Free Ultimate Justice by M A Comley Page A

heart breaks in two, seeing her like that. I’m not sure I could switch off my feelings as well as she appears to.”
    “Poor thing. Does she speak much English?” Lorne asked before sipping her coffee.
    “She gets by, and is improving daily. She constantly reads to Anthony; he loves stories, especially stories about King Arthur and Merlin. I think it also helps Jai San to learn the language. I give her the option of ringing home often so she doesn’t feel cut off, but she says once a month is enough. I don’t think she likes to take advantage.”
    “She sounds like a real sweetheart. I can’t wait to meet her.” Lorne hoped that Angela would take the hint that she was eager to meet the au pair, but she didn’t. Lorne came to the conclusion that the wealthy woman was lonely and in need of stimulating conversation. “You say you work for a charity, Angela—do you mind me asking which one?”
    Her smile broadened. “It’s a new heart charity called Beating Life. I’m the founder of it. My father died of heart disease when I was in my teens, and I always promised that if I ever came into money, the first thing I’d do was to set up a charity to help those suffering from the same illness.”
    Lorne wondered what she meant by ‘coming into money,’ but felt asking the question would seem too rude. Then she remembered Jade telling her that Angela had recently married a wealthy man. Roger, wasn’t it? That would explain her sudden wealth, but that was last year. Hadn’t the butler said she’d bought and renovated this place five years ago?Curiosity got the better of her, “Came into money?”
    “A long-lost aunt of mine left me this place in her will. Of course, it was a wreck when I took it over, but I didn’t really mind. I saw it as a labour of love, creating this place. When I married Roger last year, it was on the proviso that we live here.”
    “I see. I don’t blame you in the slightest. What does Roger do for a living?”
    Her chest puffed out. “He’s an accountant. He stays in London at his penthouse all week and returns home at the weekend.”
    Lorne found that snippet of information very odd, considering he had a small son of his own. Maybe he’d married Angela with the intention of her just being the boy’s mother? She bit her tongue and didn’t voice her concerns. “So with your husband working away and you busy most days with your charity, I can understand your need for employing an au pair. I admire you greatly for taking on another woman’s child like that, I’m not sure I could do it.”
    Angela’s brow furrowed slightly. “I’ve never really thought about it. I knew from the minute Roger and I started going out that he and Anthony came as a package; I didn’t see it as a problem between us.”
    Lorne could see the glow in the woman’s cheeks when she either spoke or thought about her husband. Looking around the room, Lorne spotted their wedding picture above the ornate fireplace. He seemed to be a likeable enough chap. He had thinning blond hair and youthful good looks. She could see the attraction, at a stretch. A very long stretch, he wasn’t her type at all. “He seems a nice man,” Lorne said.
    “He’s wonderful. I’m lucky to have him.”
    And he you, as you’ve taken on the responsibility of his son. Lorne drained the coffee in her cup and smiled at Angela. “Any chance I can have a quick chat with Jai San now? I hate to hurry things, but I’ll have to be making a move soon.”
    “I’ve been twittering on, do forgive me.” Instead of ringing a bell, as Lorne expected her to do, Angela left the room and came back with her arm wrapped around a tiny Asian girl’s shoulders. “Lorne, this is our little treasure, Jai San.”
    The girl bowed her head and didn’t look Lorne in the eye until she spoke. “Hello, Jai San. There’s no need to be afraid. Is it all right if Jai San sits with us for a while?”
    “Of course.” Angela guided the girl to the other end