A Wicked Persuasion

by Catherine George

  ‘But you live in a modern monstrosity,’ called someone.

  ‘Who’d want to film there?’

  ‘If it’s the right kind of modern, they might,’ said Harriet, and turned to James in an effort to change the subject. ‘How is your sister? Is she completely over her flu now?’

  When everyone transferred to the garden for coffee later, James took Harriet firmly by the arm. ‘This is where I make it clear to that jerk that you are not available.’ He was as good as his word and kept so close to Harriet from then on that Sophie cast knowing glances at them from time to time, obviously convinced her matchmaking had been successful.

  ‘I can hardly blame the man for trying,’ said James at one point. ‘You look ravishing tonight.’

  ‘Why thank you, kind sir.’

  He moved closer. ‘Are we friends again?’

  ‘Of course.’ She sighed regretfully. ‘But lovely though this is, I must be leaving soon.’

  His grasp tightened. ‘If you’re returning to an empty house I’ll follow you home.’

  Harriet’s heart leapt. ‘It would mean far too long a drive back for you afterwards.’

  He shook his head. ‘I’ve done it before, remember.’

  She did, vividly. ‘It’s very kind of you, but I wouldn’t dream of putting you to so much trouble again. I’ll be fine on my own!’

  ‘Of course you will,’ he said harshly, and to her dismay turned away to speak to someone else.

  At that point the party ended for Harriet and, pleading her drive home as the reason, she took her leave. Sophie grasped her hand urgently as she said goodbye. ‘Is Daddy staying with Mrs Fox again?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Do you think they’ll get married?’

  ‘I don’t know, Sophie.’

  ‘You should get married, too, you know, whether Daddy does or not.’ Sophie surprised Harriet with a hug. ‘I’m glad you came tonight. We Wilde girls must stick together.’

  Harriet hadn’t driven far before she regretted turning down James’s escort. A swift, startling thunderstorm resulted in heavy rain, which made the journey slow going. When she finally turned up the dark, tree-lined drive to the house she was grateful for the security lights. Wind rustled through the dripping trees as she bolted from the car to the Lodge door. She fumbled as she tried to fit the key in the lock, then stiffened, her heart in her mouth at the sound of footsteps.

  ‘Harriet?’

  She let out a shaky breath as her father came into view, wielding a golf umbrella. ‘Lord, you frightened me. I thought you were staying with Mrs Fox.’

  ‘I was. But I asked Sophie to let me know when you left her party.’ Aubrey’s face looked tense under the security light. ‘May I come in? Or would you prefer to come up to the house?’

  ‘Let’s get out of the rain.’ For once Harriet was glad of company as she unlocked the Lodge door and switched on lights. ‘Is something wrong?’

  Her father put the umbrella in the porch and came into the room, looking very sober. ‘I know it’s late but I need to talk to you, so I’ll get straight to the point. I’ve come to ask for your blessing, Harriet.’

  Her eyes narrowed. ‘Blessing?’

  He nodded. ‘Madeleine and I are getting married. Quite soon, in fact. At our age there’s no point in hanging about.’

  ‘Congratulations.’ Harriet managed a smile. ‘What are your plans exactly?’

  ‘We’ll live at Madeleine’s place.’ Aubrey smiled ruefully. ‘So you can have River House all to yourself at last now you’ve found a way to make it pay.’

  Harriet shook her head, depressed. ‘Not feasible, I’m afraid. While the film people were here I used some of my annual leave to keep an eye on things, but I can’t keep on doing that. Nor can I depend on the house being hired often enough to provide sufficient income if I gave up my job.’ Suddenly it all seemed too much. ‘There’s only one thing for it. There’ll be hell to pay with Julia and Sophie, but you’ll just have to sell, Father.’

  To her surprise, he looked relieved. ‘I was hoping you’d say that. Your mother would be appalled if she knew you were devoting your life to River House. You need a husband and children and a less demanding home of your own, Harriet.’

