Burning Inheritance

by Anne Mather

  Isabel gazed at him helplessly. 'Does Chris know?'

  'About his father? Or about his father's will?'

  'Well—both, I suppose.'

  'Yes. He does now.'

  'And?'

  'Well, to begin with, he was pretty shattered; on both counts. Lately—well, lately, he's accepted it, I guess. In any event, he's considering moving perma­nently to the States. Apart from the unfortunate experience I mentioned, he likes it over there. He has friends in California, as well as enemies. He'll make out.'

  Isabel's eyes were round. 'And the blackmailer? Did you have to pay the money?'

  Alex's lips twisted. 'My uncle would have, I think. I contacted the police instead. They're pretty clued-in to cases like that. It was all sorted out with the minimum amount of publicity. He was a pretty amateur blackmailer.'

  Isabel bit her lip. 'So that—that was why you couldn't contact me?'

  'That was why.' Alex looked at her steadily. 'I knew you'd think I was all kinds of a heel, but what could I do? Until I got back to England, it was impossible. I just consoled myself with the thought that we had the rest of our lives ahead of us. Then, when I got back, you'd disappeared.'

  'Oh, Alex

  'And that bastard of a photographer wouldn't tell me where you were. Even today, he screwed me to get your address.'

  'Screwed you?' Isabel blinked. 'I don't understand. What were you doing in Spalding anyway?'

  'Would you believe—looking for you?'

  'But------'

  'Look, I've rung your apartment a hundred times, and I knew that creep was still seeing you. So------I had him followed. My contact said he'd lost him somewhere in Spalding yesterday. I drove up this morning and trailed round every estate agency in the town, showing them your picture. I was sure someone must remember you. You're not exactly unknown, you know.'

  'I am here,' said Isabel ruefully. 'But when did you see Jason?'

  'About two hours ago. He was coming out of an hotel with a suitcase. I cornered him, and he made up some story about checking out a location for a shoot. I think he realised I was likely to shoot him if he didn't tell me where you were. Anyway, after an argument, I agreed to let him submit terms for the spring catalogue at Denby Textiles, on condition he gave me your address. And here I am.'

  Isabel caught her breath. 'He was interested in that catalogue, as soon as he found out we were—related,' she exclaimed, and Alex pulled a wry face.

  'So? What the hell! It was a small price to pay to find you. Just tell me that you wanted me to find you, and I'll consider it all worthwhile.'

  Isabel quivered. 'Oh, Alex,' she breathed, leaning towards him and sliding her arms over his shoulders. 'I wanted you—so much!'

  He moved then, subsiding on to the sofa beside her and pulling her hungrily into his arms. 'And I've wanted you,' he muttered, his mouth finding hers. 'I feel as if I've been serving a sentence, and you've just given me my freedom . . . '

  It was some time before they spoke again, but when Alex aroused himself sufficiently to stir the logs to flame, Isabel smiled.

  'I hope Mr Baynes doesn't come to call this evening,' she murmured, stroking caressing fingers down his spine. 'You're not exactly dressed to meet my neigh­bours, are you, darling? And I have the feeling he might not approve of what we've just been doing.'

  Alex turned from the fire to look down at her. 'Who the hell is Mr Baynes?' he demanded, and her tongue appeared provocatively at his obvious impatience.

  'Just the Vicar,' she said, too content to prolong her teasing. 'He's been quite a good friend to me, although I'm sure he thinks I'm in hiding.'

  'You were,' Alex reminded her harshly, bending to caress her ear with his lips. 'My God, when I came home from South America, and discovered you'd disappeared, I nearly went out of my mind.'

  'Did you?' Isabel looked at him as he lifted his head, sliding her fingers over his nape. 'But that night we drove back from Nazeby, you couldn't wait to get away.'

  Alex groaned. 'That night we drove back from Nazeby, I was too consumed by what had happened. I couldn't believe I'd been fooled for so long, and if I seemed remote, you have to remember, you'd thrown all my schemes for us aside.'

  Isabel frowned. 'How?'

  'Oh------' Alex sighed. 'After fighting my emotions for you for over six years, I'd finally decided to tell you how I felt about you. I was being magnanimous, you see. I'd managed to convince myself that my earlier resentment of your relationship with Chris had been justified by your affair with Palmer, but that whatever had happened in the past, we might still have a future together. I needed that justification, don't you see? Without it, I couldn't entirely banish the thought that I had wasted six years; that if I'd been honest about my feelings right from the start, you might never have married Chris.'

