Read First: White Rose of Winter---Complete - Page 5

Originally posted by: .Enchantress.

^^Neerja even if you kept it Robert I cud imagine FK only. 😳 For Maya, I can visualise Sana Javed or Lubna of Pyaare Afzal or sumtyms, I can feel myself. 😊 FK has that old world charm! ❤️

That evening Maya took long to get ready for dinner She wore a gown of turquoise color , soft , expensive . It was a beautiful dress which gave Maya,s slender figure an added allure . She had put up her hair this evening ,leaving only tantalizing tendrils to caress her cheeks . She knew she had never worn anything more becoming and the knowledge of her attractiveness gave her confidence at a time when she most needed it .

As she walked along the hall later she heard the sounds coming from the lounge and realized Asher's guests have arrived . She could hear Emma's voice ,too. Lucy had suggested she be allowed to stay up to meet Asher,s fianc and Maya has agreed .

It took a great deal of courage to open the door and step in to the lounge and as she did so the talk in the room subsided and all eyes turned in her direction .

Lucy was first to speak . Approaching her with a fixed smile on her face ,she said ." Oh, there you are Maya ! We have been waiting for you . Come and be introduced to everyone .

Maya suffered Lucy to take her arm and draw her forward , her eyes going straight to the tall young woman standing beside Asher . Sara was not at all as Maya has imagined ,although there was no denying her attractiveness . She carried herself with supreme confidence melting away beneath that patronizing gaze .

Her eyes flickered to Asher ,dark and masculine in his dinner suit and she felt a tightening of her stomach muscles that made her feel slightly sick . His eyes were hidden beneath the thickness of his lashes and his face was expressionless.

: Francis - Louise - this is my daughter in law , Maya . Maya , this is Sara,s parents . And Sara , too, Darling , this is Maya !"

Maya shook hands automatically . Sara,s parents were younger than she has imagined ,might be in forties and Sara,s father was regarding her with unconcealed admiration . He was rather an attractive man ,thought Maya detachedly , not as tall as Asher . Louise was like her daughter ,tall ,they made her feel quite insignificant . After the introductions were over , Francis said ," We've just been introduced to your daughter ,Maya . A charming young lady ," He grinned and Maya warmed to him .

Emma giggled , " Mr Hillingdon thought my pajamas and dressing gown were a new style of evening dress ,"

Maya smiled then . " Did he ? I hope you explained that young ladies have to get their beauty sleep ?'

Emma wrinkled her nose ," Do I have to go to bed ?"

" You do indeed ." Maya was firm .

" What will you drink , Maya ?' That was Asher , his voice cool and detached .

" Gin and tonic ,please ." Maya refuse to acknowledge Lucy's abrupt tightening of lips .

" How are you settling down to life in England ?" Sara seemed to think it necessary to say something now that Asher has deserted her to get Maya's drink . " I expect you find it rather cold , do not you ?"

" That's right , "Maya nodded , she took the glass from Asher ,thanked him .

Francis asked her how did she liked her new house . Maya told him its nice house and Asher took her to see it yesterday .

Sara glanced at her fianc and asked him ," When will Maya be be able to move in , darling ?'

Asher put the cigar between his teeth , " In a little over a week ,I believe , Sara . The decorators are almost finished ,"

" Do you like the decorations ?" Sara asked ,looking at Maya again .

Maya decided to be polite ." Yes very much , You had some hand in them , I hear .'

Sara smiled ," Yes it was quite fun . Sort of practice for Ash and me we find our own home ."

Maya did not like the abbreviation of Asher's name , But it was nothing to do with her and then July interrupted by saying that lets all sit down

" Emma sat on the arm of Maya's chair and conversation was in general . Maya saw Emma's drooping eyes . Standing up she said to Emma lets go to bed and say goodnight . She left with Emma to her room and returned .All were ready for dinner.

Standing up she said to Emma lets go to bed and say goodnight. She left with Emma to her room and returned .All were ready for dinner. Sara's father was friendly. She found him an easy person to talk with . All came back to lounge after the dinner. She talked with Francis discussing the books they had read and as , Maya was away from London for so long Francis was quite willing to bring her cultural knowledge up to date . From time to time ,Maya was conscious of Asher's brooding gaze upon her ,but she refused to meet his eyes and read the censure she knew she would find there . Maya liked Francis and was grateful to him for making the evening which could have been difficult to pass .

