The Ruthless Marriage Proposal

by Miranda Lee

  Lana took a long moment to gather herself, tossing her red curls back from her shoulders as she surveyed the two of them together with calculating green eyes.

  ‘Yes, she told me. Couldn’t wait to. But you don’t love her, Seb. You love me. You know you do.’

  ‘I know I don’t,’ he said with a dry laugh. ‘I never did. It was just a sexual infatuation, and I’m well and truly over it. And over you.’

  ‘Really? Well, you were still infatuated last week,’ she snapped. ‘Very infatuated. Oh, yes, I told little Miss Prissy about what you did.’

  ‘I’m sure you couldn’t wait,’ he bit out, hating the way Emily stiffened against him. ‘Just as I can’t wait to get you out of my house.’

  Whipping his mobile out of his trouser pocket, Sebastian flipped it open and ordered a taxi. It didn’t take him long to get what he wanted. The taxi company knew he was a very good client.

  ‘There will be a taxi at the kerb outside the gates in ten minutes,’ he told a furious-faced Lana. ‘Don’t keep it waiting.’

  ‘You can’t do this to me!’ she screamed. ‘I’ll sue you, you bastard. I’ll take you to court for palimony.’

  ‘Do that and you’ll lose, Countess. The moment you married, you lost all chance of getting a cent out of me. Now, get dressed. Your ten minutes is already ticking away. Come, Emily, the smell in this room is too much for the nose.’

  Sebastian steered her from the room, but he could feel the underlying resistance in her body.

  ‘Don’t let her ruin things for us, Emily,’ he said as he led her along the hallway.

  ‘You had sex with her,’ Emily replied, her tone flat and disbelieving. ‘In her wedding dress.’

  ‘Look, I didn’t go through with it. I stopped once I realised what I was doing. That was why I drank too much on the flight home. Because I was so disgusted with myself for letting that tramp almost seduce me. Trust me when I tell you that I don’t love her or want her any more. I’m so over Lana, it isn’t funny. You’re the one I want, Emily. You have to believe me.’

  Emily stopped at the top of the stairs and raised hurt eyes to his.

  ‘No, Sebastian,’ she said, her voice hollow and hurt. ‘I don’t have to believe you.’ And, loosening her arm from his grip, she ran down the stairs ahead of him.

  Sebastian chased after her, full-on panic twisting at his guts. ‘What are you going to do?’ he called after her.

  She didn’t reply, just ran faster.

  He caught her outside the back door, grabbing her arm and spinning her back to face him. ‘You can’t run away from me like this. We have to talk this out.’

  She shook her head, her face pale but her eyes determined. ‘There’s nothing to talk about. I can’t marry you, Sebastian. Or live in this house with you.’

  ‘But you love this house!’

  ‘I don’t any more.’

  ‘Why not? Damn it all, Emily, what did Lana say to you?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter.’

  ‘But it does matter. Tell me.’

  ‘Very well. She said you did it everywhere in this house. Even in the garage.’

  Sebastian grimaced. Oh, hell.

  ‘I’ll buy us a new house,’ he said straight away.

  She shook her head, her expression sad. ‘Oh, Sebastian. You can’t buy your way out of this problem. The thing is I…I…’

  ‘You what?’

  She shook her head in an anguished fashion. ‘I find I can’t marry without love after all. It’s just not me. I’m sorry, Sebastian. I really am, but I’ve made up my mind and this time you won’t change it. I’ll be gone as soon as I can pack all my things. Don’t worry about severance pay. I’ll waive that in lieu of working out my notice.’

  ‘Don’t you dare give me that bloody ring back!’ Sebastian snapped when she started easing it off her finger.

  ‘All right,’ she returned in that quiet, calm voice which he usually loved but which was driving him mad right now. ‘I won’t.’

  Sebastian frowned, then gaped when she walked over and tossed the ring into the pool. As a gesture went, it was as dramatic as it was awfully final. He watched as she continued to walk away from him with her head held high.

  The male ego part of him wanted to race after her and drag her back into his arms.

