Sleeping Love

by Sara Curran-Ross

  His arms left her body forcing her to sit up and watch him climb out of the bath. He was a beautiful sight. He carried his tight muscled form with aristocratic erectness. She pitied any man who chose him as a physical enemy. He wrapped the towel around his waist as he picked up her wet clothes and trotted out of the room giving her a stern look. She lay back down in the water feeling confused. Every time they got close, something or someone pulled them apart. When he came back into the room, she decided to have it out and clear the air.

  ‘What have I done wrong now, Raoul?’

  He was carrying another large white fluffy towel. He stopped and watched her intently considering whether to confront her or not.

  ‘When did your memory return? And why didn’t you tell me?’

  Sabrina lowered her eyes.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  He gave her an impatient look.

  ‘You can’t hide something like that from me. You had no right.’

  ‘I didn’t. I just get flashes, I told you.’

  ‘No. You know who I am now.’

  He moved closer and looked down at her.

  ‘I can see it in your eyes. Whatever you try to hide is always bare in your eyes, Sabrina.’

  ‘You’re wrong.’

  She knew her defence was useless, but still she persisted afraid if she revealed her suspicions, she would hurt him and worse, he wouldn’t believe her about Luc.

  ‘I don’t believe you are still trying to deny it. Before I carried you to the horse, I saw it in your eyes. You have a certain look, Sabrina, that you give only me.’

  He gave a soft laugh.

  ‘It’s a dangerous rebellious look when I try to take control of what you are doing, only because I am worried about you,’ he added in his defence. ‘It betrays your fear of your vulnerability, but it also shows me how much you love me and how much you value my care of you. You haven’t given me that look once since you arrived at the Chateau, and there have been plenty of times when you would have done. I knew then that you were my Sabrina again.’

  He bent his head.

  ‘I don’t understand why you thought it necessary to keep the return of your memory secret from me.’

  He held up the towel for her to get out of the bath. She complied and felt him wrap the towel around her. He moved his hands over the dips and swells of her body to dry her adequately. It was a task he loved to do for her when she came out of the shower, and she had no objections. He held her eyes as she felt the power of his seductive touch caress her curved form through the towel.

  ‘I didn’t think you would care. I thought you were in love with Cressida. And I thought I was right when I saw you both through the window of your study before I went out riding. She was holding your shoulders, resting her head against you. You don’t do that unless you’re in love with that person.’

  He shook his head.

  ‘And did you see what happened after that? Did you not see me push her away, threaten to tie her up in court, hear me terminate her contract and tell her to leave?’

  Sabrina bent her head guiltily.

  ‘No, I couldn’t bear to see anymore, you hurt me so much.’

  ‘Cressida has done a good job playing on your fears and loss of memory. When I have her arrested for assault and possibly attempted murder, she will never bother you or us again, and we can get on with our lives. Now come on, let’s get you warm and some food inside you and we can talk some more.’

  Chapter Fourteen

  He led her to one of the six rooms that made up the summerhouse in the Chateau’s grounds built at the same time in the seventeenth century, in the same style. The bedroom was in a small tower with windows on either side of the circular room. Her feet felt so cold as she walked across its wooden floor to sit on the bed. His eyes searched the room as he pondered on the problem of keeping Sabrina warm. He turned and hurriedly pulled out a pile of his sweaters and trousers out of the dark antique wardrobe and some slippers he kept there for the nights he spent in the Summer House. He pulled one of the sweaters over her head ignoring her protests that she would be buried alive in its male size. The indignity of long cargo pants followed, but they were nothing compared to the long Italian wool socks and slippers that made her look as though she wore clown shoes. He stepped back to admire his work and grinned.

  ‘At least you will be warm.’

  She frowned lifting up her arms hidden under the long sleeves of the beige polo neck woolly sweater. He dressed in a pair of trousers, shoes and heavy black sweater. He gathered up some blankets from a chest at the bottom of the bed and disappeared downstairs. Sabrina made to follow him finding her progress hampered by her rather large attire. But Raoul was back in an instant lifting her into his arms.

  He carried her down the stone steps into a large room he’d made into a living room with a fireplace and every modern comfort. He sat her down on the long biscuit coloured sofa and covered her body up to her chin in the warm blankets.

  ‘You must keep warm, Sabrina. We may have stopped you from getting hypothermia, but you might get a bad chill.’

  He arranged the cushions comfortably around her head and neck then turned his attention to starting a fire. She watched him at work feeling cosy and protected. It felt like old times. He sat back down on the sofa and pulled down her sock to look at her ankle. He rested it gently on his lap as he probed its soreness. She yelped.

  ‘Sorry, Sabrina but I needed to check. I don’t think anything is broken, but you are badly bruised. You will have to keep off it for a while. I’ll get Julian to check it out when we get back to the house. Now I’ll get you a warm drink and some food, just relax.’

