Season of Shadows

by Yvonne Whittal

  'Wait!' a voice warned urgently after she had barely gone a few paces. 'Don't go any further!'

  Laura came to an abrupt halt and glanced over her shoulder, but there was no one there except the rain and the eerie darkness, and she shivered uncontrollably. Was she going mad? Could that warning voice have been her own conscience, or had she actually heard a strange woman's voice urging her not to go further? 'Ridiculous,' she told herself with a hysterical laugh.

  'Laura, for God's sake come away there,' Anton's voice warned urgently when she was about to go on. 'You're on the edge of an almost vertical cliff,' he added, making her aware of the danger ahead.

  The rain lashed her body while she stood frozen with indecision. Should she go on to whatever lay before her, or should she return to be taunted for loving unwisely?

  'I can't bear it!' she cried tiredly, her tears mingling with the rain on her face as she turned to glance at Anton's tall, dark frame where he stood motionless on the other side of the fence. 'I just can't bear it!' she repeated, swaying away from him.

  'Take it easy, Laura,' Anton said quickly in a voice that sounded oddly raw. 'If you go much further you—you'll kill yourself.'

  Kill yourself! Kill yourself! The words echoed through her tortured mind until she wanted to scream. 'You can't kill yourself,' the voice of her conscience warned unexpectedly. 'You can't take an innocent child with you to your grave because you're a coward. He deserves to grow inside you, and to live.'

  She shuddered as she came to her senses. She had gone a little crazy, but she had never been a coward and, silently, she walked towards the fence where Anton awaited her. He Lifted her over it without a word, but when she stood before him, shivering and wet to the skin, the full realisation of what she had contemplated struck her like a physical blow. 'Logical, sensible Laura,' her sister had always called her, and she groaned inwardly, 'Oh, Elizabeth, if only you could see me now!'

  She choked on a sob and, not caring what Anton thought of her, she flung herself against his equally wet body and clung to him while she wept unrestrainedly.

  His arms went about her at once, and he held her so tightly when her tears subsided that she began to think he had saved her from falling down the cliff only to crush her to death. She felt him shaking, just as she was shaking, while they stood there on the dark mountain with the rain pelting down on them, then he lifted her in his arms Like a child and carried her back to the house as he had done once before.

  'Take a hot bath, and get into bed,' he ordered abruptly when he had lowered her to her feet in their bedroom, and Laura obeyed meekly.

  She soaked herself for a considerable time before the chill left her body entirely, then she dried herself vigorously and did the same with her hair before she slipped into the pink, frilly nightdress which she had worn for the first time on their wedding night. Their wedding night! she thought tiredly as she climbed into bed and slipped beneath the warm blankets. An eternity seemed to have passed since that night when she had submitted to Anton in fear and had emerged ecstatic the morning after. An eternity, yet it was not quite four months ago.

  The door opened, interrupting her thoughts, and Anton walked in. He had changed, she noticed distractedly, into a pale green shirt and dark green suede pants which were fastened about his lean hips with an ostrich skin belt. Laura felt his eyes on her, but she could not look at him as he approached the bed, and not even when he sat down beside her to examine the scratches on her hands could she find the courage to raise her eyes to his. His thumbs moved lightly against her palms, sending a tingling sensation up her arms as she waited for him to speak, to demand once again that she should give him the name of the man she loved.

  'Oh, Anton, Anton, if only you knew—but I dare not tell you,' she sighed inwardly.

  His thumbs ceased their caressing movements as he gripped her hands tightly, and she looked up suddenly, straight into those steel-grey eyes. He looked white and drawn, and his eyes had a feverish look about them that disturbed her deeply. He opened his mouth to say something, but seemingly couldn't, and her concern changed to fear.

  Was it his freedom he was about to ask for? she wondered as she whispered hoarsely, 'What is it, Anton?'

  He continued to stare at her for nerve-racking seconds as if he had not heard, then he groaned from deep within his throat and gathered her into his arms, their hard strength crushing her against him with the same ferocity he had displayed up there on the mountain.

