An Old Enchantment (Harlequin Treasury 1990's)

by Amanda Browning

  ‘You’ve been avoiding me,’ an all-too-familiar voice murmured in her ear, and Maxi tensed instantly, cursing whatever fate had caused her guard to drop, before swinging round with a patently false smile.

  ‘Nonsense. There must be all of two hundred people here tonight, so it isn’t surprising our paths haven’t crossed,’ she denied coolly.

  Kerr looked sceptical, as well he might. ‘The reason they haven’t crossed, darling, is because whenever I’ve made a beeline for you you’ve hurried away,’ he accused, and she laughed.

  ‘I’m sorry if that peeves you, but I’m merely following my mother’s orders to circulate. Which reminds me...’ Sending him another smile, she went to walk away, only to feel his fingers circle her wrist like a manacle.

  Grey eyes narrowed angrily. ‘Try circulating with me for a while instead of trying to run rings around me,’ he commanded, and, when she was forced to subside, sent her a mocking look. ‘So, are you enjoying yourself?’

  ‘I was,’ she declared drily, smiling at an old friend who danced past. ‘You can let me go now. I promise not to run away.’

  ‘Perhaps I prefer to keep hold of you,’ Kerr argued, slowly running his thumb over the back of her wrist. ‘Hmm, you feel good, soft to the touch. It makes a man wonder if you’d be this soft and warm all over. Your pulse is racing. Now why is that, I wonder?’

  Racing? It was doing an all-out gallop! His touch and his words had sent heat coursing through her veins, and, though she hated herself for it, she hadn’t been able to stop her mind from seeing the erotic picture of his hands stroking over her flesh. Consequently her words had the sting of self-disgust as well as anger.

  ‘Loathing, pure and simple!’ she shot back scathingly.

  His laugh was a husky note that tripped her nerves. ‘Maxi, Maxi, you really shouldn’t tell such monumental lies,’ he taunted, bringing another wave of hot colour to her already stormy cheeks.

  She breathed in sharply. ‘The only monumental thing around here is your ego! What makes you think any self-respecting woman would be panting for you?’ she charged, and made the mistake of looking up into his fathomless grey eyes.

  ‘Darling, I wasn’t thinking of self-respecting women, I was thinking of you.’

  Maxi lost her breath and her colour in one go, the wound of his gibe going deep. She was quite literally shaking with anger. ‘For your information, Kerr Devereaux, my self-respect is one thing I’ve never lost.’ In fact, she had had to fight damn hard to keep it, when others had tried to grind her down. ‘So you’ll understand that I’m quite prepared to scream if you don’t let me go this instant.’

  There was a moment when he simply stared down into her flashing eyes, then his fingers were gone and he stepped back. ‘I believe you would, too, even if it meant spoiling your sister’s party.’

  ‘There are things I might put up with for Fliss, but not your insults. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do with my time,’ she retorted frostily, and pushed past him.

  In pure self-defence she slipped from the room, needing a few minutes’ quiet to regroup her ragged army of defences. Instinct sent her down the passage to the library, bolting inside like a rabbit into its hole. Leaning against the door, she sighed raggedly, angrily brushing away the one tear which had escaped. How dared he talk to her like that? She wasn’t dirt, and he was a swine even to suggest she was!

  ‘Getting too much for you, were they?’

  The dry comment, issued in her father’s mellifluous voice, made her jump. There was a click, and a reading lamp spread its mellow glow over the room. Sir John reclined in a high-backed wing chair.

  Maxi hastily pulled herself together. ‘So this is where you got to.’ She had caught sight of him escaping some time ago.

  ‘I’m afraid there’s only so much of my fellow man’s stupidity I can stomach at one go,’ he declared drily. ‘Come and sit down.’

  The invitation surprised her, but she didn’t hesitate to take the chair opposite him. She recalled how many a time she had sat in here with him when she was little, sitting quietly, knowing he would speak when he was ready. It had the comfort of familiarity.

  ‘Are you all right?’ There was concern in his voice, and on his face as she found him studying her closely.

