‘Of course,’ Rod spoke smoothly. ‘This is Mrs Grant’s neice Keilly, and her friend Michael Fenwick. Keilly, Michael, this is my secretary, Barbie Daniels.’
The identity of the other woman didn’t seem half as important as the way Rod had chosen to introduce Keilly, as if she had never meant any more to him than being the niece of the owner of the hotel! She looked at him with widely hurt eyes, feeling almost as if he had physically slapped her in the face.
‘I’m pleased to meet you both,’ Barbie said in a friendly voice, her grey suit and black blouse expertly tailored, a perfect match for the grey suit and black shirt Rod wore.
‘And you,’ Michael was the one to answer her. ‘Are you just on your way to The Hall?’
‘That’s right,’ Rod nodded. ‘You?’
‘The same,’ Michael smiled, picking up none of the strain between the other man and Keilly.
‘I’ll just go to the desk and hand in our keys, Rod,’ his secretary told him.
The tension was even stronger in Keilly as the other woman walked away to the desk, not having spoken at all since she had turned and seen Rod. His secretary was a little different from what she had imagined she would be, nothing at all like the mother of three children should look.
‘Er—It’s nice to have seen you again, Rod,’ she finally said awkwardly. ‘When did you arrive?’
There was nothing to be learnt of his own feelings at seeing her again from his expression, his eyes devoid of emotion, his face bland. ‘About an hour ago,’ he answered her politely. ‘Just time enough to have lunch before we had to leave for The Hall.’
He must have arrived while she had been in her room changing; if only she could have managed to completely avoid such personal encounters! ‘We mustn’t keep you,’ she dismissed. ‘Michael and I were just leaving ourselves.’
He nodded distantly, his eyes cold now. ‘Perhaps we will see you later.’
‘I’m sure you will,’ Michael smiled.
Keilly was still shaking when they reached Michael’s car, gratefully she got into the passenger seat, not sure how much longer her legs would hold her. It was all so much worse than she had imagined, Rod acting like a stranger to her, his secretary seeming so much more now that she had seen the other woman. Barbie Daniels was beautiful, how could Rod not find her attractive?
‘I think I’d like a secretary who looked like that,’ Michael unwittingly poured salt on the open wound.
‘She is Mrs Daniels,’ Keilly heard herself defend icily. ‘And she has three children.’
‘Oh,’ Michael looked suitably abashed. ‘Still,’ he brightened. ‘Married or not, she would cheer my office up no end.’
Keilly didn’t answer, aware that the other woman would cheer up any man’s office ‘no end’, and any other place she cared to be! She wished they had never spoken to the other couple, wished she had never met Rod at all!
He opened the Fěte with all the charm and humour she knew he was capable of, was nothing at all like the coldly grim stranger she had just met at the hotel, the crowds of people who had turned out to see him not disappointed as he charmed every single one of them with the small speech he made before declaring the Fěte open.
‘Not bad,’ Barbie drawled at Keilly’s side, having come to stand there without Keilly being aware of it, Michael a short distance away talking to his parents. ‘Considering he has never done anything like this before,’ she added mockingly.
‘But—don’t people like him do this sort of thing all the time?’ Keilly was curious in spite of herself.
Blue eyes deepened with laughter. ‘Not stars of Rod’s calibre,’ Barbie smiled. ‘I had to come here with him just to make sure he wasn’t kidding me.’
Keilly flushed her resentment. ‘Well I hope we’ve provided you with a little entertainment—’
‘Hey,’ the other woman stopped her chidingly. ‘Rod warned me you were full of prickles, he wasn’t wrong.’
She paled. ‘Rod spoke to you about me?’
‘Only in passing,’ Barbie dismissed. ‘And I didn’t come up here to laugh at anyone. I just couldn’t believe Rod was really going to do this. He was quite good.’
Keilly made no comment to the statement, even though it was the truth. How dare Rod tell this woman about her! And what, exactly, had he told her?
Barbie was watching her with narrowed eyes. ‘So you’re the woman who wrote those letters about Rod,’ she mused. ‘Strange, you don’t look the vindictive type.’
‘I’m not,’ she flushed.
‘No, probably not,’ the other woman acknowledged. ‘The second letter was certainly a nice gesture. I know Rod was pleased about it. He certainly seemed a lot happier after he had seen it, anyway,’ she added thoughtfully.
