‘I didn’t think you would be coming,’ she said tightly, eyes returning to the man standing in front of her. His fabulous dark eyes were shuttered as he looked down at her; he gently swirled his empty glass in one hand, the other hand in his trouser pocket. He made every man in the room pale in comparison and that angered her, because his very presence seemed mockingly to undermine her efforts to get over him. James had very kindly made sure that there were people there her age just in case she got bored, she assumed—but all his efforts had been in vain because it just took one man to walk through the door and her disobedient eyes could see no one else. Even when he had been unbelievably rude. It wasn’t fair!
‘Nor did I, but in the end I couldn’t resist the temptation to see how you were dealing with your new-found celebrity status.’
‘I haven’t got a new-found celebrity status.’
‘By which I take it that you haven’t been devouring any of the tabloids?’
‘What?’
‘My secretary kindly brought me a couple yesterday. You’re not front-page news, but you do warrant a few paragraphs somewhere in the centre.’
The colour had drained away from Elizabeth’s face as she imagined how that would look to Andreas. On the one hand she had been red in the face in her determination to prove to him how little James’s wealth and status mattered, and on the other hand she had popped up in some wretched tabloid. Heaven only knew what they had had to say about her. James, she knew, would be indifferent, because he didn’t care a jot for other people’s opinions, and she was very glad that she had not come across any of the articles.
‘There have been no reporters around here,’ Elizabeth told him through gritted teeth, and he shrugged.
‘James is not fodder for gossip. Your arrival on the scene is more a point of interest. And, I must say, you seem to have settled into your new role with…aplomb. You even…look different.’ He reached out and curled his finger into some strands of her newly straightened hair, and Elizabeth froze as her body responded with slamming intensity. She pulled away.
‘You mean less the unsophisticated bumpkin who showed up here a couple of months ago?’ She had a sudden vision of Amanda with her gorgeous, perfectly made-up face, her long, rangy model’s body and her patina of gloss. ‘I’ve straightened my hair and I’m wearing a designer dress because James insisted, but I’m the same person underneath. If you’re looking for polish and real glamour, then there are quite a few of those types milling around. Or maybe you brought another one of your own with you?’ She scanned the room, but it was impossible to tell because most of the guests were unfamiliar to her.
‘So, I’m curious—how does all this now equate with your wish to find a simple job in the town? If I remember correctly, that was your intention?’
‘You still want to believe the worst of me, don’t you?’
‘I’m interested to find out whether the simple life is still part of your package, or whether you’ve dumped that along with the fake persona and the persuasive bedside-manner.’
‘I don’t have to stand here listening to this!’ But the sea of faces was uninviting and, besides, like a moth drawn to a flame, she found that she was unwilling to tear herself away from him. Indeed, against her will, she was aware of his height and his size with senses that were agonisingly over-sensitised. If she reached out she could touch him, and she clenched her hands into fists because the temptation was so frighteningly powerful. A terrible ‘what if?’ scenario presented itself in her feverish mind and she had to take a deep breath to steady herself. It was important to remember that this man had used and discarded her and was still, even now, happy to continue insulting her.
‘How much of this was planned in advance?’ Andreas knew that this was a conversation destined to go nowhere. However, he had been shaken up by James’s intention on playing match-maker—and even more shaken up to find said plan already on the road to success, judging from the ‘come and get me’ outfit Elizabeth was wearing, and the obvious effect it was having on the unattached male guests. Gilbert couldn’t have made his interest in Elizabeth more obvious if he had printed it on a sandwich board. Any casual assumption that she wouldn’t be tempted by chinless wonders had bitten the dust with supersonic force.
His imagination now dive-bombed to a scenario in which she had suggested the match-making—the prodigal daughter working her sexiness in her search for the perfect mate. And sexy she damn well looked. Andreas felt himself stirring in his trousers so that he had to incline his body to one side, or in a second there was the very real possibility that the tell-tale bulge would become unmissable.
‘Planned in advance?’
‘Well, we know that the “getting to know you” approach worked like a dream—but were you also on board for the “meet the eligible bachelor” mission as well? Was that there in the planning stage from the very beginning? How long before walking down the aisle concludes the process?’
‘Who knows?’ Elizabeth, threw back at him recklessly, stung to the quick.
‘So you don’t deny that you had a game plan from the beginning?’ Despite himself, Andreas was outraged at that level of deception.
‘Why should I? It’s not as if you believe a word I say anyway.’
This was not what Andreas wanted to hear, and he cursed himself for angling the conversation down the one-way street. ‘So is Gilbert the guy you’ve lined up as Suitable Bachelor Number One?’
‘Why does it matter to you one way or another?’ Elizabeth gave a toss of her head, which felt like a very empowering thing to do at that moment in time. ‘Maybe I’ll have a few on the go at the same time. All’s fair in love and war, as they say. And don’t tell me that you disapprove, because you can’t have one set of rules for yourself and another set for the rest of the world.’
‘I don’t believe I’m hearing this. And I take it you’re harking back to those pointless remarks about Amanda?’
‘I didn’t think it was pointless to ask for an explanation as to how you could string both of us along at the same time!’
