Читать книгу The Millionaire's Marriage Revenge - AMANDA BROWNING, Amanda Browning - Страница 8

‘WELL, I’m glad I don’t have to tell him that!’ Sofie exclaimed with a laugh as she turned to gather a fresh glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter.

Everything was running smoothly, just as she had planned. When her boss had put forward the idea of a photographic competition, she had agreed enthusiastically, never expecting to have the job of arranging and running it. However, it had been a challenge, and she was always prepared to stretch herself. That she would also have to host the award ceremony and help give out the prizes was not what she’d wanted. Drawing attention to herself was still something she preferred not to do. Staying out of the limelight was vital. However, as this was only a local competition, with no chance of a report getting into anything other than local newspapers, she had felt safe in agreeing to do it.

Life had been far from easy these past few years. She had scrimped and saved, trying to keep her head above water by doing any job that turned up. In the end, though, circumstances had forced her to apply for assistance under a new name, and life had improved gradually. Now she had a steady job and a small rented cottage to live in. Even though she had never seen anyone from her past life, it was hard to make herself stop looking over her shoulder all the time. She had come almost as far north as it was possible to go and still be in the same country. Paying cash for everything, she had left no paper trail behind her. Sofie Antonetti had vanished off the face of the earth that day six years ago, and in her place was Sofie Talbot, photographer’s assistant, who kept herself very much to herself. If she was lonely, she never let on. If she was sad, only her pillow knew.

With a satisfied sigh she ran her eye around the room, checking that nothing had gone awry. The action took her away from the group she was chatting to and brought the doorway of the room into her line of sight—just in time to see the tall figure of a man walk in and pause to survey his surroundings. Shock tore through her with all the destructive force of an earthquake, because this was not just any man. She recognised him instantly. Would know him if a hundred years had passed, for he was locked in her heart and would always remain there.

It was Lucas. He had found her.

She couldn’t move in those first few seconds, not even a muscle. This was the day she had dreaded for so long, and yet had longed for in the very depths of her soul. To see him again filled her with unbridled joy, as she had come to think she never would look upon his beloved face again. Oh, she had daydreamed about walking into him in a crowd, or sheltering from a summer storm under a tree and finding him doing the same, but without any real hope of it happening. Yet now it had.

The first shock was passing and pent-up emotion rose to choke her throat and bring the smart of tears to her eyes. He hadn’t seen her yet and she took advantage of it.

Through a crystal blur, she ate him up like a woman who had wandered hungrily in a wasteland and had suddenly found food. She had loved this man beyond reason and doubt from the first moment they had met. There had always been a certain something about him which had made her senses leap in a way quite out of the ordinary for her. No other man had been able to hold a candle to what she had experienced with Lucas. This awareness had hit her like the proverbial ton of bricks. All her senses had come to attention, and she had been so attuned to him it had been uncanny. So much so that, whenever he had entered the same room as herself, she had felt it immediately. Like electricity charging up the air.

She could feel it now, as she stared at him. He hadn’t changed. His hair was the same blue-black she remembered, though he must be thirty-six now. In one of the Italian designer suits he had always preferred, a glass of champagne in one hand and the other casually slipped into his trouser pocket, he was the epitome of a man in control of himself and the world he lived in. It was an air of savoir-faire which she had always found immensely attractive.

Was there any surprise then that she had fallen headlong in love with him and married him, all in a whirlwind matter of months? She would do it again in an instant—except for one huge problem. Whilst she still loved him, and always would, she knew in her heart that he could no longer love her.

That thought brought her back to the reality of the present, and the fact that she was standing staring at a man who would never be as pleased to see her as she was to see him. It galvanised her into action and she turned away hastily, hoping he hadn’t seen her. What had she been thinking of, staring at him so longingly? This wasn’t a happy ending, rather the start of what could turn out to be another nightmare.

Of course, that thought turned her stomach over and she sipped at her champagne as a much needed bolster to her nerve. Think, she ordered herself. Be logical. Because she was hiding from him, that didn’t mean he had found her. This could all be pure coincidence. Why would he look for her here, of all places? She wasn’t even using the name he knew her by. Wasn’t it more likely that he had business in the area? He could even be staying in this very hotel and had looked in at the function out of pure curiosity.

