by Annie West
He didn’t mention that it hadn’t been on the market. He’d made the owner an offer he couldn’t refuse because this was the house Flynn had been determined to acquire.
‘You bought it for me? Because it was my family home?’
She sounded as if she’d had a shock. Flynn supposed she had. Maybe he should have led up to this gradually. Marriage took some adjustment. He was used to making decisions and putting them into action immediately. Perhaps he should have told her of his plans.
‘I wanted you to have everything you once had, Ava. This is your family home.’ His gesture encompassed not only the Hall but the estate. He laughed. ‘Mine too, for what it’s worth.’ Though he had no sentimental attachment to the damp, crumbling cottage that was the best his parents had been able to provide. ‘We’re coming home—where we belong.’
He’d never been more certain of anything than the fact that he belonged here, with Ava.
Frayne Hall was the embodiment of everything he’d worked for—the symbol of his success, the jewel in the crown of what had once been Michael Cavendish’s empire. Cavendish had ruled like a feudal lord over his family. Now Flynn had built himself an even larger empire. One that supported hundreds of people. One he could be proud of.
Flynn was a man to be reckoned with now—a man shaping the world to his own specifications. A better man than Cavendish, with his bullying ways, had ever been.
‘Who says we belong here?’ Ava jerked away, to his amazement backing up a step.
‘What’s wrong? I thought you’d be ecstatic. You said yourself it’s a wonderful old place.’
She slashed at the air. ‘That doesn’t mean I want to live here.’
‘Big and rambling, you said. Big enough for a family.’
Her laugh was harsh. ‘I imagined a cosy house, with room for a couple of children and a dog. Not a mansion that could house all your London office staff and still have room for more.’ Ava’s shoulders rose and fell with her quick breaths.
‘We’ll have staff to take care of the place. You won’t have to worry about that.’ He could easily afford the small army of people required to maintain the Hall.
‘It’s not the cleaning I’m worried about!’
‘Then what is it?’
He stepped closer, but she made no move to take his outstretched hand. Flynn dropped his arm, telling himself she hadn’t noticed the gesture. She was caught up in whatever inner turmoil made her lips tighten in an unfamiliar, unhappy line.
Yet an ache started in his belly at her rejection.
It had been years since he’d allowed himself to feel pain. It took several seconds to recognise it.
‘You went ahead and bought the place without consulting me.’ Her tone was short, her face tight.
‘Because it’s perfect.’ He dragged in a calming breath. He wasn’t used to having his decisions questioned. ‘You never objected to my surprises before. You loved our wedding, and—’
‘That was different.’
The compression of her lips changed to a pout that in other circumstances would have distracted him into kissing her.
‘Why?’ He paced closer, forcing her to look up.
‘It wasn’t a decision about our future. It was...’ she waved her hand ‘...short term.’
‘I see.’
So Ava was happy for him to take charge of immediate things, but not important decisions about their future. He’d thought she trusted him. Surely marrying him proved that?
He stiffened, annoyance stirring. And something else. Disquiet snaked through him at how she might react if she realised her falling for him had been as much due to his carefully executed plans as her romantic yearnings. His gut clenched.
Nonsense! They were made for each other. In the end it didn’t matter how they’d got together. Surely she’d just be happy that he’d made it happen? They were the perfect couple.
‘My mistake.’ The words sounded foreign on his tongue. ‘I apologise.’ Not for buying the house, but for not engaging her in the process. That had been his error. ‘I should have talked with you and involved you in the decision-making.’
Flynn had been a loner so long he was used to running his own race. He’d shared more of himself with Ava than he had with any woman, but still this was foreign territory. He was learning as he went.
Perhaps the newness of it explained why he wanted Ava’s approval so badly. Why he responded so viscerally to the hint of hurt in her expression.
He wanted her smiling with adoration. He’d grown used to that, enjoying it more than he’d ever believed possible.
It wasn’t that he needed it, but he wanted it.
With Ava he felt different. Connected. Which was intriguing when he’d never cared about connection before, except with his family. Even his relationships with close colleagues, while genuine, had limits he never crossed, because he was above all focused on success.
It hit him that while he’d changed Ava’s life, she’d undeniably changed his. He wanted things he’d never missed before. Like her smiles.
‘Oh, Flynn. What am I going to do with you?’
Her mouth turned up in a crooked smile that distracted him from his disturbing thoughts. She shook her head, her lush blonde hair swirling around her shoulders in a way that made him want to forget their argument and find a bed. He couldn’t remember being as happy or content as when he had Ava naked beside him.
‘You thought you were doing something wonderful, didn’t you?’
‘I am doing something wonderful.’ He took her hand, tugging her close.
She laughed—a husky, rueful sound that to his surprise sent relief scudding through him. The churning in his belly eased.
‘And so modest!’ She sobered. ‘I appreciate the gesture, Flynn. It’s romantic and generous. But I make my own decisions. Especially on important things. I don’t think you realise how important my independence is to me. I don’t want anyone, even you, trying to decide for me.’
