Original Sin

‘Although I guess maybe not if you’re marrying the right person,’ added Sean casually. She looked at him sideways, wanting to scream at his insensitivity, but then reminded herself that he didn’t know she’d found the engagement ring in his bag. Tess wasn’t supposed to know, so she couldn’t complain. Trying to calm herself, she wondered when he was going to propose to Annabel. Maybe he would fly them both down to St Barts after the wedding and do it on New Year’s Eve. Perhaps he’d even do it on the night of the wedding, during the fireworks display, possibly on this very secluded stretch of white beach. Stop it, Tess, she thought angrily, Stop!

‘So how are you?’ he asked.

‘Busy. It looks like I’ll be staying on in New York after the wedding. Not sure what I’ll do yet, though.’

A trace of a frown appeared between his brows. ‘Oh. Well, good luck with it all,’ he said lamely.

She turned away. The lapping ocean reminded her of their time in Maui and yet here they were, only weeks later, talking like virtual strangers.

‘You’d better get back to Annabel,’ she said, throwing a pebble into the water.

‘What?’

His surprised tone made her turn back.

‘Annabel, your girlfriend. Maybe we can all have a drink later. It would be nice to finally meet her properly.’

The look on his face was one of genuine puzzlement. ‘I haven’t seen Annabel in a month, Tess.’

It was her turn to feel confused. ‘What are you talking about? She’s your fiancée, isn’t she? Or about to be.’

‘What are you talking about, Tess?’

She laughed lightly. ‘I know you have to keep it quiet until after Brooke and David’s wedding, but your mother told me that you were going to propose to Annabel. Although you probably should have told me yourself. I do need to know about things like that. It is my job,’ she added a touch sarcastically.

Sean was shaking his head. ‘I don’t understand,’ he said. ‘Why would she say something like that?’

Tess stood up and clambered off the rock back onto the pale sand. It was just typical of him to keep up this ridiculous pretence.

‘Sean, don’t be so stupid,’ she said with irritation. ‘Meredith called me in Maui and told me that when you came to New York you picked up a ring of hers that you were going to give to Annabel. At first I didn’t believe her, but it was in your bag. A big sapphire and diamond ring.’

His cheeks had turned pink in anger but she didn’t care if he hated her for snooping through his stuff.

‘That ring?’ he said incredulously. ‘Kinda old–fashioned looking?’ He stopped and shook his head. ‘That ring was supposed to be a surprise gift from the family to Brooke for her wedding. ‘Something blue’, you know? Mom gave me the ring to use the stones. I have an amazing jeweller friend in London who has reset the stones into a necklace. I had it with me in Maui because I was going to take it straight home to London.’

Tess shuddered as adrenaline rushed through her body. Was he telling the truth? She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but confusion.

‘Why would Mom say that?’ he said, his expression clouding with disapproval. ‘She knew Annabel and I weren’t together any more.’

Tess frowned, recalling Meredith’s cool words on the phone that night.

You’re in Maui? Sean loves it there. I assume he tipped you off? Knowing Sean he probably tried it on with you.

Meredith had guessed! She had guessed that something had happened between them and had acted quickly to halt it in its tracks. She looked at Sean, his eyes outraged yet anxious, and she knew she believed him about the ring.

‘Well, I suppose she doesn’t approve of me and you,’ said Tess, trying to contain her fury at the betrayal. ‘And your mother always gets her way.’

Sean stepped towards her on the sand and Tess shivered. The sun had dipped below the horizon and it had suddenly become cool.

‘Has she got her way, Tess?’

‘Well, has it really finished with Annabel? I saw some red–carpet photograph of you with her a week after Maui. ‘

He nodded and took hold of her fingers. ‘I didn’t lie to you in Maui, Tess. I had finished with Annabel and yes, that photograph was taken at the premiere of her new film after Maui, but Annabel begged me to go with her. The press didn’t know our relationship had finished and I agreed to keep up the pretence just until the publicity for her new film was over. But you left Maui so quickly and made it pretty clear you didn’t want anything to happen between us, I thought you wouldn’t care. I also didn’t want you to know you’d hurt me.’

‘I hurt you?’ she gasped, barely daring to believe him.

He squeezed her fingers more tightly. ‘I know you think I’m incapable of committing to anything, but it’s not true. When we were in Maui, all I was thinking about was how you could come back to London and we could be happy together. Stupid, isn’t it?’