I look up at him slowly. I hate seeing the agony in his eyes. Even after everything that’s happened, I don’t want to hurt him. ‘She was just someone who helped me when I needed it. The things you said last night devastated me. I couldn’t stay with you after that.’
Renata has left us together. Andrei takes a step towards me. ‘But why? I only made you the offer of my life and my heart. Did that mean you had to run away as though I wanted to hurt you?’
‘You have hurt me!’ I burst out. ‘You’ve threatened people dear to me! You’ve tried to blackmail me into a relationship with you! Don’t you realise that I love someone else? You’ve made it impossible for me to be with you at all. I can’t work for you any more, you must see that.’
His face contorts for a moment, his blue eyes fierce. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean that this is goodbye, Andrei.’ I put my hand in the pocket of my coat and pull out the thick strand of pearls. Stepping forward, I hold it out. Automatically he puts out his hand and I drop the pearls into his broad palm. They sit there, a pile of glimmering grey spheres. ‘I’ll send back the clothes later,’ I say softly. Then I turn to go.
‘Beth!’ His voice is cracked with despair.
I turn back slowly. ‘I don’t think we have anything left to say. I’m sorry it’s ending like this.’
‘Don’t go, please.’
‘I don’t have a choice. You gave me an ultimatum and I’ve made my decision.’
‘I was serious, Beth. If you walk out that door, I’ll carry out everything I said.’ His voice has a warning note.
‘You mean you’ll carry out your threats to hurt the people I love?’ I shake my head. ‘I thought you were bigger and better than that, Andrei.’
At that moment the lift doors open and Dominic steps into the hallway. I can see him through the open front door. ‘Beth – are you there? Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine,’ I call quickly. ‘Get back in the lift, Dominic, I’m just coming.’
Andrei’s face turns hard and cruel and his eyes flash. ‘What the hell is he doing here? Were you with him last night?’
‘That’s none of your business,’ I retort. I pick up my case and head for the door.
Andrei is pushing past me in an instant. ‘Is that you, Stone? How dare you show up here? Get the fuck off my property or I’ll have you thrown off!’
Dominic faces him full on, his shoulders set, his whole body tense and ready. His eyes burn with fury. ‘Don’t try and pull your tough-guy act with me, Andrei, it won’t work. I know you, remember? But you seem to have forgotten the years I worked my arse off for you, making you millions in the process. You seem to think you’re the only one owed loyalty around here – but what about what you owe me?’
Andrei almost snorts with contempt as he says, ‘I owe you?’ His lip curls nastily. ‘You’ve got your priorities wrong, my friend.’
‘Your friend?’ Dominic gives him a look that is simultaneously scornful and amused. ‘Hardly. Friends don’t behave the way you have, Andrei. We could have been equal contenders on the playing field, both competing fairly with respect for each other, but that’s not your style, is it? You prefer bully-boy tactics, don’t you? Like a kid who underneath his bluster and his aggression is actually just afraid the world will find out what he really is – just another loudmouth who secretly thinks he isn’t good enough.’
Andrei almost snarls and I see his hands clench into fists. Dominic faces him with a flashing, hostile gaze, then he says quietly, ‘And you think you can bully Beth, too, don’t you? Well, guess what – the villain never gets the girl. Or didn’t you know that?’
‘Keep out of it, Stone, I’m warning you,’ growls Andrei. He’s on the edge of losing it, I can tell. ‘Let Beth make her own decision.’
‘I will,’ Dominic says with a half smile. ‘I won’t blackmail her into being with me – she’ll be with me because that’s what she wants.’
‘You lowlife fucking scumbag,’ says Andrei in a tone of fury, and I can tell he’s about to explode and do something stupid. I don’t want this to turn physical and I know Dominic won’t back down if it does.
I stride past Andrei and put my hand on Dominic’s arm. ‘Not here,’ I say quickly. ‘Let’s go, Dominic. I don’t want this trouble now.’
Dominic is locked onto Andrei’s stare and they are facing each other, the air thick with antagonism. I put my case in the lift and grab Dominic’s hand. ‘Come on, let’s go.’
