He moved. She tensed. But he was only stretching lazily in the firelight.
`So what were you going to do?'
`I was going to work full time at the Homeless Centre,' she told him simply.
`Good God.' His tone was blank.
`I've been going there on a voluntary basis for some time. I—when Gran died, I wanted to do something—you know, to make people's lives better. There's so much pain,' she said, trying to explain. 'When she was ill, I couldn't because I spent most of my time with her. Pops gave her nurses but he never went there, and she was
lonely. Afterwards, one of the nurses I got to know suggested I go and help out with her one night. I've been doing it ever since.'
`And you wanted to turn it into a profession,' Justin said thoughtfully.
She flushed, unseen. 'It sounds stupid put like that.'
`Why do you say that?' he asked sharply. 'Of course it doesn't sound stupid. Is that what they said? Your parents?'
Candy shook her head. 'I haven't—that is, Mother told me about this gambling thing and Pops said it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been out so much and — and---'
He picked up the handkerchief from the carpet at her feet and handed it to her.
`I begin to see,' he said thoughtfully. 'Even so—there must have been men in your life before. Why haven't you cast any of them as Galahad?'
Candy sat upright. 'What do you mean?'
`You need a rescuer,' Justin said. 'Or you think you do. Why haven't you found one?'
She thought about Tom, and shivered.
She said with difficulty, 'I'm not very—responsive. I—should have told you that before.'
Her head fell. She waited, fingers clenched round the damp rag that was his exquisitely laundered handkerchief. There was a draining silence.
But all he said, when he finally spoke, was, 'Are you sure?'
Candy's head came up.
`Response,' he explained gently, 'depends on circumstances. And—er —people. Don't you think?'
In the flickering shadows Justin looked remote. She remembered suddenly that he was the man her father most feared—a cool, powerful businessman and a considerable strategist. He was watching her. But there was
no hint of what was passing through that clever brain. She swallowed.
Very slowly, he put out his hand and picked up a strand of her tangled hair. He held it out so that the firelight played along its length, striking gold and red and even green lights from it.
`Beautiful', he said in a thoughtful voice. 'Yes, there must have been plenty of volunteers for Galahad.'
Candy said hurriedly, staring into the fire, 'There was one. His people are friends of my parents. He—made it very obvious that he wanted to marry the daughter of a rich man.'
In the shadows his eyes were shrewd. 'Not much of a candidate for Galahad,' Justin observed smoothly. 'Was he the one you didn't respond to?'
Remembering her shock at Tom's cheerful manhandling, Candy winced.
`You could put it like that.'
`What happened?' he asked gently.
But she flinched from the question, turning her head so that the long hair swirled. It hid her expression.
Justin waited. At last he sighed. 'Look, my dear—'
Candy spun round in her chair, facing him in the shadows. Her voice was high and breathless.
`Don't patronise me,' she said fiercely. 'You asked me to marry you, remember. It wasn't my idea. You just sprang it on me. And I didn't ask you for any explanations, did I?'
`That's not quite the way I remember it,' Justin said evenly.
But Candy swept on, scarcely hearing.
`Oh, no. I came to ask a perfectly reasonable favour. And what did you do? Offer me some crazy bargain. Did I start to pick you over like—like—like a tray of bargain remnants?'
Candida—'
`No, I didn't. I went away and thought about it seriously. Because I thought you meant it seriously.'
She flung up her head. The electric tumble of curls danced in the firelight like a halo. She was quite unaware of it.
`You made me believe you meant it,' she said fiercely. `Didn't you?'
`Listen—'
`Didn't you?'
Justin said something harsh under his breath. He was looking at her almost angrily, she thought. But his voice was perfectly level when he said, 'Yes, I meant it.'
`Well, then—'
`It's not quite as simple as that.'
`Why isn't it?'
Justin looked down at his hands and flexed the long fingers. He appeared to be choosing his words with care.
`You've had a bad time. All those warring parties. I can see that. But—has it not occurred to you that there are bound to be—other fights?'
Candy was suspicious. 'Who with?'
A small smile curled his mouth. It was not a particularly pleasant smile.
`Let us say, for the sake of argument, with me,' he said evenly.
The fight drained out of Candy. She looked at him in amazement. The loose-limbed figure was deceptively relaxed but, even sprawled on the rug as he was, there was no disguising the strength of the jaw or the clever, intent gaze. He looked like a man no one would want as an enemy. She was shaken by a spurt of laughter.
`No way.' She shook her head. 'Absolutely not. You're out of my league. I wouldn't take you on.'
Justin flashed her a look that, just for an instant and even in the friendly shadows, made her gasp. At once
he was cool again, with that composed expression on the handsome face, but Candy felt as if lightning had struck right beside her.
Justin said smoothly. 'What if I started it? What are you going to do then?'
Candy was still shaken. 'You won't have any reason to.' She was fervent. 'No provocation at all, I swear.'
He said with sudden weariness, 'Everything you do is a provocation.'
And reached for her.
Candy was tired. She had not expected Justin to touch her, and she was not fast enough to evade that swift strike. In the blink of an eye he had uncoiled himself from the rug so that he was on one knee beside her chair. With one small, strong movement he had her by the shoulders, hard against his chest.
