by Lucy Gordon
'You're still mine,' he murmured. 'You always were mine, and you always will be.'
She knew she should dispute this, but the delight flooding through her left no room for argument. Whatever the future held, she was his at this moment and her heart knew it.
The time they'd spent apart had brought its changes and as lovers they were strangers again. But they'd been strangers the first time they made love and it had been wonderful. Now Faye felt almost as she had then, breathless with eagerness, not sure what to expect of him but hoping for everything.
She thought she surprised a moment of hesitancy in his face, as though he, too, were moving cautiously as he reclaimed unfamiliar ground. She knew that look. It meant he wanted to be reassured. So she did so, touching his face gently, one of their old signals, and the result was all she'd hoped. His embrace grew stronger, more confident and possessive. Just as it had been that first time.
And something else was the same, the beauty and wonder of becoming one with him. Once she'd been sure that life could hold no more happiness than this. Now she knew for certain that it was true. The years without him had been a lonely ache of desolation, and secretly she'd always been waiting to come home.
There was a new edge to their passion. Now she, too, had confidence. She knew herself as a woman who could drive this attractive man wild. What was happening had always been bound to happen.
She murmured his name and he looked at her quickly. 'Faye?' he said. 'Faye?' It was a question, as though he thought she might vanish from his arms.
She held him close, demanding more and more, and he gave freely and bountifully. Their climax was a burst of dazzling light, a flowering of the world that left her exhausted, trembling and utterly satiated.
She could see that it was the same with him. He was gasping slightly from the lengths to which she'd driven him and his face registered pure amazement. Faye wondered if her own face revealed her feeling of triumph.
She looked at him out of eyes that were hazy with fulfilment. Her whole body was relaxed as it hadn't been for two years. The world was a good place after all.
'I didn't mean that to happen,' he said slowly, watching her.
'Didn't you?' she asked softly. 'I thought you'd meant it to happen from the start.'
'I made you a promise-'
Oh, yes, she thought vaguely. The promise.
'It's too late to worry about that,' she murmured, wondering why he was making a fuss about it. Unconsciously, her lips curved into a blissful smile.
'Don't smile at me like that,' he said hoarsely. 'Not unless you want to drive me mad. Faye!'
He took hold of her shoulders to give her a little shake, but he didn't let go. He couldn't. The moment he touched her they both knew their desire was far from exhausted. And this time it was even more irresistible, because of what they'd both discovered.
He said her name once more, before his lips descended on her mouth. Faye gave a sigh of anticipation, and it all began again.
Garth was already downstairs when Faye descended next morning. She waited for him to look up, for the consciousness that would be between them. Perhaps he would smile.
But there was only trouble in his eyes when he raised his head. 'I owe you an apology,' he said in a low voice.
'An-?'
'Look, I know what you're going to say. I broke my word. You told me to stay away from you or the deal would be off. Please-' He raised his hand when she tried to speak.
Faye's voice faded at once. She couldn't have forced the words out through the stone that was encasing her heart.
'Just hear me out,' Garth insisted. 'I swear that nothing like it will ever happen again. I was in a bad state last night, business worries, nothing serious, but I wasn't myself. I'm sure you're angry, Faye, but there's no need to be. It's over, finished. I'll draw a line under it, if you will.'
'By all means, let's draw a line under it,' she said. 'Nothing could suit me better.'
CHAPTER NINE
At last it was time for the children to return from Cornwall. After that first delight, Faye was relieved to have their laughter filling the house. The cheerful sound covered the spaces between herself and Garth.
Their passionate lovemaking, so intense and shattering at the time, seemed to have slipped past without leaving any impression on him. Instead of growing closer to her, he'd seemed determined to keep his distance.
The morning afterwards he had been able to speak only of his broken promise. But he'd mentioned that while they had lain together and she'd put his mind at rest. She couldn't recall her own words exactly, but she knew she'd said that she wasn't angry about the promise. His obsession with it next day had made no sense, unless he had been using it as an excuse.