‘All right,’ he says and turns to follow me. ‘Beating up the opposition isn’t really my style.’
‘You’ll regret this, Beth!’ Andrei calls after me. ‘You’re forcing my hand, you know that!’
Dominic and I stand together in the lift as the doors slide to a close. My last glimpse is of Andrei’s scowling face and icy blue eyes.
‘Christ,’ Dominic says softly. ‘I’ve never wanted to rip someone apart with my bare hands like that before in my life.’
‘You hid it well. I could tell Andrei was about to lose control and lash out, but you seemed very calm.’
‘All I had to do was remind myself that I never want to sink to his level.’
‘I think I’ve lit the fuse,’ I say, my voice shaky now that the confrontation is over. ‘I don’t think there’s any way to stop the explosion now.’
‘You wait,’ Dominic says, pulling me into his arms. ‘He’s not stupid. He knows that it’s all he has left over you. He won’t squander it, you’ll see.’ Then he kisses me passionately, as though for a moment he feared he’d lost me again.
We drive back to Georgie’s place. She looks relieved to see us, and welcomes us in to have lunch with her. I change out of my cocktail dress and into clothes more suitable for the journey home.
‘Could you please have these sent to Dubrovski?’ I ask, putting down a pile of neatly folded clothes: the dress, shoes and the black cashmere coat.
‘Of course.’ Georgie looks casually glamorous in slim jeans and a baggy taupe knitted jumper that sets off the dark mahogany of her glossy dark hair. ‘Is everything okay?’
Dominic and I exchange looks.
‘Yes.’ I try to sound more confident than I really feel.
Georgie sighs. ‘I can tell that you aren’t going to tell me the whole story but I hope you two know what you’re doing. I don’t like the thought of you mixed up with that gangster.’
Dominic shoots me an amused look. ‘My sister can never really imagine me as anything other than eight years old,’ he murmurs. ‘She still doesn’t believe I can cross a road on my own.’
‘Of course I do!’ Georgie protests. ‘But Dubrovski is dangerous, we all know that. I never liked you working for him in the first place.’
I look over at her, enjoying the way she looks so like Dominic. I’m glad he has his big sister to worry about him. I can’t wait to learn more about him and to flesh out the picture of his life and his family.
Georgie appeals to me. ‘Beth, you’ll talk sense into him, won’t you?’
‘I’ll do what I can,’ I say with a smile.
‘Do you really have to go back to London?’ she says to Dominic. ‘I thought you were going to spend Christmas here with me. The cousins have invited us out to the Fairfield estate, it’s going to be amazing.’
‘I have to go back,’ Dominic says. ‘I need to get a certain situation sorted.’ He gives me a look that makes me tingle all over. ‘But I might be back for Christmas. I’ll let you know.’
I feel obscurely disappointed, even though I know that I’ll be at home with my family. Why shouldn’t Dominic be here with his? I try to damp down my sadness as Georgie grumbles, ‘Well, you’re leaving it very late, that’s all. I can’t tell Florence whether to expect you or not.’
‘She won’t mind,’ Dominic says carelessly. ‘One more won’t make any difference, considering it’s her butler, six maids and four chefs who do all the work anyway.’
Georgie laughs despite herself. ‘Just tell me as
soon as you can.’
‘I will.’ Dominic pushes away his empty plate. ‘Come on, Beth. Let’s get to the airport.’
A different car is waiting for us outside, a sleek black car with a black-suited driver to chauffeur us to JFK. I don’t ask Dominic what’s happened to his little grey sports number. I have a feeling that things have changed – he’s an important man now, with people to sort things out for him. He’s already mentioned at least two assistants and is busy firing off messages as we head away from Manhattan.
I look back towards the spectacular skyline with its iconic buildings silhouetted against the pale blue afternoon sky, the winter sun already low. When I arrived a week ago, I had no idea of what awaited me here. I certainly would never have guessed that I’d be arriving with Laura, but leaving with Dominic.
I turn back to face the oncoming road. I just hope that I haven’t flicked the switch that will set off a disaster for Mark, me and for Dominic.
