Stormspell

by Anne Mather

  'My mistress!' He turned, lounging against the cabinet, a look of intense weariness crossing his face. 'My mistress,' he said again, massaging his temples. 'Dear God, Ruth, do you think I'm going to give you up now?'

  Ruth's lips trembled. 'What do you mean?'

  'What do you think I mean?' he demanded, straightening. 'I didn't come here to find a mistress. I came to claim a wife.'

  'A wife?' Ruth couldn't help it, but she could not take this in. 'Dominic, don't tease me—'

  'Tease you—God! I'm in no mood for teasing.' He unloosened his tie and breathed out heavily. 'You're not listening to me, Ruth. I want you to be my wife.'

  Ruth turned abruptly away, putting up a hand to her hair, tugging absently at the lapels of her wrapper. Could it be true, what he was saying? Could he seriously mean what he had said? Was her own desperate need to believe him playing tricks with her, or had he actually said he wanted to marry her?

  'I—I found out today how—how Daddy found out about us,' she said suddenly, needing to keep her head, even though her heart was pounding. 'It—it was Joseph, you know. Joseph who told him. Oh, not intentionally. I suppose, but he did it just the same.'

  'Ruth!'

  it was the day after. The day you left.' She licked her dry lips. 'Joseph has a soft spot for Celeste, you know. Oh, he's married, and his wife has several children, but Celeste—well, he's always been fond of her.'

  'Ruth, look at me-'

  'You remember Harold, don't you? The young man who lent you the motorbike. Celeste's cousin! Well, apparently he spent the night with Celeste, and Joseph was furious. He went to Daddy and actually complained!' She stifled a half hysterical laugh. 'Yes, he complained, and he mentioned that Harold had lent the motorbike to us, just to give his story weight, I suppose. Anyway, Daddy was shocked, as you might imagine, and—and he told Doctor Francis. It was Doctor Francis who told the story to me.'

  'I'm sorry.' Dominic sounded weary, but Ruth had to go on.

  'It's all right. He didn't know what had really happened, you see. I mean—when he reproached me, I thought—I thought you'd told him, but you hadn't, and he didn't know—not everything, anyway.'

  'I'm glad.' Dominic spoke with sincerity. 'Perhaps you can forget it now.'

  'Yes.'

  Ruth bowed her head, then she felt him behind her, his hands sliding about her waist, drawing her back against him. 'Ruth,' he said, rubbing his lips against her neck. 'Your father need not have worried. You bewitched me, almost from the first moment we met.'

  'I don't—I mean, I can't—' Ruth was finding it hard to speak, with his hands sliding up over her rib cage, moulding the swollen fullness of her breasts. 'Dominic—that's not true.'

  'It is true.' he insisted huskily. 'You don't know this, but I knew all about Aunt Davina long before I saw your picture with her in the paper. I actually had someone look into your family history, to ensure myself that you wouldn't be alone if anything happened to your father.'

  'But—but that's not the same thing—'

  isn't it?' Dominic's tone was wry. 'Oh, love, don't you know I was so eaten up with remorse for leaving you. I found it incredibly hard to think of anyone else?'

  She shook her head. 'But if I hadn't come to London—'

  '—I'd have ended up here, sooner or later,' Dominic told her gently.

  'But what about Barbara?' Ruth persisted, turning in his arms to face him. 'Dominic—'

  'Barbara and I were having problems even before we went to Barbados,' he replied honestly. 'Why do you think I took the yacht out in the storm? Why do you think I didn't want anyone to know where I was?' He sighed, and then went on huskily: 'Ruth, my father chose my fiancee for me. It was to be what you might call a suitable match. I wasn't madly keen at first, but I had no radical objections, and we just—drifted into it, I suppose.' He shook his head, as she slanted her gaze up at him, and added: 'That may sound weak to you, but until I met you I'd never encountered a woman I could imagine spending the rest of my life with.'

  'And—and Barbara?'

  'Oh, Barbara's ambitious. I knew that. Just how ambitious for me. I learned later.'

  'But after you got back—'

  'After I got back to England, Barbara went away. Her sister had just had a baby, and we decided it would be good for both of us if we had a break. Unfortunately, so far as I was concerned, it didn't work.'

  'But you didn't break your engagement.'

