‘Hey, that’s not fair,’ she giggled, trying to wriggle out of his grasp.
‘Too bad.’ He placed her down so that her feet touched the sand and turned her to face him. Paige lifted her chin to try and kiss him, but Seb smiled. ‘Not yet, I want to show you inside first.’ He took her hand. ‘Careful now, it can be slippery.’
He bent so that he didn’t hit his head and led her into the damp, shadowy darkness marvelling at the reflections of light bouncing off the wet sides of the granite.
‘The water’s cool in these rock pools,’ she whispered.
‘They can’t get warmed by the sun in here. Watch your step.’
‘How far are we going in?’ Her voice wavered a little when she slipped.
Sebastian put an arm round her waist until she regained her balance. ‘It’s not quite the same as the grotto in Capri, is it?’
‘No, but it’s very lovely, and it’s at the bottom of your garden.’
They rounded a bend. ‘Wow,’ Paige sighed as a shaft of light piercing through a crack in the rocks above enveloped them.
‘Did you ever camp here when you were small?’
Seb thought back to the many times he’d asked his uncle if he could do just that. ‘No, it was too dangerous. The tide rises up to the edge of the rocks twice a day, but occasionally we were allowed to camp at the edge of the woods.’
‘So, what do you think?’
Paige sighed and hugged him tightly. ‘I love it. I can’t believe you’re lucky enough to have had this beach all to yourselves when you were growing up. Most of us have to find a free spot on St Brelades Beach, if we’re lucky.’
‘It was only when we stayed with my uncle in the holidays,’ he explained. ‘And when the tide is very low you can get here from one of the nearby beaches, but most of the time it’s cut off from everywhere else.’
‘Thank you for bringing me down to see this slice of heaven.’
‘I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it,’ he said delighted that she’d love this place so much. Hopefully we’ll have more mornings like these.’
‘I hope so,’ she said.
As Paige waved goodbye to Seb from her doorstep, she couldn’t help thinking how different he looked dressed in a faded AC/DC T-shirt and ancient jeans.
‘He looks almost like an ordinary person, younger and not so fierce,’ Clem said, from behind her.
Paige agreed with her, but said nothing, following her sister into the cottage.
‘So, what did you do this morning?’ Clem asked, stroking her bump and flinching. ‘Kicks like a ruddy mule.’
‘Maybe it is a boy then?’
‘Don’t change the subject. In fact, I’m still a little stunned at how tasty Sebastian looked in his chill-out gear.’
Paige rolled her eyes, secretly thinking the same thing.
‘Tell me everything. Come on, spill.’
‘He made me a fantastic fry-up and then we went for a long walk through his woods and down to the beach. Then he brought me home.’
‘And?’
‘And, nothing, so stop bugging me.’
‘Stop being so defensive,’ Clem giggled. ‘You’re always like that when you’re feeling guilty.’ She raised an eyebrow and leant closer to her sister. ‘So, how was it?’
Paige groaned. ‘How was what?’
Clem ruffled Paige’s hair. ‘I’m talking about your night with that impossibly gorgeous man, what else?’
‘None of your business.’ Paige never understood her sister’s penchant for discussing all aspects of her relationships with others.
‘I know you were speaking about me just then, so don’t stop,’ Olly said from the hallway.
‘Strange as it may seem,’ Clem laughed, her face turning a delicate shade of pink. ‘We were discussing Sebastian.’
Paige couldn’t miss the subtle change in the atmosphere between her sister and Olly, and watched in silence as he stepped up behind Clem, wrapping his arms around her waist. He winked at her over Clemmie’s shoulder at her.
‘Hello, sweet thing, and before you start with your denials, we both know where you’ve been all night. So don’t bother denying it.’
‘Hang on a sec,’ Paige said, frowning in confusion. ‘Did I just miss something?’ She looked from one to the other. ‘I don’t suppose I need to cook a special supper for you now, do I?’ she asked, smiling as she went upstairs to her bedroom to change.
‘Not for the reasons you were originally going to,’ Olly shouted after her. ‘But you did invite us, so we’re still expecting to be fed.’
‘We’ll tell you everything then,’ Clem said.
