Had Connor done something to remind Kate of her father?
No. Simply not possible. Okay, Connor was big and powerful and wore leathers and rode a motorbike, but if there was any propensity for violence it would have come out when he’d seen Kate being attacked by her father in the pathology lab that day.
A curl of shame always came with that memory for Bella. It had been her fault the situation had happened in the first place. She’d irresponsibly jumped in and arranged the meeting, thinking she could resolve old family issues, and it had led to disaster.
Well… not complete disaster. After all, it had been precisely that situation that had shown both Kate and Connor how much in love with each other they were and now here they were, planning their wedding and the rest of their lives together.
Lady Dorothy was wriggling her fingers as if she was playing a piano now.
‘They hardly hurt at all,’ she said happily.
‘Excellent. Let’s work on your wrists now.’
Bella helped with the movements, but her thoughts were drawn back to the problem at hand. She needed to focus.
Pride in her part in bringing her beloved aunt and her lover to the point where they were sublimely happy was beside the point because Kate wasn’t so happy any more. And Bella was quite sure it wasn’t anything Connor might have said or done. He hadn’t shown any violence towards her grandfather in the lab that day when he’d clearly deserved it. No. He’d used his strength and his big body to shield Kate and protect her. So it couldn’t be that something had happened in their relationship to remind Kate of her past.
No way.
So it had to be something else.
But what?
6
‘Everything’s fine, Bella.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course I’m sure. Where’s this coming from?’
There was a short silence on the other end of the line. ‘Um…’ It wasn’t like Bella to sound so unsure of herself. ‘It’s just a feeling I got the other night and it won’t go away. Like you’re hiding something.’
Kate froze. If Bella suspected something, how long would it be before Connor did? She stopped sorting the papers on the desk in front of her and raised her head to stare through the glass windows of her office into St Patrick’s busy pathology lab. No. She was sure Connor didn’t suspect anything. His lovemaking last night had been the usual mix of raw masculine power and the gentleness that could bring her to tears if she thought about it.
Like now. Kate had to blink hard.
‘Kate?’
‘I’m here.’ Kate cleared her throat and tried to swallow, but her mouth felt strangely dry. The person she loved most in the world after Connor had to be her niece. The bond they had was unique and ran deep. It went back to a time when Kate had had dark secrets to hide and Bella had been far too young to know about any of them. She knew more now but she still didn’t know everything. And she wasn’t going to, any more than Connor was.
Kate was starting a new life. A future that was more than anything she’d ever dreamed of. Marriage to a man she would die for. A man who, miraculously, seemed to love her just as much.
The past was gone. Or was it? Maybe that was why Bella was asking awkward questions. She’d known Kate a lot longer than Connor had so maybe she was tuned in at a different level. Something like panic opened its claws in Kate’s belly. She had to stop the direction of this conversation urgently. Before it did her head in and she said something that would blow the whole can of worms open.
‘I’m pretty busy, hon. Was there something in particular you wanted to talk about?’
She heard a sigh. ‘I’m not having a great day, I guess. I’ve been worried about you and?—’
‘Well, you can stop worrying about me for a start,’ Kate interrupted firmly.
‘But…’ Clearly, Bella wasn’t going to be reassured that easily.
‘I don’t know what you think you’ve picked up on, but it’s probably just a bit of pre-wedding jitters or something.’
‘Jitters? How can you have jitters when you’re getting married to Connor? He’s gorgeous. And he adores you. You adore him. You’re perfect for each other. If I’m half as lucky as you, then I’ll be happy.’
‘It’s getting close rapidly, that’s all.’ Maybe there was a way forward to be found here. A means of buying time? Softening the final blow that had to come?
