As Jago followed the man upstairs, he couldn’t help but ask, ‘So it’s common knowledge then?’
‘That you’re the boy’s guardian, yes.’
It wasn’t what Jago had meant, and he was sure the butler was well aware they were speaking of the child’s parentage too. ‘You don’t mind?’ The question encompassed both subjects.
Armitage stopped outside the nursery and turned to Jago, his gaze frank and open. ‘Her ladyship was well liked by the staff and we all want what’s best for her child. As long as you perform your duties towards him in a fitting manner, you’ll have our support.’
Jago knew the butler had said as much as he was ever going to say on the subject and it was enough. He nodded. ‘Thank you, Mr Armitage, I appreciate it and I promise you I’ll do my best.’
Armitage put out his hand and they shook on it.
When Wes returned, Kayla could see immediately that he was in a foul mood.
‘What happened? Were the police not helpful?’
‘I’m sure they would have been, only I never got that far.’
‘What do you mean?’ Kayla frowned at him in confusion. ‘Did you change your mind?’
‘No, but there was no need to ask them for assistance. I found the stupid woman myself. She was sitting at that outside café down by the harbour having coffee. I saw her when I drove past.’
Kayla let out a sigh of relief. ‘Oh, thank God. So Nell is still with her mother then?’
‘No,’ Wes growled. ‘And Caro claims she left her here, playing quietly in her room.’
‘What? Oh, no … But I’ve looked everywhere, even in the attic.’
‘Well, we’ll just have to look again. Caro was so smug, I’m sure she’s hidden her somewhere, just to give me another fright, but I’m damned if I know where that could be. I swear the woman should be locked up.’ He paced the hall, and Kayla could see he was trying to think where to look next. ‘Let’s start at the beginning, in the garden. If we call out perhaps Nell will hear us and be able to reply. You go and make a start and I’ll get Annie and Ben from the gatehouse to help out as well.’
‘Okay.’ Kayla set off for the garden, but she knew in her heart that Nell wasn’t there. So where was she?
An hour later Nell still hadn’t been found and Kayla was sitting on a bench in the garden resting her head in her hands. She could hear Wes calling for his daughter, but she was sure it was no use. There had to be another way.
Suddenly inspiration struck and she almost gasped out loud. ‘Of course, why didn’t I think of it before,’ she muttered. Standing up so abruptly her head swam for a moment, she set off at a run towards the field that contained the Gypsies, praying they hadn’t packed up and left. If anyone could help them find Nell, it was the old lady. This was her chance to prove she really did have the second sight.
Panting heavily from her sprint, she came to a halt at the edge of the field. At first it looked empty, but then she spotted the ancient caravan partly obscured by a tree and quickly set off towards it. As she rounded the corner she saw the old lady sitting on the top step in the open door, smiling her toothless grin in welcome.
‘There you are, young lady. I’ve been expecting you.’
Kayla was trying to get her breath back and couldn’t reply straight away. She swallowed hard and blinked away tears of relief that threatened to fall. ‘Thank God you’re still here,’ she panted. ‘I was afraid you’d be gone.’
The old woman smiled again. ‘The others left, but I told them to come back for me in a week as there was something I had to do first. Now ask me your question.’
‘Nell … the little girl … do you know where she is? Is she safe? Please, I’d be so grateful if you could help me. We’ve looked everywhere and Wes, that’s her father, is so scared. Me too.’
The woman nodded. ‘I know Wes and little Nell. It’s as I thought. Well, I can’t tell you exactly, but I can say this – she’s waiting on the sand and she’s starting to feel cold and frightened. You must find her quickly. She wants to go home.’
‘The sand?’ Kayla scowled, not satisfied with such measly information at first, but then understanding dawned. ‘The sand! You mean she’s at the cove? The one she and Wes took me to a couple of weeks ago?’
‘Aye, that might be the one. As I said, I can’t tell you for certain. All I see is sand and the little ’un sitting there forlornly. Go now. Your instinct will guide you.’