  Surprised and bewildered, she remained taut in his embrace as he buried his face against her throat, then, almost as if the words were torn from him by force, he muttered thickly, 'God, Laura, I love you!'

  It seemed as though the air in her lungs, which had survived the crushing pressure of his arms, had suddenly deserted her. This had to be part of a mad, crazy dream; a figment of her imagination which stemmed from the desperate need in her heart. It was too incredible to believe; too frighteningly wonderful to grasp, and yet he had uttered the words he had sworn sever to use. Could she believe it? Dared she?

  'Why aren't you laughing?' he groaned, and she could feel his warm breath against her throat as he spoke. 'Why aren't you laughing as you once threatened you would?'

  A great surge of joy swept through her, filling her eyes with tears, and making them glitter like blue sapphires as she placed a gentle hand on either side of his head and brought his face out into the open.

  'The laughter will come later, Anton,' she said unsteadily, looking up into his wary eyes. 'This is the terrifying moment of truth.'

  'What's so terrifying about the truth?'

  'I wanted to die rather than hear you laugh at me for admitting that it's you I love,' she said simply.

  He stared at her in solemn silence, his eyes probing hers with a burning intensity as she raised the shutters, then he was seeing down into the very depths of her soul.

  'Laura, Laura,' he muttered thickly, his fingers brushing her hair lightly from her flushed cheeks while his eyes devoured her. 'God knows I've never felt more humble than at this moment.'

  'It doesn't suit you to be humble, my proud, arrogant beloved,' she laughed softly through her tears. 'Just kiss me, and tell me again that you love me, and… Oh, Anton, hold me tight!'

  His arms were hard about her, threatening her ribs with extinction, but she did not care. He buried his lips in the silky fragrance of her hair, and trailed them across her throat and smooth cheek until he covered her eager, tremulous mouth with his own. He kissed her with a tender passion which stirred her more deeply than anything had ever done before, and her arms tightened about his neck while she lost herself in the wonder of that moment. But in every paradise there was a serpent to intrude on moments such as this, and she drew away from him.

  'What about Camilla?' she asked hesitantly.

  His mouth hardened into a thin line as he said: 'I think we've just about seen the last of her.'

  She did not pretend to understand as she asked, 'Was she to blame for the way you felt about women?'

  'Not entirely,' he smiled with the old familiar cynicism as he released her and lit a cigarette. 'The DeVere men have never been lucky in their choice of women. My grandfather used to say the DeVeres were cursed because of Friedrich acquiring his wealth, and Bellavista, by card-sharping people out of their money and possessions.'

  'But that's ridiculous!'

  'When you hear what I have to say you might not think so,' he frowned down at her, drawing hard on his cigarette. 'It started with Friedrich when Dora walked out on him.'

  'No one can swear to that, because no one knows for sure what happened to her.'

  'Then my great-grandmother was afflicted with insanity.'

  'She probably never was a mentally strong person, and Friedrich's death, following Dora's disappearance, merely tipped the scales for her,' Laura interrupted once again, but Anton continued as if she had not spoken.

  'My grandmother died when my father was born…'

  'That happened often in t
hose days when medical knowledge was still so limited.'

  '… and my mother ran out on my father and myself when I was five.'

  Laura's compassionate heart felt the pain that must have been his once, and her eyes filled with tears.

  'No clever repartee this time?' Anton demanded with that faintly mocking smile she knew so well, and, when she shook her head, his expression hardened. 'My father's bitterness washed over on to me, and, with my grandfather filling my mind with the family history, it was enough to put me off marriage for life.' He smoked his cigarette in angry silence for a time before he continued. 'As for Camilla, she came into my life at a time when, my father's health was waning, and he wanted to see me married despite everything he'd suffered. Camilla was persuasive, and I was on the verge of thinking marriage a good idea when my father died. He left behind a business which had become a liability rather than an asset, and Camilla retreated smartly when she heard the news, but Karl von Dissel became her willing victim.'