Asher accompany them down to their car and after the door closed Lucy heaved a sigh with some satisfaction ." Aren't they charming family ? she asked Maya , obviously feeling pleased with herself .

" I hardly spoke to anyone except Francis ." replied Maya , flinging herself carelessly into a chair .

" Francis !'Lucy was obviously horrified. " I hope you did not call him that .'

" Why not ?" Maya frowned .

" Well my dear , its just not done . do you know who he is ?"

Maya gave a resigned gesture, " I don't particularly care .'

" Then perhaps you should . He is head of the Hillingdon Corporation . His father is sir Arnold Hillingdon and Sara's father will inherit the title on his death .'

" Big idea !' Maya was unimpressed .

Lucy s cheeks paled a little with annoyance ," I might have known that that information would mean little to you . Anyway it does not matter . I doubt whether you will be seeing much of them after you move to your house ..."

" Oh , yes ,I know , I will be out of the way ." remarked Maya bitterly and asked her if she can now go to her bedroom .

Lucy turned , " Why not ?"

I was not sure whether I had permission or not ," Maya was sardonic .

Outer door of the apartment suddenly opened and closed with Asher . He came in to the room unbuttoning his jacket and wrinkling his nose at the pall of the cigarette smoke . Suddenly he looked exactly like Emma - she wrinkled her nose , too, and Maya caught her breath .

She was conscious of him coming to stand before her chair , Well?" he challenged coldly ." I see you changed your mind ."

Maya did not reply . She knew he was referring to her clothes . But Lucy was puzzled .

" Changed her mind what about ?"

Asher made a gesture ," Nothing . Forget it !' he glanced round the room ." What a mess !'

Lucy told him Hailbird will deal with it . Asher went to the cabinet and asked Maya if she wants another drink ? " he was looking at his mother .

" Yes please , " Maya deliberately said . " You know what I like ."

Asher made no comment but Lucy said sharply , " that you drink too much ".

" But not in the company ,' drawled Maya deliberately ." I didn't let you down this evening , did I ?"

" That will do ." Asher said .

" The sooner Maya and I put some distance between us the better ," retorted his mother angrily "

Asher regarded her moodily . " No. one's is stopping you from returning to your own apartment ," he stared .

Maya blinked . It was not like Asher to answer his mother in such an offensive tone .

" What ? Lucy was saying now in a horrified way . " And leave you here alone -with her ? "

" Why not ? Asher expression was ironic ." Surely you don't imagine It would matter , one way or the other ."

" Of - of course it would matter ,' Lucy stared at him , trying to read his mind . " Besides, I doubt whether Sara would like me to leave ,"

Asher ran a hand round the back of his neck ." Why not ?"

Lucy sniffed resentfully, " Do not be obtuse , Asher ."

" I'm not being obtuse , Mother . If you mean what I think you mean ,you do not honestly suppose that if I wanted to climb into bed with Maya your presence in the apartment would make the slightest bit of difference !"

" Asher !' Lucy was pale .

He gave an impatient ejaculation. " It's the truth , Mother ,' his lips twisted ," The fact of matter is that your presence here as a chaperon is unnecessary . Maya is my brother,s wife - therefore I shall provide for her . But that's all . Satisfied ?" he turned away . " Now I suggest we all go to our rooms , I am tired ."

Maya stood up , finishing her drink ,as she did so . Swaying slightly , she regarded them both bitterly ." You put that so charmingly, Asher ,' she remarked sarcastically ." Might I add that whether or not you choose to provide for me is entirely up to you !' and dropping her glass nosily on to a side table she inclined her head regally and left the room .

Will continue with four chapter .

Originally posted by: .Enchantress.

I liked how Asher retorted to his mother..😊 Reminded me of Asher-Farida scene in Humsafar. Ah! FK looks so Handsome..❤️ The Dinner went well. Sara has to be Sara of Humsafar.

The next days passed comparatively uneventfully. Needless to say Lucy did not return to her own apartment, as Maya had known she would not , but as they both avoided one another there were few opportunities for open confrontation .

They saw little of Asher and if Emma thought this was a strange household she had been brought to , the excitement of trips about London with either Maya or her grandfather was more than enough to distract her .

