The Lost Gardens by Anthony Eglin

Author:Anthony Eglin
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Traditional British, Mystery & Detective, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 0312328729
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2007-04-01T23:37:43+00:00

Back at the cottage, stretched out on the sofa, reading, after another of their evening chats, Kingston became aware of subconsciously rereading the same sentence. Soon, he found it impossible to concentrate. His mind kept coming back to Jamie. Clasping his hands behind his head, he lay back, head on the plumped-up cushion, and stared up at the plaster rose that graced the ceiling above the tasselled lampshade. He thought back to his very first real conversation with her, that first day of theirs in Somerset. How he’d felt at the time, about his uncertainty, his apprehension regarding her lofty ambitions for Wickersham, his teetering between curiosity and indifference. It was extraordinary what had happened in the relatively short time since he’d arrived here. Not for the first time, he wondered how she regarded him. He smiled to himself. Most likely as a father figure, a sort of elder statesman-cum-horticultural sage, an inquisitive academic. Thinking more about it, any one or all three would not be far off the mark.

Over the years Kingston had got to know a number of Americans, a few of whom had become more than nodding acquaintances. Jamie was certainly not a ‘wear your heart on your sleeve’ type, who thinks nothing of reciting their entire life and medical history at first introduction. She was the opposite. But over the last weeks there had been a noticeable shift in her reticence: her candour in telling him about her job and her garden, confiding in him about her parents that night at dinner, and the education she was giving him about winegrowing.

Every now and then, he detected what he thought was a flicker of mutual attraction. It struck him as curious, too, that a woman as attractive and intelligent as Jamie should not have a boyfriend. Surely that couldn’t be the case? There was the chap she worked with—the one that was coming over—what was his name? Matthew. But from what little she had said, that was strictly an office relationship. Of course, there could be any number of explanations. For no particular reasons, he guessed that she’d never been married. If she had she would surely have mentioned it by now. And if it were recently ended, she would probably still be wearing a wedding ring. Women did that, he’d noticed. Maybe she had just had a bitter break-up with a boyfriend, a broken engagement? That would certainly explain why it was not so hard for her to drop everything and travel halfway around the world to start a new life.

Why was he so concerned about her personal life? Why didn’t he just do what he came down to do? He knew the answer but wasn’t prepared to dwell on it. In his mind he wasn’t willing to accept the simple truth that he was growing very fond of Jamie—perhaps too fond.

He picked up the book. ‘Christ,’ he muttered under his breath. ‘What are you thinking of?’

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