With a glance at his watch, he rose to his feet, remarking, ‘I’ll just fetch the bag, then we can get going, if you’re ready?’
Gritting her teeth, she answered as evenly as possible, ‘Yes, I’m ready.’
After a moment or two he returned carrying the tote bag and said, ‘We’ll drop the key in on the way.’
It seemed he had no intention of coming back here.
Closing the kitchen door behind them, he addressed Pyewacket, who was just finishing grooming his tail. ‘Fancy a ride home, Pye?’
The cat followed them round to the car and, as soon as the door was opened, jumped in and settled himself on the back seat.
‘You’d think he understood every word,’ Sera remarked, relief that they were finally getting under way loosening her tongue.
‘I’m sure he does,’ Keir responded. Then, as though following her lead and stirring himself to make polite conversation, he added, ‘Apparently he comes from a long line of witches’ cats.
‘But, apart from that, he enjoys a ride. One time, when I hadn’t realized he’d got into the car, I took him all the way back to New York with me…’
When they reached the neighbouring farm, via a bumpy track, Keir brought the car to a halt and climbed out.
Jumping into the front, Pye rubbed himself against Sera’s legs then, tail erect, followed him, just as a fair-haired, sturdily built woman appeared from one of the barns.’
‘I thought I heard a car,’ she said cheerfully. ‘Leaving for home already, Mr Sutherlands?’
‘Yes.’ Handing her the keys, he added, ‘I don’t expect to be back for a while, so if you could take care of things as usual?’
Her interest in his passenger barely concealed, she answered, ‘Of course. Just let me know when you’ll be wanting fresh supplies.’
‘I’ll do that. Many thanks.’ With a little salute, Keir slid back behind the wheel and, a moment later, they were heading down the dusty track.
His long, well-shaped hands resting lightly on the wheel, a slight furrow between his black brows as though his thoughts were troubled, Keir headed for the coast in silence.
When they reached Pine Cove, would he just drop her off and go? Sera wondered. She wanted to ask him, to beg him to do just that. But afraid to broach the subject, she bit her lip and said nothing.
The day was hot and sunny and, preferring fresh air to air-conditioning, Keir was driving with the car windows down. The warm, sun-laden breeze ruffled his short black curls and blew Sera’s long hair into a tangled mass of silk.
As they got nearer to the coast, it became built up and a great deal busier, and mingled with the scent of pine trees and roses was the salt tang of the sea.
Sera braced herself. They must be almost there now, but the road they were on was quite unfamiliar.
Feeling a sudden stab of apprehension, she asked, ‘Are you sure this is the way to Pine Cove?’
‘We’re not going to Pine Cove,’ Keir stated flatly.
She caught her breath and her heart started to race in alarm. ‘But you…you promised to take me back.’
He lifted a black brow. ‘I don’t recall promising anything of the kind. If I remember rightly, what I said was, “All in good time.” The only promise I made was that I would deal with any problems that might arise.’
Urgently, she cried, ‘But there might not be any problems if you’d only take me straight back and drop me in the lane.’
‘Do you really imagine that, having abducted and seduced you, I’d just drop you off and walk away?’
‘But you must see that it’s for the best!’
‘I can see that you think it would be, but I don’t happen to agree.’
There was a silence while Sera struggled for self control. When she thought she could trust her voice, she asked jerkily, ‘If we’re not going to Pine Cove, where are we going?’
‘Fiddler’s Cottage.’
‘Fiddler’s Cottage? But surely that’s where Cheryl and Roberto live… Why are we going there?’
‘Because Cheryl asked me to take you.’
‘I don’t understand… Did she ask you last night at the party?’
‘No, I called in to see her earlier this morning. She wanted me to bring you straight over then, but Roberto reminded her that they had been invited to a neighbour’s house for lunch. However, they should be back home by now.’
Catching hold of the thing that seemed to matter most, Sera croaked, ‘So she knows about…’
‘About me abducting you? Yes, I told her.’
That wasn’t precisely what she’d intended to ask. ‘Does she know that…that…’ Cheeks flaming, Sera stammered to a halt.
