Forbidden Surrender

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

‘M
ARIE
! How are you?’

Sara blinked up at the tall attractive man in front of her, smiling her regret. ‘I’m sorry,’ her American accent was very noticeable against his English one, ‘I’m afraid you have the wrong person.’ She turned away with an apologetic smile, wishing that she could have been the absent Marie. This man was very good-looking, possibly in his mid-twenties, and by the expression in his twinkling blue eyes he looked as if he could be fun to be around.

He took hold of her arm, stopping her from crossing the road. ‘Hey, I’m not going to tell Nick that you were wandering around Soho on your own.’

Sara frowned, her deep brown eyes puzzled, a startling contrast to her long golden-blonde hair, hair bleached by years under the Florida sun. Having lived in America most of her life she had been curious to see the country she had been born in, the country she had lived in until she was a year old, taken to start a new life in America by her mother after the untimely death of her husband.

‘I’m sorry,’ she repeated to the young man, ‘but you really are mistaken.’

He remained unconvinced. ‘I love the accent,’ he grinned, ‘but I know you too well to be fooled by that.’ He put his arm about her waist, his fingers spread dangerously close to her breast.

Sara stiffened, revising her opinion of him. He was obviously a flirt, and he sounded as if he and Marie were more than just casual acquaintances.

She gave him a cold stare. ‘Would you kindly take your hands off me?’ she requested haughtily, flicking
her long hair back over her shoulder.

He frowned down at her but made no effort to let her go. ‘There’s no need to be like this, Marie. I admit I’m a bit sore about the way you ended things between us last year, but Nick—’

Sara squirmed away from him. ‘I don’t know any Nick, and I don’t know you either. And if you don’t let go of me I’ll call a policeman!’ She looked around for one, never having thought a man would try to pick her up so openly. It was the middle of the afternoon, she had got lost during a sightseeing session, and she certainly hadn’t expected to be accosted like this.

‘Okay, okay,’ the man grimaced, ‘there’s no need to get nasty. If you want to keep up this pretence of being an American tourist then that’s all right with me.’ He shrugged.

She wasn’t pretending to be anything, an American tourist was exactly what she was, although this wasn’t a very high class area to have got lost in. She only hoped Aunt Susan didn’t go home without her. Only having been in this country a couple of days herself she had no idea of the way back to Aunt Susan’s house.

‘Maybe I could be your guide?’ The man gave her a sideways glance. ‘Hey, that could be fun, Marie. We could—’

‘I already have a guide,’ she interrupted him, annoyed by the fact that he still believed her to be this other woman. It would seem he knew Marie very well, which made his obstinacy about her identity all the more surprising. Unless this was the way he usually picked his women up!

‘Oh, I see,’ he smiled bitterly. ‘I bet Nick doesn’t know about this—and I wish to God I didn’t!’ He bent and kissed her briefly on the mouth. ‘See you at the weekend,’ was his parting shot.

Sara stared after him dazedly. She wasn’t a prude, she had been kissed before, but never by a complete stranger. And he had been so respectable to look at too,
his black pinstriped suit and snowy white shirt immaculate.

‘Sara!’ Her plump. Aunt Susan arrived breathlessly in front of her. ‘Thank goodness I’ve found you!’

Sara turned, the flirtatious stranger already swallowed up in the crowd. ‘I must have lost you in that last shop,’ she smiled her apology.

Susan Ford was a pleasantly plump lady of forty-eight, her blonde hair kept the same gold as Sara’s by a light tint every couple of months, her face still youthfully smooth and attractive. She was Sara’s mother’s sister, and although the sisters had been parted for the last twenty years their letters to each other had been numerous, so much so that Sara felt as if she already knew her aunt when they had met two days ago, had found herself instantly liking her aunt.

This trip to England wasn’t exactly a holiday to Sara, more of a convalescence. Six months ago her mother and stepfather had been killed in a car accident, and besides leaving her orphaned it had also left her with two broken legs, utterly ruining the modelling career that had just been starting to take off the ground.

It had taken six months for the scars to heal, both the emotional and physical ones, and on her final dismissal from the doctor she had arranged this trip to visit her English relatives, finding herself to be a very rich young woman on the death of her stepfather, Richard Hamille. They had been a close family, Sara being adopted by Richard when he had married her mother, and to suddenly find herself alone was very bewildering.

