Urgent hands caught hold of her, and in what seemed to be one deft movement, Ross had pulled down the zip, stripped the dress from her, and wrapped Lena’s stole round her, sarong-wise.
A second later, before most people had realized anything was amiss, he was hurrying her out of the supper room, across the hall and up the stairs.
Trying to struggle free, she protested, ‘I want to go back to the flat… I don’t want to—’
‘We’re doing this my way.’
As soon as they reached his suite he hustled her through to the bathroom, pulled off her sandals, twitched away the stole, and thrust her, still clad in her coffee-stained bra and briefs, unceremoniously into the shower.
She gasped as the cold water sprayed over her heated skin and would have instinctively stepped back, but he said almost savagely, ‘Stay where you are until I tell you.’
Suddenly seeing the ridiculous side, she observed, ‘This is getting to be a habit.’
He pulled off his jacket, rolled up his shirtsleeves and, reaching for the first-aid box, advised, ‘Save the funny cracks until we know if there’s been any harm done.’
After perhaps half a minute, the burning pain caused by the scalding coffee had eased, and she began to shiver uncontrollably.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
Through chattering teeth she said, ‘Oh, f-f-fine.’ The sarcasm failed utterly.
He turned off the water and, having helped her out, started to remove her sodden undies, but she pushed his hands away.
‘Don’t be a fool,’ he said impatiently. ‘I’ve no intention of molesting you. I just want you dry so I can spray some of this on.’
‘This’ proved to be a canister of fresh-smelling analgesic, which soothed what few red marks remained, before she found herself wrapped in a soft bathrobe.
Her wet hair was escaping from its chignon, so he took out the remaining pins and, picking up a brush, turned on the blow-drier.
When the silken mass was almost dry, he led her to a chair in front of the living-room fire and gently pushed her into it.
The first adrenaline rush over, and reminded of the fact that she was once again trapped in his suite without clothes, she bit her lip.
‘How are you feeling now?’ he asked. ‘There’s at least one doctor present if you—’
‘No, no… There’s absolutely no need.’
‘Sure?’
‘Yes, quite sure.’ Knowing that, in spite of everything, she owed him a debt of gratitude, she added a shade stiltedly, ‘Thanks to your quick action, I won’t have so much as a blister.’
‘You don’t sound particularly grateful.’ His tone held dark mockery.
‘Well, I am. I just don’t think there was any need for you to turn into Atilla the Hun.’
With a grin he told her, ‘Baby, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.’
He disappeared from view for a moment or two and returned carrying Lena’s stole, his jacket and a glass containing a milky-looking liquid.
Handing her the glass, he said, ‘Drink this.’
‘What is it?’ Suspicion edged her tone.
‘It’s a painkiller, just in case.’
He rolled down his shirtsleeves and pulled on his jacket, before adding briskly, ‘Wait here. There’s something I have to deal with.’
As he headed for the door, she asked uncertainly, ‘Where are you going?’
‘To let Robert know you’re all right and return Lena’s stole.’
‘Oh… But surely you intend to rejoin her? Go back to the party…?’
‘I don’t intend to do anything of the kind,’ he said decidedly. ‘I’ll only be a short time, so stay exactly where you are until I get back.’
Watching the door close behind him, Cathy found herself wondering why he’d played things the way he had. Why he’d insisted on bringing her to his suite when later, no doubt, Lena would be joining him here.
She stiffened as a sudden, most unpleasant thought struck her: suppose the other woman insisted on coming back with him now?
Agitation made her heart start to race. What was she to do? She couldn’t just sit here. But neither could she go down the main stairs and across the hall wearing a loose bathrobe miles too big for her.
Surely there must be some way, a servants’ staircase, that she could use to get back to the flat without being seen?
But if there was she didn’t know it, and in any case her keys were in her evening bag, which had been left in the supper room…
A moment or two later, Ross returned.
To her very great relief he was alone.
