Yet she was jeopardising her children’s happiness by having an affair with Adam!
She was also, apparently, yet another woman who wanted to boast to Maggi about it. Maggi didn’t want to meet her for coffee or anything else; she just didn’t want to know.
‘Look, I have to go.’ Celia Mayes stood up smoothly, beautiful in the black sheath dress she wore. ‘But I’ll wait for you after the show.’ And, with that famous toss of her silky blonde hair, she was gone.
Maggi was still dazed by the whole encounter. She had had no idea who else would be on the show this evening. Although it could have been worse; it could have been Adam himself!
‘After the show’ came all too quickly for Maggi. She could barely remember doing the television interview, or singing a song at the end, although the interviewer seemed more than pleased as he thanked her afterwards.
Maggi couldn’t even recall what she had said, so preoccupied was she with Celia Mayes’ motives in wanting to see her after the show. What was it about these women that they felt a need to discuss their relationship with Adam with her? Did it give them some sort of perverse pleasure to tell Maggi of their conquest? Whatever it was, Maggi didn’t want to know.
Celia Mayes was waiting downstairs in Reception for her when she came down, flicking idly through a magazine from the table there as she waited. She put it down as soon as she saw Maggi, standing up, a smile curving her lips. ‘Ready?’
‘Look, Miss Mayes—’
‘The name is Celia,’ the other woman told her firmly, linking her arm through Maggi’s. ‘And it’s only coffee, Magdalena,’ she said as they went outside into the darkened evening.
Maggi moved sharply away from her. ‘The name is Maggi,’ she snapped, knowing all too well where—and from whom!—the other woman had got her full name. ‘And I really don’t think—’
‘On the contrary—Maggi,’ the other woman replied softly. ‘I think you think all too much,’ she told her enigmatically. ‘My car is over here.’ She led the way to a pale blue Mercedes. ‘Come on, Maggi,’ she encouraged as Maggi still held back. ‘I don’t bite. What have you got to lose?’
Nothing. It was all gone already. Adam. Her marriage. Her one chance of happiness.
She got into the car beside the actress, her mouth set stubbornly as she stared out of the window at the passing traffic.
‘I hope you don’t mind having coffee at my home.’ The actress was the one to finally break the silence. ‘Only Geoffrey is away at the moment, and so I’ve left the boys with a babysitter. Something I don’t particularly like doing.’
‘I thought you lived in the north of England.’ Maggi spoke gruffly; she remembered that house all too well.
The other woman nodded. ‘We commute between our house there and the apartment in town. Of course—’ she glanced at Maggi ‘—you’ve been to the house, haven’t you?’
‘I visited. Briefly,’ Maggi confirmed.
Celia nodded. ‘Well, the boys are with me in London at the moment. I don’t have a nanny for them. I waited so long for the twins that I have no intention of letting someone else bring them up,’ she added determinedly.
This woman was becoming more and more of a puzzle to Maggi. She spoke of her husband and sons with such open affection, and there was such a warmth about her, that Maggi was having trouble disliking her. She wanted to dislike her—certainly didn’t want to like the woman who was sharing Adam’s bed at the moment!
‘I’m really not worried about having coffee at all,’ she told Celia coldly.
‘You’re right. We probably deserve something stronger after the nerve-racking experience of being in front of the television cameras!’ She grinned as Maggi looked surprised by the description. ‘It’s something I’ve never got used to. Geoffrey is always amazed at the fact I can do this at all, because, quite frankly, I don’t enjoy it. But the release of a new film needs the help of a little PR.’ She shrugged. ‘You?’
‘Me?’ Maggi looked startled at this apparent change of subject.
‘Why did you do it?’ Celia glanced at her. ‘Adam thought it must be to do with your new album.’
She stiffened at the way this woman talked so easily about Adam. It was obvious, from the remark, that if she hadn’t known of Celia’s appearance in the programme tonight, then Celia had certainly known of hers. It had even been discussed with Adam!
‘It is,’ she replied distantly.
