Читать книгу The By Request Collection - Kate Hardy - Страница 77

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE CLICK OF the door unglued Ethan’s feet from the floor, sent him striding forward, her name on his lips. Only to stop. What was he doing? He’d rejected her love so why was he following her? To do what?

His gut churned. He didn’t want to hurt Ruby—hadn’t wanted to a decade ago and didn’t want to now. Somehow he had to make her see that he was right—she did not love him, whatever she believed. All he needed to do was convince her of that.

Maybe she’d work it out herself. See that every word he’d said was the truth. The past was over and he had come to terms with it. Had worked out that the best way forward was to move on, to channel his anger into becoming a success and using that success to help others. That worked for him—he didn’t need love or a family. Didn’t want love.

So why did he sound as if he was trying to convince himself?

The door swung open and Ethan swivelled round, his heart hammering in irrational hope that she had come back. Instead he saw Rafael Martinez, his expression creased in a small puzzled frown. ‘A red-haired woman brought me here. Who is she?’

Pull it together, Ethan.

‘Cora Brookes. My new hotel administrator.’

‘I see.’ Rafael frowned and rubbed his jaw. ‘I had the distinct impression that Cora Brookes doesn’t like me. She walked me here at the rate of knots and avoided all eye contact. Yet she looks familiar. Anyway it doesn’t matter. I’m here, and ready to auction like a pro tomorrow. I also have a business proposition I want to discuss with you. But you look as though business is the last thing on your mind.’

He needed to get it together. This was Rafael Martinez and this was business.

‘I’m fine. Happy to talk business. Why don’t we go to my office?’

Get away from this banqueting hall with all its memories of Ruby.

Rafael’s dark eyes surveyed him with what looked like amusement. ‘And how is the lovely Ruby Hampton?’

‘Fine.’ If Rafael was about to show even the most tepid interest in Ruby, Ethan had every intention of ramming his teeth down his throat. Business or no business. ‘Why do you ask?’

‘Whoa!’ Rafael lifted his hands in the air. ‘I was just curious. I get that she is off-limits.’

‘Yes, she is.’

Rafael’s eyebrows rose. ‘Well, if you have an interest there you should know she has left the castle at speed—with a suitcase.’

Ethan paused as his brain attempted to compute the situation. Why would Ruby have taken a suitcase when she planned to return the same day? Unless she’d figured the journey there and back was too far? Needed some space? That must be it. Yet panic whispered in his gut.

There was a knock at the door and Cora entered, glanced at Rafael and then away again. ‘Ethan. I’m not sure if I should mention this or not, but Ruby seemed upset and I’m not sure she’s coming back.’

‘What do you mean? It’s the ball tomorrow.’

‘I know.’ Cora hesitated. ‘It’s just... She gave me the whole breakdown of the event in intricate detail—as if it was possible that she wouldn’t be here. I mean...to be honest I can cover the admin side, because you and Ruby have planned it all down to the last detail. But I can’t meet and greet or mingle with the guests. We agreed that.’

Her even voice held the hint of a quaver as her turquoise eyes met his and Ethan nodded. She was right. They had.

As if aware of Rafael’s gaze as he studied her expression, Cora shifted so her back was to him. ‘And, more importantly, as Ruby put all the work in I think she should be here to see the success I am sure it will be. I thought you should know.’

Ethan hauled in breath, tried to think.

Of course Ruby wouldn’t leave.

You sure, Ethan?

The truth was the ball could go ahead without her and she knew it. It could be she was running—exactly as he had a decade ago. The irony was more than apparent.

Images of Ruby filtered through his brain. Her elfin features illuminated by enthusiasm, haunted by sadness, etched with compassion, lit up by desire. The gurgle of her laugh, the beauty of her smile... The idea of losing her, the idea that she might not return, sent a searing pain to his very soul.

Alongside that was fear...the terror of what it would feel like to let go, to allow his emotions full rein. Fear that he would somehow let Ruby down. If he allowed love to take hold he would screw it up, not be the man she deserved. That added up to a whole lot of scared.

The question now was what was he going to do about it?