  Her eyes hardened. ‘If you recall, you once put paid to my hopes in that direction!’

  ‘Crawford’s not the only man in the world, Harriet. Besides, back then I thought it was just one of those boy and girl things doomed to die a natural death.’ He sighed. ‘But the only thing that died was your relationship with me. Which I regret, deeply. Do you still care for him?’

  Unfortunately, yes. ‘I hadn’t thought of him in years before he turned up to hire our house.’

  ‘Then why the devil haven’t you found someone else?’ Aubrey demanded. ‘You could have had any number of men in your life since if you’d wanted, Harriet, Nick Corbett for one. Instead, you channelled all your energies into your job and the house.’

  She looked at him squarely. ‘Actually, I recently decided that it was time I left you with the running of River House now I’d set the ball rolling with the hiring scheme, but if you’re moving out to marry Mrs Fox that’s obviously not on. You’d better put the house up for sale as soon as possible.’ She smiled bleakly. ‘But to soften the blow, will you try to find a buyer who wants the house as it is? I’d hate to see it turned into flats or a residential home.’

  ‘I’ve already made a start on that. While you were away in Wales I had Hugh Ames from Combe Estates look over the house to give me a valuation.’

  Her eyebrows rose. ‘You have been busy. Am I allowed to ask how much?’

  ‘Of course you are, child,’ he said irritably, and gave her a sum which took her breath away.

  ‘A tad optimistic! You’d be lucky to get that in the present property market.’

  ‘That’s what I thought, and refused to go any further until I’d discussed it with you. But Hugh got back to me to say a buyer had got wind of the sale and is willing to give me the asking price without quibbling.’

  ‘Good heavens!’ She started at him, amazed. ‘In that case it must be someone plugged into the local grapevine. Who do you know with money like that?’

  ‘Now don’t bite my head off, but I’m afraid the buyer is James Crawford,’ said Aubrey with reluctance, and held up his hand. ‘Don’t look like that. I haven’t accepted the offer. I’m no keener on the idea than you are. So if you hate the thought of him living here I’ll turn him down flat.’

  Harriet felt winded. She sat down abruptly. ‘So he’s finally got his revenge on us both, good and proper.’

  ‘It looks like it. Which is damned unfair on you. I was the one who did the damage.’ He looked at her in appeal. ‘I swear I wouldn’t have had him arrested, Harriet. That was just sabre rattling. Just getting him away from you was enough.’

  ‘At the time I believed you meant every word, which is why I never forgave you,’ she said sadly. ‘Not that it matters now. James can have the last laugh and good luck to him. By all means sell to him, Father. I would hate the thought of anyone at all living here, so it might as well be him as anyone else. Ask Hugh Ames to find me something in town. I’ll see the kitchen shoot through, then give up my brief flirtation with the media and move out.’

  Aubrey stood up and for the first time in years took Harriet in his arms and held her close. ‘If I had the time over I would do things a lot differently.’ He tipped her startled face up to his. ‘But one thing you must believe. It was your mother I loved from the moment I met her, nothing to do with the house. For her it was a sacred legacy, but for me it was always a burden. This will probably alienate you from me for good, but the truth is, Harriet, I shall be glad to leave the place.’

  ‘Fossedyke Court is no smaller!’

  ‘But Madeleine and I will live in the Dower House there. We’ll merely act as caretakers for the main house until one of her sons marries and takes over.’

  For two weeks Harriet lived in a constan
t state of tension, expecting a gloating phone call from James which never happened. She met Moira for the much postponed lunch, but the main topics of conversation were the television invasions at River House and Lily’s wedding.

  Harriet smiled as they got up to leave. ‘A good thing you’re fit enough to go shopping for a wedding outfit, Moira. You look really well.’

  ‘Which is more than can be said for you, Harriet! You look a bit dark under the eyes.’

  ‘The kitchen shoot was a tad challenging. They practically dismantled the kitchen to film it, but they put it back again, thank heavens. This time my father volunteered to be on hand, so I didn’t have to take time off to keep an eye on things.’

