A Pretend Engagement (13 page)

Oh, heck. Leon had said only yesterday that she had made their `engagement' press copy when she had told Neville King that they were definitely engaged. Oh, Lord, just what had she started?

AFTER another fitful night-Varnie was finding that a guilty conscience and sleep were poor mixers-she was awake again at around five, and in a panic. Something else suddenly occurred to her, and she flung back the bedcovers and hurriedly left her bed. It was still dark out, and would be for some hours, but she knew that there was no way now that she would go back to sleep.

She switched the light on, realising that her thoughts last night had been so taken up with Leon and how he would feel about the terrible knock-on effect of her attempt to take the hurt and torment from Neville King's eyes that she had not given thought to anything else. But she could not stop thinking of something else now. And that something else was-her parents!

Oh, how could she have forgotten? Her parents took the same paper that she had been reading last night! While her father might skim-read anything headed `Tycoon's Secret Engagement', and might miss seeing her name, her mother would not. Particularly she would not when the picture of said tycoon's `Welsh haven' looked remarkably like a picture of Aldwyn House. She would have to go home. Varnie knew it. She had no option. Her parents had blissfully supposed that their daughter was holidaying in Switzerland; it would be a dreadful shock to them to learn that she had instead been snuggled up in Wales with-and engaged to-some other man! A man they had heard plenty about from their son, Johnny, but whom they had never met.

Oh, grief! Varnie went and took up the paper and read the article through again. Oh, heavens, she would have to go and explain. Her mother especially would be most upset when she read that her daughter and fiance were not officially announcing their engagement yet because of the `demise of a close member of Miss Sutton's family'. Her mother would know it must be Grandfather Sutton, and would not like at all that she had used her Grandfather Sutton's passing away in this way.

Varnie was under the shower when she began to panic anew. Surely as soon as her mother had read the paper yesterday she would have phoned her?Either at the house or, if believing the report that they had already left Aldwyn House, would have tried her mobile phone number?

By the time Varnie was dressed, in trousers, shirt and a sweater, she had calmed down sufliciently to recall that her parents might have followed through their intention now that they were retired to catch up on a lot of the pleasures they had missed when working such long hours.Namely, catching a few of the London shows. It was possible that they had spent all day yesterday in London and had not had the chance to read a newspaper. Perhaps they had caught a matinee and had dawdled back, perhaps stopping for dinner on the way. There would be nothing for them to hurry back for. Varnie brushed her hair, applied the small amount of make-up she wore and, the time not yet six, left her room. She would collect her jacket downstairs, on her way out, but for now a more pressing obstacle loomed large. She just couldn't tiptoe out without telling Leon where she was going.

Outside her room, she hesitated. It would be much easier to write Leon a note. If she just left without seeing him then, since as far as she could remember she had never mentioned her parents, she could avoid answering awkward questions. She clearly recalled telling him that she had nowhere to live. With his phenomenal memory she doubted he would have forgotten that. She did not relish a question and answer session.But...

Impatient with herself suddenly-impatient at any idea that she might be afraid to tell him her plans to his face-Varnie went along the landing and knocked on Leon's door.

She'd anticipated he would be asleep. But when she opened his door to her surprise she saw his light was on, and that he was sitting up in bed reading. She looked across at him, her glance going from his `To what do I owe this honour?' expression to his broad and naked manly chest. She blushed scarlet and knew not if it was from the memory of the last time she had seen his naked chest-when she had been stark naked herself-or from the fact that seeing that dark hair on his chest and his dark nipples affected her somewhat oddly. He, however, seemed not the slightest put out. `Why the blush?' he drawled, observing idly, `You're dressed, so clearly I'm not in imminent threat of being seduced.'

`I knew I should have left you a note,' she said shortly, glad to feel rattled. She felt better able to handle this rattled.

`You're going somewhere?' he questioned sharply, his idle tone not staying around very long. He picked up his watch and noted the hour. `Somewhere urgently, by the look of it,' he commented.

`I have to go to Cheltenham,' she said, in a rush.

