Rubicon

by Linda Coleman

  Anthony moved away swiftly and left the room, smiling to himself. He knew exactly what reaction he had deliberately provoked: it was all part of his plan to win Melissa back. He intended to stay professional, just as she asked, and never to make any attempts at reconciliation. His plan was to get Melissa to want him. She needed to make the first move if they were to ever have the chance of a real future together. Of course, he had no intention of playing fair and was determined to make it as difficult as possible for her to resist him.

  Chapter 4

  Over the next few weeks Melissa threw herself into her work. It felt good to be using her skills outside a classroom again. She forgot about her initial concerns and was beginning to enjoy herself, even though there were no real finds worth speaking of.

  The site itself was huge, but there were surprisingly few people working on it. All of them, except for Melissa, Anthony and Victor were students who were working for extra credit. There were six of them living in a cottage a short distance from the main house that Anthony explained had been where he and Victor lived when he was small. Victor had continued to live there until his illness made it difficult for him to live alone and he reluctantly moved into the villa. Most surprising was the fact that none of the students were women. This hardly fitted with Anthony’s infamous reputation, but as all six were crammed into the same small house, perhaps it was fortuitous that they were all male. A handful of other students who lived nearby came to the site on a daily basis, but their number barely doubled the complement of staff.

  Attached to the cottage was a series of outbuildings. The largest of these was a barn that had been adapted to be the centre of operations. It was lavishly equipped with everything necessary for the dig, and Anthony had installed a water supply and a generator giving power, good lighting and a couple of computers. It meant there was no task that could not be performed from that building.

  Rebecca was not an archaeologist and did no physical work on the dig. She was purely Anthony’s PA and was responsible for administration and organisation, making sure everything ran smoothly. Annoyingly for Melissa, she was damned good at it. Rebecca kept immaculate records of their daily activities. Anthony worked with a Dictaphone for making notes which she would have typed up ready for him to review the next morning. She was also good with a digital camera and took pictures of the site and all the finds according to Anthony’s directions.

  Anthony was planning to put trenches into many of the smaller fields located to the side of the house over the entire period they would be working. He ran a very tight ship when it came to the dig. There were detailed schedules of work and site plans tacked to the boards in the barn. He called a meeting every day, making sure each person understood what had been achieved, what they were doing next and who they were to report to. They never opened more than three trenches at any one time, which was the maximum the small workforce could handle.

  He insisted on the students referring to him as Dr Marcus and to Victor as Dr Reyes. It was a level of formality that Melissa found stuffy and old-fashioned and she flatly refused to go along with it, despite Anthony’s opposition. She found it amusing to annoy him this way, as he had always been the first person to reject any sort of authority in his youth. They had effectively reversed their roles: Melissa was now the rebel and Anthony the stickler for the rules.

  Every day she noticed she was spending a little more time with Anthony. At first she was suspicious that he was simply engineering reasons to be near her. There always seemed to be something he wanted her to consult on and he would send Rebecca to fetch her. When she arrived, it would always be something trivial that did not need both of them, but he insisted that she was an equal partner in this endeavour and had to be kept informed of every last detail. In the evenings, the two of them would share a private meal, before going for a walk, supposedly to discuss the next day’s work plan, but mostly so that Anthony could show her around his estate. He would even join her if she was in the library, despite his supposed dislike of the room, not that Melissa particularly objected, because the more time she spent alone with Anthony, the less time she had to spend in the company of either Victor or Rebecca.

  Her increasing closeness to Anthony had done nothing to improve her fractious relationship with Anthony’s assistant. Almost as soon as she arrived, Melissa realised she was right about Rebecca’s invented self-importance. As the only other woman on site, Rebecca lived in the villa with them, but beyond that Anthony treated her exactly the same as he did any of the students, insisting that she also should call him Dr Marcus. It turned out he was not oblivious to her attraction to him, but was trying everything he could to discourage her attentions by ignoring her and insisting on extreme levels of formality. He was often rude to her, but she was never deterred, being so totally smitten with him that she could not contemplate the possibility that he was not equally interested in her. In the house, she would wander around in her underwear, hoping that she would bump into him. On the occasions she came to the site, she would try to attract Anthony’s attention by wearing skimpy t-shirts and shorts so tight that they left nothing to the imagination. Although he never paid her any attention, she completely distracted the students to the point where it was more productive to stop working when she was around. Melissa went as far as suggesting that it might be best to let Rebecca go, but, after an objection from Victor, Anthony refused to entertain the idea any further.

  As for Victor, he had been surprisingly courteous towards Melissa on the few occasions they needed to speak. Generally Melissa did her best to keep out of his way and that seemed to suit them both fine. She could not fail to notice the way he behaved around Rebecca, who was not exaggerating when she said he looked at her strangely. If it had not been so ridiculous a thought, Melissa would have said Victor had a crush on the girl. He was old enough to be her grandfather and should know better than to chase such a young thing although her inappropriate dress made it as hard for him not to notice her as it did everyone else. Eventually Melissa plucked up the courage to confront him outright and his reaction again surprised her. Victor became tearful and simply said that Rebecca reminded him of someone he had loved in his youth. It was obvious that this mystery woman had been very special to him, but he would not be drawn into talking about her any further. Whether it was his age or his illness that had changed him, Melissa could not tell, but he was a different man to the one she knew from university. He complimented Melissa on her astuteness and advised her always to remain observant of the behaviour of others, telling her it was a skill that would serve her well in the years to come.