As the days went by she realized that this was the answer. There was a constraint in Garth's manner that hadn't been there before, and he was seldom at home. When they spoke it was usually to discuss the anniversary celebrations that were nearly on them.
One evening he said, 'I'm going to Newcastle tomorrow and I have to leave at seven in the morning. There's no need for you to get up then.'
'All right,' she said quietly. It was obvious that he didn't want her. 'How long will you be away?'
'I might stay overnight. Word's already getting around about the Diamond Range and I'm meeting a consortium that may put in a big order. It'll be a great coup if 1 bring it off before the range is even launched.'
'That's wonderful,' she said politely. 'Will you be going in the plane?'
'No, someone's driving me up. I can make calls in the back of the car without being disturbed.'
She was awake before Garth left next morning and lay listening to him moving about downstairs, until the front door closed and she heard him drive away.
Sunk in her own thoughts she barely heard the children chattering over breakfast, but at last the word 'zoo' reached her.
'What, darling?' she asked Cindy.
'Daddy said he's taking us to the zoo on Saturday. He will be back by then, won't he, Mummy?'
'I'm sure he will, pet. He's due back tomorrow.'
But she wondered if Garth had remembered the zoo. He'd mentioned staying over for one night, but that might stretch to a second. It would be wise to send him a reminder. Mary, his secretary, would be in Newcastle with him, but she had an office junior whom Faye could telephone.
But when she called his headquarters, she found herself talking to Mary herself. She was friendly, and one of the few people in the office whom Faye found congenial.
'I thought you'd have gone away with Garth,' Faye said.
'I was supposed to but I've got family problems at the moment,' Mary told her. 'I'd rather not be away overnight. Luckily Lysandra came to my rescue.'
'You mean-Lysandra has gone with him?'
'Yes, wasn't that kind of her?'
'Very kind,' Faye murmured.
She gave her message, which Mary promised to deliver, and hung up, trying to silence the disquiet in her breast. She'd settled with herself that she wasn't jealous of Lysandra, so what did it matter? After the divorce, Garth could marry anyone he liked.
'Oh, no, he can't!' she said suddenly, aloud. 'I'm not having that woman become stepmother to my children.'
It was a relief to know the reason for her disturbance.
It was good to have the children home and she was determined to make the most of their company. A shopping trip in town turned into a spending spree and they returned with new trainers and sweaters with zoo animals printed on them. They immediately put them on and headed for the garden.
'Hey, save those sweaters for the zoo,' Faye called. 'You'll get them dirty out there.'
'We won't, Mummy, honestly,' Adrian called, but even as he spoke he was tussling with Barker for the ball. He finally got it out of the dog's mouth, and rubbed his hand over the elephant's head on his chest.
'Never mind,' Faye grinned. 'I can always wash them before Saturday.'
Barker was like a child himse
lf, bouncing and rolling about, chasing after every ball and uttering deafening barks of delight. The trust and understanding between the three of them was lovely to see.
'Tea in fifteen minutes,' Faye called, and went into the kitchen. She reached up for Barker's dry biscuits, for she knew he couldn't bear to be left out of a meal. He was especially fond of the red ones, so she took two red ones apart. Always afterwards it was imprinted in her memory how she'd smiled as she'd set the biscuits by the kettle in the last split second before the world was turned upside down.
At first she hardly registered that Barker had suddenly made a different sound. But then it was followed by a dreadful scream from Cindy and the little girl came flying into the kitchen.
'Mummy, Mummy! Come quickly/'
Barker was lying on his side, heaving, his eyes full of pain. 'He was running and he just stopped and fell over,' Adrian cried.
Til call the vet,' Faye said urgently and raced back to the house. Adrian came with her but Cindy stayed with Barker, holding his head in her arms and murmuring comfort.
'They're sending an ambulance for him,' she told Adrian. 'It'll be here any moment. They'll make him better.'
