Forbidden Surrender, page 10
She knew that; hadn’t he already become the one person in this whole crazy situation that she knew she could rely on? And yet he was the one she feared the most emotionally, the man who could destroy her at a glance.
‘I know,’ Dominic said suddenly, huskily, seeming to read her tortuous thoughts. ‘And it isn’t going to be easy for me either.’ He sighed. ‘But I swear to you that from now on I’ll just be your friend. Stay, Sara,’ he pleaded softly. ‘Stay, and I’ll take care of you.’
She looked up to meet the dazzling passion in his eyes, knowing that she couldn’t go back to Florida now even if she wanted to. The man she loved was here, and she had to be where he was.
She nodded. ‘I’ll stay,’ she agreed in a choked voice.
The tension left him in a sigh, and he lifted her hand up to his mouth, kissing the palm with intimate intensity. ‘Thank you, Sara! You’ll never regret your decision.’
Strange, she already regretted it!
CHAPTER SIX
MARIE was overjoyed by her decision, when she turned up at their aunt and uncle’s house halfway through the next morning.
‘But how did you know?’ Sara frowned, hardly awake yet, having spent a very restless night.
‘Dominic rang me this morning,’ Marie grinned. ‘He rings me every morning.’
Ever the doting fiancée! If it wasn’t for the remembered delight of his lips on hers, and the way she quivered with pleasure every time he looked at her, she might have been convinced of his singleminded devotion to Marie. But her own memories were too strong for her to accept that, although she in no way doubted his love for her sister. If only she didn’t love him too!
‘He said you’ve decided to stay,’ Marie continued excitedly.
After a little ‘friendly’ persuasion from him! He had half seduced her into making that decision, and she resented him for it.
‘I have,’ she confirmed. ‘But—’
‘Move in today!’ Marie interrupted eagerly. ‘Now! Let’s give Daddy a surprise when he comes home.’
Sara looked at her aunt for help. There had been a tearful meeting between aunt and niece, and now Aunt Susan was watching them both indulgently from her usual chair by the window, her knitting in her hand. ‘Aunt Susan?’ she prompted desperately.
Her aunt shrugged. ‘It seems like a good idea to me.’
‘But—’
‘Your place is with your father and Marie now,’ her aunt said firmly.
Of course, her aunt knew of her father’s illness. And of course, she was right, her place was with them. ‘It doesn’t seem very polite to just walk out on you and Uncle Arthur in this way.’ Still she hesitated about committing herself. Staying in the country was one thing, staying where she would have to constantly see Dominic was another.
‘Your uncle and I don’t mind in the least,’ her aunt dismissed that problem. ‘You can always come over and visit us. And we would be happier knowing you’re still in England, rather than letting you go back to Florida alone.’
Sara could see the sense of that, and knew herself beaten. ‘Okay,’ she gave in. ‘Although I think you should let your—our father know I’m going to be there. I don’t want to give him a shock.’ Especially as she had no idea what was actually wrong with him.
‘Daddy won’t be shocked,’ her sister assured her. ‘He’ll be delighted.’
‘Maybe Dominic will have told him.’
Marie grinned. ‘I asked him not to. Dominic knows how I love to play tricks on people. I used to do it to him all the time. We practically grew up together.’
‘He seems a nice man,’ Aunt Susan remarked absently.
‘Oh, he is,’ Marie agreed. ‘A bit intense, but very nice. Listen to me!’ she giggled. ‘Of course I think he’s nice, I’m going to marry him. Do you like him, Sara?’
Sara hated the evasion she knew must be in her expression, but she could do nothing about it. ‘Yes, I like him. Now, shall we get my things together?’ she asked briskly. ‘I don’t have much, so it shouldn’t take long to pack.’
Marie seemed to have enthusiasm even for such mundane tasks as packing suitcases. ‘Daddy’s going to be so pleased,’ she said as she stowed Sara’s suitcase in the back of her red sports car, having already taken their leave of Aunt Susan, Sara having promised to visit as often as she could. She had a feeling she was going to need her aunt and uncle’s down-to-earth attitude every now and again.
