was too busy flicking her eyes from Dominic’s face to Madeline’s in wide-eyed curiosity to hear a word Vicky said.
‘You’ve not returned to Boston yet, then,’ Dominic drawled across his sister’s nervous chatter.
Instantly recognising the dig, she moved her chin upwards in mild defiance. ‘Since I only arrived home yesterday, I’m not likely to be rushing straight back, am I? Though,’ she added exclusively for his benefit, ‘once England begins to pall, no doubt I shall go back—home.’
In his turn, Dominic did not miss her own subtle meaning in the final word. And his mouth tightened on it.
‘I th-thought you were out today,’ Vicky rushed in agitatedly. ‘Y-you said you were—all day—out at some meeting.’
‘I changed my mind,’ Dominic informed Vicky while not removing his eyes from Madeline. ‘And aren’t I glad I did?’ he added silkily. ‘A Gilburn in our bank again; quite a surprise, Vicky. How did you manage to do it?’
It was time to put a stop to this, Madeline decided angrily as she saw Vicky’s hands clench convulsively at her stomach. It was one thing him wishing to mock her, but quite another to use his sister as a tool to do it with.
With a slight lifting of her chin, she held Dominic’s gaze for a short second which felt more like an hour in the throbbing tension, then slowly closed her dark lashes over her eyes. When she opened them again, she was looking directly at Vicky. ‘We’ll lose our table if you don’t hurry,’ she reminded her friend softly.
With a silent ‘O’ formed by two Cupid’s bow lips and a pair of rounded eyes which showed a horrified appreciation of the way Madeline had just discarded her brother, Vicky turned and shot back into her office. She must have dived for her bag, because she was back with them before anyone had a chance to move.
With all the cool aplomb her mother had instilled into her, Madeline smiled pleasantly at the hovering receptionist, sent Dominic a cool nod, then was turning towards the lift, ignoring the hot needles of fury that impaled her as she went, chatting lightly to a wholly absorbed Vicky.
‘God in heaven!’ Vicky literally wilted against the panelled lift wall. ‘That was just awful!’
‘Not—pleasant,’ Madeline drily agreed.
‘He’s an arrogant swine!’ Dominic’s sister ground out. ‘Sometimes I—’
‘He was taken by surprise, that’s all,’ Madeline put in, surprised by her instant rise to Dominic’s defence.
‘Taken by surprise, my foot!’ scoffed Vicky. ‘He knew damned well that you were coming here today—I told him! Made him promise to stay out of the way! God,’ she choked, ‘I could kill him for doing that, the rotten devil!’
The lunch was not the resounding success it should have been. Madeline’s confrontation with Dominic had helped spoil it, but it was the feud between their two families which completely ruined the day.
‘It’s crazy,’ Vicky agreed. ‘They don’t seem to mind that you and I stay friends. But my father will have nothing to do with yours, and vice versa.’ She grimaced, ‘It’s made the last four years damned difficult for me if you must know. I daren’t speak to your family because it would upset my lot, but I can’t just snub people who have always been warm and caring towards me. So I stay out of the local social scene for most of the time. That way I don’t get pulled in two different directions.’
‘Is there no way you can think of that would put an end to it?’ Madeline asked anxiously.
Vicky lifted her face and smiled rather cynically. ‘Not unless you and Dominic fancy getting back together again— No,’ she then said quickly when Madeline stiffened up. ‘I didn’t mean that seriously. It’s just that...’ She sighed, frowning. ‘He was sorry afterwards you know. He tried to see you, but...’
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