Looking grimly satisfied, he discarded his jacket and bow tie before dropping into the chair opposite.
Anxious to get away, she said, ‘If you would be kind enough to show me the back stairs…I’d really like to go now.’
‘Go? Go where?’
‘To the flat, of course,’ she said shortly.
‘I thought, as Carl won’t be back, you might like to stay here.’
‘No, I wouldn’t like to stay here.’ Without really thinking, she added bitterly, ‘I’ve never liked the idea of three in a bed.’
‘Pity,’ he drawled, leaning back in his chair and stretching his long legs indolently. ‘I have a feeling it could be fun.’
Her cheeks flaming, she jumped to her feet and said in a strangled voice, ‘I’d like to go.’
‘And I’d like you to stay. But before you make up your mind, I want you to try something on.’
He stepped behind her, and, before she could gather her wits, a cool weight had settled around her slender throat.
Then, his hands on her upper arms, he turned her slightly so that she could see both their reflections in a gilt-framed oval mirror that hung above an occasional table.
He was a good head taller than she was, and the lamplight brought his handsome features into prominence, made his grey eyes gleam and turned his blond hair, hair that always looked as if it wanted to curl, to pale gold.
She stared at him, unable to look away, and their gazes meshed.
Until, as though he’d willed it, her eyes dropped to a beautiful necklace that, sparkling and glittering in its delicate antique setting, fell in an exquisite rain of diamonds between the wide lapels of the robe.
Staring at it, she felt her jaw drop.
Reaching round, he put a finger beneath her chin and observed gently, ‘Your mouth’s open.’
Then, taking her hand, he put a pair of long drop earrings into her palm. ‘These are the earrings that complete the set, but it might be better if you fix them yourself.’
Like someone in a trance, she fastened them to her small lobes while he watched her in the mirror.
The vision that looked back at her took her breath away. As she stared at this stranger, Ross asked, ‘What do you think of them?’
‘I’ve never seen anything so lovely,’ she breathed.
He smiled. ‘I’m pleased you like them.’
‘Any woman would like them, they’re…’ Suddenly realizing why he’d got her to try them on, she stopped abruptly.
An angry flush rising in her cheeks, she reached to remove them, but he caught her hands and prevented her. ‘Don’t take them off. I want you to wear them while I make love to you.’
‘I’ve no intention of letting you make love to me, and I hate the idea of wearing jewels obviously intended for another woman.’
‘But they’re not intended for another woman. They’re for you.’
He sounded as if he meant it, and, totally bewildered, she said, ‘Is this some kind of joke?’
‘No, it isn’t a joke.’
‘But you can’t give me these.’
‘I already have.’
‘I can’t possibly accept them. Even if they’re not real diamonds, they must be worth a considerable amount because of the beautiful workmanship…’
‘The diamonds are real enough. My great-grandfather gave them to my great-grandmother, and since then they
’ve been handed down to the eldest son’s bride. My mother always loved them, but when she left she felt she had no right to take them.’
Seeing he wasn’t joking, Cathy burst out, ‘I don’t understand. How can you possibly give them to me? You’ve just said they should go to your bride when you marry.’
‘Well, I know it’s a little premature, as I haven’t actually asked you yet, but I was rather hoping we could be married quite soon.’
As she gaped at him, he smiled and said, ‘My love, did you really believe I would have deliberately seduced another man’s wife?’
‘You knew?’
‘Yes, but not immediately. At first I was angry, shattered, bitterly disillusioned. You’d come into my arms so innocently, so shyly, yet with a warmth and passion that sent me up in flames. To realize that it had all been a sham reinforced my doubts as to whether any female could really be trusted… It was like a blow in the face to think that the woman I’d fallen in love with at first sight, and who had seemed to feel the same way about me, was just a cheating little bitch.