  But the more logical part knew that any caveman technique would not work. Not this time.

  So he whirled round and strode back inside to have one final confrontation with Lana before she left. He reached the bottom of the stairs just as she was coming down, bags in hand.

  ‘You knew the Count was gay when you married him, didn’t you?’ he threw at her.

  ‘Of course,’ she snapped.

  ‘He paid you to marry him.’

  ‘My, my, you and Sherlock Holmes would make a good pair. But not you and Miss Prissy. And you know why not, Sebastian? Because she’s in love with you.’

  ‘What? She told you that, did she?’

  ‘Not in so many words. But I’ve always known she was in love with you. Women sense these things about other women. That’s why I never could stand her.’

  ‘You’re wrong,’ he said, thinking that if Emily loved him she wouldn’t be leaving him.

  Lana laughed. ‘What’s the problem with her loving you, Sebastian? Not that I don’t already know. You don’t want a woman’s love, do you? Just her body. And, in Emily’s case, her ability to run a smooth household. The little fool is going to be miserable, married to you. And you, you cold-blooded bastard, once you get bored with your bland, boring, goody-two-shoes bride, you’re going to come looking for me again. And you know what, lover? I won’t knock you back. But next time, I’ll come at a price.’

  ‘Whores always come at a price, Lana. But I have some news for you. I don’t know if Emily loves me or not, but I know I love her, more than I ever thought possible. Emily is no man’s fool. Neither is she bland or boring. She’s a warm, intelligent, sexy woman. Oh, yes, very sexy, in a way someone like you could never hope to be. Now, get your sorry arse out of here!’

  ‘You’re the one who’s going to be sorry,’ she threatened, her face going bright red.

  ‘Give it a rest, will you?’ Sebastian said scornfully as he swept open the front door. ‘Go back to Milan, where you can be what you’ve always been. A vain, shallow poseur.’

  Lana huffed and puffed, then stormed out.

  Sebastian banged the door shut after her, then turned to walk thoughtfully down to the kitchen.

  Could it be possible that Emily loved him?

  He hardly dared believe it. For what was there to love about him?

  Lana was right. Till recently, he had been a cold-blooded bastard.

  Still, he had to find out. Had to make Emily look him in the eyes and tell him that she didn’t love him.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  WHEN the knock came on her door, Emily groaned. She’d been packing as fast as she could, knowing full well that Sebastian would not simply let her leave.

  The two suitcases which she’d brought with her eighteen months ago were stuffed full and all the clothes she’d bought today were back in their plastic bags. Another five to ten minutes and she’d have been safely out of here.

  Steeling herself for more Sebastian-style arguments, Emily walked to the door and opened it.

  ‘Please don’t start again,’ she said straight away. ‘I’m going shortly and that’s final.’

  ‘Do you love me?’

  The unexpected question sent all the breath rushing from her lungs.

  ‘Lana said you did,’ he went on, his eyes searching hers.

  Emily knew that confessing her love for him would be the kiss of death. She’d almost admitted it earlier, stopping herself just in time.

  ‘What would she know?’ Emily threw back at him.

  ‘That’s no answer, Emily. I want to hear you tell me that you don’t love me. Because I love you.’

  Shock at this even more unexpected statement was swi
ftly followed by fury.

  The crack of her hand slapping his face with all her might echoed through the night air.

  Sebastian swore as he lurched back on the small landing, his hand lifting to his reddened cheek, his eyes wide and disbelieving.

  ‘To tell a woman that you love her when you don’t is beneath contempt,’ Emily cried, tears flooding her eyes. ‘Get out!’ she yelled, pushing him wildly in the middle of his chest. ‘Get out of my sight!’

  He grabbed her hands and shook her. ‘I’m not lying, Emily. I do love you.’

  ‘I don’t believe you,’ she sobbed. ‘I’ll never believe you. You’re just saying it to get your way.’

  ‘No,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I’m not. If you think about it, it’s not something I would say if I didn’t mean it.’

  Emily groaned in despair. Because she knew he would.

