‘I didn’t, Phillip,’ she told him truthfully. ‘I just thought we liked each other.’
He looked angry. ‘But you can’t be in love with a man like Taggart!’
She stiffened at the condescension he obviously felt for the man who employed him. ‘Why can’t I?’
‘Because you’re soft, and beautiful, totally lovable—and he’s a callous bastard!’ Phillip rasped harshly. ‘He isn’t capable of loving anyone!’
Maybe Phillip was right about the latter, but she didn’t believe Daniel was callous. He was hard, afraid to love in case he got hurt, but he only hit out at others to protect himself, not for the sake of it. She was an expert on callous men, had lived with one for twenty years, and Daniel wasn’t one of them.
‘You’re talking about the man I intend to marry,’ she reminded her coolly.
‘You can’t marry him!’
‘Daniel and I intend being married in four weeks—’
‘Four weeks?’ Phillip echoed incredulously. ‘My God, he isn’t taking any chances on you changing your mind, is he?’ he scorned.
Heather shook her head, her gaze flinty. ‘I won’t change my mind, no matter how many weeks it is until we get married.’
His eyes narrowed disbelievingly. ‘You love him?’
It was one thing to admit the emotion to herself, something else completely to admit the feeling to someone else. ‘I’m marrying him,’ she insisted tightly. ‘Now, it’s late, Phillip, and I—’
‘Everyone will know he’s only marrying you because of the airline!’
She was suddenly still, looking at him sharply. ‘What do you mean?’
He shrugged, his gaze not quite meeting hers. ‘It has to be obvious to anyone with even half a brain,’ he bit out impatiently. ‘You inherited your father’s share of Air International, and so Taggart has decided to marry you!’
She relaxed a little, confident he knew nothing about the full details of her father’s will, that he had no idea both she and Daniel were being pressured into the marriage. ‘Is that what everyone thought tonight?’ she frowned.
‘Well, none of them are going to say it to your face—’
‘Why not? You did!’
He sighed, lightly clasping her shoulders, his eyes compassionate. ‘Because I care for you, because I don’t want to see Taggart making a fool of you.’
‘And why do you think I’m marrying him?’ she prompted softly.
He shook his head. ‘I don’t know, but I do know you can’t be in love with him. Call off the wedding, Heather, and marry me!’
She moved pointedly out of his arms. ‘I’m engaged to Daniel.’
‘You don’t wear his ring!’ Phillip pounced.
Because so far Daniel hadn’t found the time to shop for one, and she was damned if she was going to go out and buy her own engagement ring! ‘We have a verbal agreement,’ she insisted firmly. ‘We don’t need a ring to make it official.’
Phillip’s shoulders dropped dejectedly. ‘You do love him,’ he realised heavily.
‘I’m sorry if you’ve been hurt.’ She didn’t confirm or deny his statement; Daniel wouldn’t hear from a third person that she had admitted to loving him!
‘Are you?’ Phillip scorned disbelievingly.
‘Phillip, please—’
‘Please, what?’ he sighed, putting a hand over his eyes. ‘Oh, God, I came here to tell you how much I love you and I end up arguing with you!’ He looked at her with pained eyes. ‘Forgive me, Heather.’
She felt as if all this were her fault, as if she must have encouraged him to believe his feelings were returned. ‘Of course,’ she soothed, her hand consolingly on his arm. ‘I really never meant to hurt you.’
‘I know that,’ he said heavily. ‘I just expected too much.’
‘I—Uncle Lionel said something about sending you up to Manchester for a while, maybe in the circumstances that would be best—’
‘No,’ he refused harshly, his expression softening as he saw her startled expression. ‘I’ll behave, Heather, you don’t have to send me away like a naughty little boy,’ he rasped.
‘Uncle Lionel was only doing what he thought best—’
‘If I promise not to make a nuisance of myself, even to come to your wedding, will you ask him to reconsider?’ Phillip persuaded.
‘What’s so wrong with Manchester that everyone tries to avoid going there?’ she attempted to tease, sensing the tension of the moment was passing.