That had to be it, she decided on a wobbly sigh. Not that it helped her very much if he didn’t leave in the next half hour. If he were still here at nine, then there was no way he could be prevented from seeing her. Nine o’clock was the designated time for the presentation of awards to the winners of the photography competition, a task she had been looking forward to.

Photography was her joy and getting back into it, even in such a small way, had gone a long way to giving her a sense of purpose. Life had started to have meaning again, not just days to be got through without the love and support of the man she loved. She had been happy. However, that happiness could be in danger if Lucas didn’t leave soon. If he saw her, there would be the inevitable confrontation, and Sofie feared that the most, because even though she had left Lucas with good reason she knew he would have been furious that she had just disappeared, and there were things she had never told him, the biggest of which would condemn her in his eyes for ever.

With nowhere to hide, all Sofie could do for the moment was leave the room and lose herself in the crowds swelling the other reception rooms. Soon she was caught up in the laughing, chatting groups and was able to breathe a little more easily. Leastways she did until she felt a subtle change in the air and knew that Lucas had entered the room. She tensed immediately and prayed he would move on—but then the back of her neck started to prickle and she knew those endlessly fascinating blue eyes were upon her.

She turned slowly, compelled by a force too strong to deny, her heart thumping sickeningly in her chest. She felt as if she were moving in slow motion, and indeed the noise around her faded into a drone as she saw Lucas standing at the back of the room, eyes fixed on her intently. A sense of inevitability sank over her and her eyelashes slowly fluttered down then up again.

Sofie must have stopped breathing, though she was unaware of it, for now she drew in a long ragged breath. After so long, to finally meet his eyes again was stunning and the connection shot across the room between them like a shaft of lightning. She couldn’t see his expression; she only knew the experience was as powerful as it had ever been.

She waited for him to come towards her, but he didn’t, and confusion set in. As if he sensed it, a faint smile curved his lips and Sofie hurriedly turned away, brain desperately searching for a reason for his actions. Why hadn’t he come and spoken to her? It was what she had expected. Then, of course, she understood. He was biding his time. If and when they talked, it would be on his terms. It was a subtle reminder of the circumstances of her leaving him. That had been under her control, this was to be under his.

A fact she soon confirmed by slowly making her way through one room and then another. Even though her sensitive radar could sense when he followed, she glanced over her shoulder to check. It was clear. When she moved, he moved, but always maintained the same distance between them. He was playing cat and mouse with her, and she was no cartoon character who could turn the tables on him. All she knew was that she couldn’t allow him to see just how anxious he was making her.

‘There you are! I lost you for a moment.’

Sofie spun round, a slightly guilty smile springing to her lips at the sight of David Lacey, her boss and the instigator of the evening. She had forgotten all about him the instant she’d laid eyes on Lucas. ‘I…er…just came in here to get a fresh drink,’ she lied uncomfortably, waggling her glass at him.

‘That’s funny, I thought I was doing that,’ David remarked, holding up two glasses, but Sofie wasn’t listening to him, her eyes had automatically started to search for Lucas again. She found him not too far away, watching the pair of them intently. ‘And the dog ran away with the ham bone,’ David ended dryly, which was where she tuned in again.

Her nerves jumping like fleas, she half-turned away from Lucas and beamed up at her boss. ‘Hmm? I’m sorry, what did you say?’

Not surprisingly, David frowned. ‘Forget it, it wasn’t important. Are you all right, Sofie?’ he asked in concern, then glanced at her glass. ‘How many of those have you had?’ He set the spare glass he had brought with him on a passing tray.

Sofie took a steadying breath, telling herself to get a grip. The last thing she needed was for David to ask awkward questions. ‘Sorry. It’s speech time soon and I’m a tad distracted.’ Hell’s bells, what an understatement that was, and so far from the truth! Knowing that Lucas was watching her every move was hardly conducive to calm. ‘Don’t worry, this is only my second glass.’ She never drank much and had abandoned the first glass because it had become warm and lost its fizz.