‘I hope you’re right.’ She got in beside her sister.
‘I am,’ Marie said with certainty. ‘Hey, we could have a party, introduce you to all our friends.’
Sara shied away from such a suggestion. ‘I don’t think so, Marie, not for a while anyway. Let me just get used to being with you and—and Dad first.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ her sister dismissed. ‘You don’t need to get used to us, we’re your family. And I want to show you off to all our friends.’
Sara didn’t put up any more arguments, it was useless against Marie’s determination anyway. Her sister was used to having her own way, and she did it in such a goodnatured way that it was hard to deny her. Even Dominic, a man Sara felt sure could be very ruthless, both in business and his social life, even he gave in to Marie’s slightest whim.
Dominic again! Why couldn’t she just put him out of her mind, forget about him? Or at least stop thinking of him every minute of the day and night!
Marie showed her into the bedroom next to her own. ‘I knew I could persuade you,’ she gave a rueful smile, putting Sara’s case down on the bed, ‘so I had Edith make up your room for you. Do you like it? If you don’t you could always have one of the others. There are six other bedrooms besides Daddy’s and mine, so you can take your pick.’
Sara was sure that none of them could be more comfortable than this, the furniture white and delicate-looking, the carpet a deep brown, the bedspread gold with a dark brown velvet headboard, restful paintings hanging on the brown and gold flower-print wallpaper, the curtains a brown velvet.
‘This will be fine. But are you sure your father—–’
‘Our father,’ Marie corrected firmly. ‘And he won’t mind at all. Just wait until you see how pleased he is!’
Sara was in her room when her father arrived home, but she had looked out of the window as soon as she heard the car—cars. Once again her father hadn’t come home alone, there was the familiar blue Rolls-Royce parked behind her father’s Mercedes. Dominic was to be here to dinner again this evening! Oh well, she was going to have to get used to him being around all the time.
She heard her father go to his room to change, and decided that this was the best time to make her presence known.
‘Hello, darling,’ he answered her knock on his door, for the first time confusing her with Marie. Not that she was surprised, he would hardly expect her to be entering his bedroom. ‘Did you see Sara today?’ he asked eagerly.
Sara felt a lump rise in her throat at the love he already felt for her. ‘Yes,’ she said huskily.
‘I thought she might be here to dinner.’ His eyes were shadowed with his unhappiness.
She smiled, holding out her hands to him. ‘I am,’ she told him softly. ‘I’m here to stay,’ she added reassuringly.
‘Sara?’ He shook his head wonderingly.
She bit her bottom lip to stop it quivering. ‘Yes.’
She was at once pulled into a bear-hug; her father’s body was shaking as he held her to him. When he finally moved back enough to look down at her there was a bright shimmer of tears in his eyes.
‘You don’t know how happy you’ve made me,’ he choked.
‘I think I do.’
He gave a triumphant shout of laughter. ‘Yes, I suppose you do.’ His arm remained about her shoulders. ‘Now, which bedroom are you in?’ She told him. ‘Next to Marie,’ he murmured almost to himself. ‘Oh well,’ he shrugged, ‘it can’t be helped.’
Sara frowned. ‘If you would rather I slept somewhere else…’
‘No,’ he reassured her. ‘No, I didn’t mean that. It’s just that sometimes Marie—well, she walks in her sleep.’
‘Is that all?’ she smiled her relief. ‘I can cope with that. Mummy used to do it all the time. Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean—–’
‘Talk about your mother all you want, Sara,’ he cut in firmly. ‘So Rachel didn’t grow out of the habit of sleep-walking?’
‘No.’ She relaxed a little. ‘We used to find her wandering about all over the place.’
Her father nodded. ‘Marie started doing it about six months ago. The first time it happened she fell down the stairs.’
‘Oh no!’ The horror in her face was echoed in her voice. ‘Was she hurt?’ she asked worriedly.
‘Just a bump on the head.’ He turned away to put on his tie. ‘She had a black eye for several days afterwards.’
‘I bet that pleased her!’
‘It did,’ her father agreed ruefully, pulling on his jacket.
