'They make these wonderful cakes,' she'd said enviously. 'Coffee-iced walnut cakes, chocolate eclairs that melt in your mouth. It's the place to go, if you can afford it. I've been once and still dream about it.'
'Sounds blissful,' Pippa had agreed; she could never have afforded food like that. Her budget was far too restricted.
Mr Harding had put his head round the door at that minute. 'Come through,' he told Pippa, who had got up, flushed and anxious, while Judy whistled under her breath.
'Let's hope Dalton doesn't get back while you're with him! Or your head will roll. Come to that, I'm suspicious, too-why does he always ask for you? Why never me?'
Pippa hadn't even tired to answer that; she couldn't. Randal had taken some sort of interest in her from the beginning-was it because of what he. had found out about her background? Was he sorry for her? She didn't like that idea.
When she went into the other room and found Randal Harding standing with his back to her, staring out of the window at the blue, cloudless sky, she began to breathe rapidly, shallowly. While she gazed at that long, supple back, those even longer legs, he turned his head to smile at her, making her heart roll over in a now familiar, disturbing fashion.
'I want to ask a favour of you-this isn't work, so feel free to refuse if you're not happy about it-but I'm very busy today and I can't spare the time to do it myself. My son is five tomorrow and I haven't bought him a birthday present yet. Do you think you could go shopping and choose something for him?'
Taken aback, since she hadn't expected that request, she stammered, 'Well, of course, but … I don't know what toys he already has or what he likes … '
'He hasn't got any big vehicles-trucks, farm vehicles, fire engines, that sort of thing. He loves toy cars, so that would probably be the best bet.'
'Right, then; okay, I'll do my best. When did you want me to go?'
'Take an extra hour for lunch.' He pulled out a sheaf of bank notes from a wallet in his jacket, and counted some out into her hand. 'That should be enough. And would you buy a birthday card, too?'
His fingers brushed hers, making her legs turn weak, but she nodded, smiling, and hurriedly retreated.
She managed to do her shopping in a world-famous toyshop. It only took a few minutes to choose and pay for a huge bright red fire engine with expanding ladders and tiny firemen in yellow helmets, coiled water hoses, all the equipment a boy would need to play firemen. In another shop she bought a card which she thought quite funny, with a big gold number five on it and a line of pink elephants dancing and playing the trumpet.
She had lunch nearby, before returning to work at the usual time. Miss Dalton was at lunch when Pippa got back.
'She was looking for you,' Judy warned. 'Asking why you had gone to lunch early and who gave you permission. I played dumb, said I didn't know. Where have you been, anyway?'
'Shopping,' Pippa said, rushing into Randal Harding's office and laying the package she had bought on his desk, then hurrying back before Miss Dalton caught her. The last thing she needed was trouble.
'I worry about you,' Judy said. 'What's going on between you and Randal?'
'Nothing! Don't be silly.' Pippa buried herself in her work.
She got into trouble when Miss Dalton returned ten minutes later and demanded to know why Pippa had gone to lunch early.
'I had some urgent shopping to do,' Pippa said, eyes lowered.
'I don't believe my ears! So you just went off to do it without a word!'
Pippa thought of telling her Randal Harding had given her permission to go, but decided that might merely make matters worse, so said nothing.
'How dare you walk out of here without permission? You will go to lunch at the time allotted to you in future.' Miss Dalton's voice was acid. 'One more trick like that and you're out of a job!'
Pippa shivered. She needed this job; there was no guarantee she would get another. Without an income she would find life very hard. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered.
'You'll be even more sorry if you keep annoying me like this!' the older woman snapped.
Judy rolled her eyes at Pippa behind Miss Dalton's back and mouthed, 'I told you so!'
As the time to stop work came closer Miss Dalton came over to look at Pippa's desk and gave her an icy, triumphant smile.
'You've fallen behind again, I see. Your work is far from satisfactory. Well, I want all those letters finished when I come into work tomorrow-understood?'
'Yes, Miss Dalton,' Pippa wearily said; she seemed to spend her life running on the spot just to keep up. She had never had this trouble before.
