‘But what about dinner?’ Morag said.
‘I’ll sort it out,’ Elodie said. ‘You just concentrate on getting well again.’
Within a short time the paramedics had taken Morag away and Elodie and Lincoln were left alone.
Lincoln took Elodie by the hands, his expression rich with concern. ‘Are you okay? You look like you’re in shock.’
Elodie was in shock. Deep shock. Her heart was still pounding, sweat was trickling down between her shoulder blades, and her stomach was churning along with her brain. Here was her chance to tell him about the ring she had found, but for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to do it. What if he thought she herself had planted it there? What if he didn’t believe she had found it while looking for the insulin kit?
But if he did believe her, she realised it would poison his relationship with his housekeeper. The breach of trust would be hard to forgive—especially when Morag had worked for him for so long. Besides, she wanted to hear Morag’s explanation first.
‘I—I’m fine...’ She forced a smile that didn’t quite work. ‘I’m not good in a crisis. Just ask Elspeth. Sick people terrify me.’
Lincoln stroked her hair away from her face, his gaze steady on hers. ‘You did a great job of taking care of Morag.’
She gave a dismissive snort, her eyes drifting away from his. ‘So, how was your day?’
He reached up to loosen his tie. ‘Not bad. How did you go at the studio?’
‘It was great. Elspeth came to help me unpack the stuff that’s arrived so far. There’s still heaps to do, but it feels so good to have my own space. I can’t thank you enough for organising it for me.’
He gave her chin a playful brush with his fingers. ‘It’s my pleasure.’
Elodie plastered another smile on her lips and turned for the kitchen, saying over her shoulder, ‘Give me half an hour or so and I’ll have dinner ready for you.’
‘You’re starting to sound very wifey.’
There was a note of amusement in his tone.
She turned around to smile back at him. ‘Make the most of it, baby. It’s only for six months, remember?’
And then she disappeared into the kitchen.
***
Lincoln tugged his silk tie the rest of the way out of his collar, threading it through his fingers, a frown pulling at his forehead. Elodie was always reminding him of the temporary nature of their relationship. Was that for her benefit or his? He knew the time frame well enough—he was the one who’d put it in place. And it needed to stay in place, in spite of how well they were getting on.
Settling down to domesticity with Elodie was out of the question. Firstly, because he didn’t want to lay himself open to the sort of heartache his father had gone through after losing his mother—loving for a lifetime contained certain devastation, for one partner always outlived the other. It was a fact of life and one he wanted to avoid experiencing first-hand. And secondly, because Elodie was like him—career-focussed. She had left him before because she had wanted a career more than she wanted to be with him.
Now he was doing all he could to facilitate her career—it was the least he could do to repay her for how warmly she had bonded with Nina. He had hoped they would connect, but he hadn’t dared hope they would get on as well as they had. It made him feel a little less compromised about the game of charades he and Elodie were playing.
But there were times when it didn’t feel like a charade.
It felt real...scarily real.
***
Elodie was still mulling over the engagement ring hidden in the drawer upstairs when Lincoln came into the kitchen.
She quickly hung a tea towel over the oven door. ‘No peeking. I want to surprise you with dinner.’
‘It smells delicious.’
‘It needs a few more minutes. Do you want a glass of wine?’
‘Sure. You want one?’
‘Not tonight.’