Kate Walker - The Groom's Revenge

Drawing a deep breath, she snatched at the one thing she hoped would convince him once and for all.

‘Get it through your thick skull that I am not available! As you saw, I’m with Jim now.’

Dear Jim. He wouldn’t mind his name being taken in vain in this way. He would probably even enjoy the thought of being linked with her, in fantasy if not in reality. At least she could rely on him to back her up if her story was challenged.

‘He’s the only man in my life; the only one I want.’

If he argued, she thought, her breathing fast and uneven, if he so much as questioned her declaration or asked for proof she didn’t know what she would do. That last outburst seemed to have used up all her remaining strength, and she didn’t feel she had anything in reserve with which to fight him.

But Aidan’s unexpected reaction seemed to blast apart the last scrap of solid ground beneath her feet, destroying the shreds of her composure as it did so.

‘OK,’ he said casually, shrugging those broad shoulders in a gesture of supreme indifference. ‘If that’s how you want it.’

It was how little he cared that really hurt. India found herself frozen to the spot, unable to do anything more than watch as he turned and strolled away, heading for the car that was parked at the side of the house, almost invisible in the shadows.

If he had ever felt anything for her, however little, then surely he would have shown some reaction? Surely his face would have betrayed a hint of disappointment, or anger, or at the very least jealousy? Or was she being all sorts of a fool even to hope?

But even the realisation that Aidan felt nothing at all couldn’t stop her heart from jolting painfully in her chest, seeming to lurch almost into her throat, when he suddenly paused and turned back to her.

‘Tell your father I was here,’ he said, and his voice had returned to the ominously dark intonation that had so worried her earlier. ‘And that we have important things to discuss.’

‘What—?’ India began, but her feeble attempt at speech was brushed aside, falling to the ground like splintered glass as it came up against the hard, unyielding mask of his face.

‘Just tell him I’ll be back. And if he’s wise he’ll be here to see me.’

In spite of the heat of the evening, the words sent a shiver like the trail of icy water down India’s spine. There could be no mistaking the menace behind them—a threat made all the worse by the fact that she had no idea what was involved.

‘But what...?’

But Aidan had gone. And as the dark, sleek car disappeared down the drive, turning the corner out of sight, she was suddenly swamped by a terrible sense of loneliness, a feeling of dread that was all the worse for having no rational explanation.

CHAPTER THREE

‘I’LL be back.’

For two days now, Aidan’s words had rung inside India’s head, their disturbing undertones seeming to grow more and more ominous with each repetition. The fact that she could think of no reason at all for Aidan to want to speak to her father only added to her already deeply uneasy frame of mind.

There was no one she could share her anxiety with, either. Her mother was under enough strain as it was, spending each day and often all night at the hospital. She was usually too tense and anxious even to eat properly. And Gary was too young, already worried about his father.

I’ll be back.

She didn’t doubt that he meant it. Already she had found three messages from Aidan on her father’s answering machine, the later ones distinctly less polite than the first. And only yesterday she had had a narrow escape when he had come to the door.

She had answered the summons of the bell automatically, but luckily had taken a second to glance out of an upstairs window before making her way down to the hall. The sight of the dark grey Jaguar parked in the driveway had had all the tiny hairs on the back of her neck lifting in instinctive alarm, freezing her to the spot.

A moment later Aidan’s dark head and powerful shoulders had become visible below her as he’d moved restlessly, impatient for an answer. Instinct had had India shrinking back against the wall, hidden by a thick velvet curtain, just seconds before he’d looked up, dark eyes raking the upper windows with an intensity that had made her shiver.

It was as if he’d known she was there, had been able to sense her presence as the wolf scented its prey. Fearfully India had flattened herself against the wall, staying there until the roar of the car’s engine told her he had gone. Even then, it had taken some minutes before she dared move at all.

But today at least the coast was clear, she acknowledged gratefully as she arrived back at the house with a load of groceries in the back of the car. There was no sign of anyone, no alien vehicle parked in the forecourt.

Relief made her heart lift. and she hummed softly to herself as she opened the boot and reached in for the two heavy shopping bags.

‘Here, let me help you with those.’

‘Oh, I...’

The bag she held almost slipped from her grasp, and she only avoided banging her head on the open end of the car by the narrowest of margins.

‘Careful,’ Aidan soothed, his voice and expression one of carefully assumed concern that she didn’t believe in for a second. ‘Let me take that’

‘I can manage perfectly well!’

Her thoughts were reeling in shock, sharpening her tone. It seemed almost as if he had been conjured up by her own mind.

‘Where the hell did you spring from?’

‘From Westbury,’ Aidan responded, knowing very well that that was not what she had meant at all. ‘I’ve been staying there for a few days.’

‘But your car...?’

‘Oh, I left that at the bottom of the drive and walked up.’