  'And your faith in women took a further plunge,' Laura added quietly.

  'Women are good for only one thing,' he said harshly putting out his cigarette and staring hard at her. 'Am I a fool to think I can trust you, Laura?'

  'If we can't trust each other, then there's no point in continuing with our marriage.'

  He raised her hand to his lips and she felt them burning against her palm. 'Do you trust me?'

  'I know I went a little crazy this evening, but yes…' She smiled tremulously. 'I would trust you with my life.'

  'My darling!' he sighed a little unsteadily, almost as if he had been holding his breath, then she was in his arms and they were kissing each other a little wildly until Anton lowered her back on to the pillows with a smile that softened his features in a way she had never seen before. 'Stay here,' he said. 'I'll make you something warm to drink.'

  'Anton…' she caught at his hand before he could get up, 'don't be long.'

  His lips brushed against hers, travelled across her cheek to her throat, and returned once more to her lips. 'I'll be as quick as I can.'

  Laura sighed contentedly as the door closed behind him, and smiled. There was so much they still had to talk about, and so much she still did not understand, but knowing that she was loved was of more importance than anything else.

  Her thoughts returned to that moment on the mountain when she had stood poised on the edge of the cliff. She had known that the fenced-off area was forbidden, but she had never known why. For a few mad moments she had considered death, yes, but she shuddered to think what would have happened if that voice had not warned her to stop. It had been so real, that voice in the rain, but it could not have been. In a flash of sanity she must have had a premonition of the danger lurking at her feet, and that voice could only have sprung from her own thoughts. It was a logical conclusion to reach, but it still troubled her.

  The sound of a car coming up the drive intruded into her thoughts, but she sat for some time listening to the rain beating against the windows before she got out of bed and pulled on her gown to go in search of Anton. Whom, or what, was keeping him so long? she wondered.

  She could distinguish the low murmur of his voice when she crossed the hall a few minutes later in her soft mules, but as she approached the living-room door the sound of a feminine voice made all her old fears return with a rush, and a coldness swept through her that made her freeze just inside the door.

  Camilla was raising her glass to her sensuous mouth, and she sipped carefully at her Martini before she smiled at Anton with a mixture of confidence and disbelief.

  'You surely don't expect me to take you seriously?'

  'I am serious, Camilla,' Anton said, his jaw hard and unrelenting. 'Find someone else to lean on.'

  'But, darling, you know how much I rely on you, and besides…' She put down her glass and placed a beautiful, slender hand on his arm as she added a little huskily, 'You know you love me, and always will.'

  'Love was never what I felt for you, Camilla, even though I once considered marrying you,' Anton stated with a ruthless honesty that drove some of the chill from Laura's heart as she watched him remove Camilla's hand from his arm. 'It took a woman like Laura to teach me the real meaning of the word.'

  There was a frightening little silence, then Camilla's laughter jarred Laura's nerves. 'Don't be silly, darling,' she said caustically. 'You can't possibly love that insipid creature.'

  'Laura could never be insipid even if she tried,' Anton corrected her harshly. 'She possesses a warmth and sincerity which is enviable, and in every other respect, Camilla, she's by far your superior.' He turned suddenly and saw Laura standing in the doorway. 'Come in, darling,' he smiled, holding out his hand to her. 'Countess von Dissel was just leaving.'

  With her confidence restored, Laura went quickly to his side, and she was thankful for that strong, possessive arm he placed about her waist when Camilla's dark, venomous eyes raked her from head to foot before she returned her attention to Anton.

  'You can't treat me like this and think you can get away with it!' she spat out the words.

  'Can't I?' Anton smiled derisively.

  'You know that when I sign those papers tomorrow Avron Enterprises will be mine and, with the von Dissel money behind it, I could ruin you.'

  'With my money behind it, you mean,' Anton corrected harshly. 'The necessary papers were signed this morning, and Avron Enterprises has now become a subsidiary company of DeVere Enterprises.'

