The Delaneys At Home by Anne Brooke Page A

worse for wear from its journey across the hallway, and was smiling.
    "Leave them to me," he said, "and the luggage..."
    "The luggage will be dealt with," Mark said. "Just get into bed, Liam."
    "Yes, sir."
    I made it into the bedroom in record time and, heart skittering away like a gazelle on speed, stripped as Mark had commanded and flung myself onto the bed.
    Then, as nothing happened immediately, I began to look around and take in my surroundings. Mark's bedroom was painted a rich green and was large enough to take the whole of my flat in it and still have room for a patio, or maybe two. A huge picture window stretched across almost the whole of one wall and, from what I could see, looked out over their garden and the fields beyond. Which they probably owned as well. Opposite the bed was an equally large mirror with a gold frame of the type I was sure I'd last seen in the V&A, and next to this was a sofa you could probably happily spend your whole life on. It, too, was green.
    I blinked. I hadn't realized Mark was so arty and had such gothic tastes. Even the bed I lay on was a vision of green and gold, the sort of place where champagne and caviar should be served for breakfast and the crumbs swept up by a passing servant. Though maybe this was what happened in the upper echelons of criminal society. Who could tell?
    In which case, he probably wouldn't take kindly to my discarded clothes cluttering up the décor, so I'd be well advised to fold them away neatly. Just like my mother always told me a good guest should.
    But, hell, best not go there. Any thoughts on my parents, particularly my mother and her plan to meet the Delaneys on a social basis, could wait 'til later. Still, I hopped out of bed and began gathering up my jeans, shirt and underwear. Arms laden, I was dithering as to where to put them when I heard the twins coming up the stairs. Johnny was laughing, and Mark said something I couldn't make out.
    I leapt back onto the bed, clutching my clothes, just as the twins entered the room. Johnny was carrying a tray of three coffee cups and a cafetiere, and Mark was carrying the expression of a man who had plans and every intention of fulfilling them. When he saw me, he lifted one eyebrow.
    "I said naked, Liam..."
    "Yes, sir, but I didn't want to mess up your room."
    I was going to say more, too, but he shook his head. He wasn't interested in conversation. Without another word, I pushed my pile of clothes across the duvet and onto the floor. My eyes were fixed on Mark. I heard the faint clunk of the tray as Johnny placed it on the bedside table and pushed the plunger down, and then Mark smiled.
    "Don't worry about mess," he said. "There'll be plenty of that, but isn't it what cleaners are for?"
    Johnny sighed, but Mark's frown brought the sigh to an abrupt halt. Even this didn't stop me opening my mouth, though.
    "Just because someone's got a cleaning job doesn't mean we have to make it worse for them," I said. "I mean, if that were the case, Melissa wouldn't even bother tidying up her papers for me to file them, would she? What would be the point?"
    The silence, which settled upon the three of us after my little speech, was a heavy one. Mark frowned, while Johnny only stared at me, lips pursed. Then, just as I was expecting a harsh reprimand from Mark for daring to question his approach to domestic arrangements, he slowly hunkered down, picked up my clothes and handed them to Johnny.
    Johnny shrugged, opened the wardrobe and dropped them inside before shutting the door with a determined click. Mark smiled.
    "Satisfied?" he said.
    I nodded. My throat felt too dry to speak. Way too dry. But, hell, that wasn't really a bad thing.
    "Good," he whispered. "That's nice. But I think you'll find questioning my housekeeping is a dangerous game, Liam. Understand?"
    Mark looked like he wouldn't take silence for an answer, not this time, so I found my tongue. Thankfully.
    "Yes, sir. Thank you," I said, then, "Will it lead to