Page 24 of Enemies Under One Roof

Ivy’s eyes sparkled. ‘Cold, cold houses with no central heating.’

He grinned and stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles. ‘Which apparently is the definition of character building,’ Ethan quipped.

She laughed. The natural one that was all Annie and nothing to do with Ivy, that snuck past every one of his defences. He grimaced; he wasn’t going to get sidetracked, nor could he ever let his guard down in front of someone who was constantly changing personas. He needed no hidden agendas, to know where he stood, always.

‘But it’s okay, because there were endless cups of tea to keep you warm, even on the hottest of summer days.’ She bit her lip to ward off a chuckle he was sure lurked.

Unable to resist, he laughed as the tension of the last weeks loosened, his breath eased and in that moment of shared connection the absolute core of everything Ruby stood for hit him.

‘Helping people out. Creating a safe haven,’ he said. Because no matter what challenges she’d faced, she’d always reached out to those in need. Like him.

Ivy shot to her feet and so did he as they stared at each other.

‘A safe haven,’ they said in unison.

A bubble of relief shot through his veins almost bringing him to his knees. Finally, they were on the right path.

Excitement and understanding flashed across her face and she began pacing. ‘That’s it. Isn’t it? It’s what Ruby’s always done. Opened this place.’ She threw her arms open. ‘To all who needed it.’ Ivy stopped and faced him spreading her fingers over her heart. ‘Ethan!’ Wonder filled her voice, and an attachment to her deeper than lust shook him to the core. ‘That’s really it.’

He stared, wondering why the pull to her persisted, despite his attempts to eradicate it. He scratched his jaw that was a day overdue for a shave and slammed his eyes shut.

Focus, Ethan. And not on Ivy.

Was that what Ruby had wanted? WillowGlen to continue to be an extension of what she’d always done? Helping those in need.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

‘That’s what happened with me.’ Ethan opened his eyes to share this truth with Ivy, although it was no secret.

‘And me.’ She rested against the brick border that had been heated by the sun, bracing her hands on either side. He sat beside her, the sun warming his back as they faced the Manor.

‘After your parents died?’ he asked carefully. He needed to know because they were in this together, and this kind of background was key to getting it right. But also, he wanted to understand her better, as much as he tried to kid himself otherwise.

‘She came to their funeral,’ Ivy said solemnly. ‘At the time, I didn’t realise the significance of such a trip for her. She hadn’t left here in years, and yet she travelled all the way to Sydney for them, for me. I’d never even met her, but I remembered the letters she used to send my grandmother, and after she died, my mum. But I hadn’t had anything to do with her, and still she arrived in a cloud of lavender perfume, wrapped me in a hug that I can still feel to this day, and told me everything would be okay.’

Her voice broke, and his chest tightened at the evidence of her anguish. This was Annie, unmasked, and slipping under his guard. Wanting, needing to show his support and understanding, he placed his hand over hers and squeezed.

She gasped and looked down to where they were joined, the heat of their flesh warming him far more than the sun. Spearing him with a look he found impossible to decipher, that had him holding his breath, she turned her hand over, entwining her fingers with his for the barest moment, before letting go.

He exhaled, while telling himself he wasn’t bereft without her contact, and her hand definitely hadn’t fit his…perfectly. ‘Such a Ruby thing to do,’ he concurred huskily, unsettled by the feelings towards Ivy that bashed against all his protective barriers.

He’d been shocked all those years ago when Ruby had told him she was flying to Australia. Her aversion to travel was legendary, and she hadn’t even ventured into the local village since he’d known her. Unable to go with her due to his final university exams, he’d arranged first class tickets for her and the friend who’d accompanied her.

Ivy nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. His scalp prickled, his control slipping, but he wouldn’t touch her again. So he did the only thing he could and shared a memory.

‘For me, she arrived the day before my parents’ funeral. I heard later that some brave soul had initially refused her entry, because it had turned into an absolute circus with the press, but Ruby soon showed them the error of their ways.’

Ivy gave him a watery smile. Strands of hair ruffled by the slight breeze had escaped her low chignon and made him want to smooth them back from her face. ‘She was as stubborn as she was wonderful,’ she said with a combination of awe and grief that mirrored Ethan’s own.

‘I’d never heard of her, never met her before then,’ he said. ‘But before long I was drinking my first, but not my last, cup of tea, and although she wasn’t much taller than ten-year-old me, I knew she was someone who’d never let me down. And she never did.’ Unlike everyone else in his life to that point.

‘Me neither. I lived with my uncle Col, my father’s brother, after Mum and Dad died. A bachelor who travelled a lot for work, he didn’t really know what to do with a grief-stricken sixteen-year-old, but he tried his best. He was incredibly relieved when I took up Ruby’s invitation to visit during the school holidays a couple months after the funeral. That was my first time here, and in true Ruby fashion, she soon had me traipsing around the grounds, helping in the kitchen, doing laps around the Virtues.’ Ivy tucked the beguiling hair behind her ears, her expression wistful.

‘That was her blueprint, wasn’t it? Keeping you active, indoors and out, but mainly out!’ Ethan mused, wrapped in a bubble where he and Ivy were completely in sync, harmonious.

Harmonious? With Ivy?

A person whose lifestyle was the complete antithesis to his and embodied everything he’d learnt not to trust.