  She watched the fire crackle and spit, the flames fighting to grow higher. It cast a warm orange glow and flickering shadows around the dimly lit room. Outside the snow had stopped falling, but the fog was dense surrounding the small summerhouse in the clearing of the forest. Darkness was moving in fast, and she felt a curious fear twist in the pit of her stomach.

  She could feel the house being watched. They weren’t alone. She could feel those familiar eyes following her every move from afar, boring uninvited into her soul. She always knew when he was there. It was like some sixth sense she had developed when originally stalked seven years ago. All of the old feelings and fears came back to haunt her. The very idea made her ignore the pain in her ankle and jump up to undo the long white curtains and sweep them across the three long windows.

  As she closed the last one she was sure she could see a face peering at her through the fog. She jumped and gave a small cry and snapped the curtain shut. Chastising herself for her overactive imagination, she turned back to the room, listening to the pleasant homely noises of Raoul making food in the kitchen. Sudden warmth melted her insides at the notion of Raoul cooking for her. He loved to cook, especially for her, and there had been many a night she’d been a guinea pig for his latest concoction. She wanted to be near him, feel his presence surround the room. When she entered the kitchen, he looked up at her from stirring some soup.

  ‘I’m sorry but it’s tinned tomato soup. I don’t have any ingredients down here to make fresh soup. Damn, I meant to get you a drink. You need to sit down with that ankle.’

  He dropped the wooden spoon against the pan and raced to the kettle, he’d already boiled once. She picked up the spoon and began to stir the soup. There was a delicious smell of pizza.

  ‘I can’t believe you even have a kettle in here. I thought as a Frenchman you only drank coffee,’ she teased.

  ‘The moment I found out you were alive, I began preparing the Summer House for your return.’

  ‘You never told me how you found me. Did you know who I was at that party in London?’

  ‘Yes I did,’ he grinned.

  Sabrina frowned.

  ‘That’s cruel.’

  ‘I have had a team of private investigators looking for you for years. They came up with a lead at the University. I made sure you got an invitation to
the party. I didn’t want to give the game away because I didn’t know what state you would be in, and more importantly I knew how you would react. I wanted you safe at home in the Chateau before I told you anything. There was no way I was going to give you the opportunity of vanishing from my life again,’ he told her firmly.

  ‘It’s still cruel and deceptive,’ she retorted.

  ‘Maybe so but it was all very necessary, I assure you. Now, I can’t make you tea yet. It’s warm water for you until I can make sure you are all right.’

  ‘You are kidding aren’t you? I’m dying for a cup of tea. I haven’t had a decent one since I entered France. You know I can’t live without regular tea rations.’

  ‘Yes, I remember. Here get this down you. Let’s make sure you haven’t got hypothermia. You can’t drink tea or coffee until we know.’

  ‘Where did you learn all these survival skills?’

  ‘You know where, Sabrina.’ He said it so softly it was almost a caress. ‘Is that soup ready yet?’

  Sabrina dipped her head pretending to look down into the pan feeling ashamed of not telling him about getting her memory back.

  ‘Of course I remember, you climbed Mont Blanc before I met you,’ she mumbled to herself. ‘Yes, I think it’s ready.’

  She moved over to let him take charge of the spoon again. She groaned when he gestured to the mug of hot water but did as she was told. He poured the steaming soup into two bowls and looked through the oven to check the pizza.

  ‘I never thought you would resort to frozen pizza.’

  He looked offended.

  ‘I made it myself and put it in the freezer. It’s your favourite, goats’ cheese.’

  Sabrina felt a warm snug, safe feeling engulf the last of the chill to her body.

  ‘I get the feeling I was on your mind,’ she mused smiling lovingly at him.

  ‘More than you know. Now back in the room. Here take this aspirin for your head.’

  He ushered her out of the kitchen and instructed her to sit around the small dining table, tucking a blanket around her legs. The soup was hot and comforting, the pizza light but filling, and she ate hungrily.

  ‘You’ve eaten as though you never have before. It isn’t like you to clean your plate, Sabrina. What is wrong with you? Have you suddenly remembered you have a ravenous appetite?’

  She gave him a coy, mischievous look.

  ‘You know I love any food you cook for me. You always know how to make a mean pizza. If you aren’t going to eat that, hand it over here.’

  Raoul shook his head and handed her the plate.

  ‘It’s good to see you eat. You haven’t eaten a thing since you came back, and I’ve been worried.’

  She stopped munching on her slice of pizza and caught his arm, leaning her head against it. The wool of the sweater he had given her to wear was soft, and it smelt of him.

  ‘I love you,’ she whispered.