I guess I’ll find out all too soon.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The journey back is deliciously restful, especially as we’re in first class again.
‘This was so great on the way out,’ I say without thinking. ‘Laura totally loved it.’ Then I remember that it was Dubrovski who provided all the extra largesse on our trip and I bite my tongue.
‘I’m glad you liked it,’ Dominic says with a grin. ‘Think of it as an early Christmas present.’
I stare at him. ‘It was you!’
He nods.
‘The first-class flight? I thought it was Andrei.’ I think back over what happened.
‘I had a feeling you did – when you didn’t mention the Soho Grand even though I knew you’d arrived there.’
‘That was you too? But not the Four Seasons – that definitely was Andrei. He was furious when we didn’t take the rooms.’
Dominic looks bemused. ‘The Four Seasons?’ he echoes. ‘I don’t know about that.’
I explain how we were taken there from the airport but that I refused to go in. I tell him that I wouldn’t have taken the Soho Grand either, except that he’d been clever enough to cancel our reservations at the Washington.
Dominic laughs. ‘So you were at the centre of a tug of love – one party wanting to gift you the Four Seasons and the other the Soho Grand!’
‘I’m glad you won out,’ I say softly, taking his hand.
‘Me too. The thought of paying for an empty loft doesn’t excite me all that much.’ His eyes glimmer with amusement and he squeezes my hand back. ‘But the idea of Andrei paying for two empty rooms at the Four Seasons – now that I do like.’
Being together for the seven-hour flight is bliss. We can’t keep our hands off each other, constantly reassuring ourselves with a stroke of the hand, a quick stolen kiss or my head dropped on his shoulder while we watch a film together. I never want this to end because I know that real life is going to intrude on us all too soon and separate us again.
‘I don’t want to be apart from you,’ I say as the captain announces that the plane is preparing for its descent.
‘I feel the same,’ Dominic says. ‘But I’ve got things I have to do. Believe me, it’s all for you, to help sort out this sorry mess. I don’t believe that Andrei is going to stop until he’s destroyed me and made you regret turning him down. So I’m going to have to take him on – and win.’
‘Can you do that?’ Worry fills me at the very idea.
‘Do you need to ask?’ He smiles at me and I feel my confidence come back. I know that Dominic has the strength and the guts to take Dubrovski on. It’s what happens if he doesn’t succeed that frightens me.
It’s late by the time we arrive in England. A car is waiting to speed us into London and it takes us to Dominic’s apartment in Mayfair.
‘Dear old Randolph Gardens,’ I say, looking up at the Art Deco facade as it glimmers in the darkness, illuminated by some lit windows and the street lights outside. ‘I’ll always be happy thinking of this place.’
Dominic takes my hand. ‘It’ll always be special but I’m thinking of moving on.’
‘Really?’ I say, dismayed. I’m so fond of his apartment with its view across to my father’s godmother’s flat where I was staying when we first met, and of course on the floor above is the boudoir, the little apartment that Dominic acquired to be a delightful playroom for us. ‘Where will you go? You’re not leaving London, are you?’
‘London will always be important to me,’ he says gently. ‘But I’ll be travelling a lot. I need to decide where I’m going to put down roots. My sister is in New York and I’ll be working there a lot. It makes sense to be close to family.’
‘Yes, I suppose so,’ I say, feeling wretched. Dominic’s parents are no longer around. Of course he’ll want to be close to Georgie as she’s all he has left, along with the cousins she mentioned.
Dominic smiles at me and kisses me tenderly. ‘Don’t worry. We’ll be together. I intend to make sure of it.’ He leans forward and directs the driver to take me home.
‘I’ll be in touch,’ he says, with a last kiss. ‘But I’ll also be sorting things out so don’t worry if I go quiet.’
‘Don’t leave it too long,’ I say fervently.
‘I won’t.’
He gets out and waves farewell as he closes the door behind him. I hate watching as he walks up the steps of the building without me, knowing that we’ll be apart tonight. I long to spend the night, and every night, in his arms, breathing in his musky scent, delighting in the joy of being close to his body.
