A Pretend Engagement (20 page)

Varnie did not know which one of them was the more surprised. 'You-don't!' she gasped.

`I didn't mean to tell you like that!' he retorted curtly. `You've got me so wound up I don't know what I'm saying.'

She'd got him wound up-it was her turn to be stunned. `I-have?' she asked, with what voice she could find.

`You have!' he answered tersely.

`Do you?' she asked tentatively, nervously. `Do I what?'

She swallowed. `Love me?"

'What the hell do you think I'm doing here now if it's not because loving you is driving me demented?' he barked.

She still did not believe it, yet felt she knew enough of Leon to know that he would not declare that he loved her iflove her he did not. `I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me,' she said softly.

And at her words, her softly given response to his admission of his love for her, Leon stared long and hard at her. And then he was demanding, `Then would you very much mind telling me what the devil you're doing over there on that sofa, and what I'm doing over here on this one?' He did not wait for her answer, but was on his feet. Varnie, her heart thundering away against her ribs, was on her feet too by the time he reached her. She was totally unresisting when tenderly he took her in his arms. For long, long moments, as if neitherwas quite believing that this was happening, they just stood and looked at each other. Then, gently, he kissed her.

'And-how do you feel about me?' Leon asked, his harsh manner completely gone as he pulled back to look into her sea-green eyes.

`I think you know,' she murmured shyly.

`My powers of deduction seem to have deserted me where you're concerned,' he answered, with an encouraging smile at her shyness. `I have just now been able to take heart from the fact that when you've known since last Friday that you could have thrown me out without it being detrimental to Metcalfe, you did not. You, in actual fact, neither threw me out nor departed yourself. Instead you stayed-with me.'

Her mouth fell open a fraction. `You're much too sharp!' she protested.`Much too quick at seeing into matters.' `Seeing into matters is what I do.' He grinned, but went on with a warm, teasing look, `What I can't see is why-since last Fridayyou would stay on with me-let alone not turf me out-if you did not care a little something for me?"

'I wanted to stay with you,' she confessed. `I thought that if you were staying another two weeks, perhaps I could stay those two weeks with you too.'

`Little darling,' he said softly, and, because he had to, he kissed her.

`Oh!' she sighed as their kiss broke.

His kissed her again. And with his arms still about her he sat down with her on the sofa and questioned tenderly, `Last night, when you came to my room, everything got too much for you, didn't it? That was why you bolted.Bolted without stopping to pack.'

`You checked? You went to my room and saw my belongings were still there?'

`I checked,' he confirmed. `And thought feared-that for all you hadn't shown the smallest sign of being terrified, to bolt without your possessions must mean that I'd come on much too strong and-'

`Not a bit of it!' she butted in quickly, and wanted only to be truthful from now on. `You were so gentle, so tender with me, so-well pretty wonderful, actually,' she confessed, blushing slightly. But if she were going to be truthful, making a full confession... `I wanted our love m... I wanted to stay. Only...' She hesitated as shyness unexpectedly blocked her path.

`Only?' Leon prompted softly.

Varnie swallowed down her shyness and opened up to answer, `I wanted to stay with you from the love I have for you-'She broke off when his arm about her shoulders tightened. Leon looked as if he wanted to kiss her for her confession that she had love for him. But he held back, and she continued, `I wanted to tell you of my feelings for you, only it suddenly hit me that as far as you were concerned love had no part in what we were doing.'

`Sweet love,' Leon breathed, and held her close up against him for ageless, marvellous moments. Then, gently, he kissed her. `Oh, my darling, love had everything to do with it. I have known I was in love with you, that I loved you with everything that's in me, since that night you had a puncture on the way back from here.' She looked at him, her heart thundering away inside of her, and wanted to sit there, just looking and looking at him. He, LeonBeaumont, loved her! Loved her- Varnie Sutton! `That was-Thursday,' she documented, with what thinking power she could find.

`It was Thursday,' he agreed, smiling his love for her.`Though I must have been heading in the "love" direction before then.' He kissed her again as if he could not help it, and added, `There were many indications before last Thursday. I, in my superior wisdom, decided to ignore them.'

`What signs?' she had to know. Would her heart ever stop beating its present thundering beat?

`I love you,' he said, and her heart thundered some more.

`I can't believe it,' she whispered blissfully. `But do go on.'

He kissed her, because it was the way he felt, and obliged.`Signs such as missing you when you were out. Assuring myself that of course I wasn't missing you-what nonsense. And when I went out without you having to make myself stay out-I wasn't going to give in to this ridiculous urge to rush back to you.' `Oh,' she sighed.`And?"

'You're a devil for punishment,' Leon said with a smile, and held her close again, as if he loved how it felt to haveher this close in his arms. `And,' he indulged her, `making myself believe it was my creature comforts I minded about when one day you asked if I'd be put out if you left.'

`You blackmailed me into staying.'

He grinned. `Not my usual tactic-the writing must have been on the wall even then.'

She grinned back and, her heart full, wanted to tell him that she loved him. Realising then that she could, shyly she told him, `I love you so very much.' And was not thinking at all for all of five minutes as Leon gathered her to him and they kissed, and held, and, their kisses growing warmer and warmer, Varnie had no thought to call a halt.

It was Leon who seemed to come to first. To come to an awareness that they were in her home, her parents' home, and that for all he knew her parents might return at any moment.

`See what happens when you say things like that to me?' he asked ruefully.

`So,' she said, striving hard to think what they had been talking about, 'you-um- started seeing me as something other than a housekeeper you were obliged to put up with?"

'That I did,' he confirmed, and took up, `I started sleeping badly.'

`I've been there,' she said with a laugh-and was kissed for her trouble.

