Forbidden Surrender

He shrugged. ‘Thirty-five isn’t old.’

‘On him it is!’

Eddie laughed. ‘He certainly hasn’t made a conquest out of you.’

‘Does he usually?’ Sara scorned.

‘Has them queueing up,’ Eddie nodded. ‘Before his engagement to Marie Lindlay this last year he was the most sought after man in town. Come to think of it,’ he grinned, ‘he still is.’

‘Mm, he doesn’t look the faithful type.’ He had been a man completely in command, who did what he wanted when he wanted, and woe betide anyone who got in his way. Besides, he hadn’t hesitated about kissing her.

‘Then they make a good pair,’ Eddie said dryly.

Sara gave him a sharp look. ‘Meaning?’

‘Meaning Pete has a date with the lovely Marie this evening.’

She couldn’t hide her surprise. Dominic Thorne would be furious about that if he ever found out. And why on earth was Marie doing it? Having seen for herself how angry Dominic Thorne had been when he had thought she was Marie out with Eddie, then Sara thought Marie ought to have more sense. After all, she must know him so much better than Sara did, must realise the full force of his anger—and the full force of his lovemaking too! No one seemed to wait for the wedding any more.

Except Sara! Barry had constantly tried to persuade her into a more intimate relationship, and she had always refused, something she was glad of when he let her down in that way. How much more awful it would have been if they had been lovers!

There was such a lot of pressure about sex nowadays, from television, advertising, and most of all from society itself. Sara had been thought something of a freak by her model friends because she had no tales of bedroom romps to tell them.

They had found great pleasure in recounting whose bed they had slept in—although from all accounts sleep was the last thing they did!—the evening before, and although Sara had politely listened she had found it all rather sordid, instead of the excitement the other girls insisted it was.

Not that she was a prude, and she certainly didn’t say to herself before she went out with a man, ‘I must not sleep with him’; she just hadn’t ever met a man that she loved, a man who excited her so much she gave herself to him willingly. If that day ever came she would go to him without thought of the future, would give herself body and soul into his keeping.

What her friends in the States didn’t seem to realise was that they were invited out for the evening, perhaps two evenings, and when these men had taken the thing they were really interested in they didn’t want to know any more.

‘Hey, you weren’t interested in Pete yourself, were you?’ Eddie broke into her thoughts.

‘No,’ she could deny with ease. ‘I was just wondering why Marie took such risks.’

He shrugged. ‘For the hell of it, I should think. Thorne must be something to see in a jealous rage.’

Not really. He had treated her more like a naughty schoolgirl when he had ordered her home from the casino. And he hadn’t taken her home himself, but had told her to get her escort to take her. Not exactly a jealous rage!

‘Is it almost lunchtime?’ she changed the subject. ‘I’m starting to get very hungry.’

Eddie grinned. ‘I thought you’d never ask! I don’t mind being your chauffeur, but all this green countryside and pure fresh air is making me thirsty.’

Sara felt very guilty, because she had hardly noticed the countryside she had come out to see, being much too wrapped up in thoughts of Dominic Thorne and Marie Lindlay. Not that she ever expected to hear from the other girl; she felt sure her arrogant fiancée would make sure that she didn’t.

‘Where are we?’ she asked with interest.

‘Royal Berkshire,’ he announced.

‘Oh? Anywhere near Windsor Castle?’

Eddie grimaced. ‘Very near. Don’t tell me you want to see that too?’

‘Well … I wouldn’t mind.’ She gave him a coaxing smile.

‘Okay,’ he sighed. ‘But a beer and lunch first,’ he added as her face lit up with excitement.

‘Lunch in a pub?’ Her eyes glowed. ‘Oh, good,’ she grinned. ‘I’m really getting to like your English pubs.’

Eddie drove into a pub car park. ‘For goodness’ sake don’t tell Aunt Susan I’ve taken you to another one. She gave me an earful the last time!’

‘I won’t tell her,’ Sara assured him.

It seemed there were a lot of things she was keeping to herself lately, and not normally being a secretive girl she was surprised at herself.

Lunch was delicious, a lovely prawn salad served to them out in the garden. Sara also enjoyed the lager and lime Eddie bought her. She enjoyed going around Windsor Castle too, and although Eddie moaned about it she thought he secretly enjoyed it too.

‘I bet it’s years since you went there,’ she teased on the drive home. The time was now well on the way towards dinner.

Eddie looked shamefaced. ‘Well, actually, I—I’ve never been before,’ he admitted.

Her eyes widened. ‘Never been to Windsor Castle?’

‘There’s no need to look so surprised.’ He looked sheepish. ‘It isn’t unusual not to visit a place that’s more or less on your doorstep. You’ve probably never been to Disney World!’ he scorned.

‘Wrong,’ Sara smiled. ‘I’ve been dozens of times—I love it. It’s absolutely fantastic. I feel like a little girl again when I go there.’

‘You probably look like one too. You’re very easy to be with, Sara,’ Eddie said suddenly. ‘And I mean that in the nicest way possible.’

‘I know,’ she accepted huskily. ‘I’ve enjoyed today.’

‘So have I.’ He seemed surprised by the fact.

‘It’s just like having a brother,’ she said sleepily, leaning tiredly back against the headrest.

‘It’s okay,’ Eddie laughed, ‘I wasn’t moving in for the kill.’

Sara smiled at her own conceit, then dozed off in the warmth of the car and the monotonous hum of the engine.

She woke with a jerk, a curious feeling of foreboding hanging over her.

The feeling persisted over the next few days, so much so that she found she wasn’t sleeping at night. The doctor had warned her of this delayed shock, the long air flight on top of her already weakened state sapping what little energy she had, and she spent the next three or four days resting, not going far from the house.

Consequently she was at home when Marie Lindlay telephoned her, and answered the call herself. The idea of meeting for lunch appealed to her, and the two girls arranged to meet at a restaurant in town.

There was no sign of Marie when she arrived at the arranged time, although the doorman insisted on calling her