  Her father’s decision had been a surprise to Harriet, but she had accepted his help gratefully, also Madeleine’s, who not only joined Aubrey for the shoot, but pitched in with help for Margaret afterwards.

  Now it was over, River House was immaculate and quiet, there was no further word from her father about the sale of the house, and Harriet made the life-altering discovery that she was not pregnant after all. It knocked her flat. It was too much trouble to get up and clean the Lodge on Saturday as she usually did, or to go into town and look over the flats Combe Estates had available. It was past noon before she showered and dressed, and for once left her hair to dry any way it wanted. As she went downstairs a car drew up outside. She ignored the loud knock on the door and stood very still. Perhaps if she kept very quiet whoever it was would go away.

  ‘Harriet!’ shouted a familiar voice. ‘I know you’re there. Open up.’

  She pushed her damp hair from her face and went on leaden feet to open the door. James, so elegantly casual he made her feel ten times worse, eyed her in concern.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Wrong?’ she echoed with sarcasm. ‘What could possibly be wrong? Do come in. This will soon be yours anyway.’ She turned on her heel and marched over to the window seat. ‘Please sit—’

  Before she could get there he picked her up and sat down with her on his lap on the sofa. ‘Stop struggling,’ he ordered. ‘Just sit there and listen.’

  ‘I refuse to listen! I’ve heard all I need to already,’ she retorted, horrified to hear her voice breaking. ‘Let me up—’

  ‘No. You’re going to stay where you are until I’ve had my say.’

  ‘As if you hadn’t had that already,’ she snapped, and sniffed inelegantly. ‘Are you happy now at last? Taking over my home for a party was only the start. To make your revenge complete, you had to buy it and evict me as well!’ The tears she’d been holding back for days suddenly burst the floodgates and she sobbed like a lost child against James’s chest.

  He held her close and let her cry, one hand smoothing her hair until she grew quiet. ‘You left out the bit about the snow,’ he said at last.

  Two reddened eyes stared up at him blankly. ‘What snow?’

  ‘The tragic heroine always gets turned out into the snow,’ he pointed out.

  Harriet bit her lip to control a hysterical giggle. ‘It may be funny to you, James Crawford, but it’s pretty serious for me.’

  ‘It’s pretty damned serious for me, too, believe me!’

  She drew in a long, shuddering breath. ‘So. Mr Crawford. How did you find out the house might be for sale?’

  ‘My brother-in-law plays tennis with Hugh Ames and usually trounces him. When Ames beat Marcus for the first time he had a drink or three too many, and let fall the news that he had the sale of the century coming up because your father was getting married and moving out of River House. Marcus thought I should know, but soothed his legal scruples by confiding in Moira, knowing she would immediately give me the news.’ His intent eyes locked with hers. ‘I jumped in with the asking price so you could stay in your house, not move out of it, Harriet Sarah Wilde. Once the official papers are in my possession, I shall hand them over to you as a present so you can go back where you belong at last.’

  Harriet stared up at him, utterly astounded. ‘Why on earth would you do that?’ she demanded, once she’d recovered the power of speech.

  ‘Coals of fire,’ he said promptly, and grinned. ‘And I hate to think of you homeless out in the snow.’

  Harriet knuckled the last of the tears from her eyes. ‘Cut it out, James. You can’t mean this.’

  ‘I most certainly do. Once all the legal stuff was in train, and your father and I had signed everything, he asked me to spare him a few minutes in private. Although it was plainly agony for him to get the words out, he told me a very interesting story about getting you away from me by threatening me with the law if you refused to toe the line.’

  ‘Father actually told you that!’ Harriet thrust a hand through her tangled hair in wonder.

  James nodded. ‘So now I know why you broke my heart.’ He held up a hand. ‘No need to look so sceptical. It’s the truth.’

  ‘Good,’ she said unevenly, ‘because it broke mine to do it.’ She began to cry again into his chest until James put his hand under her chin and looked into her swollen face.