`Then I began to find that I liked having you around.'

`I shall start to purr any time now,' Varnie threatened.

`You were lippy, gave no quarter, but-I realised-I liked you.' `You did?' she fished. `Even though I was lippy?,

'Lippy-and stimulating.I even relished our verbal spats.' She grinned deliciously at him, and he had to kiss her once more before admitting," Had I been paying any heed, I should have picked up the warning signals. I was only ever meaning to stay away from London for a few days, a week at the most,then I discovered that I actually did not want to go back yet.'

`Oh!' she sighed blissfully, and could not resist asking, `Did-I-er-have anything to do with that?'

He stared at her, his eyes drinking in her face. 'Lippy-and beautiful,' he said softly, and went on to frankly confirm, `I felt certain, after the furious and despicable way I behaved after Neville King had left that Sunday, that one or other of us should leave too. Yet I didn't want to be the one to go-and I knew then that I didn't want you to go either.'

`Leon.' She murmured his name, purely from the joy and freedom to be able to do so, and they kissed, and held, and minutes passed, and she had no coherent thoughts. `And then... ?' she sighed, not totally sure what she must be asking. She didn't think Leon knew much about what they had been speaking of either, for all he had a stab at it. `And then, with you looking sensational, we had dinner at Ruthin Castle, and you were giving me palpitations by kissing me.'

Varnie stared at him. 'You ...I was giving you palpitations!'

`You were being unfair. I was doing my best to show you you could trust me-and you go and do a thing like that.'

`I was showing you that I trusted you. You'd trusted me with some confidences...Palpitations?'

He gave her a crooked smile. `You kissed me, Varnie Sutton, and I had the hardest work in the world to not take you into my arms.' He planted a loving kiss to the tip of her dainty nose and confessed, `I knew for sure that night that something was happening to me.'

`Oh!' she sighed, and confessed, `I fell a little in love with you that night.' `You darling,' he breathed. But took her to task to enquire, `So why, when I gave in to the feeling of wanting to spend more time with you, did you refuse to eat with me, and annoy me by refusing to spend the next day with me when I went into town?

`Oh!' she exclaimed in surprise.

`It didn't matter,' he assured her. `I spent the whole day trying to tell myself I wasn't bothered. Huh! But I had to admit to myself last Thursday, when you came to my room to tell me you had to go to your parents, that you were very special to me, Varnie mine.'

`Really?' she asked softly.

`I spent most of the afternoon watching out of the window for you coming back.'

'You... "

'Crazy,' he admitted. `The logical side of my brain knew full well not to expect you back yet. But love and logic don't seem to make very good bedfellows.' 'You-um-knew you loved me then?'

He shook his head. `It was there, but I hadn't accepted what had happened to me until, driving as fast as I dared in those appalling conditions, the sooner to get to you that night, I caught this bedraggled scrap of humanity in my headlights. And as my heart swelled with emotion I just knew that I was in love with you and that I wanted to keep you safe.'

Varnie couldn't get over what he had just said. She must have been looking the very worst she could possibly look-soaked, and withh her hair and clothes plastered to her-bedraggled, as he'd said-yet that was when Leon had known that he loved her! `You wrapped me in a blanket-and I wanted to tell you that I loved you,' she confessed.

`Sweetheart,' he breathed, and they kissed again, then he drew back and, looking into her melting sea-green eyes, asked, `If I'm very good, shall I be permitted to come to Australia with you?"

'You want to come to Australia with us?' she gasped. `Last Thursday, as I waited for you to come back, was a day that went on for ever,' he answered. `If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer not to have to spend another day without you.'

Varnie just looked at him speechlessly. He loved her that much? `Of course you're permitted.' She beamed. Though, even then protective of her brother, `Don't think badly of Johnny. He-'

`Is he as protective of you as you are of him? Leon butted in.

And she smiled again. `Always has been,' she replied. `I remember one time, he could have been no more than eight years old, I'd been crying in the middle of the night over a stray cat that had got run over. Johnny heard me and came and got into my bed and cuddled me better. I believe his father later came and carried a sleeping Johnny back to his own bed.'

Leon shook his head ruefully. `That's the second reason I have to be grateful to John Metcalfe,' he stated.

`And the first?" 'There was I, so fed up with women-one way and another they'd been giving me a load of hassle of late-when, regardless of any sex discrimination act, I decided I wasn't going to put myself at risk of being compromised. I wasn't going to have a female assistant going around the country and overseas with me...'

`This would be when you wanted an additional assistant?"

'That was when.'

`You chose Johnny.'

`He was the only male to apply,' Leon answered. `And up to a point he did a good job.'

`He fell down on the job when he-er-found you Aldwyn House.'

`That's what I thought-but only to start with. I'd had my fill of scheming women, and needed some space, some solitude. Metcalfeer-John said he knew the very place, yet before I've got my eyes open on my first morning there a totally stark naked woman is in my room, accosting me.'

`Accosting!'Varnie choked. And Leon laughed a wonderful laugh.

`So I have to thank him.'

`Thank him?' she queried adoringly.

`Had he not known of this place of solitude I should never have met his beautiful and delightful sister.'

`Oh, Leon.'

`My lovely Varnie,' he said softly, and kissed her. Then he pulled back. `My heart is so full of you I thought I'd die when I discovered your note this morning and realised I didn't have any idea of your address.'

`You found me,' she whispered. `And I'm going to keep you,' he promised solemnly. And when, with love in her eyes, Varnie looked at him, he kissed her tenderly, and after some moments reminded her, `You said you did hotel work. Was that another one of your howlers?"

'I shall never lie to you again,' she promised, and went on to reveal, `Untilfairly recently my parents owned a hotel. I worked for them.'