Sleeping Love (17 page)

Sabrina gave him a confused frown.

‘The helicopter, remember? No, I suppose you don’t. You were learning to fly it. We have a jet as well, and as soon as all of this business is settled, I’m going to fly you out of here, somewhere warm, so we can get better acquainted.’

‘No. I had a quick relationship with her well before I met you. I wouldn’t go there again. Cressida is trouble and by that time she was married. She tried to get me back into her bed, but she never succeeded. I wouldn’t let anybody near. No one ever equalled you, Sabrina.’

Raoul kissed her long and leisurely when she looked up at him with moisture glistening in her eyes again.

‘There were a few affairs and one man who asked me to marry him, but it didn’t work out. I never really let him get close. I was always so reluctant to get involved with any man.’

‘Hush, I know, you don’t have to tell me. We both did things in our weakest moments when we didn’t think we would see each other again. The past is gone, let’s start looking forward to our life together.’

She snuggled against him feeling sleep beckon and stroke its finger over her drowsy eyes. She didn’t believe a word Cressida said now, and for her affair with Luc, it was nonsense. It had to be. It wasn’t her style, she would have just left, found another way to punish Raoul for his crime. She smiled and rested her head against his chest listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart, feeling his fingers tangle in her hair in a soothing caress and allowed sleep to claim her.

* * *

Sabrina stretched her arm across the bed and discovered she was alone. She sat up searching for Raoul, her eyes blinking in the sunlight streaming in from the windows. She shrugged, he’d probably gone out riding. She felt empty inside without him, having hoped to wake with him by her side. She threw off the covers and slipped on the dress giggling at the torn underwear lying on the floor and scooped up her shoes as she padded across the wooden floor. A nice warm shower was in order, and she decided to return to their own room for one in the hope of catching him when he came in from his ride.

Last night had been exhilarating, the sex amazing, every bit as good as she remembered. She felt so close to Raoul now. She may not remember everything, but there was enough to feel a strong bond and deep connection did exist between them. She would never understand why her mind would cause her to forget her husband and the man she loved. That was until she opened the door to her bedroom.

Cressida sat up from Raoul’s bed as if on cue and suitably horrified. She was naked, her body half exposed under rumpled sheets. She tossed her chestnut curls over her shoulder and looked defiantly at Sabrina standing in the doorway. Sabrina felt her mouth go dry. She glanced at the door of the bathroom that was slightly ajar. The shower was running. She narrowed her eyes at it. How could she have been so stupid in falling for Raoul’s lies?

You nearly had me convinced of your faithfulness, Raoul. Now this . . . What game are you playing with me?

‘He left your bed for mine, just like he used to. You just don’t seem to be able to satiate a man like Raoul.’

‘Grow up, Cressida and get out of my bed before I drag you out,’ Sabrina snapped walking over to tug the sheets from the bed.

Cressida laughed that laugh which made Sabrina feel as if she knew everything and was manipulating it all to her advantage. And there wasn’t a damn thing Sabrina could do about it. Cressida stood up totally unabashed by her nakedness, giving Sabrina’s body a pitiful stare. Sabrina bit her lip and tossed Cressida her robe, repeating her command for the woman to leave the room. She closed the door and gathered her clothes as quickly as possible.

She couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid. People lost their memories, forgot their families and their husbands or wives for a reason. Cressida and Raoul’s affair must have been one of them in her case. Raoul had merely taken advantage, counted on her not remembering everything. The shower was still going when she tipped everything into her small suitcase and ran back to the blue room to dress and leave before he was in a position to stop her. She showered and dressed warmly in a black polo neck, trousers and boots before contemplating a way to leave the house.

She looked out at the heavy snow and banged her fist against the wall. She was too angry with herself to lament. All she could think about was getting out of the house. She wanted to get away from everyone, away from Raoul before he cast another spell on her with those mesmerising eyes. She’d allowed herself to think he really did love her, that their marriage was a fairy-tale.
Daydreaming got you nowhere but trouble.

She put her winter coat on and picked up her suitcase. She couldn’t take anymore. She didn’t know who was lying, who was telling the truth. She couldn’t even trust herself. Not even the snow was going to stop her from escaping.

Chapter Eleven

‘Oh, you are up.’

Raoul stood in the door way carrying a tray of breakfast accompanied by a romantic single red rose in a vase. She frowned at it as though he was rubbing salt in the wound with his thoughtful touch.