‘I see everybody who is anybody has turned out for this shindig,’ David remarked, glancing round the room. ‘Everywhere I look there’s a familiar face. Although having said that, there is one person I don’t know. Have you any idea who the man in the suit by the door is?’

Sofie’s heart gave a wild kick, for she could guess who he meant. ‘What man?’ she asked gruffly, wondering what to do, because if she pleaded ignorance and then Lucas decided to come over, she would be caught out in a lie.

‘It doesn’t matter. He’s gone,’ David replied, not realising how that would affect her.

Sofie turned, her eyes flying to the spot where she had last seen Lucas, and her spirits sank like a stone when she discovered he had moved away. As much as she had dreaded having a confrontation with him, her worst fear was that he would go and she would never see him again!

With something approaching anxiety her eyes scanned the room, searching for him and failed. Completely distraught, she couldn’t believe he had gone without making contact, when he had spent the whole evening watching her. Disappointment weighed heavily on her and she couldn’t explain why. She knew the best thing was for him to go. They couldn’t go back, and had no future. Let him be gone, the logical part of her brain told her. Let this be the end of it. Sadly, her shattered heart would always crave more.

Which was why, uncharacteristically, she took a large gulp of champagne and almost emptied the glass. Seeing it, David’s brows rose and he plucked the glass from her fingers.

‘Steady on! You’ll get tipsy doing that on an empty stomach. Wait here. I’ll go get us something to eat,’ he decided, setting their glasses aside, and would have gone off in search of the buffet had she not placed a staying hand on his arm.

‘No, don’t. I’m fine, really,’ she lied bravely, as her nerves were a mess and she was as far from fine as it was possible to get. ‘It’s almost time for my speech anyway.’

It was a relief when she had to go up and help present the awards. Making small talk with David as if nothing was the matter had been excruciatingly difficult. The last thing she felt like doing was smiling for the cameras, but it was all part of the job and she formed her lips into as near normal a smile as possible.

Casually glancing around the sea of faces below them, her heart leapt when her eyes found Lucas once more. So he hadn’t gone! As if he knew exactly what she had been thinking, he raised his glass in silent salute and her thoughts scattered to the four winds as she realised nothing was over yet.

Unfortunately she lost sight of him again when she and the winners descended to the floor and were surrounded by admiring friends and family. It took time extricating herself from everyone who wanted to speak to her, but as soon as she was alone Sofie searched the room again, with the same negative result as earlier. Tired of playing games that had her emotions see-sawing wildly, and knowing she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to make small talk with anyone right then, she sought for a means of escape and found it beyond the door to the terrace.

Outside in the warm summer night air, she made her way to the parapet and leaned on it, looking out over the city. The light was fading and all around the city began to twinkle. She had never regretted moving north, only the circumstances that had made it necessary. She had done a good job of vanishing off the map and couldn’t have chosen a better place to make a fresh start, even though she had been terrified that Lucas would find her.

When time passed and he hadn’t discovered her hiding place, she had started to think she was safe, and look what had happened—Lucas had come back into her life. The very thing she had been afraid of for so long, because, however much her heart wanted to see him, her brain knew it wasn’t safe to do so. Now, more than ever. It had gone beyond the reason for her leaving. There were things he didn’t know and, though he had a right to know them, she feared what he would do if he found out.

Life, she had learned years ago, could be cruel, causing people to make choices they shouldn’t have to make. It had broken her heart then and she had barely survived. She didn’t think she would be so lucky if fate played its hand a second time.

Just then a soft breeze blew her shoulder-length brown hair across her face and at the same time a tingle of awareness ran down her spine. She spun round, her breath hitching in her throat as she saw the source of her turmoil stroll out of the nearby shadows.

Up close he was still the handsomest man she had ever seen. A shaft of light from the windows highlighted the almost blue-black of his hair and the intense blue of his eyes. She could remember those eyes smiling at her with such love in them it had taken her breath away. Now, though, it was hard to read what he was thinking. He had closed himself off from her.

Lucas stopped a few feet away, a faintly mocking smile hovering around the corners of his mouth, whilst his eyes ranged over her. Once upon a time such a glance would have sent delicious tingles along her nerve-endings as they passed, but there was no warmth in his eyes surveying of her now. It left her feeling bereft, a faint hope dying before she was even aware of its existence. She was inordinately glad when he finally held her gaze.

