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jump.’
    â€˜All?’
    â€˜Your grandmother nearly passed out when I asked her if she’d had Basil’s letter,’ he explained.
    â€˜Gran? Are you telling me that you came back here yesterday? After I’d gone to work?’
    â€˜I called in on my way to the Blue Boar. I did tell the skinny vampire that I’d come back this morning,’ he said.
    â€˜Geli…’ She smothered a grin. ‘I haven’t seen her this morning. I’ve only just got up. What did Gran say?’
    â€˜She wasn’t exactly coherent, but I think the gist was that Bernard wouldn’t allow her to receive a letter from Basil. She seemed panic-stricken at the thought.’
    â€˜Well, that’s just ridiculous. Bernard was my grandfather but he’s been dead for years,’ she told him.
    And yet there was obviously something. It was there in the letter.
    â€˜Tell me about him,’ she said.
    â€˜Basil?’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t know much. He’s just an old guy with two passions in his life. Rosie and poker.’
    â€˜He’s a gambler? Are you saying that he puts Rosie up as surety for his bets?’
    â€˜He’d never risk losing Rosie,’ he assured her. Then added, ‘Which is not to say that if he got into trouble some of his playing partners wouldn’t take her in lieu if they could get their hands on her.’
    â€˜So, what are you saying? That you’ve been appointed getaway driver and I’ve been chosen to give her sanctuary?’ It…not she. She was doing it now. But it explained why Basil had gone to the bother of registering her grandmother as Rosie’s keeper.
    â€˜That’s about the gist of it,’ he admitted, stretching his neck, easing his shoulders.
    â€˜Don’t do that!’ she said as his navy polo shirt rippled, offering a tantalising promise of the power beneath the soft jersey. Talk about distraction…
    Sean frowned. He didn’t have a clue what she was talking about, thank goodness.
    â€˜Does he disappear regularly?’ she asked before he had time to work it out.
    â€˜I wouldn’t know. I’m his landlord, not his best buddy. But he garages Rosie with me and I was in London when he took off and he couldn’t get in. It would seem that his need to disappear was too urgent to wait until morning.’
    â€˜So, what? He dropped a note through your letter box asking you to bring her here?’
    â€˜I’m sorry about that,’ he said, looking slightly uncomfortable, no doubt thinking that she was taking a dig at him for doing the same. ‘I assumed that once you’d read whatever was in the envelope you’d know what to do.’
    What to do?
    It got worse, she thought, suddenly realising exactly what this was all about.
    â€˜I’m sorry, Sean, but if you’ve come here expecting to be paid your rent, you’re out of luck. I don’t know Basil Amery and, even if I did, I couldn’t help you. You’re going to have to sell Rosie to recover your losses.’
    â€˜Sell Rosie? Are you kidding?’
    â€˜Obviously,’ Elle said, back to sarcasm. ‘Since she’s Basil’s pride and joy.’
    â€˜You don’t sound convinced.’
    â€˜I can think of more important things to lavish your love on. I mean, how would you react to someone you’ve never heard of expecting you to run an ice cream round for him?’
    Sean thought about it for a moment, then said, ‘Why don’t I put the kettle on? I make a mean cup of coffee.’
    â€˜I haven’t got any coffee,’ she said, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
    â€˜Tea, then,’ he said, picking up the kettle, filling it and turning it on. He took a couple of mugs off the dresser and sincethe tea bags were stored in a tin with ‘TEA’ on the front—life was complicated enough without adding to the confusion—he found them