  'At the beginning, no.' He compressed his lips for a moment. 'You have to understand my position—'

  'There's no need,' she began, but he removed her silencing finger.

  'There's every need,' he insisted, and then could not resist covering her parted lips with his, when her tongue appeared in unknowing provocation.

  'Anyway.' he continued at length, somewhat thickly, 'it all has to do with my brother Michael.'

  'The one who died?'

  'You know about that?'

  'Aunt Davina mentioned it.'

  Dominic nodded. 'I see. Well—yes, it has to do with him.' He paused. 'He was killed, you see. He fell from his pony when he was just seven years old. My mother was desolated.'

  'I can believe that.' Ruth was shocked. 'How terrible for her! Where did it happen?'

  'Can't you guess?' Dominic nodded at her look of awareness. 'Yes—Marlin Spike. That's why she never goes there now, why there are no horses in the paddock.' He shrugged. 'She can't bear to think of it.'

  'Poor woman!'

  Dominic agreed, touching her cheek tenderly. 'So you see.' he went on, 'I became the most important thing in her life.' He said this without conceit, and Ruth understood. 'It's very touching, but also very wearing. And naturally, I've always tried to fall in with their wishes—my parents', I mean.'

  'Yes, I see.' Ruth looked doubtful now. 'So how—'

  'Give me time,' he reproved her. kissing her nose. 'Much as I long to make love to you, I want you to know that breaking my engagement to Barbara was not the traumatic thing you might expect.' He shrugged. 'We had a row, of course, but then we've had a number of them lately, and I think we were both realising that our marriage simply wouldn't work.'

  Ruth bit her lip. 'But your mother—'

  'I know. I know. I know my mother spoke to you about us. She confessed that she'd suspected there was something between us, and she didn't want you to be hurt.'

  'Me?' Ruth's eyes widened.

  'Well, that's her story, and she's sticking to it,' remarked Dominic wryly, and Ruth's lips quivered into a smile. 'After all,' he said, 'you're going to be her daughter-in-law, and she has visions of becoming a grandmother before too long.'

  Ruth's face coloured then, but fortunately Dominic did not make the association. 'So.' he continued. 'after speaking to my father, and gaining his blessing, if you like. I couldn't wait to see you.' He sighed. 'Unfortunately, as you know, .you were away —for a few days, your aunt told me. So instead of driving myself frantic, wondering where you were and what you were doing, I took myself off to the north of England, to visit our plant in Cumbria. By the time I got back you'd already left the country.'

  'Oh, Dominic!'

  'Oh, Dominic, indeed.' he muttered, his hands on her hips, pressing her against him. 'And that aunt of yours wouldn't even come to the phone! When I eventually went to the house, she actually threatened to have me thrown out!'

  'But why?' Ruth was horrified. 'What did you say to her? "Were you rude? Why wouldn't she speak to you?'

  Dominic hesitated. 'I suppose she doesn't like me.'

  'No.' Ruth frowned. 'No. I thought that. But then you didn't like her either.'

  'No.' Dominic conceded dryly. 'However—'

  'So how did you get to speak to her?' Ruth persisted. 'How did you find out where I was? Did Martin tell you?'

  'Martin wasn't there,' said Dominic flatly. 'She said he was on some rally or something.'

  'Oh, yes.' Ruth smiled. 'Martin is very keen on motor-cars, at the moment.' She gave Dominic a teasing look. 'I'm
very fond of Martin. He was very kind to me. and he needn't have been, in the circumstances.'

  'What circumstances?' Dominic frowned.

  'Well—' Ruth considered her words carefully, 'I was the usurper, wasn't I? I mean, not every son would welcome a stranger into his home, particularly not someone on whom his mother was spending a lot of money. Money that he might conceivably regard as his one day.'

  'Oh, I see,' Dominic nodded. Then, as if coming to a decision, he said: 'Yes, I suppose you're right. Martin isn't such a fool as I thought.'

  Ruth linked her arms around his neck. 'Are you sure—'

  But Dominic had covered her mouth with his again, successfully silencing her, and she could only cling to him weakly, lost to the rapture of his kiss.

