‘She ran out when I was putting out the rubbish bags. That Man,’ said Amber Edelstein, recovering her lifegiving disapproval, ‘takes his car out of the garage much too fast.’ She nodded at the millionaire’s house. ‘No consideration at all.’
She led the way into the communal garden, ignoring Katie’s sharply indrawn breath as the gravel under her bare feet made her wince. The cries of the little cat were now audible. Miss Edelstein pointed commandingly at a small shed. Katie sighed, tried to tie her tee shirt modestly below her thighs and, failing, thanked the Lord for the dark. A tee shirt, however baggy, was not ideal wear for mountaineering.
Nor was it easy. In the end Katie got onto the roof by dint of adventurous use of a water butt. The cat yelled. Miss Edelstein, prowling below, exhorted loudly. The modesty knot in her tee shirt untied itself. In a last desperate lunge, Katie hooked the squirming kitten and was rewarded by a healthy set of tramlines along the back of her hand.
‘Don’t hurt her,’ said Miss Edelstein warningly.
Katie curbed the retort that leaped to mind. Instead, she wriggled to the edge of the roof—which cost her a painful splinter—and passed the struggling animal down to its owner. Miss Edelstein took her immediately and tucked her into the bosom of her Indian jacket.
‘She’s trembling,’ she scolded.
The animal, Katie noted with indignation, had immediately snuggled down and appeared to go to sleep. Before she could point this out, however, Miss Edelstein disappeared into the shadows.
Which left Katie sprawled on an unfamiliar roof, in a garment which just skirted the edge of decency, quite alone. She was bruised and dizzy. Bleeding from her scratches, too. Muttering, she picked her way back to her own house.
To find the front door shut fast. There was a pregnant pause.
‘Oh, I don’t believe this,’ said Katie. It was a muted scream.
She put both hands on the door and pushed. It did not budge. She retreated, assessing her options.
The front of the house was covered in Virginia creeper. Katie surveyed it without enthusiasm. Even if she could climb it—and in the last few days she had done enough scrambling through branches to last her a lifetime—there was no guarantee that she could force her way in through the small landing window.
There was no help for it. She would have to thump on Miss Edelstein’s door and demand assistance. Maybe—Katie brightened at the thought—maybe Miss Edelstein even held a spare key to the Mackenzies’ house. She padded back to the gate, placing her bare feet wincingly.
And then she was pinned to the spot by a glare of advancing headlights. She had to put up a hand to shade her eyes against the dazzle.
‘Hell,’ said Katie explosively.
She made a rude face at the inconsiderate driver. The car swept into a circle as if it was making straight for her. She jumped aside, outraged.
‘Look where you’re going,’ yelled Katie.
To her consternation, the door to the garage of the millionaire’s house was rising in expensive silence. The car slid past her, almost brushing her bare legs. The engine was an insulting whisper.
In the darkness of the car, the driver was no more than a powerful shadow. But Katie knew who those shoulders belonged to. Her rage boiled over.
She ran into the garage after the car and thumped both fists on its roof. In the act of killing his lights, the driver shot round in his seat.
‘What do you think you’re doing, you moron?’ Katie shouted.
Crazily, she felt a surge of triumph. Getting locked out was entirely her own fault. But here, at least, was something she had every right to shout about. It was a relief. She drummed her hands on the roof in luxurious fury.
There was a flare of light as he opened the car door. It was as quickly shut off as he slammed it shut and raced round the car to her.
‘Stop that at once.’ His voice had the note of quick-fire command. Gardener, or security expert, or whatever he called himself, this was a man who was used to being obeyed. Who expected to be obeyed.
To her own surprise—and considerable chagrin—Katie obeyed him too. She stopped pounding on the roof and stood glaring at him. He grabbed hold of her wrists, swinging her round to face him, and glared back.
‘So it’s you. Now, why doesn’t that surprise me?’
The thin eyebrows were flying upwards in impatience. Yet, even annoyed, he was devastatingly attractive. And his touch was electric.
