by Mary Lyons
Angelica, her skin crawling with humiliation, could only stare with horror-struck, dazed eyes at the other woman as she tossed the letter down on to a table, before throwing the trembling girl a brilliant, glittering smile and sweeping out of the door into the hall.
Frozen, unable to move her body and shivering with tension, Angelica heard the front door slam. As the loud sound reverberated in her ears like a mourning bell, she stared at the long white envelope, desperately trying to come to terms with the fact that the whole of her world had just been smashed to pieces—totally devastated and destroyed beyond repair.
CHAPTER NINE
‘NOW, for goodness’ sake, Angelica, please don’t try practising your non-existent cooking skills,’ Kim laughed as she sped around the flat, picking up her briefcase, jacket and handbag. ‘I’ll bring us home something to eat tonight, OK?’
‘It was just that I haven’t got anything to do all day,’ Angelica murmured.
‘Yes, I know. But the kitchen still smells of burnt pastry after your last attempt at apple pie. So try and control yourself—right?’ Kim grinned. ‘I’ll get some Chinese take-away, and then we can poison ourselves on monosodium glutamate instead! See you later, kid. And do try not to mope too much.’
Angelica waited until Kim had left her apartment before limping disconsolately back into the spare bedroom to try and find some aspirins.
A victim of painful, tense headaches, she could do nothing, it seemed, to banish Luke from her mind—no matter how desperately hard she tried to do so. He was her first thought on waking and her last at night, his tall, dark presence invading even her disturbed, restless sleep and torturous nightmares.
Never in all her life had she known such misery. It was almost impossible to describe the agony of mind and body which seemed to have her in thrall. Ever since that horrendous visit from what must be one of the most evil women she’d ever met, her whole life had become a desperately lonely, wretched state of purgatory—an arid, lonely desert where nothing seemed capable of lifting the heavy weight of her deep unhappiness and despair.
Maybe she wouldn’t entirely have believed Eleanor, if it hadn’t been for that letter. But it was the sight of the stained and crumpled white envelope which had hammered the final nail into her coffin. Clearly somaeone must have picked it up in the road and put it into the postbox, since on examining the envelope it was obvious that the letter had been through the postal system. Which meant that it had been delivered to Luke’s apartment, and he must have known about what she’d written all the time he’d been staying at Lonsdale House.
There seemed absolutely no same, sensible reason why he’d never mentioned receiving the letter. Nor why he’d treated her in such a distant, almost urncaring manner after her return from hospital. In fact, the only reason that made any kind of sense at all was that Eleanor really had been speaking the truth. That Luke had been toying with her emotions all along, and that he’d only originally proposed marriage to get his hands on Lonsdale House.
Angelica couldn’t, of course, believe that he was seriously at all interested in Sir Tristram’s collection—especially since he’d never had anything but a faintly amused, mocking attitude towards the exhibits. But there was no doubt that the house was situated in a very desirable locality and, together with its large garden, would fetch well over a million pounds on the open market. So… maybe that was Luke and Eleanor’s next move? Having gained control of the trust, maybe they were planning to destroy the collection and sell Lonsdale House— the only home she’d ever known—for as much money as they could get…?
But such unhappy thoughts were as nothing compared with Luke’s apparent cruel abandonment of her—or the fact that he’d merely set out to capture her heart for sordid, mercenary reasons, and to provide some amusement for both himself and his girlfriend.
The ghastly humiliation and shame were still as sharp and painful as they had been four days ago. Shivering with shock and distress, she had taken an age to pull herself together. And, even then, she’d been able to do nothing more than grab her handbag and stagger out of the house on her crutches, before hailing a taxi and asking to be driven to Kim’s apartment in Chelsea Harbour.
What she would have done without the help and support of her friend she had absolutely no idea. Although Kim firmly believed that Eleanor must be lying, even she had had to admit—after Angelica had produced the letter—that the evidence against Luke was almost overwhelming. However, she’d faithfully promised not to contact either him or Betty.