Once we reach home though, I’m happy to be back in my own place. Laura is fast asleep and I realise it’s getting on for two in the morning. I collapse into bed and am asleep almost at once.
Laura’s thrilled to see me home and keen to hear all about my adventures. I tell her some of it, but I hold back on mentioning Andrei appearing out of the blue. The story of meeting Georgie and the fact that she turned out to be Dominic’s sister is enough to keep Laura riveted, and she couldn’t be happier that I met up with Dominic. We spend the weekend getting ready for going home for Christmas the following week, going into central London to brave the crowds and do the last of our Christmas shopping. I call my mother, who is delighted to hear from me at long last.
‘When are you coming back?’ she asks. ‘Christmas can’t start until you’re here.’
‘I’m not sure. It’s Christmas Eve on Friday, isn’t it? I’ll be home by then for sure but I need to see Mark first and make sure my work is done before I go.’
‘Of course you do. I hope that poor man is recovering. Now let me know when to expect you, won’t you?’
‘I will. See you soon, Mum.’
‘See you soon, sweetheart.’
I put the phone down, thinking that although my dream would be to be with Dominic, I’m very lucky to have my home to go to this Christmas.
On the Monday I finally get back to work, almost a week later than I expected when I left for New York. The city really feels Christmassy now, with a frantic air that proclaims there are only a few days left now for the shopping and the food and all the preparations. Mark’s glossy black front door is sporting a huge wreath which looks cheerful enough but I’m apprehensive as I knock on it. Andrei’s had a few days now to chew over what happened in New York, and despite Dominic’s confidence that he won’t do his worst, I’m worried that perhaps I’ll find that Mark’s had bad news.
Caroline answers, looking pinker in the face than ever but very glad to see me. ‘Did you have a marvellous time?’ she asks as she leads me downstairs to a conservatory I’ve not seen used before.
‘Yes, amazing. I hope Mark got all my notes. I managed to do nearly all of what he asked.’
‘He was very pleased. Considering it was your first time in New York as well. Now, he’s in this room because it’s lovely and warm and it was easy to get a bed in here . . .’ Caroline takes me through into the sultry air of the conservatory and I can already see that Mark is lyi
ng on a daybed, his thin limbs on top of the blanket. He turns his head to look at me as I come in.
‘Beth!’ he greets me but the sound is obscure and not easy to decipher.
‘His tongue is still very swollen,’ confides Caroline in a low voice, ‘but you’ll understand him well enough when you get used to it.’
‘Hello, Mark,’ I say cheerfully, going up to kiss his thin cheek. ‘It’s so wonderful to see you back at home.’
‘Sit down, sit down!’ Mark says in his new thickened voice. ‘Tell me all about New York. I want all the gossip.’
I set off, regaling him with stories of my adventures, making them as amusing and interesting as possible while the maid brings us coffee. Mark listens happily, laughing at the right places, his eyes bright. I soon get used to the sounds he makes and understand when he asks after certain friends or artworks. I don’t tell him about my encounter with Andrei but when he asks me if there’s anything else he needs to know, I hesitate just long enough for him to guess that something’s up.
‘What is it, Beth?’ Anxiety crosses his face and he tries to haul himself up to a better sitting position. ‘Tell me.’
I feel terrible. I don’t want to ruin the cheerful atmosphere or cause Mark any anxiety that might threaten his recovery but I have to let him know.
‘It’s about the Fra Angelico,’ I say reluctantly. ‘It’s been confirmed by the Hermitage that their experts consider it to be a fake. It’s only about two hundred years old according to analysis of the canvas and the paint. I’m so sorry, Mark – it’s not a real masterpiece after all.’
Mark gapes at me and then falls back against his pillows with a sigh. ‘I feared as much,’ he says with a voice not much more than a muffled whisper. ‘I wanted it to be the real thing because Andrei did. But I thought it was so unlikely that a picture like that, in a public place, would have gone unnoticed.’ He groans. Caroline shifts uncomfortably beside me, obviously concerned for her brother. She puts out her hand and strokes his gently. ‘What does Andrei say about it?’
Promises After Dark (After Dark Book 3) Page 18