‘It doesn’t need both of you to say thank you,’ Brice told Richard as he would have accompanied Sabina back into the castle.
‘It’s okay, Richard,’ Sabina assured as the other man looked at her enquiringly. ‘I’ll only be a few minutes.’ She squeezed his arm reassuringly, much to Brice’s displeasure. He couldn’t bear the thought of Sabina touching the other man even casually, let alone, let alone—
This was a living hell!
Hell wasn’t what all the prophets of doom predicated it was, it wasn’t fire and brimstone, an eternal purgatory. Hell was realising you were in love with a woman who was living with another man!
Because he was in love with Sabina, had known it earlier when he hadn’t been able to let her leave without holding her one last time.
He didn’t know how it had happened, when it had happened, he only knew that he loved everything about her, her beauty, her unaffectedness, her warmth, the huskiness of her voice, the way she moved—her loyalty to a man who didn’t deserve to even kiss one of her beautiful feet!
And the thought of never seeing Sabina again gave Brice an ache in his chest that just wouldn’t go away…
Hell, he now knew, was loving the unattainable!
‘They’ll be in my grandfather’s private sitting-room,’ he told Sabina harshly as she hesitated in the hallway.
She winced at the aggression in his tone. ‘Brice, I—’ She moistened dry lips. ‘I just need a little time to—to adjust, to my mother’s—friendship with your grandfather.’ She looked at him pleadingly. ‘It’s been rather a shock,’ she added emotionally.
Brice looked at her coldly, knowing that, for the moment, he daredn’t look at her any other way; if he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from telling her how he felt about her. Which, in the circumstances, was probably the last complication she wanted to hear!
He shook his head. ‘You seemed to like my grandfather well enough before you knew of his involvement with your mother,’ he reminded harshly.
‘I did—do like him,’ she amended awkwardly.
‘He just isn’t your father,’ Brice guessed scathingly.
Sabina’s eyes flashed deeply blue. ‘No, he isn’t,’ she conceded tersely. ‘But—’
‘Have you given any thought to how lonely your mother has been the last five years?’ Brice attacked impatiently. ‘What it must have been like for her? From the little you’ve told me about your parents, I would guess that they shared a relationship of emotional and academic equality. Soul mates, in fact,’ he rasped. ‘I would say your mother has been living only half a life the last five years, feeling as if she’s had her right arm amputated!’
Brice already felt like that over Sabina, couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to lose a partner after thirty or more years of marriage, to lose Sabina after spending all those years with her at his side.
‘Be nice to them, Sabina,’ he warned harshly.
Her brows arched derisively. ‘Or else what, Brice…?’ she challenged softly.
‘Or else you’ll have me to answer to,’ he came back gratingly.
She gave a humourless smile. ‘How terrifying,’ she returned dismissively.
Brice only just resisted the impulse to reach out and pull her into his arms, taking a step backwards instead. ‘It could be,’ he assured her grimly before turning to stride forcefully down the hallway to his grandfather’s sitting-room.
The older couple were standing close together across the room when Brice and Sabina entered, and if Brice wasn’t mistaken there was the trace of tears on Joan’s face.
‘Take care,’ Brice warned Sabina softly.
Her eyes flashed back a warning of her own before she turned to the other couple. ‘Richard and I are leaving now.’ She spoke huskily. ‘I—I just wanted to say goodbye,’ she added awkwardly.
Joan squeezed Hugh’s arm reassuringly before turning to her daughter. ‘I hope my being here hasn’t chased you away?’ she said gruffly.
‘Of course not,’ Sabina assured her lightly. ‘Richard has to get back to London anyway. He has a few things to do before we fly out to Australia on Monday.’
Brice had forgotten she was going away with the other man, that the trip had been delayed because of coming up here. Obviously nothing that had happened this weekend had affected Sabina’s decision to go with Richard…
Joan nodded, obviously used to her daughter’s jet-setting lifestyle. ‘Call me when you get back, won’t you, Sabina?’