Paige turned to look down at them, smiling.
‘Not everything,’ Olly argued, before Clem silenced him with a pinch on his waist.
They finished eating and Paige put her fork down. ‘Right, what happened between you last night?’
Clem nodded. ‘Dad phoned just after I arrived at home. He’d seen the accident at the racetrack on the news and spotted you in the crowd being filmed getting into Sebastian’s car. He was furious and wanted to know what the hell was going on.’
Paige sighed. ‘I’ll bet he did. Go on.’
‘He must have been in a particularly grumpy mood because when Olly arrived, I let him in and Dad demanded to talk to him.’
Paige pulled a face at Olly. ‘He gave you the third degree, I suppose?’
‘Could say that. He told me how unimpressed he was that his daughter had seen fit to give up university to have a baby. He told me she was far too young to become a mother, and said how he could throttle me for being so irresponsible.’ Olly waved his fork in the air. ‘It’s not as if there was only one of us there at the time of conception.’
‘Carry on,’ Paige said.
‘He told me that he expects me to step up and do the right thing. I tried to explain that I’d be only too happy to do so, but he interrupted me and said that I should be a man and not let Clem brush me off so easily.’
‘Bloody hell.’ Paige glanced at Clem, who was making a point of concentrating on her supper. ‘So what did you say next?’
‘I told him I’d speak with her and we’d sort it out somehow.’
‘Was he happy with that?’ Paige knew the answer before he had time to tell her.
Olly rolled his eyes. ‘He told us, we had one hour to talk things through and if we hadn’t come to any satisfactory conclusion in that time, he would come round here and make the decision for us.’
Clem slammed down her fork. ‘Honestly, Paige, who does he think he is? We’re two grown people, not a couple of kids.’
Paige shrugged. She understood how indignant her sister must feel, but knew it was only her father’s way of looking out for her. ‘Maybe, but you’re still his daughter, still a student in fact, and he feels it’s up to him to make sure Olly does the right thing.’
‘I’ve been trying to do that all along,’ argued Olly.
‘I know, babe,’ Clem smiled at him, then turning her attention back to Paige, she added. ‘So we’ve decided that I’ll stay in Jersey and have the baby, then in a few years, if I still want to carry on with my degree, I can go back as a mature student.’
‘Sounds OK to me,’ Paige narrowed her eyes. ‘I can hear a “but” in there somewhere.’
Clem pursed her lips. ‘We were hoping you’d let me stay here.’
‘With a baby?’
‘Er, yes, of course with a baby.’
Paige groaned. ‘Can I think about it for a bit?’ She hated the thought of sharing her cottage for any longer than was necessary, but didn’t have the heart to cause them any additional problems until she could think of some way round their living arrangements.
‘Please, Paige,’ Clem pursed her lips theatrically.
‘I said I’ll think about it, and I will,’ she said, wondering why her life seemed to be one dilemma after another.
Chapter Thirty-two
‘I know her from somewhere,’ whispered Clem out of
the corner of her mouth, as she edged closer to Paige a few days later.
Paige stopped sketching to look up. ‘Me too,’ Paige said, inwardly cringing as Lucinda strode purposefully down the narrow pavement towards the shop.
‘Blimey, she looks like she’s on some sort of mission.’ Clem went forward to greet the customer.
Paige wasn’t surprised. She put down her pencil.
‘Good morning,’ Lucinda said a false smile on her face as she looked down her nose at Paige. ‘We’ve met before.’ It was a statement, rather than a question.
‘May I help you?’ offered Clem.
‘I want a pair of knee-high, black patent leather boots,’ Lucinda said, her vowels clipped and tone icy.
‘Have we met?’ Paige asked, not giving Lucinda the satisfaction of thinking she remembered her. She turned to address Clem. ‘Why don’t you fetch the new designs? Most of them arrived this morning. I think we could have exactly what this lady is looking for.’
‘Of course,’ Clem said, unable to take her eyes off the vision in front of her. ‘I won’t be a moment.’ She raised her eyebrows as she disappeared into the back room.
Paige turned to face Lucinda with a fixed smile on her face.