‘Really,’ she said uninterestedly.
‘The woman in the red dress is your cousin?’ Barbie suddenly asked curiously.
Keilly followed her line of vision to where Kathy was in her element as she introduced Rod to the people crowding around him. ‘Yes,’ she acknowledged dully.
‘Attractive,’ Barbie drawled.
‘Yes,’ she agreed flatly.
Barbie turned to look at her. ‘But nothing at all like a sea witch,’ she murmured.
Keilly raised startled lashes, all colour leaving her face. ‘What do you mean?’ Her lips felt too stiff to articulate properly. ‘Mrs Daniels—’
‘Barbie,’ the other woman corrected smoothly, ‘and you’ll have to excuse me, I think I had better go and rescue Rod,’ she gave Keilly a preoccupied smile. ‘He’s likely to get crushed by the masses otherwise!’ She began to push her way through the crowd, leaving a dazed Keilly behind her.
That comment by Barbie Daniels about a sea witch had been no accident, so just what had Rod told his secretary about her? She had no opportunity to ask him as he seemed to be surrounded by people for most of the afternoon.
‘I went to see his film several weeks ago,’ once again it was Michael who added salt to the wound. ‘I thought it was very good.’
‘Why don’t you go and tell him so?’ she snapped. ‘I’m sure he would like to hear it!’
Michael gave her a wounded look, not understanding what he had said to upset her. ‘Would you like me to go and get you some more lemonade?’ he offered to ease the tension.
She hadn’t drunk the cup she already had, but she nodded acceptance. ‘Thank you, this one is a bit warm,’ she handed the cup to him before he went away, the promise of a beautiful day fulfilled with the warm sunshine and a clear blue sky, the fresh lemonade her aunt had provided proving very popular.
In fact the whole Fěte was a success, more successful than it had ever been before, and she knew Kathy would be pleased with the amount of money she would have to send to charity, the usual recipient of any money they made. But the afternoon was a disaster as far as Keilly was concerned. Everywhere she looked she seemed to see Rod, a laughing smiling Rod whose eyes glazed over coldly every time their glances happened to meet. He had far from forgiven her for what he considered her lack of faith in him.
It was with relief that she persuaded Michael to take her home shortly before five, although the Fěte was still crowded and looked like going on for several more hours yet. She cried off seeing Michael that evening too, her excuse of a headache a real one. The afternoon had been a terrible strain on her, and it was with a sigh of gratitude that she lay down in her darkened bedroom, falling asleep almost instantly.
She felt a strange prickling sensation down her spine as she began to wake up, the curtains no longer necessary to keep out the sunlight, the sky beginning to darken outside. The weird sensation of not being alone persisted as she blinked into wakefulness, and as she looked about the gloom of the room she saw the man seated in the chair beside her bed, sitting there as if he had every right to do so.
‘Rod!’ she gasped in recognition, sitting up. ‘I—What are you doing here?’ she demanded, pushing the tangle of her hair out of her eyes. ‘My aunt—�
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‘Told me you were lying down because you don’t feel well,’ he finished.
‘I doubt she expected you to come in here!’ she scorned, still trembling from the shock of finding him in her bedroom.
‘Probably not,’ he acknowledged abruptly. ‘But I wanted to talk to you.’
‘What about?’ she was at once on the defensive. ‘Haven’t you already talked about me enough?’
His eyes narrowed. ‘Explain that remark,’ he snapped.
She was becoming accustomed to the gloom of her room now, could see him quite clearly, was unperturbed by his grim expression. ‘Your secretary seems well informed.’
‘I said explain it,’ he repeated with abrupt anger.
Keilly became flushed, never having seen him like this before, wondering if it were possible he had suffered as much as she had the last few weeks. ‘Mrs Daniels seemed to imply she knew about us, she even called me “sea witch”,’ she added accusingly.
‘Barbie knows nothing about us, Keilly,’ he rasped. ‘Or if she does it’s only what she’s surmised from my behaviour. She called you sea witch because when she asked I told her that was what was bothering me. I never once mentioned you by name.’
She blushed her regret at misjudging him. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mumbled.
‘Are you?’ his mouth twisted bitterly. ‘Are you really? Or do you still think I go around boasting of my conquests to anyone who will listen?’
