‘So I believe,’ he acknowledged dismissively.
He didn’t ‘believe’ it at all—he knew it. And he desperately wanted to know how Sabina had taken the news.
Chloe arched dark brows. ‘Fergus tells me you’ve already met Joan…?’
‘Briefly,’ he confirmed tersely, having no intention of filling any of his family in on that disaster of a weekend. Not that meeting Joan had been a disaster, far from it, but as for the rest of the weekend…! ‘Don’t worry, Chloe,’ he drawled, ‘you’ll get your chance next weekend when we’re all invited to the formal introduction to our soon-to-be stepgrandmother!’
When was this show going to start? he wondered impatiently. It was scheduled to start at eight-thirty, but it was almost nine o’clock now!
‘I’m not worried, Brice,’ Chloe assured him dryly. ‘I know Hugh well enough to accept he has impeccable taste; I’m sure Joan is lovely. Will Sabina be there next weekend, do you think?’
If Chloe meant to divert him from his scowling contemplating of the catwalk with the suddenness of her question, then she succeeded. Whether or not Sabina intended being at the dinner at a London hotel next weekend was one of the things he had been wondering about himself!
He certainly hoped it was to be the case, and not just for selfish reasons; he had come to like Joan very much over the last few weeks, and he wouldn’t like Sabina to do anything that might hurt her mother—and ultimately herself.
‘I have no idea,’ he dismissed blandly. ‘Are these things usually as late starting as this?’ he added impatiently.
‘Invariably,’ Chloe confirmed unconcernedly. ‘Don’t worry, Brice.’ She reached over and squeezed his arm reassuringly. ‘I have it on good authority that Sabina is definitely here.’
No doubt with the ever-watchful Clive in attendance! Well, that was just too bad—because he intended seeing Sabina this evening, no matter who might try to stop him.
‘I don’t—’ He broke off as the lights began to dim, the loud music that seemed to accompany all these functions suddenly blasting out over the speakers. ‘And about time, too!’ he muttered irritably, settling himself more comfortably in his seat as he prepared to see Sabina for the first time in three weeks.
During the next hour model after model came strutting down the catwalk, all of them dramatically beautiful in the designer clothing—and none of them was Sabina!
‘She is here, Brice,’ Chloe assured him again as she sensed his tension rising by the minute.
He scowled darkly. ‘Then where the he—’ He broke off, half a dozen spotlights suddenly focused on the centre of the stage, the music stopping briefly as the finale of the first half of this fashion show began.
Sabina…!
Beautiful, mysterious, alluring Sabina. She looked exquisite in the sparkling dress of midnight blue, the material shimmering suggestively about the perfect curves of her body as she seemed to glide down the centre catwalk, blonde hair arranged in a fantastic space-age style, the dramatic eye make-up she wore making her eyes appear the same midnight-blue as the glittering dress she wore. She looked to neither left nor right as she came to a halt at the end of the catwalk, but her smile seemed to glow almost as much as that sensually entrancing gown.
Brice was too stunned by her appearance to join in the enthusiastic applause of the rest of the audience. Sabina had never looked so beautiful to him.
Or so aloof and unattainable!
This was her world, he realised numbly, the world where she was Queen. And he, he suddenly realised, he was chasing that elusive ‘end of the rainbow’…
He was paralysed by the realisation, didn’t even register the fact that Sabina, after smiling and waving to the enthusiastic audience, had now left the catwalk, the main lights coming back on for the brief interval.
‘Do you want to go behind the scenes now?’ Chloe asked gently, seeming aware that Brice was totally transfixed.
Even if she had no idea of the reason for it…
‘Brice…?’ Chloe prompted again after a few seconds when she had received no response.
He pulled himself together with effort, shaking his head self-derisively. ‘I’m just fooling myself, aren’t I?’ he muttered disgustedly. ‘This is where Sabina belongs.’ Here, and, as Brice was only too painfully aware, in Richard Latham’s home.
‘I’m not sure I agree with you there.’ Chloe shook her head as they joined the other people going outside to stretch their legs before the resumption of the show. ‘Most of the models I know, when they aren’t actually working, lead a very lonely life. The majority, having reached the fame and fortune they thought they wanted, would give anything for the normality of genuine love and marriage in their lives,’ she added softly.