  Automatically she smiled and shrugged dismissively. ‘Just a little tired. It’s very hot tonight.’ Glancing down at her fingers, her smile became self-conscious. ‘Actually I’m glad I found you, Father. While we’re on speaking terms, I wanted to say I’m sorry for the hurt I caused seven years ago.’

  ‘Sorry to have hurt, but not sorry to have caused it,’ her father enlarged thoughtfully. ‘You’re trying to tell me something now, even as you did then. I realise now I made the mistake of not listening. I ignored all I knew of you, judging with my pride, and not my heart or my head.’

  ‘Well, you never really forgave me for running away to become a model against your wishes, did you?’ Maxi put in wryly. That had been a bone of contention long before the scandal had erupted.

  Her father expelled his breath in a long sigh. ‘It shouldn’t have counted, but it did. I fashioned my own cross to bear, Maxine. Late though it is, I’m listening if you care to explain to me now,’ he ended gruffly.

  Which was all she had been waiting for. It wasn’t a long story, and there were details she chose to leave out. ‘I did try to tell you. It was always me Colin wanted, Father. I was his obsession. He used Fliss to get close to me. I tried to get her to see sense, even told her I thought he took drugs, but she was in love, and wouldn’t listen.’

  ‘Besides being very jealous of you. Your mother and I were aware of it. We thought she’d grow out of it in time.’

  Maxi decided to shrug that off. ‘It didn’t help. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I decided the only thing to do was take him away from her so pointedly that she wouldn’t want him back, and give her someone to hate.’ There was so much left unsaid, but what was the point of telling of Colin’s threats when they had come to nothing, or of his reputation, when that would only make her father fret that he had let her down. ‘I only knew I couldn’t let the marriage go ahead.’ There was no need to say there wouldn’t have been a marriage, either.

  ‘So you saved Felicity’s pride at the expense of your reputation. You had to love her very much to do that. I’m ashamed to think it was my own stubbornness which added to the hurt,’ Sir John confessed, then looked at his eldest daughter with a frown. ‘But if you didn’t love him, why did you marry him?’

  Maxi had long ago decided what answer she would give if she was ever asked. She licked her lips, never finding it easy to lie to her family. ‘He managed to persuade me that it would work, and I guess I was so angry when nobody would believe me that I thought it didn’t matter that I didn’t love him. When it didn’t work, I got a divorce.’ It sounded plausible, and there was no reason why anyone should disbelieve her after so long. Only a few people knew the truth of her marriage, and the memories she refused to resurrect. ‘It’s all water under the bridge.’

  After a pause, her father sighed, holding out his hand, and she rose fluidly to take it. ‘If you can forgive an old man, Maxine, it would make him very happy. It seems we’ve all made mistakes, but if you’ve managed to put yours behind you then perhaps I’ll forgive myself. Have you told your mother?’

  Feeling quite misty with tears, Maxi quickly bent and kissed his weathered cheek. ‘Of course I forgive you, and no, I haven’t told Mother. Perhaps you could, but I’d rather tell Fliss myself, if you don’t mind. When she’s more receptive.’

  ‘Of course, my dear. Now, off you go and join the party again before you’re missed.’ He shooed her away, only to halt her at the door. ‘And Maxine...welcome home.’

  Maxi hugged that belated greeting to her. With her father’s acceptance, a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Lighter of heart and spirit, she headed back to the party, and had no sooner walked in than Andy claimed her for a dance. In
high spirits, he flirted with her, and knowing it meant nothing, she teased him back. Until, over his shoulder, she caught sight of her sister’s mutinous face. The storm signals were well and truly out.

  She wisely refused a second dance, although she found herself getting more and more irritated with Fliss’s behaviour. She wasn’t short of partners after that; however, she was shortly to discover that ignoring threatening storm clouds was a dangerous thing. An hour or so later, while she was taking a breather with some old acquaintances, strong fingers suddenly clamped hold of her wrist. Glancing round, she fully expected to see Kerr, but found instead a far from cheerful Andy at her side. In fact he looked positively grim with anger.

  ‘Dance with me,’ he said abruptly, and Maxi had little choice but to acquiesce as he nearly dragged her away.