* * *

Ruby approached the swish London hotel—the very same one where she had discovered Hugh’s infidelity and perfidy in a double whammy. For a scant second she wondered why the idea of facing Hugh now didn’t have the power to intimidate her. Possibly because she felt numb—had felt a cold, clammy sense of ‘ugh’ since she’d filled her suitcase and fled Caversham Castle.

Right now all she wanted was to get this over with, because she didn’t want Portia to go through the same pain and disillusionment. In addition, it was about time she stood up to Hugh Farlane.

As she entered the imposing lobby—all fancy uniformed staff, marble and fluted pillars—one of Hugh’s assistants rushed over to her.

‘Come with me,’ he said, his eyes roving the area. ‘We don’t want any bad publicity.’

‘Hi, Greg. Good to see you again. Thanks for arranging this.’

The young man flushed. ‘Sorry. It’s good to see you too. But Hugh is very emphatic that I get you up there fast.’

‘So he hasn’t decided how to spin it yet?’

Greg declined to answer, shifting from foot to foot in an agony of discomfort, and then hustled her to the lift.

Once inside the sleek metal box, she felt a sliver of worry permeate the anaesthetic of hurt. Hugh Farlane had the power to crush her like an insignificant bug, and she didn’t have Ethan’s protection to fall back on now. In her own mind at least she was no longer a Caversham employee.

The irony was that she’d come full circle.

No! Not true. Weeks before she hadn’t had the courage to stand up to Hugh. Now she did. In the past weeks she’d learned so much—on a professional and a personal level.

Before, the thought of any contact with her siblings had been an impossibility—now the idea seemed feasible. Because Ethan had shown her a new perspective. Somehow he had shown her her own inner strength. Which was a further irony. Because now she would have need of that strength to get over Ethan.

Not now. Put the pain aside and channel that inner power.

Her vertebrae clicked as she straightened up. The lift doors swooshed open and she stepped forward and followed Greg along the plushly carpeted floor to the ornate door of the penthouse suite.

‘Good luck,’ Greg murmured as he knocked and then faded discreetly away.

The click as the door swung open set her heart pounding but she managed a smile.

‘Ruby...’ Hugh stepped forward, the familiar smile full of charm on his lips. ‘Great to see you. Come right on in.’

Could the man have had some sort of amnesia attack?

‘Drop the charm, Hugh,’ she said. ‘I’ve come here to give you fair warning.’

‘Of what?’

‘If this is another scam I won’t stand by and let it happen. I will not let you do it to Portia.’

A roll of his deep brown eyes. ‘And what exactly do you think you can do to stop me? Wait.’ He raised his hand. ‘I can answer that for you. There is nothing you can do. Portia believes in me, and as far as she is concerned you are a gold-digging vixen. And that’s the way it’s going to stay. In fact...’ A casual shrug accompanied his words. ‘It may get a bit heated for you in the press again. We’ll be giving interviews, and Portia does feel very strongly about you.’

‘That’s a joke, right?’ Her imagination went into boggled mode. ‘You want me to take the flak again?’

‘Yes.’ Hugh smiled—a smile that would reduce half the population to its knees but left her utterly unmoved. ‘That’s not a problem, is it?’

‘What if I say it is?’

Goodbye to the smile and any pretence of charm. ‘Then you’ll leave me no choice. I’ll take you for everything you have. You’ll lose your job like a shot. You may think Ethan Caversham will protect you, but how long do you think he will do that if I really go to war? Threaten to get one of my friends to sue him?’

‘Sue him for what?’ Disbelief and a smidge of fear touched her.

‘For improper safety procedures—I could rig an accident, no sweat.’ Tipping his hands in the air, he switched the smile back on. ‘I don’t want to do it, Rube. I don’t... But I need this marriage to happen. Those Forsythe sisters have got a bit suspicious...my agent is on my back again. Yada-yada.’

‘In other words you’ve reverted to type,’ Ruby interjected.

‘Whatever. Point is, Portia is my salvation.’