In other circumstances ,she would have asked Asher whether she might visit the offices of Pemberton Company . Her old boss , Vincent Harvey , still worked there so far she knew , and it would have been nice to renew her acquaintance with him again .

But Asher ,s attitude encouraged little except antagonism, and a painful kind of acceptance inside her in , and although he went frequently to the skyscraper building in Spanish Mews , she was not invited . One morning , when it was almost a week , the telephone rang as she was alone , she answered and to her surprise it was Francis .

" Maya?' he exclaimed

She told him yes ,it was her . Maya told him that Asher is at the office and my mother in law has taken the Emma to Zoo.

" I wanted to speak to you . Maya , "Francis stated surprisingly . " I wanted to ask if you were free for the lunch today ."

" For lunch ?' Maya gathered her thoughts and she was beginning to sound ridiculous ." But - why ?"

Francis laughed ." Do i have to give a reason ? Can't you just accept that i want to have lunch with you ?"

Maya was taken aback." Well , I do not know - she began ," its unexpected ,that's all."

Maya bit her lower lip ,a mass of conflicting emotions . He was amusing, interesting person but there are other things to be considered : what Asher might think , to begin with , and what malicious construction Lucy might place on the whole affair .

But as though Lucy's petty restrictions were a kind of driving exhortation to commit the unforgivable crime of disobedience , Maya made a decision.

" All right ," she agreed. " I would love to have lunch with you ,Where shall we meet ?"

Francis sounded delighted , " I'll pick you up at the apartment ,' he suggested . About twelve?'

Maya told him all right but she will meet him down- stairs. Maya was committed now and there was nothing she could do about it even if she wanted to. SHE WENT TO Hailbird and told him that she will not be at home for lunch . She had no desire to arouse Asher's anger unnecessary, and it was quite possible that she would be back before anyone knew . It was not until she was taking shower that she had to accept by anticipating Asher's anger she was admitting that what what she was about to do was wrong .

But why should it be ? she asked herself fiercely as she pulled on her dress which complimented her ,she looked absurdly youthful as she went down in the lift .

Francis was leaning against the bonnet of his car and got in to the car . It was quite cold outside . Francis regarded her intently for a long moment and then said that she was looking pretty . It was very easy to relax with Francis . They had their lunch . It was delightful outing and Maya was sorry when it was over and they drove back to town . When they reached the apartment , Francis asked her will she come with him again . Maya ?

Maya bent her head ," i don't know whether we should ."

" Why?' Francis said ," you have enjoyed it , haven't you ?"

" Yes that not the point ,does your wife knows that you have taken me for lunch ? What she will think ?"

" I do not care , need i tell you ? " He asked softly ," our relationship has been on the rocks for years . We are still married , we still go through being a happily married couple for the sake of Sara , and my parents . Thats all ."

Maya took a deep breath ." I see she wished she had known this before accepting Francis ,s invitation . This changed things , changed them a lot .

Francis bent his head to regard her ." That puts me beyond the pale , of course ."

" what do you mean ?"

Francis looked up, his expression wry ." Am i right in thinking that you are regretting going out with me now ?You think - hell , I have got to walk warily here . This man's out for something more than just a friendly relationship ! Am I right , aren't I ?"

Maya asked him softly ." And are you ? out for more than friendly relationship ?"

Francis sighed ," I would be fool and a liar to say no ," he replied briefly ." But if you think I will force you to do anything you did not want to do , you are mistaken . I like you , you attract me , I can not deny that either . But if all you want is my friendship , then i am prepared to offer it ,"

" Oh, Francis !" Maya stared at him helplessly .

" We've got very intense all of a sudden , Haven't we ? " he remarked lightly ." This will never do , Well , And thank you for joining me , " better i should go , getting late for appointment . Getting out of the car Maya thanked him and Francis get out too .

" Aren't- aren't you going to invite me out again ?"

Francis eyes narrowed ," Will you come ."

" As a friend i will ." and then she bade him goodbye and left . Going up the lift Maya pondered her motives for doing what she had done . but there had been enormous weight of unhappiness in Francis eyes when he had told her so indifferently of his affairs . And she just wanted friendship and the fact she knew how it was to be misunderstood in the most destructive circumstances .