  ‘Andy? What on earth’s the matter?’ she queried, twisting her head to see if she could spot her sister, but for once Fliss was nowhere in sight.

  Seeing her actions, Andy uttered a hoarse laugh. ‘You won’t find her. We had a row and she flung off in a huff.’

  Maxi stared at him in consternation. ‘Oh, no!’ she exclaimed, with ready sympathy, then a far from welcome thought flashed through her mind and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. ‘Was it about me?’ she demanded tersely.

  His snort was eloquent. ‘Who else? You’re all she ever talks about these days! Can you believe it? First she accuses me of having an affair with you, and then, when I do manage to calm her down, she orders me not to dance with you, or even talk to you, to prove I’m not!’ he exclaimed in a furious undertone.

  Maxi closed her eyes, counted to ten and then forced herself not to give in to temptation and let fly. ‘Andy, you’ve got to go and find her this instant!’ she ordered swiftly, seeing the awful implications looming over her head.

  But Andy could be as bullish as his brother in some things. ‘No way. If I see her now, I’d strangle her. If she doesn’t trust me, then to hell with her!’

  Maxi ground her teeth in exasperation. Why was it that whenever Fliss had a fight it was herself who ended up bearing the brunt of it? OK, she could see he was hurt, but two wrongs had never made a right yet. Keeping a weather eye out for her own personal nemesis, she gave him a shake. ‘This isn’t the way, Andy, believe me. What you need to do is find Fliss, sit down and talk about it.’ Unfortunately it was like applying logic to a mule. And then the situation worsened rapidly when out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of her sister’s white face. ‘Andy! Stop this! Oh, you idiot, trying to make her jealous just won’t work!’

  Far from helping, matters suddenly went from worse to diabolical, for Andy had seen Fliss too, and instead of releasing Maxi, he chose to sweep her closer in a gesture of defiance that was like setting off a time bomb. That was when another factor entered the lists. All around eyes were watching them avidly, and the whispering was almost audible above the music. Maxi had a dreadful presentiment.

  ‘Andy, where were you when you argued?’ she gritted through her teeth.

  He laughed hollowly. ‘In the lounge. It caused quite a scene.’

  ‘Oh, God!’ Now she understood. It was almost exactly like before, only this time everyone would believe the worst without any foundation. She felt herself go white with anger. How could Andy have done this to her? How dared he use her? He might well be angry and upset, but that was no excuse, no excuse at all.

  There was so much strength in her attempt to pull away that Andy was startled into letting her go. Nor did she stop there, but gave him a resounding slap on his cheek before pushing her way through the now openly gawking crowd and out on to the terrace. She had no idea where she was going from there, but the owner of the steely fingers which clamped about her arm had no doubts, steering her purposefully over the grass towards the ghost-like structure of the summer-house. Only when she had been pushed inside was she released, and had she been in any doubt who she would see when she turned round the hairs on the back of her neck would have told her.

  Even in the gloom she recognised Kerr’s large figure blocking the exit. ‘Still protecting little brother, are we?’ she drawled nastily, so angry she had to take it out on someone.

  There was a strange note in his voice as it came to her across the wooden building. ‘I thought I was, but now I’m not sure what the hell was going on.’

  Her laugh held a disturbing note of hysteria. ‘You must be the only one who doesn’t!’

  ‘Then enlighten me,’ he invited grimly, pacing a step or two closer.

  Maxi held up her hand to keep him at bay. ‘Stay right where you are. Come any closer and I’m likely to kill you as well as your brother!’ she ranted murderously.

  ‘Very interesting, but I’m just as much in the dark as I ever was. Why don’t you start at the beginning?’ Kerr suggested, pressing her down into the nearest seat and holding her there firmly when she seemed inclined to rebel.

  Maxi shrugged him off as her temper began to subside. ‘I don’t know the beginning! All I could get out of Andy is that the pair of them had a row—over me, naturally—and the next thing I know, he’s using me to make her jealous!’

  ‘Ah!’

  ‘Don’t use that tone of voice with me!’ she shot back testily, and could almost see his eyebrows go up. ‘Your brother is a double-dealing rat!’