Ruby stared at him, and suddenly so much seemed clear to her. ‘Ethan will never cower before your so-called might. And neither will I. Not any more. So I suggest you tell Portia the truth. Because if you don’t, I will. And if you lie about me one more time in the papers then I will call you on it. I will give an interview of my own and then if you want to retaliate you go for it. Bring it on.’

A burst of adrenalin shot through her system. Ethan was right—the only way to deal with a bully was to stand up to him.

Hugh’s eyes narrowed. ‘I could drag you through the mud.’

‘Go right ahead. But I will not let you do this to Portia. Or to me. I want you to tell her the truth and I want you to issue a statement saying that we have sorted our differences and you were mistaken about my gold-digging tendencies.’

He deflated before her eyes, sank onto a chair. ‘You don’t understand. I’m scared I’ll lose my career...’

‘Then fight for it. Clean up your act. Change. But do it for real and fight clean.’

Even as she spoke the words it occurred to her that she had hardly put her own money where her lips were. With Ethan she’d accepted rejection as if it were only to be expected. She hadn’t put up so much as a vestige of fight—had let him write off her love as false.

Was that the person she’d become? Sure, years ago she’d lost the fight to keep her family together, but that did not mean she had to lose every fight. The truth was, it was easier, less painful, to expect and accept defeat. After all, the harder you fought the more you risked losing.

A hard rock of determination formed inside her. ‘Your choice, Hugh. I’ve got to go.’

‘Okay. I’ll do it.’

Ruby nodded, already en route to the door. Her thoughts swirled as she figured out how long it would take her to get back to Cornwall. Should she call first? Text? Email?

The elevator felt claustrophobic, stupidly slow, and she jogged from foot to foot as impatience seized her.

Finally the doors opened and she stepped outside—and there was Ethan.

* * *

Thank goodness. Ethan’s heart thumped against his ribcage as Ruby erupted from the elevator—he’d already paced a layer off the marble floor of the lobby.

Ruby skidded to a stop and stared at him as if he could be some sort of hologram. ‘Ethan?’

‘In the flesh.’

‘But...what are you doing here?’

‘We need to talk. How did it go with Hugh?’

‘Good. All sorted. He’ll tell Portia the truth and issue an apology to me.’

‘That’s fabulous, Ruby.’

‘Is that why you came here? To check I could cope with Hugh?’ Wariness tinged her expression now as she tugged at an errant strand of hair.

‘Nope. Were you planning on coming back to Caversham Castle?’

‘No. But...’

Ethan held a hand up, not sure he could bear to hear any more. Fear strummed him. She had believed the sheer baloney he had spouted earlier. Somehow he had to convince her to give him another chance.

‘Not here. We need to talk properly.’

She nodded. ‘There are loads of cafés round here. Or...’

‘It’s okay. I have it covered. Come on.’

Within seconds of leaving the lobby Rafael’s loaned car glided to a halt in front of them. The chauffeur climbed out and opened the car door for Ruby, who slid inside with a puzzled look.

‘Why didn’t you drive your own car?’ she asked.

‘Actually, Rafael lent me his helicopter, as well as Robert and this car, to meet me on arrival.’

‘You flew here from Cornwall?’ Her eyes widened and a half-laugh dropped from her lips. ‘Why?’

Ethan shrugged. ‘Impulse. I needed to see you. To apologise and...’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘Apologise for what?’

Here goes.

Time to put himself on the line. Along with some emotional honesty. ‘For my reactions. I panicked. Just like I did ten years ago. I’ve been alone a long time; the only person who has ever got close has been you. Ten years ago I ran. I told myself I did it for you, because I could see that you had developed a misguided crush on me, but in reality I panicked.’

‘And this time?’ The question was soft, almost tentative.

Clenching his hands round his knees, he hauled in breath. ‘This time I don’t want to run, and I don’t want you to run. For ten years I have avoided emotion, locked it down because I associated emotion with bad choices, rejection and tragedy. I decided to channel my anger and use it to create momentum—to build Caversham into something bigger and bigger, to allow me to do good via charitable efforts.’

‘And you succeeded—you turned your life around.’

A twist of her body and she faced him now, her face illuminated in the dusky light of the limo’s interior, her cinnamon scent whirling in his head.