When Maya let herself into the apartment a few minutes later she could hear the sound of feminine voice and her heart sank . Lucy was obviously back and no doubt would expect some explanation as to why Maya should have gone out without leaving any explanation where she might be .

She pushed open the lounge door . But it was not Lucy alone who turned to regard her curiously as she entered the room but a strange young woman. Asher was there ,too , standing sombrely beside the long windows, his hands behind his back .

Maya closed the door and leaned back against it , her dark brows drawing together in puzzled expectation. Then her eyes went questioningly to Asher and he walked slowly across to stand behind the couch .

" Good afternoon , Maya ," he greeted her coldly ." I am so glad you've decided to return at last . Miss Lawson and I have been waiting for you for almost an hour ."

Maya moved away from the door , aware that Asher's cold words were merely the tip of the iceberg , so far his anger is concerned . Had they been alone she was quite sure he would have taken hold of her and demanded forcibly to know where she had been . Or he already knew , Perhaps he had seen her arrive back with Francis .

She endeavoured to remain composed for Miss Lawson's sake ,whoever she might be and made a confused gesture ." Yes ?" she queried . " Forgive me , but why you have been waiting for me ?"

Asher's control was magnificent, but his eyes burned with something much more malevolent than mere irritation at her absence . " Miss Lawson is the governess I have employed for Emma ," he stared , his eyes holding hers almost against her will so that Maya felt a shaft of pure unadulterated fear inside her . " You may recall , I mentioned the matter to you ,"

She dragged her eyes away and tried to concentrate her attention on the young woman seated relaxedly on the couch . She was regarding Maya with an appraising stare that was nothing short of insolent and Maya felt a fleeting sensation of annoyance . Then she firmly decided she was allowing Asher's attitude to influence her judgement . In a friendly manner she said ," I am sorry ,I was not here to welcome you , Miss Lawson . " she went towards her holding her hand out and introduced herself .

Miss Lawson greeted her and asked where Emma was ?

Maya raised her eyes to Asher reluctantly ," have not they come back yet ? Your mother has taken her to Zoo."

Asher folded his arms across his chest ,he looked bigger and powerful . " It is not necessary for Miss Lawson to meet Emma today . I just wanted you to meet her and hear her suggestions about her schooling ."

Maya took a deep breath ." I was not aware that we had made any definite decision about Emma's schooling ," she remarked with assumed nonchalance.

Asher's expression darkened ," on the contrary , its all arranged . Miss Lawson will take up residence with you at the home at the end of the week when you move in . I can see no difficulties whatsoever ,"

Maya held up her head . she would not be intimidated in front of this strange woman , " I am not at all convinced that Emma requires a governess ," she said firmly ," I am sure the school in town will be more than adequate to deal with her early education ,When she is little older..."

Asher's eyes glittered , "Allow me to be best judge of that , Maya "he said dourly .

" I think we should discuss it a little more , " trying to be conciliatory.

" There is nothing to discuss."

" I do not agree ," Maya gave Miss Lawson a faint smile . " I have no doubt about her capabilities but would like Emma to mix with other children during the day ."

" I do not intend to conduct an argument with you ,Maya .as i said i brought her here to get to know each other ." Asher's arms fell to his side .

Maya seethed and turned to the girl helplessly asking if she would like some tea .

Miss Lawson thanked her coolly and Maya walked quickly walked across the room to the door . In the hall Asher caught up with her , preventing her progress by grasping her wrist in a vice like hold .

" One minute !' he snarled savagely . " Where the hell do you think you have been until this time ? Do you realize its after half past three ?"

Maya stared at him indignantly . The hall was narrow at this point and his hold on her wrist brought her closer to him than she had been since she returned from Malaya . His fingers on her wrist were cool and hard but the anger she could see so clearly in his eyes was anything but cool . He was blazing .

" You are not my keeper , Asher ," she said clearly

" I did not say i was . I asked where you had been ,"

" I went out for lunch ."

" Damn you , I know that . I want to know with whom ?" Asher's fingers tightened ," Do you want me to break your wrist ? "

" You would not dare !"

" Try me !" Asher's burning eyes gave an indication of his determination .

Maya's throat felt constricted ," You - you brute!' she almost spat the words at him . " If you must know , I went to lunch with Francis !"

" Francis ? "Asher shook his head . " Francis who ?"

" Francis Hillingdon . Now will you pleae let go of my wrist ?"

