The Millionaire's Convenient Bride. CATHERINE GEORGE
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Never say never, thought Hester, her excitement back in full force as she heard footsteps on the stairs. The clock struck the hour in a nearby church steeple to mark the occasion as she rose to face the man who’d made such an impression on her ten years ago that she’d never forgotten him.
Tall and impressive in a formal suit, he looked older and more remote, but the thick black Celtic hair and ink dark eyes were unmistakable—and had exactly the same effect as the first time they’d met. He came towards her, hand outstretched, a slight smile softening the hard, imperious features. ‘Connah Carey Jones. I apologise for keeping you waiting.’
Hester took the hand and felt a jolt of heat rush through her like an electric shock. Heart thumping in startled response to the contact, she returned the smile with determined composure. ‘Not at all, I was early.’
He waved her back to her chair, then seated himself behind the desk, looking at her in narrow-eyed silence for a long moment before turning to her application.
She tensed. Could he have remembered her? But if he did he made no mention of it as he read through her CV.
‘You look young to have so much experience in childcare,’ he said at last.
‘But, as you see, I’m twenty-seven.’ She hesitated. ‘Mr Carey Jones, to avoid any possible waste of your time, could you confirm that the post is purely temporary?’
‘Certainly. It’s for the summer vacation only.’ The dark eyes looked up to connect with hers. ‘However, there is a complication. Lowri went away to school when she was eight, and would hotly resent the idea of having a nanny again. To get round this, I’ve told her I’m hiring a temporary housekeeper. Sam Cooper, the man who let you in, actually runs our all male household, but during the school holiday I need a woman on hand to provide Lowri’s meals, see to her personal laundry and take her out during the day. Her evenings would be spent with me.’
‘I see.’ Not that Hester did, entirely. Once she’d discovered the name of her prospective employer, and began wondering if he was the same Mr Jones, she’d put out some feelers through a journalist contact on the Financial Times to find out if her hunch was right. But Angus had drawn a blank on personal details. Known as the Welsh Wizard due to his phenomenal success in the world of finance, Connah Carey Jones kept his private life so strictly private there’d been no mention of a wife and child.
He returned to her application. ‘Would a Norland-trained nanny with such glowing references object to posing as a housekeeper, Miss Ward?’
‘Not in the slightest,’ she assured him. ‘I have experience in that field too, Mr Carey Jones. After my father died, my mother turned the family home into a successful bed and breakfast operation. I was involved at every level right from the start. I enjoy cooking and did a certain amount of it in my previous post, as I explained to Mr Austin.’
‘It would certainly help in this instance,’ he agreed, ‘but my priority is finding someone trustworthy and competent, who is also young enough to be company for my daughter. It would be necessary to live in for the period of employment, also to furnish the requisite references and agree to a security check.’
‘Of course.’
He mentioned the very generous salary offer and looked at her in enquiry. ‘Now that you’re clear about my requirements, Miss Ward, would you accept the post if it were offered?’
Like a shot.
‘Yes, Mr Carey Jones, I would,’ she said firmly.
‘Thank you for being so straightforward. I’ll be in touch as soon as possible.’ And, instead of ringing for his butler, he surprised her by accompanying her downstairs to see her out.
Buzzing from her encounter with Mr Jones, Hester set off at a brisk pace to walk back to the house on the hilly outskirts of town. She waved, smiling, when her stepfather threw open the front door before she was halfway up the steep path to the house. ‘Hi, Robert.’
He hurried her inside, his kind face expectant. ‘How did it go?’
‘Quite well, I think, but I’ll have to wait to see if I beat the opposition.’
‘Of course you will! Moira’s popped out for something missing from the lunch menu, but we’ll eat in the garden as soon as she gets back.’
Hester kissed his cheek affectionately, then went out to climb the fire escape stairs to the garage flat Robert Marshall had redecorated to her taste. Hester’s chosen career required her to live in with whatever family she worked for, and now the family home had been sold she was deeply grateful to Robert for providing her with the security of a private, self-contained apartment as a base. She gazed out over his steep, beautifully tended garden as she changed into shorts and a halter-neck top, wondering if a second interview was likely. Having met Connor Carey Jones again, she fervently hoped so.
When Moira came back with her shopping, her jaw dropped when Hester, not without drama, announced that her interview had been with the man who’d made such an impression on them both all those years ago.
‘I had an idea it might be him, Ma,’ she said, smiling triumphantly, ‘but I didn’t say anything because it sounded so farfetched. But I was right. The man in need of a temporary nanny for his daughter really is our mysterious Mr Jones.’
‘Amazing! How did you react when you saw him?’
‘Luckily there was a photograph of him with a little girl on his desk, to give me advance warning.’
Moira shook her head in wonder. ‘Did he recognise you?’
‘Of course not. I’ve changed a lot since then. Besides, you saw far more of him than I did. They didn’t end up leaving early in the morning as they’d planned and I had to get back to college before they left—so I never did meet his lady.’
‘He was worried in case she had something infectious. She didn’t, as it happened, but she was far too ill to travel, so I let them stay on for a few days until she was better.’ Moira smiled reminiscently. ‘Mr Jones was very appreciative. He sent me the most wonderful flowers afterwards.’
‘Now you’ve solved your mystery, would you like the job, Hester?’ asked Robert.
She nodded fervently. ‘I certainly would. But apparently the daughter would object to having a nanny again, so if I did get it I’d have to pose as the temporary housekeeper.’
‘No problem for you, darling,’ said Moira promptly. ‘You’ve had far more experience of housekeeping than most girls your age.’
‘I think the age bit might be the problem. I got the impression he wanted someone a bit older.’
Hester found out sooner than expected. During the evening John Austin rang, asking if it was convenient for her to call back at the house in Albany Square to meet his employer at noon the next day. She raced into the garden to break the news.
‘First hurdle over, folks. I’ve got a second interview tomorrow.’
Hester felt nervous as she mounted the steps to the elegant house in Albany Square the following morning. Which was silly. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if she didn’t get the job. But, having met Mr Jones again, she was very keen to work for the man she’d had such a crush on when she was a teenager. And the bonus of six weeks generous salary while she was filling in time wouldn’t hurt, either. The original plan for the gap between jobs had been a holiday in the South of France, but she’d kept that secret in case it fell through at the last minute. Which it had.
The butler gave her a friendly smile as he opened the door. ‘Good morning, Miss Ward. I’ll show you straight upstairs.’
This time Connah Carey Jones was waiting at the open study door to greet her.
‘Thank you for coming again at short notice.’ He led her to the chair in front of the desk. ‘To get