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‘I won’t look, if that’s what’s troubling you,’ Race said harshly. ‘I wonder if you’d be as shy with your precious cousin? Was that why you left home, Heather? Because you knew he wanted you and that your aunt and uncle wouldn’t approve? Was he the one you were thinking of when I made love to you? He wants you so badly he’d almost convinced himself that was his child inside you….’
‘Neil is my cousin, Race,’ Heather protested, feeling her stomach muscles curl in protest at the anger she could sense within him. ‘I had no idea how he felt. We were always good friends, but….’
‘You didn’t know he desired you? And if you had known, Heather, what then?’ he taunted. ‘Would he have been the one to hear your virgin cries of pleasure? To impregnate your body with his child?’
Why was he talking to her like this? He couldn’t possibly be jealous of Neil. Or was it simply that he resented the fact that Neil had known about the baby when he did not?
‘I had no idea about Neil,’ she told him shakily. ‘And I left home because I’d… because I’d had a bad experience with someone else. Someone I thought loved me, but who in the event merely wanted to marry me because my parents had left me some money. I wasn’t a particularly popular teenager; being so tall made me feel awkward and unsure of myself. When Brad took an interest in me, I put him up on a pedestal. Neil helped me to find self-confidence. He was the one who suggested I take up modelling; he’s always been a keen photographer.’
‘Don’t I know it!’ Race grated savagely. ‘He photographed my wife, pregnant with my child… God, Heather, can’t you imagine what it did to me to see that picture, to open a local newspaper and see you staring back at me, then, when I’d….’
‘Forgotten all about me?’ Heather supplied sweetly. ‘I expect it was quite a shock. Race… Race, where are you going?’ she asked curiously as he turned his back one her and strode back to the villa.
‘To get myself a drink,’ he snarled back at her. ‘I damn well need one!’
To help him forget that he was trapped in their marriage? Heather wondered helplessly when he had gone. What on earth had made her talk to Race about Brad? She couldn’t understand why she had confided in him. That had been her secret, something she hid away from everyone else….
Race was right about one thing, though, she decided in irritation, seconds later. Her bikini top was uncomfortable, and since he had gone back to work and she could hear the angry rattle of his typewriter, she felt perfectly safe in removing it.
The balm of the sun against her bare skin made her stretch languorously, her book forgotten as she felt a familiar drowsiness steal over her. She really was growing lazy, sleeping like this every afternoon, but it was undeniably pleasant to let her body relax, her mind drift.
She woke up to find Race standing over her carrying a tray of tea. ‘I thought you might like a drink.’
Whatever had made him angry seemed to have disappeared, but Heather flushed as she felt his glance linger on the pale curves of her breasts. Did he find her ugly with her body heavy with pregnancy? She wanted to reach for her top but felt awkward about doing so, not wanting Race to guess how much his proximity affected her, and said instead, ‘I’d better go inside and get some sun-cream. I don’t want to burn.’
‘There’s some here,’ Race told her, picking up a tube she had forgotten. Turn over and I’ll do it for you.’
Hoping her expression hadn’t given her away, Heather dutifully rolled on to her side. The cream felt cool on the back of her thighs, the long, stroking movement of Race’s fingers dangerously arousing. Her relief when he moved to the outside of her thighs was short-lived when she felt him untie the bow that held her bikini bottom in place, his fingers stroking up along the curve of her hip and then round to the fullness of her stomach, gently massaging the taut skin until she had to close her eyes in dizzy protest, willing herself not to utter the small groan of pleasure she could feel building up inside her.
‘What’s the matter?’ The movement of his hand stopped and she opened her eyes to find him watching her closely. ‘You’ve gone quite pale. Are you feeling all right? I wasn’t hurting you, was I?’
What could she say? ‘Junior seemed to enjoy it,’ she joked weakly, ‘I think he’s gone to sleep.’
‘I’m glad I can please one member of my family.’ His voice was so dry Heather thought she must have imagined the fleeting glance of pain in his eyes. Was he, too, wondering what it would be like if there was love between them, if she was the woman who held his heart?
‘Don’t get up yet, we haven’t finished.’ He squeezed some more cream on to his hands and smoothed them softly against her breasts, cupping them with his palms, the sensation utterably pleasurable, as his fingers moved delicately over the pale flesh.
‘Heather.’ He said her name harshly, alerting her drowsing senses to alarm, a sweetly painful gasp wrung from her lips as his thumb stroked slowly over her nipple, his face oddly pale as he stared down at her. His eyes closed in a sudden gesture of defeat as he placed his mouth against the hollow between her breasts, his breathing harshly ragged, as he muttered something she couldn’t hear before letting his lips close over the nipple he had been stroking, tugging gently on the puckered flesh until it flowered against his tongue and a fierce wave of heat consumed her, her body tensing in remembered pleasure.
