother who loved me unquestioningly for the first eight years of my life,’ he realised gently.

Rhea-Jane gave a regretful smile. ‘I wish I had known her.’ She frowned as she recalled several conversations she had had lately that had disturbed her, conversations that she had so far been unable to confirm as being about her mother. ‘She was a nanny before she married Father, wasn’t she?’ she probed as lightly as she was able.

‘Rhea.’ Jordan looked at her warningly. ‘You’re just trying to divert attention from yourself; we haven’t talked about Mother and Father for years.’

‘But I never knew Mummy—’

‘Rhea, it’s almost twenty-one years since she died,’ Jordan cut in impatiently. ‘I barely remember her myself!’

‘But do you know if she ever happened to work for the Quinlan family?’ Rhea-Jane persisted exasperatedly.

‘The Quinlans?’ he frowned. ‘Why on earth should she have worked for them?’

She shrugged irritably. ‘It’s just that I seem to remind several members of the family of someone they used to know, and someone came up with the name of Raff’s old nanny. It was Diana.’ Her eyes darkened.

She had just enough doubt in her mind that it could actually have been her mother for her to need to find out positively; it was going to look very odd to Raff if her mother should turn out to be the woman who had once been involved with his

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