  ‘I’ll agree he isn’t functioning too well at the moment,’ Kerr agreed thoughtfully.

  Her navy eyes burned with dislike. ‘Now everyone thinks the worst, not just Fliss. That should make you ecstatic!’

  There was definite amusement in his tone of voice. ‘I’ll agree it was a fortuitous move. I couldn’t have planned it better.’

  ‘Don’t imagine you’ve won. Fliss saw me slap him!’ she countered.

  ‘Of course, but everyone knows a slap at the right time is more of a come-on than a deterrent.’

  Maxi winced, knowing he was right, and feeling his trap closing even more tightly around her. ‘I’m not getting involved with you, Kerr. I don’t like you,’ she bit out, although she felt powerless, because they both knew now she must agree in the end.

  ‘I don’t like you either, but I’m willing to put up with you for the sake of a good cause,’ he drawled sardonically, making her wince again.

  Abruptly she shot to her feet. ‘Don’t profess to anything so noble as caring! We both know why you’re doing this, and Fliss and Andy are just an excuse!’

  There was steel in his voice. ‘Don’t imagine I don’t care, because I do.’

  She gritted her teeth. ‘You’ve a grudge you want settled, and you’ve no compunction about killing two birds with one stone!’ Her hand slapped helplessly against her thigh. ‘Why now?’

  He came up behind her. ‘Because I made myself a promise, and I always make a point of keeping them.’

  Maxi kept her back to him, but she was so aware of him that her skin prickled. Knowing she had to keep him at a distance somehow, she used the only weapon she had. ‘I want you to know that although I’m forced into agreeing to this, I despise you.’

  His laugh rang with triumph. ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way.’

  God, how she hated him. ‘Don’t crow too soon. You know I’ll never be convincing.’

  At that two warm, strong hands moulded her shoulders. ‘Oh, but you will. You won’t even have to grit your teeth and bear it.’ His voice had dropped an octave, becoming low and husky, and his thumbs began describing lazy circles below her nape.

  Suddenly plunged into a maelstrom of sensation, Maxi closed her eyes in an effort to retain control, but that only made it worse. Her brain told her to move, but no part of her could obey. Her skin burned where he touched her, and her breathing was going haywire. Only once in her life before had she felt like this, longing to take one step back which would bring her up against his strong, solid flesh. Then, to her shame, she realised she had done that very thing, because when he spoke, there was satisfaction in his tone.

  ‘You see how easy it
is when you stop fighting yourself? This is all you have to do to make Fliss happy, and what makes Fliss happy makes Andy happy.’

  Her throat was tight with violent emotions. Unable to move, she felt as if she had betrayed herself. Had Trilby felt like this when Svengali put her under his spell? Had she felt torn, too? Wanting to go, wanting to stay. She groaned silently. She had come home to find peace of mind, not this torment of the senses.

  She could have wept for lost dreams. ‘And will this make you happy too? To have me dancing to your tune?’

  His lips brushed her ear, sending a shiver through the length of her. ‘As I’m paying the piper, yes. But never mind, darling, there’s still a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. When I think you’ve danced enough, you and I can wave goodbye and go our separate ways, never to meet again.’

  That moment couldn’t come soon enough for her, and she finally found the strength to step away, causing his hands to fall to his sides. ‘And if I fail?’ she queried, grateful that her voice sounded strong. Indeed, her thought processes were slowly returning to normal now that she had put some distance between them.

  Kerr came and stood beside her in the doorway. ‘You won’t, I’m sure. This isn’t the game you played when you took Ellis from Fliss. Then you made everyone believe you were hot for him, but with us there won’t be any need for pretence. You respond to me and we both know it. You’ll make it look convincing because you won’t be able to help yourself.’

  For a moment she didn’t speak, because she simply couldn’t. The truth of what he said chilled her to the bone. The potency of Kerr’s attraction dissolved her defences as if they didn’t exist. With his hands two points of warmth on her flesh, she had wanted him to touch her. Wanted him to kiss her the way he had that morning. That was why she was scared. Because he could tempt her along paths that must lead nowhere.