The problem was, she still liked Jeremy enormously. She also knew that Jeremy hadn’t changed in the slightest degree, that it was something inside her that had done that.
It was also the thought of their goodnight kisses—possibly more passionate tonight, after Jeremy’s show of emotion, than in the past?—that she drew back from. Admit it, Leonie, she admonished herself; she simply couldn’t be natural with Jeremy when she was so confused over her feelings towards Luke! In fact, she had met Jeremy this evening with the intention of cooling their friendship, not deepening it…
’Of course,’ Jeremy agreed readily enough, standing up to help her put her jacket on.
‘Thank you for this evening. I—I enjoyed the film,’ Leonie added in a strained voice as they walked outside, grateful for the fact that, because they had both worked late this evening, they had each arrived at the cinema in their own cars. A public parting was sure to be less demonstrative than if Jeremy had driven her home.
Jeremy nodded, seeming unaware now of Leonie’s troubled thoughts. ‘I’ll walk you to your car.’
‘There’s no need to do that,’ she refused with a lightness she was far from feeling, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek before turning to walk the short distance to her parked car.
‘Leonie…?’ Jeremy called after her.
She turned reluctantly, knowing she was behaving badly, but suddenly anxious to get away. ‘Yes?’ She frowned.
Jeremy merely looked puzzled by her abrupt departure. ‘I’ll call you later in the week, shall I?’
‘Yes,’ she answered with some relief—she had thought he had been going to question her strange behaviour! ‘Do that.’ She nodded dismissively. ‘Have a good week,’ she added before getting into her car and driving away with a brief wave of her hand.
Jeremy was still standing where she had left him, looking slightly bemused now.
As well he might, Leonie acknowledged self-disgustedly. She had behaved like a startled schoolgirl all evening, instead of the responsible professional woman she actually was. And it was all Luke Richmond’s fault, she thought angrily. The man had been playing with her emotions all weekend—for his own ends, obviously!—but even knowing that did not alter the fact that her own emotions were now in turmoil.
She had valued her friendship with Jeremy, had enjoyed their evenings together, had even thought, in her more retrospective moments, that the relationship might be going somewhere. But that was the problem, she had thought all those things. She no longer believed them…
* * *
’I do so adore being in town,’ Rachel was telling her with enthusiasm.
Leonie looked around them at the luxury of the suite Rachel was staying in for her three-day visit to London, to talk with the director on the television programme on Elizabeth the first that she was shortly to start filming, sure that Rachel couldn’t help but enjoy staying in London in her present surroundings.
The sitting-room of the suite of rooms alone was as big as Leonie’s whole apartment put together, the furniture antique, the fabrics all gold brocades, and there were vases of fresh flowers on every surface available. No doubt room service was pretty spectacular too, Leonie thought wistfully.
Rachel had telephoned Leonie as soon as she’d arrived in town yesterday, Thursday, the actress explaining that as she was due to meet the television director on Friday she had decided to stay the whole weekend, and suggested that the two of them meet up at her hotel Friday evening.
Leonie had welcomed the suggestion with open arms, hardly able to believe her good luck; with Rachel up in town it meant that Leonie didn’t have to risk seeing Luke at the family home, and as it was Friday, Leonie also had a legitimate excuse for not seeing Jeremy this evening, too.
She still had no idea what she was going to do about Jeremy, but this meeting with Rachel had certainly given her a respite from making any definite decision. Cowardly, perhaps, but she wasn’t a person who came to snap decisions or, indeed, acted upon them.
At least, not normally… It didn’t take great sense on her part to know she would be better staying as far away from Luke as it was possible for her to do so!
‘I’ve brought all my diaries with me from when I first went off to Hollywood aged eighteen,’ Rachel told her now, opening the leather briefcase that lay on the coffee-table in front of her, to reveal dozens of small red leather-bound books. Obviously, the diaries. ‘They make pretty interesting reading after all this time. Even to me!’ Green eyes sparkled mischievously.
Leonie returned the smile. ‘I’m sure they do. Are you willing for me to read them, or would you prefer—?’
