Mistress on Loan (15 page)

'Are you going with that man?' Smudge suddenly demanded.

'I have to,' she told him. 'He's my boss.'

Smudge turned a mutinous look on Chay.

'Why can't you leave Adie alone?'

'Because I need her,' Chay said. 'To work for me.'

'When she's finished work, can she come back here?'

'I think,' Chay said quietly, 'we'll have to wait and see.' He looked at Adrien. 'Are you going straight to the Grange?'

'I have to go to the post office first.' Adrien waved to Smudge as she turned away.

'Then I'll walk with you.' Chay fell into step beside her. He looked tired, she thought. She wanted to kiss the taut-ness from his mouth and close his eyes with her fingertips. She wanted to hold him. To draw his head down to her breast and let him sleep. The longing to touch him twisted inside her like a knife in a wound.

He said, his tone expressionless, 'You have an admirer.'

She forced a smile. 'He's a terrific kid. Things haven't been easy for him.'

'He was one of your concerns when you agreed to our arrangement.' It was a statement, not a question. She bent her head. 'Yes.' There was a silence, then she said, 'Why did you come to look for me?'

'Just protecting my investment, darling.' His voice was light and cynical.

'You didn't need to come down today,' she said carefully. 'Mrs. Whitley and I have everything under control.'

'You mean you'd find it more convenient if I only showed for a few hours at the weekends.' His tone hardened. 'The Grange is my home, Adie, and I'll visit it when I want.' He paused. 'And if that's a problem for you, then deal with it.'

'That isn't what I meant.' She bit her lip.

'Chay—let's not have any more misunderstandings. The weekend's going to be difficult enough without us being at each other's throats.'

'I thought everything was arranged.'

'Not that,' she said. 'I'm wondering how your guests will regard me. As I'm living in your house, they're bound to make assumptions.'

'Would you like me to wear a badge?' His tone bit. '"I am not sleeping with this woman"?'

'Now you're being ridiculous,' she said wearily.

'Just forget I said anything. And here's the post office.'

'Ah,' Chay said derisively. 'I thought it looked familiar. And across the road is a cafe. Why don't we share a civilised pot of tea together while we figure a way to lessen your embarrassment?'

'"Civilised",' she said, pushing her envelopes into the mailbox, 'is hardly a word I'd use to describe our relationship.'

His mouth twisted into a smile. 'Maybe you bring out the barbarian in me, Adie. But I want this weekend to be relaxed, and it won't be if you're seething with resentment.'

'Perhaps you could refer to me as another PA, like Sally Parfitt,' she suggested. 'Let me maintain a low profile.'

They halted in front of the cafe, and Chay's hand closed on her shoulder, turning her slightly so that she could see her reflection in the plate glass window.

He said harshly, 'Take a good look at yourself, Adrien. Look at your hair, your skin, your eyes. You couldn't fade into the background if you tried. And it would fool no one anyway.'

'Why not?'

'Because of this,' he said. And pulled her towards him. The kiss was brief, but searingly, hungrily explicit in its demand. He didn't use any force, but when he let her go Adrien had the absurd impression that her lips were bruised.

She took a step backwards, fighting the insidious throb of excitement which made her want to go back into his arms. Offer her mouth again. She stared up at him, searching for something to say, trying to read his expression. But the grey eyes were hooded.

He said laconically, 'Now we've given the gossips a field-day, let's have that tea.'

She ought to refuse. She
wanted
to refuse. To make some excuse, find the Jeep and drive somewhere that he'd never find her again.

Yet somehow they were in the cafe, and Chay was ordering tea and a plate of sandwiches.

'Jean says you don't eat enough,' he remarked, as the young waitress departed.

'I'm perfectly all right,' she retorted. 'Jean fusses too much.'

'I think I'll let you tell her that yourself.'

He sounded coolly friendly, she realised with wonder. As if that sudden blaze of desire had never existed.

She took a deep breath. 'Chay—I need to talk to you about something.'

'Are you quite sure it's necessary?' His gaze met hers levelly.

She swallowed. 'It's important—to me.'

