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feather. Out of the blue, a powerful ache to see him again infiltrated her blood and wouldn’t be ignored … even if he
did
inhabit an entirely different stratosphere from her.
    ‘I can assure you that I am neither married nor the father of six children. I told you before that I’ve been far too busy for that. Don’t you believe me?’
    Ludo’s expression had become serious once more. Conscious of the now diminishing crowd leaving thetrain, and realising with relief that they were no longer the focus of unwanted interest, Natalie shrugged.
    ‘All I’ll say is that I hope you’re telling me the truth. Honesty is really important to me. All right, then. When do you want us to meet?’
    ‘How long do you think you’ll be in London?’
    ‘Probably a couple of days at most … that is unless my dad needs me around for longer.’ Once again she was unable to control the tremor of fear in her voice at the thought that her father might be seriously ill. To stop from dwelling on the subject, and to prevent any uncomfortable quizzing from Ludo, she smiled and added quickly, ‘I’ll just have to wait and see, won’t I?’
    ‘If you are only going to be staying in town for a couple of days, that doesn’t give us very much time. That being the case, I think we should meet up tomorrow evening, don’t you?’ There was an unexpected glint of satisfied expectation in his eyes. ‘I can book us a table at Claridges. What time would suit you best?’
    ‘The restaurant, you mean? I thought you said we were only meeting for a drink?’
    ‘Don’t you eat in the evenings?’
    ‘Of course, but—’
    ‘What time?’
    ‘Eight o’clock?’
    ‘Eight o’clock it is, then. Let me have your mobile number so I can ring you if I’m going to be delayed.’
    Her brow puckering, Natalie was thoughtful. ‘Okay, I’ll give it to you. But don’t forget it might be me who’s delayed or can’t make it if my dad isn’t well … in which case you’d better let me have
your
number.’
    With another one of his enigmatic smiles, Ludo acquiesced unhesitatingly.
    She’d never got used to a doorman letting her into the rather grand Victorian building where her father’s luxurious flat was situated. It made her feel like an audacious usurper pretending to be someone important.
    The contrast between how her parents lived was like night and day. Her mother was a conscientious and devoted home-maker who enjoyed the simple and natural things in life, while her father was a real hedonist who loved material things perhaps a little
too
much. Although undoubtedly hard-working, he had a tendency to be quite reckless with his money.
    Now, as she found herself travelling up to the topmost floor in the lift, Natalie refused to dwell on that. Instead she found herself growing more and more uneasy at what he might be going to tell her.
    When Bill Carr opened the door to greet her, straight away his appearance seemed to confirm her worst suspicions. She was shocked at how much he’d aged since she’d last seen him. It had only been three months, but the change in him was so marked it might as well have been three years. He was a tall, handsome, distinguished-looking man, with a penchant for traditionally tailored Savile Row suits, and his still abundant silver-grey hair was always impeccably cut and styled …
but not today
. Today it was messy and in dire need of attention. His white shirt was crumpled and unironed and his pinstriped trousers looked as if he’d slept in them.
    With alarm Natalie noticed that he carried a crystaltumbler that appeared to have a generous amount of whisky in it. The reek of alcohol when he opened his mouth to greet her confirmed it.
    ‘Natalie! Thank God you’re here, sweetheart. I was going out of my mind, thinking that you weren’t going to come.’
    He flung an arm round her and pulled her head down onto his chest. Natalie dropped her bag to the ground and did her utmost to relax. Instinct told her that whatever