‘I told you——’
‘Don’t tell me, Chris,’ Reece bit out harshly. ‘I’m not the one you have to explain yourself to.’
‘I——’ Chris broke off resentfully as their first course began to arrive. And by the time they had all been served his angry retort to Reece’s taunt no longer seemed appropriate.
But those few minutes’ respite hadn’t frustrated Reece in the way they had his son. On the contrary, they had given him time to pause and reflect on Chris’s behaviour. There was something very wrong here. Chris was too defensive, almost as if——But no, he must have told Diana; he couldn’t have kept something that important to both of them to himself. And yet…when had it ever come up in conversation? Now that he had time to think about it, even when he had spoken to Diana alone yesterday, never once had either of them mentioned——Damn it, he hadn’t done so because he hadn’t thought it necessary! But Diana didn’t know, he was sure of it, and the more he thought about it, the more sure he became.
What the hell did Chris think he was playing at, keeping something like that from the woman he supposedly loved? Whatever it was, Reece knew he had him now. The only question now was, when did he reel in the stupid little fool and watch him flounder?
He could almost have felt sorry for Chris—if he didn’t feel so damned relieved for himself that his son’s romance with Diana Lamb would soon be at an end. It was a certainty that Chris wouldn’t like it at all if Reece immediately tried to date Diana, but, knowing the relationship would be over, and soon, perhaps Reece could afford to be generous and wait a few weeks before making his own move. Diana might be a little more amenable too given a few weeks’ uncertainty concerning his interest in her, which she so obviously knew about.
Yes, he had a feeling he was going to enjoy this meal after all. And then over coffee…!
* * *
Something in the balance of the evening had shifted tangibly. Diana could feel it in the changed atmosphere, in the way Reece Falcon was no longer the one who was tense and irritated but Chris now seemed to be, in the way the older man ate his food with gusto while Chris—and very soon Diana—merely pushed the food around the plate without really eating much of it.
It had something to do with that earlier conversation, when Chris had become so defensive. Although she couldn’t for the life of her imagine what it could have been about. And Reece Falcon, from the smile of satisfaction on his lips, wasn’t about to tell her until he was good and ready to do so! Like pawns on a chessboard, they waited for his next move.
And he was obviously in no hurry to make it. The three of them were at the coffee stage of their meal, Chris’s tension almost at breaking-point as the meal painfully progressed, when Diana sensed another shift in mood; Reece Falcon was filled with an air of unhurried expectation now.
He turned to his son with dark brows raised in gentle mockery, and Diana instinctively reached out to clasp Chris’s hand, for his sake not her own; there was nothing Reece Falcon could do or say now that would make the slightest difference to her own plans. But he couldn’t know that; he was obviously enjoying the cat-and-mouse game he was having with Chris.
‘I almost invited Barbara along tonight to make up a foursome,’ he drawled softly.
That sounded harmless enough to her; it seemed only natural that he should want his fiancée in on a family problem. But Diana could feel Chris’s tension at the statement, so perhaps he wasn’t particularly fond of the woman his father intended marrying, and wouldn’t welcome what he would see as interference in his life from her. Because Diana didn’t doubt that the lovely Barbara would side with this autocratic man over Chris’s interest in her.
All Diana really knew for certain about this was that she was being made a spectator to some sort of show Reece was setting up—a show in which he was undoubtedly the star and the director!
‘But then I had second thoughts about it,’ he continued with taunting mockery now, ‘and realised just how inappropriate that would have been.’
Chris’s face was very flushed, his expression pained. ‘You——’
‘After all,’ his father added lightly, the look on his face deceptively innocent, ‘one doesn’t usually invite one’s son’s future mother-in-law along to meet his mistress!’
Chris indignantly denied this description of Diana’s part in his life, but Diana barely heard him, her attention fixed frowningly on Reece Falcon as he sat across the table from them looking so triumphant.
For a brief moment she had wondered, when he referred to the absent Barbara as Chris’s future mother-in-law, whether he had made a mistake and actually meant to call her stepmother. But as she met the mocking challenge in Reece Falcon’s glittering eyes she knew this man never made mistakes…!