‘What took you so long?’ he said huskily, the rich tone of his voice delighting her senses as it always had. However, the question made her jump.

‘L-long? I…er…’ she had to cough to clear a dry throat. ‘I don’t understand,’ she returned in genuine confusion, her emotions making it hard for her brain to work. Facing the man she loved six years after walking out on him was not a situation she had ever planned for. Quite the opposite.

Lucas shook his head disappointedly. ‘Of course you do. You’ve been watching me all evening, and I’ve enjoyed watching you watch me. That’s why I knew when you couldn’t see me you’d come in search of me.’

Sofie caught her breath, her pulse racing anxiously with her inner turmoil. ‘That wasn’t the reason. It was hot and I needed…That is…’ Realising she was almost babbling, she closed her eyes and drew in some steadying air. ‘I thought you were gone.’

‘Hoped, you mean,’ Lucas returned silkily, and she licked her lips nervously to moisten them.

‘Yes…no…w-whatever!’ she responded jerkily, then made an effort to get a grip. ‘Why would I want to see you? We have nothing to say to each other,’ she told him more firmly, because denial was all the defence she had. She needed him to walk away from her, for should he find out about her sin, he would never forgive her. In his place, neither would she.

‘On the contrary, I think you and I have one hell of a lot to say to one another, Mrs Antonetti!’ he shot back, and there was no doubting the underlying edge of anger in the coldness of his tone.

Sofie flinched, knowing he had a right to be angry. More than he knew. ‘Lucas…’ she responded helplessly, and something wild flashed in his eyes.

‘Ah, Lucas! Do you know that the sound of my name on your lips once used to send me up in flames?’ he challenged sarcastically and, because she did remember, it drove a knife into her heart.

‘Please…’ she breathed achingly, knowing she had enraged him by leaving the way she had. She should have stayed and confronted him with the proof of his treachery, but it hardly mattered now. That he had betrayed her was irrelevant, and her fears that he would have lied his way out of it and somehow convinced her to stay. She was playing for higher stakes, and the cost of losing didn’t bear thinking about.

Lucas stepped closer, eyes glittering. ‘You used to say that, too, when you begged me to make love to you. Do you remember that, Sofie? Do you remember any of it?’

Dear Lord, she remembered everything. Nothing was forgotten. None of the happiness, none of the heartache. However much she might want to throw his words back in his face, she had to be careful. She had too much to lose now.

‘Th-there’s no point in remembering. I put the past behind me.’ It was a lie. Not a day went by when she didn’t remember and long for what was lost.

A sneer curved the lips she had once craved to kiss. ‘How convenient. The trouble is, the past has a habit of rearing up and biting you when you least expect it. As it did with me, when I walked into the hotel yesterday and saw your picture advertising this event.’

Her nerves jolted as she heard that. ‘Then you weren’t…’ She cut the question off, aware of what it would reveal, but Lucas was far too astute to miss it.

‘Weren’t looking for you? No, I’m here on business, so you can imagine my shock. My errant wife, whom I had sought from one end of the country to the other, was hiding in plain sight,’ Lucas explained with a mocking laugh.

Her chin came up. ‘I wasn’t hiding,’ she denied, and it had been true once. She hadn’t started out hiding from Lucas, she just hadn’t wanted to see him again, knowing that her love for him made her weak. However, circumstances had changed, and she had ended up hiding from him for totally different reasons.

One eyebrow lifted in a gesture she remembered so well it tweaked her heartstrings. ‘Then why the change of name, if not because you didn’t want me to find you?’

Sofie’s stomach lurched anxiously. She had never found it easy to lie but, with things the way they were, she had to find some way to make him go away and leave her alone. ‘Because…Because…’ Invention failed her. Oh, God, what could she say? Her mind flailed around seeking inspiration and locked on to the first it could find. ‘I was th-thinking of, um…opening my own studio,’ she told him, her hands gesturing uneasily. ‘At one time,’ she added, hoping he would accept that, but the scoffing look he sent her spoke of her failure.

