Marrying the Runaway Bride

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘I’m sure I did, but it was a long time ago,’ she whispered.

  ‘Then I’d better refresh your memory.’ He ran a finger down her cheek, pausing when he came to the corner of her mouth, and she shivered in anticipation.

  ‘Sleeping Beauty was destined to remain in slumber until a prince came along and woke her with a kiss. I always thought that was a brilliant idea, didn’t you?’

  ‘It depends what the prince was like,’ Heather murmured.

  ‘You could be right.’ His finger moved a fraction more, just touching the dimple at the corner of her lips before it stopped again. ‘So what’s your idea of the perfect prince? Should he be dark or fair, tall or short, or what?’

  ‘I’m not sure.’ Heather pretended to consider the question, aware that every second they played this game simply heightened their anticipation as to the outcome. ‘I don’t think I have an ideal hero in mind, to be honest. Obviously, I’d prefer it if he wasn’t too ugly, and it would be good if he had all his own teeth, but I’m not too choosy apart from that.’

  ‘I see. So that means I could apply for the role? I mean, I have all my own teeth and people don’t usually faint in the street at the sight of me.’

  ‘I don’t see why not.’

  ‘In that case, let’s give it a go. You close your eyes and pretend to be asleep, and I’ll be the prince who wakes you up.’ He grinned at her, his green eyes filled with laughter and desire, a truly potent combination. ‘I think I should warn you, though, that it might take me a couple of tries before I get it right.’

  Heather laughed as she closed her eyes. She was still smiling when Archie kissed her but that didn’t matter a jot. Love and laughter went hand in hand when they were together, she had discovered. He was as good as his word, too. He kissed her several times and each kiss was even more glorious than the one before. By the time he raised his head, she was clinging to him.

  ‘I think you make the perfect prince.’

  ‘Thank you, kindly, my lady.’

  He rewarded her with another lingering kiss. Heather kissed him back, feeling closer to him at that moment than she’d ever felt to anyone else. He was her soul mate, the other half that made her whole. They made love with an intensity and passion that stunned them both. Heather knew that she had been given something so precious, so rare, that she would never find it again if she let it go. And it was that thought which made her do what she’d been afraid to do up till now.

  She looked deep into Archie’s eyes so there could be no mistake. ‘I love you, Archie. I know it’s too soon to tell you that but I really do.’

  He closed his eyes and she felt the shudder that passed through him. When he drew her to him, she clung to him. He hadn’t told her that he loved her, too, but sometimes words weren’t necessary. She knew how he felt, could feel it in every cell of her body. Archie did love her, too, and it was more than she could have dared hope for, far more than she had expected.

  Archie could feel the shock waves rippling around his body as he held Heather against his heart. She loved him—could it be true? He longed to believe it yet he was afraid that she might have misinterpreted her feelings. She had been through a tough time recently and it was easy to understand how she might have made a mistake. He’d been there when she’d needed someone to talk to, someone to help her heal, but it didn’t mean that she truly loved him. He couldn’t bear to think that in a few months’ time she would realise he wasn’t the man she wanted to spend her life with. He had been through that experience once before and he couldn’t go through it all over again.

  He gently set her away from him, his heart aching when he saw the question in her eyes. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but it would be wrong to put that kind of pressure on her. If, or rather when, she realised that she’d made a mistake, he didn’t want her feeling guilty about it.

  ‘I’m sure you believe it’s true, Heather, but think about it. It’s only a few months since you were planning on getting married.’

  ‘I know and, believe me, I’ve tried not to let it happen. But I know how I feel, Archie. Really I do.’

  ‘Do you? Are you sure it’s love you feel and not just gratitude because I happened to be around when you needed someone to talk to?’

  She shrank back as though he had struck her. ‘Is that what you think, that I can’t tell the difference between the two?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ He shrugged. He hated to hurt her this way. It was only the thought of how much worse it would be for both of them if he accepted her claim. ‘I think it’s very easy to confuse the two emotions at the moment. There’s no doubt that we get on extremely well together, Heather, but are you sure it’s love?’

  ‘Obviously not where you’re concerned, it isn’t.’ She tossed back the bedclothes and stood up. ‘I apologise if I’ve embarrassed you, Archie. That was the last thing I intended to do.’

  ‘You haven’t embarrassed me,’ he protested, but he could tell she wasn’t listening to him.

  He watched in silence as she scooped up her clothes and took them into the bathroom. He knew that he’d made a mess of things but what else could he have done? Accepted that she was in love with him, admitted that he was in love with her as well, then carried her off on his charger so they could live happily ever after? It was only in fairy stories that things like that happened!

  Heather turned on the shower then stood numbly staring at the water as it gushed into the tray. Archie didn’t believe that she was in love with him and the reason why he didn’t believe it was because he wasn’t in love with her. If he’d felt even a fraction of what she felt then he would have known in his heart that she was telling him the truth.

  A sob rose to her throat but she forced it down. She wouldn’t cry or make a scene. The only thing she had left to her now was her dignity and she needed it to help her through the next few minutes. She showered then dried herself off and dressed. There was no sign of Archie when she went back into the bedroom and she was glad about that. Having to talk to him here in this room where all her dreams had been shattered would have been too painful.