Sabina looked mildly surprised by the request, but she nodded anyway. ‘Perhaps you and—and Hugh, would like to have dinner when we get back?’ she suggested tentatively.
Well, at least she was trying, Brice conceded grudgingly—even if he didn’t particularly care for the idea of his grandfather becoming pally with Richard Latham, as Sabina’s fiancé!
‘That would be lovely, Sabina,’ her mother accepted warmly. ‘I’m sure we would love to come. Wouldn’t we, Hugh?’ She turned to him for confirmation.
‘Love to,’ Hugh confirmed abruptly. ‘I’m sorry you have to leave so soon, Sabina,’ he added slightly reprovingly. ‘I would have liked the chance to get to know you a little better.’
‘There’s no rush,’ Sabina dismissed with a shrug. ‘Is there?’ she added less certainly.
‘Depends how you look at it, I suppose,’ Hugh drawled mockingly. ‘After all, I’m already well past my allotted three score years and ten!’
Sabina looked at him frowningly, obviously unsure how to take this last remark. Brice knew exactly how he would have taken it—with a complete lack of seriousness. His grandfather was fit and healthy, there was absolutely no reason why he shouldn’t live another ten years or more. Especially now that he had someone in his life he was obviously more than a little fond of.
Although Brice doubted, the mood she was in, that Sabina would appreciate hearing that!
‘I’ll call you when I get back and we’ll organise dinner.’ Sabina opted for safety. ‘Goodbye, Brice,’ she added huskily, her gaze not quite meeting his.
‘I’ll walk you back to the car,’ he told her grimly.
She shook her head. ‘There’s really no need. I know the way. And—we’ve already said goodbye,’ she added firmly.
Brice wasn’t in the least happy with this arrangement, would have liked a few more minutes alone with Sabina. But he could see by the strain about her eyes, the paleness of her cheeks, that she had had enough for one day. More than enough, in fact.
He nodded abruptly. ‘In that case, have a good flight back.’
‘I’m sure we will.’ Her smile was so fleeting it barely registered as being one, before she turned and hurried from the room.
As if she were being pursued by something particularly unpleasant, Brice acknowledged impatiently.
He turned sharply to his grandfather. ‘Now, if you wouldn’t mind formally introducing me to Joan…?’ he prompted dryly. ‘That way I’m hoping she won’t find me too rude when I ask her what happened in Sabina’s life a few months ago to bring about the change in her that Joan mentioned earlier!’
Because he was determined to get to the bottom of that mysterious remark. Wanted to know. Needed to know!
‘All right?’ Richard prompted as Sabina got into the back of the car beside him.
‘Fine,’ she dismissed abruptly before turning her head to have one last glance at Hugh McDonald’s castle home.
It looked beautiful bathed in the May sunshine; serene, calm, a bastion of tranquillity—everything Sabina knew that she wasn’t at this moment!
She had left with Richard because, in the circumstances, she couldn’t see that there was any other way. She was totally shaken by the discovery that Hugh McDonald was the man in her mother’s life. But she was more shaken still by her response to Brice’s kisses a few minutes ago. If Richard hadn’t come into the bedroom when he had, she had no idea where it would have all ended.
Which was another reason she had to leave with Richard…
She had no idea if Richard had guessed she had been in Brice’s arms only seconds before he’d entered the room, but she did know she couldn’t go on with this any more, that she would have to break their engagement. That, in the circumstances, it was the only fair thing to do for Richard…
‘That was a bit of a turn-up for the books, wasn’t it?’ he remarked lightly at her side.
Sabina turned to him blankly. ‘What was?’
‘Your mother and McDonald,’ Richard murmured derisively. ‘Still, if she had to find herself an ageing lover, at least he’s a rich one!’ he added scathingly.
Sabina was very conscious of Hugh McDonald’s employee seated only feet away in the front of the car, knew that he must be able to hear their conversation. In fact, from the stiff way he now sat behind the steering wheel, she was sure he had.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t let the remark pass by undefended. ‘I’m sure Hugh’s wealth has nothing to do with my mother’s feelings towards him,’ she said slightly indignantly.