Spanish Nights (Harlequin Treasury 1990's)

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘I will not discuss this further, Laura. It is finished. All there is to discuss now is how long it will take you to pack your things and be ready to leave.’

  ‘Pack? I’m not going anywhere, Luis. Why should I pack?’

  ‘Correction: you are coming with me so you will need your belongings.’ He glanced at his watch then back at her, cool and aloof and completely in control as he stood there issuing his orders. But if he thought she was going to meekly fall in line with his wishes then he was sadly mistaken!

  ‘I am not going anywhere with you. Understand?’

  ‘It is you who needs to understand the situation, Laura. You are my wife and as such your place is with me in my home. I have come to take you back with me to Spain. Now you have just over an hour before we need to leave for the airport. Please have your cases ready by then otherwise we shall be forced to leave without them.’

  He turned on his heel and strode towards the door but Laura raced after him. She caught his arm, her fingers fastening on the steely hard muscles under the fine cloth. ‘Wait a minute! Do you honestly imagine that I am going with you after all you’ve just said! I may be your wife, Luis, but that doesn’t mean you can force me to go anywhere I don’t choose to, and I don’t choose to go back to Spain!’

  He lifted her hand from his arm and carried it to his lips to press a kiss against her knuckles in a gesture which held more mockery than affection. ‘I am sure you will change your mind, my sweet. I am sure you will be only too willing to accompany me once Rachel gets back and tells you her news.’

  ‘Rachel? What has this to do with her? I don’t understand.’ She drew her hand away, rubbing her knuckles down her jeans but it wasn’t easy to erase the lingering sensations his kiss had left behind.

  ‘Rachel is crucial to my plan, shall I say? A sort of guarantee that you will do as I wish and resume your place as my wife.’ His eyes held hers, something shimmering in their depths, an emotion which made her feel afraid even though she couldn’t identify it. ‘I could have come to see you many weeks ago, Laura, but the time wasn’t right then. I needed to be certain that when we did meet you would find it impossible to refuse my offer. To put it simply, querida, if you refuse to come back with me then it won’t be you who suffers but Rachel. I know how close you are to her; you’ve told me many times that she’s been like a sister to you, hasn’t she, Laura? So will your conscience allow you to see her suffer when you can prevent it? I think not.’

  She recoiled from him, closing her eyes as she tried to blank out the sight of that glittering gaze but it was impossible just as it was impossible not to understand what she’d just seen in it. Revenge. That was what Luis wanted now, revenge for the way he thought she had tricked him, revenge for the way that she had run away when she had found it impossible to carry on with their bitter marriage. And in seeking that revenge he would do anything he deemed necessary.

  He would ruin her life, and he would ruin Rachel’s also without a second thought.

  CHAPTER TWO

  THE silence was so intense that Laura could hear her own heart beating. There had to be something she could say to make Luis understand how wrong he was to contemplate such a thing, but deep down she knew it would be almost impossible to convince him. Although their marriage had lasted such a short time, she’d fast learned that changing his mind was something Luis rarely did once he’d formed an opinion or decided upon a course of action. How many times had she tried to make him change his mind about her? She couldn’t even begin to count.

  ‘I see that you are starting to understand now, Laura. Good. I suggest you go and start your packing. We don’t want to miss our flight.’

  ‘Understand? I don’t understand any of it!’ She took a shuddering breath, fighting to remain calm. ‘Why should you wish to hurt Rachel? What has she ever done to you?’

  ‘Nothing. I barely know your friend. It is just unfortunate that circumstances dictate I must use her as a means to ensure you do what I require of you.’

  ‘But that isn’t fair! Perhaps I can understand you wanting to hit back at me but to hurt Rachel...’ she tailed off, searching for the right words to make him understand what a dreadful mistake this was. ‘Look, Luis, I can...’