  It was some time later before either of them felt like talking again. In the faintly luminous glow before dawn, Ruth awoke sleepily to find Dominic nuzzling her nape with his lips, while his hand strayed disturbingly down over her still-flat stomach. It was the first time she had actually slept with him, and there was a tingling delight in feeling his warm hard body close to hers beneath the sheet that covered them, one leg sprawled possessively across her thighs. In the eager hunger of their lovemaking, she had had no time to think of other things, but now the simple pleasure in knowing he was not going to leave her again made her move ever more urgently against him.

  'You know.' he mused huskily, capturing her breast between his lips and stroking the rosy-gold aureole with his tongue, 'I think you've put on a little weight in this region, my darling. And I like it. Mmm, yes, I like it.'

  Ruth's caressing fingers instantly stilled, and he moaned in protest, bringing her hands to him again. 'Don't stop,' he muttered, shifting to accommodate her. 'What do you want to do? Drive me crazy?'

  Ruth's mouth opened under the passionate pressure of his, her resistance as always overwhelmed by his ardent nature. But when he released her mouth, to bury his face in the silky cloud of dark hair that surrounded her, she managed to find the words to still his eagerness.

  'Dominic—Dominic, there's something else. Something I haven't told you.' She faltered. 'Something I couldn't tell you before . . .'

  He drew back a little then, so that he could look into her face, and her gaze fell before his. There was such a look of concern in his eyes, and for the first time she realised he might misunderstand.

  'Well?' he said, his anxiety giving his voice an impatient harshness. 'Ruth, for God's sake, what is it? You're not going to leave me now. Whatever it is, I won't let you.'

  Ruth's lids lifted and she looked into the narrowed tawny eyes, glittering now with the urgency of his passion. 'I'm going to have a baby,' she told him simply, and watched the look of incredulity come over his face.

  'A baby!' he breathed, his eyes dropping to the shadowed contours of her body. 'A baby! Are you sure?'

  'I—I'm af-fraid so.' She found she was stumbling over her words now. in her eagerness to get them out. 'I—I've seen two doctors, one in Switzerland, and one here. Doctor Francis, you remember? I saw him only this morning—or I should say yesterday morning, actually, and he said—' She broke off suddenly. and clasped one of Dominic's hands in both of hers. 'Oh. you don't mind, do you? I mean—you know, it's yours—'

  'God. Ruth!' His hand turned her face up to his, silencing her nervous tongue with his thumb across her lips. 'Do you mean to tell me you came away because you were expecting my child?'

  Ruth quivered. 'Partly.'

  'Why in the name of all that's holy didn't you tell me?'

  'And—and have you marry me because you—you felt you had to?' she breathed unsteadily, and he gathered her closely against him.

  'Oh. my darling,' he was finding it difficult to articulate, and Ruth breathed more freely in the knowledge of his reaction. 'Don't you know that nothing and nobody would have kept me away from you, if I'd known? I've known I had to have you, right from the start, and if I'd dreamed—if I'd suspected—' He broke off, and looked down at her again, his eyes warm and compelling, it must have been that night here, on the island,' he murmured thickly. 'God knows. I was in no state to prevent such a thing from happening.'

  'So—so you don't mind?' she whispered, and he chuckled softly.

  'Mind? Of course I mind,' he retorted. 'I wanted you to myself for much longer than a few months. But never mind, I'm sure Bridie can be prevailed upon to offer us her services.'

  'Miss Bainbridge,' murmured Ruth contentedly. 'Do you think she would?'

  'I'm sure of it. Particularly when I tell her I'm thinking of using the house at Marlin Spike again. The house needs children, and who knows, maybe my mother will learn to forget when she has a grandchild to cradle in her arms.'

  'Well, of course, we couldn't live at your parents' home,' said Ruth thoughtfully. 'And I love Marlin Spike.'

  'I do have an apartment as well,' Dominic reminded her gently. 'And an Irishman called Shannon, who takes care of me.'

  'Oh, dear.' Ruth looked anxious, and Dominic frowned. 'What is it?'

  'He may not like me,' ventured Ruth doubtfully, but Dominic only laughed.

  'My darling, it was partly due to him that I found you again. If he doesn't like it, he has only himself to blame.'

  Ruth's son was born a few weeks before Christmas, and in February she met Aunt Davina and Martin again, at the christening of baby James. The whole family had gathered at Marlin Spike for the occasion, and Dominic's mother, who had visited the house several times since the wedding, came up to Ruth as she was bidding Shannon to fetch some more champagne.

