Deborah's Discovery by Fredrica Alleyn

Author:Fredrica Alleyn
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780753551882
Publisher: Ebury Publishing

Chapter Nine

IT WAS MID-AFTERNOON before Pavin, Richard and Elizabeth finally finished their day’s activities and went into the small dining room for afternoon tea. Elizabeth, now wearing comfortable stretch pants and a sleeveless polo neck cotton top, looked calm and relaxed. Her beautiful dark eyes were sleepy and sighing with pleasure she took a bone china cup filled with Earl Grey tea from Pavin’s outstretched hand.

He smiled at her with genuine affection. ‘Happy now?’

‘Blissfully! I hope Brian didn’t mind having to leave, but it’s much easier to get caught up in the more extreme things when he isn’t around. If he’s there I can’t get totally carried away.’

‘He knows that,’ said Richard, helping himself to buttered scones and adding a liberal helping of homemade strawberry jam. ‘After all, he was a founder member of these pleasure breaks.’

‘I know. He looks forward to them as much as I do,’ agreed Elizabeth. ‘It’s only that before we came he suggested that whilst we could both still go with anyone we wanted, the other one should always be there. When I didn’t agree he dropped it, but I had the feeling he wasn’t happy.’

Pavin frowned. ‘The whole point of this island holiday is that we do as we wish. Why should Brian try to change things?’

Elizabeth stretched sensuously, revealing tiny love-bites beneath her chin. ‘Don’t ask me. Perhaps watching is becoming his major turn-on.’

‘In that case he can choose to watch for his own pleasure, not try to dictate yours,’ said Pavin. ‘I guess it’s another symptom of this need to control that he has. If he’s not around then he can’t even pretend he’s controlling you.’

‘Perhaps he’s possessive of you, Lizzie!’ laughed Richard.

A shadow crossed the young woman’s face. ‘I hope not. That would really spoil things.’

Pavin shook his head. ‘Brian isn’t possessive, he simply can’t bear not to be involved. Which reminds me, where is he now? Sara, do you know where Brian is?’

Sara, her eyes downcast, shook her head. ‘No, sir.’

‘How about the Woolcotts? Or Celia, Martin and Flora? Have you seen them?’

The maid hesitated. ‘I served tea to Mr and Mrs Woolcott and Mr and Mrs Craig half an hour ago. I haven’t seen Miss Stewart since breakfast.’

‘What about my husband?’ asked Elizabeth softly. ‘You must have seen him at some time. He’d never miss his lunch!’

‘He took lunch with Miss Woods,’ admitted Sara, hastily collecting up the remaining scones and piling plates onto the silver tray.

Pavin blocked her way. ‘Sara, did Brian mention where he was going to spend his afternoon?’

‘I couldn’t help overhearing,’ the maid said hastily. ‘I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I was right behind him.’

Pavin gave her one of his most reassuring smiles, although deep inside him he was beginning to feel the first premonition of something not being right. ‘No one expects you to be deaf, Sara, merely to pretend to be deaf when it suits us! So, where was he planning to go?’

She looked apprehensively at him. ‘He told Miss Woods he’d take her to Puffin’s Cove, but that she wasn’t to mention it to anyone else.

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