Slanting her a glance, Keir said wryly, ‘I haven’t told her we slept together, but I imagine she’s drawn her own conclusions.’
Sera groaned. Now the fat was well and truly in the fire. Cheryl loved her brother and would hate to think he’d been treated so shabbily.
‘Oh, why did you have to tell her anything? She’ll never forgive me…’
‘It might well be the other way around.’
Sera was just wondering what to make of that cryptic remark when they turned into the driveway of one of the rustic Cape Cod-style dwellings that were so sought after by wealthy New Yorkers.
A house plaque decorated with picture of one of the male fiddler crabs that roam the Hamptons’ beaches, told her they had reached their destination.
The Mercedes had scarcely swung round on the apron before Cheryl left her seat on the veranda and came hurrying over.
Dressed in white slacks and a turquoise top, her red-gold hair gleaming in the sun, she made an attractive picture. But her face seemed strained, her sparkling happiness of the previous night, temporarily dimmed.
Her pale blue eyes anxious, she looked at Keir. ‘Have you…?’
He shook his head. ‘I thought it ought to come from you.’
Usually the two women exchanged hugs but, this time, there was a feeling of restraint, and neither made any move.
After a brief, but telling, hesitation, Cheryl asked, ‘Would you prefer to sit inside or out?’
Gathering herself, Sera answered, ‘Whichever you prefer.’
‘Then, let’s make it the porch.’ Cheryl led the way across the veranda to a group of well-padded chairs each with its own adjustable parasol.
Keir waited politely until both the women were seated, then sat down next to Sera.
‘I’ve left Roberto over at the Simpsons’,’ Cheryl said. ‘The men were eating ice cream and discussing sport.’ Awkwardly, she added, ‘And, as he feels so very strongly about the whole thing, I thought it might be easier without him here.’
Sera felt sick inside. ‘I’m sorry… I like Roberto, and I hate the idea of you both being so angry with me—’
‘If you’re talking about last night, you’ve nothing to be sorry for,’ Cheryl broke in firmly. ‘Keir has already explained that you had no choice in the matter… And it isn’t you Roberto’s angry with. It’s me.’
As Sera gaped at her, she said, ‘Look, it might be easier if I start right at the beginning.
‘From the instant Martin first laid eyes on you he’s been besotted. I’ve never known him to be so mad about any woman.
‘The night of the Anglo American party, I could see the way he was fairly drooling over you. He gave me a look…’ her mouth twisted wryly ‘…and, like any good sister, I took Keir away deliberately to give him a chance to be alone with you…
‘Mind you, at that time, I had a personal interest in the outcome, but I soon discovered that as far as Keir was concerned, no other woman but you existed. Then, when Roberto persuaded me to stay that night… Well, we just hit it off… I don’t need to tell you the rest…
‘But to get back to the point… At first I thought you genuinely loved Keir and that Martin was wasting his time. Then you seemed to give Keir the brush-off, and I decided I could be wrong.
‘Of course, Martin’s
a good-looking devil and, as far as most women are concerned, he’s got what it takes. Yet I still wasn’t convinced you were in love with him. The logical conclusion seemed to be that it was his money that attracted you.’
Seeing the look on Sera’s face, she said quickly, ‘I’m sorry, but I’m trying to be absolutely honest. Anyway, I made up my mind that, whichever it was, I’d keep out of it. Martin’s no fool, and if he still wanted to marry you, well, it was up to him.
‘As the wedding day got closer, I noticed that you were looking more and more unhappy. At that point I mentioned it to Martin. But he was so obsessed that all he could think about was getting a wedding ring on your finger before you changed your mind.
“‘It’ll be all right when we’re married,” he kept saying. “Sera isn’t the kind of woman to go back on her word. As soon as she’s my wife she’ll settle down. I’ll give her everything she’s ever wanted.”
‘But I could see he was afraid. The only reason he bought that car was to try and keep your interest—’
‘I don’t know why you’re telling me all this now,’ Sera cut in desperately. ‘It just isn’t relevant any longer.’