  ‘You’re upset, Emily, and not thinking straight. Look, Lana’s gone. Why don’t you come with me over to the house and I’ll pour you a brandy? You need to calm down. You’re overwrought.’

  First lies and now kindness. Next thing he’d start kissing her and she wouldn’t know which way was up.

  Oh, no, she wasn’t falling for that any more!

  ‘I don’t want to go over to the house and have a brandy,’ she choked out, her shoulders shaking under his grip whilst hot tears cascaded down her face. ‘I want to get out of here, away from you.’

  Sebastian saw the truth in her face. Heard the truth in her voice. Lana was right. She did love him. For why else would she be like this?

  ‘And I want you to get your hands off me!’ she raged on, even as she wept.

  Sebastian grimaced as he struggled to do the right thing. His first instinct was to pull her into his arms and show her how much he loved her. But he could see that might backfire on him big time.

  ‘All right,’ he muttered, lifting his hands from her shoulders. ‘All right. But I don’t think you should go anywhere tonight, Emily. You’re not in a fit state to drive.’

  ‘Don’t you dare tell me what I can and cannot do. I’m an adult woman and I know exactly what I’m capable of. And I know what you’re capable of, Sebastian Armstrong! You had sex with her, in her wedding dress!’

  Sebastian winced. If only he could go back in time, he’d never have gone to Milan last week. But his ego had driven him on.

  Lana had been the first female to break up with him and he simply hadn’t been able to handle it. Not because he’d loved her. But because he’d thought of her as his. His pride had been stung by her leaving him for another man.

  Emily wasn’t leaving him for another man. She was just leaving him. Period.

  He had to find a way to handle this better or he was going to lose her. Not just for now, but for forever.

  ‘Where will you go?’ he asked quietly.

  ‘That’s none of your business.’

  Sebastian tried not to panic, reminding himself that she would take her mobile phone with her, no matter where she went. Contacting people was pretty easy these days. If the worst came to the worst, he could hire a private detective to find her.

  ‘This is not the end of us, Emily.’

  She dashed the tears from her eyes and gave him a determined look. ‘Oh, yes, it is, Sebastian. Now, if you’d please get out of my way, I have a car to pack.’

  Sebastian decided offering to help her was not going to work, either. Damn it, but he didn’t know what to do. He’d never felt this helpless before. To simply walk away seemed weak and wimpish. But what else could he do?

  ‘I’ll be in touch,’ he said, before turning and walking slowly back down the stairs, his spirits sinking with each step. His caveman instinct kept warning him that he was making a mistake, letting her go like this. But his sensitive new-age guy side—the one he’d discovered since becoming involved with Emily—told him to be patient.

  Good things come to those who wait.

  Or so they said.

  At the same time, nice guys often did finish last.

  If you love someone, you let them go…and they’ll come back to you.

  He’d read that somewhere.

  Sounded like a whole load of bulldust in Sebastian’s opinion. But what did he know? He’d never been in love before.

  It was sheer hell, this love business.

  When he heard Emily’s car go down the driveway, it felt as if someone was inside his chest, ripping his heart out. She’d gone. She’d really gone. Lord knew where. She’d said she had no friends.

  Suddenly, the house was deathly quiet and depressingly empty.

  It was Sebastian who reached for the brandy.

  ‘I’ll get her back,’ he vowed as he downed the first swallow. ‘If not tomorrow, then the next day. Or the next.’

  His voice sounded sure. But down deep inside, Sebastian was not convinced.

  As she’d said, he could not buy her. Or persuade her with words of love. Because she didn’t believe him.

  Seducing her a second time wasn’t a viable option, either.

  Which left what?

  For the first time in years, Sebastian was stumped.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  DR DANIEL BAYLISS was sitting in his lounge room reading, when the front doorbell rang.

  With a puzzled glance at his watch, he rose, then went to answer it.

  The sight of his estranged daughter standing on his doorstep filled Daniel with instant joy, despite her slightly apprehensive expression. He’d dreamt of this day but never thought it would actually happen.

  ‘Emily!’ he exclaimed. ‘How lovely to see you. Come in. Come in.’