'Are you going to tell me you're pregnant?'

'Of course not. It's far too soon to know.'

'There are tests—aren't there?' The question was casually interested.

'Yes,' she said. 'But I don't need one. There's no baby.'

'How can you be sure?'

Because I'd know, she thought. Because your child would be a beautiful glowing secret to be sheltered inside me. And instead I just feel— empty.

She said shortly, 'Female intuition.'

His mouth curled. 'Not the most reliable monitor.'

She supposed it was a reference to Piers, and bit her lip.

At that point the tea arrived, and setting out the crockery and pouring the tea provided a brief diversion. As she passed him his cup, she said, 'You're probably right. Mine's been letting me down for years.' She paused. 'Why didn't you tell me that it was Piers who stranded me in the treehouse and not you?'

'Because it was easier that way,' he said after a pause. His hand strayed to the scar on his cheekbone. 'Or it was before you started using me as target practice.'

'But you were sent away,' she said soberly. 'It must have been dreadful for you. And it wrecked your relationship with Angus. You were rarely allowed back to the Grange after that, even in vacations.'

'And when I did return there was more trouble. Is that what you're leading up to?'

She winced. 'I'm trying to understand,' she said.

'I can see how angry you must have been. How bitter.'

And when Angus rejected you again it must have been the last straw, she thought. You wanted to hit out—and there I was—being indulged by Angus and given expensive presents. You wanted to punish me for my part in it all.

'I was exiled to the sixth form in one of the best schools in the country, and then on to university,'

Chay told her drily. He offered her the sandwiches and took one himself. 'Hardly penal servitude.'

'Oh,' she said, remembering that overheard conversation between her parents. 'But I thought...'

'I know what you thought,' he said. 'And what you still think, for that matter. What's this all about, Adie?'

Adrien looked down at the tablecloth. 'I thought it was time I apologised for my part in it all.'

'Consider it done.' He sounded indifferent. 'It was all a long time ago.'

'But still having repercussions—in both our lives,' she said in a low voice. 'Isn't that why you bought the Grange?'

'Yes.' His tone was suddenly uncompromising. 'I always intended it to belong to me.'

She swallowed. 'And—was I part of the plan?'

'Yes.' His smile was crooked. 'Which just proves how unwise some ambitions can be.' He paused. 'I've got something to tell you, too, Adrien.'

He was going to confess that he'd stolen the pendant, she thought wretchedly. And she couldn't bear it. Because nothing could excuse the damage he'd done to Angus and to herself, and she couldn't face hearing him admit that he was capable of inflicting that kind of hurt. She glanced at her watch and manufactured an exclamation. 'I've got an appointment with a client. She's got this very dark dining room... So, I—I'll see you back at the house later.'

She saw his face close, and a sudden bleakness enter the grey eyes. He said quietly, rising to his feet, 'As you wish.'

Adrien sent him a swift, meaningless smile and fled.

She drove out of the village, deliberately choosing a road that would take her in the opposite direction to the Grange. She needed to distance herself so that she could sort out the turmoil in her mind.

She parked in a lay-by and leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes, letting her memory pick its v/ay painfully back across the years.

She'd been touched and surprised when Angus Stretton had said he was giving a party for her at the Grange to celebrate her eighteenth birthday.

'I always wanted a daughter to spoil,' he told her. 'And it's kind of your parents to allow me to share this special time with you all.' He smiled at her kindly. 'And it's time this house was livened up.'

Adrien thought what a shame it was that he didn't have a family living with him at the Grange. Guarded remarks from her parents had told her that Mr. Stretton was married, but his wife was an invalid, permanently confined to a nursing home.

But it was good that he had Piers, she told herself. And even better that Piers would be paying one of his periodic visits that weekend of her party. None of her friends had met him, and with his dark good looks he was going to cause a sensation.

But she didn't expect Chay to be there.

It had been two years since she'd seen him. And before that she'd gone out of her way to avoid him, staying away from the Grange altogether during his brief sojourns.