‘Speaking for myself, nothing,’ he drawled. ‘I just happen to prefer London.’
‘Then I’ll talk to Uncle Lionel,’ she agreed lightly. ‘I’m sure they can really do with you down here for the moment.’
‘Things are a little hectic,’ he acknowledged drily. ‘But maybe that will change now.’
She raised dark brows in innocent enquiry. ‘Oh?’
‘I’m sure your uncle—and Taggart, must have told you about the interest Public Airlines have been showing in the airline since your father died,’ Phillip drawled. ‘Now that you and Taggart are banding together the airline will be more solid than it ever has been before,’ he added scornfully.
Heather was well aware of the larger airline’s interest in Air International, it was one of the main reasons she and Daniel had decided to end all the speculation now and announce their engagement. Obviously, Phillip wouldn’t be the only one to draw the correct conclusion, and she knew that, despite the success of the party tonight and the good wishes, the next few months were going to be difficult ones. But she had succeeded for years in appearing like Max Danvers’ pride and joy in public while being scorned by him in private, surely it couldn’t be that much harder to appear like Daniel’s joyful wife?
‘I never thought of it that way,’ she remarked lightly.
‘I’ll bet Taggart has,’ he rasped tightly. ‘I’m sorry, Heather,’ he sighed as anger flared in her eyes. ‘But I hate the thought of his marrying you for what he can get out of it!’
‘The only thing Daniel will be “getting” out of this marriage, Phillip, is me,’ she told him softly. ‘I’ll still maintain control of my share of the company.’
‘Under his guidance,’ he derided. ‘You know absolutely nothing about running an airline—or if it’s being run properly!’
That was true; her father hadn’t believed in women in business, especially his business. The qualifications she had been allowed to gain on leaving school had remained unused, at her father’s request. He had wanted her as the hostess of his home, and because she had still been trying to find a way to make him love her she had agreed to put her own dreams aside.
Her sacrifice had been in vain, but years of pleasing the man who despised her were difficult to dispel, and so she had become the social butterfly Max wanted—and which Daniel obviously despised. Maybe now would be the right time to think about the career she had always wanted, although it wouldn’t be at Air International.
She trusted Daniel to do what he thought best for the airline, knew that they had to trust each other if this marriage was to stand a chance of survival. And it would survive, because she was in love with him, and surely that had to count for something. Didn’t it… ?
‘But Daniel and my uncle do know,’ she dismissed lightly. ‘You really have no need to worry about me, Phillip, I do know what I’m doing!’
He gave a defeated sigh in the face of her certainty. ‘If ever you do need a friend, for whatever reason, I want you to know you can call on me.’
‘I do.’ She gave him a warm smile. ‘But I’m sure everything is going to work out just fine.’
Her sleepless night belied her confidence—and this was only the start!
* * *
‘There’s a gentleman to see you, Miss Heather,’ Shilton, the family butler for as long as she could remember, informed her the next morning. ‘He says his name is Ronaldway,’ he supplied. ‘And that Mr Taggart sent him here.’
Heather looked up from the bridal designs she ha
d been going through all morning—without success. None of the gowns was what she wanted to walk down the aisle to Daniel in. This gown had to be something special. She knew she was being picky, that every bride probably felt the same way about their own wedding gown, but most of those brides would be confident of their groom’s love, know that he would think them beautiful whatever they wore. She didn’t have that reassurance.
She put the designs to one side, frowning up at Shilton. ‘Did he say what he wanted?’
‘No,’ he replied drily.
Heather gave a brief smile as she sensed his disapproval of the other man’s reticence. ‘Then you’d better show him in,’ she requested lightly. ‘And perhaps you could organise some coffee… ?’
‘Of course, Miss Heather.’ He gave a haughty nod.
She was still smiling to herself when he showed the other man in; really, Shilton was more of a snob than her father had been! But, for all that, she was fond of the now elderly man, hoping he would be one of the staff that moved with her once she and Daniel had found their own house.
