Dr. Finlay's Courageous Bride, page 12
She headed for her room and found a dressing gown, then made her way through to where Rab was opening the front door.
There were two men and a woman on the doorstep. One of the men and the woman were wearing suits, corporate style, a style you didn’t see in Cockatoo Valley all that much. The woman had what looked like some sort of camera, a tiny thing attached to her jacket. The younger man was wearing jeans and a shiny leather jacket, with slicked back hair, designer sunglasses, cool trainers. Together they seemed an entirely intimidating presence, and Mia found herself instinctively taking a step back, wishing she had something on under her dressing gown. Wishing she could hide her face.
‘Good morning.’ The older man spoke first, sounding brisk and efficient. ‘We’re sorry to disturb you, but we’ve been asked by Mr Finlay here to do a spot check.’
‘Mr Finlay?’ Rab said, blankly. He was standing in the doorway, in trousers but nothing else, as confused as Mia.
‘This is Mr Noel Finlay. I believe he’s a relation of yours,’ the older man said calmly, ‘from England. I’m George Howard and this is Miss Maria Stein. We’re from Howard Stein Legal, based in Sydney. Mr Finlay and two of his cousins have contacted us, asking us to find out if your marriage is all that you say it is.’
‘I’m sorry...’ Rab sounded stunned but the legal monotone continued.
‘Mr Finlay’s been informed that you are indeed married,’ the man said. ‘But he and his siblings believe it’s a marriage made to fulfil the requirements of the will, not a true marriage. We’ve done some research and have found the marriage was only proposed after a meeting here six weeks before your birthday. The accusation is that you hadn’t met beforehand, and that this has been organised only to rob our clients of their rightful inheritance. In short, to defraud. We’ve done our groundwork. This visit is the culmination of that research, and we now need to warn you that this conversation is being recorded and videoed via my colleague’s video camera.’
‘Is that legal?’ Rab asked mildly, and to Mia’s astonishment he sounded, if anything, slightly amused. ‘Body cameras? Aren’t they used for crime scenes?’
‘If you’re defrauding our client from what’s rightfully his, then it is a crime scene.’
‘You don’t have our permission to film, or to record. And we’re within our legal rights to kick you off the property,’ Rab said, still mildly. ‘You’re trespassing.’
‘What’s wrong with her?’
It was the young guy speaking now, stepping forward, jaw jutted belligerently. He was staring at Mia, who’d tried to retreat to the shadows. She’d tugged her dressing gown around her, but she was acutely aware that it was thin and there was nothing underneath. At some time in the night Rab had unfastened her hair, and unruly curls tangled every which way. She wore none of the light concealer she usually used to conceal the starkness of her scars.
She felt exposed, scarred, completely off balance.
But then Rab turned and smiled at her. It was a quick smile, meant only for her—a message? Courage, that smile said. Let’s play these people at their own game.
How could one smile say that? She didn’t know, but as Rab reached for her hand and drew her forward she found herself responding with...trust.
Why was that her first reaction? Why was it so deeply, deeply important?
‘Are you talking about my wife?’ He had her now, his arm around her, turning so they both faced outward. ‘There’s nothing wrong with Mia.’ And his gaze met the young man’s and held. There was something in his expression, something implacable, something hard, and Mia wasn’t surprised to see the young man take a step back.
But the belligerence was still there. ‘I told you,’ the young guy muttered to the lawyers. ‘I forgot. The people we talked to told us about the scars. Look at her. He’s rich already, a city surgeon, he has everything he wants and then he decides to come here and marry her.’ And he said her in such a way that even the lawyers flinched. ‘Why would he do that if he didn’t want the money?’
‘Mr Finlay...’ the male lawyer said in a warning voice but the young man wouldn’t be stopped.
‘It’s a con. For him to marry her...’
’Enough.’ Rab’s controlled amusement had ceased. ‘Get off my land,’ he said, and there was something in his voice that made everyone there flinch. Recalibrate. Figure Rab was not to be messed with.