‘Thank you.’ On impulse Kayla bent down to hug the old woman and heard a chuckle behind her as she began to run back down the path to the house. At the edge of the field she paused and turned to wave at the Gypsy lady, who returned the salute, then she ran as fast as she could to find Wes.
‘Down in the cove? Why on earth would she be there?’ Wes looked at her in disbelief when she came hurtling into the kitchen, babbling about Gypsies and fortune telling.
‘You don’t actually believe Gypsies can foretell the future, do you?’ Annie said, looking as though she felt sorry for Kayla. ‘It’s just a bit of fun, you know.’
‘No, I mean yes, I mean, I don’t know, but we have to at least look. What have we got to lose?’
Wes was still frowning and Kayla felt like stamping her foot and screaming in frustration. She didn’t have time to explain to him now just why she knew the old lady might genuinely have the sight. He’d never believe her anyway.
To her surprise he nodded and said, ‘You’re right, come on.’
‘You believe me?’
He gave her a distracted smile. ‘I believe Katerina. I’ve known her all my life. If she says Nell’s in the cove I’d bet anything on that.’
‘Well, really,’ Annie muttered, shaking her head at the pair of them, but Wes ignored the housekeeper for once and took Kayla’s elbow to steer her out of the kitchen.
‘Let’s go. We have to hurry. It’ll be getting dark soon.’
They took the car as far as the top of the cliff, then set off down the path, trying to keep their balance while walking as fast as they could. Wes went first, so he could block her fall if Kayla should trip or slide on the loose gravel, and consequently he was the first to spot his daughter.
‘Oh, sweetheart, there you are!’ Kayla heard him cry out, before he took off at a run.
‘Be careful,’ she called after him, but he paid her no heed.
Nell was sitting on the sandy beach, her thin arms wrapped around her legs and her head bent over her knees while she rocked back and forth. As Kayla came running down the last part of the path, slipping and sliding dangerously, she could hear Nell crying and it was a heart-wrenching sound.
‘Nell, honey, we’re here. Everything’s going to be okay,’ Wes called out and sprinted across to his daughter. He picked her up and hugged her fiercely, as if he’d never let her go again.
‘Daddy, where have you been? Mummy said you’d come soon, but it’s been ages and it’s almost dark and I was so scared.’
‘Shh, it’s all right. I’m sorry, but Mummy must have forgotten to tell me to come because I didn’t know you were waiting. Look, Kayla’s here too, she didn’t know either.’
Wes sent Kayla a look over Nell’s head and in it she saw despair at the stupid trick Caroline had played on him, but also enormous relief that Nell was safe. She felt the same way herself, so she went over and put her arms round both of them and it felt so right.
‘Yes, I’m here. Everything is fine now.’
They stood like that for what seemed like ages, then Wes said, ‘Come on, we’d better get you home, sweetie. You must be starving. I know I am.’
‘Oh, yes, can I have Marmite sandwiches?’
Wes laughed. ‘You can have anything you want. Anything at all.’
He looked at Kayla again and they smiled at each other. Nell was safe and it was all that mattered. From now on they wouldn’t let her out of their sight and they knew Annie wouldn’t either. Caroline would have no more opportunities for foul play.
‘Kayla, would
you like to go to a dinner party with me tomorrow night?’
Lost in unhappy thoughts about her failure to find the picture of Eliza, the question took Kayla completely by surprise. She looked up from her computer screen and blinked at Wes. Things had calmed down in the Marcombe household and were back to normal, with the exception that Nell was kept under constant supervision. Wes had been taking his turn at playing with his daughter after school and Kayla hadn’t expected him back so soon.
‘Sorry? A dinner party? Where?’
‘One of my oldest friends lives not too far from here and he and his wife are having a little get-together. They rang just now and they’ve asked me to bring someone.’ Wes smiled ruefully. ‘They’ve been saying that since Caro and I got divorced and I always come alone, so I thought it would be nice to surprise them this time.’ He shrugged. ‘If you’d rather not, I understand.’