‘You should be proud of that.’

‘I am. But the whole time I have been scared of emotion, scared of rocking the boat, because I thought my whole new life would tumble down. These past few weeks you have shown me that doesn’t have to happen. With you I have run the gamut of emotions—each day I have felt more and more. Caring, desire, happiness, sympathy, a need to give and take comfort. You’ve unlocked something inside me. You’ve helped me remember Tanya as she deserves to be remembered—not just with bitterness and guilt, but with the memory of all the good she did in my life. You’ve let me look down the dark tunnels of the past and realise that along with the darkness there was also light. And there’s something else you did too...’

‘What?’

Her voice caught and fear and anticipation rollicked through him.

‘You taught me how to love. I love you, Ruby.’

For a heartbeat her expression registered no more than shock, and the fear escalated. What if she had changed her mind—realised that loving him was foolhardy? Then he would change her mind if it took him his whole life to do it. Then her expression morphed into a smile that touched and warmed him as she launched herself across the limo seat and into his arms.

‘I love you too. So very, very much. And I swear to you it is nothing to do with a need to heal you. Because I don’t need to do that—I love you exactly as you are. You’re kind and generous and caring and stubborn and demanding and deep and complicated, and I love you for all those traits. You don’t need to change for me.’

She nestled onto his lap, her hands cupping his jaw, and he felt a thrill of happiness. This woman loved him, and he knew he was the luckiest man in the universe.

‘That realisation has been an epiphany for me. You see, all my life I have associated love with need. I wanted to be needed. My parents didn’t love me enough to change their lifestyles for me, so I equated someone loving me with them being willing to change for me. Because that would give me self-worth. You’ve taught me how to have self-worth all by myself. You’ve shown me how to be brave, to stand up for what is right, and you’ve taught me to risk again—to risk rejection, to risk pain, because sometimes that is the right thing to do. So you don’t have to change to prove your love or mine. I love you.’

‘And I love you.’

He could quite cheerfully have continued in this conversational vein all day. His heart gave a happy jump and his whole body fizzed with a joy he could barely believe.

The limo glided to a stop and he dropped a kiss on her lips. ‘Now that is sorted you need to come with me.’

‘Where to?’

‘Wait and see.’

* * *

The door opened and Ruby scrambled off Ethan’s lap, sneaking a quick glance at the impassive face of the chauffeur and figuring he’d probably seen worse as Rafael Martinez’s driver.

She looked around in an attempt to work out where they were. Not that it mattered—all that mattered was Ethan’s proximity and the sheer sense of wonder that doused her. Ethan loved her. The urge to cartwheel, to grab passers-by and tell them of her sheer happy feelings nigh overwhelmed her.

Instead she looked round and took in a tree-lined canal, with moored narrowboats of all colours bobbing up and down on the water. Cream Georgian architecture abounded, and the whole area felt like a quirky peaceful oasis in the midst of London’s sprawl.

A quick tour of her mental knowledge told her they were in Little Venice.

‘Come on,’ Ethan said.

His grin was so boyish, so relaxed, that her heart threatened to burst.

‘Close your eyes.’

Ruby scrunched her eyes shut and wrapped her fingers round Ethan’s capable hand, anticipation unfurling as he guided her along the pathway.

‘Okay. You can look.’

A small gasp escaped her lips as she surveyed the boat—gaudy, cheerful, bright red. It looked as though it had a personality all its own.

‘Ta-dah!’ Ethan beamed at her. ‘Welcome to the Oasis. Fifty-eight feet long, six foot ten inches wide, she’ll be able to take us all over England’s canals.’

The grin dropped from his face, to be replaced by a serious expression, his blue-grey eyes full of passion and determination. ‘It’s symbolic. I want you on board my boat, Ruby, and I don’t care how much it rocks or rolls or even if it capsizes, as long as we are on it together.’

The words caused a prickle of tears and he looked at her, consternation written all over his face.

‘Hey, don’t cry!’

‘I can’t help it. That is so beautiful and...’ She gulped. ‘I can’t believe you bought a boat!’

