Too cautiously as far as Sin was concerned. ‘So what did she want, Wallace?’
Wallace looked pained. ‘She was enquiring as to whether you would be here or in the city for your birthday on Saturday, in order that she might have your card and gift delivered to the appropriate address.’
‘And?’ There was more, Sin was sure of it.
‘And I explained to her that as you have a guest staying here with you at the moment, I believed—’
‘Wallace!’ Sin groaned before dropping wearily back down into the chair he had recently vacated.
‘What is it?’ Luccy asked as she looked from one man to the other, Wallace looking almost guilty, Sin sitting with his gaze raised to the heavens. ‘Surely it’s only natural for your mother to want to send you a card and gift for your birthday?’
Although Luccy could honestly say she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do about the event. Not that she still intended being here on Saturday, but even so…
How did one treat the birthday of one’s baby’s father? Somehow Luccy doubted there was a book of etiquette on the subject!
‘It’s natural for my mother to want to send a card and gift,’ Sin answered her tetchily. ‘What isn’t natural—or, indeed, normal—is for me to have a guest staying here with me. I don’t bring people here, Luccy. Any people. Any entertaining I do, business or otherwise, I do in the city,’ he elaborated as Luccy obviously still looked puzzled.
‘I see,’ Luccy answered slowly.
And she did. Sin had told her yesterday, when she had questioned the bathing costume in the changing-room, that he didn’t bring women here. He had obviously been telling the truth if his irritation and Wallace’s look of apology were anything to go by.
Although she couldn’t help wondering what Wallace had made of the fact that Sin had brought her here yesterday…
‘I really am sorry, Master Sin,’ the elderly butler apologised now. ‘I simply didn’t think…’
‘No—but you can bet my mother is!’ Sin grimaced at the thought of exactly what his mother was thinking!
She had been dropping broad hints about grandchildren ever since Sin’s father had died ten years ago, seeming to think that would be her raison d’être now that she was a widow. Sin had been just as studiously ignoring those hints, much to his mother’s annoyance.
He looked up reprovingly at Wallace. ‘You do realise she’s probably on the telephone right this minute instructing the pilot to fly the jet down and collect her?’
‘What?’ Luccy looked panicked at the mere suggestion of his mother arriving here some time later today.
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Sin said. ‘I’ll give him a call in a minute and tell him to cancel that instruction.’
‘In that case Mrs Claudia will be on the next available flight to New York,’ Wallace predicted knowledgeably.
Sin shot him a censorious glance. ‘Maybe you should have thought of that before mentioning that Luccy was staying here!’
‘I have apologised, Master Sin—’
‘Forget it, Wallace.’ Sin waved a hand. ‘She was going to find out some time soon, anyway. I would just rather it had been later than sooner!’#p#分页标题#e#
‘Would you like me to bring a fresh pot of coffee?’ the butler offered.
‘Good idea.’ Sin nodded. ‘Luccy and I need to work out a plan of action before my mother gets here.’
As far as Luccy was concerned, implementing a ‘plan of action’ meant that she was definitely leaving on the first available flight back to England!
‘Sin—’
‘I should eat some of that toast, Luccy,’ he advised. ‘You’re going to need all your strength for when my mother arrives.’
Luccy shook her head. ‘I won’t be here then—’
‘Oh, yes, you will,’ Sin contradicted her firmly, his expression grim.
‘No.’
‘Luccy, whether you like it or not, the child you’re carrying is her first grandchild. You hadn’t thought of that,’ he pointed out as Luccy felt her face pale.
No, she most definitely hadn’t thought of that! But now that Sin had pointed it out to her she was only more determined to leave before Claudia Sinclair arrived. Sin was trying to bully her into marrying him; Luccy certainly didn’t need any emotional pressure from Claudia Sinclair—her baby’s grandmother!—to add to that.
Luccy shook her head. ‘She doesn’t need to be made aware of—’
‘The hell she doesn’t!’ Sin cut in angrily, grey eyes glittering with the emotion.