  By the end of July, Melissa and Anthony were almost inseparable. Their relationship had reverted to the way it had been all those years before, each knowing what the other was thinking and finishing the other’s sentences. The only thing missing was intimacy between them, but Anthony never pushed for anything more than friendship. Back in England, Melissa had insisted that they remained professional if they were going to work together, and it appeared Anthony was determined to do just that. He had grown up at last, which only made him more attractive. Now he represented the full package deal: looks, money, intelligence and a positive attitude.

  Against her better judgement Melissa knew she was falling for him again. Every morning she would wake up determined to put a stop to their increasing closeness before it went too far. Every night she would go to sleep telling herself she would do it tomorrow, but tomorrow never came. Anthony was only a part of what she was falling in love with. She also adored his home, its surroundings and the relaxed life he had there. It was the most idyllic location, exactly the kind of place Melissa dreamed of living, and she found herself secretly hoping she would never have to leave.

  Deep down, Melissa knew Anthony was her soulmate, even though he drove her mad at times. He was everything she wanted and the one thing it appeared she could no longer have. As much as it was her own fault, she was regretting her decision to keep him at arm’s length. The more he st
ayed away, the more Melissa dreamed of him taking her in a passionate embrace and then living happily for the rest of their lives together.

  Life was wonderful until the start of August when things went disastrously wrong. On the afternoon of the 3rd, Melissa made the exciting discovery of a drinking vessel that appeared to be intact. She called for Anthony and they worked together until the light faded in order to excavate it safely. Exhaustion and hunger caught up with them and they agreed to leave cleaning the compacted soil from the inside until the morning. Once the piece was safely stored in the barn with the other finds of the day they went back to the house to celebrate their spectacular discovery.

  They sat up talking for most of the night and it was nearly dawn by the time they went to bed, which, combined with the wine she had drunk, caused Melissa to sleep late. She was eventually woken by the heat of the sun which had followed its celestial path to shine directly through the window and onto her bed, meaning it was already past midday. Melissa sat up suddenly, appalled at herself for having missed the alarm. Her head felt a little fuzzy, but she could not believe she had drunk so much as to have been comatose.

  She dragged herself out of bed and over to the dressing table. As she opened the top drawer, she spotted a note addressed to her in Anthony’s handwriting. He must have been in her room already and not woken her. She felt a sudden rush of excitement at the thought of his presence. She closed her eyes and imagined him bending to kiss her forehead as she slept. She could feel herself blushing as she gingerly opened the note.

  Couldn’t sleep – too excited. I came to get you, but you looked so peaceful I couldn’t bring myself to wake you. Last night was a late one, so I turned your alarm off to let you rest. Please don’t be mad at me, it was done with your welfare at heart. You know where to find me when you’re ready – I’ll be waiting for you.

  A xx.

  Melissa showered and dressed as quickly as she could and then ran down to the site. As she approached the barn, Rebecca stepped through the door and looked at her smugly.

  “Oh dear,” she said in a most condescending tone, “Don’t think you should go in there right now. Not best pleased with you. Think you’ll be getting a flight home sooner than you thought.” She pushed past Melissa and flounced up the slope towards the house, leaving Melissa standing open-mouthed and confused.

  Melissa entered the barn full of trepidation. She had no idea what was going on, but, if it made Rebecca happy, it had to be bad for her. Only Anthony and Victor were in the barn, sitting on the far side of a long table that was covered in trays containing the items that had been discovered. They were arguing, but stopped as Melissa entered. Anthony glanced at her as she approached them, before standing up and turning away, keeping his back to her.

  “You’re up then,” he said gruffly.

  “Yes,” Melissa replied. “Sorry I slept in so late. Is there something wrong?” She could tell from his body language that there was. For some reason he would not look at her.

  “I’m closing the site down,” he said abruptly. “Rebecca will get you on a flight home as soon as she can. I’ll pay you till the end of the month in lieu of notice and will give you the bonus as discussed.”

  Melissa was too shocked to respond initially. She sat down on a small stool opposite Victor, looking to the old man for some clue as to what had happened, but he just shook his head.

  “Anthony, I don’t care about the money. If this is over, then fine, but can I at least know why?” Melissa asked, once she recovered from the initial surprise.

  Anthony finally turned around and shot her the blackest of looks. He folded his arms and continued to stare at her as if she already knew the answer to her question. Whatever had happened, he obviously believed Melissa played some part in it.

  Finally he answered her. “We’ve found some intrusive material. There’s evidence that someone has been deliberately tampering with yesterday’s finds. Victor and I are in full agreement that we cannot continue. I’ve told Rebecca to make arrangements for the students to leave this afternoon, and for you to go as soon as possible.”