" Francis Hillingdon ! " Asher was obviously astounded , but still he did not let her go , " Sara's father ?"

" The very same ," she retorted sarcastically . " Let me go "

Asher ignored her demand ," What the hell are you doing having lunch with him ? You hardly know him ."

" Well, I know him little better now ," returned Maya in a taunting voice , unable to prevent the jibe .

Asher stared at her upturned face with a twisted expression on his ." How did you come to have lunch with him ?"

" He asked me ," answered Maya ,grimacing ." What's it to you ? There was no harm in it . He rang me this morning and asked me to have lunch . That's all ."

Asher's eyes narrowed ." I did not know Francis went in for that kind of things ."

" He does not . And what do you mean - that kind of thing? I have told you . It was perfectly innocent ."

" I bet ." Asher looked down at her slender wrist in his grasp . " I could snap this as easily as a matchstick ,' he remarked grimly ." Or perhaps its your neck I should break ."

Maya gave a nervous laugh , unaccountably apprehensive of the look in his eyes ," Now stop it , Asher . We are wasting time . Miss - er- Miss Lawson will be wondering whats happened to her tea,"

" I do not give a damn about Miss Lawson' tea!" snapped Asher

" Well ,I do ." Maya struggled to free herself . Asher's eyes were disturbingly insolent and he pulled her closer when she tried to free her wrist . " Now tell me what are you going to do " he muttered grimly ." Tell me Maya , how did it feel being married to Mike and he knew that you do not love him ?"

At last he let her go . His face was pale ,his expression more forbidding than ever . He bit out savagely , " you selfish , you do not change a bit , do yu ? You do not care who you hurt ?"

Maya exclaimed defensively in anger ." I did not ask you to touch me .

Asher's jaw tightened. " and he stood there looking at her for a long disturbing moment and then without a word , he pushed past her , disappearing in his own room . Maya stood where he had left her ,realizing she was trembling all over . Then with determination she asked Haibird to serve the tea in the lounge .

She found Miss Lawson sitting in the lounge . She regarded Maya in a hostile fashion which Maya did not understand ." Do I take it I am to be Emma,s governess , then ?"Maya said carefully that for the moment ," I accept status quo"

Originally posted by: .Enchantress.

TBH, I too didn't Maya's lunch with Francis maybe cuz of Reason that He is Asher's to be Father-in-law. But Asher's anger was startling..🤔 FK can easily do Angry Bawling Scenes well and it isnt difficult to visualise him Raging at Maya.

Miss Lawson raised her eyebrows ." But Mr. Pemberton is my employer , isn't he ?"

" Indirectly , yes ." Maya sighed ." Look , Miss Lawson ,you and I are expected to live together . I do not think its unreasonable that we should at least try to get to know one another , do you ? " Trying to talk in a friendlier tone , she went on ," Now - whats your name , your Christian name ? I can't call you Miss Lawson all the time ."

" I am Sandra , actually, " replied the girl ." But i would prefer to remain Miss Lawson in front of Emma . Familiarity is not good for discipline , you know ."

Maya tried to prevent the smile disappearing from her face entirely , " I don't think you will require a great deal of discipline with a five year old , Miss - er- Sandra . Besides, Emma is not that kind of child ."

" What kind of child , Mrs Pemberton ?"

" The kind that continually requires discipline . Emma is rather a self -controlled person . I can't honestly imagine her causing any great problem ."

" You are her mother ,Mrs Pemberton . You would not understand the problems a teacher can come up against ."

" I should imagine it would depend a lot upon the teacher ." retorted Maya , getting quite heated in spite of herself .

Then Halberd came with the tea .The idea of eating at this moment was repugnant to her .Sandra took the tea and that moment Asher reappeared .

He had changed , Maya saw at once , had shower and in his casual clothes he had lazy indolence and Maya found it hard to believe that only a few minutes ago he had lost control , was passionate . How could he switch his emotions off like that ; while she was still a quaking mass of nerves and sensations ?

Sandra seemed pleased to see him . She smiled warmly in his direction and although the muscles of Asher's face scarcely relaxed at all, there was softening in his expression as he looked towards her .

He looked at Maya and his demeanour underwent a drastic change ." Well?" he asked curtly ," Is everything arranged ?"

Maya shrugged . " Do i have any say in the matter ?"