‘Here we are,’ Celia said warmly as she drove the car down into the underground car park. ‘I would have liked you to meet the boys, but they’re probably fast asleep in bed.’
That suited Maggi perfectly; she had no wish to meet this woman’s baby sons. She didn’t know what she was doing here at all, felt a little as if she had been run over by a steamroller. She frowned at Celia as they went up in the lift; there was a lot more to her than this charming exterior she chose to present!
‘Don’t look so worried, Maggi.’ Celia smiled as they went into her apartment. ‘I just thought we could have a drink and get to know each other a little.’
What on earth was the point of Adam’s ex-wife and his current mistress getting to know each other?
‘All’s quiet,’ Celia whispered as she put down her car keys on a small table in the entrance hall. ‘A miracle!’
Maggi still had the strangest feeling that under any other circumstances she would have really liked this woman. She was beautiful, charming and good fun. What Maggi had to remember, though, was that Celia was also involved in Adam’s life, and that she was a married woman with children.
‘Come through,’ Celia invited. ‘I’ll just see you settled before I check on the boys.’
Maggi followed her, still wishing herself far away. She was getting out of here as soon as she was able. One drink and she was going—
‘I don’t need to introduce you to my babysitter,’ Celia told her lightly. ‘Everything okay, Adam?’
Adam…?
Adam was this woman’s babysitter…?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MAGGI stared at Adam as he lounged in one of the armchairs in the elegantly furnished room, perfectly relaxed, his legs stretched out in front of him. As if he had done this dozens of times before. Which he probably had! No doubt he spent a lot of his time here when Geoffrey was away.
If she had wanted to leave before, she wanted it even more now. This was becoming an insane situation!
‘I brought Maggi back for a drink,’ Celia told him conversationally—as if inviting his ex-wife to her home were a perfectly natural thing for her to do. ‘Perhaps you could see to that while I check on Michael and Daniel?’ she suggested happily, before unhurriedly leaving the room.
Maggi couldn’t believe this was happening to her, stared with amazement at Adam as he slowly straightened in the chair, his gaze narrowed on her inscrutably.
He had had his hair cut since the last time she’d seen him, although it was still quite long, with those flecks of grey more visible at his temples. His face looked thinner too, the lines beside his nose and mouth making him look quite grim, and his expression was cold as he continued to survey her.
It was the first time she had seen him since the evening they’d ended up in bed together, and she, for one, felt uncomfortable at that memory. Not that Adam appeared in the least perturbed by the awkwardness of the situation…
What was going on here? Had Adam known the actress would be bringing Maggi back with her? If so, what was the point? With the divorce imminent, they had nothing left to say to each other.
Adam stood up slowly, his height, and the power he exuded, instantly dominating the room. ‘What can I get you?’
She looked at him, her expression one of complete incomprehension.
‘To drink,’ he explained slowly.
She didn’t want the damned drink. She didn’t want to be here at all!
‘Brandy,’ he decided, moving the tray of drinks that stood on the side dresser. ‘Here.’ He handed her the bulbous gla
ss. ‘The sooner you drink it, the sooner you can leave,’ he added tauntingly as she made no effort to take the glass from him.
She took the brandy, careful not to touch Adam’s hand, and sipped some of the fiery liquid, instantly feeling its warmth inside her. Which was just as well; she had begun to feel as if she was turning into a block of ice. What on earth had Celia Mayes thought she was doing by inviting her, knowing full well Adam was here watching over her sons?
Adam babysitting…! It still seemed incredible to her. Adam Carmichael acting as babysitter! Although not just to anyone, to the sons of the woman he was rumoured to be having an affair with. That wasn’t quite the same as just babysitting…
Celia seemed to be taking rather a long time checking on her twins.
‘Celia is a romantic,’ Adam told Maggi dryly, seeming to guess her panicked thoughts. ‘She thinks if she leaves us alone for long enough we’ll sort out our differences.’ He shook his head, sipping at his own glass of brandy. ‘A romantic!’ he confirmed disgustedly.
