by Shirley Wine
"I can't deny my attraction to you but I stand by my promise to Davina. I'm not unfeeling. You’re young and will meet some man worthy of you. Don't build up false dreams. He won't be me."
Every word knifed her soul, shredding it a little more. Keir didn't know just how permanent was her memorial of their summer tryst.
Anger and resentment made her come out fighting.
"Who're you trying to convince, Keir? You or me?" Her voice was soft and very tart. "I wasn't the only person lost in that kiss."
His sharp inhalation, the ruddy color in his cheeks, was enough to let Victoria know her barb had hit home.
"That was a mistake."
Victoria couldn't help it, a scornful laugh escaped. "Some mistake."
He walked across the small clearing and then walked back to face her, and aimed a vicious kick at a clod of grass. "Laugh if you want, but I promise to leave you alone."
"You promise?" She jabbed a clenched fist at his chest. "Your promises aren't worth spit. You've promised to marry Davina and yet have few qualms about kissing me senseless."
Keir stiffened as if he's been jabbed with a poker. "You've developed a waspish tongue."
Victoria inhaled sharply, the faint smell of mothballs from the borrowed jacket mingled with the sharp odor of horse sweat and stables hanging heavy on the cold, damp air.
"Did you still expect a besotted teenager, a woman who never questioned your actions?" She shook her head and glared. "Well you know something Keir, your actions suck."
"Maybe." His dark eyes glittered, mouth thinned to an unforgiving line. "But you created the problem by visiting Darkhaven with Logan."
An explosive huff of breath created a cloud of white vapor around his head, giving him the appearance of a fire breathing dragon.
"I created the problem?" Victoria shook her head, the long braid of her sugar brown hair swinging over one shoulder. She caught it and rubbed it past her lips in a defensive movement. "Did you really imagine we would never meet in a town as small as Cambridge?"
Keir pushed a hand through his dark hair leaving it rumpled and standing in spikes, giving him a rakish air.
"What is it you want from me?" His chocolate eyes gleaming slits through the extravagant fan of his lashes. "And why settle here in the first place?"
The question brought her up short.
Why had she settled in Cambridge, a small satellite town south of Hamilton and not gone further afield?
As the answer came, she crossed arms over her chest, afraid Keir would guess her thoughts.
When she'd first discovered she was pregnant, she'd come to Cambridge in the hope she'd run across Seth Donahue. In an unguarded moment, Seth had once mentioned his father owned a racing stable not far from the town. But she'd been looking for Seth Donahue not Keir Donovan, and of course she was doomed to fail.
And she'd returned here to open her florist shop.
Sure it was a good business move. The town was well-to-do and gave her access to a wealthy clientele.
Was I hoping to run across Seth? Indubitably.
Now, in this intimate space, so near to her son's father, Victoria knew her actions couldn't bear too close a scrutiny.
As clear as if it was written in huge neon letters, she knew she'd chosen Cambridge to open her business because of this man. She lived with the hope that one day her Seth would walk through the doors of Victorian Grace.
But as a married man?
The shiver that ghosted through her had nothing to do with the cold. Could she continue to live here, knowing her son's father was married to another woman?
"Now the truth comes out," he taunted.
Heat flooded her cheeks. She walked away from him, paced across the small woodland dell and turned to face him.
"No, you have that wrong," she denied, her voice filled with quiet vehemence.
In two strides, Keir crossed the space and caught her shoulders in a firm grip. "Now who's coloring the truth?"
Victoria looked up at him, moistening suddenly dry lips with the tip of her tongue, heart racing, nervous of his expression.
"Okay, I'll believe you, if you do something for me."
Her heart raced and her breath grew shallow. She mistrusted his expression.
"What?" She heard the wariness in her voice.
"Let me unbind your hair?"
Shocked she stared at him, unable to believe he was serious.
"Please?"
It was the please that had her debating with herself for long, fraught moments, then with a shrug, slowly reached for her braid.
He took it from her.
Gentle fingers made each touch an erotic caress as he unraveled the skein of hair until it was spread out around her body in a silken shawl, running it through his hands.
Victoria stared at him, mesmerized by the changing expressions on his face. When he leaned forward, and not touching her anywhere else kissed her mouth softly, his seduction held her motionless.
At last he lifted his head and ran a finger down her cheek.
"This is how I'll remember you." His voice was soft with regret. "I won't bother you again, Victoria."
For long moments, they looked at each other, tension sharp in the air. Victoria lifted a trembling hand and then let it fall. She wanted to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't form on her lips.
This surely couldn't be the end of her dreams?
But looking up at him, the rigid expression, the tension in his stance, she heard all her long-held dreams crumble around her feet.
Tension cloaked the air.
"Just make sure you don't marry Logan. I'd hate history to repeat itself."
What history?
Before she could ask, he stalked off, paused a moment at the edge of the dell and looked back over his shoulder.
And in that one unguarded moment she could read his true thoughts. It was as if he'd shouted the words at her. I'm sorry. Give me time.
Or was this merely her wishful imagination?
He was gone and she was alone, more alone than she'd ever been.