  She found him in the sitting room, sitting on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. There were deep lines etched on his face which told their own tale about how he was feeling, but she couldn’t afford to weaken. ‘I think it’s best if I went home now. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. I never intended to.’

  He rose to his feet, his green eyes filled with pain as he turned to her. ‘And I never meant to hurt you, Heather. That’s the last thing I wanted to happen, too.’

  ‘I know.’ She gave him a quick smile then hurried to the door, terrified that the fragile grip she had on her emotions might not last if she lingered. To know that she was responsible for the anguish in his eyes was more than she could bear.

  ‘I’ll drive you home.’ Archie grabbed his keys off the table and followed her, but Heather held up her hand.

  ‘No. I’ll get a taxi.’

  ‘There is no way that I’m letting you go home on your own when you’re upset,’ he said harshly, reaching around her to open the front door.

  Heather felt a rush of tears fill her eyes. ‘Please, don’t make this any more difficult than it already is.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I don’t mean to.’ He gave a low groan as he pulled her into his arms. ‘I’ve made such a mess of things. I never meant this to happen, Heather.’

  ‘I know,’ she said softly, then pushed him away because she couldn’t bear to have his arms around her now. Archie had made it clear that he didn’t love her and there was no point fooling herself into thinking that he did.

  ‘Don’t blame yourself, Archie. You’ve done nothing except try to help me and I shall always be grateful to you for that.’

  ‘I helped you because I wanted to, Heather,’ he said gruffly.

  ‘Which just goes to show what a kind and decent person you are.’

  ‘Am I indeed?’ He laughed harshly, his voice filled with pain. ‘That’s where
you’re wrong. I’m not some sort of hero. I’m a guy who makes mistakes that other people end up paying for.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ she said, her heart lurching when she saw the tortured expression on his face. ‘What kind of mistakes have you ever made, Archie?’

  ‘The worst kind.’ He leant back against the wall and closed his eyes. ‘I told you that my brother had died in an accident. What I didn’t tell you was that it was my fault.’

  He opened his eyes and looked at her. ‘I killed Duncan. I also killed my fiancée. Was that the act of a kind and decent man?’

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ARCHIE barely registered Heather’s gasp of shock. He had reached the point of emotional overload by then, his devastation about the pain he had caused Heather combining with the anguish he had lived with for all these months. He swung round and went back to the sitting room, staring around him with pain-dulled eyes. How many more lives was he going to ruin by his actions?

  ‘Sit down.’

  Heather’s voice was so gentle as she urged him towards the sofa that he felt a lump come to his throat. He didn’t deserve to be treated with such compassion after what he had done. He sank down on the sofa as the memories flowed through his mind. If only he and Duncan hadn’t argued, if only he’d gone after him and tried to stop him, if only…

  ‘Tell me what happened, Archie. To Duncan and y-your fiancée.’

  Heather’s voice caught on the last word and it was another reason to berate himself. He turned to her, hating himself even more when he saw how pale she looked, how shocked.

  ‘They were both killed in a car crash,’ he said simply.

  ‘Were you driving at the time? You said it was your fault…’ She trailed off and he sighed.

  ‘No. I wasn’t in the car. Duncan was driving. The police said that he overtook a lorry on a bend and then had to swerve to avoid an oncoming vehicle. His car hit a wall and he and Stephanie were both killed. There was nothing anyone could do for them.’

  ‘Then I don’t understand how it could have been your fault.’

  ‘Because Duncan and I had had a furious row and that’s why he took such a risk. He was always such a careful driver, but he was upset and angry, and that’s why the accident happened.’ He dropped his head into his hands. He had pictured the scene so many times that it was almost as though he had been there and seen it happen.

  ‘What had you been quarrelling about? It must have been something important if it caused your brother to act so out of character.’

  ‘Stephanie. We argued about Stephanie.’

  ‘I don’t understand. Did Duncan not like her?’

  ‘Oh, no. Just the opposite.’ He laughed bitterly. ‘Duncan and Stephanie drove down to London to tell me that they were in love. They were extremely apologetic, although I don’t know why. I mean, they couldn’t help it if they’d fallen for each other, could they?’

  ‘And you had no idea?’ Heather said slowly.

  ‘No. I was so wrapped up in my work that I never noticed what was happening.’ He shrugged. ‘It probably wouldn’t have mattered if I had. I don’t think it’s possible to stop two people falling in love, and even I have to admit that they were perfect for each other. It’s just a shame I didn’t realise it when they came to see me. If I’d done so they might not be dead.’

  ‘You can’t blame yourself! You were bound to be angry when you found out what had been going on.’

  ‘Maybe. But I didn’t need to tell them that I never wanted to see them again, did I?’ He stood up, too agitated to sit there while the memories that had haunted him filled his head once more. ‘The last thing I said to Duncan was that he could go to hell and he could take Stephanie with him. I got my wish, didn’t I?’

  ‘Stop it!’ Heather jumped to her feet. ‘People say all sorts of things when they’re angry. You didn’t will your brother to crash his car. It was an accident.’