But when he'd smiled at her, and said her name, she'd found it difficult to maintain her hostility. Besides, that tall, cool-eyed stranger had borne no resemblance to the quiet boy who'd turned from friend to enemy. And who seemed to want to be her friend again.

And when he'd said gently, 'Adie—am I still the monster from your childhood?' she'd forgotten she was sixteen and officially an adult, and had blushed to the roots of her hair, stammering some disclaimer. Within a day he'd been gone again, but Adrien had found their fleeting encounter impossible to put out of her mind. His image seemed lodged in her head, waking or sleeping.

Looking back, she could see there had hardly been a day when she hadn't thought about him. When she hadn't wondered where he was and what he was doing. And when he would return... Slowly but surely, the memory of him had become implanted in her heart and mind and started to bloom.

So when she went up to the Grange on her birthday morning, and found him standing there in the drawing room, she ran to him on a blaze of happiness which took her straight into his arms. And then his mouth touched hers, warm, sensuous and very assured. Making no concessions to her inexperience. Imposing a subtle demand that was totally new to her, and which scared and thrilled her in equal measure..

When at last he lifted his head, he said softly,

'Well, now...'

Then they heard Angus coming, with her father, and fell apart. Angus paused when he saw them, and glanced at Chay, his expression almost wary, and Chay looked back, smiling faintly.

Then they began to discuss the final arrangements for the party, and the odd little moment was forgotten.

'Isn't it wonderful that Chay's home?' she asked her father as they walked home.

'Not particularly,' he said shortly. 'Because it will mean that those never-ending demands for money will start all over again. And Angus deserves some peace.'

The dismissive words shocked her. Was that really why Chay had come back? she thought, feeling sick with disappointment. Because Angus was a rich man and Chay was trying to get a business of his own off the ground?

The question hung over her like a shadow all day, but it couldn't spoil the anticipation of her party. As well as her friends from school, a lot of the local people were going, and Angus had hired a disco and arranged a lavish buffet supper.

Adrien wore a cream silky dress, with the gold watch her parents had given her on her wrist and small gold studs in her ears.

She was desperate to see Chay, to feel his arms around her again and seek the reassurance she needed from his kiss, but he seemed to be keeping his distance. Everyone wanted to dance with the birthday girl, and Chay appeared content with that. Later, she told herself. Later she'd be alone with him and it would all be different.

She could feel the blood move in her veins, thick and sweet as honey. Could feel her skin tingle and warm in expectation of his touch.

He'd come back for her sake, she told herself. That was how it had to be.

Piers was much in evidence, of course, and Adrien told herself she didn't mind too badly, because he was a fantastic dancer and had murmured that she looked beautiful. And it might give Chay something to think about too. Angus had already given her a collection of classical music on CD, but during the course of the evening he called for silence and presented her with a velvet jewellery box.

He said, 'For my wished-for daughter,' and smiled at her while everyone laughed and applauded. When Adrien opened it she found a garnet pendant gleaming at her. The stones were set in a delicate oval of gold, and instinct told her that the piece was very old, and probably valuable. She gasped and stammered her thanks, and Chay lifted it gently from its satin bed and fastened it round her throat. She felt the brush of his fingers on her nape and bent her head to hide the excited flush which warmed her face.

'The clasp doesn't seem terribly reliable,' he commented. 'You'd better be careful, Adie.'

Later those words would come back to haunt her.

Eventually, worried that the clasp might give way while she was dancing, she replaced the lovely thing in its box and put it with the rest of her presents in the library. But when the party was over, and she went to collect her things, she couldn't resist having another look, and found the box empty.

She stood staring down at it, her brain going numb as tendrils of fright began to uncurl inside her. Had she only imagined taking it off? She wondered frantically. Was it lying on the floor somewhere, broken?

'What's wrong, sweetheart?' Piers had entered the library behind her, and she mutely held out the empty case, her eyes enormous in her white face. He said softly, 'So, we have a thief amongst us. My uncle has to know about this.'

He took her arm and marched her back to the drawing room.

'Adrien's pendant has been stolen,' he announced abruptly, indicating the empty case she was holding. 'I say the police should be called.'