He studied her silently for a few moments before, totally unfazed to be sitting there in his skin, he invited, " You'd better come in and tell me about it,' and reached for his robe at the bottom of the bed. Varnie turned her head away, until he opened with another of his sharp questions. `Are you intending to come back?' he asked bluntly. She looked at him. He was on his feet, robeclad, standing by his bed. `Wild horses wouldn't keep me away,' she retorted pithily, while at the same time noticing that he had exceptionally nice legs, and wondering if her present anxieties were making her light-headed that she should think such a thing.

`Today?'Leon wanted to know. `You'll be back today?'

Varnie nodded. She had every intention of coming back today. Indeed, she felt compelled to come back-and she hadn't even left yet!

He noted her nod and, his tone less sharp, suggested, `Come and sit over here and tell me about it.'

Varnie felt awkward, standing there over by the door. She went forward. Bearing in mind she did not yet know what sort of lies she might have to make up-Johnny still had to be protected-Varnie reckoned that those lies could be more easily utteredwere she not standing facing him.

She sat down on the side of the bed, and so did he. She felt that perhaps she was sitting a little too close, but thought to move away would draw attention to it if he had not noticed.`So why the sudden decision? Did you know yesterday that you'd be off before daybreak but forget to tell me?' He didn't seem very pleased about that.

And that annoyed her. `If you hadn't seen fit to give that reporter my name, and other details, I wouldn't have to go at all!' she erupted.

`My, you are uptight!'

`Well,' she huffed lamely. `Anyhow, it wasn't until this morning, an hour ago, that the domino effect of the announcement-or nonannouncement of our "engagement" suddenly struck me.'

`You don't need much sleep either?' Leon asked conversationally, when to her mind there were more important matters here than the fact that she was awake at five in the morning.

She took a deep breath. `There was a knockon effect in as much as your top floor offices heard about it when I told Neville King that you and I were engaged.'

`Somebody you know in Cheltenham is likely to read yesterday's paper?" 'So you did read it?' she accused, but was wasting her time if she thought he would feel guilty for not telling her it had been there in the broadsheets.

`Nice picture of the house' was his only comment. Though it was sharply that he added, `I thought you'd finished with the married Martin?"

'You thought right!' she snapped.

`So who-?'

She wanted this over and done with. `My parents!' she cut in shortly.

`Your parents!I thought you had no one. You said-'

`Oh, shut up!' Itniggled her to be caught out. `My parents live near Cheltenham.

`If they've disowned you, what does it matter whether you're engaged or?"

'They haven't disowned me!' she exclaimed, affronted.

`You said, and I quote, "I've nowhere to live". You're saying now that I took you in under false pretences? That you had a home all along?'

`False pretences!'Okay, so maybe she had stretched the truth a mile, more than a mile, but he'd been royally looked after. `I've cooked for you,' she defended.`Waited on you. Cleaned-'

`Cut to the chase,' he butted in. `Suddenly you've parents. Why couldn't you go there-to the outskirts of Cheltenham?'

She looked away from him.To lie-or tell the truth? Johnny.Johnny-yet again. `I told you-about Martin,' she opted for truth-so far. `What does he have to do with it?"

'I told you I was going on holiday with him!'

`How recently?'

Shrewd as well as sharp.`As recently as the day I arrived here,' she admitted-and at once saw a hole she was going to fall through if she couldn't think quickly. Think- think fast, before Leon trips you up. `I was on my way back to Cheltenham, to my parents,' she rushed on, her eyes unseeing on her knees as she sought powers of invention, `from the airport.I '

`I thought John Metcalfe contacted you?' Leon questioned tautly, all too clearly nobody's fool.

`He did!' she lied. `I didn't want to go home-my mother-my parents knew I was going on holiday with Martin. I was upset, naturally, about Martin, and didn't want my parents upset too, which they would have been if they thought I was upset. So I'd stopped at a service station-when John Metcalfe, an old friend, rang my mobile and said he knew that my job in the hotel had finished and that, if I wasn't working, he needed someone to live in at Aldwyn House. I jumped at the chance.' Leon looked at her shrewdly. `To save your parents from worrying, from being upset that you were upset?'