She tried to sound convinced, but she knew what had happened, and how it would probably end. But she would protect her children until the last moment.
Then Adrian said, 'Someone at school saw his grandfather have a heart attack and he told us what happened.'
Their eyes met and she saw how grown up her son was. 'Yes,' she said. 'I think Barker's had a heart attack. He's quite old.'
Adrian's eyes were wet and he closed them for a moment while his hand groped for Faye's. When he opened them he said, 'We mustn't tell Cindy yet. She's just a child.'
'The vet's very good,' Faye said. 'Barker might come through it.'
The ambulance arrived and two attendants moved the dog gently onto a stretcher. Cindy walked beside him, stroking his head and fighting back her tears in case he should see them and be dismayed. She never doubted that he understood human reactions.
'I'm going with him,' she said, preparing to climb into the ambulance.
'No, darling, they've got things to do for him in there,' Faye said. 'We'll follow right behind in the car.'
On the journey Cindy's tears flowed unrestrained. Faye saw Adrian put his arms around her. His own face was pale and set.
'You did this!' Faye said to Garth in her mind. 'You broke their hearts and I'll never forgive you for it.'
At the hospital the intensive care room was all ready for them. Miss McGeorge examined Barker carefully, listening to his chest, pulling back the lids of his eyes, which had closed.
'X-ray his chest,' she told Andy, her assistant. 'As soon as that's done give him an injection of painkiller, and put him on a drip.'
'Is he going to be all right?' Adrian asked tensely.
Miss McGeorge hesitated. 'He's old,' she said, 'and I think it's bad. We'll do our best, but…'
It seemed an age while they waited for the results of Barker's X-rays. The children were unusually quiet, but their tight grip on their mother's hand revealed their distress and their need of her.
At last Miss McGeorge emerged and her heavy face told the whole story. 'I'm afraid it was a massive heart attack,' she said. 'There's really no chance for him. It might be kinder to put him to sleep now.'
'No!' Cindy's cry of agony was like a sword cutting through the words. 'He's got to stay alive. He's got to.'
'Darling-' Faye put her arms about the child '-he's suffering now-'
'But he wouldn't if they made him well,' she sobbed. 'I love him, Mummy. He can't die, not if I love him. Make them save him.'
'I don't know how,' she said helplessly.
'But Daddy will.' The tears were still rolling down Cindy's face, but suddenly it was illuminated by hope. 'Daddy will know what to do, because he gave me Barker. Please, Mummy, call him.'
'Cindy-' Adrian put his arms protectively around his sister '-Daddy isn't a vet. He can't make Barker well.'
'He can!' Cindy shouted. 'Daddy can do anything in the whole world. He can, he can!'
'Try to keep Barker alive,' Faye told Miss McGeorge. She pulled out her mobile and dialled Garth's mobile. But it had been switched off. Desperately she dialled the office where he'd said he would be. The operator put her through to Lysandra.
'I need to speak to my husband urgently.'
'I'm afraid Mr Clayton is out at the moment.' Lysandra's tone was sweet with satisfaction at being able to refuse Faye.
'Please ask him to call me on my mobile the moment he returns. Tell him we're all at the vet; Barker is very ill and Cindy is relying on him.'
She stressed the urgency again and hung up. 'Daddy's going to call back soon,' she promised.
An hour passed. Still the phone didn't ring.
'He's not going to call, is he?' Adrian asked in a toneless voice.
'He is,' Cindy told him fiercely. 'He's going to call any moment now.'
'He might not have come back yet,' Faye said. Inwardly she was filled with dread. Garth had been elated at the thought of pulling off this coup. To get it, he would do anything. But would that mean reverting to his old ways, and putting his daughter last?
'There's a drinks machine just down the corridor,' she said. 'I'm going to get us something.'
When Faye had gone, Cindy's attention became riveted on the bag she'd left on the floor. Adrian frowned as he saw his sister reach inside and pull out the mobile phone.
'What are you doing?' he asked.
'I'm going to call Daddy.'
