Читать книгу To Marry Mccloud - Кэрол Мортимер, Кэрол Мортимер - Страница 9

FERGUS woke slowly, totally disorientated for several long moments as he moved his head gingerly to look around what he recognised as the comfort of his bedroom, his head feeling as if it were full of cotton wool.

How had he got here?

Damned if he knew!

He glanced at the bedside clock. Nine-thirty. He lay back on the pillows, his eyes once again closed.

What day was it?

Logan and Darcy’s wedding had been yesterday, he remembered that. So today must be Sunday, he decided. No need to worry about getting up just yet. He didn’t have anywhere else to go, no one to see, and Maud, his housekeeper, always had Sundays off. He usually worked all day on a Sunday, grabbing a sandwich to eat if he felt hungry, so there was really no need for Maud to be here—

Then why could he smell coffee?

Champagne delusions? Because coffee was what he most felt in need of? As he had hoped, he didn’t have a hangover, but his mouth felt as if it were full of sandpaper. A cup of coffee was very much on the agenda. He—

No, there was no doubt about it, he could definitely smell coffee. Strong, rich, reviving coffee.

But how—?

‘Wakey, wakey, Fergus,’ chirruped a bright female voice from somewhere over near the bedroom doorway. ‘I’ve brought you up a mug of coffee.’

Fergus frowned, unmoving, eyes still closed, aware that the smell of coffee was much stronger now, but completely uncertain about the plausibility of that first statement. He couldn’t possibly be awake. There was a woman in his bedroom.

Not that it was unknown for a woman to be in his bedroom; he had spent some very pleasurable hours with women in this four-poster bed. Just not last night. Not just champagne delusions, then, hallucinations, too!

‘Come on, sleepyhead,’ that female voice continued teasingly. ‘Sit up and drink your coffee.’

Fergus slowly opened his eyes, wincing as he turned his head, half afraid of what he was going to see.

Deep blue eyes. A long cascade of blue-black hair. A slender female body obviously completely naked beneath his casually buttoned white evening shirt, the legs bare beneath its thigh-length.

Not hallucinations; he had to still be asleep. There couldn’t possibly be an almost naked woman in his bedroom. He distinctly remembered he had left the wedding reception alone yesterday.

‘Coffee.’ She put down one of the mugs she carried on the table beside him. ‘Black. No sugar,’ she encouraged lightly.

Exactly how he took his coffee. But how did she know—?

‘What are you doing?’ he gasped disbelievingly as she sat down on the bed beside him.

She raised surprised brows, smiling down at him. ‘You don’t mind if I sit here and drink my coffee with you, do you…? Or that I borrowed your shirt to wear? It’s cold downstairs in the kitchen.’ She gave a slight shiver before taking a sip from her own steaming mug of coffee.

Fergus stared at her, not sure whether he wanted her to sit with him or not.

She had been roaming around the house, rooting around in the kitchen to find the makings of the coffee, obviously wearing nothing but his shirt! It was just as well it was Maud’s day off! His housekeeper was perfectly aware of his bachelor lifestyle, but that didn’t mean he had to flaunt it in her face.

Fergus turned away, ostensibly to pick up his own coffee and take a sip, but in actuality it was to give him a few more seconds’ thinking space. Except that it didn’t. By moving, he had discovered he was completely naked beneath the bedclothes!

Not that he should have been surprised by the fact, he realised dully. He didn’t remember meeting this woman, didn’t remember coming home with her, so why should he remember taking his clothes off?

There was, however, one undeniable truth to this situation: this woman—whoever she was—had obviously spent the night here. With him. In this bed. And he didn’t remember a thing about that, either!

Not even her name…

How the hell had this happened? Too much champagne on an empty stomach, came the obvious answer.

He remembered leaving the wedding reception. He vaguely recalled going on to the nightclub. After that—nothing!

“‘Thank you, Chloe”,’ she mocked behind him. ‘You’re welcome, Fergus,’ she answered liltingly.

Chloe. Her name was Chloe, he acknowledged with some relief. But he didn’t—

Yes, he did. Some of it was coming back to him now. The nightclub. She had come over and spoken to him. Sat with him, even though he had been less than enthusiastic. Had drunk with him. Gone to bed with him…?