He read her firm expression and felt again that sinuous, unsettling twist in his gut—only worse this time. As if a venomous serpent writhed there. When she discovered what else he’d done—
No. There was no reason for her to find out.
And if she did she’d understand that he’d acted with her best interests in mind.
That job was draining her...
‘This is hardly the place for a quick commute to London.’
Had Ava somehow tuned into his thoughts?
‘Even if I stayed in the apartment a couple of nights a week, it’s a lot of travelling,’ she pointed out.
‘We could travel together.’
Surprisingly her eyes shone, as if he’d offered her a treat. She tilted her head. ‘I’d like that. Spending more time together.’
So he wasn’t alone in craving that. Each week Flynn found it more difficult to maintain his absolute focus on business. He wanted to take time off and spend it with Ava. Only a lifetime’s dedication to building his dream gave him the strength to withstand temptation.
‘I could get a chauffeur and a car with a privacy screen.’
‘So we could shock the commuters on the motorway?’ Ava grinned.
Flynn hauled her against him, enjoying the way she fitted him so exactly. Enjoying even more his relief at her smile.
‘So you don’t mind that I’ve bought Frayne Hall?’
‘I didn’t say that.’ Her smile disappeared, leaving her sombre. ‘I appreciate the gesture, but even ignoring the fact you didn’t involve me in the decision, I’m not sure I want to live here.’
‘Why’s that?’ He’d been convinced she’d be exuberant.
She took a deep breath. ‘Living here wasn’t much fun, despite how it looked from the outside.’
Flynn frowned, t
rying to read her expression. ‘You’re right. It looked wonderful from the outside.’
He’d been jealous of the Cavendishes. Not just of their wealth but of the things it gave them—security, an excellent education, the top-class healthcare that might have saved his father, who’d been on waiting lists so long his illness had progressed too fast to be stopped.
More, they’d had the luxury of free time. They’d enjoyed each other’s company whenever they liked. He’d seen them entertaining guests on the lawns or by the lake as he’d laboured beside his father. There’d been days when he’d barely seen his mother, incarcerated in the Hall kitchen—especially when the family was entertaining.
‘Appearances are deceptive. It wasn’t all happy families.’
A jarring note in Ava’s voice caught his attention.
‘I know your father could be...difficult with staff...’ Flynn spoke carefully, conscious that Ava must have cared for the man. ‘But he was devoted to you.’ Flynn had seen the arrogant bully soften with his wife and kids.
‘You think so?’ Ava’s expression hardened. ‘It was all a lie.’
‘Sorry?’
‘Your mother didn’t tell you?’
‘Tell me what?’ He didn’t like the taut way Ava stood in his arms. He felt a tremor pass through her, and there was a bleakness in her gaze that he didn’t recognise.
‘My father was...’ She swallowed, and to Flynn’s amazement he saw her eyes shimmer as if with tears.
‘Ava? What is it?’ He palmed her cheek, needing to ease the pain he saw.
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ To his amazement she pulled away. ‘Especially here.’
Flynn stared. He felt the ground shift beneath his feet. All his life he’d envied the Cavendishes their easy, privileged lives. Michael Cavendish had been a selfish bastard to his employees, but he’d always seemed an attentive father and husband. The perfect provider and protector.
What had he done to Ava to make her blink back tears? Had the pair fought the last time they’d been together? It must be something like that. He’d been a doting parent. Flynn had seen it time and again. Cavendish had showered his only daughter with extravagant gifts—like a convertible pink Mercedes on her seventeenth birthday.
‘All right, we won’t talk about him.’ He held out his hand. His heartbeat kicked when she put her palm in his. ‘Agreed?’
‘Agreed.’
‘I want you to be happy here.’
She sighed. ‘I know you do. I know you bought this as an extravagant romantic gift.’
Romantic? Flynn forbore from explaining that he’d planned to own Frayne Hall from his sixteenth Christmas. He’d sat in a stark hospital room, watching his father die, desperately waiting for his mother to get away from work at the Hall before it was too late to say her goodbyes.
He’d known then that if things had been different—if they’d been rich and powerful—his father wouldn’t be there, fading before his eyes, his breath a clattering gasp, tolling out his last hours.
‘It’s all right, Flynn. I understand.’
Blindly, he tried to focus on Ava’s features.
She had no way of understanding.
Maybe that was why he was such a loner. No one else understood his burning drive to turn his life around, to grab control and shape his future. Not even Ava.
‘So you’re content that I’ve bought the Hall?’ He phrased it as a question, though he knew it had been the right thing to do.
‘It’s not what I expected or wanted.’ She breathed deep. ‘I need time to think about it.’
He threaded his fingers through hers. ‘It’s got huge possibilities.’
Still she didn’t look convinced. He suspected it would be harder to persuade Ava to live here than it had been to get her to marry him.
‘I can imagine us raising a family here, creating new memories together.’
The spark of surprise in Ava’s eyes told him he’d struck a chord. His confidence rose. So she wasn’t completely opposed to the place—just to the memories it harboured.