  She wasn’t sure she’d spoken the words. They sounded so sudden, so final and definite for a woman who had spent the last seven years forgetting her past. There was a pause, a stillness hanging in the air. Then he simply stroked her hair, weaving his fingers through its soft silky texture. He pulled it playfully.

  ‘I love you too, Sabrina, darling. But now that you’re fed and watered, we must talk.’

  She lifted her head hearing his voice turn serious. He stood up and picked her up in his arms again. She laughed nervously.

  ‘Do you mean talk or do you mean talk in the bedroom?’

  ‘Nice try, Sabrina. As much as I would love to make love to you right here and now, we need to have a discussion.’

  He carried her back into the living room.

  ‘Why are you carrying me everywhere?’ she heard the defensiveness in her voice. ‘I do have two legs.’

  ‘Indulge me. You’ve been through so much, and I just want to look after you.’

  He sat her down on the sofa and flopped down behind her. It was the most natural thing in the world to curl her body against his powerful male frame, to feel his arm slip protectively around her shoulders and draw her near. She laid her head on his chest as he covered her with a blanket. The more she remembered, the more she was slipping back into her old character with her old habits.

  ‘Sabrina, I want you to tell me just how much of your memory has returned.’

  She let her head rise and fall in rhythm with his chest for a moment, considering the implications of telling him the truth. There was too much at stake to risk it. She didn’t want to lose Raoul or see him more hurt than he already had been.

  ‘I don’t remember any more than I told you about what happened to me. If that’s what you are talking about?’ she lied.

  ‘Sabrina, don’t be afraid to tell me.’

  There was pain in his voice. She always seemed to be hurting him, yet all she was trying to do was to protect him and his family. She watched the fire.

  ‘Why are you afraid of Luc and Alain? Did they have something to do with what happened to you?’

  She sat up.

  ‘No, no, of course not. I just feel so nervous around everyone.’

  ‘Sabrina, was it Luc who raped you?’

  He demanded the answer to his question with a firmness she found hard to resist. There was fierce anger, disbelief and despairing resignation swirling within his voice as he braced himself for the truth. She felt her heart race. She sat up further trying to get away, but he caught her arm and pulled her back across his chest, holding both of her wrists.

  ‘Answer me, Sabrina. And this time I want the truth.’

  His face was hard and cold. She was afraid. She tried to get away again, but he held her fast. He gave her a warning look.

  ‘What is it with men? They always think they can throw their weight around and get just what they want,’ she snapped.

  ‘Don’t stall me, Sabrina. I am not letting you go until you tell me the truth.’

  She felt her body writhe helplessly across the unmovable male muscled strength and gave in.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she blurted out. ‘But he was there.’

  She could hardly look at him. She didn’t want to read the disbelief in his eyes, nor the anger.

  ‘What about, Alain?’

  ‘I don’t know. But every time I go near him, he gives me the creeps. Raoul let me go.’

  ‘No, tell me everything you remember about that night.’

  ‘Are you sure you want to hear it? We might never be the same again after you do.’

  He pulled her up to his face forcing her to look into his eyes.

  ‘If you think I am going to let any of this destroy our marriage and our love for each other, you don’t remember me very well, Sabrina. You made vows to be with me, and I am going to hold you to them. I love you, now tell me the truth.’

  ‘He was stealing from the company, and I found out. Our accountant found discrepancies. He came to me before he died in that car crash. Maybe he didn’t die in an accident and he was murdered because of what he knew. I think Alain was involved somehow. I confronted Luc in the study that I was going to tell you. We argued, and he threatened me. It led to a struggle. He hit me and knocked me to the floor. He said he would kill me if I told you anything. Someone else was in the room, and I can’t remember who it was. I honestly don’t know if it was Luc or this other person who raped me. You have to believe me, Raoul.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me this before?’

  ‘Luc and Cressida told me I was having an affair with Luc, and if I didn’t leave you, they would tell you. They knew how ill your mother was and just how it would affect her health if you two were at war again. I couldn’t do it to you. And I couldn’t be sure if I’d had an affair with Luc or not. I couldn’t remember anything, Raoul. It’s like being locked in a dark dungeon without any light or door to get out.’

  He let her wrists go and tightened his arms around her.

  ‘I’m sorry, Sabrina, but I had to find out the truth. You are jus
t confirming all of my suspicions that I’ve had for the last seven years. I found out recently that Luc was stealing money from the company. He’s always been jealous of everything I have, and I knew when I gave him a job for Maman’s sake he would try something like that. But I’ve turned a blind eye, hoping, waiting for him to lead me back to you somehow. I’ve always thought he was involved. He was always attracted to you, and I wouldn’t put it past him to arrange a kidnap. And I believe Alain has been in on the game as well. I wonder if Cressida has found out and taken advantage somehow.’