Duel of Passion

by Madeleine Ker

  Ìt started out as a performance,' Sophie said, struggling to keep her composure. 'But it didn't end up that way.'

  He laughed shortly. 'You've had your little game with me,' he said. 'But the game is now over. Don't drag it out any further.'

  She was white. 'It isn't a game, not to me!'

  `But it's a game to me.' His smile was arctic. 'It's my game now.'

  `W hat do you mean?'

  Ì mean that, as you hurt me, I intend to hurt you.' Òh, Kyle,' she said quietly. 'I told you you were a typical Scorpio, didn't I?'

  `So you did,' he said silkily. 'Did you think you could just walk all over my pride, and get away with it?'

  `You once walked all over my pride,' she shot back. Ìf you had any idea how you hurt me in Brighton—'

  `You eavesdropped on a conversation you half understood in Brighton.' His pass ionate mouth curled. 'I don't know what you heard that afternoon, but I would never have said anything unkind about you to your face. I never set out to hurt you. But you set out to hurt me. Your vanity was pioued, so you thought you would get your own bac k. You decided to make a fool of me, the most complete fool you could manage.'

  `That's a distortion of the truth!' Her grey eyes were misty with pain. 'You didn't recognise me when we met that day on the beach. I waited to see whether you would remember who I was, but you didn't—'

  Ànd you helped jog my memory, of course, by giving yourself a false name and lying to me about your job.'

  Ì just wanted to tease you. I never planned it to go so tar!' She was begging him to believe what she was saying. 'I had no idea we would get so close—'

  Òr that we would wind up in bed?' he finished for her. 'God, I was a fool. A blind fool.

  There was something about you that haunted me, from the moment we met—but I never suspected the truth.' His eyes burned into hers. 'Three weeks. You had me

  going for three damned weeks! You must have found it so entertaining, watching me falling for you, watching me get caught in your web!'

  Ìt wasn't like that,' she answered shakily. 'But if it comes to that, didn't you once find it amusing that I had fallen for you?'

  His fingers clamped painfully around Sophie's bare arm, making her gasp with shock. 'I never did what you did,' he grated. 'You let me take you to bed, let me make love to you, let me tell you how wonderful you were, how much I cared about you—and all the time you were laughing yourself sick behind your hand!'

  No! It wasn't like that! If you only knew how much I've regretted the way it all ended.

  But I didn't know what else to do!'

  `The only thing you've regretted is that you weren't there to watch my face as I read your clever little letter,' he retorted. His anger was turning back into cold dislike again.

  He released her arm at last, and if her skin hadn't been so tanned his fingers would have left livid marks on her flesh. 'You would have had a most amusing spectacle,' he said, with a cold smile. 'I felt as though the earth had caved in under my feet. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?'

  She wiped her tear-soaked lashes tremblingly. 'Oh, no, Kyle—'

  `You play very dirty, Sophie,' he said bitterly. 'But you'll find I can play dirty, too.'

  Ìs that why you came here tonight?' she asked unsteadily. `To tell me all this?'

  'I didn't come to see you at all,' he retorted with a tiger's smile. 'I came to see someone else.'

  `W hat do you mean?' she followed his eyes, and found herself staring at Jenny, who was now talking to another man. An icy chill flooded her veins as she looked back into Kyle's hard, unforgiving eyes. 'Jenny? You came to see Jenny?'

  `W hy not? Your sweet little cousin and I have a lot in common, hadn't you gathered that? We both prefer uncomplicated relationships without falsehood or irrelevant emotions.'

  `You don't even know her!'

  `That can be rectified,' he said lazily. 'She tells me she's in London for the next three weeks. That is exactly

  the right period for my purposes. I intend to get to know your cousin very well indeed during the coming three weeks.' His eyes travelled appreciatively down Jenny's slender figure. 'She even looks like you. You were right, of course, she's far prettier than you'll ever be. But the resemblance is there, and that will give me added pleasure.'

  `W hat do you mean, added pleasure?'

  `W hen I taste what was denied me in Jamaica.'

  Shock made Sophie numb for a moment as his meaning dawned on her. 'I don't believe you,' she whispered. 'You wouldn't do that!'

  `W hy wouldn't I?'

