The Barbarian's Bride

Her thoughts turned to Damien. She was going to have to be firm and get him to agree to a date for the wedding. When she’d had to make that ridiculous excuse to Sally about him being too busy at the moment, she’d felt embarrassed. After all, it only took half an hour at the most to get married in a register office. If he could afford to take a week’s holiday and come down here, he could surely afford the time off for a half-hour ceremony.

The heat of the fire and the wine she’d drunk were making her drowsy. The sensible thing to do was to go to bed, but she was too comfortable sitting right here, and slowly her eyelids began to droop. Her last thought before she fell asleep was that she’d have to check all the window-latches before she retired for the night…

The fire was low, although the room was still warm, when she opened her eyes. There was a strange prickling sensation in her arm, but she ignored it as she stared up at the dark stranger who was bending over her.

‘Hello, Janene. How are you feeling?’

His features were slightly blurred, but there was no mistaking those blue eyes. ‘I knew I was going to dream about you,’ she mumbled. She felt as if she was floating on a warm, spongy cloud.

‘Yes. I said we’d meet again, didn’t I?’

‘I know you did. That’s why I’m dreaming about you.’ She was pleased at how clever she was to have worked that out.

‘Can you stand?’ he asked quietly.

‘Of course I can stand,’ she said indignantly. She struggled to her feet and swayed. Peering into his face, she said, ‘There! I’m standing.’

‘Hmm…’ He shook his head doubtfully. ‘I think I’d better carry you.’

She smiled. ‘Go ahead.’ He lifted her easily and, as he cradled her in his arms, she clasped her hands around his neck. ‘I suppose you’re going to take me through to the bedroom now.’ His lips were enticingly close and she felt reckless and abandoned. After all, this was her dream and she could do anything she damn well pleased.

‘Do you want me to take you to bed?’ he asked softly.

‘I don’t mind,’ she replied, her eyes fixed firmly on his mouth. ‘After all those things you said to me at the party, it might be interesting to find out if you’re as good as you think you are.’

He gave a deep, throaty chuckle. ‘I am. But we don’t have time at the moment. That pleasure will have to wait till later.’

She frowned. This dream was getting disappointing. ‘Later might be too late,’ she said grumpily. ‘I could wake up at any minute.’

‘And if you did happen to wake up, you’d undoubtedly slap my face and demand to be put down immediately?’ he asked with a touch of irony.

She thought that over for a moment, then nodded. ‘Yes. I’d have to, wouldn’t I? I mean…I’m getting married to Damien very soon. I’d be cheating on him.’ His mouth was still close to hers and she wanted desperately to feel it against her own. Then slowly the dream began to fade, and she descended into a warm cocoon of darkness.

* * *

Someone was shaking her shoulder gently and she murmured sleepily, ‘Go away. I’m tired.’

The shaking persisted, and a woman’s voice with a French accent said, ‘We will be landing soon. I have brought you some tea. Drink it and you’ll feel better.’

Janene cautiously opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. Another dream. She was in a tiny lounge…sitting in a comfortable seat. The windows were small and she looked out. ‘Well! This was a new twist! She’d never dreamt of being in a plane before.

‘Please…take your tea.’

The girl was smiling at her. A pretty little stewardess in a light grey uniform. A door at the front of the lounge opened and Kassim entered. He took the cup from the stewardess and waited until she had departed back to the galley, then he said matter-of-factly, ‘This is mint tea. It’s very refreshing. I’m sure you’ll like it.’

Her eyes grew wider and the first stirrings of panic rose in her throat. This wasn’t a dream! This was real! She could even smell the mint in the tea from here. Looking at him in utter disbelief, she spluttered, ‘You—you’ve kidnapped me!’

A hint of mockery glinted from his blue eyes. ‘Yes…I suppose it appears that way to you.’ He offered her the cup once more. ‘Do you want this or not?’