  A shock of surprise rippled through Laura, but she was more concerned at that moment with Camilla, whose beautiful face went almost purple with rage.

  'You fiend!' Camilla shouted when she managed to find her voice. 'You knew I—'

  'Yes, I knew you wanted to buy the company, and I went along with your plans, making you believe that I was negotiating on your behalf while in actual fact I was doing so for myself.' A cynical smile curved his hard mouth. 'You wanted me to sign security for you until Karl's estate was wound up, and I agreed, but while you were congratulating yourself on your easy victory, I was having you investigated.'

  'How dare you have me investigated as though I were some sort of criminal!' Camilla shouted at him, but Anton continued as if she had not spoken.

  'I received a report yesterday, and I found it extremely interesting to discover that the bulk of Karl von Dissel's estate went to his children by his first marriage.'

  'Karl was a fool!'

  'You were a fool, Camilla, to think you could get away with it,' Anton contradicted icily. 'Or did you think I would merely pay up and smile if you could get me to divorce Laura and marry you before I found out the truth?'

  'Even if you hadn't married me I would have repaid every cent once the business was on its feet,' Camilla argued.

  'Really?' Anton smiled disdainfully. 'If you'd told me the truth at the start I might have considered assisting you in starting a business, but you lied to me, so what guarantee did I have that you would have repaid me?'

  Seeing Camilla with her composure shattered, Laura could almost feel sorry for her, but Camilla rallied swiftly. 'Surely you could have trusted me?' she demanded accusingly.

  'Trusted you?' Anton laughed scornfully. 'You married Karl for money and position. Now you have nothing except a meagre yearly allowance and a title which is of no value in this country, so find some other fool to give you the wealth you desire.'

  'You're no better than I am!' she shrieked, realising that she had lost, and the woman Laura had once thought beautiful became ugly as she shed completely her cloak of poised dignity. 'You tricked me right from the start!' she flung at Anton accusingly.

  'Yes,' he admitted. 'You see, Camilla, I was one jump ahead of you all the time, but now the time for playing games is over, and I sincerely hope our paths never cross in future.'

  'You're a fiend! A cruel, insensitive, hateful fiend!' Camilla's lips were drawn back against her teeth in a snarl of rage, her dark eyes shooting venomous darts as she turned on Laura and shouted, 'Y
ou're welcome to him, do you hear?'

  Laura flinched when she heard the front door slam behind Camilla moments later, and then she felt Anton shaking with silent laughter beside her. She stared up at him in stern, disapproving silence, but his infectious laughter, like a low rumble in his throat, finally made the corners of her mouth lift in a smile.

  'She's right, you know. You are a fiend,' she accused, turning into his arms. 'The nicest possible fiend, though.'

  'You're prejudiced,' he told her, tongue in cheek.

  'Naturally,' she admitted, drawing his head down to hers. 'I love you, remember?'

  Their lips met in a long, satisfying kiss that left her flushed and breathless, and with eyes glittering as if the stars had settled in them.

  'You should be upstairs in bed waiting like a good girl for your cocoa,' Anton admonished her lightly while his lips trailed tantalisingly from her cheek to her throat.

  'I know,' she whispered happily, 'but I heard a car coming up the drive, and when you stayed away so long I wondered if something was wrong.'

  'Laura…' His lips lingered for a moment where he could feel the rapid beat of her pulse at the base of her throat, then he raised his head and looked down at her with something close to remorse in his eyes. 'I must have hurt you very much at times with my reluctance to explain my motives for encouraging Camilla, but I would like you to know that, despite what the newspapers said, our meetings were purely business, and we were seldom alone, as those clever photographers tried to imply.'

  Laura winced inwardly at the memory of that evening when he had invited Camilla home for dinner, but she brushed it aside and smiled. 'We won't talk about it again.'

  'No, we won't talk about it again,' he said sternly. 'We'll talk instead about the child you're going to have, shall we?'

  Laura drew a sharp breath and stared up at him with a measure of uncertainty mirrored in her eyes. 'You know?'