  `Kyle, no! Having an affair with Jenny isn't a fit pastime for a man like you!'

  `You are a very poor judge of what is fit, and what isn't,' he retorted mockingly. 'Since you obviously have no honour or pride to hurt, Sophie, I must hurt you through whatever means I can find.' He tilted his head to look down at her dispassionately.

  'When Helene told me your cousin was staying with you, I remembered what you once told me. About your jealousy and resentment of Jenny. You weren't lying to me about that, were you? After all, Jenny is so much prettier than you. So much sexier, too.'

  `Ky

  she said in horror, 'for God's sake!'

  `Yes,' he smiled drily. 'I see I was right. Jealousy is one of the few emotions you're vulnerable to. Like most actresses, your pride is your Achilles' heel.'

  Unbearable hurt made her feel physically sick. 'How could you think of something as sadistic as that?' she whispered.

  Ì call it justice,' he replied softly.

  Ì'll stop you. I'll tell Jenny. tell her what happened in Jamaica!'

  `Do. Tell her just what a bitch you've been. I'm sure she'll be most edified to hear all about it.'

  `Jenny would never do anything to hurt me!'

  `W ouldn't she?' His expression was amused. 'I think she would. I think Jenny takes a particular pleasure in stealing men from you. She does steal all your favourite men, doesn't she?'

  `God,' she whispered, 'why did I ever tell you that?'

  Òne look into your cousin's eyes tells me just how different she is from you. That, unlike you, she has the ability to please a man, and be pleased in return.' Sophie stared up into the magnificent, cold face, her blood like ice. 'Tell Jenny all about it,' he invited smoothly. 'Tell her what you did to me in Jamaica, then tell her that I'm going to have an affair with her. See if that puts her off. She'll enjoy it as much as I will. And I'll enjoy it very much.' He reached out tauntingly, and caressed her half-open, velvety mouth. 'Your pride is going to take rather a pounding, my dear Sophie. How will it feel to watch your younger, prettier, sexier cousin get the man you betrayed? Perhaps, when you think of Jenny in my arms, you might regret that little trick you played on me in Ocho Rios!'

  `Please,' she whispered, her eyes blurring. 'Please don't do this.'

  Ìt's easy to see why she stole your men. The two of you are like gold and lead. She is the gold, but you, Sophie, are lead. Cold, grey, uninteresting. She's not just more attractive. She's sexually receptive. You are not.' He said it with biting disdain. 'You're clearly incapable of a normal relationship with any man. That's really why you had to go through that incredibly elaborate sham in Jamaica, isn't it? You prefer fiction to reality. What are you so afraid of? That one day a man will find out just how colourless and frigid you really are?'

  Sophie was staring at him in horror, silenced. With a last cruel smile into Sophie's eyes, Kyle turned and walked over to Jenny, taking her arm and murmuring something into her ear.

  And Franco Luciani, spotting that Sophie was alone, chose that moment to come back over to her. His big, intense eyes searched her face.

  Àre you all right, Sophie?' he demanded, looking at her curiously. 'You've gone very pale.'

  Ì'm fine,' she nodded dizzily, and took an unsteady breath. 'Perhaps the—the champagne went to my head—a little.'

  Franco nodded. Tan we get back to what we were talking about a few minutes ago? I'd be extremely interested to hear yo
ur views on the character of Marjorie. How did you read the part?'

  Sophie tried to stir her bruised mind into some kind of reply. Dissociated from the empty words that came from her mouth, her thoughts were fraught with pain. What could she do?

  The answer was nothing. Just brace herself for the crushing blow of seeing the man she loved walk into a shallow, deliberate affair with her cousin.

  And Kyle was right. The idea of her, a virgin, being any sort of competition for Jenny was absurd. Despite the two-year age-gap between them, Jenny was infinitely more experienced with men than she would ever be. Infinitely more experienced, and infinitely more attractive.

  She felt a wave of acute sickness, as though she'd just been struck in the solar plexus.

  Some part of her mind must have been functioning independently of her inner thoughts, because although she had not the faintest idea of what she'd been saying to Franco Luciani, he nodded eagerly.