She stood up, holding out her hand to the impeccably dressed man, small and wiry, with sparse brown hair. ‘Mr Ronaldway,’ she greeted warmly. ‘How may I help you?’
‘It’s I who may serve you,’ he corrected politely, his dark brown eyes rather speculative, as if she weren’t quite what he had been expecting of Heather Danvers.
His surprise caused her to question her own appearance, but she knew there was nothing wrong with the purple trousers and pale lilac silk blouse; that the former perfectly matched her eyes, the latter complemented the darkness of her hair. Maybe she was just imagining things, felt sensitive because Daniel had sent the man here.
‘Oh?’ she prompted smoothly.
‘Yes, indeed.’ He placed the briefcase he had been carrying when he entered the room on top of the coffee-table, clicking open the locks. ‘Mr Taggart discussed preferences with me on the telephone, and on that basis I believe one of the outstanding collection of rings I have brought with me should meet your approval.’
Even as the words ‘preferences’ and ‘telephone’ and ‘rings’ penetrated Heather’s brain the man beside her had removed several velvet trays from within the briefcase, each tray presenting three diamond rings, their combined brilliance dazzling her.
Henry Ronaldway smiled proudly at her speechlessness. ‘They are lovely, aren’t they?’ he beamed.
All of them were beautiful, diamond clusters, solitaires, a lovers’ knot. And Heather knew that one of them was supposed to be her engagement ring. Now she understood the man’s surprise when he first arrived; she hadn’t been at all what he had expected the fiancée of Daniel Taggart to be! A cold anger settled in her chest and remained there.
‘They are very beautiful, Mr Ronaldway,’ she assured him distantly. ‘Unfortunately, there seems to have been some confusion about the time you were to call; I’m afraid my fiancé is unavailable this morning.’
His smile faltered and faded. ‘Oh, but I understood from Mr Taggart—’
She knew exactly what he had ‘understood’ from Daniel! ‘Could you possibly come back some other time?’ She moved pointedly towards the door as she spoke. ‘I’ll have—Mr Taggart call you when it’s convenient for us both.’
‘There’s nothing wrong, is there, Miss Danvers?’ He frowned worriedly, obviously concerned he might be losing the sale.
‘Nothing at all.’ She gave him a blinding smile. ‘I’m sure you can understand that my fiancé and I would like to choose the ring together.’
He had carefully repacked the rings into the briefcase now, still looking puzzled. ‘But Mr Taggart explained to me that he wouldn’t be here, that—’
‘Whatever he told you I’m sure you must have misunderstood him, Mr Ronaldway,’ she cut in firmly. ‘And, until Mr Taggart tells you he is available, your visit is not convenient.’ She looked at him challengingly.
The man she watched leave the house seconds later was far from the happy one he had been when he arrived!
How could Daniel! How dared he send some jeweller over here, a man he had merely spoken to on the telephone, that he hadn’t even spoken to in person, with the intention of her picking out her engagement ring on her own?
Admittedly, the rings had been beautiful, he had obviously spared no expense in his selections, but she would rather not have a ring at all if it meant she had to choose one alone. And Daniel had a nerve believing that she would! He couldn’t have shown her any more clearly how contemptuous he was of their engagement.
‘I won’t be needing that now, thank you,’ she told the maid stiltedly as she came in with a tray of coffee, coming to an abrupt decision. ‘I’m going out!’ She ran up to her room to collect her jacket, the weather being decidedly cool for August. Not that she felt the same way, her temper raging out of control.
It became worse, not better, as she drove to the company’s head office. How dared Daniel insult her in that way, sending over a dozen rings for her to choose from, imagining that she would meekly accept the condescension! She wasn’t that worried about wearing his ring!
‘I’m afraid Mr Taggart isn’t here at the moment,’ Gloria, his secretary, told her regretfully after she had burst into his office asking to see him.
The other woman had been her father’s secretary until his death six months ago, and Heather knew her quite well; she should have thought to call Gloria to make sure of Daniel’s presence in his office before speeding over here! ‘When do you expect him back?’ she asked irritably.