‘Take all the time you need, Mrs Marshall.’
And in the meantime he’d do his damnedest to persuade her.
Flynn bent his head, ploughing his hand through her soft tresses, tilting her head. Cerulean eyes met his. Gently he planted his mouth on hers. For an instant she didn’t move, then he swallowed her soft sigh of pleasure. Satisfaction rose. In this, at least, no persuasion was needed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
‘I SUPPOSE IN the long run it could be a good thing.’ Ava tried to inject a smile into the words, knowing her brother would hear it over the long-distance connection.
‘How do you figure that? You loved that job. You must be hurting.’
Ava’s mouth crumpled. Rupert knew her so well. She had loved her job, and the sense of contributing to something worthwhile. It had been more than a means of earning a salary.
She stared across the Hall’s newly mown lawns to its private forest. When she was little she’d loved to escape there and pretend the world was a happy place. Until her father had discovered her there one day, looking rumpled and grubby, and forbade her access. Maybe she should take herself off to the woods and see if that helped.
‘I am hurting.’
She caught a wobble in her voice and dragged in a shallow breath. She hated self-pity.
‘The shock made it worse. There was no hint that things were so bad they’d have to cut staff. The first I knew was when the HR manager called me in for a “chat”.’
‘Bloody insensitive way to break the news. Especially after all the unpaid hours you put in for them. They’re going to regret losing you.’
Ava smiled. Rupe had always been on her side. Not surprising, since it had always been them against the world—or at least against their domineering father.
‘I was a small cog in the wheel, to be frank.’ She rolled her shoulders and straightened. ‘I’m looking for something else. Meantime, there’s a lot to do getting Frayne Hall ready to move into. It’s a good thing I’ve got time on my hands.’ She paused, hitching a breath. ‘Did I tell you Flynn wants to hold a winter ball?’
‘You did not!’ She heard Rupert’s shock. ‘Are you up for that?’ he said eventually, his tone carefully neutral. ‘It doesn’t sound like your thing.’
Despite the prickle of tension down her backbone, Ava smiled. ‘Why don’t you just come straight out and say what you think?’
‘What? That it’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard? How can Flynn suggest it, knowing what happened that last time?’
Ava paced to the vast windows, watching a van appear in the distance, entering the park.
‘Flynn doesn’t know.’
‘I thought he was there that night. Surely he—?’
‘Yes, he was there.’ She rubbed her hand up her sleeve to stir warmth into chilled skin. ‘But he never knew the full story. Not why I ran away. He wasn’t at the Hall itself. He was at his parents’ cottage. He assumed I’d been partying and had just taken the car for a midnight spin.’
Her gaze followed the van as it rounded the drive’s curve towards the massive rhododendrons where she’d once missed the bend and ploughed her convertible head-on.
She remembered her intense relief when it had been Flynn who found her. He’d been gentle, so calm in the face of her distress. The image of him—big, capable and protective—had stayed with her.
Flynn had always been special.
Yet she’d shied from telling him about her father and her life here. Why? Because she was ashamed? Because, although she told herself she hadn’t been at fault, she felt sullied by what had happened? As if her family’s sins marked her.
Of course they did. Why else had she kept herself to herself all these years, till F
lynn had swept her caution aside and she’d fallen into his arms?
‘Don’t you think it’s time to enlighten him?’
‘He can’t change the past. What would it achieve?’
Rupert hesitated. ‘I thought husbands and wives were supposed to share?’
‘We do. I do.’ Ava realised her voice had risen. ‘The important things.’
‘And telling your husband you’d rather be skinned alive than face another winter ball in the old family pile isn’t important?’
Ava rubbed the gooseflesh that had risen anew on her arm. ‘If you must know, I don’t like talking about it. It makes me feel sick.’
‘I can understand that.’
But Rupert didn’t know that even now she wondered if her father had spied something in her—some innate weakness that had made her the perfect tool for his plans.
How deep did the family taint run?
‘This ball will be different.’ She forced her thoughts to the future, injecting enthusiasm into her voice. ‘This will be our party. Nothing like the old days.’ She paced the length of the window. ‘I realised when I came here how I’d shunned the place because of memories. I’m tired of wearing the past around my neck like an albatross. It’s time to make new memories. Happy ones—with Flynn.’
It was time to be strong, not to hide from the past.
‘Good on you, sis. That takes guts.’
Ava shrugged. Rupert hadn’t had it easy here either—that’s why what she had to say was such a big ask.
‘It would be much easier if you could be here, Rupe.’ She paused, hearing his swift intake of breath. ‘Would you come for the party? It’s been ages since I saw you.’
‘I’m not sure if I can get away.’
‘Surely you can take a few days off? Please?’ She watched the van pull up outside. ‘It would give you a chance to get to know Flynn.’
‘And lay a few ghosts while I’m at it?’
‘That too.’ She waited with bated breath.
It was silly—she’d have Flynn by her side for the big party he so wanted. But having Rupert too, when she had to face a who’s who of the county and the City’s elite, would shore up her resolve.