  'Wasn't he good, darling?' Isobel smiled, watching with envious eyes as Dominic's father held his grandson with obvious pride. 'He didn't cry once, not even when Mr Collings poured that water over his head, and I'm quite sure so much enthusiasm wasn't necessary.'

  Ruth smiled, slim and composed in her lime-green suede suit. Marriage, and motherhood, evidently suited her, and she had adapted admirably to her new role as the chairman's wife.

  'Mr Collings was delighted to see you in church again.' she assured her mother-in-law smoothly. 'Oh, here's Martin. You have met my cousin, haven't you?'

  Isobel nodded, but presently she drifted away, drawn as if by a magnet to her husband's side. Both Ruth and Martin watched her abortive attempts to gain the baby's attention, and then smiled at one another in a mutual sharing of understanding.

  'I was a fool, do you know that?' Martin remarked now, surveying her with evident admiration. 'I should have snapped you up before you had time to meet Crown again! And I don't just mean for the obvious reasons, that Dominic has no doubt told you.'

  Ruth frowned. 'Obvious reasons?' she echoed, feeling a faint twinge of alarm. 'What obvious reasons?'

  'Didn't Dominic tell you?' Martin sounded surprised. 'No. well. I guess he mightn't at that. He's a much worthier fellow than I am. I'd have put him down any way I could.'

  'Martin, you're not making sense.' Ruth could see Aunt Davina watching them with some apprehension, and it occurred to her that she must find out, before her aunt had chance to come and interrupt them. 'Please—what could Dominic have told me? Martin. I want you to tell me. You can't leave me in suspense.'

  'About your grandfather's will, of course.' Martin retorted, helping himself to more champagne, and Ruth realised that it was due in part to the amount of champagne he had consumed that he was speaking so freely now. 'You remember old Henry Pascal, don't you? Mother told you of the relationship. About your mother being his eldest daughter, and how he cut her out of his will.'

  'Yes, yes.' Ruth was getting impatient. 'But what has that to do with me? What has it to do with Dominic?'

  Martin sighed. It's the inheritance factor, you see. I'm not Davina Pascal's real son, I'm only adopted. And the will says that if Davina dies childless, your mother's offspring are to inherit.'

  'And—and Dominic knows this?' Ruth was amazed. He had never mentioned it. He had never told her that her aunt's main interest in her stemmed from the term
s of her father's will. So that was why she had pushed Ruth and Martin together, why she had wanted them to marry . . .

  'How do you think he persuaded Mother to tell him where you were, when you ran off back to the island? He was pretty mean, I can tell you. We assumed he'd blow the gaff the minute he laid eyes on you. Imagine our surprise when we got an invitation to the wedding!'

  Ruth turned away, dazed by what she had learned, and as she did so, her husband's arm came around her. 'Hey,' he murmured, and his strength enveloped her like a welcoming shield. 'What is it? What's that bastard been saying to you? If he's said anything to hurt you—'

  Ruth shook her head, looking up at him adoringly. 'He—he told me about—about the will. Oh, Dominic. why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you let me see what an awful woman Aunt Davina really is?'

  Dominic sighed, drawing her into a corner, and concealing her from the rest of the gathering with his body. 'Honey, there was no need for you to know.' he told her gently. 'At least, not while your aunt was alive anyway. She's the only relative you've got—'

  'So you were prepared to put up with her. invite her here, knowing she'd done her best to part—'

  'Her best wasn't good enough, was it?' Dominic put in huskily, i just didn't want to upset you.' His lips touched her temple teasingly. 'I thought you'd had enough upsets for a pregnant lady.'

  'Oh. Dominic!' Ruth's eyes were filled with tears. 'But how did you find out?'

  Dominic smiled. 'Tim Connor told me. You remember Tim Connor, don't you? I told you, it was he who found out all about your family history.'

  Ruth frowned. 'So you knew all along?'

  'No.' Dominic shook his head. 'I thought his investigations were complete, but he rang me the night I got back from the north of England. You remember. the night I went to see Davina.' He grimaced. 'He said that as I was apparently interested in your welfare, I ought to know all the facts.'

  'Oh. Dominic!'

  'It's all over now. Forget about it.'

  Ruth shook her head. 'I can't. I don't want Aunt Davina's money!'