" Maya ! " his tone was savaged and she realized he was not as indifferent as he appeared .

Maya shivered ." Oh , very well . Make whatever arrangements you like ." she got off the couch . " My presence here seems entirely incidental ,"

Asher looked at her as though he would have liked to have something more but he seemed to change his mind and the sound of the outer door opening caused him to glance round rather irritably .

Emma entered the room , small dark and utterly adorable in her red anorak . She stopped short at the sight of Sandra Lawson and looked inquiringly upwards her mother .

Maya bent down and hugged her . " Hello , darling ," she said ." Had a great day ?"

" Oh ,it was super , Mummy !' Emma was enthusiastic . Releasing herself from her mother , she skipped across to Asher , taking his both hands in both of hers and tugging it excitedly ." We saw absolutely everything . Grandma bought me some ice cream and some Coke and heaps of sweets ,"

" Did she indeed ?" Asher's tone was dry but the tenseness of his expression disappeared in the face of Emma ,s enchanting personality . There was no doubting the affection he had for Emma , and Maya wondered why the knowledge hurt so much .

Emma went on her chanting and about pony which she saw and said that Grandma told me that i might have a pony when we move to the country , Will I ? Will you buy me one , Uncle Asher !"

" Emma !" Maya was annoyed and that time Lucy entered the room . " Not now ,Emma , not now ! " rather irritably .

Then she saw Sandra and her expression became welcoming ." Sandra ! My dear . I did not know you were coming here today or I'd have made a point of being at home ."

" Miss Lawson was not aware of the arrangement until i I rang her this morning ," Remarked Asher , helping Emma off with her anorak . He looked down at her . " Miss Lawson is to be your governess. Do you know what governess is ?"

Emma frowned ." Like an ayah ?" she asked .

Asher shook his head ," no , an ayah is a sort of nanny . A governess is like a teacher . She teaches you lessons . Emma's small face grew anxious ," like at school ?"

Asher went down his haunches beside her and told her that " Miss Lawson is going to live with you and Mummy at your home ."

Emma looked across her mother for confirmation and Maya's heart went out to her . " But -but Mummy said that when we come to England I would be able to go to proper school ! " she protested .

" Well Mummy was wrong ," replied Asher abruptly , getting to his feet again .

" But why ?"Emma was not to put off , she tugged at Asher's waistcoat ," Come here again , Uncle Asher ." Asher again went to her and she asked why she can not go to school ?

Lucy intervened and told Emma to stop asking silly questions and Uncle Asher knows best .

Asher put his hands on Emma's small waist and when he straightened this time Emma was in his arms , her arms around his neck with a curious kind of possession .Watching them together , Maya wondered whether Emma found in Asher a counter part of Mike , Or was it something more than that ? Certainly Asher had lot of patience with her and the child responded to that .

" Put her down , Asher . she is not a baby !" exclaimed Lucy irritably ,but Asher ignored her , talking to Emma , making her giggle and hide her face in his neck .

Maya could not go on watching them .It was too painful an experience ." If you will excuse me ," she began ,when Lucy interrupted her saying has she and Sandra been getting to know one another . Maya replied a little bit .

" Sandra is old friend of Sara . .both went to school together . You will find her very efficient ."

" I am sure , I will ."Maya clenched her fists . She might have known from the woman attitude that there was more to her dislike than mere antipathy . No doubt she was being placed in the house as a permanent watchdog , a kind of gaoler !Maya wanted to scream . What did they think she was ? What did they expect her to do ?

Taking a breath ,she looked at Emma ,still in Asher,s arms ," Come along , darling ." she said , " You need a wash before milk ."

Emma clung to Asher in the way children do when confronted by something they do not particularly care for , but to Maya this was last straw .She went out of the room ,closing the door firmly behind her before her emotions caused her to make an even bigger fool of herself than she already had done .

Whether or not Asher told his mother about her lunch with Francis . She realized Asher s motive for remaining silent were no doubt to prevent a rift between his mother and Francis . Maya had her dinner with Lucy as Asher has gone to take Sandra back to her home and after that straight to Sara . Emma was in bed , she was worried about her as Emma had eaten very little and complained about headache . Maya thought the long day out was too much for her but she could hardly comment on that to Lucy .