‘That part might not be, but the rest certainly is. I should have told you before. I’ve been feeling guilty for a long time now…’
‘Guilty?’ Sera exclaimed. ‘Why on earth should you feel guilty?’
‘Keep listening,’ Cheryl said with a hint of dry humour, ‘and you’ll soon know.
‘You remember the day of the accident, how Martin bullied you into driving?’
‘He didn’t exactly bully me,’ Sera protested.
‘OK, let’s say he talked you into it. I could see you didn’t want to. You looked tired and edgy.
‘But it was a nice little car, the kind of thing most women would have traded their eye-teeth for and, presuming you’d be delighted with a wedding gift like that, Martin had purposely given Carlson the weekend off.
‘You’d once mentioned that though you’d never actually owned a car, you enjoyed driving, and I suppose he thought that if you got behind the wheel and had a taste of what he could offer you…’ Letting the sentence tail off, Cheryl sighed.
Then, with a determined lift of the chin, she carried on, ‘After the accident, when you asked me what had happened, the last thing you could remember was being on the highway. I take it you haven’t remembered any more?’
‘No.’
‘Well, when I told you what had happened, for Martin’s sake, I left quite a lot out.’ She took a deep, almost shuddering breath.
Concerned, Sera said quickly, ‘Are you sure you want to talk about it? This is no time to be getting yourself worked up.’
‘I need to get it off my conscience,’ Cheryl said decidedly. She patted her still flat stomach. ‘Little Roberto will thrive all the better for it.’
‘Well, if you’re certain…?’
‘Quite certain.’ After a quick glance at Keir who, his dark face expressionless, had been sitting listening in silence, she went on, ‘After we left the highway, Martin began talking about the honeymoon he’d planned. He suggested that you could extend it for a couple of weeks and take in Sydney after you’d left Hawaii.
‘He’d got as far as, “We can spend longer in Australia if you want to. See the red heart…” when you burst out, “It’s no good, Martin. I can’t marry you. I’m sorry, but it’s all been a dreadful mistake. I’ve tried more than once to tell you, but you kept saying it was just pre-wedding nerves, and it isn’t…’”
Listening with almost feverish concentration, Sera’s hands were clenched tightly together in her lap, the knuckles showing white.
‘I think this time he knew you meant it, and he got terribly agitated. It was awkward for me. I’d rather not have been there.
‘As though he suddenly remembered I was, he cried, “Stop the car. We can’t talk like this.”
‘You drew off the road and stopped under some trees. Then the pair of you got out and he almost hustled you away.
‘Though you were out of earshot, I could tell you were arguing. You seemed to be in tears and Martin looked almost frantic.
‘I saw you take off your ring and try to hand it to him. He refused to take it and, in the end, you dropped it at his feet and walked away.
‘His face livid, he picked it up and shoved it into the pocket of the linen jacket he was wearing…’
‘So I did give him back the ring,’ Sera whispered.
Without pausing to answer, Cheryl rushed on, ‘You’d just reached the car when he came storming up. He pushed you out of the way and got behind the wheel himself…’
Sera’s face was like chalk, her indrawn breath a sob.
‘You’d barely had time to get in the passenger side and shut the door when he shot off.
‘He wasn’t in his right mind. He should never have been driving. Neither of you were wearing your seat belts.
‘Before I had a chance to reason with him we got to the steep bend at Dunton Hollow. He was going far too fast and lost it. We hit a tree with terrific force, bounced off and went rolling down the embankment into a field.
‘The car settled upside down. Its front was all crushed in and mangled; the back wasn’t so bad. There was a surprising amount of noise: metal grating, glass crunching, steam hissing…
‘I could smell petrol and I was terrified it was going to burst into flames. Even though I was groggy, I managed to unfasten my seat belt, but the doors were jammed and crumpled and I couldn’t get out.
‘After a few seconds of sheer panic, I got a hold of myself. My mobile was still working, thank God, and I phoned for the emergency services.
