Francesca Darwin's voice was easily recognisable to Darcy as she hurried
away up the wide staircase, her legs shaking so badly she wasn't sure she
was going to make it.
'I've been right here,' Logan answered the other woman hardly.
Darcy managed to get to the top of the stairs before her legs gave way,
turning the corner to lean weakly back against the wall, her tears starting to
fall now.
She should move, she knew she should, before anyone else came up the
stairs and saw her there, but her legs didn't feel capable of moving just yet.
Logan hated her! There was simply no mistaking that glitter in his eyes a
few minutes ago...
'I simply wanted to say how nice it's been to meet you.' Francesca was
talking again now, her voice bubbling with excitement. 'It's been a
wonderful evening.'
'I'm glad you enjoyed it,' Logan returned noncommittally.
Darcy was far less composed. What did the other woman mean, it had been
nice meeting him...?
'Perhaps we'll meet again,' Francesca suggested.
'Perhaps,' Logan returned with clear impatience.
Darcy didn't stop to listen to any more of the conversation, moving away
from the wall to stumble down the corridor to the bedroom she had been
allocated on her arrival, switching on the light to close the door thankfully
behind her.
She didn't understand. She had thought Francesca Darwin came here with
Logan, had seen the two of them together earlier when she'd entered the
salon, and had realised this had to be the woman in Logan's life. But from the
conversation she had just overheard, obviously she was wrong. And if he
hadn't come here with Francesca, then it would seem he hadn't come here
with anyone...
So where was the woman in his life?
If there was one, a little voice in her head reasoned. Hadn't she just assumed
there had to be one? Logan had been out to lunch with someone that day ten
days ago, changed his mind about being a witness at their parents' wedding,
and hadn't she, Darcy, decided it had to be because of a woman's influence?
But if not another woman, what—or who!—had changed his mind?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WHY didn't this prattling woman just stop talking and go? Logan fumed
inwardly as Francesca Darwin carried on gushing. Didn't she realise he just
wasn't interested?
The only thing he was interested in was that Darcy had looked upset when
she'd left him a few minutes ago, and he knew it was because of his nastiness
to her. But he just couldn't seem to help himself.
Because he was in love with her...
Love. He had realised, when she'd walked away from him on the terrace
earlier, that he was in love with her, that love for Darcy was the reason all
the meaning had gone out of the rest of his life. It was an emotion he had
thought he would never feel for any woman.
It terrified the life out of him!
Love was everything he had thought it would be: frightening, debilitating in
the knowledge that all of your life's happiness was wrapped up in a single
person.
But it was also many other things: exhilarating, a feeling of gladness just in
that person's presence, pleasure in every movement, every word spoken, a
driving need to protect, but most of all an overwhelming feeling of
completeness. For the first time in his life Logan felt whole, as if he had
found the other half of himself. Darcy was that other half.
It wasn't something he could choose to feel, or not, was an emotion that
existed entirely of its own volition. He had never known a feeling like it,
ached with love for her, for just one of those heart-stopping smiles to come
his way, wanted to tell Darcy how he felt. But those feelings of terror held
him back. Because she didn't love him.
He had known that outside on the terrace too. She had wanted to get away
from him, couldn't wait to escape.
What was he going to do now?
'I'll walk you to the door, Francesca.' Brice stepped neatly into the one-sided
conversation, shooting Logan a concerned glance before taking a firm grasp
of Francesca's arm, chatting to her amiably as they walked away.
'Logan...?'
He turned dazedly to look at his mother. Had she loved his father in the way
he now loved Darcy? Did she now love Daniel in the same way? If she did,
then he knew the least he owed her was an apology for the way he had
treated her. Not just for months, but for years...
Meg smiled at him gently. 'Daniel and I are going to have a brandy in the
library; come and join us.' She didn't wait for an answer, slipping her hand
into the crook of his arm as the three of them strolled to the privacy of the
library.
A fire had been lit in there, giving off a warm glow of heat, but it was a heat
that didn't touch Logan. Neither did the glass of brandy that Daniel had
pushed into his hand and which Logan sipped distractedly.
Realising he loved Darcy, and that love wasn't returned, was bad enough,