The Beekeeper's Daughter Read Online Free Page B

sun. He educated her and I tell you, there’s nothing she hasn’t read. Anyway, she works. She’s a landscape gardener and a very good one. She’s not one of those women who does nothing but lunch and gossip all day, like some I know.’
    ‘Your mother sounds terrific’
    ‘She is. She’s gentle and sweet, but I know if Dad and I came to blows, she’d support me. When it comes to her child, she’s fiercely protective. Most mothers would be crushed by some of the things I get up to, but I feel mine is secretly fascinated by them, as if she wishes she could have lived like me. I sense there’s a secretly wild side to Mom. I don’t know . . .’ Her voice trailed off and she turned to gaze out into the night, where bright stars gave a tantalizing glimpse of a world beyond the familiar. ‘It’s just a hunch. Perhaps I’m wrong.’
    Jasper stopped playing and drew her into his arms. ‘You’re cold,’ he said.
    ‘A little.’
    He kissed her head. ‘Let me walk you home.’
    ‘Would you?’
    ‘Of course. I might be a future rock star, but I’m a gentleman, too, and I’m mindful of my manners.’
    ‘Your mother wouldn’t disapprove of that,’ she said, standing up.
    ‘No, but she’d disapprove of pretty much everything else.’
    ‘Would she disapprove of me?’ Trixie was surprised by the question, which had popped out of her mouth without any prior thought. It was really irrelevant what Mrs Duncliffe thought of her, as Trixie was unlikely ever to meet her. But, oddly, his answer was suddenly important.
    ‘Yes,’ he replied, taking her hand and helping her out of the boat. ‘She’d disapprove of you.’
    ‘Why?’ She couldn’t help but feel a little affronted.
    ‘What does it matter?’
    ‘I don’t know. It doesn’t, I suppose. I’m just curious.’
    ‘Curiosity killed the cat, and you’re a very pretty cat,’ he said, taking her chin in his hand and kissing her.
    ‘Well then, let’s not kill the cat.’ But she desperately wanted to know why she wasn’t good enough. Was it because she was a waitress at Captain Jack’s beachfront restaurant or because she wasn’t presentable? She could dress up if she had to and wear a twinset and pearls like Grace Kelly, and she certainly wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life waiting on tables.
    Jasper escorted her to her front door on Sunset Slip. The scent of the roses that swarmed over the facade of the house was heady, and for a moment it reminded him of the garden back home in England. He picked a flower and threaded it behind her ear. ‘Be good to your mother,’ he said, kissing her softly.
    Trixie grinned. ‘You don’t even know her,’ she laughed huskily.
    ‘I like the sound of her.’
    ‘ She wouldn’t disapprove of you ,’ she whispered. ‘I think she’d like you in spite of you being a rock star.’
    ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, Delixie Trixie.’
    She giggled at the silly name. ‘You know where to find me,’ she replied, opening the door. He watched her close it behind her before wandering off into the empty street.
    Jasper smiled to himself as he took the plank path that cut through the wild grasses to the beach. The shore was lit by an incandescent moon. It seemed as if the stars had fallen from the sky onto the water, where they glittered even more brightly. The thought of Trixie made his heart swell. He had never been in love before. Sure, there had been girls. Lots of girls. But he’d never felt about them the way he felt about Trixie. He loved her crooked eye teeth; they made her look raffish and jaunty. He loved her wild spirit and her exuberance, and her steadfast belief in him. He knew she’d travel across America with him if he asked her to. The more he thought about it, the more appealing that thought became. He knew for sure he wasn’t going to leave her on these beaches in the autumn.
    Mr Duncliffe. He liked the admiration in her voice when she said that. He liked who he was when he was with her. She made