‘Especially in the circumstances,’ Maggi replied, at last finding her voice again—she felt as if she had been struck dumb for the last half an hour; she had certainly had little to say for herself.
Adam’s mouth twisted. ‘I’m not about to ask what circumstances you’re referring to,’ he rasped hardly, ‘because I can guess! But if I were you I wouldn’t repeat them to Celia, because she’s likely to laugh in your face.’
‘I don’t find any of this funny,’ Maggi dismissed impatiently. ‘She insisted on being friendly at the television studio—’
‘It was a good interview, by the way,’ Adam told her lightly. ‘And I liked the new song. It should be a good album.’
She didn’t want to hear what he thought of her interview earlier tonight, or the song she had sung at the end of it! ‘Celia insisted I join her for a drink afterwards. And now, for some reason, she has deliberately left the two of us together.’ Maggi was becoming more and more agitated by the situation.
Adam’s eyes rested on her red-cheeked face. ‘Celia may have insisted, Magdalena, but you didn’t have to give in to it. You have a mind of your own—as I know only too well!—and you could have said no to her invitation.’
‘She was very insistent,’ Maggi defended irritably.
‘And you can be very determined,’ he dismissed wryly. ‘So what are you doing here?’ He quirked mocking brows. ‘Don’t tell me your curiosity got the better of you?’
Had it? Had some part of her wanted to know, once and for all, exactly what Adam’s relationship was with the beautiful actress? A moth drawn to the flame? In this case Adam’s mistress…
If so, what sort of masochist was she that she should deliberately put herself through this? Or was it just that the other woman was a link to Adam, no matter how painful? She would have to think through her own actions later, when she was alone; right now she was more concerned with Celia and Adam’s motivations!
‘I have no curiosity left where you’re concerned, Adam,’ she told him contemptuously. ‘I know all that I need to know!’
‘And Celia?’ he challenged. ‘Do you know all you need to know about her too?’
She felt her cheeks become warm as he hit on exactly why she was here. Against her better judgement, she had found herself actually liking Celia, found a dichotomy in what she had been told about her and the warm friendliness that she actually emanated towards Maggi. Something didn’t add up.
‘I know nothing about her,’ Maggi dismissed determinedly.
‘No?’ Adam challenged.
‘No,’ she snapped back, putting down her brandy glass, the alcohol barely touched. ‘If I had known you were going to be here this evening I certainly wouldn’t have allowed myself to be persuaded into coming!’ Her eyes flashed deeply blue. ‘We certainly have nothing left to say to each other.’
‘Strange, but I always knew you and Celia were going to like each other.’ Adam spoke softly. ‘And she does like you, Magdalena. Otherwise nothing on this earth would have induced her to invite you to her home.’
‘I’m honoured!’
‘Sarcasm doesn’t become you, Magdalena.’
‘You don’t become me, Adam.’ She hurled the words back at him accusingly. ‘You bring out the worst in me.’
‘And the best, Magdalena,’ he said. ‘Let’s not forget that.’
She hadn’t been able to forget that, could still remember all too clearly the magic they had known in each other’s arms five weeks ago. Five weeks…? But—
‘The very best,’ Adam added determinedly, standing all too close now, his hands moving up to grasp her upper arms.
Maggi felt overwhelmed, couldn’t breathe, felt as if she was held in a hypnotic spell. This couldn’t be happening to her again!
When would it ever end…?
‘I’m afraid this young man was playing tricks on you, Adam,’ Celia announced as she breezed back into the room, a baby snuggled into her neck. She came to an abrupt halt as she saw the two of them standing so closely together across the room. ‘Oops.’ She gave an apologetic grimace. ‘Shall I go out and come in again?’ she suggested teasingly.
Maggi was mortified at being found in such an intimate pose with Adam. Which was ridiculous; if anyone had the right to be found in his arms, it was her. Yet she still felt guilty at being caught out in this way…
Adam moved smoothly away from her, crossing the room to hold out his hands for the baby. ‘Daniel Haines, you’re going to get me into trouble,’ he chided affectionately as the baby turned and moved easily into his arms. ‘The deal was that you would be asleep by the time Mummy came home.’
