“Sam, over here!” a man called.
Sam waved but ignored the request. Hayley kept up with his swift pace, recognized the tension in the lean lines of his body and the arm around her waist.
“Who’s your lady?” another man called.
They kept walking and soon stood in the doorway. Sam showed the security man on the door an invitation and whisked her into the warmth of the house. The strains of a sexy ballad sung by a female artist floated from a room on their left, along with soft laughter and chatter. Another couple entered behind them.
“Sam, great costume. I always considered you a bit of a pirate. How are you? I haven’t seen you since Janet’s party.” The petite woman glanced at Hayley before looking back at Sam.
“No, I’ve been busy with work.”
The woman laughed. “I don’t know why you bother with a job when you have as much money as you do. I’d travel and enjoy myself.”
Sam’s arm tensed again. “It’s lovely to see you again.” He exerted a gentle pressure on Hayley and they walked away, heading toward the music.
They entered the crowded room, and Hayley surreptitiously wiped her palms on her skirt. Her mouth throbbed with the dryness of a desert, and she licked her lips, hoping to ease her thirst. Meeting Sam’s family had her stomach churning.
Sam released her, but took her hand in his, warmth from his palm skittering up her arm. A giddy, bubbly sensation flooded her chest and, in surprise, she recognized it as happiness. The emotion muted some of her nerves.
“Jase is over the other side of the room holding court. Come on.” Sam led her toward his brother. “Happy birthday, bro.”
“Sam, you’re here,” Jase said.
Hayley tugged her hand free and moved with the crowd, pushed to the side. She didn’t mind. The two brothers appeared close. They hugged, clapping each other across the back before standing back to grin. A pang of envy filled Hayley at the sight. The interaction was so different from her family dynamics. And now she knew why.
“Helen, what are you doing hiding over there?” Sam took her hand and dragged her over to meet his brother. “Jase, meet Helen. And this is Rhiannon, Jase’s wife.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Her cheeks pinked with both the intense scrutiny and the knowledge that even more people thought of her as Helen.
“Come and have a seat. Sam didn’t say he was bringing anyone. He usually comes to these things alone.”
A waiter wandered by with a tray of punch and champagne. Hayley took a glass of champagne and tried not to act too self-conscious. Both Jase and Rhiannon studied her like a bug under a microscope glass.
“Love the costume, Sam. You make a good pirate,” Rhiannon said, a sly grin crossing her gamine face. She wore a ballerina outfit in hot pink and appeared so delicate Hayley decided she’d look great on the top of a wedding cake. Or maybe jumping out of a cake. Hayley moved closer to Sam, so she didn’t feel so big and ungainly.
Husband and wife exchanged a look, a slow grin crawling across Jase’s face. The mischievous expression when he turned his attention to her made Hayley want to run. Instead she shifted even nearer to Sam, his hand on her shoulder steadying her anxiety.
“How long have you known Sam?” Rhiannon asked.
The hand on her shoulder tightened. “Don’t start,” Sam said. “This is a party.”
“Just being friendly, aren’t you, Rhiannon?” Jase smirked at Sam.
“Sam and I work together,” Hayley said, deciding to go with safe. There was something going on here, but she had no idea what. A family joke, perhaps, except Sam didn’t seem to find the humor.
“Is this your first date?” Rhiannon asked.
“Cut it out,” Sam growled. “Come and dance,” he said to Hayley, taking her by the hand.
“Give the girl a chance to finish her drink first,” Jase said, laughing again. “You know we’re going to ask our questions. You might as well let us talk to Helen.”
Rhiannon stood beside her husband. “Yeah, you knew we would ask questions.” Together they presented a united front.
“I’d hoped you’d use a bit of tact and not be so blatant,” Sam muttered.
Two new arrivals came over and the subject changed.
“Let’s dance.” Sam plucked the glass from her hand and set it aside, not giving her a chance to protest. Hand in hand they walked over to the dance floor. Hayley slipped into his arms and he pulled her against his chest. They barely moved, instead swaying in time to the music.
