The Carlswick Affair

by SL Beaumont

  Chapter 25

  Sunshine streamed into Stephanie’s room the next morning. She rolled over and bumped into James who was stretched out on top of the covers beside her.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead,” he said huskily. She smiled and ran her hands self-consciously through her sleep tousled hair.

  “I thought it was a dream – I didn’t think that you were actually here,” she said, the memory of their kiss the night before springing unbidden to her mind and causing her breath to catch in her throat.

  “At least it was a dream and not a nightmare,” he said, arching an eyebrow.

  In the morning light, the bruise on James’s cheek had darkened and was swollen. Stephanie reached over and gently ran her fingers over it.

  “I’m really sorry for hitting you – I lost my temper.”

  He reached up and held her hand in place with his.

  “It’s okay, Steph. I was being a prat. I deserved it.”

  A loud knock on her door and the handle turning, startled them both.

  “Steph – it’s me, Sam,” the person on the other side called.

  Stephanie froze. Thank goodness she’d locked the door the night before.

  James looked at her through narrowed eyes. “What’s he doing here?” he demanded angrily in a low whisper.

  “Honestly, I don’t know, James. I thought he was in London – you have to believe me,” she whispered.

  “Steph – wake up. Open the door. I need to talk to you,” Sam called urgently from behind the door.

  “Hang on – let me get dressed,” she called.

  “That’s not really necessary,” Sam said, a smile sounding in his voice.

  Beside her James swore.

  “What do you need to talk about this early?” she called, stalling for time and sitting up in bed holding the sheet to her chest. “Is Dad still here?”

  “No, he left earlier. You must have been sound asleep – he took the helicopter. But he’s just found out about the brick through your car window and wants you away from here for a few days. He thinks that maybe James Knox was behind it and wants you where he can’t get to you,” he called through the closed door.

  “Oh?” It was Stephanie’s turn to glare at James. She shoved him hard, which caught him by surprise and he fell off the bed with a crash.

  “Steph, are you okay?” Sam sounded concerned and tried the door handle again.

  “Yeah – just tripped,” she called through gritted teeth as she rounded the bed to confront James. “Go and make me some coffee and I’ll be down in a minute, eh. I just have a bit of a mess here to clean up.”

  “Okay, see you in a couple of minutes.” She heard Sam retreat along the passage towards the staircase.

  “Oh come on, Steph. You don’t believe that, do you?” James protested, getting up from the floor and holding his hands up in front of him, as if to defend himself.

  “It’s an interesting conclusion for my father to come to though, isn’t it?” she accused in an angry whisper, hands on her hips, her eyes blazing.

  “For God’s sake. Sam turns up and you believe him over me?” James was getting annoyed now.

  Stephanie groaned and put her hands over her face. “Who do I believe? Everyone is putting a different slant on things.”

  James gently pulled her hands away from her face and tilted her chin to look at him. On one hand she looked so cute with her messy bed hair and smudged mascara and on the other she looked incredibly sexy in her camisole and pyjama pants that he had to force himself to let her go. “Go and see what the bastard wants. I’ll wait here,” he said roughly and then added, “Please trust me, Steph.”

  “How do you know that I won’t tell them that you are up here?” she challenged, but with less defiance in her voice.

  “I don’t. Now I’m the one trusting you,” James replied evenly.

  Stephanie sighed and disappeared into the walk-in wardrobe and reappeared a moment later wearing her skinny black jeans and a blue hoodie, which somehow reflected in her eyes making them seem a deeper blue than usual.

  James was standing to one side of the large bay window near her bed, looking outside. He turned as she walked back into the room. She gave him a small smile and unlocked the door, letting herself out of the room and closing it behind her.

  Stephanie walked down the wide hallway to the staircase that curved down to the entrance hall, skipping down the stairs past the portraits and photographs of her family. She headed towards the kitchen where she could hear the low murmur of a conversation.

  The voices abruptly broke off as she strode into the room. Sam was leaning against the counter talking to Vince.

  What the hell is he doing standing in the kitchen like he owns the place? Stephanie thought, irritated and a little wary.

  “Hi.” Sam smiled, walking towards her. He ran his eyes up and down her body and leaned to kiss her cheek. She stiffened. “Vince was just telling me they thought there was an intruder last night,” he said.

  “Just a false alarm wasn’t it, Vince?” Stephanie asked, stepping away from Sam and helping herself to coffee from the percolator bubbling away on its stand.