  `That is very profound. You have hit on the essential element in the character of Marjorie. She is a woman in the grip of an addiction stronger than she knows how to deal with. She finds love, but that cannot save her. She embraces the flames that devour her—'

  `Sorry to interrupt.' It was Jenny, her blue eyes sapphire-bright as she came over to talk to Sophie. She gave

  Franco a pretty smile, and drew her cousin aside. 'Kyle wants me to go to a nightclub with him.'

  `Now?' Sophie asked in pain.

  `This is your party,' Jenny sneered. 'I don't know a soul here. And Kyle's as bored as I am. Frankly, I'd far rather be dancing with him. Do you mind?'

  Sophie fought for control. 'No,' she said, almost inaudibly, 'of course I don't mind '

  Jenny leaned forward, 'God, isn't he fantastic?' she giggled under her breath. 'He's the best-looking man I've ever seen in my life, and he's obviously on the loose. I can't believe my luck! Why haven't you told me about him'

  Ì—I don't know.'

  `W hat's between you?' Jenny's blue eyes were eager, greedy. 'Have you had an affair with him? I mean, I'm not poaching, am I? I'd hate to be taking yet another man from you.'

  `There's nothing between us,' Sophie said, feeling as though she were in the grip of some icy paralysis.

  `Good,' Jenny sparkled wickedly. 'Because I have very good feelings about tonight.

  He's got that certain look in his eyes. So don't wait up for me!'

  `Jenny,' Sophie pleaded, her eyes as dark as her cousin's were brilliant, !don't ..

  `Don't what?' Her cousin's smile was unmistakably taunting.

  `Just—just be careful.'

  `Not a chance,' Jenny grinned. 'Kyle Hart isn't the kind of man a woman should be careful with. That was always your trouble, darling. Not knowing when to go for it. Well, good luck with your Italian; he's pretty yummy, too. Bye!'

  `W hat a pretty girl,' Franco said appreciatively, as Jenny hurried off.- 'She's younger than you, isn't she?'

  `Yes,' Sophie said. The room was blurring around her, only isolated details coming through the haze. Kyle's eyes, meeting hers in cold triumph. His arm sliding round

  Jenny's waist as they headed discreetly for the door. The distant laughter of Helene le Bon. The sound of pulsing music—or was it her own blood, pounding in her ears?

  `Sophie, you look ill,' Franco said, peering at her. `Sophie?'

  Ì'm sorry,' she tried to say, 'I'd better sit down ...' Franco was just in time to take her in his arms as she sagged against him, darkness flooding her mind.

  She awoke late the next morning, feeling panicky and depressed.

  Memories of last night flooded in. Where was Jenny? She got up ouickly, and pulled on her dressing-gown, then padded out into the corridor in her bare feet.

  She pushed the door of her tiny guest bedroom ouietly open, and peeped in.

  The immaculate bed hadn't been slept in. Sophie fought down the tears as she sagged against the doorway. Jenny had not come home last night. Where she was now was anybody's guess. Especially Kyle's.

  Gathering her strength, she went into the bathroom and showered. Last night drifted through her thoughts as she stood under the spray. What a debacle. Coming out of her faint with a crowd of anxious faces round her Helene's concerned eyes and kind words. People blaming the heat, or the champagne, or the excitement. People offering to take her home. Nobody understanding a thing ...

  Stupidly, she'd kept on announcing that she was fine, and that she wanted to stay on, when all the time she'd just wanted to run a hundred miles away, and bury her pain and humiliation somewhere out of sight. The rest of the evening had been stretched and hazy, like someone on the rack, until Franco Luciani had eventually taken pity on her glazed eyes and white face, and had insisted on driving her home.

  She'd never taken a sleeping-pill in her life, but last night she'd wanted one badly.

  Come to think of it, she could have crawled back into bed right now, and buried her head in misery ...

  She had to keep reminding herself that although Jenny was enjoying her latest triumph, she was completely innocent of Kyle's darker purpose, completely ignorant of the relationship Kyle had once had with her.

  Jenny could cope with most situations. Sophie couldn't. Maybe Kyle had been right about her. Maybe she wasn't able to have a normal relationship with a man. Maybe that was why she'd invented that elaborate charade in Jamaica.