Distressed, she leaned back against the tree, eyes closed as she grieved for the disillusioned boy who lived inside the man.
Keir Donovan was a blind fool.
His rigid adherence to the standards he set himself, he was plunging headlong into a marriage equally as disastrous as that of his parents.
Victoria sank to the ground, heedless of the dampness. Sheltered from sight, she clamped her arms around upraised knees.
Inner demons clamored for her attention.
Go to Keir. Tell the man about his son.
Head bowed, she rested her face on her knees and fought the ignoble urge.
That’s emotional blackmail of the worst kind.
Every fiber of her being wanted nothing more than to plead with him to reject Davina, and come to her.
If I tell Keir about Connor¸ surely he'll reconsider his promise to marry Davina.
Victoria raised her head and stared at the tangle of undergrowth as she struggled with the shameful impulses.
You know, in your heart, that’s what you want.
It was what she wanted.
But in a bleak moment of clear insight, knew she couldn't live with the guilt of asking Keir to break a promise he’d made to himself.
Victoria possessed her own code of honor, as strict as Keir’s.
If she went to Keir, told him about Connor, wasn't that tantamount to using her child as a weapon.
I won't deny Connor his father¸ nor will I use Connor to manipulate Keir.
Of this she was adamant.
What action Keir chose, it was his decision to make. No matter how much she wished it otherwise.
I should have leveled with Keir when he came to my room.
Now, any move she made would be greeted with well-deserved suspicion. It was far too late to go back and start over. For better or worse, she’d made that decision and now she had to live with the consequences.
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Cold and dampness seeped into her cramped muscles.
With real reluctance she rose and walked out of the trees into the feeble sunshine, attempting to dissolve the mist and frost.
She walked toward the house, hair billowing in a silken cloud, her mind in turmoil. Niggling doubts consumed her.
Logan had engineered this visit to Darkhaven.
Why?
A hand descended on her shoulder. She glanced up into Logan’s stunned face. Did I conjure him from my restless thoughts?
"Victoria." His astonishment was clear. He reached out a hand to run down the curtain of her hair. "Your hair is so beautiful."
With a defensive step backward, she scooped the fall of hair back over her shoulder away from his outstretched hand, unwilling to accord him the intimacy she’d allowed Keir.
"I was in a rush and forgot to braid it." The bald lie slid easily off her tongue.
"In a rush? Or did it receive help?"
Heat flooded her face at his shrewd observation. Her doubts and misgivings flowered. "Why did you pester me to visit Darkhaven this weekend, Logan?"
"I explained." Amusement made his ice-blue eyes twinkle.
"Bollocks." She huffed out an impatient breath. "Even a blind man can see you and Piper are close."
His eyes narrowed and the way he studied her made her pulses skip and then race.
"I've never seen my self-controlled brother so stirred up." He tipped his head on one side. "And I can scarcely believe you’re the unflappable woman I've known for years?"
She turned away and leaned over the wooden rail, staring at the brood mares grazing in the paddock beyond. Her heart thudded, its rhythm suffocating.
Logan had made the connection.
"Keir is Connor's father."
"What makes you say that?"
Logan gripped her shoulder and turned her to face him. "I backed a hunch. You and Connor bother me."
Her chin lifted and her mouth thinned. "I can care for Connor."
"And give him the father he wants?"
She inhaled a shaken breath. "That's hitting below the belt."
"Every time I look at Connor, I see Keir. At first, I thought it was my imagination. But when Keir returned from the States, I knew I wasn't mistaken. Why didn't you ever tell him about his son, Victoria? A man should at least be told."
She flinched but remained stubbornly silent.
What was between her and Keir was their business, and nothing to do with anyone else.
Logan looped an arm around her shoulders. "Come with me where we can talk without the risk of interruption."
As they went through a side door, a muffled growl made her look up straight into Keir's face.
Fury enveloped her in waves, leaving her scorched.
When Keir took a step towards her, she moved closer to Logan, suddenly afraid.
"And we believed there was nothing between you. Couldn't a sexy bit like you manage without a lover?"
Victoria was horrified by the snarled insult, her mind blanked in shock. This was a side of Keir she’d never seen.
How can I defuse this ugly situation?
"Victoria’s my friend, Keir." Logan’s voice was tempered steel. "Insult her, pal, and you insult me."
She closed her eyes. This was beyond a nightmare.
The two brothers bristled like savage dogs over a juicy bone. In a moment they would tear at each other's throats.
The insult was wounding, but not as hurtful as the fear the brothers would come to blows.
Caine stepped between his sons. "Would someone please explain what's going on?"
How could she explain?
Victoria shuddered, pulled away from Logan and tried to run past Keir. He caught her arm and swung her around.
Panic kindled. "Let me go. You promised to leave me alone."
"What were you doing with Logan?"
She looked into his eyes and saw hurt and confusion. With an instinctive movement, she laid a hand on his arm.
"Keir!" Caine misconstrued her action. His voice cut through the air, as taut as a whiplash. "Let Victoria go."
Keir’s hand dropped, his expression went blank, and he bowed to his father's authority. "My apologies."
"Excuse me," she stammered and fled past them up the stairs.