‘I might have believed it had your name been Smith or Brown, but my name sounds professional to me. So tell me, amore, why didn’t you call yourself Sofie Antonetti? You were entitled to, as my wife.’

‘Stop calling me that!’ she snapped, nerves so ragged she could scream.

Her response brought a sardonic curl to his lips. ‘Why? It’s who you are,’ he told her mockingly. ‘SofieAntonetti, my wife.’

Her lips parted on a faint gasp, whilst shock slammed her again. Surely he couldn’t mean…‘But…I told you not to try and find me, to forget me. I thought…’

Lucas tipped his head on one side. ‘That I would divorce you. Think again, Mrs Antonetti. There was no way on this earth that I was going to walk away from you without an explanation. So, that begs the question, why didn’t you divorce me? Now, what could be the reason for that? Ah, yes, because if you did I would find out where you were, and you didn’t want that, did you?’ he finished curtly.

Sofie swallowed hard. ‘I deserted you. Right was on your side,’ she pointed out huskily.

A dark look entered his eyes. ‘You’re darn right it was. You said you loved me. Couldn’t wait to marry me. Then, a few months after the wedding, you vanish into thin air. Did you honestly think I would put that all down to experience and forget you? Dream on, Sofie.’

She should have known that a man who felt as strongly as Lucas wouldn’t let anything go. He didn’t know she knew about his liaison. All he knew was that she had left him and she couldn’t put him right. Not now. Not ever. ‘I’m sorry. I made a mistake.’

His laugh was hollow. ‘You certainly did. Walking out on me was the wrong thing to do. You owe me, Sofie, and, now that I’ve found you, I fully intend to collect.’

Sofie stared at him, knowing that this was one of the reasons she had hidden herself away. She had always known he was a passionate man and that his anger would be just as tempestuous as the love he’d claimed to feel for her. Maybe he had loved her, but it hadn’t stopped him having an affair. Yet, however much he wanted answers, there were none she could give him, as she dared not let him guess her secret for fear of what he might do.

So she had to hold back her emotions and be as firm in her resolve as she had been when she’d left him. ‘There’s nothing to collect. If I hurt you, I’m sorry, but what I did was for the best. I’ll say it again. Forget you ever met me, Lucas. We were never meant to be together. Have your meeting and go home. Please.’

Lucas laughed at her. ‘Just because you were once able to get me to do anything you asked, don’t imagine you still can. I shall stay here until all my business is settled.’

It wasn’t what she wanted to hear and it set her nerves twitching again. ‘Fine. Stay, but don’t bother me. You’re not wanted, Lucas,’ she told him bluntly, thinking there was nothing else she could do.

Blue eyes narrowed on her. ‘Why? Because you’ve replaced me? Was that him, the man I saw you with? What did you do with him? Send him off on an errand and then abandon him?’

It was close enough to the truth to be uncomfortable, because she hadn’t given him a thought since coming out here. ‘David’s used to me. He won’t mind.’ At least she hoped he wouldn’t.

One eyebrow quirked. ‘Poor man, to be dismissed so casually. Perhaps I ought to tell him he’s dating a married woman.’

Not wanting him to speak to anyone about her, Sofie had to set the record straight. ‘You don’t have to worry about David, he’s my boss,’ she corrected hastily.

‘That had better be true, amore. I wouldn’t want you to end this first meeting on a lie,’ he advised her softly, staring down into her widened eyes.

‘First and last meeting,’ she corrected firmly, standing her ground, though her legs were beginning to wobble badly.

‘This isn’t over. You will be seeing me again. Now, much as I would prefer to stay and continue this fascinating conversation with you, I have a telephone conference to take,’ he informed her, stepping back as he did so.

Sofie straightened up, her heart suddenly racing again. ‘Please stay away from me, Lucas!’ she called after him as he moved off.

‘Can’t be done, I’m afraid. Not now I’ve finally found you again,’ he refused coldly, and was gone before she could utter another word.

