Bought: Damsel in Distress. Lucy King

nodded as if in understanding. ‘Right. You sold me. On the internet. Aren’t there laws against things like that?’

      ‘Apparently not. It was surprisingly easy,’ replied Anna, calmly folding the tissue and placing it on her empty plate.

      ‘You are joking, aren’t you?’

      Anna fixed Emily with a stern stare. ‘Not at all. I’m deadly serious.’

      It was a look Emily was very familiar with. As realisation dawned, her smile slipped from her face. ‘Oh, my God. You are serious.’

      ‘Of course. I wouldn’t joke about a thing like this.’

      Emily began to hyperventilate.

      ‘Now, don’t get hysterical,’ said Anna, thrusting a glass of water into her hand. ‘Deep breaths...If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t exactly sell you.’

      Emily flapped her other hand in front of her face and fought for breath. ‘So what did you sell?’ she said, when she was finally able to speak.

      Anna shrugged. ‘A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In this age of equality, a chance to be chivalrous. The rescue of a damsel in distress.’

      What? Since when had her sister developed a romantic streak? ‘And I’m the damsel?’

      Anna nodded.

      ‘But why would you do that?’ Emily asked, utterly bewildered. ‘I’m not in distress.’

      ‘You are. The French baggage handlers are on strike.’

      Oh, no, not this again.

      ‘Don’t look at me like that,’ said Anna indignantly. ‘Your obstinate refusal to go to Tom’s wedding is not healthy. You haven’t been out for so much as a drink with anyone since you split up. That’s not a single date in over a year. You need closure, and you’re not going to get it until you see the rat safely hitched to some other poor woman. Then you’ll be able to move on.’

      ‘He may have dumped me and got engaged to an aristocratic French floozy two months later, but he’s not a rat,’ said Emily wearily, ignoring the sceptical look Anna threw her. ‘And for the millionth time I have moved on.’

      Anna glanced at her watch. ‘Talking of moving on, we need to go home.’ She turned, and with an imperceptible nod of her head signalled for the bill.

      ‘Why?’ Emily said carefully, tendrils of suspicion winding round her nerves.

      ‘Because the person who won the auction is turning up at any minute.’

      Emily gaped in horror. ‘What? Now?’

      ‘Of course,’ Anna replied, standing up and brushing a crumb off her front. ‘The wedding is tomorrow, isn’t it?’

      Emily could only nod in dumb stupefaction.

      ‘Well, then. You leave this afternoon.’ Anna marched to the bar to pay, leaving Emily to unravel the chaos of the last five minutes. But it was all too much. Where did she start?

      ‘Who won?’ she managed eventually as they started along the path that led across the common to Anna’s house.

      ‘A man called Luke Harrison. He was very determined. The bidding went right to the wire. It was gripping stuff, I can tell you.’

      ‘I’m so glad.’ Emily’s sarcastic tone went unnoticed.

      ‘So was I. greatsexguaranteed was also extremely persistent, but I had a funny feeling about him.’

      ‘Can’t think why. So how is this Luke Harrison going to help me get to France?’ Emily panted, struggling to keep up with Anna’s brutal pace.

      ‘Private jet. Rather inspired, I thought.’

      ‘But I have plans this weekend. I can’t just drop everything.’

      Anna shot her a sceptical look. ‘A pot that urgently needs glazing?’

      Emily bit her lip and nodded.

      ‘You’re twenty-eight. You should be Out There. Meeting men. Not hunched over a wheel with clay under your nails. Pots won’t keep you warm at night.’

      Emily glared at Anna mutinously. ‘I have an electric blanket.’

      Anna marched on, undeterred.

      Emily tried again. ‘How do you know he’s got a plane? How do you know he’s going to turn up? He might be a lunatic. I mean, what sort of person bids for a woman in an internet auction? He could be a kidnapper, a murderer—anyone.’ Her voice was rising, becoming more desperate. Anna merely looked at her witheringly and Emily threw her hands up in exasperation. ‘You’re insane.’

      ‘I’m a genius. Don’t be so melodramatic. I spoke to his mother on the phone and discovered that we have friends in common.’

      Emily’s jaw dropped. ‘His mother?’

      ‘I had to get references,’ said Anna defensively. ‘You don’t think I’d send you off with just anyone, do you?’

      ‘I am suddenly at a complete loss as to what you would do.’

      ‘I’ve arranged for him to pick you up here so that we can check him out first. Just in case.’

      Emily ground her teeth. ‘It’ll be a wasted journey. I’m not going.’

      Anna stopped at the bottom of the steps leading up to her front door and rummaged in her bag for the keys. ‘Think of the charity.’

      Emily’s eyes narrowed. ‘What charity?’

      ‘The money Mr Harrison paid is going to a charity that investigates and helps prevent maternal mortality.’

      Emily gasped. A familiar dull pain clenched her heart and she felt the blood drain from her face. ‘That’s a low blow, Anna,’ she said quietly.

      ‘It’s not meant to be, darling. But I spent years bringing you up and I hate to see you wasting your life over that loser. Will you do it for me?’

      Emily wavered. She owed her sister so much. Anna had made huge sacrifices on her behalf. When their father had died, fourteen years after their mother, it had been left to Anna to raise her. And she knew she hadn’t been the easiest of teenagers to handle. Besides, her sister in this mode was unstoppable, and there was only so much battering she could take. Her resistance crumbled and she let out a resigned sigh. ‘OK. Assuming he’s not crazy, or worse, I’ll go. Can I take David with me?’

      ‘No husband borrowing. Besides, he’s at a conference in New York.’

      Emily straightened her spine. ‘Fine. I’ll just have to enter the lion’s den single and strong and shod in killer heels.’

      ‘They’re already packed.’

      Emily raised an eyebrow. ‘How ruthlessly efficient.’

      Anna inclined her head. ‘Thank you.’

      ‘It’s not a compliment.’

      But Anna wasn’t paying attention. She was staring over Emily’s shoulder, and her expression became dreamy. ‘I think this might be him. Bang on time too.’

      Emily turned to look at the man striding towards them. He was tall, broad-shouldered and very good-looking, and a dart of awareness shivered through her. ‘If it is,’ she murmured, watching the sun glinting off his dark hair, ‘I may just forgive you.’

      After that her composure had taken such a hammering she couldn’t really remember what had happened. Her sensible court-shoe-wearing sister had batted her eyelashes and giggled her way through some very rudimentary questions about his integrity and his intentions, had established that Luke Harrison was single, solvent, and in possession of a plane, and had then bundled Emily into his car without so much as a backward glance. Was it any wonder