  He cut her off abruptly, one long finger pressed to her lips as he stared down into her pale face. ‘No, it is you who must look, Laura. You who must understand that you hold the future happiness of your friend in your hands.’ He smiled slightly but there was no softening to his expression, no give in his determination to carry through with his plan. ‘You do as I ask and Rachel stands to gain from it but if you cross me then you only have yourself to blame for what happens next.’

  She turned her head away, shaking all over from a cold that stemmed from fear. ‘How? What do you intend to do? For all I know this could be some elaborate bluff to get me on that plane. Why should I go anywhere with you, Luis, when I have no idea what your plan is, or even if you can carry it through!’

  His eyes glittered at her undisguised contempt but he spoke quite calmly. Laura would almost have preferred him to shout, to exhibit some signs of anger rather than this icy control that made her realise he must be supremely confident that he could carry out any threats he made.

  ‘Don’t doubt that I can do any and everything I threaten, pequeña. I never make idle claims. Surely you should know that by now.’ He glanced along the hall as a car door slammed outside, mockery lingering like a cold shadow in his eyes as he turned back to her. ‘However, it seems that you won’t be forced to take my claims on trust, Laura. If I’m not mistaken that is Rachel coming back now. I am sure she will put you completely in the picture.’

  He walked away from her without another word, opening the front door and carrying on down the path. He paused briefly to exchange a greeting with Rachel who was just coming in through the gate then climbed into his car and drove away. Laura followed him along the hall, clinging hold of the door as her legs threatened to give way. So much seemed to have happened in such a short time that her head was reeling with it all, but somehow she had to make sense of everything Luis had said and find out what he was up to.

  ‘Are you OK? That was Luis, wasn’t it, Laura?’ Rachel walked in through the open door, her brown eyes filled with concern as they rested on her friend’s pale face. Laura forced a smile, turning away to close the door, using the few seconds it took to get herself under control again.

  ‘Yes. He arrived about half an hour ago. I...I was rather surprised to see him.’

  Rachel looked at her uncertainly. ‘You were? But you always thought he would come after you, love? You’ve told me that many times.’ She smiled faintly although it did little to ease the lines of strain Laura could see etched on her face. ‘I rather think you were hoping that he would come, isn’t that right? You still love him, don’t you, Laura?’

  Laura looked down at the floor, tracing the pattern on the worn carpet with the toe of her shoe. ‘I...I don’t know what I feel sometimes, Rachel. I’m so mixed up!’

  ‘That makes two of us.’ Rachel gave a wry smile when Laura’s head came up. ‘Sorry, forget I said that. You have enough problems of your own right now. What did Luis want by the way? Did he ask you to go back with him?’

  ‘Something like that. Look, Rachel, what did you mean just now? Has something happened? What was that appointment you had?’

  Rachel glanced up the stairs then led the way into the sitting-room and sat down on a chair with a weary sigh. ‘I take it that Father has been all right while I’ve been gone.’

  ‘Fine. I popped up to check on him just before Luis arrived and he was sleeping peacefully. No wonder after the number of times you were up with him through the night. I take it that whatever happened today isn’t something you want him to hear about?’

  Rachel shook her head, her eyes reflecting her weariness. ‘No. I don’t want him worrying. He has been through enough lately what with having a second stroke when he was just getting over the first one. Th
is...this is more than he could handle right now.’

  To Laura’s horror, tears started to run silently down her friend’s face, but when she started towards her Rachel waved her away. ‘No, please don’t. If you give me too much sympathy then I’m afraid that I will fall apart and I can’t do that yet. I have to be strong otherwise I won’t be able to sort this mess out...if I can sort it out, that is.’

  Laura sat down on a chair facing her, clasping her hands between her knees to stop them shaking, almost afraid to hear what Rachel had to say. But if something had happened to her friend because of her then she had to know! ‘Won’t you tell me about it, Rachel? May...maybe I can help in some way.’

  Rachel laughed, little amusement in the sound. ‘If you have seventy thousand pounds then maybe you can!’ She must have seen the shock on Laura’s face because she sobered instantly. She ran a weary hand over her face, pushing back the strands of light brown hair. The strain of caring for her father had taken its toll, the sleepless nights leaving shadows under her eyes and etching lines at the corners of her mouth.

