The Spaniard's Love-Child Read Free Page B

rush, ‘I don’t want to tell you how to bring up the children.’ Though maybe someone should because you’re making a hell of a mess of it. ‘But maybe if you sat down and discussed things with them?’
    â€˜I thought I wasn’t permitted to talk to the children.’
    â€˜I know this must be frustrating,’ she replied sympathetically. ‘But you have to be patient.’
    â€˜You are stretching my patience.’
    â€˜Oh, for goodness’ sake!’ she shouted, her own frayed patience snapping. ‘Can’t you stop thinking about yourself for one moment and imagine how the children are feeling right now, Mr Carreras?’ You could only carry on giving someone the benefit of the doubt for just so long. ‘Other people do.’ People like Javier.
    â€˜Please be calm.’
    â€˜I am calm!’ she yelled, and frowned repressively at Katerina who giggled as she made this heated claim.
    â€˜I can be very generous.’
    Nell gave a sigh of exasperation; did he think he just had to throw money at any problem and it went away?
    â€˜This isn’t about money,’ she reminded him severely.
    â€˜Then what is it about— revenge ?’
    â€˜For heaven’s sake, don’t be so silly.’
    Katerina, who was listening carefully to the one-sided conversation, gave a smug smile. ‘I told you he’s impossible and he won’t listen to anything you say. He thinks women are there to look decorative and have babies.’
    Nell shot Katerina a warning look and the girl lapsed into sulky silence as Nell attempted to moderate her own tone, regretting deeply that she’d allowed her tongue to run away with her.
    â€˜Javier was a pretty laid-back sort of dad…’ Her own voice thickened as she thought of Javier with his laughing eyes and wicked sense of humour.
    It might be a year since she’d reluctantly moved out of the sprawling, slightly shabby Edwardian villa in the unfashionable seaside town she had shared with Javier for almost two years, but he had still been very much a part of her life.
    She sometimes wondered where she would be now had she not seen Javier in the crowded supermarket that afternoon with two fretful children. She had recognised him immediately, even though she had never attended one of his classes—the famous artist who had occasionally done a guest lecture at the art college she’d attended had been quite a celebrity. She had heard about his young wife’s tragic death, of course; the art community had been buzzing with it.
    Javier had been charmingly grateful when she had coaxed Antonio out of his hysterics, and if she hadn’t taken matters into her own hands that would have been it. But Nell had come up with a brilliant idea, and, driven to take drastic action, she had turned up on Javier’s doorstep the next day and suggested an arrangement that would be a solution to both their problems.
    â€˜I’m about two steps away from homeless and you need someone to help with your children. For bed and board I’ll be that someone.’
    Javier hadn’t taken her seriously but Nell had persisted and eventually he had agreed to a month’s trial. The arrangement had turned out better than either of them had expected.
    â€˜I have no desire to discuss my family with you.’ Directly following this frigid, sneering response Nell heard the sound of a muffled speech in the background as though someone else was in the room. A woman, maybe? Was he speaking to her from his bed? Her wayward imagination threw in a deeply distracting image of a pale-limbed beauty trailing her teasing fingers down a lean brown muscle-packed torso.
    Her tummy muscles quivered uncomfortably.
    â€˜If you are indeed concerned about the children—surely you must see that the best place for them is with their family.’
    â€˜A family they don’t know. Listen, Mr Carreras, the children simply