‘Come and see.’

Ruby followed him inside and felt an instant sense of home. The interior had a clean, homey, compact feel, with the space used to incredible effect. The kitchen area gleamed with pine, and as she explored she gave a small gurgle of delight at the dexterity of the storage space. Already she could picture rustling up meals as they chugged along England’s canalways.

Walking further in, she saw the tiny but functional bathroom and shower room. ‘There’s even a dining area!’

‘Well, meals are an important consideration. And look—when we don’t need the table it can be folded away and we convert it into a lounge. Plus there are two cabins—a double room and a twin. Tight fit, but...’

Ruby stilled. ‘Why the twin bedroom?’ she asked.

‘Because one day I hope that we will have children. Adopted or birth or a mixture of both.’

His words caused her to freeze, unsure whether to believe him or not, and needing him to understand that she truly loved him for himself. Only him. That he was way more than enough.

‘You don’t have to say that. I meant what I said. You are who I want. I want my future to be with you—to wake up every day wrapped in your arms.’

‘I get that, Ruby, but you have changed me. You’ve opened my heart. And I have enough love in there for you and for children. Of course I’m scared—scared I’ll mess it up, terrified I’ll let them down—but I also know I will strive every day to be the best parent I can. Because you were right earlier. I don’t blame my mum for what she did, but I could never do that to my child. I would never give up and I would never stop loving them. I’ll be there for them, Ruby. I swear I will.’

‘There is no doubt in my mind, or in my heart.’

Of course he was scared—after his childhood how could he not be? But she knew that Ethan would be a wonderful dad, and she wanted to whoop with joy that he too wanted a family.

‘I know you will be a wonderful dad, and I so want us to be a family. I’ve decided to try to trace Tom, Edie and Philippa as well. Make some new memories.’

The idea still scary, but with Ethan by her side, there to catch her if she fell, as she would be there for him, it seemed less daunting.

‘I’ll support you one hundred per cent. In this and everything, Ruby. Now and for ever.’

His smile was so full of love her breath hitched in her throat.

He gestured towards a corner of the lounge area. ‘And right now why don’t you have a look in your stocking?’

‘Huh?’ Following the trail of his hand, her eyes alighted on a small Christmas tree, still in its pot, decorated with silver strands of tinsel and red, purple and gold decorations. Pinned next to it was a bulging striped stocking, with a candy cane poking out of the top.

‘I know it’s not Christmas anymore. But I figured there was still some Christmas magic left in the air,’ he said.

There were those tears of joy. Again. ‘How on earth did you manage to do all this?’

A grin and the wicked wiggle of his eyebrows banished her tears in favour of a chuckle.

‘Consider me all-powerful. Actually, it wasn’t too hard. The helicopter only took an hour or so... Rafael’s driver picked me up at Battersea... A few stops on the way and then straight here to Little Venice, where the ex-owner of Oasis waited. I cleaned the place, set up the tree, and then I went back to the hotel to wait for you.’ Eagerness lit his expression as he shifted from foot to foot. ‘Come on—open it.’

Unhooking the stocking, Ruby sank onto the cushioned sofa and dived her hand inside. Pulled out a heart-shaped box of chocolates, a gorgeous bath bomb that exuded lavender and chamomile, a pair of fluffy woolly socks... And then, nestled in the toe, her questing fingers found a box.

Heart pounding, mouth parched, she tugged it out and opened it. Inside was a ring—a glorious cluster of sapphires and diamonds.

‘Sapphires to match the sparkle of your eyes,’ Ethan said. ‘Diamonds because diamonds are for ever. Will you marry me, Ruby?’

‘Yes.’ The assent dropped from her lips and happiness blanketed her as he slid the ring onto her finger. ‘It’s so beautiful.’

‘Not as beautiful as you. Now, look up.’

There above them was a sprig of mistletoe, and as Ethan’s lips covered hers she knew that her happiness was complete. They would sail their boat together over the horizon, into a life that would hold ups and downs, rain and sunshine. But she knew with all her heart that their love would ride every swell, weather every storm and bask in each ray of happiness.