Somehow he seemed to have missed something between drinking the champagne at the nightclub last night and waking up to find her in his bedroom this morning. He didn’t remember the two of them going to bed together at all, let alone—let alone—

How the hell did he get himself out of this one? He groaned inwardly. One thing was certain: he was never going to drink champagne—or anything else!—to excess, again.

‘Er—Chloe…?’ He turned slowly, slightly more awake now, blinking dazedly as he took in this woman’s delicate beauty.

She was so tiny. The hands that were cupped about her coffee mug were almost like a child’s. Hands that were bare of rings, Fergus noticed with a certain amount of relief; at least he didn’t find himself in this predicament with a married woman!

But that it was a predicament, he was in no doubt. How on earth were you supposed to behave towards a woman with whom you had obviously spent the night in bed—a night you didn’t remember? An apology didn’t seem to exactly fit the bill!

‘It’s good coffee,’ he said inanely instead.

‘Thank you,’ she accepted warmly, putting her empty mug down. ‘I simply can’t tell you how wonderful it was to meet you last night, Fergus,’ she added a little shyly

It was…?

Personally, he wouldn’t have thought himself capable of giving of his best in the condition he had been in last night, but who was he to argue if she—?

Damn it, it wasn’t a question of arguing; he simply didn’t remember anything of being intimate with this woman the night before, and he could not pretend otherwise. But he could hardly tell her the truth, either, his conscience warned him softly. Not only would that be insensitive, it would be extremely insulting!

‘I’m glad,’ he answered noncommittally, absently playing with the dark silkiness of her hair as he wondered what to do next. ‘Er—did we—?’ He broke off as the strident noise of the doorbell ringing resounded through the house.

Someone was at the front door!

Obviously, you idiot, he instantly scorned himself. But who on earth could be calling on him at—nine-forty-five, the bedside clock showed—on a Sunday morning?

There seemed only one way to answer that question. But with the beautiful Chloe dressed in nothing but his shirt, Fergus was loath to get out of bed to go downstairs and answer the door. Maybe if he just lay here and ignored it, whoever it was would go away—

The doorbell rang again. Longer this time.

His caller wasn’t going to just go away!

Chloe stood up. ‘Shouldn’t you go and answer that?’ she prompted.

Of course he should. But it could be anybody: his mother, who was in town for the wedding yesterday, or one of the women he had taken out during the last couple of weeks. He could hardly introduce any of them to Chloe when he didn’t even know who she was himself!

‘Wait here,’ he warned as he straightened, sitting up to swing his legs to the floor.

Yep, he was naked, all right. And a quick look round the room told him his dressing gown was in the bathroom where he had left it yesterday morning.

It was stupid to feel in the least self-conscious as he walked to the bathroom to get his robe. And yet he did. This woman might know exactly what he looked like without his clothes on, but he didn’t remember her knowing. He obviously knew what she looked like without her clothes too, but he didn’t remember that, either!

‘I won’t be long,’ he assured her before leaving the bedroom, more relaxed now that he was at least wearing his robe.

What an awful situation. Who was Chloe? Where had she come from? More to the point, what was he going to do with her now…?

‘Brice…!’ he breathed hoarsely after opening the door and finding his cousin standing there on the doorstep grinning at him cheerfully.

‘Fergus,’ Brice greeted lightly. ‘Nice car.’ He turned to look appreciatively at a green sports car parked behind him in the driveway. ‘Anyone I know?’ Brice raised inquisitive brows.

Fergus stared at the car. He had never seen it before. For that reason alone he knew it had to belong to Chloe.

Well, at least that answered one of the questions that had been plaguing him since he’d woken up earlier and found her standing beside his bed; with a car like that she was unlikely to be someone who expected paying for whatever services she had provided last night!

‘Or do I mean, anyone I should like to know?’ Brice amended teasingly.

No doubt his cousin would be as knocked out by the way Chloe looked as Fergus was himself. But Fergus suddenly found that he didn’t like that idea at all.

‘What can I do for you, Brice?’ he asked briskly.

The other man shrugged. ‘Don’t you remember that we made an agreement yesterday to play golf today? You said you weren’t working today, so I’ve booked us in for a round at twelve o’clock,’ he explained.