She almost reached the sanctuary of the Emerald suite when she was accosted by Davina.
"It hasn't taken you long to manage the impossible," she jeered. "Keir and Logan never quarrel. It's taken an unscrupulous, over sexed little slut to do achieve that."
The outrageous insult topped Victoria's bowl of humiliation. Pushed an inch too far, she lifted a hand and slapped Davina’s face.
Hard.
The crack of flesh meeting flesh echoed down the hall.
Fury and apprehension made Victoria's heart thud erratically. "Don't ever speak to me like that again."
As she stepped past the blonde, Davina caught a handful of Victoria's flowing hair, gave it a brutal yank, and then shoved her hard.
A choked cry of pain escaped Victoria. She lost her balance and slammed into the wall with a sickening thud.
"How dare you?" Davina stood over her, ugly color mottling her cheeks.
Logan shouldered the infuriated blonde aside. "That's quite enough."
Davina cringed.
Victoria looked at Logan and wasn't surprised. He hauled her to her feet, and arm around her shoulders, guided her to her room.
Logan opened the door and slammed it behind them with enough force to rock it on its hinges.
The sound made her wince. She lifted a hand and massaged her scalp. She knew why soldiers had short hair. Long hair rendered them vulnerable.
Once inside, she turned on him. "I want to go home, Logan. Now."
"Not yet." Logan’s voice was as hard as Keir's and as implacable. "Running away won't alter a thing. You and Keir have to decide on Connor's future. You haven't told him about the boy?"
"No." Victoria stiffened her spine. "And I don't intend telling him this weekend. While I will never deny Connor his father or grandfather, I won't be pressured into any decision."
"So I was right?"
"After that scene downstairs do you doubt it?" Victoria shrugged and walked across to the window, resting her hot face against the cool glass before she turned to face him.
"How old were you?"
"How is that your business, Logan?" Her chin jutted stubbornly. "Nor do I appreciate being lured to Darkhaven under false pretenses."
For long moments they traded glares and then with a shrug, he capitulated.
"Okay. I know when I’m trespassing. Wash your face and braid your hair and we’ll have breakfast. I'll wait for you."
Victoria winced. The thought of facing the other house guests filled her with trepidation.
She picked up her hair brush and seeing Logan's expression, retreated to the bathroom and shut the door.
There was no way she wanted to give him any fuel to keep pressuring her to marry him.
As she brushed her hair, she paused.
Logan's attraction to Piper Daintry was obvious, so why had he asked Victoria to marry him? It didn't make sense. Did all the occupants of Darkhaven have a skewed idea of marriage?
When she reappeared, they went down stairs.
"What did Davina say to make you slap her?"
When Victoria told him, he grimaced with disgust. "What does Keir see in her?"
"I much prefer Piper." She smiled when he reddened. "You are a devious man. How much does she know?"
"That you were a friend I wanted her to meet."
"I hope she fries your brains," Victoria murmured. "At least you won't suffer genital frostbite."
"Meow!" Logan’s choke of laughter preceded them into the breakfast room.
Caine strode across the room to meet them. "Victoria, I must apologize for that disgraceful scene. It won't happen again."
"It wasn't your fault." Victoria extended a hand and touched
his, warmed by his concern.
"Come and have breakfast."
He led the way to the table and Logan hovered at her elbow as she selected bacon and tomato from the hot plates on the side board. Piper beckoned her and Victoria sighed with relief as she slipped into the vacant chair at her side.
Logan sat on the other side.
"Did you give her a black eye?"
Piper looked so ridiculously hopeful Victoria couldn’t stifle a giggle. And that quickly, her spirits and appetite were restored.
The dread of facing the other guests vanished.
Breakfast was an informal, relaxed affair and Victoria enjoyed the witty, adult company she so often craved.
A hush descended when Keir entered the dining room. He crossed to Victoria, expression shuttered.
The other house guests studiously averted their gazes. Victoria wished for nothing more than the ground to open up and swallow her.
Was Keir about to rehash that ugly scene in front of everyone here? She inhaled a shaky breath struggling to remain composed.
"I'm sorry." He laid a hand on her shoulder for a moment. "I was out of order. Davina asked me to relay her apologies."
I'll just bet she did.
Not!
"Apologies accepted." She turned away to speak to Piper and, to her relief, Keir moved away, walking to the sideboard to serve himself breakfast.
Normal conversation resumed and she exhaled a shaky breath. With studious care, she never once allowed her glance to veer in Keir’s direction.
Her reaction to him was a potent time bomb.
When it exploded would any of them survive?
Chapter Six
At Darkhaven, most of the women had retired to their rooms. The men were out on the estate with Logan and Caine, touring the stables and talking horses.
This evening, the Donovans were hosting 'A Musical Soirée' to raise funds for The Child Cancer Foundation.
Although somewhat bemused by the pretentious name, Victoria couldn’t fault the cause.
Nothing so common as a 'fundraiser' for the Donovans.
A guest speaker from the foundation was to address the gathering and later, The Tin Roof Toms were to entertain.
The Donovan family opened Darkhaven for events several times a year to raise money for charity, and as a patron of the arts, they supported local talent.