Shocked, Katie stood abruptly still. She swallowed. Her enemy did not let go of her. But his expression softened and he shook her gently.
‘What was that all about?’ he said, nodding at the maltreated car roof.
All of a sudden she was shivering. With a soft click, the garage’s automatic door began to lower like a portcullis. It left them in complete darkness. Katie shivered harder and did not answer.
‘Well?’ he said, less gently.
She dragged her wrists out of his grasp and retreated until she felt the wall at her back. He was a dark shape, tall and menacing and furious. But nothing like as furious as Katie. At least, if she worked at it.
‘You drove your car straight at me,’ she shouted.
He seemed taken aback.
‘What the hell are you talking about?’
She jabbed her head at the closed garage door. ‘Out there.’
‘You mean when you were dancing around on the pavement in a wet tee shirt?’
Katie could not see his expression but his voice was suddenly full of unholy amusement.
She yelled, ‘My tee shirt is not wet.’
‘Well, I’ll take your word for it, of course, but from where I was sitting. . .’
‘It got a bit crumpled. And dirty. And—and—’
‘And transparent in my headlights,’ he said ruthlessly. ‘In the circumstances I thought I avoided you very efficiently. ’
She stared at his dark figure with concentrated loathing.
‘So it’s my fault again, is it?’
‘You certainly seem to attract—er—disaster.’ Not just amusement now; lazy, sexy appreciation.
Katie was glad of the blanketing dark. Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire.
‘How I hate you,’ she said with feeling.
Her antagonist gave a short bark of laughter.
‘You’ll get over it.’
He made a move, reaching towards her. Instinctively, Katie pressed herself into the wall. But he did not touch her again. Instead he switched on the garage light behind her head. Katie blinked.
‘Now,’ he said, his tone cynical, ‘are you going to tell me why the wet—er, sorry, crumpled—tee shirt routine? Or am I supposed to get turned on by guessing?’
She was so angry she could barely speak. ‘How dare you? Are you out of your mind?’
‘Not yet,’ he mocked. ‘Though you seem to be working on it.’
‘Me? I’m not the one who tried to run you down.’
He waved that aside impatiently.
‘I didn’t expect to find a barefoot escapee from the beach littering the pavement at this time of night. What the hell were you doing out there?’
Glowering, Katie told him. When she had finished there was a pause. A long pause.
‘Don’t you dare laugh at me,’ she cried.
He was clearly entertained and not making much attempt to control it.
‘Laugh? Why should I laugh? I applaud your community spirit.’
‘Much good it’s done me,’ she muttered.
With the door shut, the garage was chilly. Katie rubbed her bare arms. His eyes narrowed.
‘You’re cold.’
She nodded miserably.
‘Then hadn’t you better go home and put some clothes on? If you’ve finished assaulting my car, of course.’
Katie bit her lip. ‘I can’t,’ she muttered.
‘Excuse me?’
‘I can’t.’
His look of disbelief was somehow so insulting that Katie flared up again.
‘The door must have slammed shut behind me,’ she spat. ‘I know it was stupid. All right?’
His eyebrows flew up so high they disappeared. ‘What?’
‘Locked,’ she said between her teeth, ‘out. As in—I can’t get back into my house. No key. See?’ She spread her hands out wide of her hips.
He allowed his eyes to drift over her slim figure. His gaze was lazily appreciative. His lips twitched. ‘I do indeed,’ he agreed courteously.
Katie was too angry to blush. Anyway, she was shivering in earnest now. And the splinter in her palm had started to throb. She sucked it, glowering.
His expression changed. ‘You’re bleeding.’ He took brisk charge. ‘You’d better come indoors while we think what to do about it.’
He took her arm and opened a door into the house. Katie was too chilly to argue. But she was not going to be led around like an idiot either. She shook him off and shouldered past him into the comparative warmth of the panelled hallway.
He looked amused. ‘Do come in.’