  ‘Oh, Daddy,’ she cried, her face suddenly crumpling.

  Daniel’s heart lurched. His daughter hadn’t called him Daddy since she was about ten years old.

  He did what any father would do. He gathered her into his arms and just hugged her, tears filling his own eyes. Now he knew how the father of the prodigal son had felt. Only this time it was more the case of the prodigal father.

  Had Emily forgiven him at last for what he’d done?

  He sure hoped so.

  But he suspected it wasn’t forgiveness which had brought his daughter home to him. It was something else.

  ‘Come inside,’ he said gently at last and led her down to the kitchen, sitting her at the large country-style table whilst he popped on the kettle, then took the box of tissues which he kept on the counter and placed them next to her.

  He didn’t say anything. Or ask anything. He just stood there and waited till Emily was ready to talk.

  ‘You’re looking well,’ she said at last.

  ‘You are too.’ Better than she’d ever looked.

  She laughed, then sobbed, her eyes filling anew. He moved forward and held the tissue box out to her. She snatched several out and shook her head, clearly annoyed with herself for crying again.

  ‘Where’s Barbra?’ she asked after she’d blown her nose and gathered herself.

  ‘In Africa, working for the United Nations.’

  Emily frowned. ‘You didn’t marry her?’

  ‘No. I realised after you left that I didn’t love her. Whether you believe me or not, your mother was the only woman I have ever really loved.’

  ‘Then why were you unfaithful to her?’

  Daniel shook his head. ‘A lot of men are unfaithful to wives they love, Emily. Sometimes it’s difficult to explain why. Sex to a man is not always an expression of love. Sometimes it caters for an entirely different need. With some men, the need is just sexual. Or perhaps the craving for a new experience. Some excitement to spice up their mundane lives. With me, I think it was the need to know I was still alive. And, of course, my ego was flattered by Barbra’s attentions. I’m sorry that you found out I wasn’t the hero you always imagined me to be, Emily. But the awful truth is that most men aren’t heroes. They’re just human beings, with all the faults and flaws that go with being a male.’

  ‘You’re right there,’ she sai
d with the kind of bitterness which only came from a personal and very recent hurt.

  Daniel realised things had to be very bad indeed to send his daughter running home to him. When she’d left eighteen months ago she’d said she would never talk to him again as long as she lived.

  And he’d believed her.

  Emily was a deceptive character, her seemingly calm, compassionate personality hiding a heart that could be as wildly emotional as it could be incredibly stubborn. A typical Scorpio, once wronged, she found it very hard to forgive.

  ‘Why don’t you tell me about him?’ he asked gently.

  Her eyes flashed up to his.

  ‘Come now,’ he said. ‘This is why you came home, isn’t it? To have a loving shoulder to cry on. And I do love you, Emily. I’m your father. I’ve also been known to give a few words of wisdom in my day. Doctoring isn’t always about prescribing pills, you know. The best medicine is often a sympathetic ear and some sensible suggestions.’

  ‘As long as you don’t tell me I’ve been a fool.’

  ‘Why? Have you been?’

  She nodded. ‘Yes. A big fool.’

  ‘Then I don’t need to tell you that, do I? Now, let me get us both a nice cup of tea, and then you can tell me all about what you’ve been up to this past eighteen months.’

  Emily told him everything.

  It wasn’t easy, especially when it came to relating what had happened during the last few days. But she didn’t leave anything out. What was the point in confiding, if you left things out?

  He didn’t interrupt. Or ask stupid questions. He just let her talk. And talk. Then talk some more.

  Finally, she related the argument she’d had with Sebastian tonight, plus her dramatic exit.

  ‘I should never have agreed to marry him in the first place,’ she said wretchedly. ‘But I was weak. At first, I just wanted to go to bed with him. And then…then I wanted to stay there.’

  Daniel sighed. ‘Sexual desire can be a very powerful drive, Emily.’

  ‘That’s why I had to get away,’ she cried. ‘If I’d stayed, he might have tried to get me back into bed. And I probably would have gone. I just can’t think straight when I’m around him.’