Unfortunately, with nothing to do and nowhere to go, Angelica had been drifting through the past four days in a total state of shock. Time seemed to drag interminably, and, although she did her best to spin out the tedious hours of her day, there were long periods of time when she had nothing to do but think about her love for Luke, a man who’d been clearly exposed as a cheat and a liar.
Taking as long as possible to have a leisurely bath—she had, by now, become adept at managing to cope with her heavy plaster cast—and wash her long, pale blonde hair, she was surprised to see that it was still only eleven o’clock, with the day stretching interminably out before her. However, just as she was deciding that she must get dressed, Angelica heard a buzz from the security phone operated by the guard downstairs from his desk in the front hall of the apartment block.
‘It’s Davidson here, miss. I’ve got a large parcel for Miss Kim Edwards, and, since it says “perishable food” on the carton, reckon I’d better bring it up straight away.’
‘Yes, all rigth,’ she murmured dully.
Kim had impressed on her the importance off never letting anyone in without checking first with the security guard—and even then being very careful. However, she knew Davidson’s voice, and, beyond vaguely wondering what sort of food Kim had bought, she had no qualms as she responded to the ring of the doorbell.
Using a heavy walking stick provided by Kim, she limped slowly down the hall, trying to be careful not’ to trip on the hem of the long white silk dressing-gown which she’d borrowed from her friend. And, even then, it took Angelica some time to undo the various locks fixed to the front door, which always made her feel as if she was living inside Fort Knox.
Although, after opening the door, she immediately tried to slam it shut again, her puny strength and awkwardness with her plaster cast were no match for the superior force of the hard, tall figure on the other side of the door.
‘Thank you, Davidson.’ Luke Cunningham grinned, keeping his foot jammed in the door as he tucked a fifty-pound note into the breast pocket of the guard’s uniform, before taking the large parcel from him. ‘You’ve performed a signal service today.’
‘No, he hasn’t!’ Angelica cried. ‘He’s just sold himself for filthy lucre!’
‘Yes, miss, I’m afraid you’re quite right!’ Davidson grinned, before assuring Luke that he would keep an eye on both the limousine and its chauffeur, parked outside the apartment block. ‘And good luck, sir,’ he told Luke. ‘I remember when I was courting. I used to have the same trouble with the old woman. Don’t you stand any nonsense—that’s my advice to you.’
‘I’ll try and remember that,’ Luke replied with grim amusement, before kicking the door shut with his foot, and carrying the parcel past Angelica’s trembling figure and through into the main sittingroom of the apartment.
‘Come on—where’s the kitchen’?’ he demanded, putting the parcel down on a table and pulling out two bottles of champagne, a side of smoked salmon and several small pots of caviare. ‘Hurry up,’ he added impatiently. ‘These bottles of champagne have already been chilled—and my hands are freezing!’
Angelica was so shocked and stunned that she found herself weakly showing Luke into the small kitchen.
‘That’s better,’ he muttered a few minutes later as he removed the cork from a champagne bottle with a satisfactory ‘plop’. ‘Drink up!’ he said, holding out a glass towards her.
‘No!’ she cried, finally breaking ou
t of her shocked, trance-like state. ‘No… Get out of here!’ she added, frantically tightening the belt of the thin silk robe about her naked body.
‘Drink up—or I’ll ram it down your stupid throat!’ he growled, firmly placing the glass in her trembling hand.
‘How… how dare you? Don’t you ever talk to me like that!’
‘I’m a very angry man at the moment—so don’t mess with me!’ he retorted savagely. ‘Besides, I reckon I can talk to my future wife in any way I like!’
‘What… what did you say?’ she gasped, almost unable to believe her ears.
‘Don’t you realise that I’ve been driven nearly demented ever since I returned from New York two days ago?’ he demanded angrily, draining his glass and taking no notice of her breathless query. ‘No one knew what had happened to you, or where you’d got to. I’ve been in contact with the police, most of the hospitals in London and even, God help me, the Salvation Army!’ he exploded, spinning on his heel and hurling his empty glass into the fireplace, where it lay shattered in tiny pieces.