‘You’ve kidnapped me!’ she repeated in a voice of incredulity. ‘You came to the cottage last night! I—I thought I was dreaming.’

‘That would be the effect of the drug.’ he said calmly. ‘But you’ve no need to—’

‘You drugged me?’ She shot to her feet in outrage and dashed the cup from his hand.

He surveyed the broken china and stained carpet at his feet, and shook his head. ‘Tut, tut. I didn’t realise that English girls went in for smashing crockery. I thought it was only volatile Italian ladies who did things like that.’ He looked up and gave her an apologetic shrug. ‘I merely administered a sedative which—’

‘You stuck a damned needle in my arm,’ she accused him hotly. ‘I remember feeling it now.’

He went on smoothly, ‘As I was saying, a sedative which is perfectly safe and non-addictive. It’s the same thing they give to patients in hospital a few hours before an operation. It soothes and calms the nerves.’

‘So now you’re a doctor, are you?’ she fumed.

‘I studied medicine in Paris for five years,’ he informed her casually, then added, ‘Anyway, it was imperative that I got you to safety before the police arrived.’ He smiled at her look of incredulity and explained, ‘I was informed at the very last minute by certain…friends of mine that officers from the Drug Squad were due to swoop on the cottage at five a.m.’

She snorted. ‘Well, if that’s the best you can come up with—’

‘Damien dealt in cocaine,’ he informed her quietly. ‘A lot of the stuff is cached somewhere in your cottage.’

She stared at him in angry silence for a moment, then snapped, ‘I’ve never heard such rubbish in my life. I don’t believe a word of it. You’re making it up.’

‘And that’s precisely why I had to sedate you,’ he pointed out. ‘There was no time to argue with you, or to search the cottage and get rid of the stuff before the police arrived.’ He paused, then went on reflectively, ‘I’ve no doubt that you’d have been able to prove your innocence eventually, but you might have had to spend a few uncomfortable weeks in custody. I sincerely regret having had to resort to such tactics, but I had no alternative.’

‘Oh, you’re going to regret it all right!’ she promised heatedly. ‘Assault and kidnapping and—and slanderous accusations against an innocent man. As soon as we land I’m going to report you to the authorities. You’ll probably spend the rest of your life in prison.’

His eyes were unwavering, and his thin lips stretched and twisted into a cynical smile. ‘I’m sorry to dash your hopes for my downfall. When we arrive at our destination, you’ll find that I’m the only authority there is.’ He paused and studied her expression, then added drily, ‘However, if you submit your complaints to me in writing I’ll attend to them in due course.’

She sat down in defeat and glared up at him. It was a long time since she’d felt as outraged as this. Things like this weren’t supposed to happen in this day and age. At least, not in England. My God, you weren’t even safe in your own house at night! Suddenly she lurched to her feet again and strode towards the lounge door.

His arm shot out and restrained her. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’

‘To see the pilot,’ she snapped, struggling to get past. ‘I’m going to tell him what’s happened and demand that he turn back and take me home immediately.’

His dark face hovered over hers and he teased softly, ‘How beautiful you look when you’re in a temper. There’s a glow on your skin and a positive sparkle in your eyes.’

‘Let me pass!’ she demanded furiously.

He lowered his arm and shrugged. ‘Go ahead. But you’ll be wasting your time. This is my plane and the pilot only obeys my orders.’

She drew in her breath. ‘Your plane?’

He flashed his white teeth at her in a smile of affirmation, then said, ‘Perhaps you’d like to sit down now and I’ll have “my” stewardess fetch you another drink.’

She slumped down in her seat and looked up at him bleakly. She was beginning to remember, with some embarrassment, the things she’d said to him last night in her dream-state, before the sedative had taken full effect.

‘What happened after I passed out last night?’ she asked suspiciously.

He pressed a bell for the stewardess, ordered another cup of tea, then drawled, ‘After you passed out I carried you outside, put you in a car, drove you to a private airfield and lifted you aboard this plane.’