Candy's head went back. Her eyes unfocused. Justin said, Tor instance, what are you going to do now?'
He sounded amused but there was something else there as well, she thought dimly, something angry. Why was he angry with her, if she had agreed to do what he wanted? In the body that loured over her there was angry tension in every muscle.
She was too tired, she realised suddenly. Too tired for more scenes, more emotion. Too tired to stand up to that overwhelming force she sensed in Justin. She closed her eyes.
`What do you want me to do?' she heard herself say in a whisper.
He froze. For a second Candy thought she had
shocked him. Then he gave a soft laugh. It was, she
thought, trembling, the iciest sound she had ever heard.
`If that's the way you want to play .. .' he murmured.
The cool, strong hands moved on her, disposing her
more conveniently against him. She had never, thought
Candy, shaken, felt so much like a thing in her life. She tried to struggle away, but it was too late. He had her in a grip of iron in the exact position in which she was most helpless.
Justin looked down at her. The dark face was mocking. `Let me show you, darling.'
CHAPTER FOUR
WOULD it have been any better if she had been more experienced? Later Candy wondered. Until that explicit caress she had not even considered the possibility that Justin might desire her. As it was, she froze.
It was not at all like Tom's proprietorial briskness. It was not like anything she had ever known. His mouth on her skin seemed to spin a web of shadows round her. Although he could not have been gentler, it was terrifying. All Candy's instincts for self-protection sprang to life.
One moment Justin was kissing her; th
e next she had torn herself away, white-faced and incoherent.
`Don't. Oh, please, stop.' Her voice was shaking so much, she hardly recognised it.
At first she thought Justin was going to take no notice. There was a strange intent glitter in his eyes. The dark, handsome face looked almost savage. But then he seemed to gather all his strength together, and stepped away from her.
Candy collapsed in a huddle against the cane chair. Her hand went to her cheek. Justin watched her, the glitter dying out of his eyes. Eventually he moved. She flinched; but he was only sitting down in the chair opposite.
He said, 'Stop shaking.'
Hardly knowing what she did, Candy shook her head. Under his impatient fingers, her hair had tangled irretrievably. The auburn strands trailed across her cheek, her mouth. She put up a hand to push them away.
Justin closed his eyes briefly.
Her voice coming back under her command, Candy said, 'I don't want ...'
The brown eyes flew open. They were rueful.
`Evidently. At least ...' He hesitated. His face looked more like an emperor's than ever, she thought, remote and austere. He said carefully, 'Forgive me, but it seems to me you don't know what you want from one minute to the next.'
Candy sat up. She managed to meet his eyes. He was pale, she saw; the dark eyes were almost black and the thin, handsome mouth set in a hard line. He looked angry.
She lifted her chin and hissed, 'You didn't give me much of a chance to say.'
His mouth twisted. 'What do you expect, for heaven's sake? A formal debate with votes taken?'
Candy stiffened. 'I expect the right to say no.'
Justin passed a weary hand over his face. The dark hair flopped forward. Even feeling as she did, Candy had to suppress the instinct to brush it back.
`Of course,' he said quietly.
Candy's colour rose in a wave. She shook her head so that her hair fell forward, but it was not much of a disguise. She knew that, in the surprisingly strong embrace, she had lost her head completely.
`I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression,' she said stiffly.
She had never imagined losing her head like that; she had not known it was possible. It was a revelation—and not a welcome one.
Justin had stripped away a comfortable curtain she was not even aware of. And behind the curtain was revealed a quivering creature with a whole range of animal appetites Candy had never suspected. She could not have
been more shocked if she had found herself wanting to kill someone. She bent her head and did not answer.
Justin gave a sharp sigh. 'I must be losing my touch,' he said at last wryly. 'Don't worry, little one. I was at fault. I read the signs wrong.'
Candy winced. It sounded as if he was mildly annoyed with himself, not as if it mattered to him He gave no sign of realising the inner turmoil she was in. Her tongue felt locked.
There was a long and painful silence while he looked at her. Candy bit her lip and concentrated on the fire. It was not difficult to tell that his thoughts would not be complimentary.
`You said you didn't want a cheating marriage,' he mused.
Candy shuddered. 'I know. I didn't realise . .
Justin drew a sharp little breath. But all he said was, `And now you do?'
Candy raised her head. He met her swimming eyes. His mouth was rueful. But his eyes were unreadable. She saw, though, that at least he did not seem particularly angry any more—not as he had a moment ago. In a way it was a relief.
But it left her even more anxious, in another way. At least she knew where she was with anger, even if she did not understand it.
She said, 'I don't understand ...'
Justin leaned forward and looked at her gravely. It was not easy, but she met his look. She felt as if she had nothing left to hide.
`You always have a right to say no,' he told her at last. He hesitated. 'You always will. Only—are you sure that marriage is what you want, Candida?'
She felt a flicker of indignation. 'But you said—' 'I said a lot of things,' he cut in drily. 'But not that I was a saint. Or a celibate.'
She flushed.