There was a long, shocked silence for a moment, before Angelica gave a helpless shake of her head. ‘I… I didn’t mean… I didn’t know…’
‘What on earth possessed you to be so silly?’ he roared, gripping hold of her shoulders and giving her such a fierce shake that her champagne was flung out of the glass and down on to the carpet. ‘I’ve been nearly driven out of my mind with worry and despair!’
‘Eleanor came… She said…’
He swore grimly under his breath. ‘I still can’t understand how you could have believed her evil lies. For God’s sake, Angelica—don’t you know and trust me at all?’
‘How… how do you know what Eleanor said to me?’ she cried.
‘Because Kim has given me a blow-by-blow account of exactly what went on—that’s how,’ he told her harshly. ‘And, before you start taking your anger out on your oldest friend, I can tell you that she did not get in touch with me. I rang her—as I’ve rung every single one of your friends and acquaintances—every damn name in the address book you left behind, in fact. OK?’
‘No, of course it’s not OK,’ she shouted, the shock beginning to wear off, and raging anger quickly taking its place. ‘How do I know that you aren’t planning to get rid of me, just as Eleanor said? Ever since I came back from hospital, you’ve treated me as though I… I had some kind of nasty, infectious disease!’
Luke groaned. ‘May the good Lord give me strength! Have you forgotten that you’d nearly been killed in that accident?’ he ground out fiercely. ‘Not to mention that you’d also had a nasty blow to the head, and that your leg was in plaster! What on earth was I supposed to do? Leap on a sick girl, and enjoy having my wicked way with someone who’d just come out of hospital?’
‘Well…well, no—I suppose not, but…’
‘I don’t want even to think about how many cold showers I’ve had,’ he ground out, pacing angrily around the room. ‘Or the times when I’ve had to control myself desperately, striving to behave like a reasonably civilised human being. And what thanks do I get?’ he hissed savagely, spinning on his heel to face her once more. ‘I return home, tired and weary, only to be told that the one and only girl I’ve ever really loved has suddenly taken off like a rocket. No one knows why she’s disappeared. Or where she’s gone. Betty has been absolutely frantic, and in tears most of the time. And as for me… Oh, my God, Angelica!’ he groaned, taking a swift step forward and gathering her into his arms.
‘I’ve been totally pole-axed by terror at what could have happened to you,’ he muttered huskily, burying his face in the fragrant cloud of her newly washed, long, silky hair. ‘I can’t even begin to tell you what I’ve been through. The anguish of the nights, when all I could do was to pray for your safety!’ His arms tightened convulsively about her trembling figure.
‘I didn’t mean to upset everyone…’ she murmured helplessly, her mind in a complete whirl. Had he really said that he loved her? It seemed almost too miraculous to be true, but she was still totally confused. She’d obviously been the victim of a mountain of falsehood, but it all seemed so complicated that she didn’t know where to begin trying to sort out the truth from so many lies.
‘I didn’t realise…I still don’t understand…’ She gasped as his hands swept down over her quivering body beneath the thin silk gown, lingering hungrily on the soft, warm curves of her unconfined breasts and the hard, swollen nipples aching for his touch.
He gave a shaky laugh, before swiftly scooping her up in his arms. ‘For heaven’s sake, Angelica! Why don’t you just shut up and point me towards your bedroom?’ he demanded urgently.
‘You can’t possibly…not here, in Kim’s apartment. And it’s only eleven o’clock in the morning, for heaven’s sake!’ she exclaimed in a shocked voice, despite being thrilled to the core by his masterly disregard of her protest, and knowing that she ought to be thoroughly ashamed of herself as she pointed towards her bedroom door.
‘I have Kim’s full permission to make mad, passionate love to you—all day, if necessary!’ he retorted, striding swiftly into the room, and tossing her lightly down on to the bed. ‘God knows, I should have done this a long time ago—and to hell with the consequences!’ he added with a husky laugh, quickly stripping off his jacket.
‘Luke! What on earth do you think you’re doing?’ she demanded, scrambling to pull her silk robe tightly about her body.
