On the other hand, he would hardly have mentioned it at work and he wasn’t in a position to bring it up now because Libby was staying there.

She shifted Daisy slightly, wondering how he’d react when his lawyer confirmed that there was every possibility that he was the baby’s father.

She’d have to move out, of course.

There was no way they could continue to live together.

They’d have to come to some arrangement whereby he could continue to see Daisy regularly.

And as for her—well, she’d only see him on an occasional basis.

She felt as though a heavy lump of lead was sitting in her stomach. The thought of leaving Alex dismayed her more than she could ever have imagined.

She’d dismissed him as a superficial playboy but the truth was that there was nothing superficial about Alex. Nothing at all.

He was incredibly complex.

On the surface he was sophisticated and independent, the ultimate Mr Cool, a man who possessed a wild streak that had earned him a wicked reputation. But underneath there was so much more to him. He had a brilliant brain, a sharp sense of humour and was capable of great warmth towards those in trouble. He was impatient with freeloaders and the press but who could blame him for that?

She’d even started to understand his womanising. He was a stunningly good-looking man who’d been born to one of the richest families in Britain. It was hardly any wonder he’d had a string of girlfriends.

But he hadn’t made a commitment to any of them, she reminded herself gloomily.

That was one aspect of his personality that she couldn’t understand.

Despite his caustic comments about children, he was actually very good with them.

So why had he never settled down?

* * *

Despite the fact that it was late afternoon, the beach was still crowded and they found themselves a spot near to the caves that Zoe was keen to explore.

Libby settled herself on the sand with Athena and let the toddler play with a bucket and spade while Jenny snuggled Daisy on her lap and gave her a bottle.

Alex took Zoe’s hand and they wandered off inside the cave.

‘You know, Katy and I always said that Alex would end up with someone small and dark. No, don’t eat the sand, darling.’ Libby leaned forward to brush the sand away from Athena’s mouth. ‘Yuck. Amazing, isn’t it? Her dinner doesn’t make it anywhere near her mouth but with the sand she’s spot on. Dig, Athena. Dig. Not eat. He’s always dated blondes.’

Jenny tried not to mind about that. ‘Libby, we’re not exactly dating, we’re—’

‘Well, there’s something going on,’ Libby said calmly. ‘I’ve known Alex for thirty-four years and I’ve never known him protect a woman the way he protects you. The slightest whiff of an uncomfortable situation and he dives in and rescues you.’

Jenny frowned. Did he? She’d never even thought about it.

‘Truly, we’re not—’