renovated large Victorian house on the banks of the Dee.
‘Henry loves it,’ Bobbie had told Samantha, referring to her father-in-law. ‘He spent hours wrangling with the builders over the quality of workmanship and Pat says that taking charge of the owners association has given him a new lease of life.
‘Luke complains that he can see a lot of his father’s stubbornness in Francesca...’
‘His father’s stubbornness,’ Samantha had repeated drolly, whilst Bobbie had laughed ruefully.
‘Okay, okay, I know, I have my fair share of that particular vice, no need to rub it in. Still, a little toughness won’t do Fran any harm, not if she’s going to follow family tradition and go into the law.’
‘Fran! No way,’ Samantha had told her twin robustly. ‘She’s going to be running the country at the very least.’
The Cheshire countryside in sunshine had to be one of the prettiest sights there was, Samantha reflected happily as she sat next to James in comfortable silence as he drove them towards Chester.
In the distance beyond the fertile neatly checkered fields lay the blue haze of the Welsh mountains. No wonder in centuries gone by there had been so much feuding over the Welsh border. No wonder warring English kings had needed to build so many strong castles to protect their rich domain.
It was a humbling thought to remember that the Romans had farmed these lands and mined the rich vein of salt from which the town of Haslewich had got its wealth and its name.
Now the salt was no longer mined and the modern legacy that industry had left was one of flooded salt works and dangerously unstable buildings.
As though he had read her mind James commented conversationally, ‘We’ve got an interesting case at the moment. A local farmer is trying to sue Aarlston-Becker because he claims the weight of the company’s headquarters is causing subsidence on his land.’
‘Oh, and is it?’ Samantha asked him interestedly.
‘Hard to say, but certainly it’s a topic which arouses an awful lot of emotions. It’s the classic story of the old guard being suspicious of the new incomers. The case had been given a lot of local publicity. Aarlston has an image to maintain of a socially aware and ecologically sound organisation so, in the end, to protect that image they may have to opt for a one-off payment to the farmer. His land is over a mile away but he maintains that because of the interlinking network of mines and tunnels beneath the ground, the weight of the Aarlston building is being reflected in land subsidence some distance away.’
‘Mmm...sounds like a try-on to me,’ Samantha pronounced.
‘Mmm...indeed,’ James conceded, returning the laughing smile Samantha was giving him, his gaze lingering for just a shade longer than was merely cousinly on her face.
A small sensation of happy warmth curled up through
Samantha’s body. Coming to England had quite definitely been the right decision. What she would give to have Cliff witness that look she had just seen in James’s eyes.
They would make the most beautiful babies together. Samantha gave a small contented sigh.
How thoughtful of fate to give her plans an active boost like this. Keeping her voice carefully neutral she told James, ‘With her pregnancy and everything Bobbie has her hands pretty full at the moment...’
Deliberately she affected a small downcast sigh. ‘I was so looking forward to seeing a bit more of the area, too, and of catching up with the rest of the family.’
‘Well, if you need an escort I’d be more than happy to offer my services,’ James responded gallantly.
Samantha produced a slightly self-conscious look, flapping her eyelashes and exclaiming, ‘Oh, James, would you...? That would be so kind, although I didn’t mean...’
‘It would be my pleasure,’ James assured her fervently.
She really wasn’t behaving very well at all, Samantha reflected a little guiltily, but it was for the very best of causes and if
‘Henry loves it,’ Bobbie had told Samantha, referring to her father-in-law. ‘He spent hours wrangling with the builders over the quality of workmanship and Pat says that taking charge of the owners association has given him a new lease of life.
‘Luke complains that he can see a lot of his father’s stubbornness in Francesca...’
‘His father’s stubbornness,’ Samantha had repeated drolly, whilst Bobbie had laughed ruefully.
‘Okay, okay, I know, I have my fair share of that particular vice, no need to rub it in. Still, a little toughness won’t do Fran any harm, not if she’s going to follow family tradition and go into the law.’
‘Fran! No way,’ Samantha had told her twin robustly. ‘She’s going to be running the country at the very least.’
The Cheshire countryside in sunshine had to be one of the prettiest sights there was, Samantha reflected happily as she sat next to James in comfortable silence as he drove them towards Chester.
In the distance beyond the fertile neatly checkered fields lay the blue haze of the Welsh mountains. No wonder in centuries gone by there had been so much feuding over the Welsh border. No wonder warring English kings had needed to build so many strong castles to protect their rich domain.
It was a humbling thought to remember that the Romans had farmed these lands and mined the rich vein of salt from which the town of Haslewich had got its wealth and its name.
Now the salt was no longer mined and the modern legacy that industry had left was one of flooded salt works and dangerously unstable buildings.
As though he had read her mind James commented conversationally, ‘We’ve got an interesting case at the moment. A local farmer is trying to sue Aarlston-Becker because he claims the weight of the company’s headquarters is causing subsidence on his land.’
‘Oh, and is it?’ Samantha asked him interestedly.
‘Hard to say, but certainly it’s a topic which arouses an awful lot of emotions. It’s the classic story of the old guard being suspicious of the new incomers. The case had been given a lot of local publicity. Aarlston has an image to maintain of a socially aware and ecologically sound organisation so, in the end, to protect that image they may have to opt for a one-off payment to the farmer. His land is over a mile away but he maintains that because of the interlinking network of mines and tunnels beneath the ground, the weight of the Aarlston building is being reflected in land subsidence some distance away.’
‘Mmm...sounds like a try-on to me,’ Samantha pronounced.
‘Mmm...indeed,’ James conceded, returning the laughing smile Samantha was giving him, his gaze lingering for just a shade longer than was merely cousinly on her face.
A small sensation of happy warmth curled up through
Samantha’s body. Coming to England had quite definitely been the right decision. What she would give to have Cliff witness that look she had just seen in James’s eyes.
They would make the most beautiful babies together. Samantha gave a small contented sigh.
How thoughtful of fate to give her plans an active boost like this. Keeping her voice carefully neutral she told James, ‘With her pregnancy and everything Bobbie has her hands pretty full at the moment...’
Deliberately she affected a small downcast sigh. ‘I was so looking forward to seeing a bit more of the area, too, and of catching up with the rest of the family.’
‘Well, if you need an escort I’d be more than happy to offer my services,’ James responded gallantly.
Samantha produced a slightly self-conscious look, flapping her eyelashes and exclaiming, ‘Oh, James, would you...? That would be so kind, although I didn’t mean...’
‘It would be my pleasure,’ James assured her fervently.
She really wasn’t behaving very well at all, Samantha reflected a little guiltily, but it was for the very best of causes and if
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