‘But there was something about you, a quality of goodness, of honesty, that made that assumption ring untrue, that made me wonder. And right from the start a couple of things didn’t add up. The hesitant answers you gave when I questioned you, and Carl’s attitude. Though he was clearly very fond of you, he didn’t have the look either of a new husband or an established lover, and I needed to know if you were sleeping together—’
Though she hadn’t really been taking in much since those wonderful words, I was rather hoping we could be married quite soon, she glanced up at that.
Noting her expression, he broke off and, smiling wryly, admitted, ‘Yes, I went into your flat, and when I found you were using separate rooms I hired a private investigator in London to check things out.
‘The morning after your attempt to walk back from Beinn Mor, I was waiting for you in the study. I knew Carl had left early, and when you didn’t show up by nine-thirty I began to get concerned. I went along to the flat and let myself in. You were still sleeping peacefully, with Onions beside you, and Carl had left a very enlightening note…’
‘Of course,’ she breathed. ‘He called me Sis.’
‘Which told me nearly all I needed to know and made me furious.’
‘So that’s why you were so horrible to me.’
‘Believe me, I could have been a great deal worse. The way I felt that minute I could cheerfully have put you over my knee. That is, until relief took over. But even that relief was mingled with anger when I thought of all you’d put me through.
‘Then when I gave you back the ring, which was obviously not your ring, I pushed you as hard as I could, determined to make you admit the truth. But I couldn’t break you.
‘The investigator I hired was very efficient, and first thing this morning he came up with a detailed dossier of both your life and Carl’s.’
‘So you know everything?’
‘Pretty well everything. Including your disastrous first marriage, which you can tell me about some time, and the way Carl’s wedding plans collapsed at the last minute.’
‘I can’t tell you how sorry I am. Neither of us wanted to have to lie and deceive people we liked. I would have apologized earlier if I’d—’
He shook his head. ‘All I wanted was to hear you admit the truth. That’s why I kept up the pressure. But while we were decorating the tree you were so sweet, so lovely, that I almost relented and brought everything into the open myself. The only thing that held me back was the fear that after the way I’d treated you, you might simply walk out. I was partly reassured by your reaction when I kissed you under the mistletoe, but before I could say anything, Lena turned up.
‘Though I was far from pleased to see her, her unexpected visit proved to be very useful. It removed any last faint doubt about my feelings for her, and finally enabled me to cut any ties with the past. And, though you tried to hide it, your reaction convinced me that you cared for me enough to forgive the way I’d treated you and agree to marry me.’
Though Cathy had never been happier, one anxiety remained. ‘I don’t know what your sister will think when she knows.’
‘Earlier this evening I talked to Marley and told her everything. Believe me, she understands… And, incidentally, she gave us her blessing.
‘Now, there are two things I still need to know. Firstly, how soon will you marry me?’
Her heart full to overflowing, her eyes shining, she said, ‘As soon as you like,’ and was rewarded with a lingering kiss.
At length, after reluctantly freeing her lips, he murmured, ‘Now, as we’re officially engaged, I’d like you to wear this…’
He took a small leather box from the nearby bookcase, and a moment later he had slipped a beautiful diamond solitaire onto her third finger.
As she gazed at it wordlessly, he added, ‘Of course, if you don’t like it, or you don’t care for the idea of wearing a ring that’s belonged to someone else…’
It was the loveliest ring imaginable, and a perfect fit, but still she hesitated.
‘Don’t worry, my love,’ Ross said gently. ‘I quite understand. The first chance we get we’ll go and choose something different.’
As he reached for her hand to take it off again, she asked in a rush, ‘Whose ring was it?’
‘My mother’s. Toby bought it for “the love of his life”, and she always wore it. Just before she died, she gave it to me and said she hoped I’d give it to the love of my life.’
‘It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen,’ Cathy said softly, ‘and I’d love to wear it.’
Watching her face, the way relief and pleasure mingled, he said, ‘You were afraid that it might have been Lena’s…?’
Flushing a little, she said, ‘I’m sorry.’