  Laura had a sudden vivid picture of how Rachel had looked just months before when she, Rachel and Stephanie had set out on that extended holiday together hoping to see something of the world. That was when she had met Luis and fallen in love with him, staying on in Spain to be close to him. Stephanie and Rachel had carried on with the planned itinerary almost to the end, then Rachel’s father had suffered a stroke and she’d returned to England to nurse him, while Stephanie had completed the trip and gone to Florida where she’d met and married her husband, Logan. All their lives had been affected by that trip but it wasn’t fair that Rachel should suffer now because of her.

  ‘If I had the money I would give it to you, Rachel. You know that. But why do you need it so desperately?’

  ‘Thank you. I know you would. As to why I need such a large sum is simple: to keep a roof over our heads.’

  ‘I don’t understand. Are you in some kind of debt?’

  ‘Yes. Remember me telling you that my brother, Jack, had set up a new business venture? Well it appears that Father borrowed the money for it, using this house and some stocks and shares he owns as collateral against the loan. He was confident that between his salary and what Jack would be able to contribute as the business found its feet the loan repayments would be met. Only now this illness of Father’s has altered all that. He won’t be going back to work and Jack has suffered some sort of setbacks, lost contracts he was banking on. There is no way he can meet even half of the repayments let alone cover the full amount. I...I don’t know what’s going to happen!’

  Rachel ran a hand over her eyes to wipe away the tears. Laura waited silently for her to compose herself, knowing she had to find out if Luis was involved in it all.

  ‘What happened today? Has the bank called in its loan?’

  Rachel sighed wearily. ‘Father couldn’t get the money from the bank. They didn’t think it was a good risk to lend it to him. He went to a finance company and they’re pressing for their money. Perhaps if Jack hadn’t lost those contracts we could have stalled for a bit, offered partial payments or something, but it seems another firm snatched them out from under him.’

  ‘This other firm—do you know the name of it?’ Laura held her breath as she felt the links of the chain closing tighter and tighter. She might never be able to prove it but she knew Luis was behind it all.

  ‘I can’t remember. Something foreign but I was in a bit of a daze by then and couldn’t take it all in. All I know is that unless the back-payments are met in full within the next week I shall be receiving formal notification that the loan has been called in.’ She gave a stifled sob as the shock and fear resurfaced. ‘I don’t know which way to turn. Even if I could get a job, which is out of the question with Father so ill, it would take me years to pay this money back and they aren’t prepared to wait that long!’

  ‘Surely there must be other contracts your brother can get?’

  ‘He’s been trying, believe me. But no matter which way he turns this other company is there before him. It’s almost as though they are running some kind of vendetta but that doesn’t make any sense because he’s never crossed them. The house and everything will have to go and then what will happen to Father? The shock of it all could kill him!’

  Laura got up, hugging Rachel as she sobbed out her fears. She felt like sobbing too, only she couldn’t afford the luxury of that. Luis was behind it all, of course. He had the money and the power and the ruthless drive. He had known that there was little he could threaten her with on a personal level and cleverly found a far more effective lever in Rachel. Hadn’t she herself told him how close the two of them were even though she had never fully explained the reason why? It had been Rachel who had helped her through those dark days at university when her father had died in that terrible accident, Rachel who once again had picked up the pieces when her brief love-affair had gone so disastrously wrong. It had forged a bond of friendship between them that had survived for all these years, so that when Laura had appeared on Rachel’s doorstep two months before, Rachel had offered her a place to live and unquestioning support when she had needed it most. Now it was her turn to repay that debt. She wouldn’t allow Rachel to suffer in Luis’s bid to seek his revenge.

  She helped Rachel to her feet and urged her to go upstairs and lie down, hating to see the strain etched on her friend’s face. Once Rachel was settled, Laura returned to the sitting-room to wait for Luis coming back. She rested her head against the cushion on the chair and let her mind drift, not trying to block the pictures which filled her mind almost at once. She wanted to remember it all, all the joy and ultimately all the pain and in that way gain strength to do what had to be done.

