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She sucked in a shuddering breath. ‘And you want to know something, Leon?’ she continued. ‘I understand. In a way, I almost expected it. I mean, who would ever want to get involved with a woman like me? I know I’m not good enough. Don’t you think I’ve always known that? But please don’t make out that I’m the only one of us who resorted to subterfuge when it suited them!’
‘Marnie—’
‘No!’ She dabbed a furious fist against each wet eye before fixing him with a glare. ‘You make a big deal about me keeping parts of my life secret, but didn’t you do exactly the same when we first met? Pretending to be some boho biker, rather than a billionaire tycoon?’
‘You know why I did that,’ he growled.
‘I know what you told me. That you didn’t want people muscling in on you and knowing how rich you are and that’s why you keep a beaten-up old car in every place where you have a home. You had your reasons, Leon, just like I had mine. Do you really think yours are somehow more valid because you’re so powerful?’
‘You’re twisting this, Marnie.’
‘No. I’m telling you how I feel, but it’s done now. Don’t worry. I get it. It’s over. It should never really have begun. And I’m out of here.’
She moved towards the door and instantly he slid from the desk. ‘Where are you going?’
‘That’s none of your business.’
‘It is my business if you’re being hounded by journalists because of your association with me.’
‘But I live in Acton and nobody knows that.’ She gave a laugh which was edged with hysteria. ‘Because I am a nobody!’
‘Don’t be so naïve, Marnie,’ he snapped. ‘Finding out where you live will be a piece of cake and if you try to use public transport you’ll be a target. My driver will take you anywhere you need to go. If you like, I can send someone from my security team to keep their eye on you. And I’ll leave a credit card on the side. Use it for whatever you need.’
She shook her head in disbelief. ‘Have you even listened to a word I’ve been saying?’ she demanded. ‘Do you think that’s the answer to everything—that you can just buy your way out of things, when the going gets tough? I don’t want your damned money, Leon, and I don’t want your damned driver—or your security team!’
And Leon was left with nothing but the sound of loud slamming as she stormed her way out of his office.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
IT WAS ACTUALLY quite easy to ‘disappear’.
Marnie realised she’d spent most of her working life influenced by the faint fear of not knowing what the future held. She’d been saving for that mythical rainy day for a very long time, which meant she’d accumulated quite a lot of cash which she could now use.
Because that rainy day had arrived.
Accompanied by her sister, she had left London—sneaking away as dawn was breaking over the city, with Pansy driving a borrowed and rather fancy car, although refusing to say whose car it was—‘I’ll tell you later...’
Hair Heaven had told her to take as much time as she needed and, at very short notice, Marnie had found a tiny cottage to rent on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors—chosen mostly because it reminded her of one of her favourite books from childhood and seemed to fit wi
th the bleak mood she was trying to hide from her sister.
‘It’s good to be able to help you for a change,’ Pansy said, once they’d managed to push open the rather stiff front door and she’d placed a steaming mug of tea in front of Marnie, as though she were recovering from some kind of sickness.
Which in a way, Marnie guessed, she was. There was obviously a reason why the expression lovesick had come about—and she was certainly portraying all the symptoms of it. She couldn’t eat. Couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t stop thinking about the man who had stolen her heart and left her wondering how she was ever going to get it back.
Pansy waved a packet of chocolate biscuits in front of her but Marnie shook her head. ‘I won’t, thanks.’
‘You should. You’re looking peaky,’ said Pansy disapprovingly.
‘Unlike you,’ said Marnie, eyeing her sister.
It was true. Pansy was positively glowing and had toned down the sequins and too-tight tops. She’d also had her hair cut so that it swung in a sleek blonde bob around her shoulders, instead of falling to just above her bottom in that retro hippie style. ‘Why didn’t you ask me to cut your hair for you?’ she added suspiciously.
‘You were too busy jetting off in private planes, weren’t you?’
A lump rose in Marnie’s throat and, quickly, she changed the subject. ‘Whatever you’re doing, just keep doing it. You look fantastic,’ she said huskily.
The biscuit she’d been just about to munch into forgotten, Pansy smiled—a soft, sweet smile edged with contentment. Marnie had never seen her sister look like that before and suddenly the penny dropped, and she wondered what had taken her so long to work it out. ‘You’re in love?’ she asked.