  ‘Stop it, Harriet, you’re killing me. My idea was to make you happy, not miserable.’

  ‘I’m not pregnant,’ she blurted.

  He frowned. ‘I know. You told me.’

  ‘I lied. At the time I thought I was, but a few days ago I found out I’m not.’

  His eyes flared with exultant heat as he bent his head to kiss her. And suddenly there was nothing to cry about, only the bliss of his mouth on hers and the warmth of his caressing hands on the body that cried out for his touch. It was a long time before he raised his head so they could breathe.

  ‘We could do something about that very soon,’ he offered unsteadily, rubbing his cheek against hers. ‘But first I’d like to clear up a few points about the deeds of the house. I will hand them over to you with great pleasure, but there’s a proviso. You get them on condition that you marry me.’

  She drew back to look him in the eye. ‘So you’re actually mentioning marriage now, are you?’

  ‘Yes.’ He smiled crookedly. ‘I apologise for the crack made previously. I’m only human, Harriet.’

  Her chin lifted. ‘Perhaps I should mention at this point that I’ve had a prior offer from Nick Corbett.’

  James stiffened. ‘He wants to marry you?’

  She shook her head sadly. ‘He wants to marry Miss Wilde and live at River House.’

  ‘He can forget that!’ James kissed her until she cried for mercy, and then threaded his hand through her hair to keep her face turned up to his. ‘Let’s get something clear, Harriet. My motives are different from Corbett’s. I want to marry you for the simple reason that I love you—always have, always will. As far as I’m concerned, you can sell the house and we’ll buy something else, or finish doing up the one I have now,’ he promised and kissed her again. ‘The important thing is to live together at last. The location is irrelevant.’

  ‘You mean that?’ Harriet’s heart leapt when she saw from the look in his eyes that he did.

  ‘But before we make decisions about that there’s still something I need to know.’ He grinned. ‘And this time I won’t use sex to get at the truth.’

  ‘How disappointing!’

  ‘Later for that,’ he promised huskily. ‘Tell me why you moved out of River House to live here in the Lodge.’

  She heaved in an unsteady sigh. ‘I couldn’t forgive my father for threatening to ruin your life—and mine with it. But I’d promised my mother during her last illness that I would make sure proper care was taken of River House, so I only moved as far as the Lodge.’

  ‘And you’ve held to that all these years?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And I’m the one accused of revenge!’ James rubbed his cheek against her. ‘I’ll take damned good care to keep in your good books from now on.’ He kissed her swiftly, then drew back, his eyes questioning. ‘But when I first suggested it back then you seemed happy to leave home to move in with me.’
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  ‘I was. At the time Father’s finances were in good shape and he was still a long way from retirement. A teenage daughter’s input was unnecessary.’ Her heavy eyes locked with his. ‘Not that I gave any of that a thought. For you I was ready to forget everything, even my promise to my mother.’

  James held her cruelly tight. ‘So all this time you’ve been doing penance for that. Right?’

  ‘Partly,’ she admitted breathlessly.

  ‘It’s time to stop now, Harriet. So what’s your answer?’

  ‘What’s the question?’

  ‘Are you going to marry me, woman?’

  ‘Since you’ve used such powerful persuasion, how could I say no?’ Harriet yawned suddenly.

  ‘Are you tired, my darling?’

  She nodded, utterly ravished by the endearment he’d never used before.

  ‘Then you should be in bed,’ James said firmly and picked her up.

  Harriet smiled at him luminously. ‘You should be in bed, too.’

  He grinned, looking like the James she’d first met. ‘If you mean yours, I’m in full agreement!’ He paused at the sound of a car coming up the drive. ‘Is that your father?’

  She nodded.

  James set her on her feet and kissed her. ‘In that case, before we get to the good part let’s go up to the house. I need to ask your father for his daughter’s hand in marriage. We don’t need his permission, of course, but as a gesture to future harmony let’s be magnanimous and ask for his blessing.’

  All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

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