Sweet Surrender (The Dysarts) Read Online Free PDF Page A

mother.’
    â€˜He does not,’ said Adam indignantly. ‘He looks like me.’
    Kate eyed his black curly hair and dark eyes in amusement. ‘Apart from blue eyes and a wisp of hair as fair as Gabriel’s, he’s the spitting image,’ she mocked, then turned with a smile as her mother came hurrying along the hall from the kitchen.
    â€˜Darling,’ said Frances, arms outstretched. ‘I didn’t hear the bell.’
    â€˜It didn’t ring; I was watching from the window,’ said Adam, relieving Kate of his son.
    Kate hugged her mother, then grinned as Gabriel Dysart dashed in through the front door. ‘Hi, how are you Mumsy?’
    â€˜Very pleased with myself,’ said Adam’s wife, hugging her in turn, and waved a hand at her son. ‘Just look at him, Kate. Wasn’t I clever?’
    â€˜You couldn’t have done it without me,’ Adam reminded her.
    â€˜True,’ said Gabriel, laughing, ‘But I did the lion’s share.’
    Kate went into the kitchen with the others, to be given tea and cake and all the latest news of the family. Shortly afterwards her father came in from walking the dog, and Adam fended off the excited retriever while Tom Dysart held his daughter close and demanded all the latest news from Foychurch. Kate sat patting Pan’s golden head while she regaled the family with the events of the night before, then sent Adam out to her car to fetch the flowers and explained that her pupil’s uncle had given them to her by way of thanks.
    â€˜Goodness, how extravagant,’ said Frances Dysart when she saw them. ‘Enough to make two arrangements for tomorrow, Kate. I’ve done the church, but I hadn’t got round to the house yet. You don’t mind if we use them, darling?’
    â€˜Of course not. That’s why I brought them home.’
    â€˜I hear you refused Alasdair’s invitation to dinner, by the way,’ accused Adam.
    Kate wrinkled her nose at him. ‘I had other commitments.’
    Her brother eyed her warily. ‘You know I’ve invited him to the christening on Sunday?’
    â€˜Yes. Though I can’t imagine why.’
    Adam shrugged. ‘When he put some of his grandmother’s furniture into auction at Dysart’s he stood me lunch at the Chesterton. I asked him if he’d like to come, and he accepted like a shot. I thought you’d be pleased.’
    â€˜He means well,’ said Gabriel indulgently, smiling over her son’s head.
    Kate nodded, resigned. ‘I know. And that’s quite enough about Alasdair Drummond. Give me the important news. Who else is coming?’
    â€˜Leo and Jonah, of course,’ said Frances, ‘but without the children for once. Jonah’s parents are taking them to Paris to Disneyland this weekend.’
    â€˜Greater love hath no grandparents,’ said Tom piously.
    â€˜How about Jess?’
    â€˜Not this time,’ said Frances, filling teacups. She smiled at Kate. ‘She confirmed last night that she’s pregnant again.’
    â€˜And Lorenzo’s keeping her wrapped in cotton wool!’ Kate grinned, looked at the downy head cradled close to Gabriel’s breast, intercepted the tender look Adam gave his wife and felt a fleeting pang of envy. But dismissed it. The increasing number of her siblings’ progeny was quite high enough without adding to it herself.
    â€˜How about Fenny?’ she asked. ‘Is she going to make it?’
    â€˜Someone’s driving her down this evening, apparently,’ said Tom, shaking his head. ‘She won’t take her car to college.’
    â€˜Because there’s always some clown on hand ready to ferry her wherever she wants to go,’ said Adam, grinning.
    â€˜More than one,’ said Gabriel. ‘And she doesn’t care a fig for any of them. Just good friends, she says.’
    â€˜At her age,’ Frances said thankfully,