He shook his head. ‘There’s nothing tobe sorry about. And, just to set your mind completely at rest, I never even thought of giving Lena this. Her engagement ring, which she chose herself, was a half hoop of rubies, which she kept. Now, where was I?’
‘You said there were two things you needed to know…’ Cathy prompted.
‘Oh, yes… The second one is, are you certain you have no ill effects from the coffee incident?’
‘Positive,’ she said, her voice dismissive. ‘I’m not even sure how it happened.’
‘I am,’ he said grimly. ‘The waiter had put the coffee pot down close to you, and Lena decided to get rid of the opposition.’
As Cathy gaped at him, he went on, ‘You’d turned to listen to what Robert was saying, but I happened to glance in her direction and I saw her knock it over. When I went down to return her stole, she made the excuse that she’d been about to pour the coffee and it was an accident. But I was certain it had been quite deliberate, and Robert, who had also seen the whole thing, was able to confirm that.
‘I told her she had half an hour to pack her bags and then I would send Dougal up to carry them out to the car.
‘But enough of Lena. We’re wasting precious time…’ As he finished speaking, the clock began to chime twelve.
‘Christmas Day,’ Cathy murmured as the last note died away.
‘Happy Christmas, my heart’s darling.’ He took her in his arms and kissed her with a passionate urgency that sent her up in flames.
The living-room fire had dwindled into glowing ashes, and, switching off the lamps, he led her through to the bedroom.
There, the logs were still blazing, filling the room with the scent of pine, while the flickering firelight cast long, dancing shadows on the white walls and ceiling.
As he paused to kiss her once more, his hand slipped between the lapels of the robe to caress her breast and tease the nipple into life.
Hearing her gasp of pleasure, and feeling her heart begin to beat faster beneath his palm, he asked softly, ‘About ready for bed?’
‘Mmm…’ she murmured, and snuggled against him.
‘That’s good. But first I want to gi
ve you your Christmas present.’
All her attention focused on the delightful things his fingers were doing to her, she said abstractedly, ‘But you’ve already given me so much, and I’ve nothing to give you.’
‘That’s where you’re wrong. You can give me everything I’ve ever wanted, everything I’ve ever dreamt about and hoped for. But first of all see what you think of yours.’
He reached for a small square package wrapped in gold paper that stood on the bureau.
It was quite heavy, and, sinking down in the nearest chair, she set it down on her lap. Then, stripping off the gold foil, she opened the blue velvet-covered lid and lifted out the tissue- shrouded contents.
As the tissue paper fell away, she found herself staring at the paperweight snowstorm she had fallen in love with all those years ago.
She turned it upside down, then back again, and watched in delight as the snow began to fall softly around the old house standing serene and enchanted in its glass bubble.
Then, tears in her eyes and a wonderful smile on her lips, she rose and set it down carefully, before throwing her arms around Ross’s neck. ‘Thank you…’ she said unsteadily. ‘It’s the most wonderful present I’ve ever had. I—I wish I knew what to say…’
‘If you really want to please me, you could try saying, “I love you”.’
Taking off the robe, she tossed it aside. ‘Come to bed, and I’ll show you.’
Laughing joyously, he swept her into his arms. ‘That’s the most gloriously wanton invitation I’ve ever had.’
Smiling up at him, the jewels at her throat and ears glit¬tering in the firelight, she echoed his earlier words. ‘Baby, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.’
‘And this is the woman who sounded so shocked when I suggested that three in a bed might be fun!’
Momentarily uneasy, she ventured, ‘But you didn’t mean it?’
‘I most certainly did.’
As she looked at him wide-eyed, he carried her over to the shadowy four-poster and, setting her down carefully, turned back the bedclothes to reveal Onions, sleeping peacefully.
Straight-faced, he added, ‘Of course, if you really don’t like the idea of three in a bed…’
The Boss's Forbidden Secretary Page 16