“What were your brother and sister-in-law talking about?” she asked, giving into curiosity.
“Nothing to worry about. They like to tease.” Hayley happened to catch Rhiannon’s gaze when she looked past Sam. Pure speculation filled the woman’s face, and Hayley burrowed closer to Sam, starting to worry about the unknown. Was it something to do with her? Did they know about her lies?
A nervous tic started in her jaw and she swallowed in an attempt to get it to stop. “This seems a bit more serious than teasing.”
“My brother and sister-in-law are trying to discover, in their roundabout way, if I’ve told you about the family curse.”
Hayley pulled away enough to stare up at Sam. He was deadly serious. “Curse? Sounds interesting.”
“It’s not a curse,” Jase said from right behind them. He winked at Rhiannon and guided her up beside them.
“This is a private conversation,” Sam snapped.
“Stop teasing your brother,” Rhiannon chided, but the curiosity in her features didn’t abate. She was dying to ask nosy questions.
“Aw, it’s my birthday,” Jase said, his grin wide and engaging. “I’m allowed to do anything on my birthday. Besides, it’s fun.”
Sam snorted and Rhiannon pinched her husband’s bottom.
“Off with her head,” Jase shouted, drawing the attention of most of the guests. “She touched the king’s arse.”
“You’re an arse,” Sam said.
“We’re going to have a court session. I’ll fine anyone who maligns the royal person,” Jase said. “They will rue the day!” But he stopped teasing Sam and danced his wife around the floor in high style—the ballerina and the King of Hearts with their guests grinning while they looked on.
Sam danced Hayley out onto a balcony and led her along to the far end, out of earshot of everyone. Lights twinkled across the Thames and if she listened hard, Hayley fancied she could hear the lap of the river against the banks.
Sam cleared his throat and coughed, his discomfit coming through loud and clear. He refused to look directly at her and Hayley’s unease grew. Finally, he spoke. “We have a belief in our family. My parents, grandparents, my brother—they all fell in love at first sight. It’s a family tradition.”
“Oh.” Love at first sight. Now that was impulsive.
“Yeah, they all met and married within weeks.” He still refused to meet her gaze.
“Oh.” At first excitement and triumph poured through Hayley. She loved him, but hadn’t said anything simply because she tried to dampen impulsive actions. Besides, anything too quick would scare him off. There was also the matter of her real name. The silence lengthened to uncomfortable. The longer she watched him, the more her excitement seeped away. He didn’t feel the same way and hadn’t told her because he hadn’t wanted to encourage her with ideas for the future.
“Love at first sight is a load of crap,” he muttered, staring out at the river. His hands tightened on the balcony railing. “I had a relationship when I was younger. I thought I loved her, but it didn’t work out. My family insists on the love at first sight thing. I know it doesn’t happen.”
Hayley aimed for reasonable, even though pain curled around her heart and squeezed tightly. Impulsive, spontaneous Hayley strikes again. Hurricane Hayley, as Abbey used to say. “Why would they expect the same thing to happen to you? Every person is different.”
“Yeah, right.” His smile was mocking. “So far I’m the exception to the rule. It’s why I
never date any woman more than once.”
“But you’ve gone out with me more than once.” Hope surged.
“Yeah.”
And hope died. He didn’t feel the same way about her.
Neither of them said anything more and the stiffness between them became oppressive. Frightening.
“Are you trying to tell me you don’t want to go out with me again?”
“No!” He spun toward her, grasped her upper arms, his fingers flexing in the flesh of her biceps. “I’m telling you because I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I knew my brother would mention it.”
He hadn’t wanted her to build hope when there was none. Rejection.
“No problem.” Then Hayley frowned, despite her words. If he’d been that worried about his family and their reaction to her presence, why had he asked her to come with him? But cowardly, she didn’t voice her thoughts, merely pasted on a bright smile and pretended she didn’t care.
A façade.
