The Hungry Heart Fulfilled (The Hunger of the Heart Series Book 3) Read Free Page A

Emer
    as he could, where he continued to stare at her face, which
    had grown
    considerably paler since she had first stood up beside the
    lectern in the
    cathedral.
     
     
He gazed in
    fascination at her
    lovely profile and hair, but as his assessment travelled
    downwards, the bulge
    of her stomach startled him, then filled him with a new anger.
    After all they
    had meant to each other, she had actually married Garvan
    Dillon, and shared a
    bed with him?
     
     
That the child might be his never
    occurred to him,
    for Emer at nine months was only as big as most women were at
    six. What he had
    overheard about her in the
    cathedral, and her thinking he was a man called Adrian when he
    had walked in, also
    twisted his guts into knots.
     
     
Had she become a
    rich man’s mistress
    in order to help her family?
    Where
    was Garvan? But
    if it were true
    that she had fallen so low, then why was the Bishop here?
     
     
But all of Dalton’s
    burning
    questions remained unanswered as the Bishop engaged him in
    small talk about the
    shipping business and politics, and avoided all mention of
    what had happened in
    the cathedral.
     
     
She thought all was
    going as well as
    could be expected until the Bishop said, “Perhaps while you’re
    visiting, you’d
    like to have a look around.
    Emer
    has created a lovely home here.”
     
     
“That would be most
    er,
    enlightening,” Dalton said hesitantly.
     
     
But Emer shook her
    head and said
    quickly, “No, no, I’m sure Mr. Randall is a very busy man, and
    wouldn’t be
    interested in touring an old rambling mansion where the
    floorboards jump up to
    trip you every time you walk past.”
     
     
Then she rose from
    the desk with her
    completed list of figures, and handed them to the Bishop. “All
    finished. I think they're
    fairly clear, but if you
    could just look over them for me I would be most grateful.”
     
     
On a second small
    piece of paper she
    had written the words: He's dangerous. Help me get him to leave
     before he causes trouble.
     
     
The Bishop nodded,
    and said, “I
    understand it all perfectly.”
     
     
He was just about
    to suggest that
    Dalton might like to accompany him back to town to pick his
    brains about the
    number of immigrants he projected would arrive in Canada that
    season, when the
    door swung open.
     
     
Adrian entered
    without any
    announcement from Sissy, thus looking for all the world as if
    he were the
    master of the house.
     
     
He strode straight
    up to Emer and
    kissed her on the cheek, as was his wont, while he apologised,
    “Sorry I’m late,
    my dear. Dratted
    meeting took
    forever. I’ll
    just go wash my
    hands and join you in the dining room.”
     
     
He stopped for a
    moment as he saw
    Dalton, and then proceeded to shake him heartily by the hand.
     
     
“Dalton, my dear
    fellow. Delighted
    to see you, old chap, delighted. It’s been so long.
    And to
    think we’ve done nothing but chat about you all morning in our
    meeting, and
    here you are in the flesh.
    Marvellous, really, I am so pleased, eh what?"
     
     
He made things look
    that much for
    her when he next turned back to the desk and said, "Emer,
    darling, I do
    hope you don’t mind if I invite Dalton to dinner, do you? I have so
    much to
    talk to him about. He
    was a particular friend of mine years ago, before he took to
    globetrotting
    around the world.”
     
     
“Well, er, Adrian,
    I’m not sure, you
    would have to go ask Cook, and in any event, I believe Mr.
    Randall was just er,
    l-l-leaving,” Emer stammered.
     
     
“Ah well, if you
    must go…. Another
    time then, dear fellow.
    Must dash
    now, I’m famished. Come
    along,
    Emer, the children will be waiting. And I'll wager anything
    you like that
    you've arranged all my favorites, darling. My mouth is
    watering at the prospect
    of your roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. ”
     
     
“Why don’t you and
    the Bishop go in
    then, say grace, and I’ll join you in a minute, dear,”