He gave another husky laugh. ‘Come on, Angelica! I know that you’re an old-fashioned girl, and amazingly innocent for someone of your age, but no one’s that green! What do you think I’m going to do? Read you a goodnight story?’
‘Well… I obviously hope that you’re going to— er—make love to me—even if I am a bit “innocent”, as you put it,’ she told him, with as much dignity as she could muster in the circumstances. ‘But you still haven’t explained so many things, and…’
‘Explanations will have to wait,’ he rasped, his voice thick with passion as he quickly joined her on the bed, gathering her quivering body tenderly into his arms. ‘Frankly, my darling, I’m a hungry and desperate man,’ he whispered, sweeping aside her robe to feast his eyes on her soft, glowing flesh. ‘We’ll talk later, but just for the moment…’ his powerful frame shook with barely suppressed desire as his hands moved to caress her full breasts softly ‘…just let me make love to you, hmm?’
The hoarse, husky note in his voice sent shivers of excitement tingling through her body. And then, as if she’d suddenly been plunged into icy water, she realised that they faced a major problem.
‘Luke!’ she gasped helplessly. ‘It’s no good. We… we can’t! I mean, what about my leg… the cast…?’
He gave a low, throaty rumble of laughter. ‘My darling idiot—relax! Do you seriously imagine that I’m going to be put off by such a simple thing as one plaster cast?’ he murmured, lowering his dark head for a moment to press his lips to the soft, quivering flesh on her upper thigh.
There seemed to be a strange humming noise in her ears, her heart pounding in a mad, crazy rhythm as his lips trailed slowly up over her trembling body. It was as though she’d lost all sense of time and space, only aware of the caressing touch of his hands and mouth, mindlessly responding to their sensual touch. Cupping her full breasts in his hands, he lowered his head to brush his lips tantalisingly over her taut nipples, and she found herself moaning helplessly at the sudden, thrilling ache deep in her stomach.
‘Darling, Angelica,’ he breathed softly, raising his head to gaze down at her. ‘Don’t you think that it’s about time you learned to trust me, hmm…?’
The fierce, passionate desire in his glittering grey eyes practically took her breath away.
‘Oh, Luke!’ she whispered. ‘How could I have been so stupid…or so blind? I do trust you—I really do love and trust you with all my heart,’ she vowed quietly.
‘No more than I love and cherish you,’ he whispered against her mouth, before his
lips closed over hers in a possessive hunger that thrilled her to the core.
As his hands and mouth moved sensually and erotically over her body, his soft kisses becoming more intimate and arousing, deep, husky murmurs of endearment were torn from his throat, his strong body trembling at her uninhibited and sensual response to his lovemaking.
Because she was drowning, panting for release from the almost tangible excitement and tension which seemed to fill her whole existence, it wasn’t until she was nearly fainting with desire and delight that Angelica became aware of being lifting up towards him. His hard, firm manhood seemed to fill every space inside her, slowly and carefully guiding her towards a peak of excitement and joy which she could never have believed possible. An aching pleasure suddenly burst into flames deep in the innermost core of her body, and she cried out with joy, great shudders shaking her slim figure as he brought them both to the very peak of sexual fulfilment, and an overwhelming explosion of mutual love and passion.
‘Is it always like that?’ Angelica murmured as she lay sleepily in his arms. ‘I never dreamed… I had no idea that making love could be quite so wonderful!’ She sighed happily.
‘Yes, It can,’ he murmured, tucking a stray lock of her long, silky hair behind her ear. ‘But it’s very rase for two people to be so in tune with one another as you and I seem to be,’ he breathed, turning his dark head to plant a kiss on her soft breast. ‘How I love you, my darling!’
‘I thought you didn’t believe in love?’ she teased happily.
He gave a muffled snort of laughter. ‘What a fool I was! I thought I knew everything, didn’t I? But how could I know what was going to happen to me, when I first saw a crazy-looking girl, in those outlandish clothes, trying to fool a group of tourists that she knew anything at all about the City of London?’