  'Oh, Alex!'

  'I know.' His hand curved possessively round her cheek. 'I've been a fool. I know that now. But that night I still needed a scapegoat, and Uncle Robert was it.'

  Isabel's lids veiled her eyes. 'He—he knew.'

  'I know that, too. Believe me, he didn't come off lightly. As soon as he was able to speak to me, I confronted him with it, and he had to admit that you had begged him to have the marriage annulled.'

  Isabel trembled. 'He hates me. He always did.'

  'Hated,' Alex amended roughly. 'He hated you. Right now, he doesn't hate anybody, and if I turned up tomorrow with you as my wife, he'd welcome you with open arms.'

  'I doubt that.' Isabel blinked suddenly, and looked up at him. 'Wh—what did you say?'

  Alex's lips curved. 'I said, if I turned up with you tomorrow, he'd welcome you with open arms.'

  Isabel looked puzzled. 'But I thought------' She licked her lips. 'Well, we'll have to see, won't we?'

  Alex's laugh was teasing. 'Does that mean there's a doubt that you'll marry me?' he queried, and her eyes widened.

  'Then—you did say------!'

  '—that if I introduced you as my wife, my uncle wouldn't object?' He grinned. 'I may have done. Well? Do you want me to kneel?'

  Isabel's arms imprisoned him on top of her. 'That won't be necessary,' she said huskily. 'Oh, Alex, I do love you!'

  'Is that a yes or a no?' he murmured against her lips, and she hugged him closer.

  'It's a yes,' she breathed unsteadily. 'Except—except there is one other thing . . . '

  'I know.' Alex drew back to look down at her, and a faint colour invaded her cheeks.

  'You know?'

  Alex inclined his head. 'You're worried about me becoming chairman of Denby Industries,' he said softly. 'But nothing's definite yet. I told you. I don't know what to do about that. I wanted to talk to you about it, and we'll have plenty of time for that. If you don't want me to have anything to do with it------'

  'That's not it.' Isabel broke into his words, expelling her breath on a long sigh. 'That is—well, whether you become chairman of Denby Industries is important, of course, but—there is something else.'

  Alex frowned now. 'What else?' He hesitated. 'I've told you, Chris is leaving England------'

  'It's not Chris.'

  He shook his head. 'Then I don't know------' Helooked puzzled. 'Unless you mean your shares. You can keep them------'

  Isabel shook her head, 'Oh, Alex, it's not the shares. You can have them back, if you want. I'd already decided to offer them to you.'

  'Then, if it's not the company—and it's not Chris—and it's not the shares------' Alex gazed at her uncomprehendingly. 'You're not—ill, or anything. You're not hiding out here, because you thought I wouldn't want you if I knew? Darling, if that's what it is, we can find specialists------'

  'I'm not ill.' Isabel allowed herself a broken laugh now. 'Let me tell you! I—I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby.'

  'A baby!' Alex stared at her now, then his eyes dropped lower, over the rosy fullness of her breasts to the faintly discernible swell of her abdomen. 'Oh, God! A baby! So that's why you hid yourself away up here!'

 
Isabel nodded. 'It was part of the reason, yes.'

  'And the other part?' He was intent.

  'You know the other part. Because I loved you, and I couldn't bear to go on seeing you, thinking you didn't love me.'

  Alex's eyes darkened. 'Were you going to tell me?'

  Isabel shook her head. 'I was afraid you might not have believed it was yours.'

  Alex groaned. 'Oh, love—love!' He buried his face in the loosened glory of her hair. 'I believe it. I just can't believe I've wasted so many years.'

  'Well—perhaps we shouldn't waste any more,' she ventured gently, spreading her palms over the smooth, brown skin of his shoulders, and he agreed.

  'Do you think this Mr Baynes of yours would marry us?' he asked, his voice huskily teasing. 'As a newly pregnant father, I'd like you to make an honest man of me as soon as possible!'

  Isabel smiled. 'You know, I wonder if Vinnie had any of this in mind when she left me those shares,' she tendered thoughtfully, and Alex drew her closer.

  'You know,' he said wryly, 'you could be right. I always thought the old lady was more perceptive than the rest of us.'