She paled as suddenly as the colour had entered her cheeks. ‘That wasn’t what I said,’ she gasped. ‘You’re twisting my words—’
‘Have you spoken to Kathy?’ he interrupted icily.
She swallowed hard. ‘I speak to her all the time—’
‘That isn’t what I meant, and you know it,’ he stood up impatiently, changed into close-fitting denims and a casual shirt. ‘Damn it, Keilly, why won’t you believe me?’ he groaned. ‘Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you the last nine weeks? How much I’ve longed for you?’
‘You knew where to find me,’ she muttered.
‘And you know damn well I can’t live with your distrust!’
‘I’m sorry,’ she looked down at her hands.
Rod’s eyes glittered with his fury as he wrenched her chin up. ‘You aren’t sorry at all, if you were you would want to know the truth. Damn it, you would demand it.’
She trembled at the fire in his eyes. ‘I—I can’t,’ she choked.
‘You mean you’re frightened to,’ he pushed her away from him with disgust. ‘You’re talking about your cousin’s pride; I’m talking about our whole lives together. It’s obvious which means more to you!’ He slammed out of the room.
And Keilly knew that he had finally slammed out of her life, that he would never ask for her understanding again. God, what was she to do, what could she do? To go to Kathy and accuse her of lying was unthinkable, to watch Rod walk out of her life again, this time for good, was unbearable!
‘Rod’s gone,’ Barbie Daniels told her the next morning when she asked for him.
‘Gone?’ she frowned her puzzlement. ‘Gone where?’
The blonde woman shrugged. ‘He decided to go to California early; he left last night.’
‘Without you?’
‘Without me,’ Barbie nodded. ‘He flew back, I’m taking the car.’
‘I see,’ she chewed on her bottom lip.
‘I wish I did!’ Barbie sighed, taking sympathy on her. ‘He didn’t say much to me, just that he was leaving, but I take it he spoke to you some time before he left?’
‘Yes,’ she admitted raggedly, wondering what she was going to do now. She needed to talk to Rod.
‘I don’t know what the problem is between you two,’ the other woman watched her with narrowed eyes. ‘But I do know that Rod has been acting like a man who just lost his best friend—or the woman he loves? Am I right?’
‘I—’
‘Do you love him, Keilly?’
‘Yes,’ she answered truthfully. ‘I love him very much.’
‘Then I don’t see what the problem is?’ Barbie frowned her confusion.
‘You wouldn’t understand,’ she avoided the other woman’s probing gaze. ‘It’s too complicated.’
‘Try me,’ she invited softly.
‘No. I—’
‘Keilly, Rod has never been a man to give up on something he wants,’ Barbie cut in impatiently. ‘Which means the problem lies with you. So what is it if you love him too? Maybe I can help you,’ she encouraged.
‘I don’t think so,’ she shook her head. ‘Do you have any idea when he’ll be back in England?’
‘About a week, I should think,’ the other woman frowned. ‘Do you intend seeing him then?’
‘Yes,’ she answered firmly. ‘I—I have to talk to him. I have to explain—’
‘Why wait until he comes back if it’s that important?’ Barbie prompted. ‘Why not talk to him now?’
‘You said he’s gone to America…’
‘So?’
She gave a nervous laugh. ‘You aren’t suggesting I follow him there?’
‘And if I am?’
‘Mrs Daniels, being Rod’s secretary you may have become used to jetting all over the world, but people like me do not just up and leave for America. Especially when they’re unsure of their welcome,’ she added worriedly. She had decided during the long night that she had to trust Rod, had to believe whatever he told her. Because she had no life without him.
‘Keilly, I—’ Barbie broke off, looking over Keilly’s shoulder. ‘If I’m not mistaken,’ she said slowly. ‘Your cousin looks and feels as bad as you do.’
She turned sharply to look at Kathy, shocked by how pale she was. ‘Is there anything wrong?’ she demanded anxiously. ‘Peter…? Heather…?’
‘They’re both fine,’ Kathy dismissed, glancing uncomfortably at Barbie. ‘I need to talk to you, Keilly. Alone,’ she added awkwardly.
‘Don’t worry about me,’ Barbie said goodnaturedly. ‘I was just going in to breakfast anyway. I’ll see you later, Keilly,’ she added softly, reminding Keilly their conversation was far from over.
