‘You must have known the score for a little while. Why did you wait until the last minute to tell him you were pulling out? Wasn’t it because you wanted to see Sutherlands go under?’
‘I suppose he told you that?’
‘It’s the truth, isn’t it?’ Her green eyes flashed. ‘And isn’t it also the truth that it was when you crowed about it that he lost his temper and knocked you down?’
‘All right,’ Martin said angrily, ‘so I hate his guts.’
‘And you were jealous of him.’
‘You know how I feel about you,’ Martin said with barely suppressed violence. ‘I felt that way from the start. I couldn’t stand to see you look at him as though he was Mr Wonderful. I was as much of a man as he was and I could give you a damn sight more than he could… I still can. As soon as I get the OK from the doctors we’ll be married…’ When she said nothing, he added, ‘You promised to marry me, and you owe me that much.’
When she remained silent, apparently scared by her lack of response, he seized her hand in a painful grip and said urgently, ‘Just because he’s back you won’t change your mind? You won’t leave me?’
Keir’s coming back had altered nothing.
‘I won’t leave you while you need me,’ she promised quietly.
Martin released her hand with a sigh.
‘So this is where you’re hiding.’ Kathleen came along the terrace, her high heels clicking on the paving, and smiled at her patient. ‘Is everything all right? You look a bit het up.’
‘I’m surprised you’ve found time to ask,’ Martin remarked testily. ‘I thought you were more interested in Sutherlands.’
Treating his small-boy tantrum with the contempt it deserved, she said in her put-on brogue, ‘Well, now, he’s a fine-looking man, so he is.’
Ignoring Martin’s seething glance, she added with a sigh, ‘Sure and begorra, those eyes could tempt any girl to throw her bonnet over the windmill.’
‘If he’s so fascinating I wonder you could bring yourself to leave him,’ Martin burst out angrily.
‘He’s gone,’ she announced regretfully, ‘and without even a drink, because he’s driving. He sent his apologies that he had to leave so soon, but said he felt sure you wouldn’t mind too much.’
Showing his teeth in a smile that was more like a snarl, Martin muttered, ‘I suppose that’s his sense of humour.’
‘Now, I like a man with a sense of humour,’ Kathleen said serenely. ‘Especially one who’s willing to laugh at himself. In my opinion a lot of men sit and glower and take themselves far too seriously…’
Martin shot her a suspicious glance as though wondering if she was getting at him.
‘Are you ready to go back and mingle?’ she queried. ‘After all it is your party, and several people have already asked where you are.’
‘Before I go back, perhaps you might be good enough to tell me how you come to know Sutherlands?’ he asked curtly.
‘I might that,’ she agreed. Then, turning to Sera, she said, ‘Oh, by the way, Cheryl wanted a word. She was with a small group by the sunken garden.’ Then, with a touch of concern, she said, ‘You look terribly pale; are you feeling all right?’
Sera managed a smile. ‘Yes, it’s just a headache.’
‘Well, if you’d like to go ahead, I’ll sit and tell Himself what he wants to know… Before we miss too much of the party,’ she added pointedly.
Martin scowled. ‘You sound as if I’m nothing but a nuisance.’
‘No more so than any man,’ she assured him cheerfully, dropping into the chair Sera had just vacated.
Then, tongue-in-cheek, she said, ‘And at least you have two things going for you… You’re good-looking, and you pay me a salary.’
‘I could always stop,’ he threatened.
‘Now, would you be wanting me to…?’
It sounded as if the pair were about to indulge in one of the frequent sparring matches they both seemed to enjoy, Sera thought, as she made her escape. Clever Kathleen. It was probably just what she needed to restore Martin’s good humour.
Needing a minute or two to herself, Sera took the path that meandered along the side of the house before crossing to the stone balustrade to look over the sunken garden.
Apart from a young couple strolling along holding hands, there wasn’t a soul in sight.