Sara suddenly frowned. ‘Six months ago, you said,’ she repeated slowly.
He nodded. ‘About five-thirty one morning. I wondered what on earth was going on when I heard all the noise.’ He grimaced. ‘You’ve no idea how much noise a person falling downstairs can make.’
‘This is only a guess,’ Sara continued slowly, ‘but did Marie fall down the stairs some time in December?’
‘I’m not sure. It was—Yes! Yes, it would have been December. I remember now, Marie had a bandaged ankle for Christmas.’
Sara frowned. ‘Bandaged ankle?’
‘Mm, she sprained her ankle as well as bumping her head.’
‘And I bruised my head as well as breaking both my legs—on the twentieth of December,’ she added pointedly. ‘At twelve-thirty at night.’
Her father was suddenly still. ‘What are you saying, Sara?’
‘Well, six months ago I was involved in an accident, so was Marie, and we both received similar injuries. It just seems too much of a coincidence to me.’
‘I suppose so. But as you said, it must just be coincidence.’
Sara shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. You don’t remember the exact date of Marie’s fall?’
‘Not offhand, no.’
‘Then I’ll ask Marie, she’s sure to remember.’
‘Remember what?’ Marie appeared in the doorway, spectacularly beautiful in a silver dress that flowed about her as she walked. She grimaced as she saw Sara’s surprised expression. ‘I have to go to a party at Dominic’s mother’s this evening. It was too late to get out of it.’
They all walked down the stairs together, Sara’s purple dress much more subdued than Marie’s but no less attractive, clinging revealingly to the slender curves of her body.
‘There’s no reason why you should,’ she told her sister as they entered the lounge together.
She looked up reluctantly at Dominic, seeing the narrowing of his eyes as he looked at them. He looked magnificent, dressed as he had been the first time Sara had seen him, the black evening suit and snowy white shirt impeccable. Not that Dominic needed these trappings to stand out in any company. He was a man apart, a man who commanded and received attention.
‘Which one do I kiss?’ he drawled mockingly.
‘Guess!’ Marie smiled impishly.
Dominic pretended to consider them, although Sara knew he had guessed their identity as soon as they entered the room. After those first few occasions Dominic never confused them. And yet he was pretending to now, bringing Sara out in a hot flush, her breathing shallow as she waited for him to decide.
Her heart stopped beating altogether as he seemed to walk in her direction, changing his mind at the last moment and kissing Marie lightly on the mouth.
He turned to look at Sara. ‘Did I have you worried?’ he taunted.
‘Hardly worried, Dominic,’ Marie tapped him lightly on the arm. ‘No girl would feel worried about being kissed by you.’
‘If you say so,’ he drawled.
‘I do. I was just explaining to Sara that this evening with your mother can’t be put off.’
‘And I was just saying that it isn’t necessary,’ Sara said hastily.
‘But it’s your first night here with us,’ Marie protested.
Sara shrugged. ‘There’ll be plenty of other nights.’
‘Why don’t you change your mind and come to the party, Michael?’ Dominic suggested smoothly. ‘My mother was very disappointed that you weren’t coming. She’s already looking forward to meeting Sara.’
Marie pouted. ‘But I wanted to give a party and introduce Sara to everyone.’
Her father smiled indulgently. ‘You can still have your party, there’ll still be plenty of people for Sara to meet. I doubt your mother has invited all of London, has she, Dominic?’
‘Not quite,’ the other man smiled at him, joining in his teasing of Marie.
‘There you are, then,’ their father grinned. ‘You’ll still have hundreds of people to invite, Marie.’
‘I don’t want to intrude on your evening,’ Sara told her sister. ‘And I can surely meet your mother some other time, Dominic,’ she added stiltedly.
‘Then why not tonight?’ he asked, his eyes narrowed.
‘Because—well, because—–’
‘She’s a little shy.’ Her father put his arm about her shoulders. ‘Diane will make you very welcome, Sara. And I did originally have an invitation, I turned it down because of my worry over you. But now that you’re here with us I think we should all go. I’m sure the party isn’t to be a big one, is it, Dominic?’