Celia laughed. ‘I bet you put the two of them into bed when you heard the car in the driveway!’
Adam grinned at her over the top of the dark head now cuddled into his chest. ‘Privileges of the babysitter!’ he returned unapologetically.
‘He’s such a softie, Maggi.’ The other woman turned and spoke warmly, including her in the conversation. ‘But then, you already know that.’
She knew no such thing; she had never found Adam a ‘softie’, not in their two years of marriage, or in the time since. But perhaps he was different with this woman; he certainly seemed relaxed.
Although it was what she saw now that held her interest at the moment…
The baby in Adam’s arms was undoubtedly a beautiful child, with his thick dark hair and eyes just as dark, huge as saucers as he turned to look shyly at the stranger in their midst, a smile suddenly lighting up his face, showing tiny white teeth.
Daniel was absolutely beautiful, and Maggi felt her heart melt at his perfection. And there was another child just like him asleep in the house somewhere! No wonder Celia refused to leave them, or let anyone else help her to bring them up.
Daniel was also, without a doubt, of Oriental parentage. He couldn’t possibly—from the photographs Maggi had seen on the mantelpiece of Celia and a rather handsome blond-haired man who had to be Geoffrey Haines—be the couple’s natural son…
‘Would you like to hold him, Maggi?’ Celia invited softly. ‘It’s all right,’ she assured her as Maggi looked alarmed. ‘He won’t cry. He smiled at you, so he obviously likes the look of you.’ She took the baby from Adam and placed him firmly in Maggi’s arms. ‘Children seem to know instinctively who they can trust. Daniel probably senses you’re a part of his uncle Adam.’
Maggi ignored that last remark, totally absorbed with the baby nestled so comfortably against her. He seemed fascinated by her long hair draped silkily over her shoulders, picking up long strands and watching them drop, before grinning at her mischievously. Maggi sat down in an armchair with him, loving the softness of him, the tiny starfish hands that gently touched her skin.
‘It suits you, Magdalena.’ Adam spoke gruffly.
She looked up at him uncomprehendingly for several seconds, having been totally engrossed in the baby. As his meaning became clear to her all the colour drained from her cheeks. �
�You bastard,’ she choked disbelievingly. ‘How could you?’ She stood up abruptly, giving the baby back to his mother. ‘Your son is beautiful, Celia. You’re a very lucky woman,’ she added meaningfully, before turning away and stumbling from the-room.
Her arm was grasped and she was spun round to face Adam before she reached the door into the apartment.
‘Let go of me, Adam,’ she told him between gritted teeth. ‘If you have any decency left in you at all, get out of Celia’s life. Your relationship with her can only bring her unhappiness.’ As it had her. Oh, God, as it had her! She hurt so much at this moment it was almost like a physical pain.
‘You don’t still believe that rubbish about Celia and me?’ Adam cried angrily. ‘Have you no sense, woman? Don’t you have eyes in your head?’ he continued exasperatedly. ‘This is a home full of love, Magdalena. It envelops you as soon as you come in the door. There are family photographs everywhere you look. This apartment positively cries out “happy family”. I don’t believe you can’t see and feel that!’
Of course she could see that, and feel it too—that was the reason why she had tried to advise Celia just now to think about what she had. Adam had no right intruding on this happy family.
‘I give up on you, Magdalena.’ Adam suddenly thrust her away from him. ‘Geoffrey is my best friend, Celia’s like a sister to me, I’m godfather to their children, and still you believe I would—’ He shook his head disgustedly. ‘One day I’m going to find out what I did so wrong that you believe me to be that type of monster!’
‘This is all my fault, Adam.’ Celia came out into the hallway, the baby asleep in her arms now. ‘I thought—’ There were tears in those beautiful blue eyes. ‘I wanted to make things right for you, Adam,’ she told him with soft apology.
‘I know you did, love.’ He squeezed her arm reassuringly. ‘I’m not angry with you.’
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