‘Of course you must read them,’ the older woman cut in dismissively. ‘They will give you an insight into my life then much better than I could ever recall by just sitting here talking about it.’
‘I hope you’ll remember to censor them before handing them over to Leonie,’ drawled an all-too-familiarly mocking voice.
Leonie turned sharply in the direction of that voice, already knowing she would see Luke standing there, but finding the impulse to look irresistible.
He had obviously just let himself into the hotel suite, was wearing a black dinner suit and snowy white shirt, his dark hair still damp from the shower he must have recently taken.
There was no escaping the fact—despite the warnings Leonie had given herself all week that Luke had just been playing with her last weekend—that he looked devastatingly handsome. So much so that Leonie’s heart seemed to do a somersault in her chest.
She turned away hastily as she suddenly realised Luke was looking straight back at her with those mocking green eyes, her cheeks becoming fiery-red at the knowledge that she could have given herself away so easily the moment she was in his company.
She should have guessed this would happen, of course, should have known she wasn’t going to escape seeing Luke again that easily; because wherever Rachel happened to be, her son was never far away. Correction—wherever Rachel happened to be with Leonie, this man was sure never to be far away!
Leonie frowned at that realisation. What was Luke so afraid of? Did he think that his mother, after all this time of silence, would just throw all caution to the wind and confide in Leonie, her biographer, who Luke’s father was? He couldn’t have much trust in his mother if he really believed Rachel could betray him in that way. Without even having discussed it with him first.
Unless Rachel had already done exactly that…?
No, Leonie couldn’t believe Rachel would do that when she must know how much it would be hurting Luke for her to do so. But Luke’s constant presence, whenever the two women got together like this, must surely mean that Luke didn’t have the same confidence in his own mother…?
But the way he was dressed, obviously on his way out for the evening—with a woman? Leonie couldn’t help wondering frowningly—seemed to imply that he wouldn’t be staying very long this time, that he had simply called in on the way to another engagement.
The fact that Luke had just arrived must mean he was staying at the apartment he had told Leonie he had in London. Which begged the question why, when Luke had an apartment here, his mother wasn’t staying there with him. Not that Leonie would have wanted to visit Rachel there, but it was still curious that Rachel didn’t stay with her son when she came up to town. Although, perhaps not… After all, Luke had to ‘entertain’ somewhere after his claim that his mother wouldn’t appreciate him taking women to her home!
Rachel smiled warmly at Luke now as he crossed the room to bend down and kiss her lightly on the cheek. ‘Luke has come to take us both to dinner, Leonie,’ Rachel turned to inform her lightly—totally blowing Leonie’s earlier supposition, that of Luke being on his way out on a date, out of the water! ‘On the condition that he behaves himself, of course,’ his mother added dryly.
Luke had straightened now, his gaze challenging as he turned to look across at Leonie. ‘Before I make such an undertaking, perhaps we should ask Leonie if she w
ants me to behave…?’ he drawled mockingly.
‘Of course I—’ She broke off in the middle of her outraged outburst, glaring at Luke as he openly grinned now at the embarrassment he had just deliberately caused her. ‘Your behaviour, good, bad, or indifferent, is of no interest to me,’ Leonie told him stiffly.
He raised dark brows. ‘No?’
‘Why do you keep upsetting the girl, Luke?’ his mother admonished impatiently as she stood up to briefly touch Leonie’s arm in apology for her son’s behaviour, looking ethereally beautiful in a simple black sequinned dress, its knee-length revealing slender silk-covered legs.
Luke shrugged unrepentantly. ‘It’s just so easy to do,’ he murmured dryly.
‘Well, it isn’t kind, Luke,’ his mother admonished firmly.
‘I’m really not dressed to go to dinner,’ Leonie told the other woman, totally ignoring Luke now.
‘You look lovely,’ Rachel assured her dismissively. ‘Anything in black is always elegant, my dear.’ She looked admiringly at Leonie’s own simply cut black dress, her short blonde hair in its usual windswept style.