Though she felt in no mood for a party, she turned dutifully to head back towards the sound of music and laughter that were drifting across the lawn.
As she drew level with the tall, wrought-iron gate leading onto the sandy lane that ran down to the shore, it opened and Keir appeared.
Startled, she gasped, ‘What are you doing back?’
‘I haven’t gone yet. I was waiting for you.’
Wondering how he knew she would be coming that way, she shook her head. ‘Cheryl wants me.’
‘I asked Kathleen to say that.’
‘Why?’ Sera demanded.
‘Because I want to talk to you.’
‘Please, Keir, Martin might see us.’
‘Afraid of him?’
‘No.’
It was the truth. She wasn’t afraid of Martin. In an odd sort of way, she was more afraid of Keir.
Martin, with his cockiness and his temper tantrums, was like a small boy who, though he needed constant placating, was no real threat.
Whereas Keir was tough and dangerous, a formidable man who could make her tremble by merely looking at her.
‘I just don’t want him upset any further,’ she burst out raggedly.
‘In that case may I suggest a stroll down the lane to the beach? You can’t see the lane from the ground floor of the house, the wall is too high, so that will prevent any of the partygoers seeing us together.’
‘But there’s nothing left to say.’
‘I’m afraid I must disagree.’
He indicated a nearby bench. ‘Or perhaps you’d prefer to sit here and talk?’
The bench was in full view of the house. If they sat there and Martin came on to the terrace… She shook her head.
‘Then, a stroll it is.’
There was an air of quiet purpose about him that told her he intended to have his way, and all the while they stood here arguing there was always the risk of them being seen.
‘Very well,’ she agreed reluctantly. ‘But I can’t be long.’ If Martin missed her it would only cause more trouble.
She turned and hurried through the gate.
Close on her heels, Keir pulled it shut behind them and latched it.
A white Mercedes was parked a few feet down the lane, its nose pointing towards the road, its front passenger door standing open.
As they passed, Sera glanced at it curiously, wondering why a guest should choose to leave his car there rather than on the gravelled apron where the rest were parked.
Of course it might not belong to a guest, it might be someone who…
The thought was never finished.
Half pushed, half lifted, she was bundled into the front passenger seat and the door slammed behind her.
Before she could gather her scattered wits, Keir was sliding behind the wheel.
‘What are you doing?’ she demanded.
‘I thought we’d go for a drive instead.’
‘I don’t want to go for a drive!’ She tried to open her door but the handle stubbornly refused to budge.
‘I’m afraid you’re wasting your time, I’ve adjusted it,’ he told her coolly as he switched on the ignition and fastened his seat belt.
‘Open it this minute,’ she cried. ‘I’ve no intention of going anywhere with you.’
He reached over but, instead of opening the door, he clicked the buckle of her seat belt into place and, a moment later, they were driving up the lane.
His admission that he’d tampered with the door handle made her realize that this was no spur of the moment decision to take a drive, but something he’d planned with great care.
Her heart bega
n to race with suffocating speed.
When they reached the main highway Keir swung right and, after a series of traffic lights, turned onto quieter roads.
Making an effort to fight down her panic, she said as steadily as possible, ‘I don’t know what you think you’re going to achieve by this.’
‘Some time alone with you, at the very least. A chance to talk to you, to thrash things out.’
‘How long will it take? I mustn’t be very long.’
‘How long it takes is up to you.’
Presumably by that he meant how willing she was to answer his questions. Partly reassured, she said, ‘So this is just a drive and straight back?’
‘Not exactly.’
Her heart in her mouth, she demanded, ‘Then, what exactly is it?’
‘Call it giving you time to come to your senses.’
‘I prefer to call it abduction.’
‘Let’s not be melodramatic,’ he said sardonically.
‘The police will call it that.’
‘And who’ll be calling the police?’
‘Martin.’
‘I doubt it.’
‘If I just vanish, he’ll be frantic! Oh, please, Keir, don’t do this. You’re making things so much worse… I don’t want him stressed like this, he’s still a sick man and he’s already had a full day.’