His rejection felt like a kick to the gut. Yet another instance of her impulsive nature getting her into trouble. The notion kept repeating through her mind, echoing until she wanted to scream. But Hayley kept a pleasant smile on her face, even though it nearly killed her.
Chapter Ten
Sam leaned back in his chair and stuck his feet on his desk, contemplating life. His life, in specific. He hadn’t rung Helen since the party, although he’d seen her at a conference where they’d had tea together. The atmosphere had been strained, and no wonder after the way he’d behaved at the party. He reached for the phone, picked it up, before setting it back down. Helen would be at work in her office. A smile warmed him as he visualized her. He bet she’d be good at her job, although he liked her in her gypsy persona, too. She seemed more vibrant, easy-going and relaxed when she played the gypsy fortune teller, apart from the night of the party.
He’d wanted to ring her a dozen times, but hadn’t because the family curse stood between them like an enormous chasm. He wanted Helen. She haunted him, had a starring role in his carnal fantasies. Hell, he might even love her and it scared him half to death.
Difficult to trust his feelings for her when it brought back old history. His girlfriend, Amber. He’d been positive she was the one and had been ready to ask her to marry him after three weeks. All along she’d wanted his money. Status. She certainly hadn’t wanted his children, and later, he’d discovered she’d been seeing another man at the same time.
It had been a turning point in his life.
The time he’d become cynical, according to his mother.
“Hey, boss!” A sharp tap on his door accompanied the shout.
“Come in.” Sam lowered his feet and grinned at Suzie when she rushed into his office. She carried a newspaper. When he looked closely, he noticed the flush of temper on her cheeks.
“Look!” she said, waving the newspaper in front of his face. “Look at this!”
“Suzie, I won’t be able to see unless you stop waving the paper in front of my face.”
She slapped the paper in his hand and he saw his own face staring up at him. It was a photo of him and Helen. The headline made him scowl, and his gut hollowed with distaste. Playboy Sam Norville out on the town.
God, he hated that playboy label. It implied useless. Without motivation. It implied a lack of morals. None of which were true. But it sold newspapers and magazines, which was why the label had stuck. And the fact he never went out with the same woman more than once didn’t help.
Sam’s grip tightened on the newspaper while he read the story. The photographer had snapped the photo at the conference. Their heads were close together and their fingers entwined and rested on the tabletop. A pot of tea and two cups sat beside their hands. It looked intimate. And it was an invasion of privacy. There was a second photo of him in disguise with Helen outside his flat. Someone had put the clues together. Hell, he’d have phone calls from his family over this, and the photographers would be hiding behind trees and jumping out of the woodwork. He read further. Has the playboy met his match?
“Has Helen seen this?”
“I don’t know. We saw each other in passing this morning, but I haven’t talked to her since.”
Sam ran his hand through his hair. He hated being in the spotlight, the butt of public speculation.
“I’ll try to ring her now, but if I can’t get her, can you tell her I’ll ring tonight?”
“Her boss won’t let her take phone calls,” Suzie said, a furrow of anxiety forming between her eyes.
“Yeah, I know, but I’ll try anyway.”
He picked up the phone and dialed, but he managed to get an idiotic girl who insisted that Helen didn’t work in the Home Office. “Never mind,” he said and slammed down the phone.
The phone rang almost immediately. His brother. Sam cursed and set about denying everything.
“You’ve broken your rules,” Jase said.
“None of your business.”
“The twins said you had someone at the flat when they rang.”
His brother was fishing, baiting a hook and waiting for him to bite. Wasn’t gonna happen. “Is there a point to your call?”
“Yeah, I want you to admit you’ve fallen in love with the girl.”
Sam hung up without replying, knowing he wouldn’t win and Jase would make him lose his temper, which would be as good as a confession.
“Hell,” he muttered, rubbing his hands across his face. Why had he asked Helen out? Why couldn’t he stop thinking about the woman? He snorted, knowing the truth even if he wasn’t ready to admit it to everyone else. He’d fallen in love with her, and it scared the hell out of him, because what he’d felt for Amber paled in comparison to the feelings filling him now.