Golf. He had made arrangements to play golf today?

How on earth could he do that, when Chloe was still upstairs in his bedroom? When he had to find out exactly what—

‘Good morning!’ Chloe greeted cheerfully at that moment from directly behind him.

Fergus closed his eyes briefly in a wince. He had been hoping to put Brice off before going back upstairs to talk to Chloe; that way he could have avoided having the two of them meet. Her sudden appearance behind him meant it was going to be impossible.

‘And a good morning to you too,’ Brice returned lightly, looking past Fergus to smile at Chloe.

Fergus turned slowly, dreading the moment; Chloe had looked enchanting in his shirt, sexy as hell, actually, but, dressed like that, it was also obvious that she must have spent the night here. He and Brice were close, yes, but that didn’t mean he wanted his cousin to see Chloe looking like that.

But he needn’t have worried—she was completely dressed! The white shirt had gone, a short, slinky black dress in its place, her legs silky in sheer tights, high-heeled shoes on her tiny feet. Her hair was no longer tousled but brushed in a shiny blue-black curtain down the length of her spine, and her face was almost bare of make-up, except for a red lipgloss. But there was no doubt in Fergus’s mind that she was the most exquisitely beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life!

She joined the two men at the door, her movements gracefully elegant. ‘Aren’t you going to introduce us, Fergus?’ She looked up at him expectantly.

Introduce her to Brice? Yes, he supposed he better had. It was just that for a moment there her beauty had actually taken his breath away!

He took in a ragged breath, his arm moving lightly about her shoulders as he drew her to his side. ‘Chloe, this is my cousin, Brice McAllister. Brice, this is Chloe—’ He came to an abrupt halt, looking down at her frowningly. He had no idea what her surname was!

‘Fox,’ Chloe provided laughingly as she easily read his confusion, holding out her hand to shake Brice’s. ‘Don’t mind Fergus, Brice; too much champagne!’ she quipped. ‘Now, if you’ll both excuse me?’ She included both men in the warmth of her gaze. ‘I overheard you two say you’re off to play golf, and I have an appointment myself at one o’clock. I obviously have to shower and change before then,’ she added with a self-derisive grimace at her evening dress.

Obviously, Fergus acknowledged tautly, already wondering who this one o’clock appointment was with. Besides, she couldn’t just disappear like this! When was he going to see her again? If at all?

Because suddenly Fergus found that he did want to see her again, very much so. It was very frustrating having this complete blank about their time together last night. He wanted to see her again, needed to see her—if only to have the chance to refresh his memory!

Chloe turned to him, smiling up at him before standing on tiptoe to kiss him lightly on the cheek. ‘I’ll ring you later, shall I?’ she murmured discreetly.

The effect of that kiss on Fergus told him at least some of what must have happened to him last night; his cheek still tingled, and his insides felt as if they were melting.

He had dated some beautiful women in his time, some incredibly sexy ones too, but he could never remember reacting that strongly to a single, almost platonic kiss before. Chloe Fox was pure dynamite!

‘Do that,’ he confirmed abruptly.

‘Nice to have met you, Brice,’ she said with a nod before walking over to her car.

Fergus watched her go, admiring the lean grace of her body as she moved, her legs shapely as she swung easily into the low confines of the sports car, giving the two men a brief wave before reversing the car down the driveway and speeding away.

Brice whistled softly at his side. ‘She’s absolutely beautiful, Fergus,’ he opined appreciatively.

She was gorgeous, Fergus mentally agreed. She—

She had just driven out of his life, he realised with a sickening jolt!

He, Fergus McCloud, a man who always ended relationships before they could possibly become serious, had just been given the brush-off. Big time!

Because Chloe Fox wasn’t going to call him—she didn’t have his telephone number!

Chloe managed to keep up her charade of cheerfulness until she had turned the corner away from Fergus McCloud’s home. And then her knees began to shake, quickly followed by her hands, the latter so badly she was having trouble steering the car. So much so that she knew she had to pull the car into the side of the road, or end up crashing into something.

Leaning her head back against the leather upholstery, she closed her eyes as her whole body seemed to be shaking now.

She had forced her company on Fergus McCloud last night with the sole intention of talking to him, had driven him home for the same reason. Having him collapse unconscious on the bed as soon as she’d got him up the stairs had not been part of her plan!