The lawyers certainly got it.
‘Mr Finlay, stop,’ the lawyer said quickly, harshly, and he was watching Rab’s face. He knew they’d gone too far—and this was being recorded. ‘Dr and Mrs Finlay, on behalf of our client I apologise for those very personal remarks. Could you forget them, please? Mr Finlay, please go back to the car and remain there. I believe we can ask the questions we need to without your presence.’
‘But...’
‘Go,’ the lawyer said, still watching Rab’s face. ‘Or he will get us thrown off for trespass. He’s entitled. Leave this to us.’
‘Go, Noel,’ the woman said. ‘We’ll handle this.’
There was a loaded silence and then the young man gave an angry huff and turned and stalked back to the car. ‘They’ve obviously just woken up,’ he threw over his shoulder. ‘Make ’em show you where they’ve been sleeping. It’s a con, I tell you. A bloody con.’
He climbed into the car and slammed the door, and they were left with two lawyers standing on the doorstep, looking apologetic. But also...determined.
‘Dr Finlay, we apologise once again for our client’s comments,’ the male lawyer said, and Mia was aware the female had stepped back a little. So her camera could get a better view? ‘But he’s jet lagged, and he and his family have put considerable effort into making this happen.’
‘A scheduled interview would have been in order,’ Rab growled. He’d tugged Mia close against him, making it seem as if they were one. A couple, woken from sleep, bewildered by this intrusion. As they were.
There was no need for Mia to shake. Why was she? It must have been Noel’s voice, she thought. The vitriol. The latent threat.
Plus the thought that what was at stake here was the future of the entire valley.
‘We could have arranged an interview. We probably still will,’ the lawyer said. ‘But we thought a visit when you weren’t expecting us might answer questions faster than any interview.’
‘You can’t use the video you’re making,’ Rab said. His voice was mild again now. ‘I reiterate, it’s not being made with our permission.’
‘It could allay our clients’ concerns though,’ the lawyer said. ‘If you can prove you’ve been living together as a couple there’s no more to be said. It may save both you and our clients a costly law suit.’
Rab sighed. He was still holding her tight, the warmth of his arm a silent message. ‘Shall we kick them out or shall we just get this over with? My wife and I are indeed married,’ he told the lawyers. ‘We have nothing to hide. The entire valley will tell you we’ve been living together for six months. What else do you need to know?’
‘Are you sleeping together?’ It was the female lawyer, and in her voice was a trace of the belligerence of the young man.
‘Of course we are,’ Rab said calmly. ‘Why wouldn’t we?’
‘Except we aren’t.’
And Mia had found her voice again. She wasn’t a wimp. She’d decided that years ago. Harvey had hurt her, intimidated her, made her a total victim. She’d spent years recovering—had she ever really recovered? But these last months, knowing the valley was safe, increasingly knowing that Rab was her friend, had changed something in her.
And how fortunate was it that these people had come this morning? She’d lain in Rab’s arms last night and she’d felt amazing.
Formidable.
She’d relapsed a little in the face of the obnoxious Noel’s vitriol, but that strength came back now. Rab was still holding her. The memory of his lovemaking—and the way her body had responded—was still with her.
She could face this threat.
If these people were to be admitted into the house they’d find two used bedrooms and that had to be explained.
‘We don’t sleep together,’ she said now. ‘Or at least, not very often. But that’s not what you’re asking. You’re asking if we have sex, and yes, indeed we do. But I’ve been on my own for many years now, and I like my independence. And that includes being able to retreat when my husband snores.’ And then she looked directly into the camera and she smiled. ‘Ask any couple how they cope when one of them snores like...’
‘Oi!’ Rab interrupted, indignation personified, but she peeped a smile at him.
‘Well, you do,’ she said. ‘There’s no shame.’ And she patted his pecs. ‘Most guys who are carrying a bit of extra body weight snore, even if it’s mostly muscle...’
‘Turn that camera off!’ Rab demanded, but his eyes were laughing. Laughing at her?