Born from the habit of a lifetime, Andreas answered swiftly and smoothly, ‘I answer to no one.’
‘Because you don’t care about anyone but yourself,’ Elizabeth muttered painfully. Her legs were finally beginning to function again, as was her cotton-wool brain. It was telling her that it was high time she made her escape, because too long in Andreas’s presence did crazy things to her brain and she was terrified that under the defiant exterior he would glimpse the reality of how she felt about him.
‘And Gilbert—I mean, Toby—is great. Good-looking, pleasant, smart…’
‘Are you listing his attributes to remind yourself of them?’ Andreas was finding it difficult to credit that he was levelling insults about a guy to whose existence he was utterly indifferent. Where the hell had his legendary cool gone? Green eyes met his squarely and he grimly reined in his impulse to continue their counter-productive argument. Whatever the hell the woman wanted to do was entirely her concern. He should wash his hands of her and walk away. Fortunately for the both of them, he thought, his mind finding ground with which he was comfortable and thereby restoring his equilibrium, he could see outside the box.
‘But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.’
Elizabeth watched him warily. They were standing on the sidelines, which didn’t mean that there weren’t frequent curious glances being thrown their way. ‘People are looking at us. They’re probably wondering what’s going on.’ If she had imagined that that might have put Andreas off his stride, she was sorely mistaken; he shrugged one elegant shoulder in a gesture of bored indifference.
‘I have no problem with that.’
‘Well, what did you want to talk to me about?’
‘Now that you’re a permanent part of my godfather’s life, it’s going to be a little tedious if you are antagonistic every time we meet, because meet we will. It’s an inevitability.’
Elizabeth opened her m
outh to protest that their antagonism was mutual, but closed it again, because that would have kick-started another round of battle for which she would doubtless be made to take the blame. The more she sniped, the faster he would realise how much he got under her skin, and she wanted to protect herself from that, so she drew herself up and nodded curtly.
‘I am, and will continue to be, devoted to my godfather and as such I will visit as often as I always have. If you think that I used you as a bit of entertainment, because my main squeeze was in London and out of reach, then that’s your business, but you’ve got to get over it.’ Back in control, Andreas felt the ratcheted tension inside him begin to subside. With ruthless efficiency, he cleared his mind of the disturbing images of Elizabeth with Gilbert. Dwelling on that was definitely not a good idea. Dark, veiled eyes swept over her without a noticeable change of expression. ‘But, like it or not, we shared something and because of that I’m going to give you a bit of advice.’
‘I don’t need your advice.’ But, like it or not, we shared something… Was that how he summarised a relationship that had torn apart her foundations and changed her from the inside out?
‘You do need my advice,’ Andreas intoned drily, pleased that he was big enough to look out for her interests even though she had turned out to be, if not a cheat, then certainly a pretty accomplished liar. Never mind the semantics; that subject was still up for debate. ‘Because you might be dressed in scarlet but you’re still green behind the ears.’
She half-opened her mouth and he held up an imperious hand. ‘You’ll thank me for this,’ he informed her, ‘but no thanks needed. My godfather is overjoyed at his prodigal daughter turning up out of the blue, and out of love and respect I am obliged to put any concerns of mine to bed. I am also morally obliged to warn you that if you plan on setting your sights on any of the men in this room then you would be wise to give it some thought.’
‘Because I’m not really in their class?’
Andreas gave a short, mocking laugh and raised his eyebrows in wry amusement. ‘The world’s come a long way from those upstairs-downstairs days,’ he drawled. ‘Sure, there are a few left who cling to their landed-gentry status, and nightly pray that it won’t be invaded by riffraff, but you’d be surprised how a shrinking economy can do away with false pride. No; you should give it some serious thought because they enjoy having playthings—even Gilbert, that great, good-looking, pleasant, smart guy. From what I’ve seen in you, you aren’t prepared to take on the no-strings-attached-plaything role.’
‘Are you talking about us?’
‘I’m giving you some good advice.’
‘I wasn’t ever going to move to London, because I wanted to be here…close to James. I didn’t know that everything would come out in the open the way it did.’
‘And, taking James out of the equation, you would have been ready and willing to take on the role of plaything?’ Andreas was driven to ask the question, but even as it left his mouth he regretted the impulse. What was it about this woman? No sooner had he put his wayward emotions under lock and key than he discovered that the bolts had been shot and careless, random thoughts were sneaking in uninvited.
The sudden blush that spread across her cheeks, and the taut silence that greeted this question, was answer enough. Realisation dawned on Andreas with sudden, blinding clarity.
‘You don’t do plaything, do you?’ he said slowly, his bitter-chocolate eyes lingering on her evident embarrassment. ‘And, when I asked you to move in with me, you would still have turned me down flat even if James had not been a deciding factor because you wanted more than just sharing my bed and my space.’
‘I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ But she stumbled over her words and then cleared her throat assertively. ‘And I really think that it’s time for me to mingle. Like you said, this party is all about my father introducing me to his friends, bringing me into his life and making sure that everyone knows it, even if some might disapprove. Like you.’