  “Look, Steph. After that brick was thrown through your car window and Michael’s hit and run, your father and I think it would be safer for you to come back to London with me today,” Sam said with the air of someone taking charge. “That way we can make sure that you are safe until we can find out what’s going on.”

  “I think I’m pretty safe if Vince is still here – you should have seen him last night, Sam,” she responded light-heartedly. “It was like a full scale military operation.” She looked slyly at Vince, who returned her gaze steadily and said nothing.

  “Nonetheless, Steph, I’m just following your father’s instructions,” Sam said.

  Stephanie thought quickly.

  “Well, okay,” she said, acquiescing. “Give me a little while to cancel my plans for the next few days, have a shower and pack a bag. What time did you want to leave, Sam?”

  “No hurry,” said Sam, sounding surprised. He’d clearly been expecting her to put up more of a fight.

  Stephanie refilled her coffee mug and headed back upstairs to her room where James was waiting beside the window, his back to the door. She locked the door again behind her and walked over to him, handing him the coffee. He smiled gratefully. His fingers lingered on hers momentarily as he took it from her.

  “Sam is here to take me back to London with him – ‘to be safe’,” she mimicked Sam’s London accent.

  “No,” said James shaking his head, his eyes stormy. “That bastard – trust him to use the situation to his advantage.” He sipped the coffee, frowning.

  “Hang on, though,” Stephanie said. “I’ve had an idea and I’ve bought us a little time. Why don’t you slip out the back way now and go and get your moped. Text me when you get there and I’ll meet you at the front gates. You can kidnap me. That will give me some space to decide what to do.”

  James thought for a moment. Then a wide smile spread across his face. “Perfect,” he said, leaning down to kiss her on the lips. “I can’t wait to see Sam’s face when I spirit you away before he gets the chance.” He took another gulp and put the coffee cup down on her desk and grabbed his hoodie and leather jacket off the back of the sofa. Glancing out of the window he said, “I don’t think I’m going to need all these clothes – it looks much warmer today.”

  Stephanie sat on the edge of her bed watching him as he pulled his t-shirt off and picked up the hoodie to pull it on. She ran her eyes over his firm chest and abs – James was very toned with muscular arms. His jeans hung low around his hips.

  He grinned as he caught her staring him and sauntered over to where she sat, dropping the hoodie on the floor as he walked. He stood with his legs either side of hers and leaned down, cupping her face between his hands and gently kissed her. She placed her hands on his chest as he pushed her back on the bed, deepening their kiss as he did so. Step
hanie wrapped her leg around his thighs and deftly twisted so that James was thrown off balance on to his back.

  She sat up, straddling his legs with hers, her breathing slightly faster than normal. They both laughed. “You can do that to me anytime,” James said in a low voice, as he reached up and put his hand behind her head and pulled her into another lingering kiss. He slipped his hands up under her top and began stroking her back, a small moan escaping from his throat.

  “James.” She broke from his kiss and sat up again. His eyes sparkled with desire and she could feel his body responding to hers. “Get your clothes on and let’s go – enough gratuitous flesh for one day.” She placed her hand on his chest and laughed, sliding off the bed, pulling him up as she did.

  “You weren’t complaining a moment ago,” James said. “But you’re right, you’d better show me the best way out now or we’ll never leave your bedroom. I think you greatly overestimate my self-control,” he said, his voice huskier than normal. He picked up his discarded hoodie and pulled it on, followed by the leather jacket.

  Reluctantly, she quietly unlocked her door and poked her head out. All clear.

  “Come on,” she whispered. He held her hand as she led the way along the corridor to the right of her room, until they came to a back staircase. They ran lightly down the stairs. Stephanie opened a door at the bottom and peered left and right. Directly in front was a short stretch of lawn bordered by trees.

  “Okay – run to the trees and follow them along that way,” she said pointing, “You should get to Ridge Road in about ten minutes.”

  “I’ll text you when I get back to the bike.” His lips brushed hers lightly and he was gone – sprinting across the grass and disappearing into the trees. Stephanie was about to close the door and go back up the stairs when she heard footsteps coming down.

  She quietly let herself out and staying close to the wall hurried around to the side of the house. Heart thumping, she slipped in through the kitchen door. She could hear Sam talking in a low voice on this mobile in the hall. She paused to eavesdrop.