CHAPTER FOUR
SHE hadn’t known. Reece could clearly see that in Diana’s slightly shocked expression as the full meaning of his words became apparent to her. But, to her credit, he acknowledged admiringly, it was an emotion she quickly masked as she sensed his interest in her reaction, and the smile she directed at him was one of cool dismissal.
Dismissal! God, this young woman was incredible. He had just, very effectively he had thought, ‘put a spoke in her wheel’, regarding her intentions towards Christopher, and she was calmly dismissing him as a result of it! His admiration—and desire, he admitted!—for her grew.
* * *
Chris’s engagement—if indeed that was what it was—to someone else ultimately made no difference to her own plans. Once she had achieved what she set out to do, Chris could go back to his fiancée with her blessing. Indeed, she would dance at his wedding if her own plans worked out!
But just who was this fiancée? Diana had heard nothing of any permanent woman in his life either before or after she had met him, and surely if he was engaged to someone she would have raised objections—as Reece Falcon now was!—about the amount of time her fiancé was spending with the model Divine? But Chris hadn’t mentioned having a fiancée either—although perhaps in the circumstances that might be understandable. Although how he had intended coping with two fiancées at the same time, if she had immediately accepted his proposal, Diana had no idea!
He glared across the table at his father now. ‘That engagement was your idea——’
‘You did your own proposing, Christopher!’ Reece rasped harshly. ‘No one twisted your arm.’
The younger man became flushed at what was obviously the truth. ‘I knew it was what you wanted——’
‘I don’t recall that making a lot of difference in the past once you had decided on what you wanted,’ his father said pointedly. ‘And until a few short weeks ago——’ he looked pointedly at Diana as he spoke ‘—Madeleine apparently suited you perfectly as a wife!’
Madeleine. So the fiancée had a name now. It was a pretty name too. Diana couldn’t help but feel curious about whether or not the other woman matched her name. Probably, if Chris had wanted to marry her—he had a definite liking for beautiful women.
But still Diana had no idea why Reece should have even thought about bringing the girl’s mother with him to dinner this evening. Unless—goodness, that was all a little neat!—Reece married the mother, and Chris married the daughter. It was the only explanation she could think of. And if that was the case then another question sprang to mind: why?
‘Maybe because this time I was trying to please you,’ Chris defended frustratedly. ‘You had made it pretty obvious that a marriage between the two families would be a good business move. And you know I’ve always liked Maddy——’
‘Obviously not enough to have spared her the humiliation of hearing of your relationship with Diana from another source,’ his father accused disgustedly.
Chris gave a pained frown. ‘Maddy knows?’
‘Of course she knows!’ Reece confirmed impatiently. ‘God, give the girl credit for having some intelligence, will you?’ he scorned. ‘She’s been back from Switzerland almost a month, and you’ve only found the time to see he
r half a dozen times since then. And as your photograph would invariably appear in the newspapers as Divine’s companion for the evening I’m sure it soon became apparent what you were doing when you weren’t seeing Maddy! Obviously the evenings when you did manage to see the girl you’re engaged to were nights when Diana could spare you from her side.’ He gave Diana a scathing glance. ‘Or she had something better to do than cling on to your arm!’
‘Or I was working,’ Diana corrected calmly, not rising to his deliberate insult.
‘Possibly,’ he conceded with an abrupt inclination of his head, eyes glittering silver as his gaze raked over her mercilessly. ‘Whatever the reason——’ he turned back to his son—‘you haven’t exactly been the attentive fiancé to Madeleine since she came home from finishing-school.’ His mouth twisted. ‘I took both Barbara and Madeleine along to the Paris fashion show in an effort to atone for your tardiness.’ And his derisive expression showed exactly how much he had hated having to do that!