Kayla pulled herself together and pushed Jago to the back of her mind for the moment. ‘No, no, I would love to. I mean, it would be great to meet some new people.’
Wes chuckled. ‘Yes, you must be sick and tired of us here at Marcombe. You never see anyone else.’
‘No, of course I’m not tired of you. I like it here.’ I could stay here forever, she could have added. It was heaven on earth and the longer she stayed, the more she enjoyed it.
‘You’re sure you want to come?’
‘Yes, thank you. I look forward to it. Is it a formal do? Just asking so I know what I should wear.’
‘Nothing formal I don’t think. Actually, I never pay attention to what females wear, so I couldn’t tell you. But I’m going in dark chinos and a casual blazer if that’s any help? No tie.’
‘Oh, very helpful,’ Kayla answered sarcastically. ‘I wear that all the time.’
Wes laughed and shrugged. ‘Well, you look good in everything, so don’t worry too much about it.’
Kayla felt a blush spreading over her cheeks, then told herself not to be so silly. Sure, he’d given her a compliment, but he hadn’t sounded serious. She mustn’t read anything into it. He was just being polite.
But he had asked her to a dinner party and she was determined to look her best.
Kayla made him eat his words since he certainly seemed to pay a lot of attention to the outfit she finally chose to wear. A minuscule black silk skirt showed off her legs in sheer black tights. This was worn with an extremely tight sky-blue top which had Wes’s eyes glued to her for a full five seconds before he recovered, making Kayla smile inwardly. High heels made her about four inches taller and she had finished her outfit off by adding a long string of pearls. They were a twenty-first birthday present from her parents and she wore them tied in a loose knot at the bottom, with a pair of matching dangling pearl earrings.
‘Wow!’ he finally breathed. ‘You look far too nice to go to a mere dinner party. I should be taking you to some fancy restaurant instead.’
Kayla punched him playfully on the arm. ‘Don’t be silly. This is nothing special.’
‘You could have fooled me.’
‘You don’t think my skirt is too short?’ Kayla asked, remembering Mike’s horrified look when she’d arrived at his parents’ party. She didn’t want to embarrass Wes in front of his friends.
‘Are you kidding? Definitely not. With legs like that how could it possibly be too short?’
Kayla felt her cheeks heat up again. ‘Why, thank you.’
To Kayla’s great relief Wes’s friends turned out to live in what she would term a far more normal house than Marcombe Hall. It was a large Victorian terraced house on the outskirts of Totnes and Kayla thought it was lovely. She told their hostess, Sarah, as much.
‘Thank you. Peter and I are very pleased with it now that all the builders have finally finished. But don’t they take an age! I honestly thought they’d moved in here with us.’ Sarah laughed and led the way into the sitting room where Kayla was introduced to several other people, all equally charming and all very pleased to see Wes with a woman by the look of things.
‘It’s about time he came out of his shell,’ one older woman whispered in Kayla’s ear. ‘Do him a world of good to forget about the divorce.’ Kayla didn’t want to spoil their pleasure by telling them she and Wes weren’t a couple. It was easier just to smile and nod.
Dinner was excellent and the wine flowed freely. Kayla relaxed and for the first time in weeks she felt truly alive again. She joined in the conversation and was accepted into Wes’s circle of friends without hesitation. Her neighbours at the table vied with one another to tell her stories about him, and she laughed at youthful follies and mishaps. From time to time she glanced across to where he sat, and more often than not she found him looking at her, a strange expression in his eyes. It made her warm all over and she squirmed in her seat.
Wes couldn’t take his eyes off Kayla. From the moment she’d swept down the grand stairs into the hall at Marcombe he’d been in a daze. She looked absolutely stunning, her outfit sexy and sophisticated all at once. The only problem was he’d have liked to rip it off her then and there.
Peter and the others ribbed him about his new ‘conquest’ and he went along with their joshing, taking it in his stride. Underneath, however, he found himself wishing they were right. He’d be proud to call Kayla his and he was sure now that she’d never behave the way Caro had. If Kayla had a child she would love both the baby and its father. She had a big heart with room to spare. There was no selfishness, no petty jealousy, no attention seeking.