  “I don’t know what she has done or said – but something has really got Knox upset. We need her out of here before she does some damage.”

  He paused, listening.

  “Yeah, I know. I thought the brick would have had frightened her enough to go back to London, but it doesn’t seem to have had that effect…..”

  Stephanie froze. No, she thought, no. That doesn’t make any sense. He can’t mean that my father organised that? Why would he do something so public to stop me looking into the past? Surely he would have spoken to me instead? Actually he kinda did at the lawyer’s dinner…

  Sam’s voice was getting harder to hear. He was clearly walking towards the sitting room. I’ve got to keep moving, work this out later. Stephanie felt for her mobile phone in her pocket and switched it to vibrate. No need to alert Sam to the text she was expecting in a few minutes. She reached the staircase and ran up, taking two steps at a time. Her grandmother’s door was slightly ajar in front of her.

  “Grandma,” she called, pushing the door open.

  “Yes, dear, I’m just coming downstairs. Bridge game at eleven o’clock, you know,” Ellie replied as she walked across the room towards her.

  Stephanie gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Grandma, I’m popping out for a while, but not with Sam – can you trust me and cause a diversion for me in about ten minutes?”

  Ellie had a faraway look in her eye.

  “My sister said a similar thing to me once, dear. What are you up to? Is it that Knox boy?” she asked.

  Stephanie blushed.

  “What is it with that family?” Ellie said shaking her head. “Go now, but be careful.”

  Stephanie hugged her grandmother, stunned at her perception.

  She ran along the passage to her room. Grabbing a large over-the-shoulder bag from her wardrobe, she selected a couple of tops, sandals, underwear and a dress that rolled up small and didn’t crush. She pushed them into the bag along with the necessary cosmetics and accessories. Rushing over to her desk, she picked up Sophie’s journal and a handful of printouts and stuffed them into a pocket in the side of the bag. What else, she thought? Warm Jacket, iPad, wallet, she mentally checked off a list.

  Pulling on a pair of flat deep red knee-high boots over her jeans, she spun around feeling eyes on her. Sam was standing silently in the doorway.

  “Wow – I don’t think I’ve seen anyone pack so quickly,” he said with a forced laugh. “Are you in a hurry to leave with me? It’s just that we didn’t part on the best terms last time I was here.”

  Ugh. Stephanie shuddered involuntarily. “Sam, I’m a bit scared after what’s happened to Michael – it will be good to get away,” she said, smiling weakly at him.

  He strode over to her and put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

  “Poor baby – you should have called me. I would have come straight away,” he said.

  Stephanie’s mobile vibrated in her pocket. She pulled away from Sam. “I’ll just get my toothbrush and then let’s go downstairs and get something to eat before we go,” she said lightly.

  In the bathroom she flicked her phone open. The text from James was there:

  Got bike – yours 2 mins.

  Time to move. Adding the toothbrush to her bag, she pulled on her jacket and they headed downstairs. Her grandmother was loitering in the entrance hall.

  “Hi, Grandma,” Stephanie said cheerily, walking past her to the front door and giving her a big wink.

  “Steph – didn’t you want breakfast?” Sam called after her.

  “I thought I’d put this in your car first – throw me the keys.” She held out her hand and caught the key as he flung it to her.

  She skipped down the front steps and into the bright sunshine, pulling her sunglasses out of her hair and over her eyes.

  “Now, Sam – can you help me into the sitting room please?” she heard Ellie ask.

  “Certainly,” Sam answered smoothly, offering his arm.

  In the distance, Stephanie could hear the drone of the Vespa getting closer. She pocketed Sam’s keys and pulled the long strap of the bag across her body, and started walking across the courtyard to the top of the long driveway. She allowed herself a backwards glance and saw her grandmother talking to Sam, who had been positioned with his back to the window. Clever old lady, Stephanie thought affectionately as James drove into view. He pulled up beside her and handed her a helmet. She quickly pulled it on and jumped onto the bike behind him.

  “Hey,” shouted Sam. He was running down the front steps after her. James floored the bike, sending stones flying out behind them. They both looked back at Sam’s angry face and James cheerfully flipped him the finger and they were gone – speeding down the driveway.

  “How long until he catches up?” James shouted back to her.

  “Quite a while, cause I have his car keys,” Stephanie said as she pulled them out of her back pocket and showed James before throwing them into the pond beside the house as they zoomed past it.