Merlyn's Magic Read Online Free PDF Page B

have flour on your nose,' he declared harshly, turning
away.
    Her hand rose shakily to wipe away the flour. The gesture
was mechanical as she was still watching Rand as he strode forcefully
from the room, knowing he had brought her to him for quite a different
reason, a reason that he had instantly regretted once he realised what
he was doing.
    If there had been any women in his life since his wife's
death then no one but he—and they— knew about it.
Before his marriage to Suzie Forrester he had often been mentioned in
the gossip columns, had been a highly eligible bachelor, with numerous
women in his life. During his marriage to Suzie, his actions had been
just as newsworthy, but since her death he might as well have
disappeared, never going to London, and certainly not involved in any
of the social whirl he and Suzie had seemed to enjoy so much during
their marriage.
    But a few seconds ago there had been a physical hunger in
his eyes—for Merlyn.
    He was drinking brandy again when she brought the
casserole up to the dining-room, although he joined her in a glass of
wine with their meal, and he didn't go back to the brandy after they
had eaten.
    'So,' he sat across the room from her, 'you can do magic
after all.'
    'What?' She blinked up at him, startled by the comment.
    'The meal you "conjured" up was very nice,' Rand's voice
was mocking.
    She moistened her lips, relaxing slightly. 'Thank you, but
your cook did most of the work, I just defrosted.'
    'You're from London.' It was a statement, not a question.
    Merlyn instantly realised it was a mistake to ever relax
around this man. 'Yes,' she confirmed warily.
    'Decided to get away from the rat-race for a few days,
hm?' His scornful tone told her exactly what he thought now of London
and the social life there.
    'I decided I'd like a change of scenery, yes,' she
answered dryly. 'I could have stayed there and had weather better than
this.'
    'Touché.' His mouth quirked as he glanced out of the
window where the rain could still be seen and heard. 'Are you in
business in London?' The sharpness in those silver eyes belied his
relaxed state as he lounged in the armchair.
    This time Merlyn was ready for the directness of his
questioning, meeting that narrowed gaze steadily as she answered him.
'No.'
    Dark brows rose. 'You're a little cagey, aren't you?' he
taunted softly.
    'No more so than you, surely?' she challenged with cool
confidence.
    Rand's mouth tightened. 'I'm not in the habit of relating
my life-story to complete strangers!' he rasped.
    'Neither am I,' Merlyn returned softly. 'Besides,' she
added as she sensed he was about to demand that she tell him exactly
what she did in London, 'as you've already guessed, I'm here for a
break. And when I get away like this I like to forget all about my
work.'
    'You're making your profession sound very mysterious.' He
sipped at the coffee she had poured him, watching her over the cup's
rim.
    Merlyn's movements were deliberately controlled. 'I didn't
mean to,' she dismissed coolly.
    'It isn't the oldest profession for women, is it?' Rand
taunted, deliberately provoking her.
    She suspected that women had been acting in one way or
another since the beginning of time, that they were only now allowed to
show they were as capable as men, but she realised that wasn't the
'profession' he referred to. 'Women wouldn't need to provide that
service if men didn't want it,' she snapped waspishly. 'It's a question
of supply and demand!'
    Rand eyed her angry expression with amusement. 'You speak
as if from personal experience.'
    Her eyes flashed like emeralds. 'I'm twenty-six years old,
Mr Carmichael, and I've met my share of—'
    'You know my name.' His eyes were narrowed on her
suspiciously.
    She instantly realised her mistake, although years of
training kept her expression bland. 'Anne mentioned that her neighbour
had to be her brother-in-law,
Brandon
Carmichael.'
    He didn't look convinced. 'You didn't know who I was
before you came up here?'
    She