Was he sounding sceptical? She couldn't decide. `They weren't expecting me home for two weeks. I thought-hoped-that by then I would have got myself more together and would be able to pretend it didn't hurt any more.'

`It hurts-about the married Martin'

She didn't know what that had got to do with anything, but was glad to be able to tell the truth. `Not as much as it should had I truly been as in love with him as I thought I was. I think it was the humiliation of it more than anything.The fact that I was so taken in, so gullible.'

'Ah, Varnie,' Leon murmured, and his tone had changed, softened. He placed an arm about her shoulders and gave her squeeze of sympathy, and then removed his arm. Most oddly, she would not have minded had he left it there. `Do you have to go to see your parents? Can you not phone them?' She shook her head. `My grandfather died recently. And, while I think it would have amused him, my mother will take a very dim view of my using his memory in connection with us me-not announcing our-um-makebelieve-engagement.' Varnie's heart gave the most ridiculous flutter as it came to her that Leon was sounding very much as if he did not want her to go. She gave herself a mental shake. Ridiculous was exactly the word for it. His only concern was that he might have to make his own dinner if she wasn't back in time. `Anyhow,' she resumed hurriedly, `this can't be done with a simple phone call. My parents are going to worry until they see me.' She got to her feet, knowing that the sooner she started out the better.

`Drive carefully.' Leon was on his feet too, and Varnie felt quite a pang at leaving himalthough she naturally pooh-poohed any such idea.

`If my parents ring here, you'll...?' Unwary, she fell into a deep hole of her own making.

`Your parents have this phone number?' Leon asked, looking at her quizzically. As Varnie knew, he had at once spotted her blunder.

`Of course not!' she found, out of a panicking nowhere. `Forgive me. I'm going light-headed in my anxiety.' `Calm down,' he instructed gently. `Your parents will understand when you explain everything. I presume you intend to tell them everything?'

Varnie nodded. `I don't want to lie to them,' she replied, but was more anxious to be away than ever now that it had dawned on her that if her parents had spotted that item in the paper they might ring Aldwyn House before she reached them. `But they won't discuss it with anyone,' she assured him. She moved to the bedroom door and found Leon there beside her. She halted at the door to mention, `There's food in the freezer....'

Leon caught a hold of one of her arms, stopping her mid-flow. She looked up into his grey eyes-when had she ever thought them cold and unfeeling? There was a warm look in them now as he interrupted, `I won't starve,' and, letting

goher arm, he smiled. It was a wonderful smile, and her heart seemed to bounce around in her chest and that was before he added, `Going to give me a kiss goodbye?'

Her mouth fell a little open in her surprise. Then she was unsure if he were joking. `You know I'm not a girl like that' was the best she could do by way of repartee. But as she instantly recalled the lie of that-how she had kissed him unasked-she all at once became aware of a sudden kind of stillness about him. She was aware that he was looking at her as though something exceptionally startling had just struck him. `Wh...?' was as far as she got.

`You're not, are you?' he said quietly. And, smart on the heels of that, `Oh, mystars ! You've never had a lover-not in the bed sense!' His voice was studded with remorse.

And Varnie knew then that he was remembering the familiar way his hands had roved her body that time, the familiar way his hands had been under her tee shirt and inside her trousers. And she espied in him, too, a fine sensitivity he liked to keep well hidden.

`Go spreading that around and you'll ruin my reputation,' she offered cheekily, her own sensitivity wanting to make light of what seemed to have shaken him.

`Hell's teeth!' he groaned. `I must have scared the living daylights out of you!I '

`Don't...' she hushed, and impulsively she reached up and kissed him. He stiffened, his hands coming to her arms as though to hold her off, and she was the one appalled at what she had done. 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' she quickly apologised. `I didn't mean to do that. I-erdon'tknow what came over me.' And embarrassed that for all he had suggested she give him a kiss goodbye he must now think that she couldn't keep her hands off him, `I know I kissed you before,' she gabbled on, `but that was to let you know that I trusted you. You know-after that...' Oh, dash it! Her trip to Cheltenham was totally forgotten. Never had she felt so hot and bothered.