Chris’s cheeks were flushed. ‘I could have——’
‘Could have what?’ his father cut in scathingly. ‘Accompanied Madeleine yourself instead of going to the States?’ he scorned. ‘I’m sure she would have just loved sitting next to you while you sat and drooled all over Diana as she strutted up and down the catwalk!’ He shook his head disgustedly. ‘I never took you for a fool, Chris, but over this you’ve certainly acted like one!’
Diana felt almost sorry for Chris as he visibly cringed under this verbal condemnation—even if it was richly deserved! He had behaved like an idiot, continuing his engagement to Madeleine while being seen so publicly with her; he had to have known the other girl would see their photographs taken together and draw her own conclusions. As his father had!
Thank God she wasn’t serious in her own interest in Chris. And she couldn’t help but feel sorry for Madeleine, whoever she was. Chris was hardly behaving like the faithful fiancé, so it must be making the other girl wonder what sort of a husband he was going to make—if Madeleine still intended going through with the wedding at all…!
At the same time as she felt sorry for the other girl Diana also couldn’t help wondering where Madeleine had been the night she modelled the wedding gown for Charles; she had hardly been the beautiful, but so obviously in her mid-thirties redhead who had been seated at Reece’s side that night. Maybe the younger girl had decided not to come to the show that night once she realised Divine would be modelling. Although that didn’t seem a very likely explanation; Diana knew that, in the same circumstances, she wouldn’t have been able to curtail her curiosity about the woman her fiancé seemed to have become infatuated with.
‘I want to marry Div—Diana,’ Chris told his father stubbornly, turning to look at Diana now. ‘I hadn’t even seen Madeleine since Easter until she got back last month,’ he defended almost pleadingly.
‘Well, she certainly didn’t forget about you the moment you were out of her sight,’ his father put in impatiently. ‘Probably the emerald and diamond engagement ring you gave her at Christmas helped to remind her!’ he added drily.
Chris’s face seemed to be permanently flushed at having been put on the hot spot in this way. He obviously wished at that moment that he had never heard of Madeleine or the engagement ring his father spoke of!
But Diana, at least, had the answer to one of the questions that had been bothering her: if Madeleine had been away in Switzerland most of the last year being ‘finished’, then it would explain why Diana had never heard of him being out with the other girl. Or the engagement.
Diana would probably have attended a similar school herself at that age if——
She turned sharply to Reece Falcon. ‘Chris has done nothing wrong,’ she told him icily. ‘We’ve been out together a few times, something the media has chosen to pick up on, but there was certainly nothing in those occasions that his fiancée need concern herself with.’
‘Diana——’
‘Accept your let-out with good grace when it’s presented to you, Chris,’ his father advised harshly at his agonised protest, Reece’s own gaze resting admiringly on Diana as he spoke. ‘And save everyone involved further embarrassment,’ he added firmly as Chris would have protested again, his silver gaze resting challengingly on his son now.
Diana had to secretly admire the neat way he had turned the situation around to his advantage, so that Chris had now been put in the position of not being fair to her either if he continued to pressure for acceptance of their relationship. Admire it—but at the same time despise it! Reece Falcon obviously had some sort of business interest of his own tied up in Chris’s engagement to Madeleine; hence it was in his interests to keep the engagement alive no matter what the feelings of the other people involved. Diana was sure, if there had been some advantage to Reece Falcon by Chris being involved with her, he wouldn’t have objected to the relationship at all!
‘Why don’t you go and see Madeleine now? It isn’t too late,’ his father suggested softly. ‘Try and smooth things over with her, offer abject apologies for being a naughty boy,’ he added with the ghost of a smile. ‘Offer to take her shopping tomorrow if you have to; we can spare you at the office.’
Diana’s mouth twisted disgustedly at this insult to the other girl’s intelligence; she was offended on Madeleine’s behalf at having her bruised emotions dismissed so callously. ‘That’s sure to placate her!’ she scorned, eyes flashing deeply green.
Reece looked at her mildly, his mouth twisted with mockery as he easily guessed at her indignation. ‘You might be surprised,’ he drawled confidently.