She had stared down at him frustratedly for several long minutes as he’d lain on the bed gently snoring, knowing that if she’d left then, as he had already predicted, along with nearly everything else about last night, he wouldn’t remember meeting her, either!

Having got that far, she hadn’t been able to allow that to happen. And so she had stayed, curled up uncomfortably in the bedroom chair, while Fergus McCloud had slept the sleep of the untroubled in the huge four-poster bed!

It had seemed like a good idea at the time; now she wasn’t so sure… She had aroused his curiosity, of that she was certain—he had obviously been stunned to wake up and see her in his bedroom this morning! But it was his compassion she really wanted. The problem was, she still wasn’t sure he was capable of it…

And then his cousin had arrived so precipitously this morning, putting an end to any chance she might have had of talking to Fergus!

She drew in a ragged breath, having finally stopped shaking enough to turn on the ignition and continue the rest of the drive to her home. A home she shared with her parents.

What would Fergus McCloud make of that if he knew? No doubt, on the evidence he had from last night, he thought her a completely free agent, able to come and go as she pleased. She hadn’t missed that quick glance he had given the ring finger on her left hand, had easily seen him relax when he’d discovered no wedding band there. But to assume she was answerable to no one just wasn’t true.

Although she should be in luck this morning; her parents should have gone to church by now, leaving her free to enter the house undetected.

She parked her car in the driveway beside her mother’s car, her father obviously having ferried them to church in his four-wheel drive.

Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that if her parents saw that she was still wearing the dress she had worn to go out in the previous evening, they would guess immediately that she hadn’t been home all night. And the last thing she wanted were any questions concerning her whereabouts previously!

She had reached the bottom of the wide stairway to go up to her bedroom, completely undetected by any of the household staff, when a door suddenly opened behind her.

‘Chloe…?’

David. Her brother-in-law, and also her father’s assistant. It could have been worse!

She turned to smile at him. ‘Don’t you have a home to go to?’ she joked, knowing that her sister, Penny, and their three children would be waiting for him there. And this was Sunday, after all…

Tall, and sparely built, his blond hair thinning slightly on top, David Latham had been her father’s personal assistant for the last fifteen years.

His presence in the house had brought him into close contact with all the family, and twelve years ago he had married Chloe’s older sister Penny. Their parents had been thrilled at the match, and absolutely doted on their three grandchildren: Paul, aged ten, named after his grandfather, Diana, aged seven, and five-year-old Josh.

‘I just had to stop by and drop off some papers your father needed as soon as he gets back from church.’ He held up the papers. ‘And shouldn’t I be the one asking if you forgot last night that you have a home to go to?’ he drawled, eyeing her clothes pointedly. ‘I’m pretty sure you aren’t going to join your parents at church dressed like that!’ he added forthrightly.

‘You would be right,’ she grimaced.

‘Don’t look so worried, Chloe.’ He laughed softly. ‘I was young once, too, you know.’

David obviously assumed she had been on a raucous night out. And it would be better for everyone if he continued to think that.

‘I won’t tell my father about you if you don’t tell him about me,’ she returned lightly, knowing that, right now, given her father’s precarious political position, appearances were everything, including those of his son-in-law and assistant, as well as his youngest daughter. ‘Now I think I had better go upstairs and shower and change—before anyone else sees me!’

David grinned. ‘You look as if a little sleep mightn’t come amiss, either.’

He was right, Chloe discovered a few minutes later on looking in the dressing-table mirror in her bedroom. There were dark shadows beneath her eyes, and her cheeks were very pale too.

But it had been a long night. Most of it, she remembered, spent sleeplessly as she’d sat in that chair in Fergus McCloud’s bedroom, wondering what sort of man he really was.

Oh, she knew his background. Knew Fergus and his mother had gone to live in his Scottish grandfather’s castle after his parents had divorced, that he had gone on to become a lawyer after university, that his career had been put on a back-burner since his rise to stardom as a writer six years ago. But those weren’t the things she needed to know about him…

Was he a kind man? A compassionate man? A man who believed in fairness, even at a cost to himself?

Those were the things she needed to know about Fergus McCloud—before she could even begin to ask him for what she really wanted from him.