  It seemed like only yesterday, the pictures were so clear and sharp in her head. She had been coming out of a shop clutching a bag filled with bread and cheese for the lunch she was taking back to the small parador where she, Rachel and Stephanie had booked a room. They had arrived in Jerez de la Frontera only that morning, intending to stay just the one day, but had discovered that there was so much to see. That afternoon they were going to a display at the Recreo de las Cadenas Palace, headquarters of the famous Andalucian School of Equestrian Art. Laura had been so busy thinking about it that she hadn’t noticed the man who stopped to pick up a piece of paper he had dropped.

  Cheese and bread had gone flying as Laura had fallen over him, to land stunned on the pavement. Luis had gently picked her up, his deep voice entrancing her as he had murmured apologies. He had insisted on seeing her back to the hotel, charming her with his impeccable manners, his sophistication, not to mention his stunning good looks. When he had invited her to dinner by way of an apology, Laura had eagerly accepted and by the end of the week, having persuaded the others to stay in the town, known that she was madly in love with him.

  Even now, after everything that had happened, she could still recall how it had felt, the excitement, the aching need to be with him. When Rachel and Stephanie had decided to continue with their trip, she had stayed behind in Jerez, finding work in one of the hotels so that she could be near Luis. He had asked her to marry him just a few weeks later and Laura had thought that she had been given everything she could ever want. She loved him so much and believed that he loved her. The fact that he had accepted the limits she placed upon their lovemaking had highlighted that. Luis had wanted her, she knew. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in the leashed tension in his body every time they kissed but he had respected her desire not to preempt their wedding night.

  Several times Laura had started to tell him about the brief affair she’d had but always her courage had deserted her at the last moment. She had loved him so much; she couldn’t bear the thought that something which had happened so many years before might spoil what they had. In the end she had convinced herself that when she did tell Luis after their wedding he would understand. He might be angry, even upset, but he loved her and that would
be enough but it wasn’t.

  Tears stung her eyes as she remembered their wedding-night. The day had been magical, the wedding held in one of the beautiful old churches in Jerez and the reception at Luis’s home afterwards like a fairy-tale, and Luis’s gentleness and consideration when they had made love later, everything she could have wished for. But afterwards he had been strangely silent, his handsome face set into grim lines. Laura had known then that she had to speak but the words had been strangely difficult to utter in the face of his mounting anger. He had called her names that even now she didn’t want to remember, accusing her of lying to him and cheating. He had been more angry than she’d expected yet he wouldn’t listen to her halting, desperate attempts to explain and refused to listen as the weeks passed until in the end, Laura couldn’t stand it any longer.

  She had left, hoping that her leaving might jolt Luis into realising what he was doing to their marriage, but it hadn’t done that. He would never forgive her for what he considered to be a deliberate attempt to trick him because the simple fact was that he didn’t love her enough.

  The sound of a car stopping drew her out of her painful reverie. Laura dried her tears then hurried outside and slid into the passenger seat before Luis could make any attempt to get out and come inside the house. It had been a painful exercise going back over what had happened but it had stiffened her resolve. Her life might be lying in ruins but she wouldn’t allow Rachel’s world to fall apart as well.

  One dark brow was raised mockingly as Luis immediately saw the storm clouds in her grey eyes. ‘I see that you and Rachel have spoken?’

  Laura ignored the mockery, her voice filled with contempt. ‘Yes! I hope you feel proud of yourself, Luis.’

  His face tightened, his dark eyes boring into hers. ‘I did what was necessary. I took no pleasure from it.’

  ‘I bet you didn’t! You are despicable, Luis. Totally and utterly despicable!’ She spat the words at him then gasped when he caught her wrist and hauled her to him so fast that she slammed against his body. Anger had set a rim of colour along his cheekbones, thinned his mouth, made his accent even more pronounced when he spoke.