No. Laughing with her. There was a difference.
‘So okay, find any woman whose husband snores.’ She chuckled. ‘Even if only occasionally. Then ask if they’d like a retreat. In this big house, why not?’
‘So you’re saying you have separate bedrooms?’ The female lawyer looked as if she’d discovered a major piece of evidence. Her tone was suddenly excited.
‘Yes, we do,’ she said blithely, and she tugged out of Rab’s arms and turned and gestured inside. ‘Want to see?’
‘Mia, we don’t have to,’ Rab said, sounding worried, but there was still the hint of laughter in his eyes. He’d figured what she was doing, even before Mia turned to him and gave him a reassuring nod.
‘I know we don’t. This visit is impertinent and probably illegal, but stuff ’em, they want evidence, let’s give ’em evidence.’ She turned back to the camera. ‘You guys agree that you’ve turned up without warning on a Sunday morning, at a time when most couples could be assumed to be sleeping in?’
‘Yes,’ the older lawyer said cautiously.
‘My husband and I went out last night,’ she told them. ‘We had a very good time and arrived home late, so we’ve just woken. Look at us. You agree we haven’t had time to stage anything?’
‘I imagine that’s correct,’ the lawyer said grudgingly. ‘We made sure you had no warning.’
‘So bring your camera inside,’ Mia said grandly and gestured inward, and then turned and led the way.
* * *
Rab followed, feeling stunned. For the first few minutes he’d played the protector, determined to keep these people out of the house, determined to keep Mia safe. But now it was Mia who was sashaying down the hall as if she owned it.
She reached her bedroom and flung the door open with a flourish, then stepped aside so the two lawyers could enter.
‘My domain,’ she said grandly. ‘My personal retreat.’
The older lawyer stood back, seemingly uncomfortable, but the woman had no such qualms. She walked in and looked around.
Mia had changed little since she’d been here. Indeed, why should she? She’d never intended to stay here past twelve months, and the idea of filling it with her possessions had made her feel uncomfortable. She kept it neat. The bed was starkly made—she was a nurse and she’d been trained in old school discipline—hospital corners, bedcovers without a crease, crisp white pillows plumped every day that now, because no head had dinted them last night, clearly looked as if the bed hadn’t been slept in.
There was no mess in the room at all. Not even slippers under the bed—Mia had shoved those on her feet when she’d made a mad rush for her robe. Normally her robe hung behind the door but now there was nothing. There were no photos on the bedside table. No accoutrements except a simple bedside clock and a box of tissues.
It could be anyone’s bedroom. It looked as if it was waiting for guests, not a room a woman slept in every night.
Rab was also gazing around for the first time. This was Mia’s domain; he hadn’t been in here. Its starkness left him cold.
She was staying here, he thought, and the idea was suddenly bleak. She could take her suitcase from the top of the wardrobe and be gone tomorrow, and the house would close against her as if she’d never been here.
Except...the rest of the house gleamed. The rest of the house looked amazing.
She’d been doing it for him?
For the valley, he reminded himself, but then gazed again at the stark room and thought of the gleaming Aga in the kitchen, the sparkling crystals of the chandelier and he thought, no, definitely for him.
‘If I had this for a retreat I might have added a bit of pink,’ the female lawyer said suddenly, unexpectedly, and Mia flashed her a grin.
‘Depends how much you use it. We’re only six months in. I expect by the time we reach our golden wedding anniversary this’ll be so stuffed with knick-knacks you wouldn’t believe. Maybe even a vibrator under the pillow.’
The older lawyer choked. The woman lawyer stared at Mia—and her face, rigid up until now, suddenly cracked into a reluctant smile.
‘He has to keep me happy or I’m back in here,’ Mia said serenely and then turned and headed down the hall. ‘Right, here’s the bathroom...’
The grand bathroom was similarly neat, but here the space was shared. Mia, though, had carefully kept her belongings to one end of the wide shelf that ran along the far wall, and Rab used the other.