‘So, you do remember me,’ she said, a smug look on her face. ‘I wondered if you would.’
Paige shrugged. ‘You were at the races the other evening.’
‘Yes, with Sebastian,’ she said territorially. ‘It turned out to be a bit of a drama in the end, of course. Stupid bloody jockey could have had Sebastian killed pulling a stunt like that.’
Paige tried to live by the premise that the customer was always right, but in this instance, she couldn’t stop from disagreeing with what she’d just heard. ‘I doubt he fell off his horse on purpose.’ Paige stifled a further retort, when Lucinda waved a manicured hand in front of her face.
‘Maybe not, but still, if he can’t ride properly, he shouldn’t take part in something so dangerous.’ She stepped forward, extending her hand to Paige. ‘Anyway, enough of that nonsense, I’m Lucinda Barrow-Hughes,’ she said not taking her eyes of Paige for a second.
Paige took the proffered hand and shook it briefly. ‘Paige Bingham,’ she said, not quite sure why they were being so formal.
‘I thought I’d come and introduce myself to you, especially since Sebastian seemed so reluctant to be the gentleman and do it himself the other night.’
‘OK,’ Paige said, still a little baffled. Lucinda obviously wasn’t aware that she and Sebastian had spent the night together. Paige was unsure where the conversation was leading and waited for her to continue.
‘I thought it only right that we meet properly.’
‘You do?’ Paige didn’t care how she went about it, but hoped Lucinda didn’t end up buying any of her designs before leaving. She knew that seeing them being worn by that spiteful woman would leave a sour taste in her mouth.
‘Yes.’ She put her hand down into her large handbag and pulled out a newspaper. ‘I don’t usually buy this tat, but had to make an exception when I saw this earlier today. She held up the paper, so that Paige could get a clear view of the headlines. ‘Now, I don’t know what you’re thinking when you read this, but I have a feeling you’re under the misapprehension that you’re a little more important to Sebastian than you actually are.’
Paige stared at the letters emblazoned across the page. ‘A Jersey Affair?’ For a few seconds Lucinda’s voice seemed muted. Paige stared at the picture of Sebastian’s mouth close to hers. It had been by the enclosure when he’d lowered his voice to whisper something to her. Her heart pounded at the realisation that she was now public news. She covered her open mouth with one hand, and looked across at Lucinda’s face, her mouth still moving.
She read the beginning of the article. ‘Who is the mysterious woman seen here kissing Sebastian Fielding, and what family secrets is she hiding? We’ve discovered some of them, but if there’s anything you can share about this Jersey Affair please email …’
‘And I’m sure you’re aware, that as his fiancée, this is a little humiliating for both of us.’
Stunned at her words, Paige stared blankly at her. ‘I’m sorry, what did you just say?’
‘You heard.’ She drew back her full red lips to display two rows of blindingly white teeth. Then, as if bored with the effect she had on Paige, threw her head back and laughed. ‘Well, ex-fiancée, if you want to quibble about details,’ she corrected herself with a slight shrug of her shoulders, as if her blatant lie was a mere trifle. ‘If I’m being perfectly honest, that is, but I think it’s only fair to let you know that I intend rectifying that tiny discrepancy in the very near future.’ She folded the paper and slotted it back into her bag.
Lucinda examined her immaculate manicure briefly, looking thoroughly satisfied with the reaction she’d caused. ‘Now, you want to take advice from someone who knows Sebastian better than you could ever hope to, do yourself a favour and prepare to walk away from any thoughts of a relationship you may expect to have with him.’
Paige wished she possessed half the self-confidence Lucinda seemed to enjoy. ‘You’re right, I didn’t know of your connection to him, and as far as my relationship with Sebastian is concerned, it’s nothing to do with you.’ She could feel her face reddening.
Lucinda laughed. ‘Whatever. I just think you should prepare yourself. After all, he now knows I’m back and for good this time,’ she said, with emphasis. ‘It’s only a matter of time before we carry on from where we left off. Seb has never been able to resist my charms.’ Paige wasn’t sure but she thought she heard a slight waver in Lucinda’s voice. ‘It’s only fair I should warn you. Although they do say all’s fair in love and war, and all that rubbish.’