The strength went out of her legs the instant he passed from view and Sofie sank back against the wall with a shaky sigh. This couldn’t be happening! After all she had been through, how could life turn on her this way? Because the fates had decided to give Lucas a throw of the dice. The scales had to be balanced. Only the fates didn’t know that there was more at stake than her having to explain her actions six years ago. Now she had even more to lose, and the possibility was absolutely terrifying.

‘You’re getting to be harder to keep track of than my three-year-old niece!’ David declared from directly in front of her, making her jump because she hadn’t noticed his approach.

Guilt washed over her for having abandoned him twice tonight, and she pulled herself together in a hurry. ‘I’m sorry, David. I popped outside for some air.’

‘So I saw,’ he said dryly, bringing faint colour to her cheeks. ‘That was the man in the suit I saw earlier. Who is he?’

Sofie knew that if she denied all knowledge she would only look foolish later if the lie was discovered, so she told the truth—so far as it went. ‘His name is Lucas Antonetti. He’s here on business,’ she revealed, knowing David could find that much out by asking at the desk.

He frowned. ‘Antonetti? Now, why does that name ring a bell, I wonder?’

Sofie’s stomach gave an unwelcome jolt, as she hadn’t considered David would have heard of Lucas. ‘Perhaps he’s been in the papers,’ she proffered, hoping to end further speculation.

‘Probably,’ David agreed easily. ‘Anyway, when are you going to see him again?’

She couldn’t help tensing at the simple question. ‘I’m not,’ she denied instantly, much to David’s surprise. ‘What made you ask such a silly question?’ she added, with a nervous laugh that fooled neither of them.

‘Because I saw him watching you whilst you were on the stage, and if ever a man was interested in a woman, he was.’

Sofie had to stifle the urge to laugh wildly. ‘You’re mistaken.’

Deaf to the less than subtle hint, David shook his head. ‘I think not. He couldn’t take his eyes off you!’

That was about as much as Sofie could take, and she straightened, glad to feel her legs were now supporting her. ‘We were simply talking. I have absolutely no intention of meeting him again!’ she insisted sharply and David blinked in surprise.

‘Sorry. I just thought…Well, never mind. I’ll shut up now,’ he apologised, the words tumbling all over themselves, leaving Sofie feeling wretched.

‘I’m sorry for jumping down your throat like that,’ she apologised, too, feeling tiredness wash over her. ‘Would you mind if I went home now, David? I’m exhausted.’

‘Of course, Sofie. You poor thing, you look totally drained,’ he declared in some concern. ‘You made everything look so easy, I didn’t realise how tired you must be. You did a grand job tonight and I’m proud of you,’ he added as he took her arm through his to escort her out.

At that time of night it wasn’t a long journey from the hotel to her cottage. David saw her to the door, then left with a friendly wave. Letting herself in, Sofie closed the door gently behind her. She paused momentarily, looking up the stairs, then walked into the sitting room where a young woman glanced up from the book she was reading and smiled.

‘Hi, Annie, is everything OK?’ Sofie enquired, watching the woman gather up her things, getting ready to leave.

‘Not a peep all evening,’ Annie reported, taking the money Sofie offered her. ‘Just give us a bell when you need us again.’

‘I will. Thank you, Annie,’ Sofie promised, seeing the girl out and watching whilst she walked to the next cottage and opened the front door. Then Sofie climbed the stairs and went to a door which stood slightly ajar.

Pushing it open carefully, she slipped inside and walked over to the bed, looking down at the small figure sleeping there. Her heart tightened painfully, because her dark-haired little angel was the spitting image of his father—Lucas. This was the secret she so feared would be discovered. If Lucas was bent on revenge for the way she had walked out on him, what would he do if he ever discovered she had withheld the knowledge that he had a son?

Now her heart quailed, for the possibilities were terrifying, and her hand was trembling as she ran it gently over Tom’s hair. He sighed heavily and she waited until she was sure he was still asleep before kissing his forehead and silently leaving the room again. Outside she steadied herself with a hand on the wall. What was she going to do? Lucas had betrayed her, so why should she be the one to suffer more? He was the one in the wrong, and she had been justified in leaving him. Why should there be more?

The answer was painfully obvious. Because two wrongs didn’t make a right. Because everything had to be paid for sooner or later and, for her sin of omission, that time was now.