Her Aunt Susan had instantly taken her to her heart, she and Uncle Arthur having no children of their own. Sara felt at home with them, felt at home with England, and in a way she would be sad to leave when the time came. Still, that wouldn’t be for another couple of weeks yet.

‘Who was that man?’ her aunt frowned. ‘The one I saw you talking to?’

Sara shrugged as they fell into step together, making their way back to the busy city centre. ‘I have no idea,’ she answered her aunt.

Her eyes widened. ‘You didn’t know him?’

Sara shook her head. ‘No.’

‘But I saw him kiss you!’ Her aunt sounded scandalised.

Sara grinned. ‘I think he was trying to pick me up. It wasn’t a very good approach, though—he pretended that he thought I was someone else.’ She shook her head. ‘Not very original!’

‘Who did he think you were?’

She shrugged. ‘Someone called Marie. I wouldn’t have minded, but he seemed so insistent. Oh well,’ she dismissed, ‘he’ll have to chalk this one down to a no go.’

‘Yes, I suppose so,’ her aunt agreed vaguely. ‘Now, where were we? Oh yes, if we turn here we should be near the underground. Shall we go home and have a cup of tea? I’m dying for a cup.’

Sara grinned at her, her face alight with mischief, her features strikingly beautiful, the eyes wide and a deep dark brown, heavily fringed by long black lashes, the nose short, the mouth wide and smiling, her teeth very white against her golden skin. Her body was tall and supple, long-legged, and very slender. Her looks were invaluable in her profession, and she hoped to return to modelling when she went back to the States.

‘You and your tea!’ she chided. After only two days she was well aware of her aunt’s weakness for the brew, the other woman seeming to drink gallons of the stuff. Sara preferred coffee herself, but she readily agreed with the idea of going home for refreshment; the visit to Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament had tired her out.

Uncle Arthur came in soon after they did, a short
stocky man, going a little thin on top, his sparse brown hair going slightly grey now.

‘I have a surprise for you, love,’ he beamed at Sara as they ate their dinner. ‘I’ve invited Eddie round tonight, my nephew by my sister Jean. I thought you would like a bit of young company for a change.’

Sara masked her irritation. Her aunt and uncle had been so kind to her, and it was ungrateful of her not to appreciate this extra act of kindness. They had no way of knowing of her recent disillusionment, of the way Barry had let her down when she needed him the most, had walked out on her when the accident had temporarily robbed her of the ability to walk into a room with him and make one of his grand entrances. Barry was an up-and-coming actor, had appeared in several television serials, and he ranked his worth much higher than any television producer had yet had the foresight to do. Sara had been dating him a couple of months before the accident, not realising that her main attraction had been her undeniable beauty and her original way of dressing. Barry had replaced her within a day of the accident, having no time for her bereavement or her own injuries.

So at the moment she wasn’t particularly keen on men. ‘That will be nice,’ she gave a bright smile.

‘I hope so,’ her uncle nodded, settling back in his armchair. ‘He’s a good lad, works in a garage.’

‘He doesn’t work in a garage, Arthur,’ his wife chided. ‘He owns one, dear,’ she told Sara. ‘And he lets other people do the work.’

Sara felt sure Eddie wouldn’t agree with that, the poor man was probably worked off his feet. It wasn’t easy running a business, she knew that. Her stepfather had run an advertising firm, and he had often come home absolutely exhausted. Eddie probably felt the same way on occasion.

‘It’s nice of him to spare me the time,’ she said in all honesty.

‘Well, he took a bit of persuading,’ her uncle told her, ‘but I managed to talk him round.’

After Barry’s desertion of her this wasn’t exactly a booster to her morale. It was because of Eddie’s apparent reluctance to meet her that she took special care over her appearance that evening.

Her silky suit was in a pale lilac colour, the narrow belt that fitted over the shirt top in a deep purple colour. Her shoes matched the colour of the belt, her legs were long and silky beneath the straight skirt. She was aiming to knock his eyes out, so her make-up was dramatic, just to show him that his time hadn’t been wasted.

When she heard him arrive she checked her appearance. Her hair, newly washed, fell in gentle waves halfway down her back, shaped in casual curls either side of her face. Yes, she looked the top model she had rapidly been becoming until the accident, and if Eddie wasn’t impressed now he never would be.

He was. It was obvious by the widening of his deep blue eyes, by the way he slowly rose to his feet, his gaze appraising.