Contrary to David’s advice, she didn’t go to bed, lunching at home with her parents, and David, Penny, and the children would join them, as they usually did on a Sunday.

Chloe spent the afternoon with her mother answering letters, and accepting or refusing the numerous social invitations they had received during the week. Where possible they were accepted; her father was about to make a political comeback, and being seen socially was necessary to that campaign.

But thankfully there were only the three of them at home for dinner this evening, meaning they could eat more intimately in their family dining-room, rather than the much larger room they used when they had the numerous guests that were invited to dine here at least once a week.

The meal was superb, as usual, but by the time they had been served and eaten dinner Chloe was definitely feeling the effects of her lack of sleep from the night before, excusing herself as her parents lingered over their coffee and brandy.

‘You’re looking a little pale this evening, darling.’ Her father looked up at Chloe concernedly after she had bent down to kiss him goodnight.

He was tall, handsome, and distinguished-looking, at fifty-five, his dark hair only showing faint tinges of grey at his temples. Chloe absolutely adored her father, would do anything in the world that she could for him. Anything!

He was infinitely kind, his compassion all consuming. He always thought of others before himself. In fact, he had all of the attributes Chloe was hoping to discover in Fergus McCloud!

She felt a heaviness in her chest just at the thought of the other man. He was another one of the reasons she was going to her bedroom earlier than usual. She had been putting off telephoning him all day, partly because she felt a certain apprehension, but also because she hoped it would make him more curious about her when she did eventually make the promised call.

Until she knew Fergus a little better, and could gauge the best way to approach him, she wanted to keep him guessing where she was concerned.

And she had certainly done that this morning! It was probably extremely naïve of her, but it really hadn’t occurred to her when she’d made the decision to stay last night that Fergus would believe the two of them had spent the night together in his bed. One look at his face this morning and she had known that was exactly what he had thought!

‘I had rather a late night,’ she answered her father ruefully.

‘Then an early night today is the ideal thing, darling,’ her mother encouraged warmly as Chloe kissed her goodnight.

Also in her mid-fifties, her mother was still very beautiful. She was tiny, with dark shoulder-length hair; her face was youthful, almost unlined, and her figure still as slender as when she had been Chloe’s age. Her deep blue eyes were always full of warmth and kindness. And never more so than when she looked at her younger daughter.

Penny had already been ten when Chloe had been born, a rather late surprise for all of them. But even as a very young child Chloe had sensed she was all the more precious to them because of that. As her family, and their happiness, were now infinitely precious to her…

‘I’ll see you both in the morning.’ Chloe’s smile included them both, that smile fading as soon as she was out in the hallway. Much as she would like to, she really couldn’t put off telephoning Fergus McCloud any longer…!

Once in the privacy of her bedroom, she took out her mobile phone and dialled his number—before she could change her mind! If she thought about it too long, she simply wouldn’t do it!

She felt her heart sink as the number kept ringing and ringing. It had never occurred to her that he wouldn’t be at home when she did decide to ring him!

What—?

‘Fergus McCloud,’ came the sudden abrupt response as the receiver was finally picked up the other end.

Chloe drew in a controlling breath before answering. ‘Have I interrupted something?’ she enquired with a husky confidence she was far from feeling. But it wasn’t going to help her cause if Fergus knew she had been so nervous about making this call and talking to him that she felt physically sick!

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, and then, ‘Chloe…?

He sounded uncertain, less sure of himself than he had last night and this morning. Perhaps the waiting game had worked after all…?

‘Who else were you expecting?’ she came back. ‘Or is that a silly question?’ After all, he could have a woman—several women!—in his life.

The enquiries she had made about him discreetly the last couple of weeks hadn’t uncovered too much concerning that side of Fergus’s private life. Although it seemed he hadn’t gone to his cousin’s wedding yesterday with a companion, otherwise he wouldn’t have been on his own last night at the club. Would he…?

‘Not at all,’ he drawled, sounding more relaxed now. ‘Actually, I was in the bath when the phone rang; I had to get out to answer it.’

But he didn’t sound too put out by that fact… ‘Does that mean you’re standing there completely naked even as we talk?’ Her tone was deliberately provocative.