‘You don’t share toothpaste then?’ the female lawyer asked, but she was starting to sound as if she was enjoying herself. Mia had her onside, Rab thought, stunned.
‘And let him decide how to squeeze it? Look at his tube. Squeezed from the top. I ask you...’ She gave a theatrical sigh and the lawyer even giggled.
And then... Rab’s room. ‘Are you sure you want to see this?’ Mia asked as they reached the door. She paused, looking a bit embarrassed, but again Rab had the sensation that she was playing for effect.
‘Go on,’ Rab said wearily, as if he was done with this whole charade. ‘Get it over with.’
‘As you wish,’ Mia said grandly and threw open the door.
And there was all the evidence they needed—and more.
Last night had been...amazing. It had also been very, very messy. The sexual tension between them had been building from the time they’d walked into the restaurant—or maybe it had been building for the whole six months. Regardless, by the time they’d reached home they both knew exactly what they wanted, and they’d wasted no time. The moment she’d said ‘I’m sure’ Rab had lifted her off her feet, given a curt nod to the sleepy Boris and said, ‘You’ll have to excuse us, mate. We have things to attend to.’
Boris had, thankfully, gone straight back to sleep, not even vaguely disturbed by the sounds emanating from Rab’s bedroom. By this time he regarded Rab as an extension of his tribe, and saw no need to protect his mistress from him.
And his mistress wanted no such protection. Her need to be with him had been as urgent as his had been to take her, and the evidence lay before them now. A trail of their gorgeous evening clothes led across the floor to the bed. Lacy knickers were on the bedside mat—and how had her bra ended up on the lampshade? The bed itself was a mess—the whole scene pictorial evidence of a very good time.
Rab stopped in the doorway, really seeing the mess for the first time. Evidence indeed. And then he looked down at Mia. She was blushing, but she was also smiling, a faint, cat that got the cream smile.
He had the strongest urge to kick these people out now, sweep her up in his arms again and...
Um...no. They’d come this far, they had to see it to the end.
‘Do you have to record this?’ he growled, and the female lawyer looked apologetic.
‘It’s the fastest way to allay the fears of our client,’ she told him. ‘I promise it will never be shared, and as soon as he’s satisfied it’ll be wiped. We’ll also send you a copy so you can check our filming has been...discreet. George and I can swear to what we’ve seen if required, but I think we’ve seen enough. Wouldn’t you say, George?’
And the middle-aged lawyer’s face was almost beetroot. He was backing out of the door, stammering. ‘Indeed. We’re so sorry. This has made me feel...tawdry. Indeed, it was only that our client insisted that there was no true marriage that we...’
‘He didn’t think I could have married Mia because I wanted her?’ Rab asked mildly, but he couldn’t quite suppress anger. He moved to Mia’s side again and hugged her. She’d been fabulous. Brave. Bearing all. Or almost all. He looked again at the sliver of lacy panties on the floor and thought that this was a woman who valued her privacy above everything. That she was so exposed...
‘I do want her,’ he said, holding her close. ‘Mia’s my wife, in name and in fact. I love her and I’ll protect her for ever. You mess with her, and I’ll bring every legal force I can muster down on your heads. She’s mine and I’ll protect my own, no matter what it takes.’
But his words didn’t have the effect he’d intended. Or maybe they had with the lawyers, but not with Mia. He felt Mia stiffen. Not much, not enough for the observers to notice, but it was there. She stayed within the hold of his arms but the warmth, the sinking against him, had suddenly changed.
And when she spoke her voice was suddenly strained. ‘That’s enough,’ she said, and it sounded as if each word was forced from her. ‘I hope you’ve seen what you needed to see. Can you go now, please, and let...and let my husband and me get on with our lives.’
* * *
Rab saw them to the door and Mia stayed in the bedroom. It was a warm morning but all of a sudden she found herself shivering. The heat of the night had left her. All that was left were echoes.
Rab’s words.
‘She’s mine and I’ll protect my own, no matter what it takes.’