She sent him a look of dislike over her shoulder.
‘He’s got to be the meanest millionaire in the world,’ she said under her breath.
Her antagonist looked startled. He shut the door behind them.
‘I’m sorry?’
‘Your employer,’ she explained. ‘Won’t pay for proper help.’
There was the briefest pause. Then, ‘Ah,’ he said. His mouth twitched but his expression was bland. He came round her and led the way into the kitchen. ‘You could be right. Know a lot about employing domestic staff, do you?’
Katie followed. The kitchen was even more spectacular than the Mackenzies’, with what looked like a full-scale dining table in the middle of it. She chuckled suddenly.
‘As a matter of fact, I do,’ she said.
She enjoyed his surprise, even though it was quickly veiled.
‘I got myself through art college moonlighting for a domestic agency. I’ve chambermaided the best. And the worst. They were the ones who wanted the ritzy lifestyle on the cheap.’
He was intrigued. ‘And what makes you think my—er—employer is one of those?’
Katie looked all the way down her nose. ‘I’ve worked with professionals. You aren’t one.’
His eyes narrowed. Suddenly there was an edge to the smooth voice. ‘Perceptive of you.’
Katie nodded vigorously. ‘After a while you can just tell.’
She tried to stop shivering. It put her at a disadvantage. And with this man she could not afford to be anything less than totally strong. She could have done with a coffee but she would die before she suggested it. Instead she sidled up to the Aga in what she hoped was a casual manner and propped herself against its blessed warmth.
He surveyed her. ‘So what would a professional do in my place at this present moment?’ The edge was definitely still there.
Katie’s eyes slid away from his. Even if he offered her a coffee she would refuse, she decided.
‘I suppose he would help me back over the wall,’ she said without enthusiasm.
The narrow-eyed look disappeared. He laughed aloud. ‘Is that wise?’ He indicated her bare legs. ‘At least last time you were wearing shorts.’
For a moment Katie hated him as she had never hated anyone before. She would not accept a coffee from him if he begged, she vowed.
‘You haven’t got a spare set of the Mackenzies’ keys?’
She did not have much hope. She was not surprised when he shook his head.
‘Do you know anyone in the street who does?’
He shrugged. ‘Didn’t Lisa Harding tell you when she took you on?’
Katie bit her lip. ‘Neither of us thought of it.’
‘Then you’ll have to call her now.’
He did not have her telephone number but Katie remembered most of the address and he mined his memory for the rest of it. Directory Enquiries came up with the number. Lisa, however, was not answering.
‘It’s a machine,’ Katie said, turning a dismayed face towards him.
He took the telephone out of her hand and spoke crisply. ‘This is a message from Katie Marriott. She is locked out. So who are the emergency key-holders, please? She will be on this number when you return.’ And he ended with his own telephone number.
‘Oh, that’s just great,’ said Katie. She was shaken but was not admitting it. ‘Now I’ll have to stay here till she calls back.’
He shrugged.
‘But she might not be back for ages.’
‘Then you’ll have to make yourself comfortable and dig in for a long wait.’
‘She might be out all night.’
He smiled. There was something about that smile. It made her feel as if she had done something to be ashamed of. For no reason, of course—as she told herself.
‘I can’t stay here all night.’ To her fury, her voice jumped all over the place.
‘I don’t see why not.’
His voice was cool but his eyes were not. Katie was suddenly and uncomfortably conscious that under the old and threadbare tee shirt she was wearing nothing at all. And that he knew it She hugged her arms across her chest and lifted her chin defiantly. His smile deepened.
But he said, gravely enough, ‘There are plenty of spare rooms, if that’s what you’re worried about’
She denied it Even to her own ears it did not sound very convincing. He strolled over to her.
‘Remember, my dear, it was you who got us into this situation. Not I. All I’m doing is trying to help.’
And that, thought Katie with irony, did not sound convincing at all. She was not going to let it go unchallenged, either.
‘Why?’ she demanded.