  ‘Which wouldn’t have happened if Duncan hadn’t been upset.’ He shook his head. ‘There’s no getting away from that fact, Heather.’

  ‘Maybe not, but the accident happened because your brother drove when he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to do so. That was his decision, not yours. It was his decision as well to overtake on that bend.’

  She put her hand on his arm, hating to see him torturing himself this way. Pain lanced through her as she realised how terrible it must have been for him, having to deal with his grief as well as all this guilt. Not only had he lost his brother and the woman he’d loved, but he blamed himself for their deaths.

  ‘It wasn’t your fault, Archie,’ she repeated urgently. ‘None of it was your fault.’

  ‘I wish I could believe that.’

  ‘You have to try otherwise it will tear you apart. Promise me that you’ll think about what I’ve said.’

  ‘I shall.’

  Heather let her hand fall to her side. She wasn’t sure what else she could say to comfort him. Some hurts went too deep for mere words and this was one of them. Her heart contracted when she thought about how much he had lost that day. Losing his brother would have been a big enough blow but to lose his fiancée as well in such tragic circumstances would be more than anyone could cope with. Obviously, Archie had loved her very much. He was probably still in love with her, and the thought was like pushing a knife into an open wound. To know that Achie had loved the other woman and would never love her was too much to bear.

  ‘I’d better go. I’ll get a taxi outside—there’s bound to be one passing,’ she said quickly. ‘Take care of yourself, Archie, won’t you?’

  ‘And you.’

  He didn’t offer to drive her home this time. Maybe he realised it was best if they made a clean break. Heather let herself out of the flat and took the lift to the ground floor. The porter opened the door for her and offered to get her a taxi when he discovered that she didn’t have any transport but she refused. She would make her own way home without any assistance. It really was time that she stopped relying on other people. They had their own problems, some far bigger than hers.

  Tears filled her eyes as she made her way along the road. The thought of how Archie must have suffered was too painful. He might not believe that he was a decent man but he was wrong. Nothing he had told her had changed her opinion of him. Nothing ever would. He was the man she loved, even though he could never love her in return.

  Archie found to his surprise that he felt much better after he had told Heather about the accident. It was as though by talking about it he had helped to dispel some of the guilt he’d felt. Several times during that weekend he found himself wondering if he’d been wrong to blame himself when it had been Duncan’s actions that had led directly to the tragedy. Maybe it was time to accept that and move on.

  Although he seemed to be on the way to resolving that problem, he was very aware that the situation between him and Heather was extremely difficult. He knew that he had hurt her by refuting her claim that she loved him, but he was sure it had been the right thing to do. Nevertheless, it meant that he would have to be extra-careful when he was around her. It wouldn’t take very much to reveal his true feelings and he couldn’t afford to let that happen.

  He resolved to make life as easy as possible for them during their last days of working together. A replacement had been found for Mike and he seemed more than capable of doing the job. It meant that Archie could cut down the amount of hours he’d been working. There would be no more working late each evening and that meant he could avoid seeing Heather altogether. It would be a huge wrench, of course, but it was essential that he keep his distance.

  The plan was fine in theory but it didn’t work out in practice. He was just about to leave on Monday evening when he was called to A and E to see a five-year-old girl who’d been bitten by a neighbour’s dog. Although her injuries weren’t life-threatening, there was extensive tissue damage to her calf, plus some minor damage to her hand. A and E was bursting at the seams so Archie agreed to transfer her to the
paediatric unit until the plastics consultant could assess her injuries.

  His heart was beating up a storm as he accompanied the little girl and her mother to the ward. It was gone six and Heather would be on duty. He held the door open while the porter steered the trolley through, doing his best to tamp everything down to a more normal level. At this rate, he would have a heart attack when he saw her!

  ‘Bed six,’ Marion informed him briskly. She beckoned over a young woman who was hovering beside the kitchen door. ‘Ruth, can you help me with this patient, please?’

  Archie didn’t say anything as they transferred the little girl to the bed, although he couldn’t help wondering what was going on. As soon as they had finished, he drew Marion aside. ‘What’s happened to Heather? I thought she was due to work here until the end of the month.’

  ‘So did I.’ Marion sighed. ‘According to the agency, Heather phoned in sick today, although I’d take that with a pinch of salt if I were you.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Archie demanded.

  ‘I think it was just an excuse because Heather had had enough. I don’t blame her after what happened on Friday.’

  ‘What happened on Friday,’ he repeated blankly.

  ‘Emily and the abduction—remember?’ Marion chuckled. ‘You’re in a worse state than me if you’ve forgotten about it so soon!’

  ‘Oh, right. Of course.’

  Archie covered his lapse as best he could. He told Marion the plastics consultant was on his way and left. Normally, he would have waited for his colleague to arrive but he couldn’t bear to hang around. He went straight home and spent the night worrying about Heather. What if she really was sick and stuck in the flat on her own? Maybe he should go round there and check if she needed anything? On the other hand, if it had been an excuse, she probably wouldn’t want to see him.

  Thoughts tumbled around inside his head but there was no easy solution to the problem. In the end, he realised that he had to accept her decision, whatever the reason was behind it. The simple truth was she was better off without him.