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She put her finger to his lips. “Please. If you care for me at all, allow me some space.”
He covered her hand with his, turned his face into her palm where he kissed her briefly. “I’ll agree, but only because I want you back.”
She stared at him a moment longer, eyes glistening, and then walked away. He followed her to the door and watched as she climbed into the taxi.
Feeling like a condemned man, he slammed his hands against the top of the door frame. As the car turned away, he caught his last glimpse of her.
I bought tickets to Paris, he thought as he turned away and paced up and down the hallway. He had to stop himself from jumping in the Maserati and chasing her down to announce what he’d planned.
She needed time alone. She’d hate him for not respecting that.
If only I’d done it earlier. He’d been so wrapped up in making the most of the situation between them, wielding the manor as his bargaining tool, that he forgot how to do things properly. By the time he’d realized that he should be courting her, it was too late.
“This bloody house,” he muttered, and glared around the walls of the hallway, resenting the place. He thought it was a chance for them to be together, but now that it had unveiled the secrets of the past, he wanted to tear it down brick by brick. The urge to pick up that weapon he’d used earlier and smash the carved banisters to smithereens was overwhelming.
But something stopped him. Reason. Carmen still loved this place, and deep down he did, too. It’s our home.
He turned back to the door. Gripping the frame he stared at the fading lights on the taxi. “You belong here at Burlington Manor, Carmen Shelby. I’ll show you that it’s meant to be.”
Carmen was the heart of this place for him. She always had been.
And she’s everything I ever wanted and always will be.
It was time to pull out all the stops.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
AFTER THREE DAYS of hell, Rex’s emotions finally crystallized. He knew what he wanted and how to get it, and he believed his thought
s and actions would now be more precise and considered. Which was just as well, he reflected, because he was currently in a court of law.
He stared across the Oxford Crown Court room at the dock, where Olivia and her two sons awaited their initial hearing. Just seeing them again made his blood boil. Justice would be done. The date for the trial would be set by the end of this session and the prosecution barrister had assured him that all three would be held in custody until the time of their court case.
Olivia looked every bit as prim and proper as when he’d first met her. Her gaze was set in the middle distance and her expression showed distaste, as if she was above it all and saw no reason for her incarceration. Rex shook his head. That was some delusion she’d woven for herself.
He still found it hard to accept that the two men in the dock were his half brothers, but when he studied Charles he saw the likeness to their father. Charles stared back at him, steely eyed. Only Jason, the younger man—the one who’d had the damn cheek to obtain employment at the manor—looked suitably penitent. With head lowered and loose hair hanging down around his face he made a sorry picture.
At least one of them had the decency to look ashamed.
“Court in session, all rise,” the usher announced.
The judge entered and took his seat.
Despite his intention to make Olivia and her sons feel his wrath across the courtroom, Rex glanced repeatedly at the entrance in the hope that Carmen would appear. She wanted nothing to do with it, yet he couldn’t stop looking for her. Even while the prosecution and defense presented their statements his attention was divided. It had been the hardest three days of his life. The deep, profound need to contact her was unremitting. Even though he’d been working around the clock—his time divided between negotiating with Nikhil Rashid and pursuing the investigation into Sylvia Shelby’s death—his thoughts had never been far from Carmen.
He forced his attention back as the charges were read. Olivia Fordyce didn’t flinch when her crimes were listed. Not one iota of remorse. Would that change during the actual court case itself? Rex wondered. He wasn’t inclined to think so.
“In view of the criminal and vindictive nature of their actions,” the prosecution barrister stated, “I request your honor does not grant bail.”
Rex frowned while he listened to the defense, who suggested Olivia had made misguided attempts to gain her sons recognition, which had got out of hand. Muttering beneath his breath, he looked at the judge, hoping to God he wasn’t going to be swayed.
“After due consideration of the circumstances,” the judge concluded, “Olivia Fordyce and Charles Fordyce will be held in custody until the case is heard. Given the gravity of the crime—including attempted murder, possession of a weapon with intent to harm and actual bodily harm of an innocent bystander—the charges are serious enough to warrant no bail. However, with regards to Jason Fordyce I’m inclined to be more lenient.”
Rex cursed beneath his breath.
“If the circumstances of the statements are true,” the judge continued, “Jason was an unwitting pawn, manipulated for information and to gain access by his older brother and his mother. Bail for Jason Fordyce will be set at £5,000.”
Rex stood and watched as Olivia and Charles were led back into custody. Would there be anyone there to provide the bail money? He observed as Jason was taken in a different direction. Nearby, on the observation bench, an elderly man rose to his feet and gestured at Jason. Rex studied the man. A relative, he surmised. Damn it.