Gloria grimaced her uncertainty. ‘I’m not really sure. Mr Taggart likes his time to be flexible.’
Not flexible enough that he could spare five minutes to help choose her engagement ring! ‘OK, thanks,’ Heather sighed. ‘I have to see my uncle about something, anyway, I’ll check back with you before I leave.’
‘Congratulations on your engagement to Mr Taggart, Miss Danvers,’ the other woman said warmly as Heather turned to leave.
Congratulations on becoming engaged to a selfish, arrogant—my God, she thought, Gloria probably knew all about the Cassandras in Daniel’s life, probably took telephone calls and messages from them all the time! ‘Thank you,’ she accepted stiffly, her head held high as she went in search of her uncle.
She rarely came to the offices of Air International, accepting that she didn’t know how to run an airline, and respecting the fact that her uncle and Daniel did. But she knew her way around well enough, greeting her uncle’s secretary with a friendly smile.
‘I’ll just tell him you’re here.’ Lynn returned the smile. ‘I must just tell you how excited we all are about your engagement to Mr Taggart,’ she added breathlessly.
And they hadn’t even put the announcement in The Times yet; at this rate they wouldn’t need to bother! ‘Thank you,’ Heather accepted drily.
‘Heather!’ Her uncle came out to greet her as soon as he had been informed of her arrival, clasping her hands in his. ‘It’s lovely to see you,’ he told her as they went through to his luxuriously appointed office. ‘You’re looking radiant this morning.’
She was still so angry she didn’t know how she looked. ‘I hope you didn’t mind my telephoning you earlier.’ She sat down opposite him, crossing one trouser-covered leg over the other.
‘Of course not,’ he instantly reassured her. ‘Phillip is one young man I would rather not do without at the moment if I don’t have to.’
She had called him first thing this morning and requested that he not send Phillip to Manchester, assuring him that everything was fine between her and Phillip now. She wasn’t quite sure that was true, but it didn’t seem fair that Phillip should have to take responsibility for the awkwardness between them.
‘Good,’ she nodded.
‘Besides,’ he added teasingly, ‘this is half your airline, you know.’
She gave a deep sigh. ‘You’ll never know how much I wish it weren’t.’
He frowned. ‘Did you and Dani
el have an argument after we all left last night?’
She gave him a frowning look. ‘What makes you say that?’ she mused.
‘Well, you seem a little—agitated today, and Daniel has been snarling at everyone all morning. I didn’t think the two could be a coincidence!’
But they were. Heather’s anger evaporated somewhat as she envisaged trouble with Cassandra because of his lateness last night as the reason for Daniel’s bad humour. It would serve him right if the other woman was coming to the conclusion that she didn’t like the idea of him having a wife!
‘Did you have an argument?’ her uncle probed concernedly.
‘No more than usual,’ she dismissed lightly. ‘This marriage is going to be a battlefield!’ But at least it wouldn’t be dull, she acknowledged to herself, feeling decidedly more cheerful now that she knew of Daniel’s ill humour.
Her uncle laughed softly. ‘You sound as if you’re looking forward to it.’
Heather smiled. ‘I think I am!’
‘As long as you’re happy,’ her uncle nodded. ‘How about joining me for lunch? It’s just about that time.’
‘I’d love to,’ she accepted, suddenly feeling much more light-hearted. She could sort out the problem of the ring later.
She was just telling her uncle about her dissatisfaction with the dress designs she had so far looked at, when the lift doors opened and Daniel and Stella stepped out, so deep in conversation they didn’t notice Heather and Lionel at first. Heather was so startled to see the other two together that she just gaped at them in amazement.
Stella was the first to recover from the tableau. ‘Look who I met outside!’ She kissed her husband on the cheek.
Heather looked suspiciously at the other woman; had her words been just a little too forced, the explanation for her and Daniel being together just a little too lightly given to be genuine? She couldn’t exactly see Daniel and Stella involved in an affair, and there was Uncle Lionel and Cassandra to consider too, and yet the memory of the other couple dancing closely together the previous evening persisted.
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