‘Did you …?’ she hesitated.
‘I didn’t intervene one way or the other. But they were looking for someone more experienced.’
‘I …’ She started again. ‘It was like looking at a stranger and it all seems so far away now. His father must approve … of her.’
Adam began, ‘Roz … ‘ then swore as as car loomed up beside them and with no warning whatsoever ducked in front of them so that he had to jam his brakes on to avoid hitting it. But they themselves were jolted forward then as the car behind ran into the back of the Jaguar.
To add to the confusion, a highway patrol car lurking in a side street must have witnessed the whole incident, because it cut on to the highway with lights flashing and sirens blaring in pursuit of the car which had caused it all.
Roz swallowed and went pale.
‘Are you all right?’ demanded Adam, his face pale too but furious.
‘Yes,’ she said shakily.
‘You don’t look it.’
‘I’m fine. I just got a fright, and then that … siren.’
He swore again and put an arm around her. ‘Relax,’ he ordered. ‘I doubt if anyone’s hurt.’ He got out.
No one was, and the damage to the rear of the Jaguar was less than to the bonnet of the car behind. Presently a highway patrolman on a motorbike rode up and spoke to Adam and the other driver and took particulars, then dealt with the snarl up in the traffic.
‘A carload of young hoons,’ said Adam, getting back in, and adding disgustedly, ‘Drunk—at this time of the morning! They were spotted further back, but because of the traffic, instead of chasing them the police radioed ahead.’
‘Did they catch them?’
‘Yes—fortunately before they did any more damage. Well,’ he started the car and listened attentively, but it sounded as smooth as ever, ‘we’re mobile at least, which is more than the poor beggars behind are, so let’s get home and out of this. Feeling better?’
‘Yes.’
‘Sure?’
‘Yes. Yes, I am,’ Roz said with decision. ‘I can’t spend the rest of my life going into shock every time I hear a siren, can I?’ And she smiled at him genuinely.
He narrowed his eyes briefly, another curious look, but it was so fleeting, she didn’t have to take evasive action.
And he said with a grin, ‘No, ma’am.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
LIFE at home was calm and restful for a time after their brief holiday. Restful for Roz at least, but Adam spent a lot of time away from home and at other times was unusually preoccupied. Roz pondered this, but, although with a niggle of doubt sometimes, attributed it to the Japanese agency he had acquired. Anyway, she had decided to take her life into her own hands with wisdom and perception and always, banished those doubts resolutely.
After all, she told herself, she had great cause for hope, hadn’t she? She might not have been able to tell him in so many words that she loved him, but she’d fought for and won the right to show him, And two of the outstanding problems of their relationship had been vanquished, she felt. He had really come to terms with his first marriage—and that must diminish his cynicism about falling in love, and perhaps women in general now that; he could admire and respect Louise, she reasoned; While for her the spectre of both Louise and Mike Howard had been laid for ever, for Adam too, she hoped and prayed.
And when the startling thought popped into her mind one day that the fact that it wasn’t Louise she had to worry about didn’t mean it couldn’t be another woman, nor was it unknown, for men to be quite happily polygamous, she immediately felt ashamed and as if she was maligning Adam. And more convinced than ever of the unwisdom of indulging in futile speculation.
Something else that puzzled her, though, she did allow herself to think about freely. Adam had said he’d brought back a surprise from Tokyo, but although she knew his lost luggage had finally turned up he had made no further mention of the surprise. Perhaps it hasn’t turned up yet, though, she mused. Perhaps it was a separate item. And perhaps it’s silly not to just ask him outright, but I don’t seem to be able to do that. He did sound a bit strange when he mentioned it, didn’t he? I wonder why.
Several antidotes for her suppressed and acknowledged concerns helped greatly, however. She discovered during the peace of those weeks a feeling of more interest in her home and a desire to be more involved in running it. This first came about when she mentioned out of the blue to Milly that she had always been interested in herbs and would like to start a garden of them and perhaps use more herbs in their cuisine. She had broken off then to apologise rather disjointedly in case Milly thought she was being critical.