Leonie had only put on high-heeled black sandals and a dress at all in deference to the exclusivity of the hotel Rachel was staying in; it certainly wasn’t one of her best outfits, and she in no way felt suitably dressed to have dinner with this elegant couple.
She shook her head. ‘I really don’t—’
‘I have a silk scarf in my bedroom that will look absolutely perfect with that dress,’ Rachel assured her warmly. ‘I’ll just go and get it.’ She turned on her heel and hurried out of the room.
Leaving Leonie conscious of the fact that she and Luke were now very much alone. If he dared to say just one sarcastic word, she would—
‘Have you had an enjoyable week?’
She looked up sharply at Luke’s husky comment, searching the hard planes of his face for any sign of sarcasm. To her surprise, she found none, his expression totally unfathomable as he looked across at her.
‘Yes—fine. Thank you,’ she answered stiltedly, totally unsure of him.
She also wished she had stood up before Rachel had left the room, feeling at a distinct disadvantage sitting in the armchair looking up at Luke’s considerable height.
‘I haven’t,’ he rasped abruptly.
Grey eyes widened in surprise at the starkness of his statement. ‘I—’ What was she supposed to say to that? I’m sorry? Why haven’t you? She simply didn’t know.
He drew in a harsh breath. ‘Leonie—’ He came to an abrupt halt, sighing as he now glared at her frustratedly.
Leonie frowned her puzzlement with his strange behaviour. What on earth was wrong with him? ‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured questioningly.
‘Are you?’ he scorned, hands now clenched into fists at his sides. ‘Somehow I doubt that.’ He shook his head disgustedly. ‘I have the distinct feeling you would like nothing better than to see me writhing in the fires of hell!’
Leonie gasped at the fierceness of his statement, shaking her head dazedly. ‘I don’t think you understand me at all, Luke—’
‘I don’t think you want me to—dear Leonie,’ he cut in scathingly, even the façade of politeness having dropped from him now.
She moistened suddenly dry lips, totally thrown by the fierceness of this conversation after Rachel’s warm company. The contrast between mother and son was certainly difficult to come to terms with. Even had Leonie wanted to…!
She drew in a deep breath. ‘I’m really sorry you haven’t had a good week, Luke. There, is that better?’ she challenged sarcastically.
‘No, it isn’t!’ Luke rasped. ‘Leonie—’
‘Your mother seems to be a long time finding that scarf.’ She looked frowningly towards the bedroom Rachel had disappeared into—was it really only minutes ago?
Luke gave a humourless smile, his eyes that pale icy green. ‘She’s probably giving me time to proffer that apology I omitted to give you last weekend!’
Leonie raised blonde brows. ‘Then she’s obviously wasting her time!’
He gave what appeared to be an unwilling smile. ‘No one could ever accuse you of excessive politeness yourself!’ he murmured appreciatively.
She shrugged. ‘That depends on who I’m talking to.’
Luke’s smile widened, his gaze becoming less icy too. ‘You really are the most—Where have you been all my life, Leonie Winston?’ He shook his head self-derisively.
‘Avoiding you, probably,’ she told him honestly, knowing that if she had met this arrogant man during her student years he would have frightened the life out of her. It was only her maturity, her confidence in her own abilities, that allowed her to meet him on equal ground now. Well…almost equal—he still had the ability to make her feel uncomfortably gauche at times!
He laughed out loud this time, suddenly looking years younger, laughter lines crinkling beside his eyes and mouth. A totally sensual mouth, Leonie acknowledged as she watched him with fascination. He should laugh more often. Or…maybe not. Luke was altogether too disturbing in this relaxed mood.
‘Leonie—’
‘Here we are.’ Rachel appeared from the bedroom carrying the promised scarf of pale grey silk. ‘Everything okay out here?’ she prompted lightly even as she pulled Leonie to her feet and began arranging the delicate scarf lightly about her throat.
Luke had been right—Rachel obviously had hoped the two of them would make their peace in her absence.