  Whatever the truth of it, Kyle was going to make her pay, all right. He'd worked out a torment of hell for her.

  How could a man who'd once felt so much for her now be so cruel and vindictive?

  She'd once thought him shallow. God! Could she ever have been more mistaken?

  She'd never guessed at the depth of his feelings, had never known a tenth of how deeply he'd really felt about her...

  She was making a cup of coffee half an hour later when Helene rang.

  `How are you feeling? Any better?'

  `Much better,' Sophie lied, trying to sound sincere. 'I slept like a log.'

  `Did something upset you last night?'

  Òh, no.' She fell back on the well-worn excuse. 'It's just not a very good time of the month for me.'

  Ì see! Well, I'm glad that's what it was, darling. I was worried. I saw you talking to Kyle, and I wondered whether you might have been distressed by something he said or did. I couldn't help noticing ... well, that he left the party early with your cousin, Jenny.'

  `Yes,' Sophie said with an effort. 'They went to a nightclub together.'

  `Did they have a good time?'

  `Jenny didn't—didn't come home last night. She's not back yet.'

  Ì see,' Helene said quietly. 'I think I can imagine how you feel.' Sophie was silent, and Helene went on quickly, Ìt seemed to me, last year in Brighton, that you grew rather

  fond of Kyle. I don't want to seem as though I'm prying, but you were obviously very taken with him. It's just that I didn't think your feelings would still be so strong, all this time later—otherwise I would never have asked him to the party. It must be nine months since you last met him.'

  `No,' Sophie said wearily. 'We've met since then.' Ì didn't know that.'

  Ìt was in Jamaica ...' Sophie struggled to find words to describe what had happened between her and Kyle. But it now seemed so unreal, so impossible to explain.

  `W hile you were on holiday?' Helene prompted.

  `Yes. Oh, Helene, I've been such a fool. I did something so stupid to him, really hurt his pride, and now ... now he hates me.'

  Ì don't believe that!' Helene exclaimed. 'Kyle always had a very soft spot for you. And when I say that, I'm talking about a man who has very few soft spots—especially for women.'

  `He found me ridiculous in Brighton. And I was ridiculous.' Her voice trembled slightly.

  'And now that I'm presentable, I've gone and wrecked everything in another way.'

  `Kyle didn't find you altogether ridiculous.' Helene was silent for a moment. Then she asked quietly, 'You overheard us that day, on the beach, didn't you?
'

  `Yes,' Sophie said dully. 'I didn't mean to, but it just happened that way.'

  Ì thought you must have heard something. You were so cold to him over those last few days. You treated him as though he'd suddenly stopped existing. As a matter of interest, what did you hear?'

  Ì heard Kyle telling you how... how amusing he found it that I was so obviously infatuated with him He said a lot of other things, about the way I looked and dressed.

  About what a spectacle I was. He was asking you to speak to me about my appearance.'

  Òh, dear. Is that all you heard?'

  `W ell ... I didn't stay very long.'

  Helene sighed. 'You didn't hear him say how charming he found you as a person? Or how he admired your acting ability? Or what good company you were?'

  `He seemed to think the way I looked was more important.'

  `Kyle knew very little about you, then. He didn't know that you had changed your appearance radically to play the part of Maisie. No one had told him that. The afternoon you overheard us, he was asking me about you, and I was explaining how Percy had insisted on the slatternly image for Maisie, and that it wasn't really you.'

  `W hat did he say?'

  Helene laughed softly. 'He said that he couldn't wait to see you once you'd gone back to normal. How did he react when he met you in Jamaica?'

  `He ... he didn't recognise me.'

  Ì'm not surprised,' Helene smiled.

  `No, you don't understand,' Sophie said tautly. 'He never recognised me. You see, he wanted me. I thought he was just making a pass at first, and I thought I'd tease him a little. I lied to him about my name, and just let him go on thinking that he'd never met me before.'

  Òh, Sophie! But why?'

  Ì suppose I must have wanted to get back at him in some way. Prove a point, maybe.

  But ... things changed so quickly. I think he was really serious at the end, and I just didn't know how to handle it any more. I behaved so badly. The day I left Jamaica, I wrote him a note explaining who I was. A really stupid, childish note. But by then I was