Passionate Scandal

And she sensed a grim resolve about him, a determination to do what was right for them this time, no matter what that meant to anyone else. ‘Just trust me, hmm?’

* * *

Nina’s wedding day dawned bright and clear. True to its fickle nature, April had gone out on a clash of thunder and let May arrive on a blaze of fire.

Madeline climbed out of bed and stretched lazily. The last few weeks had placed an almost intolerable strain on her, what with the wedding arrangements heating up to today’s boiling point, and her trying to keep her relationship with Dominic completely secret.

‘I don’t want to steal any of the limelight from Nina,’ she’d told him. ‘It’s her day, and having all those gossips tittering about you and me would spoil things for her.’

‘I can accept that,’ he’d agreed. ‘Anyway, I rather like having a clandestine affair with you,’ he murmured, his eyes glinting wickedly down at her. ‘You were born to do shocking things, Madeline, and I only wish we could do the shocking things going on in my imagination right now, but I suppose we can’t.’

‘You suppose right,’ she’d said sternly. They were, after all, dancing as circumspect friends should do among a full complement of eager gossips.

That had been last night at the big dinner Louise and her father had thrown for close friends and relatives. The Stantons had come en masse, visiting the Gilburns’ home for the first time as friends again in four years. Madeline had seen Dominic and her father slope off into his study halfway through the evening, and they had both returned smiling.

‘He signed,’ Dom had murmured to her as soon as he could speak to her later. ‘We’re equal partners on this one…I hope that damned nose of his hasn’t let him down this time, Madeline,’ he added drily, ‘or I just may sink with him!’

‘Is it that big a risk?’ She had stared at him anxiously.

‘Darling,’ he had drawled, ‘everything your father does is a big risk—having you for a daughter being the biggest one of all,’ he’d added teasingly.

‘I’ll get you for that one later,’ she’d warned him.

‘I’ll look forward to it.’ His eyes had gleamed in a way that brought the colour pouring into her cheeks, so she’d stalked away, and half the room had looked from her to Dominic’s smiling face and speculated on what he must have said to Madeline Gilburn to make her so angry. And Madeline had smiled to herself because only she and Dominic knew that it wasn’t anger burning in her cheeks but excitement, pure anticipatory excitement.

Perry had arrived back last night just before the guests started arriving, driving down with Forman, who was playing a very wary kind of love game with Vicky.

Perry had taken one look at Madeline when she met him at the door and said, ‘My God, I’ll kill him!’

Blushing, her blue eyes alive with happiness, she’d gone into his arms for a hug. ‘It’s wonderful,’ she’d whispered. ‘But it’s a secret, so don’t tell a soul!’

‘Are they all blind here?’ He’d scoffed at her claim of secrecy.

‘And what about you and Christina?’ she had enquired gently, searching his hazel eyes for a glimpse of the same glow she knew she was displaying. It hadn’t been there.

‘It’s funny really,’ he had said musingly. ‘I went to see her, determined to sort things out between us no matter what it took, then found it took nothing at all because one look at her and I saw her for the shallow, selfish, spoiled if beautiful little brat she actually is and thought to myself, Hell, Linburgh, you’ve had a damned lucky escape!’

Madeline had laughed in delight. ‘What did you do?’ she’d demanded with bright-eyed curiosity.

‘I got the hell out of there as fast as I could—what do you think I did?’ he had scoffed. ‘God, it was a close-run thing, that,’ he’d shuddered.

‘Come on,’ she’d linked her arm through his and given it a comforting squeeze, ‘what you need is a glass of good Scotch whisky and some pleasant company to revive your jaded spirit.’ And she had led him into the drawing-room where all her family waited.

‘I’ll vote for that!’ he had exclaimed heartily. ‘So long as there are no scheming females in there waiting to grab me. I’m off women at the moment.’

Not that this aversion had showed during the evening. Every time Madeline had looked at him he was charming some poor female or other, and neither age nor beauty came into it!

Her smile was wry now as she moved over to the window to check the weather. It was going to be a hectic day, she predicted, but at least when it was over she could relax. She and Dominic could relax.

Dom…just his name was enough to set her sense quivering.

These last few weeks had been the most wonderful passionate—nerve-racking weeks of her whole life!

By eleven o’clock you could have cut the tension in the Gilburn house with a knife. Vicky had arrived in her usual flurry of energy, turning a glowering look on Forman Goulding who, with Perry, was trying his best to merge with the wallpaper in the drawing-room.

‘Had a fall-out?’ Madeline asked as the two girls went upstairs together.

‘The horrible man accused me of flirting with Perry the other night!’ her friend scowled.