The love at first sight thing was holding true for yet another Norville.
Sam took the phone off the hook and attempted to work. When his concentration failed, he checked his watch and decided he’d go for a walk. Photographers dogged him, irking him with their determined pursuit. By the time he arrived home, it was late, and his temper soared. He rang Helen, but Suzie said she’d already left to go to Greensbarrow to prepare for the fair the following day.
“She’d left before I arrived home. I see her phone is on the counter. She must’ve forgotten to grab it before she went.”
No easy way to contact her. Great. “Does she know about the photos and the story in the paper?”
“I don’t know. We keep missing each other. She won’t be back until Sunday night,” Suzie said.
“If you hear from her, tell her I rang. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to talk to her before she sees or hears about the photos.”
“Yeah,” Suzie said. “See you on Monday.”
“Sure.” The phone clicked in his ear and he hung up.
“Heck, what a mess.” Sam grabbed a beer and dropped into a comfortable chair in his lounge. If he hadn’t had work plus a charity function to attend, he would have traveled to Greensbarrow to see Helen.
Now it would have to wait until Sunday.
The annual fair in the village of Greensbarrow in Berkshire was one of Hayley’s favorites. She’d worked it the previous year and made enough money to make her blink, which was why she’d turned down a conference in favor of attending the fair.
Her booth was situated on the north side of the main arena, along with the tea tent and several food stalls. The grandstand on the opposite side was a sea of faces, the current silence full of tension due to a jump-off in the show-jumping competition. Hayley heard a dull thud—the echo of a horse’s hoof hitting a rail. A clatter followed, and the crowd let out a collective groan.
“Four faults,” the announcer called.
Hayley tidied away the cup and saucer plus the teapot used by her last customer. At this fair, she had her own tea supplies and made the tea for each customer. She readied the next cup with its matching saucer and added tea leaves to a clean teapot.
“Are you ready for the next customer
?” Hayley’s assistant, a student, poked her head around the corner and grinned at her. She did a great job collecting the money and organizing customers while Hayley took care of the tea side of things.
Hayley stood, her charm bracelet jingling musically when she went to greet her next customer. She rounded the corner of her partition and came to an abrupt halt, her smile of welcome freezing on her mouth.
Three ladies stood in the entrance. Hayley didn’t know two of them but the third was very familiar. Abbey. Her sister—no, half sister. She still hadn’t quite wrapped her head around that fact. A herd of butterflies stomped around the interior of her stomach. This was the last thing she needed. Another screaming match with her sister. Shoving aside her panic, she nodded at her customers. It would be best if she tried to act normal. She knew Abbey well enough to know if her sister sensed a weakness, she’d exploit it.
“Who would like to go first?”
“You go first, Trudy,” Abbey said, her eyes widening on seeing Hayley. The surprise gave way to calculation.
Hayley sucked in a deep breath and maintained a calm smile. Inside, panic rioted out of control. She waited for Abbey to denounce her as a fraud, but her sister remained silent. Hayley showed her first customer into the private part of her booth and went through her spiel on automatic pilot. Fifteen minutes later, she couldn’t have repeated what she’d told the woman, but luckily her customer seemed satisfied.
The second woman had a lovely manner and helped to settle most of Hayley’s apprehension. She managed to get through the second reading, but a cold sweat made her shirt cling to her back, and if Abbey looked too closely, she’d notice the tremor of her hand. Her sister would know her presence made Hayley vulnerable and use this newly revealed secret as a weapon.
The second woman left and automatically Hayley cleared away her cup and teapot.
Abbey walked in and took possession of the seat opposite Hayley.
“Would you like tea?” Ever the polite hostess.
“I don’t think so,” Abbey said. “What I want is money.”
“I don’t think so,” Hayley said, throwing her sister’s words back at her. She would not let Abbey intimidate her.
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