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'But Barbara's got Craig now, and I understand he's divine in the kitchen,' Sharon drawled slowly. 'What Reece and I shall do heaven only knows; thank goodness for Mrs Goode.' She smiled coldly. 'We shall have to take her with us when we holiday abroad.'
The message was clear and Miriam knew that her shock had registered on her face as the other woman's smile widened with satisfaction.
'But we'll remember your little firm for the reception, sweetie…' Sharon tapped her arm condescendingly. 'Good workers are so hard to find these days. Reece often complains about that very thing; he's such an old crosspatch at times but I can usually find some way to…console him.'
'You'll have to excuse me.' Miriam looked straight into the lovely face, not bothering to try and hide her disdain for the innuendo and double talk as her lip curled slightly. 'This particular worker has things to do.'
She walked away steadily, her back straight and her head high, but once in the outside corridor she turned into the privacy of the flat, collapsing with her back against the door as she fought silently for control. So they were lovers? So what was new? She had known, hadn't she? And the reference to their marriage, the sly insinuation about the reception…?
'I don't believe it…' She heard her whisper in the empty room with a sudden surge of self-contempt What did it matter what she believed? Reece certainly didn't care one way or the other, and she was blowed if she was going to skulk in here like a small, frightened rabbit. She would do what she had determined to do—get through this day and then go on from there, although where to she didn't have a clue.
She drew a deep breath, brushed back a few wisps of hair that had come adrift from the tidy pony-tail at the back of her head, and smoothed down the neat blue dress that they had decided on as a uniform for the female staff when a function was on. There was a strange sour taste in her mouth and a dead weight where her heart should have been but she was damned if she would ever let him know how much he had hurt her. She'd get through this with some dignity if it killed her.
She pulled open the door and stepped smartly into the corridor outside, only to bump headlong into Dannie, who looked as though he was loitering outside.
'Oh, hi.' The friendly grin was the last thing she needed at this moment, she thought helplessly as she
forced her frozen mouth to respond in kind. 'I've been looking for you,' he said quickly. 'You've been like a will-o'-the-wisp today—here one minute and gone the next.'
'Lost, Donnie?' The cool, deep voice from the end doorway brought both their heads jerking round, and Miriam saw that Reece's face was cold and expressionless as he stared their way, leaning lazily against the open doorway as the silver eyes flicked tightly over Donnie's startled face.
'Not exactly.' Craig's brother laughed nervously as he moved away from Miriam. 'Just wanted a word with this little lady, here.'
'I'd rather you didn't.' Now the dark voice was positively icy. 'This is Barbara's big day and I've paid a fortune to have the caterers catering; know what I mean?'
It was insulting, both to her and the big Australian, and she saw Donnie stiffen slightly as his eyes evaluated Reece's powerful frame and massive shoulders before he seemed to concede defeat.
'No problem.' He smiled again but it didn't reach the blue eyes. 'I'll go and grab myself another beer; that's one thing I do like about this freezing-cold country— the beer.'
Reece didn't reply verbally or by so much as the flicker of an eyelash, and after another long, embarrassing moment Donnie sauntered towards him, edging past without looking at him and entering the noise beyond.
'That was incredibly rude.' She faced him angrily, her cheeks glowing bright scarlet and her eyes flashing. 'There was absolutely no need to behave like that.'
'This is my house, Miriam; I behave exactly as I want to,' he said icily. 'Now, can you organise your people to start clearing away, please? I intend to have the fireworks in an hour or so, and after that the fruit and champagne, of course. Keep your mind on what you are being paid to do rather than flirting with my guests.'
He shut the door before she had a chance to reply, which was just as well because even she didn't know that she knew some of the words she muttered furiously after him.
The fireworks went off without a hitch, lighting up the dark sky with glittering stars and curls to the accompaniment of oohs and aahs by the assembled guests and shrill squeals from the children who were present. The strawberries were consumed with every appearance of enjoyment, the excellent champagne drunk with relish, and back in the kitchen, as the staff brought the last dishes through, Mitch suddenly grabbed her and swung her round, his voice exuberant.
'Perfect. You planned it all perfectly, Mim.' He released her, to stand grinning down into her exhausted face. 'And we pulled it off, didn't we? I had my doubts whether we ever would.'
'Did you?' She forced a smile from somewhere and then sat down rather suddenly on a chair.
'You're whacked.' Mitch waved a hand at the chaos behind them. 'We'll see to all this; you go to bed.'
'No.' There was still far too much to do. 'But I think I'll go and get a breath of fresh air if you don't mind. I won't be long.' She had to do something to combat this faintness she was feeling.
'Be as long as you like,' Mitch said cheerfully. 'I think our reference is guaranteed now, don't you?'
Damn the reference. As she fetched her coat from the flat and walked through to the garden from the door at the end of the corridor she was conscious that she was feeling most unlike herself. She couldn't have named the emotions that were bubbling away deep in her chest to anyone, but a burning rage was there, as well as crucifying hurt and pain, and as the icy cold air hit her hot face she took a long, deep gasp of its crystal cleanness, shutting her eyes for a moment then opening than to walk quietly round to the side of the house that was not overlooked by any windows.
The night was deathly quiet and still, the sky a dark blanket in which a million twinkling stars provided a natural display that was more impressive than any man-made explosions and coloured sparks, and already frost was thick on the top of the snow, its glittering crystals picked out by the moonlight that was flooding the pale winter night.
Her feet were wet through within seconds, and too late she remembered that she had forgotten to change her light working shoes, but it didn't matter. She leant against the trunk of a silver birch and shut her eyes tightly. Nothing mattered. She was way, way out of her league with this thing, and the only person she could blame was herself.
She couldn't even blame Reece—she felt the urge to howl and scream take hold and bit it back savagely— not really, not if she was honest. He had been brutally honest all along in making it plain that the only emotion he could feel for her was one of male sexual desire. Probably that was all he felt for Sharon too, but the difference was that she was like him, she could cope with how he was—enjoy it, even. Miriam shook her head silently. And soon he would be out of her life for good. It was too much to take in.
She heard the footsteps behind her just a second too late to turn as a pair of hard and very strong male arms enclosed her from behind, hugging her to a broad chest at the same time as a prickly face nuzzled into her neck. For a second, just a second, she thought it might be Reece, and then Donnie's Australian twang destroyed what she was forced to acknowledge had been—crazily— hope.