‘Hi,’ she greeted huskily, giving him her most dazzling smile. ‘I’m Sara, and you must be Eddie.’ She held out her hand politely.

He took her hand, seemingly reluctant to let it go again. His own hand was strong and work-worn, the nails kept short and clean. He was a man possibly in his late twenties, his hair sandy-blond, his face attractive, his dress casual in the extreme, his denims faded, his shirt unbuttoned partway down his chest.

‘Nice to meet you,’ he gave a wide appreciative smile. ‘Uncle Arthur didn’t tell me how—Well, he didn’t say—You’re gorgeous!’ he grinned.

Sara gave a happy laugh, at last managing to release her hand. ‘Thank you, kind sir,’ she curtseyed. ‘Uncle Arthur wasn’t too descriptive about you either,’ she admitted, instantly liking this man.

Eddie nodded understandingly. ‘You expected me to
be wearing an overall, with oil under my fingernails,’ he derided.

‘Something like that,’ she gave a rueful smile. ‘Although Aunt Susan assured me you didn’t actually work in your garage.’ Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

‘Charming!’

She burst out laughing at his disgusted expression. ‘I’m sure she didn’t mean it the way I made it sound.’ Her aunt and uncle had taken advantage of Eddie’s visit and gone to visit some friends for the evening.

‘Hey, you’re all right,’ Eddie smiled at her. ‘Fancy coming out for a pint? A beer,’ he explained at her puzzled expression.

‘I’d love to,’ she accepted eagerly.

She had never been into a ‘local’ before, had never even been into a bar. Her mother and stepfather were quite protective of her, vetting most of her friends, and keeping her close within their own circle.

She loved the pub they went to, loved the beer Eddie made her try, loved the friendly, warm atmosphere, and most of all she loved the people. She was instantly accepted into Eddie’s crowd and persuaded to join in a game of darts, a game she was totally hopeless at. But she had a lot of fun trying, and no one seemed to mind her inability to hit the board twice in a row.

‘That was fun!’ She gave Eddie a glowing smile on the drive back to her aunt and uncle’s house.

‘Glad you enjoyed it. Care to come out with me again?’ He quirked one eyebrow enquiringly.

‘I’d love to!’ Sara’s face glowed.

‘Tomorrow?’

She looked uncertain. ‘I’m not sure what plans Aunt Susan and Uncle Arthur have for me. You see—’

‘It’s okay, Sara,’ he cut in dryly, ‘I realise I’m not the sort of man you usually go out with.’

She blushed at his intended rebuke. ‘I didn’t mean that.’

‘But it’s true, isn’t it? You were like a child tonight, enjoyed each new experience with eagerness. Uncle Arthur told me you were a rich kid, in the executive bracket.’

Sara bit her lip, knowing she had hurt him. ‘I did enjoy tonight, and I—I’m sorry if I embarrassed you with my enthusiasm. I didn’t mean to.’

Eddie sighed. ‘You didn’t. You were a success, you know you were. Maybe that’s why I’m so annoyed—I was jealous of half the men there tonight.’

Sara relaxed somewhat, back on territory she could handle. ‘You had no need to be. I always remember who took me on my date, and I always make a point of leaving with that person.’

‘So it’s still on for tomorrow, if Aunt Susan and Uncle Arthur don’t have any other plans for you? And this time I’ll take you somewhere I can have you all to myself.’

She wasn’t so sure his single-minded interest was a good thing. She would be going back to the States soon, two or three weeks at the most, and it wouldn’t do for Eddie to become involved with her, not deeply involved. When she got back home she intended concentrating exclusively on her career, there would be no time for romantic involvement.

‘Sara?’ Eddie prompted.

‘I—er—What did you have in mind?’

He shrugged. ‘A meal and then on to a club?’

‘It sounds lovely,’ she accepted, deciding she could deal with Eddie’s interest in her if and when it started to become serious. She liked him, he was fun, and there could be no harm in them going out together. ‘What time shall I be ready?’

‘Oh, about eight.’ He stopped the car outside the house.

‘Like to come in for coffee?’ she invited.

‘Not tonight, thanks. If I know Aunt Susan and Uncle Arthur they’ll have gone to bed long ago, and I wouldn’t
want to disturb them. You’d better ask them for a door key for tomorrow, we could be late.’

‘Not too late, I hope,’ Sara frowned. ‘I need my beauty sleep,’ she added lightly.