Chapter 3

“Come on, then! Is that all your luggage? I’ve got it, no bother—I don’t know how you manage, I can never go anywhere without at least three bags, and I always forget something I’ve meant to pack. But you never forget things, do you, I wouldn’t think.” Stephen beamed at them. “Good flight?”

“Fine,” Ben agreed, smiling. Stephen had that effect: uncomplicated, with a big heart. Except, his brain reminded him, Steve hadmade things complicated. Relatively, anyway. Why they were here. With an expensive car, and a long-suffering driver.

The Ashley siblings did look amazingly alike, all blond-haired blue-eyed handsomeness; somewhere along the way, though, Stephen had stolen all the height and breadth, and only didn’t loom imposingly because there was no way that puppy-dog friendliness ever could. Simon gave his older brother an evaluative once-over. “Have your muscles grown muscles? Honestly, at some point it’s ridiculous, isn’t it?”