  Melissa was totally dumbstruck. There had to have been a mistake. She had no idea what was going on, but it felt as if she was the one being accused. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” she said. “What have you found and are you absolutely sure it was put there deliberately? Why don’t you let me take a look and …”

  “Don’t you think you’ve done enough already?” Anthony cut her off abruptly. “I gave you this opportunity and this is how you repay me? I was trying to put things right between us, Liss. I wanted to make up for the past. I trusted you would give me that chance.” He turned away again, kicking his stool over in frustration as he did so. He was more than angry, he was hurting badly. Whatever it was that he had found he had taken it extremely personally.

  Melissa was nearly in tears. The day before, she and Anthony had been so close she had begun to believe there was a chance they could get back together. Now he could hardly bear to look at her and she had no idea why. In desperation she turned to Victor again. He was looking at her sadly, almost as if he felt sorry for her. “What have I done?” she whispered to him.

  Victor nodded at her, indicating he would do what he could to get her the answers she so desperately needed. “Show her,” he said to Anthony, but Anthony never moved or spoke in response. He just stood where he was with his arms crossed, staring at the floor.

  Victor stood up slowly and walked over to Anthony. He put his hand on his godson’s arm and calmly repeated his request. “Show her, please. She deserves to know what you accuse her of. It is best that she know what it is she must do.”

  Anthony raised his head to look at the frail old man next to him, his face now full of concern. Victor was the last person Anthony thought would ever stand up for Melissa, and his confused use of tenses when he spoke only added to Anthony’s fears that he had not been taking his painkillers as regularly as he should. He helped Victor back to his chair and picked up the stool, putting it back in position. He sat down and looked at Melissa again.

  He put his hand on a tray on the table and slowly pushed it in front of her. “I cleaned the cup we found yesterday. This was inside, rammed in the very bottom.”

  Melissa looked down into the tray. She had honestly thought that this day could not get any worse, but what she saw made her heart sink further. She was looking at what appeared to be the broken parts of a watch and a small dress ring. Now she understood what was wrong. If Anthony had really found these inside the drinking cup, then the site had definitely been tampered with. She picked up the broken face and examined it. It was badly faded, but it looked oddly familiar. Such modern rubbish would call into question everything they had achieved and made further work pointless. He was right. She had helped him lift the damn thing and she knew that the soil was untouched. Whoever had done this had to be very skilled to have made the site appear so genuine.

  Anthony continued talking. “It was cleverly done. That soil looked like it hadn’t been touched for centuries. Maybe you can tell me how it got there, Melissa?”

  Melissa looked up and stared into Anthony’s cold eyes. He stared back at her blankly, as if all the emotion he had previously shown had drained from his body. This was not a good sign. She had watched him do this so many times before in the old days, usually when she had questioned him about Victor. It meant he was shutting down. He had made a decision and nothing would shift that thought from his mind, short of hard evidence to the contrary. She swallowed hard and asked the obvious question, even though she already knew the answer. “You think I did this?”

  “Of course I do. Who else could put your watch down there? Look there’s an inscription on the back. You can just make it out. It says – To Liss with love.” Anthony was matter-of-fact in his tone as he carefully separated the watch back from the pile resting between her hands and turned it face up. He picked up the ring. As he did so, Melissa watched as all the pain and anguish from
earlier flooded back into his face. “And this is the engagement ring I bought and finally gave to you in April. I should know, I’ve had it in my pocket for eight bloody years!” He tossed the ring back into the tray. “You must really hate me to do this.” His last words tailed off and he sat in silence staring at the ring.

  Melissa felt a sudden wave of relief surge through her. She was not guilty of what she was being accused of and now she could prove it. “They’re not mine!” she said triumphantly. “Both my watch and the ring are on the dressing table in my room. I’ll show you.” She stood up to leave. She was going to fix this and regain his trust.

  “Are they really? I don’t believe you.” Anthony’s voice was cold again. “Only two people knew what was written on the back of your watch, and that you had that ring − you and the person who gave them to you.” He stood up suddenly and slammed his hands down on the table, making the finds jump in their little trays. “AND I KNOW DAMN WELL I DIDN’T DO IT!” he shouted the last words and then stormed out of the barn.

  Melissa moved to go after him, but Victor called out, stopping her. “Sit down, Melissa. I need to tell you why you did this.”

  Melissa spun around. Victor’s last words had incensed her and she was ready to retaliate. “How many more times must I say this? I didn’t do it!” She ran her hand through her hair, trying to think clearly for a moment. Her mind whirled continually, but she kept coming back to an old fear that she had never quite shaken off. “Victor, I swear to you, if you are trying to set me up again, I will put you out of your misery right now.”

  Victor sighed and shook his head. “I am not trying to hurt you, Melissa. I tried to stop this many years ago, until I realised I could not. Now you must do what is necessary. You did put your things in that cup a long time ago, and you must do so again soon. Not today, but tomorrow or the next day perhaps. I do not remember exactly, too much has happened since then. You will ask a stranger to help you to do it, and he will. You have to send Anthony this message. You will both understand why when it is too late. I have done all I can to help you. You must face the rest alone.”