‘Sabina already has that,’ Brice returned harshly, feeling slightly claustrophobic amongst this glittering, noisy crowd.
Chloe looked thoughtful. ‘Do you really think so?’ she mused frowningly. ‘I’ve always thought of David’s Uncle Richard as rather a cold man.’
Bruce shrugged. ‘He’s Sabina’s choice, not mine,’ he rasped.
But even if it meant meeting the other man again—something he had no wish to do!—he knew that for Joan’s sake Sabina had to be at the dinner party next week.
He had briefly, while dazzled by Sabina’s beauty and success, lost sight of the compelling reason for his being here tonight. Oh, he wanted to see her for himself, but he had told himself the driving force behind his appearance here this evening was to ascertain a promise from Sabina that she would be supportive of her mother next week.
He had told himself that…
But one look at Sabina and he had known he was only fooling himself; if anything, the love he had realised he felt towards her three weeks ago had intensified. To the point where he wasn’t sure he could see her without telling her how he felt!
‘Maybe it would be better if I just left now,’ he acknowledged heavily.
‘I don’t think—’ Chloe broke off what she had been about to say as they were joined by a third person. ‘Hello, Annie,’ she greeted the young girl warmly. ‘It’s going well, isn’t it?’
‘You should see the chaos out the back,’ the young girl said with feeling before turning to Brice, giving him a cheeky grin. ‘Would you be Mr McAllister?’
‘I would,’ he confirmed warily, completely baffled by the fact that this girl Annie was looking for him. For one thing, she was dressed casually in jeans and a tee shirt, which meant she certainly wasn’t part of this glittering, well-dressed crowd. Also, she had mentioned ‘out the back’.
‘Then this is for you.” Annie thrust an envelope into his hand. ‘Back to the chaos!’ She grimaced before hurrying off, pushing her way unconcernedly through the crowd.
Brice looked down dazedly at the envelope he now held. What on earth—?
‘Aren’t you going to open it?’ Chloe prompted curiously after several minutes of Brice just staring at the envelope. ‘Annie is one of the dressers from backstage,’ she added helpfully.
Brice had already guessed that much. And as he only knew one person backstage, this letter had to have come from Sabina. So much for his thinking she had been completely unaware of her audience earlier. That was professionalism for you; Sabina, although giving no outward sign of it, had obviously been aware enough to see him sitting out there with Chloe!
But why would Sabina be writing to him? To warn him, having seen him and guessed his intention, not to embarrass himself by trying to see her later this evening when the show was over? Or was it something else? He was almost afraid of the answer to that!
‘Just open it and see what she has to say,’ Chloe encouraged impatiently as he still hesitated.
Brice gave her a mocking glance. ‘Aren’t you assuming rather a lot?’ he drawled.
‘I doubt it,’ his cousin-in-law told him dismissively. ‘Look, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’m going to the ladies’ room for the dozenth time this evening.’ She grimaced, the discomforts of early pregnancy already having made themselves felt. ‘It will also give you a chance to read your letter in peace,’ she urged, squeezing his arm encouragingly before hurrying off.
If Chloe weren’t already married to, and deeply in love with, his own cousin, Brice knew he could have fallen in love with her himself at that moment just for her thoughtfulness alone. If, that was, he didn’t already love Sabina so deeply!
‘If you need to talk to me just show this letter to one of the security men at the end of the show’, Sabina’s letter read.
Brice turned the single sheet of paper over just to check there was nothing else written there. There wasn’t.
Very helpful! If he needed to talk to her—not that she wanted to talk to him.
Whatever that might mean!
Sabina wasn’t sure, looking at the uncompromising expression on Brice’s face as he stood in front of the closed door of her tiny changing-room, that this had been a good idea. In fact, the ache in her chest, just at the sight of him, told her that it wasn’t.
But she had been completely thrown earlier this evening when she’d seen Brice in the audience seated next to the designer, and his cousin-by-marriage, Chloe Fox—had been sure that he couldn’t possibly be here to see the show. Which had to mean he was here to see her. At least, she had thought he was. As she looked at the harshness of his expression now, she wasn’t so sure…!