‘Then I tried to see if I could do anything for you and Martin. You were lying all twisted up with blood on your face. I thought for a moment you were dead, but then I found a pulse and I could hear you breathing with difficulty.
‘Martin was conscious, but he was trapped, unable to move. I asked him if there was anything I could do.
‘He said hoarsely, “Feel in my pocket… The ring… Put it back on Sera’s finger. She can’t leave me. I won’t let her.”
‘I wasn’t sure whether he knew what he was saying, but when I didn’t immediately do as he asked he started to cry and begged, “Oh, please, Sis, please… Do it for me.’”
Cheryl stopped speaking abruptly, and her eyes filled with tears that threatened to overflow. ‘He hadn’t called me Sis for years.’
Her own eyes suspiciously bright, Sera reached impulsively for the other woman’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
Dashing away the tears, Cheryl said, ‘For heaven’s sake don’t be kind to me; I don’t deserve it…’
Then, apparently determined to finish her story, she went on, ‘I managed to find the ring and put it back on your finger. By that time the pain had hit Martin. Perspiration was running down his face and he was groaning. I held his hand.
‘Then he whispered, “There’s something else; when the police get here, don’t tell them I was driving.”
‘It was only six months since he’d barely escaped being convicted for dangerous driving. That’s why he’d taken to going everywhere in the limousine instead of driving himself, which he’d always preferred.
‘I said something like, “But they’re sure to find out. When Sera comes to, she’ll tell them.”
‘Martin insisted, “She won’t if you ask her not to. Promise you’ll ask her. The police won’t push it. It isn’t as if anyone else was involved.”
‘So I promised. In the event, I didn’t need to ask you, because you wakened up convinced that you had been driving.
‘I’m sorry. Sorry for everything. I should have told you the truth… But Martin clung to you so, and I hated the thought of letting him down.
‘Though you looked far from happy, you seemed to be coping, and I told myself you were a grown woman, not a child, you didn’t have to stay with him, if you didn’t want to.
‘I suppose in my heart of hearts I
knew it was a feeling of guilt that kept you there. I’m sorry.’ Again, her light blue eyes filled with water.
Sera, who had been sitting as motionless as a statue, watching the older woman’s face, said quickly, ‘Please, don’t upset yourself…for the baby’s sake, if nothing else.’
Cheryl made a valiant effort at composure. ‘I just wish I’d told you sooner.’
‘I don’t understand why you’ve told me now,’ Sera admitted.
‘I’ve been wanting to for a while. I was so happy myself I hated the thought of anyone else being unhappy, but it always came back to Martin and, each time, I chickened out.
‘Then Keir came here this morning. He told me what action he’d taken and added that he had no intention of letting you go back to Martin until he knew “the cage door was open.”
‘He took me by surprise and my first instinct was to stonewall… But he soon made it clear that he already suspected something of what I’ve just told you and he insisted on knowing the whole truth.
‘He looked so formidable I wouldn’t have dared not tell him…’ Biting her lip, she added, ‘In my own way I’m a terrible coward. I dread the thought of Martin finding out that I’ve betrayed him…’
‘As far as I’m concerned he won’t know you’ve told me anything,’ Sera promised.
‘Thank you.’ Once again emotion threatened to overwhelm the older woman.
There was a silence before she gathered herself enough to ask, ‘What will you do now? I mean now you know that the accident wasn’t your fault and you’ve no need to feel guilty?’
With no time to fully take in what she’d been told, still feeling dazed, knocked off balance, Sera said slowly, ‘I don’t really know. You see, in a way, I still feel responsible. If I’d said nothing about ending the engagement until we got to Pine Cove, the accident would never have happened.’
Keir’s black brows drew together in a frown. ‘So on the premise that we each have to be responsible for our own actions, what about Rothwell? You didn’t drive that car into a tree—’
‘Keir’s absolutely right,’ Cheryl broke in. ‘It wouldn’t have happened if Martin had had a little more self-control. Still, that’s Martin all over. As children we were both highly-strung and emotional, but I learnt how to keep my feelings under control whereas he never did.
The Determined Husband Page 14