‘Can we go up to your bedroom?’ Kathy asked once they were alone. ‘I don’t want to be overheard.’
Keilly couldn’t imagine what on earth was wrong with her cousin, but as she looked so anxious she took her straight up to her bedroom. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked again once the door was closed. ‘Kathy, tell me what’s happened!’ she pleaded.
Her cousin was very pale, her eyes deep brown pools. She sat down heavily on the bedroom chair. ‘I had a telephone call from Rod late last night,’ she revealed dully.
All the colour drained from Keilly’s face, leaving her as pale as Kathy. ‘Oh no,’ she groaned, knowing he had taken things into his own hands and spoken to Kathy himself.
Kathy looked up at her with tortured eyes. ‘I had no idea—Maybe I just didn’t want to see—’ She bit down hard on her bottom lip. ‘I didn’t want to admit to myself that you and Rod were in love,’ she explained raggedly. ‘Because if I had done that it would have changed everything.’
‘Kathy,’ she came down on the carpet in front of her cousin. ‘Kathy, what did Rod tell you?’
‘Only what I already knew, subconsciously,’ she choked. ‘That the two of you were in love, and that I was keeping you apart.’
‘He said that?’ she gasped at his cruelty.
‘Not the last bit,’ Kathy gave her a wan smile. ‘He’s too much of a gentleman to accuse me of that! He telephoned to say goodbye, he said,’ she recalled woodenly, ‘that he doubted he would ever come back to Selchurch again. That even though he loved you, and believed you loved him, that something more important was keeping you apart.’ She looked at Keilly with shadowed eyes, ‘It’s me, isn’t it?’ she urged.
‘Kathy—’
‘Isn’t it?’ she persisted.
Keilly stood up. ‘Rod had no right to call you, to upset you in this way—’
/> ‘He had every right,’ her cousin said flatly. ‘He’s fighting for what he wants.’
‘But at your expense!’
Kathy sighed. ‘He’s known all along who I was, hasn’t he?’
She looked at her cousin with pained eyes. ‘Yes.’
‘I thought so,’ she nodded, smiling sadly. ‘He hasn’t changed at all, he’s still protective. Even after I lied to him to get him to take me to bed he didn’t blame me, was more concerned that he may have hurt me. And I felt so humiliated,’ her voice broke. ‘So deceitful!’
Keilly frowned, shaking her head. ‘After you lied?’ she repeated. ‘But I thought—’
‘Oh, Keilly, surely you’ve guessed the truth by now?’ Kathy groaned guiltily. ‘Rod didn’t seduce me. I knew he found me attractive, so I encouraged him shamelessly, told him I was experienced, that he had nothing to worry about. It took him half an hour to recover from the shock when he realised the truth!’
As she lay thinking about it last night Keilly had guessed it had to be something like this, had known Rod would never lie to her, that he had never deliberately hurt anyone. But to hear Kathy admitting it still stunned her…!
‘He was so worried about me,’ Kathy remembered abruptly. ‘Told me how stupid I had been to lie as I had, that I was the type of girl who would one day regret it bitterly. God, did I regret it!’ she moaned.
‘Was that why you lied to me on your wedding day?’
She nodded, looking down at her hands. ‘That one time with Rod, it was the only time I was stupid enough to—’ she bit her lip painfully. ‘Well, as he predicted, I regretted it. By my wedding day my guilt was eating me up and I had to talk to someone about it. I chose you to burden with it. Pride made me say it was Rod’s fault. You’ve always been like my little sister, Keilly, and I knew how you would feel about me if I told you the truth.’ She gave a wan smile. ‘You’ve championed me wonderfully, Keilly,’ she said huskily. ‘But I can’t let you sacrifice your chance of happiness because of me. I told Peter everything last night—’
‘Oh no,’ she groaned.
Kathy nodded. ‘He’s known all along that there was someone before him, but he considered it was my business if I didn’t want to talk about it.’ Tears shimmered in her eyes. ‘I seem to have been protected all my life by one person or another, it’s time I stopped hiding behind lies to save my pride. Peter has been—wonderful about this, as I should have realised he would be. I wish now that I had taken your advice on my wedding day, Keilly, and spoken to Peter then. Perhaps if I had none of this would have happened.’
Taming The Notorious Billionaire (HQR Presents) Page 15