Which was far from the way she was actually feeling! Just the thought of it conjured up visions of last night and this morning, of Fergus, in all his naked glory, strolling casually across the bedroom in order to get his robe from the bathroom.

It had taken every ounce of will-power she possessed not to turn away, to act as if she thought nothing of his nudity!

Although, she had to admit, Fergus was well worth looking at. Tall and muscular, his skin lightly tanned, not an ounce of superfluous flesh on his body, he moved with a lithe grace that was almost feline.

‘Not exactly,’ Fergus answered dryly.

‘Oh.’ She sounded disappointed.

‘I’m sitting down, actually,’ he corrected laughingly. ‘And I’m getting rather cold too,’ he added uncomfortably.

‘Mobile phone,’ Chloe told him abruptly—in order to stop her thoughts dwelling too long on those memories of his physical attributes.

‘I beg your pardon?’ he came back in a puzzled voice.

‘If you had a mobile phone, you could take it into the bathroom with you,’ she explained self-consciously.

‘No, I couldn’t,’ Fergus assured her firmly. ‘I hate the damned things. They’re an intrusion into man’s privacy,’ he stated with distaste. ‘There’s something rather unpleasant about the idea of just anyone being able to invade your bath; I’m rather more choosy than that!’

Chloe clearly remembered from this morning the luxurious bathroom that adjoined his bedroom, the large round sunken bath that dominated the gold and cream room; yes, it was more than big enough for two people to share!

‘Just a thought,’ she dismissed.

‘To what do I owe the honour of this call?’ he prompted.

Your unthinking actions are threatening to destroy my father, my family, all over again! she wanted to scream at him.

But she didn’t…

‘I said I would ring,’ she reminded him.

‘And do you always do what you say you will?’ Fergus commented throatily.

‘I find it’s usually best to, yes,’ Chloe rejoined. ‘How did the golf go?’ she continued conversationally.

‘Brice trounced me,’ he answered with obvious disgust. ‘What did you do to me last night, woman? I hardly had the strength to hit the wretched golf ball this afternoon!’

She hadn’t done anything to him last night! At least, not in the way he meant. By the time she had driven him home, staggered up the stairs with him, got him undressed and into bed, he’d been out cold!

She laughed huskily. ‘Poor Fergus,’ she returned noncommittally.

She knew exactly what interpretation Fergus had put on finding her in his home, his bedroom, this morning. After her initial feelings of shocked dismay at the realisation, she had decided it might suit her purpose better if Fergus were to be a little unsure of himself where she was concerned. But, even so, she was not about to tell him an outright lie…

That would be reducing herself to the same level as the people who had already destroyed her father’s career once. And almost destroyed their family too.

Eight years ago her father had been a prominent member of the government, in such a strong position politically that he would probably have become the next leader of his party, and so, in time, the next Prime Minister. But it had all come tumbling down around his ears when one of his aides, a woman, had committed suicide.

Susan Stirling had been aged in her mid-thirties, unmarried, not even in a long-term relationship—and she had been four months pregnant at the time of her death!

The newspapers had gone wild over the story, making a big issue as to who the father of her unborn child could possibly have been. Chloe’s father had become the popular choice!

The scandal and speculation had rocked on for days, weeks—her father’s official, and private, denials of the affair meaning nothing to the press.

It had been a nightmare; all the family hounded wherever they had gone, and Chloe’s life at school had been made miserable as even she had been taunted with her father’s so-called indiscretions. But her parents’ marriage, thankfully, had survived the furore, her mother’s trust in her husband unshakeable. And neither Penny nor Chloe had ever doubted their father’s honesty for a moment.

But, finally, the Prime Minister of the time, with another election coming up some time during the following year, had been unwilling to let his government be shaken by such a public scandal, and had regretfully had to ask for her father’s resignation.

Her father’s place in his constituency had fared no better when the general election had taken place eight months later, her father losing his seat too as his opponent had used the unsolved scandal to his advantage.

Eight years her father had been in the political wilderness. Eight years!

And now, on the very eve of his attempt to restore his career, his campaign for re-election next year already underway, he was being threatened from a completely different source.

Whether he knew it or not, whether he cared or not, that source was Fergus McCloud!

And if it were humanly possible, Chloe intended stopping him!