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massed petunias. Toni could not help thinking that Noah Seton had
every justification for feeling proud of his home. If it were hers, she
would certainly feel proud of it. Indeed, she was so entranced by the
scene in front of her that she momentarily forgot her priorities.
Jocelyn put in a timely reminder. 'I think I'll need some sun-screen
lotion. Will you excuse me for a few moments, Noah?' she said
prettily, then smiled invitingly at Toni. 'Would you like to freshen
up, Toni?'
They effected a graceful withdrawal and Jocelyn steered Toni into
the house and upstairs to the room she had been given. 'How did you
do it?' she demanded, the moment the door was closed behind them.
'With considerable difficulty.' Toni eyed her stepsister sternly. 'This
is never to happen again, Jocelyn.'
'I'm certain it won't!' came the hasty promise, but not even Toni's
remonstration could quench her delight. 'Richard is nerving himself
up to propose. I can feel it. Was Noah... terribly upset?'
Toni thought the lesson needed to be rammed home. Jocelyn had to
learn to face up to the consequences of her actions, and it was
obvious that she was not concentrating well at all, 'Under the
circumstances, he took it rather well. I'm doing the best I can to
soften the impact of this shattering experience -'
'Oh, thank you, Toni,' Jocelyn breathed, her eyes suddenly
brimming. She threw her arms around her smaller but infinitely
tougher stepsister and hugged her with excessive emotion. 'Thank
you, thank you, thank you. You've always been the most marvellous
sister to me. I don't know how I can ever repay you for all you've
done over the years. And now this..
Toni sighed heavily, relieving the choked feeling that had clutched
her throat. 'You've already repaid me many times over, Jocelyn. Just
by being you.'
'Oh, Toni.. She pulled back a little, her face glowing with happiness
through her tears. 'That's a lovely thing to say. But I haven't -'
'Don't you start putting yourself down,' Toni warned with gruff
fierceness. 'We finished that years ago, remember?'
'Yes, Toni,' she agreed with a wobbly smile.
'Now dry those tears, fix up your face, and be happy with your
Richard. I'll take care of Noah Seton.'
'I know it's expecting an awful lot of you, Toni...'
'No trouble at all,' Toni denied blithely. 'I'm liking him better all the
time. I intend to enjoy myself immensely.'
Jocelyn laughed in relief and went off to the en- suite bathroom to
start following Toni's instructions.
Toni smiled contentedly to herself as she sat down on the bed to
wait for her stepsister. We all have different abilities, she thought.
Jocelyn had fought so hard to overcome the stutter that had proved
so embarrassing and restricting years before. Her patience and
application had been truly awesome, and now she spoke beautifully.
As she had been through such a painful and trying experience, it was
no wonder she was so gifted in dealing with disadvantaged children
who were stuck in hospital for weeks and months at a time with
chronic illnesses.
Her stepsister was a wonderful person in her own right. She could
do a lot of things that Toni couldn't. Apart from being great with
children, she could cook and look after housework and was always
able to find things. And she was sweet and loving and always
believed the best of people...
Toni chided herself for having been impatient and critical with her
over this affair with Noah Seton. She could well understand
Jocelyn's being somewhat lost with him. He was a very complex
person. She felt a bit lost herself. But one thing Toni knew she was
good at dealing effectively with concepts and ideas. That was her
strength.
Which brought her back to the problem of Noah Seton. If she
dismissed everything else and came right down to the basics, he was
simply a man who found her attractive...and her company
stimulating. Which was perfectly reasonable. She could handle that.
And she certainly wouldn't mind trying out another kiss or two, just
to see if that first one was as fantastic as she remembered. In fact, it
would give her a lot of pleasure to make him admit that ninety-two
per cent was a most erroneous assessment.
Therefore, there was no problem about strolling around the gardens
with him. It should prove to be...quite stimulating. And, with a little
encouragement on her part, Noah Seton could find himself too
compromised to ever pursue a damages case over that good-will
business.
A smile of sweet satisfaction spread across Toni's face. The day
which had seemed so gloomy this morning was shining up
beautifully. Jocelyn was home-free with her Richard. Ray's troubles
were almost certainly over. And Noah Seton... well, it was quite true
that she was liking him better all the time. The only question was
where would it all end?
CHAPTER NINE [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]