‘If everything goes according to plan, he won’t even know you’re gone.’
‘He’s bound to,’ she cried frantically. ‘They’ll be cutting the cake soon. He’ll expect me to be there.’
‘Kathleen will reassure him.’
‘I don’t see how she can.’
‘I had a word with her and it’s all arranged,’ Keir said calmly.
‘You mean she knows about this—this…’
‘Abduction?’ Keir suggested. ‘Yes, she knows, though I’m happy to say she doesn’t regard it in quite that light.’
‘How does she regard it?’
‘More as a rescue mission.’
‘I don’t need rescuing.’
‘That’s a matter of opinion.’
Remembering it was revenge he was after—on her for leaving him, on Martin for taking her—she said, ‘But you don’t think of it as rescuing me?’
‘No, I think of it as reclaiming my own.’
Feeling like a bone being fought over by two snarling dogs, Sera shivered.
Making an effort to get back to the main point, she asked caustically, ‘So how is Kathleen going to reassure Martin? Surely not by telling him I’m being rescued, and by you of all people.’
A little smile tugged at the corner of Keir’s chiselled mouth. ‘Hardly. What we arranged was this. When he realizes you’re not there and gets restive, Kathleen will go to look for you. After a few minutes she’ll come back and tell him that, because of the earlier upset, you’ve gone to bed early with a splitting headache. He’ll surely remember you mentioning a headache? There are no elevators at Pine Cove, so he’s unlikely to try and check for himself.’
Though relieved to some degree, Sera was overwhelmed by the hassle and futility of it all. Keir just didn’t understand what he was up against.
Seeing the bleak look on her face, he said more gently, ‘As well as his guests and a houseful of servants, Rothwell has Kathleen, don’t forget. It isn’t as though we’re leaving him totally abandoned and helpless…’
That was true of course, but it wasn’t the point. It was her Martin always wanted with him or, at the very least, close by.
If he ever found out that she had left the house in this underhand way, there would be hell to pay, and it would involve Kathleen too. So she must make sure he never did find out.
Hopefully, when Keir realized he was getting nowhere, he would take her back… Though it would have to be soon. There was a night security system that came into operation at sunset…
Staring down at the hands clasped in her lap, Sera was trying to work out how best to slip into the house and upstairs without being noticed, when he added, ‘Believe me, he’ll be fine. It’ll probably be tomorrow lunch-time before he realizes you’re not there.’
‘Tomorrow lunch-time?’ she echoed incredulously. ‘You’re not planning to keep me all night?’
‘I’m planning to keep you for as long as it takes.’
Her eyes widened and struggling to swallow past the knot of fear that lay like a hard lump in her throat, she asked in a strangled voice, ‘For as long as it takes to do what?’
‘Oh, Sera, what big eyes you’ve got,’ he mocked gently.
How could he tease her at a time like this? she wondered wildly.
But perhaps that was all he was doing? Maybe this had been planned as a small revenge against her for leaving him, rather than against Martin.
They were heading now towards the rural part of the island. Pines and beach roses lined the roadside, and the last oblique rays of the evening sun made the trees cast long dark shadows. In a short while the sun would be gone and it would start to get dusk.
Taking a deep breath, she asked carefully, ‘You surely aren’t intending to drive around all night?’
‘No.’
‘Then, what are you intending to do?’
Even as she spoke, she got a disturbing picture of Keir pulling the car into some quiet lane, taking her in his arms, making love to her…
He’d said he wanted her; he’d said it had been a long time…
A sidelong glance at her face had him shaking his head. ‘No, that isn’t what I had in mind,’ he told her with a touch of derision. ‘I’m no longer an impetuous youth, and not athletic enough to enjoy making love in a car. These days I like to take it slow and easy, to give and receive the greatest amount of pleasure. As far as I’m concerned that means the comfort of a bed and the maximum degree of privacy.’