When everyone had gone she put her head down on the desk, tears welling up into her eyes. Day after day Miss Dalton attacked her, overloaded her with work, watched her like a hawk, and Pippa was exhausted by the strain of it. She had enjoyed her last job; everyone had been friendly, she had been able to keep up with her work. But now she didn't know if she could keep on going; she might have to resign- was that what Miss Dalton wanted? Was she trying to drive her out?
'What's wrong?'
The voice made her stiffen, instinctively wiping her wet eyes with the back of her hard before she sat up.
'Nothing … sorry … just tired,' she mumbled, avoiding Randal Harding's eyes.
He came over to her desk, put an imperative hand under her chin and tilted her face, stared down at it, his grey eyes moving from her wide, wet green eyes to, the tremulous curve of her pink mouth.
'You've been crying.'
'Just tired,' she stupidly repeated, staring up at him, conscious of a now familiar turmoil in her body. Her heart was beating so hard it deafened her; she couldn't breathe properly, couldn't focus on his face, which loomed far too close to her own.
'Nonsense, something else is wrong-tell me!'
She shook her head, her mouth dry and her blood running like fire. Never in her life had she felt like this; it was terrifying. Was she falling in love with him? That would be folly, but she had no idea how to stop herself.
His face seemed to be coming closer all the time. She gazed into those brilliant grey eyes, so dazed and confused she couldn't think straight, then her stare dropped to focus on his hard, male mouth, and panic rushed through her.
Was she imagining it, simply because she hungered for it so much, or was he about to kiss her? A second later his mouth touched hers and she shuddered, eyes closing.
His kiss was light and cool for a second or two, then it took fire and his arms went round her, pulling her up from her chair, dragging her so close to him that she felt the pressure of his thighs, the warmth of his body under his elegant clothes, the fierce beating of his heart.
Pippa had never been kissed, touched, like that before. She didn't know what to do, how to feel. Eyes shut tight, plunged into deep, velvety blackness, she swayed helplessly in his arms, her lips parting to give him access to her mouth, entirely given up to him in unconscious surrender.
Only when he lifted his mouth and broke the spell holding her did she begin to think again, and then shame and shock made her turn first red, then white.
'No, you mustn't! You're married!' she broke out.
He looked down at her, his face a battleground of conflicting feelings, gave a long groan. 'Yes. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have touched you. I didn't intend to kiss you. I just couldn't help it.' He ran a caressing hand down her face, trailed his fingers over her mouth, awakening all her pulses again.
'Don't,' she whispered, dying to have him kiss her again.
'God, if only you weren't so young!' he muttered. 'Practically a child. I have no right to come anywhere near you; don't think I'm not ashamed of myself. I just don't seem able to stop thinking about you. I've been wanting to kiss you for a very long time.'
'Randal,' she moaned, shuddering. 'But we can't … shouldn't … You're married.' A pang of jealwrenched her. 'And your wife is beautiful.'
His face hardened, darkened. 'Oh, yes, she's beautiful. But our marriage is a sham. We rarely even see each other. She has been having an affair for a year; she's often away-why do you think I asked you to buy the present for Johnny? My wife isn't at home; she has probably forgotten his birthday.'
Startled and distressed, Pippa said, 'Oh … I'm sorry. Really, very sorry. That's very sad. I thought you were happily married; everyone said so.' Then she bit her lip, frowning, as a new idea came to her. 'But I don't want you to use me to get your own back on your wife, or to boost your ego. I'm not a consolation prize, Mr Harding.'
His mouth twisted bitterly. 'I wasn't using you that way, Pippa. Believe me. I kissed you because the temptation was irresistible, that's all. The minute I saw you I wanted to kiss you. It has nothing to do with my wife. I fell out of love with her long ago. Our marriage is over in everything but name. Her current affair is about the third. They never last long, but while they last they're all she cares about I haven't divorced her yet because of Johnny. I don't care a damn if I never see her again, but I love my son and I don't want him made unhappy.'