Had they done that? Not that Leonie could recall. Although Luke, at least, seemed more relaxed…
‘Friends again?’ Rachel said brightly as she straightened, her ministrations to the scarf complete.
Leonie wasn’t sure she and Luke had ever reached that stage, let alone regained it!
She looked uncertainly at Luke, could see by his slightly sceptical expression that he had been thinking the same thing. Besides, she wasn’t sure she wanted him as a ‘friend’…
‘I have no idea,’ Luke bit out abruptly. ‘Are we friends, Leonie?’ He raised dark brows.
Her tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of her mouth. Could she and Luke ever be friends? Somehow she doubted it—they were far too aware of each other to ever reach such a situation of amicability…
Luke’s mouth twisted wryly. ‘I think the jury is still out on that one, Rachel,’ he said derisively.
Rachel pouted her disappointment. ‘I did so hope the two of you were going to get along.’
‘I’m well aware of what you hoped, Mother,’ Luke answered tautly. ‘But it isn’t going to happen!’ he bit out harshly. ‘It never was. Despite your machinations,’ he added darkly.
Leonie looked frowningly from mother to son, having no idea what on earth the two of them were talking about. But she also knew, from their stubbornly set faces as the two glared at each other—so alike in their obstinacy—that neither of them were going to enlighten her, either!
In those circumstances, this promised to be a less than relaxing evening!
CHAPTER 8
‘I ABSOLUTELY adore this hotel,’ Rachel confided in Leonie once they were seated in the restaurant. ‘It’s one of the few places where I choose not to eat in my hotel suite. For obvious reasons.’
Leonie was absolutely enchanted with the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel, too. Not only was it intimately arranged, the staff polite but not overly effusive, despite their obvious recognition of their celebrated guest, but the table the three of them sat at by the window had a magnificent view of the illuminated skyline of London.
Even having Luke seated beside her at the table couldn’t dull Leonie’s pleasure in her surroundings!
‘It’s wonderful,’ she agreed huskily.
‘I’m so pleased you like it.’ Rachel, sitting on Leonie’s other side, squeezed her arm warmly. ‘Of course, having a handsome man to escort us does rather add to the evening’s enjoyment,’ she added with a mischievous smile in her son’s direction.
‘I�
�m so glad I can be of use,’ Luke returned dryly, nodding dismissively to the waiter once he had poured their three glasses of pink champagne.
‘I always drink champagne,’ Rachel confided brightly as she sipped the bubbly liquid. ‘It invariably goes with any choice of food, and it doesn’t give you a hangover the next day,’ she added with satisfaction.
Ordinarily, Leonie knew, this being a Friday evening, she and Jeremy would probably have gone to a pizza or steak restaurant, and indulged in a bottle of not-too-expensive red wine. The way that Rachel liked to live—and consequently Luke, too—was the stuff films were made of.
But, Leonie decided after a couple of sips of the delicious champagne, it was a very nice way to spend an evening. And the food, when their first course arrived, was absolutely exquisite, in presentation as well as taste.
Whoa, Leonie, she instructed herself ruefully. Enjoyable though this might be, it wasn’t real life, certainly not her real life. And already Rachel was discussing the possibility of Leonie joining her here for lunch tomorrow!
‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible,’ she told the older woman apologetically. ‘I’m going to Devon for the rest of the weekend.’
‘With the boyfriend?’ Luke put in mildly.
But it was a deceptive mildness, Leonie noted as she turned to him frowningly, his eyes the palest of green, a sign Leonie had noticed in the past that indicated he was far from pleased. As if she cared whether Luke were pleased about her weekend arrangements or not!
‘No,’ Leonie answered abruptly, knowing that if the two of them had been alone she would have been much less polite. ‘It’s my parents’ wedding anniversary tomorrow, and my grandfather has arranged a small surprise party to celebrate.’
‘How wonderful!’ Rachel was the one to answer enthusiastically. ‘Have they been married long?’
‘Twenty-nine years,’ Leonie supplied, very aware of Luke listening intently to the conversation.
‘In that case, I should think they deserve a medal, not a surprise party!’ he rasped dryly.
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