‘I never saw it.’

Too late, she realised that she had given herself away. Now Aidan would know that she had been looking for signs of his presence, worried that he might be around.

‘I don’t suppose you did.’ His smile was slow and filled with a lazy mockery that told her he had caught her momentary lapse. The glint of dark amusement in his eyes brightened as he went on, ‘But then, of course, I didn’t exactly leave it in full view. You can’t be too careful these days, with so many thieves and joy-riders around.’

And he knew very well that if she had seen his car she would have turned around at once and stayed well away until the coast was clear.

‘And I didn’t want you forewarned and so forearmed as you were when I called the other day.’ Aidan confirmed her thoughts with such deadly accuracy that India’s mouth actually fell open in shock.

‘You knew?’

‘Of course I knew. You forget, my dear India, that I know this house of old, and that I am very well aware of just which bedroom is yours.’

The sensual deepening of his tone, together with the smokiness of his eyes, had hot colour rising in her cheeks at the thought of just how he knew. The memory of those nights, just over a year ago, when—with her parents and Gary away on a visit to relatives—she had invited Aidan to stay at the Grange came back to haunt her. Of course he knew where her room—her bed—was. They had hardly moved out of it, except to fetch food, for the whole of that week.

‘Now, let’s get these inside.’

Taking advantage of the shock that had loosened her grip on the bag, Aidan eased it from her before she could protest. Then he hoisted the other one from the interior of the boot with a lack of effort that forced a reluctant and secret admission of envious admiration from her. She was well aware of just how heavy that bag was, but Aidan’s one-handed ease made a nonsense of her own earlier struggle to get it into the car.

But then, of course, she was only too well aware of the strength of those sinewy, tightly muscled arms. She was also uncomfortably sensitive to the sensual impact of the way their impressive power was shown off to advantage by the short sleeves of the dark chocolate-coloured T-shirt he wore with oatmeal—coloured chinos.

The sun warmed the smoothly tanned skin, and her throat dried at the thought of the times she had felt those arms close around her in the throes of passion, holding her tight against the hard length of his body...

‘India?’

A touch of amusement in the deep voice brought hot colour rushing into her face. She couldn’t avoid the uncomfortable suspicion that Aidan had known just what thoughts had distracted her, the gleam in his eyes intensifying to a positively devilish light as his smile widened wickedly.

‘If we don’t get this food inside, some of the frozen stuff will start to defrost in this heat. And I want...’

‘My father isn’t at home!’

It was all she could think of to say. The idea of Aidan setting foot inside her home ever again sent such a shudder of revulsion down her spine that it was all she could do not to let him see it. As it was, she knew all the blood had drained from her face.

‘Oh, I know,’ Aidan returned easily. ‘That’s why I waited. But I have to admit to being surprised when you turned up. I expected you’d be at work all day.’

‘I don’t have a job.’

India’s voice was tight. When she had first met him she had had a position as a secretary to a local businessman, a job she had been only too glad to give up as soon as she had become engaged.

In the year since her wedding day she had only been able to find temporary work. And lately, just when she needed it most, even that uncertain source of income had dried up. Irrationally, she felt deeply resentful—as if Aidan had been responsible for that misfortune too.

‘Of course not.’ Something in his tone stung sharply. ‘So you’re free all day.’

‘Yes, but you—’

‘I have all the time in the world,’ Aidan put in, obviously anticipating India’s next attempt at persuading him to leave. tom on holiday.’

‘I didn’t know you took them,’ India cut in sharply. ‘I mean, you always were a workaholic when we were...’

‘When we were together?’ he completed smoothly when the realisation of just what she had been about to say froze her tongue. ‘Well, I think you’ll find that quite a few things have changed since then. Now, are you going to open this door or not?’

India devoutly wished that she could do no such thing. But Aidan’s determined stance and the obdurate look in his eyes brought her up hard against the realisation that, unless she was prepared to indulge in an undignified and probably totally pointless struggle for her shopping, she would either have to do as he said or risk losing all their food for the coming week.

One look at those long, tanned fingers clamped firmly around the handles of the bags decided her on the side of discretion rather than valour. With a sigh of resignation she accepted defeat and opened the door.

‘And besides, I didn’t just come to see your father.’

‘Well, don’t try to claim that you wanted to renew our friendship,’ India muttered ungraciously.

‘Friendship?’

One dark eyebrow quirked up in frank scepticism, and his voice held an undertone that she was beyond interpreting.

‘Don’t you think that’s something of an understatement for what we had?’

‘What we had was a lie from start to finish, and it’s over now, gone for good. Dead and buried.’

‘Is that a fact?’

‘It’s the only fact that I know!’ The only one she would ever admit to him, anyway.

All trace of his mocking humour seemed to have evaporated, leaving his face cold and distant, set into harshly brutal lines.