He gave her a sideways glance. ‘No, I don’t think you could. But put yourself in her place. Go on, Sara,’ he said firmly as she went to protest. ‘Right. Now you’re married to a man you no longer love, you have two children by him. Suddenly you meet a man you do love, and you want to be with him, but your husband refuses to give up his children. What do you do?’
‘I—Why I—He should have let my mother take both of us,’ she declared. ‘It was pure selfishness—–’
‘Wasn’t it selfish of your mother to want both the children, to take them thousands of miles away? She already had the man she loved, your father was left with nothing.’
‘He—I—–’ she frowned. ‘Separating us was not the answer!’
‘I agree. But what was? Can you tell me?’
Sara bit her lip. ‘No …’ she finally admitted.
‘Your father has suffered for that one lapse in their relationship,’ Dominic told her quietly.
‘How?’ she scorned.
‘By loving your mother all these years.’
Sara gasped. ‘But he said—–’
‘Yes?’ Dominic quirked one eyebrow. ‘Your father never at any time this afternoon said he didn’t love your mother. They had a momentary setback because like a lot of young people they wonder how they’re going to manage to live when they start a family. It’s often a time of great strain. Your mother coped with it by involving herself in plans for the birth of her baby, your father coped with it—–’
‘By having an affair!’
‘By being with a woman who maybe listened to his anxieties—–’
‘Among other things!’
Dominic sighed. ‘I accept that it wasn’t a very sensible thing to do, but then human beings aren’t infallible. When it was too late to save the marriage or revive your mother’s love for him, he realised how much he really loved her. And he’s continued to love her. Finding out she’s dead hit him very badly.’
Sara turned away, wishing she could feel compassion for her father, but still feeling only resentment. ‘How do you know all this?’ she finally asked him. ‘About him still loving my mother.’
He shrugged. ‘Michael’s never made any secret of it. Maybe now that she really is dead … Well, maybe now he’ll start to forget. And forgive.’
‘My mother—–’
‘Not your mother, Sara,’ he interrupted patiently. ‘Himself.’
‘Himself …?’
‘It can’t have been easy living with himself all this time. Maybe you should try to forgive too.’
‘And maybe you should mind your own damned business,’ she snapped. ‘You may be going to marry my sister, but that doesn’t mean you have any say in how I live my life.’
His expression was harsh. ‘You can live your life any damn way you please, but when it involves Marie then I have a say in it. She’s very fond of you already, and I—I like her to have things that make her happy. You make her happy.’
Sara knew that they were engaged, but she hadn’t figured on Dominic being that besotted with Marie. He didn’t seem the sort of man who would ever allow his emotions to rule his head. He must love Marie very much. And somehow Sara didn’t like that idea.
She brought her thoughts up with a start. Somewhere along the line, probably when she had appealed to him for his support, she had become more than a little attracted to Dominic Thorne. Now wouldn’t that be ironic, twins in love with the same man! She certainly couldn’t allow that to happen.
‘Where are you taking me?’ she asked sharply, already too confused to delve into what she now felt towards Dominic Thorne. If she felt anything at all!
He shrugged. ‘I was just driving around. Until you calmed down.’
‘I’m calm now. And I’d like to go home.’
He turned the car in the direction of her home. ‘Michael’s going to want to see you again—you know that, don’t you?’
Her mouth set stubbornly. ‘Then he can wait—for ever.’
‘Sara—–’