‘Nice try.’
Elizabeth stared at him mutely. Everything about him oozed self-confidence, and right now more than self-confidence. A certain knowledge that had her cringing inwardly.
‘What were you hoping for?’
‘I wasn’t hoping for anything!’ To her own ears, she could hear the undercurrent of desperation.
‘Would a more substantial offer have done the job? Did you want a marriage proposal? A ring on that finger? Did you think that I would fit the role of suitable husband? You must have been disappointed. I’m man enough to admit that sex with you was…what can I say?…in a league of its own. But marriage…’
‘I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last person on the face of the earth!’ Elizabeth told him in a fierce undertone. ‘But you’re right when you say that I’m looking for more out of life than just a romp in the hay and a wave goodbye when it’s over and done with.’
‘And you think your chances are good with Gilbert? London’s a village. I personally know four of his past conquests.’
Elizabeth wished that she could wipe that curling smirk from his beautiful mouth.
‘Thank you for that. I’ll take my chances. And, just to tell you, I think that I’ve learnt a lot from you and the most important thing I’ve learnt is that arrogant men who think they don’t owe anyone anything at all are the kind of men I should steer clear of!’ She spotted Toby across the room and gave him an insouciant wave.
‘Toby might be just the tonic I need! Because you’re right: in this day and age, who the heck gets involved for the sole purpose of sticking on a wedding ring and walking up the aisle? So, thank you for your advice. You’ve done me a big favour, because I see now that what I really need is just a bit of fun. With someone who doesn’t think that he’s the greatest catch in the world, and won’t have girlfriends chasing me across the country so that they can get their own back!’
CHAPTER NINE
ELIZABETH’S compelling and assertive exit was somewhat tarnished by her slight stumble as she spun around, and she reminded herself to never wear high heels again. Having sung Toby’s praises to the sky, she now felt duty-bound to seek him out. He was outside, sitting on one of the garden benches, smoking.
‘I know, I know. I should give it up.’ He looked at her and grinned. ‘Finished your tête à tête with the wonder boy? He didn’t seem to be in the most jolly of moods, but, then again, when has Andreas ever been in a jolly mood? He’s never been noted for his ability to see the lighter side of life.’
Elizabeth opened her mouth to rush to immediate defence of him, but then stopped herself, because defending Andreas just wasn’t going to do. The more she fixated on all the great things about him, the things that she had kidded herself she had been privileged to see, the deeper she would fall into the trap of never being able to let him go. If there was one thing tonight had shown her, it was the necessity of letting him go.
When Toby patted the space beside him, she hesitantly sat down, and, when she laughed about being cold and he proffered his jacket, she tentatively accepted it. If step one in getting over Andreas was to ditch the compulsion to compare every single man to him and find them all wanting, then step two was surely to accept that she would need an open mind when it came to other men. No, she certainly wasn’t going to leap into bed with someone else when she was still raw and bleeding from a broken heart, but she wasn’t going to go into perpetual hibernation either. Toby might not be the man of her dreams, and it might take her weeks, months or even years to find the man of her dreams, but find him she would.
She was hardly aware of them walking back towards the house, Toby’s arm slung heavily over her shoulder, although every muscle in her body went into full-alert mode as she spotted Andreas across the drawing room, his hair lightly tousled from the breeze blowing through the open French doors.
He was busily talking to James, his dark eyes lazy and arresting. He sensed her entrance even before he saw her, and there was a brief, disconc
erting few seconds when his mind seemed to literally develop a peculiar kind of rigor mortis as he took in the unpleasant sight of Gilbert draped all over her like a rash. He had come to this party expecting vapid prettyboys, the kind of airheads who would not have interested her in a million years. He was cottoning on pretty fast to the sickening fact that she might just be crazy enough to consider them as potential love-interests. Or one in particular, at any rate.
Half of him protested immediate indifference to the fact, because he was a man in ultimate control of his life. He always had been and nothing there would be allowed to change. The other half, however, was thrown into crazy confusion, and he fought against this half with an instinct that had its roots in self-preservation. He was not even aware of the struggle inside him as he watched her flush to the roots of her hair, as she said something low and soft to Gilbert, before reluctantly making her way over to where they were standing.
Feeling the steady, inscrutable gaze of Andreas’s eyes on her burning face, Elizabeth resolutely turned to James and began an earnest conversation about the party, which enabled her to more or less exclude Andreas from the picture. Most normal people would have taken the hint, she thought, but naturally he remained where he was. She didn’t have to see his face to know that there would be a sardonic grin curving his mouth as he took little sips of wine and continued to ruminate on the hilarity of a woman in search of some replacement therapy.
People were beginning to show more interest in the food; an extensive buffet replaced the intricate finger-foods that had done the rounds. Elizabeth gave James a peck on the cheek, turning her back on Andreas with relief.
She was doing a good job of pretending that he was nowhere around when she felt a tap on her shoulder just as she was about to move away from the buffet table with her plate of food.
There was no need for her to turn around to guess the identity of the person invading her space. There was only one person she knew who had zero qualms about invading her space.
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