‘Heather.’ His voice sounded thick, almost unrecognisable, ‘God forgive me, I shouldn’t have done that. I….’ He raked his fingers through her hair, sitting down beside her. ‘I just found the sight of you unutterably arousing, I guess. When… when the baby comes, do you… will you… Are you going to breast-feed it?’ he asked sombrely, and Heather felt her skin colour as she realised the direction of his thoughts and felt her own undeniable response to them.
‘I… I don’t know.’ It was a lie. How often already had she longed impatiently to hold the baby in her arms, feeling it draw strength and succour from her body?
‘If you don’t you’ll be depriving it of a very special bond,’ he said huskily, adding stupefyingly, ‘And if you do, no doubt I’ll be as jealous as hell.’
And with that he got up and walked back to the villa, leaving Heather trying to come to terms with her disordered thoughts, the tea he had brought her growing cold in the pot.
* * *
They returned to Heathrow five days later, and drove straight to the apartment, which was every bit as unwelcoming as Heather had remembered. She didn’t see Race until dinner time, as he had been up early and had left straight after breakfast. Although their holiday had relaxed her physically, mentally she was still keyed up, and Race didn’t seem to have gained any benefit at all from their break. He looked tired, and almost drained, she thought as she studied him across the table.
‘I have to go out after dinner,’ he told her curtly when he had finished his meal. ‘By the way, I’ve got something for you. A belated wedding present which isn’t quite ready yet.’
He tossed her an envelope and Heather opened it curiously, wondering what on earth it could be. A wedding present wasn’t something she had expected. After all, their marriage was scarcely the type that demanded one. Her gasp of surprise as she slid the papers from the envelope caused Race to lift his head, but she was too engrossed in what she was studying to notice.
‘It’s the house,’ she said slowly at last. ‘The Elizabethan house we saw…. But Race, you never said… how did you know…?’
‘I saw the way you looked at it,’ he said simply, ‘and this apartment is no place to bring up a family. And by a family I don’t just mean one child,’ he warned her hardily. ‘The legal formalities for the house will be completed by the end of next week. ‘It’s basically sound, but one hell of a lot needs doing to it. If you don’t feel up to it, hire a firm of interior decorators.’
‘Oh no!’ the protest was out before she could stop it. ‘I’d rather do it myself, really, Race,’ she said slowly. ‘I know it will take longer; we might just about have it f
inished before his first birthday,’ she said lightly, touching her stomach, ‘but if you’ve no objections I’d prefer it that way.’
‘Suit yourself.’ He shrugged broad shoulders encased in the smoothly expensive fabric of his suit. ‘I’d better get a move on. Don’t wait up for me, and Heather….’ She turned to look at him. ‘When you’re making your arrangements, remember that the master suite will be occupied by both of us, won’t you?’
So he did still desire her, Heather thought dazedly when he had gone and she had read and re-read the details sheet of the house. Or was it simply that he wanted to reinforce the image of a compact family unit? Did he think she might turn to someone else if he neglected her, Neil maybe, and so jeopardise their children’s security?
Only one thing was clear, and that was that she would never know the motivation behind his actions unless she asked him, and she was scarcely likely to do that. He had bought her the house, had recognised her unexpressed desire for it and had given it to her. Surely that proved something? She fell asleep feeling much happier than she had done for some time, but her happiness disappeared the following morning when she saw a photograph of Race and a familiar, tiny blonde adorning the gossip column of her newspaper.
‘Entrepreneur Race Williams and Lady Davinia Fane dining together at the new restaurant, Raffles, opened by TV personality John Richards,’ the caption read, and Heather felt her happiness turn to bitterness. Was the house Race’s way of buying her off, burying her in the country while he was free to live a bachelor life in the city? She could almost laugh aloud at her naïveté.
Telling herself that it was pointless to brood, she rang her aunt to tell her about the house. ‘Yes, I know, darling,’ she heard Lydia say. ‘Race asked your uncle to see to it all for him. I think he would have asked Neil, but poor Neil’s been so touchy about your marriage! However, he seems to be getting over things now. We had a card from him the other day, he’s decided to stay on for another couple of weeks in Switzerland, and so has Sue Reynolds. When are you coming down?’ she asked eventually. ‘I’m longing to see you.’
‘Once the house is legally ours. I’d like to move in before the baby comes if possible, but there’s an awful lot of work to be done.’
This was a view Jennifer reinforced when she called to see her later that day.