Paige was astounded by the woman’s ego, but sensed that for all her protestations, she had probably been as shocked by the headlines as Paige had been. ‘You seriously think you can come here and warn me off a man?’ Paige shook her head and smiled. ‘What are we, teenagers?’
Lucinda thought for a second. ‘Sebastian is simply suffering from a case of hurt pride. After all, men do tend to take it badly when you leave them. It’s as if you’ve insulted their masculinity, don’t you think?’
‘I wouldn’t know.’ Paige wasn’t sure if she should feel sympathy for this woman or loathe her. ‘I can’t imagine Sebastian having any problem at all with his masculinity.’
Lucinda threw her head back and laughed loudly. ‘Good point.’ She gave Paige a withering look. ‘You can’t seriously tell me you see yourself as having a future with him, do you?’ Then, when Paige didn’t reply straight away, she continued. ‘Oh for heaven’s sake, be realistic. I dare say he’s more than happy to spend the occasional night with you.’ She studied Paige intently for a moment, and then seemingly satisfied with what she saw, continued. ‘Yes, I thought so.’
Paige, hating that this venomous woman seemed to know she had slept with Sebastian, swallowed back the tears of humiliation and fury that were threatening to flow. ‘Now you listen to me,’ she said, determined to keep her voice down so as not to alert her sister. ‘You seem to have a very high opinion of yourself, but that doesn’t give you the right to come marching in here and insult me.’ She took a breath, in an attempt to regain some control of her voice. ‘It’s none of your business what Sebastian and I have between us.’
Lucinda slowly pulled the thick strap of her black Dior crocodile handbag up onto her blade-thin shoulder. ‘All I’m saying is that it’s obvious by the look of horror on your face when I showed you the newspaper that you couldn’t cope with the attention you’d inevitably receive should you end up with him. And, whatever Sebastian professes, both you and I know he will at some point find you lacking, at least in that department.’
Paige wished she could argue with her, but doubted she’d have the first clue how to deal with determined paparazzi.
‘I suggest that if you want to protect yourself from being disappointed,’ Lucinda ad
ded, ‘you should take the only option open to you, and finish it, sooner rather than later.’
‘Here we are,’ Clem said, cheerfully, carrying three large boxes containing Paige’s latest designs. ‘What’s the matter?’ She looked from one to the other, confused by the obvious tension in the room.
‘Nothing. Miss Barrow-Hughes has changed her mind about the boots. She was just leaving,’ Paige said, as calmly as she could, walking over to the doorway. ‘Weren’t you?’
Lucinda ignored her, giving Clemmie the benefit of her perfect smile. ‘I think I’ll leave the boots for now. This lady has had a bit of a shock.’
Paige closed the door behind her and leant heavily against it.
‘What happened?’ Clem lowered the boxes carefully onto the floor.
Paige took a deep breath, and told her sister all about the headlines and picture in the paper.
‘Bloody hell, that’s so exciting.’ Clem squealed. ‘Imagine you, a mystery woman.’
Paige frowned. ‘There’s nothing good about this, Clem. I didn’t see the entire story, but I did spot them asking people to email with any information they might have about me. Do you really think our family would welcome that sort of intrusion into our private lives?’
Clem’s expression changed. ‘Shit, what about Luke’s court case last year? The poor guy had to cope with living on a small island and being accused of money laundering.’ Clem shook her head. ‘We know he was found not guilty, but it still didn’t stop people from gossiping and imagining the worst about him.’
‘Exactly,’ Paige bit the side of her thumb nail. ‘I’m going to have to stop this thing with Sebastian before I hurt anyone.’
‘Oh, no,’ Clem strode over to her and hugged Paige tightly. ‘I’m so sorry. I know you haven’t said much, but I could tell you really liked him. You would never have spent the night with him if you didn’t.’
‘That picture was only taken last night,’ she said miserably. ‘The paps didn’t waste any time using it for a story about me. How do people cope with this sort of thing every day of their lives?’
‘Who knows? Some of those celebs tip off the papers when they’re going out so that they take pictures of them. It’s a completely different way of living when you think about it, isn’t it?’
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