`Think about it a little,' Justin advised. 'There are worse things than a family row or two. I've told you what I want. But I'm old enough to have discovered it from experience. As you pointed out this morning. But you're ...' He paused, then said evenly, 'Young. And quite lovely. You must have had some dreams. Has no one made you want to turn them into fact?'
She shivered. There had never been anyone who made her feel as if she had walked into a furnace-blast at the touch of his mouth.
She shook her head.
`No dreams at all?' Justin sounded fascinated and slightly appalled.
`Not about—'
`Oh, my God,' he said in a resigned tone.
The fiery head drooped. 'I'm not much of a bet, am I?' she muttered.
He gave an odd little laugh. 'That's the sort gamblers like. Long odds, amazing rewards.' He sounded amused again, cool and rueful and in control. 'Though these are longer than I bargained for.' He chuckled. 'You were offering nil provocation, if I recall? Well, stick to that and we'll be all right.'
Candy bit her lip. Justin sounded almost protective. Candy had never felt protected in her whole life, and it was amazingly seductive. But she knew she ought not to agree if she couldn't keep her side of the bargain.
She muttered, 'How would I know what you thought was provocation?'
There was an astonished silence. Then Justin gave a soft laugh. 'Poor Candida. It's not really fair.'
`It's just..:
know. It feels like cheating,' Justin said softly. Candy dipped her head in embarrassment.
`I know what I'm doing. And I know a good deal more about the world than you,' he said. 'Trust me.'
In spite of herself she tensed. She saw him watching the way her knuckles whitened and rapidly straightened her fingers.
Justin went on levelly, 'You don't want less than a proper marriage. Frankly, neither do I.' His smile was wry. 'For all sorts of reasons, some of which you've seen. But I can wait. I'm very good at waiting. But I want a woman, not a child. And I think you need some space.'
Candy was doubtful.
`Let's get married,' he said softly. 'We can take each day as it comes. You'll be away from whatever pressures your parents apply. And I'll—have a sporting chance.'
She sighed. 'I wish I understood you.'
He hesitated. 'You will.'
She gave a shaken little laugh. 'I doubt it. Not as well as you seem to understand me.'
`Well, that's a start,' he said enigmatically.
Candy did not entirely understand that either. She looked at the loose-limbed figure and frowned. Justin was making no attempt to touch her. She realised, with a stab of real panic, that she wanted him to touch her.
She drew back deeper into the security of the chair. Her thoughts were a jumble. But her body seemed to know very clearly what it wanted. It wanted Justin to take her back into his arms.
Candy thought, I must be crazy. I don't even know him.
Yet in his arms she had felt as if she had known him forever. And he had known her. The feelings were shockingly new—but somehow as if she had always, secretly, expected them. And in the last few hours she had let him see more of her feelings than probably anyone else had ever done.
She said, half to herself, 'Everything's happening too fast.'
There was a pause.
Then Justin said in such a normal voice that it made her jump, 'Sleep on it.'
She looked at her watch. She had, she realised, lost all count of time.
`Oh, lord. I must get going.' She jumped to her feet.
He stood up too, uncoiling gracefully. In the shadows he looked very tall. Almost forbidding, thought Candy, backing a little.
`Stay,' he said quietly.
Her heart leaped.
`You're tired and muddled. Don't go home. I can give you a bed.'
Candy stood as st
ill as a statue. Whose bed? What did he want with her?
`Why?' she managed between cold lips.
In the shadows one wicked eyebrow flicked up.
`Your own bed,' he assured her. She could hear the smile in his voice. 'I've made enough mistakes tonight.'
For some reason, that hurt. She bent and picked up her bag.
`No. I'd better go back. My mother listens for me ...'
`Your mother will have been asleep hours ago,' he said quietly. He came up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. 'Don't go, Candida. Trust me this much.'
She had the sudden feeling that the decision was momentous, that she was about to set the course for the rest of her life. The hands on her shoulders were strong, but he was not holding her hard. Yet she felt that she would never get away—nor ever want to get away.
She moistened her lips. 'All right.' It was not much more than a whisper.
Justin gave a long sigh as if he had been holding his breath.
But all he said was, 'Good.'
He gave her his own room. She hesitated in the doorway of the pleasant green and gold room, and looked at the big bed, shivering. Justin came up and put an arm round her waist. Candy jumped violently.
`I wasn't thinking of joining you,' Justin said with the first hint of acidity she had heard from him. 'I told you—you've got to trust me.'
`I'm sorry,' she said with difficulty. 'I do—really. It's just that tonight has been—well, a bit of a shock.'
He hugged her briefly. 'And I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to snap. It's not been quite what I expected either, to be honest.'
Candy hung her head. 'No.'
`Now don't start worrying again. It will work itself out. Believe me,' Justin said firmly. He went to one of the floor-to-ceiling cabinets and extracted a brilliant pyjama jacket in a shiny green material. As he tossed it to her, Candy saw the flash of gold. She caught it and spread it out, holding it by the shoulders. A gold dragon danced across the back.
Justin grimaced. 'A present,' he said excusingly. 'In fact, I'm not sure those Chinese characters on the front don't say "A Present from Shanghai!" It'll be too big for you, of course, but it's all I can think of.'
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