‘About thirty people.’
Thirty people at the moment seemed like the whole world, but she raised no more arguments. She was just embarrassing herself and everyone else. Besides, what was one evening?
‘You were going to ask me something earlier, Sara,’ Marie reminded her partway through dinner. ‘Something you said I was sure to remember.’
She felt a little foolish about her idea now, especially in front of Dominic, feeling sure he would just ridicule her. Dominic was a man who dealt in facts, a man of logic, and what she was suggesting certainly wasn’t logical.
She looked down at her succulently cooked chicken, wishing she had an appetite for it. ‘I just wondered what the date was when you fell down the stairs,’ she shrugged dismissively. ‘It isn’t important. I’m sure you don’t even remember it.’
All humour had left Marie, leaving her face haunted. ‘I remember exactly,’ she said hollowly. ‘It was the twentieth of December.’
Once again Sara’s interest flared. ‘The same day!’ she told her father excitedly. ‘Don’t you see, it’s the same day!’ She clutched his arm.
‘But a different time,’ he shook his head. ‘It has to be a coincidence.’
‘You’ve forgotten the time difference, Dad.’ She didn’t even notice she had called him that in the excitement of this discovery, but the other occupants of the dining-room table did. Her father flushed with pleasure, Marie and Dominic smiled approvingly. ‘It was five-thirty here,’ she explained, ‘but twelve-thirty in Florida.’
‘The same day as your accident,’ Dominic suddenly realised.
‘Yes!’ She looked at him, her eyes glowing. Then she frowned. ‘But how did you know that?’
‘The file,’ he reminded her.
‘Oh yes,’ she nodded absently. ‘Don’t you think it’s weird?’
‘Extremely so,’ he surprised her by agreeing.
Over the next few minutes they discovered that these similarities had occurred several times during the last twenty years, a case of them both having measles at the same time, both having their tonsils out within days of each other. The list was endless once they started comparing notes, and each new discovery added to their amazement.
‘Maybe we’ll both fall in love with the same man,’ Marie said mischievously, not knowing how near the truth she was, or Sara felt sure she wouldn’t have said it. Marie wasn’t in the least vindictive or cruel, and the remark would have been both those things if she had known of Sara’s feelings. ‘How would you like that, darling?’ she teased her fiancée.
His expression was grim, his mouth a thin taut line. ‘I wouldn’t like it at all,’ he said curtly.
‘I was only joking, Dominic,’ Marie was instantly contrite. ‘I’m sure Sara already has a boy-friend in America.’
Dominic looked at Sara with sharp eyes. ‘Do you?’ he demanded abruptly.
She thought of Barry and then dismissed him. ‘Not in America, no,’ she replied slowly. ‘But I have a—friend here. His name is Eddie.’ And she hoped Eddie would forgive her for using him in this way. But she needed some form of defence, was afraid to let Dominic know just how deeply she had become interested in him.
‘You work fast,’ he snapped. ‘After all, you’ve only been here a little under two weeks.’
She gave him a brittle smile. ‘Sometimes it takes only a glance to feel you know someone, like them.’
‘Love them?’ he prompted tautly.
She gave what she hoped was a light laugh. ‘It’s a little too soon to tell.’
‘You’ll have to invite Eddie over one evening,’ her father suggested. ‘I’d like to meet him.’
Sara shrugged. ‘Maybe the night of the party.’
‘Then we must have the party very soon,’ Marie said eagerly. ‘How about Saturday?’
‘That’s a little too soon for me,’ Sara refused laughingly. ‘Maybe next week, hmm?’
‘All right,’ her sister accepted reluctantly, looking at her wristwatch. ‘I think we should be leaving now.’
At once the nervousness returned to Sara. She didn’t want to meet Dominic’s mother, to know about his family, his home life. Somehow that would bring her even closer to him, make it all the harder for her to accept his marriage to her sister.
She travelled with her father in his car, Marie and Dominic in the Rolls. At least she had been given this respite, time to collect together the poise and control she had been taught during her career, something that seemed to have deserted her the last few days, along with her carefree nature.