He looked genuinely concerned. He was so eager to please, to love her, to be attentive to all her needs. But it was all a lie, a con. It just made the exploit all the more hurtful.

‘That’s impossible I’ve been downstairs making your breakfast. I showered ages ago, after my ride. She’s playing games with you, Sabrina. I can’t believe this keeps happening. Why won’t you trust me? Isn’t my word worth anything over Cressida’s? I’ll make her leave right now.’

‘It’s not good enough, Raoul. She was in your bed, our bed. I can’t believe you would make love to me. Why bother if you believed I was so inadequate?’

A torrent of abusive French words tripped from his mouth. All she could make out was that they were aimed at Cressida.

‘I will make her leave right now with Luc. They can walk into the village and get a room. Then I will get on to my lawyer and take out an injunction to force her to keep away from you.’

His eyes narrowed, and he abruptly let go of her arms. She found herself putting a hand to her mouth, shocked by her words. Only a couple of days ago her life had been stable, lonely, but she’d liked it. Now she didn’t even know who she really was or this man who called himself her husband and protector. She was asking for a divorce from a marriage her mind hadn’t even acknowledged. Her emotions were so up and down it was like riding a rollercoaster. She thought she might be going insane after all.

‘Is that what you really want, Sabrina? You would just discard me like that? It’s so easy for you to do that? To, forget me? Don’t lie to me. You remember a lot more than you have told me. Why are you so frightened to remember me?’

She was about to speak but Luc appeared in the doorway. His face was ashen.

‘Raoul, Mother is ill again. We must go and see her at the hospital in Paris.’

Raoul took his brother to one side to talk to him about his mother in French. Then Sabrina heard Raoul rebuke Luc for bringing Cressida and telling him about what Sabrina had just witnessed. He wanted them both gone. There were raised voices. A flurry of broken images entered Sabrina’s mind as both men finished their discussion. She remembered Luc arguing with Raoul, with herself. It was the party, she was going to tell Raoul something about Luc. He’d threatened her when she confronted him, and she remembered wrenching free from the tight hold he had on her wrist.

A thousand reasons popped into her head, their supposed affair being one of them. The worst, that Luc was her rapist. Without realising, she edged closer to Raoul when he returned to her side. Luc and Raoul talked to each other about visiting their mother, in cold voices, clearly annoyed but feigning civility in front of Sabrina. Eventually, Luc left and Sabrina tried to back away from Raoul again, but he caught her arm puzzled by her sudden closeness when Luc had still been in the room.

‘Sabrina, you must come. I told
Maman
that you were back, and it will do her good to see you. You both had such a good relationship, almost mother and daughter.’

He firmly caught her wrist and took her bag from her. Her resistance was pathetic against his strength. He tossed it on to the bed and led her out of the room.

* * *

Cressida didn’t accompany them in the helicopter. She was nowhere to be found, out riding somewhere with the others, their day of activities halted. Only Alain came along for moral support. He was another man in their party of friends that made her feel uneasy and afraid to be around alone. His constant staring when Raoul could not see and his awkward manner loaned more than enough suspicion. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was walking along the hospital corridor with her attacker right by her side. It could have been anyone of them, even to her dismay, Raoul. The notion made nausea well up inside and made her light-headed.

Sabrina put her hand to her head as the room began to spin. She was back at the party, re-living the same events. The memory was so vivid she felt as though she was inside it. She was in her study arguing with Luc. She was holding a piece of paper with figures on it. She was accusing him of stealing money from Raoul’s company. She was heading for the door, but Luc caught her arm and spun her round and leaned in close squashing her face with his heavy hand. She wasn’t going to tell Raoul anything, he was going to make sure, and for once he was going to hold all of the cards and take what he wanted.

Then he was kissing her hard, forcing her mouth up to his, bruising her arm that he held so tight. Her struggles were useless as her free hand clawed at the hand that painfully gripped her face. But he stopped when someone else entered the room.

‘Sabrina, Sabrina,’ she could hear Raoul’s voice from somewhere distant calling to her as if trying to wake her from a dream. The memory began to fade into darkness, and her attempts to hold on to it were futile. Her mind was shutting it down to protect her once again.

Sabrina looked around and found her back pressed up against the wall of the corridor, Raoul was smoothing his hand over her face that felt damp with moisture. A nurse was at his side.