He studied her hair, a tumbling mass of pale gold against the white lace, and his face was in conflict, the desire to treat her gently at war with that other emotion which up until now had always made of her a struggling victim rather than a willing participant in his passion.
But if all that he had to give was passion, she now loved him enough to accept it. Of her own accord Persepha leaned to him and pressed her lips to his hard cheek ... he was very still as he accepted the first voluntary caress she had ever given him, then he suddenly spoke, and his voice struck at her so harshly that she shrank away again.
‘Don’t give me pity! That’s the last thing on earth that I want from you! Don’t you know — have you not yet grown up enough to realize what I want from you?’
‘I - I’ve always known,’ she said, and she blinked hard, so as not to cry for him and for herself. ‘It’s just a four-letter word, isn’t it, but it sticks in my throat.’
‘It would.’ He almost snarled at her. ‘You’ve always found it easy to cry “hate” at me, and that’s why I’ve never lived for the false hope that you’d ever whisper that other word.’
‘Whisper it?’ She looked at him with bewildered eyes. ‘Live in hope that I’d say it? But it’s an ugly word—’
‘Ugly?’ He raked his eyes over her, and then a curious expression began to settle about his lips, until they almost seemed to be smiling. ‘There are two words between a man and a woman that say everything or nothing, and they both begin with the letter L. So you think, querida, that I have only lusted after you, eh? Like some lout without feelings other than those of the animal? My foolish child, I have longed to give you heaven, but it seems that I have only given you hell, and though I hoped just before I left for South America that I had at last made you feel something of what I have felt, today has proved me very wrong.’
He sighed and dragged a hand down over his cheek. ‘I shaved too rapidly this morning, but it was the anniversary of madre mia’s birthday and I wanted to take roses to the chapel - what is it, chica, why do you look at me like that?’
‘I saw you, Diablo,’ she said softly. ‘In the chapel this morning, among the candles and roses. You seemed so -lonely. I - I don’t want to go away if you’ll be lonely - oh, please, don’t flare up, and don’t shout at me again.’ And suddenly she couldn’t bear it if he became angry with her, and blindly she reached for him and flung her arms about his neck and pressed herself against him. ‘I - I don’t pity you, señor, I only pity myself for the idiot I’ve been. That night before you left on your trip I thought — I believed that you wanted me to have your child. I thought that was all you cared about - but was it, Diablo? Was it only that?’
‘Never, as the good deus is my witness!’ Suddenly his arms were so tightly bound around her that she almost lost her breath. ‘I hoped to make you love me, queridisima, for having you, holding you, dragged the very heart out of me. I wanted never to let you go, and yet I felt that if I went away for a while, you might miss me. Did you, querida? Did you ever miss me for a single moment, as I missed you, seeing the sun on your hair in the play of morning light; seeing the candle-glow in your eyes when we dined together. I wanted to demand that you love me, but I knew I had to have some sort of patience - it is very hard, chica, for someone like me to have that kind of patience.’
She lay there very still in his arms, listening to his every word ... then all of a sudden a quiver ran all through her and her hands tightened on his shoulders, pressing into his warm skin.
‘You took,’ she whispered, ‘but you never told me that you - cared.’
‘I was a fool.’ His hand ran strong and loving down her soft mane of hair. ‘I forgot you were little more than a girl and I took you for a woman - I thought to tell you with my body that I adored you, but instead I frightened you. Do I frighten you now? Do I - I demand to know!’
‘No—’ she gave a quivering laugh. ‘Yes, and no, Diablo. Always you will bring my heart into my throat in a dozen different ways, but if I know that you love me, then anything will be bearable. Anything!’
‘This?’ He bent his head and slowly kissed her mouth. ‘And this?’
The power and strength of his kisses shafted through her and as she twined her arms about his neck, holding him, a voice spoke from the doorway of the bedroom:
‘Ah, once again I appear to have arrived at an inopportune moment.’
Husband and wife turned their heads in unison, and they both smiled at the tiny, elegant figure by the door.
‘Madrecita, do come in!’ said the Don courteously.
‘My dear Diabo,’ she rejoined, ‘I think I know when I should go out again.’ The señora smiled at both of them, a sudden tenderness in her eyes. ‘Adios for now - I will see both of you - later.’
The bedroom door closed quietly behind her.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Devil's Darling Page 18