They were in the lounge when Emma started to cough , then choke and cry out loudly . Maya leapt out of her chair, wrenched open the lounge door and sped to Emma's bedroom followed by Lucy . But when she opened the door ,the sight met her eyes caused her to halt and utter a helpless exclamation . Emma had been sick , violently sick and her bed was wild disorder . She herself was pale and tearful, her fingers pressed to her trembling mouth in silent consternation at what she has done .

" Oh , Emma ! " Maya shook her head sympathetically, but Lucy was horrified. Horrified.

" You naughty girl !" she exclaimed , wrinkling her nose in distaste . " Oh , you naughty girl ! Why did not you go to the bathroom ?"

Emma burst into more tears and Maya swung around on her fiercely ," Is that all you can say ?' she demanded angrily ." Can't you see how upset and frightened she is ? You know how children hate being sick !"

Lucy put a hand to her throat ." Thats not the point ! if she had known she was going to be sick , she should have gone to the bathroom . Look at the carpet ! The bed covers ! Everything is ruined !"

" Do not be so ridiculous !" snapped Maya ." they'll get cleaned .Besides its all your fault . you have been plying her with ice cream and fizzy drinks , sweets all day !"

" I didn't know this would happen ! " retorted Lucy , regarding child with something like dislike ." If she had been brought up to have a little self control..."

" Whats going on here ? "

The brusque masculine tones were like a douche of cold water on the two women and Maya turned defensively , prepared to fight Asher too if necessary . But Asher merely propelled her aside and looked into Emma's bedroom himself .

" Oh Emma !" he exclaimed , shaking his head and advancing towards her ." What on the earth has been going on here ? Someone's been sick all over your bed ," His voice was gentle as he looked round the room and his eyes alighted on a teddy bear she had been playing with earlier " Who was it ? Teddy ? Or was it that naughty doll sitting on the chair ?"

Emma scrambled off from the bed and made for him , uncaring of the fat that she was wet and sticky , flinging herself against his legs and hugging him tightly ." It- it was Teddy ,' she said ,taking panting breaths ." He - he had too many sweets today ."

" Did he ?" Asher smoothed his hands over the straight black tangled hair , and Maya supported herself weakly against the door jamb.

" Asher, for heaven's sake ,stop comforting the child !"exclaimed his mother . " Can't you - you see she is wetting your trousers !"

Asher looked round , his hands still caressing Emma's head and shoulders, soothing her . Ignoring his mother's outburst , he said " Go and tell Hailberd I want to see him . Tell him to bring some buckets of hot water and disinfectant and some clean clothes."

Lucy hesitated and then Asher's expression hardened , she muttered something uncomplimentary to herself and went away . Maya was leaning against the door jamb , shaken after her skirmish with Lucy .

Asher prised Emma's fingers from his legs and looked down at her , a whimsical smile touching his lips ," Come on!" he said ." Lets go and clean you up ."

Emma gave her mother an appealing glance and Maya followed them into softly tinted lights of the bathroom . Asher ran warm water into step in bath and added a generous amount of bath salts so that air was filled with scented steam and then took off Emma's pyjamas and put her in to soapy suds.

Asher tied her hair with elastic band , she was looking adorable and Maya watched them with aching pain in the pit of her stomach . Hailberd came to the door of the bathroom . He winked at Emma and said ," Shall i start clearing up , sir?"

Asher looked up and grinned . It was first time Maya had seen such a relaxed expression on his face and it was disturbingly attractive ." If you would , Hailberd he said ." I will give you a hand myself when i am finished here ,"

Maya glanced down at her long black skirt and white blouse , pushing back her sleeves , she said ;" I'll help you , Hailberd ."

" No , I will help him " Asher got to his feet and looked down at Emma ." Mummy will get you out of there and dry you ." he said ." I'll come and see you when you are into bed , right ?"

" She can sleep with me ," said Maya but again Asher shook his head .

" She can have my bed ," he said , drying his hands on a fluffy towel ." Just for tonight while her room is dried and aired ,I can sleep on the couch on the lounge ,"

Hailberd had disappeared to begin cleaning up and Maya made a helpless gesture ." You can't do that , Asher . Its not necessary ."

Asher's eyes darkened . " What do you suggest ? Shall I share your bed ? Don't press me too hard , Maya ,or I might do just that , and that would do neither of us any good , would it ?"