'But you don't know his number.'
'It was the last thing Mummy dialled,' Cindy said, triumphantly pressing the redial button.
While Adrian regarded her with a kind of awe, she listened to the ringing tone from the other end.
'Blow your nose,' Adrian advised, holding out his own, clean handkerchief. 'You don't want them to think you're just a little kid.'
She gave him a look of gratitude and did so, just before someone answered.
'My name is Cindy Clayton,' she said with dignity. 'And I want to talk to Daddy.'
'Just one moment.' The operator sounded confused.
A moment later Cindy heard another voice on the line. It was softly implacable and she hated it on instinct. 'I'm afraid Mr Clayton is too busy to talk now.'
'But it's Cindy. I know he'll talk to me.'
'I'm sorry, he has some very important men to see. I've given him your message and he says he's sure you'll understand why he can't talk to you now.'
Cindy began to tremble. 'But it's Barker,' she said in a stammering voice.
'I'm sure it is, and he'll call you just as soon as he's free. But he really can't spare the time just now.'
Faye returned from the machine with her hands full to find Cindy staring ahead, her face a ghastly colour.
'It's Daddy,' Adrian said in a hard voice. 'She called him. He wouldn't even talk to her.'
Cindy's tears had dried now. The father in whom she'd pinned her faith had simply brushed her aside. There were no tears for such a devastating betrayal. Only silent despair.
'He said-' she choked at last'-that-he was sure- I'd understand wh-why he couldn't talk to me.'
'Oh, did he?' Faye said ominously. 'Well, I don't understand and I'm going to tell him so.'
She called again, hoping against hope that she might be answered by someone other than Lysandra. But the fates were against her.
'I wish to be put through to my husband, at once,' she said firmly.
Lysandra's voice was equally firm. 'I'm very sorry, but Mr Clayton's orders were explicit. He's engaged in serious negotiations and must not be disturbed.'
'Tell him it's an emergency and I have to speak to him. Do it right now.'
'Mrs Clayton, I'm sorry but you force me to be blunt. I take my orders from Garth, not from you.' The phone went dead.
The children were watching her anxiously, but their faces had changed. Instead of
the blind trust that had been there only a short time ago, now they looked ready to endure even more disappointment. How much more of this could they take? she wondered.
'All right,' she said with sudden determination. 'Time to take the gloves off.'
They watched her, puzzled, as she called Mary. 'I need to get to Newcastle as fast as possible, and that means by plane. How can I reach Garth's pilot?'
She heard the little gasp before Mary assumed her well-trained voice. 'Bill should be at home. Garth gave him a few days off.'
'I'd like his number, please.'
'You're going to ask him to fly you there? But Bill only takes orders from Garth himself. Wouldn't it be better if I called Garth-?'
'Fine! If you can get through to him, get him to call me,' Faye said, suddenly hopeful.
But in two minutes Mary was back on the line, seething.
'That woman,' she said in tones of deep loathing. 'She said she'd get him to call me back, "when he could spare a moment". Garth's never refused to talk to me before. OK. Here's Bill's mobile number. And good luck.'
'Thanks. I'm going to need it.'
Bill was a good-natured, lazy young man who preferred sleeping to any other activity except flying. Faye roused him from a nap, but when he heard what she wanted he was fully alert.
'I can't take the plane out unless Garth orders me,' he said aghast.
Faye took a deep breath and crossed her fingers before saying, 'But he has ordered you. I'm acting with his blessing. He wants you to fly me there at once. I can't tell you details, but it's a real emergency. Believe me, if Garth misses out on this, and then finds it was because you disobeyed his orders to help me, well-I just don't know what he'll do.'
It was barefaced blackmail, the sort of action that once she would never have dared, and her heart was beating hard at her own temerity. But all that mattered now was that Garth should put Cindy and Adrian first. If he couldn't save Barker, at least he could save his children's faith in him.
Bill was nervous. 'Couldn't you get Garth to confirm-?'