He looked as if he was going to laugh out loud.
‘Well, there could be a number of reasons. Perhaps I wanted to make you eat your words.’
She stared. ‘What words?’
He was watching her like a hawk, a ghost of a smile curling the corner of his mouth.
‘“I don’t want any help from you. Not now. Not ever,”’ he quoted softly.
For a moment she did not understand him. Then she remembered. She flushed wildly.
‘Oh.’
He relented. ‘Anyway, isn’t that what gentlemen are supposed to do? Take care of the weaker vessel?’
She felt horridly off balance. She did not understand him. The moment she thought she had his measure he disconcerted her again. And all with that sexy challenge that set her on edge and kept her there. She had to fight back. She had to.
‘I am not,’ said Katie between her teeth, ‘a weaker vessel.’
‘Now there we would probably agree,’ he said cordially, disconcerting her again. For a moment he sounded almost as if he disliked her. ‘But you see, I still have this terrible handicap.’
‘Handicap?’ she choked.
‘Chivalry,’ he explained. ‘You cannot imagine what a nuisance it is in this age of combative women.’
‘I am not—’ began Katie hotly, and fell silent as she realised how untrue her denial would be. Yet it was only this terrible man who made her feel as if she wanted to go to war.
She pushed her hair back and glowered.
He smiled. ‘Think about it. If you were a man I would undoubtedly turn you out into the night and tell you to make your own way back into your house.’
He touched her cheek briefly. Katie froze.
‘But who could do that to a shivering girl?’ His voice was velvet. Poisoned velvet.
She said at random, ‘Didn’t somebody murder someone once by wrapping them in poisoned velvet?’
This time it was her turn to disconcert him. ‘I think you must mean Medea,’ he said after a moment, a laugh in his voice. ‘She gave her rival a poisoned cloak. Material unspecified, from what I recall. Why?’
Katie swallowed. She could not drag her eyes away from that handsome, cynical face. ‘Oh, it seemed relevant for a moment.’
Something leaped into h
is eyes. She had the oddest feeling he was reading her mind. She backed away from him. Suddenly she could not bear this sparring any more.
‘What are you going to do with me?’ she demanded breathlessly.
There was a small, charged silence. Then he gave a soft laugh. For all she was pressed up against the Aga, it started Katie shivering uncontrollably again.
‘Oh, I will do what is expected of me. Leap to your defence. Offer you shelter. Protection. The whole thing.’
This time his fingers lingered on her cheek, traced the taut outline of her jaw, cupped her tender nape. He was smiling but his eyes smouldered.
Katie wanted to turn her head away. Failing that, she wanted to shut her eyes, to break that mesmerising contact. She could not.
‘Oh, yes,’ he said quietly. ‘Every damned thing.’
CHAPTER SIX
KATIE got to work so early that she had to rout out the janitor to let her in. She went straight to the studio.
She set out the lower fifth’s project meticulously. Then she sat down and looked over the register record cards. At least that was what she would have said she was doing. But there was a blind look in her eyes which did not suggest she was taking much in. And she did not move, even when the bell went for morning assembly.
If only she had closed the door on Miss Edelstein. If only she had not allowed herself to talk to him like that, as if he were a friend. If only she had not gone upstairs with him.
In the distance the school sang ‘Love divine, all loves excelling’. Katie shuddered. ‘Love’ was not a word she had even permitted to cross her mind. But now, thanks to the music master’s limited repertoire, the damage was done. She did not know whether to laugh or cry.
There was an exuberant surge of laughter from the corridor. Assembly must have finished. Katie bit her lip. For a brief second all she wanted was to be back in his arms again. She wanted to kiss and be kissed, wildly.
She swallowed. There are few things lonelier than listening to other people going about their daily business, Katie reminded herself. It did not mean she was in love with a stranger. That would be nonsense.
She had never been in love in her life. When Mike had flinched and turned away from her she had been hurt, but not to the core, not mortally. Yet last night there had been a moment when—
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