‘Very!’ she acknowledged sharply—although, remembering Janette’s values in life, perhaps not…
Reece shrugged. ‘You don’t know Madeleine——’
‘Neither do you if you seriously think my going over there now and offering to drag around the shops with her tomorrow is going to in any way appease her for the wrong she thinks I’ve done her!’ Chris cut in disgustedly. ‘Besides, I don’t want to,’ he added almost petulantly. ‘Don’t you understand, Dad? I don’t want to marry Maddy any more; I want to break our engagement——’
‘Then maybe you should be man enough to go to her and tell her that!’ his father bit out with even control, his expression harsh, not a muscle or nerve twitching as he looked steadily at his son in silent challenge.
Chris returned that gaze uncertainly, moistening his lips nervously the longer it continued. ‘And you?’ he finally ventured. ‘How would you feel about my doing that?’
Oh, Chris, Diana groaned with inward pity. Away from Reece Falcon he had proved himself to be entirely his own man, but obviously, when it came to opposing his father’s will, he was no different from all the rest who were terrified of challenging him.
Except her. She would oppose this man to her last breath, to the very gates of hell themselves…!
Reece shrugged, totally relaxed and unconcerned as he sat back in his chair at the table. ‘Why don’t you try it and see?’
Chris’s uncertainty deepened as he looked at his father searchingly, obviously unsure of his mood now.
Which was more than Diana was! She knew exactly what Reece Falcon’s emotion would be if Chris dared to break his advantageous—to Reece!—engagement to Madeleine. And it certainly wouldn’t be approval for at least having done the honourable thing!
Finally Chris’s gaze wavered and then dropped away completely as he too seemed to realise that; he sighed raggedly. ‘I had hoped that meeting Diana might make a difference to how you felt about things, might make you realise——’
‘Might help compromise me into feeling differently, you mean,’ his father accused knowingly.
‘No!’ Chris protested frustratedly. ‘I thought once you had realised what a wonderful lady she is, how beautiful——’
‘Oh, I’ve realised those things,’ Reece put in softly, looking at Diana with narrowed eyes.
Chris’s expression brightened. ‘Then——’
&
nbsp; ‘—and they make absolutely no difference to her unsuitability in your life,’ Reece continued as if he hadn’t interrupted.
But a marked one to her suitability in his life, Diana realised slowly: Reece Falcon wanted her himself!
* * *
If Chris didn’t leave soon Reece knew he was going to snap completely and actually order him out of here!
He just wanted to be alone with Diana Lamb now. His senses were attuned to her every movement, every graceful gesture of her hands—hands that he wanted against his body, caressing him. And her perfume was driving him wild, that tantalising, elusive perfume that totally suited the beautifully elusive woman she was——God, it was her; Charles Oxley had marketed a perfume earlier in the year that he had called Divine. And Reece knew that Diana had to be wearing it at this moment. It was driving him slowly out of his mind!
‘I’ll take Diana home while you get a taxi to Madeleine’s,’ he announced arrogantly, signalling for the bill to be brought to him instead of the coffee the waiter had come over to offer; Reece knew he had to get out of here now, and with Diana at his side.
Chris looked stunned by his suggestion, and Diana—Diana just looked at him with that calmness of hers, revealing none of her inner emotions.
God, how he would like to see this woman burn with desire, all cool veneer gone as her passion matched his own! That moment couldn’t come soon enough for him!
‘I think the sooner you heal the rift between yourself and Madeleine, Chris, the better,’ he told his son decisively, his tone brooking no argument to the arrangements he had suggested for their departure.
And he wasn’t being completely selfish in this—quite a lot, but not completely! He actually had no doubts that Chris would eventually marry Madeleine, if not now, then some time in the future. The couple had known each other for years, were ideally suited, understood each other. It was just as well Madeleine understood Chris at the moment, otherwise he would be in more trouble than he actually was!
One thing Reece was absolutely certain of was that Chris was not going to marry Diana Lamb! If what Diana had said about their relationship was to be believed—and he had no doubt that this woman would rather use honesty to wound than lies!—then she and Chris had never been lovers. And now Reece knew they never would be.
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