She was beautiful outside and in.
He caught her eyes across the table and thought he saw an answering gleam. Could she tell how much he wanted her? Did it scare her? Or did she want him too?
He needed to find out, but not here, not now. He’d have to be patient.
It was the longest dinner party he’d ever attended.
They took a taxi back to Marcombe as they’d both had too much wine. In the darkness of the back seat Wes took her hand and twined his fingers with hers. Kayla didn’t resist. It felt right, safe and exciting at the same time and sent little sparks shooting up her arm. They didn’t speak, but the simple enjoyment of holding hands was enough for the moment.
‘Would you like a drink?’ Wes asked her when they were safely back at the Hall. ‘I’ve had such a good time, I don’t really want the evening to end yet.’
‘Me neither. A drink would be nice, thank you.’ She followed him into a small sitting room at the back of the hall and he produced two glasses of amber liquid.
‘Do you like brandy? I’m told my ancestors always bought the very best, the smuggled stuff.’
Kayla tried not to smile. Jago’s cargo, of course. ‘It’s not really my thing, but right now I’ll drink anything.’ She leaned on the fireplace and took a sip. The warm liquor burned all the way down, but a pleasant feeling spread rapidly through her veins. ‘It’s not bad actually. I can see why it was so sought after.’ She held it up to the light to study the rich colour.
‘It’s wonderful. Just like you were this evening.’ Kayla looked at him, startled. ‘My friends all liked you.’ Wes smiled. ‘You have no idea how many times I was told what a lucky dog I was to have such a date.’
‘Well, I’m glad you didn’t have to be ashamed of me.’
‘I could never be that.’ Wes put his glass down and came to stand in front of her. ‘Kayla, I’ve tried to fight it for weeks, but I have to admit I’m incredibly attracted to you. I know it’s wrong since I’m your boss and I’m probably too old for you, but … it’s driving me crazy, so I have to ask. Do you think you could ever feel the same way about me?’
Kayla felt her eyes grow huge with wonder. At last! For an answer she put her arms around his neck and pulled him close. ‘Definitely,’ she murmured.
It was Wes’s turn to look surprised, but he quickly recovered and put his arms round her, tightening the embrace. The pirate grin appeared in response to the smile she gave him, sending a shock wave through her. How she loved it
when he looked like that. She’d never tire of it. He stared into her eyes, as if he was giving her one last chance to run away, but she knew she didn’t want to. No way. Right here was where she wished to be.
Wes bent to kiss her. Softly at first, asking permission with actions, not words. When she didn’t protest, his kisses soon grew more demanding and Kayla responded in equal measure, seizing her chance this time. She wasn’t about to throw it away again that was for sure. They kissed for what seemed a very long time and desire built up inside her, making her legs shaky and her whole body fizz with awareness of him. She craved more of his touch and when his hands began to stroke her back, then move lower down, she sighed with satisfaction. He cupped her bottom with both hands and pushed her closer, which made her wriggle slightly, and she heard him groan.
‘Oh God, Kayla, I want you so much,’ he whispered between kisses, ‘have wanted you for ages. Ever since I saw you in that ugly pink bathing suit, in fact.’ She clung to him as delicious sensations assailed her from every part of her body.
‘Take me upstairs, Wes,’ she whispered back in a husky voice she hardly recognised as her own, and he didn’t need to be asked twice. With seemingly no effort at all, he lifted her into his arms and headed for the door. She bent to open it with a giggle, and turned out the light as they passed through on their way into the hall. Up the stairs he carried her, despite her protests that she was quite capable of walking.
‘I can’t wait that long,’ he answered, striding down the corridor in a tearing hurry. They passed her door and entered his bedroom, and within minutes they had shed their clothing without even bothering to turn the lights on. Wes backed her up towards the bed, kissing her like there was no tomorrow, and then they fell onto the soft mattress.
The Secret Kiss of Darkness Page 23