Her cheeks burning, she bit her lip. After a moment she pointed out as evenly as possible, ‘You still haven’t answered my question.’
His voice full of irony, he said, ‘I intend to take you somewhere out of the way and romantic. Somewhere we can have a bit of supper, enjoy a heart-to-heart talk and do anything else that we feel like doing…’
Trying to ignore the latter half of the sentence, she said coldly, ‘You mean a motel of some kind.’
‘Not on your life. For one thing, motel walls are usually paper-thin…’
His words caused little frissons of alarm to run up and down her spine.
‘And I’d prefer us to be some place where we’re quite alone and can’t be overheard.’
‘Such as?’
‘Such as an old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.’
His voice dropping to a husky purr, he went on, ‘I want you as you were before, warm and soft and receptive, a passionate woman who found pleasure in what we were sharing, who shuddered with delight when I nuzzled my face against her breasts and—’
‘Stop it!’ she cried raggedly.
‘Am I disturbing you?’ he enquired innocently.
Struggling to get her agitation under control, she made one last desperate attempt to make him change his mind. ‘Please, Keir, you must see that things aren’t the same. You’re wasting your time…’
‘I hardly think so.’
‘I’m engaged to Martin now.’
‘You were engaged to Martin when I kissed you the other day, but your response was all I could have hoped for.’
‘I—I had no intention of responding. You took me by surprise… I’ll never be willing to make love with you.’
‘We’ll see, shall we?’
Shivering, she bit her lip and lapsed into silence.
Keeping to the country lanes, they went through a couple of small villages, past an old water-mill, and suddenly there was nothing around them but potato fields.
A pale moon was just rising and, in the eerie half-light Scots called the gloaming, the potato rows fanned out in serried ranks of lush green.
In the distance was a farmhouse, looking like a doll’s ho
use, its windows beaming with yellow light.
‘Muntys’ Farm. Our nearest neighbour,’ Keir remarked casually, turning down a bumpy dirt road, little more than a track.
A moment or two later an old farmhouse, partially hidden by a semi-circular stand of tall trees, came into view. With its rust-brown shingled roof, what looked like arching eyebrows over the dormer windows, and a wooden veranda, it could have come straight from a fairy story.
The overgrown garden was full of colour—pink and purple azaleas, a riot of yellow roses, masses of deep red rhododendrons, sprawling bushes full of blue flowers Sera couldn’t put a name to. Only the lawn had been trimmed and kept under some kind of control.
Leaving the car on the gravel drive, Keir got out and came round to open her door. It opened easily from the outside, she noted with irritation.
When he’d politely offered his hand to help her out, and had it ignored, he reached into the back and produced a sailcloth tote bag.
Sera looked sharply at it realizing that, if he really did intend to keep her here, she had nothing but what she stood up in.
No nightie, no toothbrush, no clean undies, nothing to wear in the morning. Though that faded into insignificance compared to her other problems.
She wondered briefly what any neighbours would have thought, to see two people in evening dress in this very rural setting.
Reading her mind, Keir said, ‘Civilization is only a mile or so away. If the circumstances had been different we could have popped over to Joey’s for a meal. As it is, we’ll have to eat out of the icebox.
‘After you.’
A hand at her waist, he urged her over a gravelled area and across the slatted wooden porch. From his pocket he produced a keyring with a couple of keys on it and, opening the door, flicked on the light.
Sera found herself in a spacious living-room with stairs running up to the second floor. The rough plaster walls were white, and it was sparsely furnished with a black leather suite and a few pieces of country pine. There were brightly coloured rugs on the floorboards and thick woven curtains at the windows.
‘As you can see, I haven’t yet got round to doing anything with the place.’
‘So you own it?’
‘Yes, it’s mine.’
Dropping the tote bag, he took off his evening jacket and tossed it over a chair, before removing his black bow-tie with great deliberation and putting it on the top of a nearby bookcase.
The Determined Husband Page 10