him. That you had this pathetic obsession with him and were begging him to break it off with Emma, and marry you instead.’
Darcy drew a deep, unsteady breath. ‘And, of course, you believed him?’
‘Why not? I’d seen for myself how persistent you could be.’ The cold eyes were contemptuous. ‘Are you now saying you didn’t have sex with Harry—that he invented it?’
‘No.’ She looked down at the floor. ‘I—can’t say that. And I knew he had a girlfriend, because he always did. But I didn’t know he was going to be married. Not until the wedding invitations arrived,’ she added, almost inaudibly.
‘But it was true that you’d been trying to contact him before you came to the club that night? That you wouldn’t take no for an answer?’
‘Yes.’
I wanted to know how he could have done what he did—with me—when he was in love with someone else. Engaged to her. I needed to ask why—that’s all.
Then I realised our so-called ‘fling’ was going to have consequences, and I was scared—so scared. I didn’t know what to do—who else to turn to. Was that so wrong?
‘And you were trying to stop the wedding?’ His voice probed at her again.
‘Yes—I—I suppose so.’
Was I? I can barely remember any more. I think I just needed Harry to listen—to take some responsibility for what he’d done. But what I do recall is those men’s faces—sweating, gloating. And you—your hands on me…That I remember most of all.
‘Then I’m glad you didn’t get away with it,’ he said curtly, ‘because it would have broken Em’s heart, and that’s not allowed, whatever my private take on Harry.’
‘Fine,’ Darcy said quietly and savagely. ‘It’s all over, and no harm done, so can we leave it there? Because you’ve had your say, Mr Castille. You’ve raked up a lot of things I’d rather forget about, and I’d really like it to stop. Besides, people are leaving, and I need to say goodnight to them.’
‘Of course,’ he said. ‘Daddy’s only daughter. The perfect hostess.’ His mouth twisted. ‘My God, if he only knew.’
‘Let’s leave him in his innocence, shall we?’ She stared back in challenge. ‘Like your cousin Emma?’
She made to get past him, but he halted her, his hand on her arm. ‘One moment. I hope you don’t still harbour any obsessive little fantasies about Harry? Because that could make your life awkward.’
She shook him off almost violently. ‘You—do—not touch me.’ She choked out the words. ‘Not now. Not ever. And my sole fantasy, Mr Castille, is never to see you again as long as I live.’
‘Unfortunate,’ he said. ‘Because something tells me that we shall be meeting again, and quite soon. So, let’s simply bow to the inevitable, shall we? And smile while we’re doing it,’ he added softly. ‘Or people might notice.’
He looked down at her again, in slow assessment, and she saw the hard mouth soften, curve into deliberate amusement—and something more.
Because his smile did several strange things to her, none of which she wanted to happen. To her utter horror and dismay, it seemed to smooth an errant strand of hair back from her face, kiss her mouth gently and delicately caress the tips of her breasts.
Suddenly her heart was racing, and she felt her pale skin burn. And he knew it. The smile told her that too.
She hastily strengthened her wavering defences, gave him a look of pure loathing and walked away. At the same time, wondering, with every step she took, if he was watching her go.
‘I saw you having a long chat to Joel,’ Gavin Langton commented with satisfaction. He was standing, brandy glass in hand, before the fireplace in the drawing room of their Chelsea house. He nodded. ‘You did well tonight, Darcy. Very well.’
‘Thank you.’ She kept her voice neutral. Yet her heart was still thudding unnaturally, and she felt hollow inside.
She’d wanted to go straight to bed when they got back, and Aunt Freddie had already done so, but, as usual, her father wanted to talk about the evening’s events over coffee, and a nightcap.
‘So, what did you think of him?’
She made a deliberate effort not to stiffen. Even managed to speak relatively lightly. ‘I thought my role was purely decorative. That I wasn’t required to have an opinion. Or, at least, not to voice it.’
Her father frowned. ‘You’re a pretty girl. He’s a good-looking man. There must have been some reaction.’
Yes, she thought, there was. But not one I’d ever wish to contemplate. I think I must have gone a little mad.
‘He was the guest of honour.’ She shrugged. ‘I thought you’d want me to be civil. But I doubt we’ll ever be friends.’
She was still shaking at the memory of those last minutes in his company. She felt incensed by the way he’d looked at her. Degraded.
‘Oh?’ He looked at her sharply. ‘And why’s that, pray?’
She replaced her cup carefully in its saucer. ‘Well—I have very little contact with the company, so the opportunity will hardly arise.’
‘I wouldn’t be too sure of that. Joel’s been in America for the past eighteen months, so I plan to do more entertaining—make sure he’s properly introduced around. Also, it seems he might be visiting regularly in our neighbourhood in Hampshire.’
‘Oh,’ Darcy said. ‘Why?’
Her father pursed his lips. ‘Harry Metcalfe and his wife are coming back from Malaysia quite soon, and moving in at the Hall with his parents while they look for a house of their own.’
There was a sudden buzzing in Darcy’s ears, and her mouth went dry.
‘I didn’t know that,’ she managed somehow.
Her father nodded. ‘Joel’s related to Emma Metcalfe, of course. First cousins, apparently, but he looks on her more as his younger sister. Speaks of her with great affection. And he’s concerned about her, too. The climate abroad didn’t suit her, apparently, particularly now she’s having a baby. So naturally he feels protective.’
The world seemed to dissolve around her. Slide sideways, turning crimson with a pain she’d thought buried forever. If she hadn’t been sitting down, she might have fallen. A baby…
She heard herself say from some great distance, ‘So she has two men watching out for her—her husband, and her cousin. Lucky girl.’
‘Perhaps.’ Her father’s frown deepened. ‘I never had a lot of time for young Metcalfe. Definite lightweight, I thought. Oh, I knew you had some childish thing about him once, but I was always glad that he never came sniffing round you.’
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It was just as well he had Emma.’
She
