Flame Of Desire

Sophie put her hand in the crook of Nicholas’ arm, leading him purposefully over to the chattering group. She edged her way in to stand at Luke Vittorio’s side, giving him a dazzling smile as he looked down at her questioningly.

‘Would you care for some more coffee?’ she asked him politely.

He seemed surprised by her friendly attitude after her earlier rudeness, his eyes narrowing. ‘No, thank you. Your stepmother has seen to my needs.’

Sophie’s mouth tightened. Not all of them she hadn’t! ’Nicholas has been longing to talk to you,’ she pulled the shy young man forward. ‘There wasn’t time before dinner.’

‘Oh, but—–’ Nicholas began to protest.

She patted his arm. ‘Now don’t be shy, Nicholas. I’m sure Mr Vittorio would love to hear about your farm. Tell him about that poor sick cow you had.’

Nicholas looked uncomfortable. ‘I’m sure that can be of no interest—–’

‘Of course it would,’ she encouraged, surprised that for once he seemed to have realised someone had no interest in the welfare of his animals. ‘I’ll just go and make sure our other guests have everything they need. I won’t be long.’

‘But—–’

She gave a mischievous smile before walking away. She would teach Luke Vittorio to laugh at her. Let him listen to Nicholas and see how he fared!

He seemed to be faring very well ten minutes later when she looked over at him; the two men were apparently deep in conversation.

She turned away angrily, accepting a glass of champagne from the tray Martin was offering to the guests. She had quite expected Luke Vittorio to excuse himself as soon as it was polite to do so, but no, he seemed quite content to talk to Nicholas.

‘The stem of that glass is not my throat,’ he said from close behind her.

Sophie turned hurriedly to confront the artist, releasing the tight grip she had on the glass. ‘Do you have reason to think it was?’ she returned lightly.

‘Oh, yes,’ he gave a slight smile. ‘Do you not think it was rather cruel of you to leave your young friend like that?’

Her violet eyes glowed her malicious pleasure. ‘Didn’t you enjoy your little chat with him?’

‘I enjoyed it very much. I thought you cruel to Mr Sedgwick-Jones, not myself.’

‘To Nicholas?’ she frowned her puzzlement.

‘Yes. I am sure he came here this evening with the sole purpose of being with you. He did not expect to have to answer my quite extensive questioning about his livestock.’

She gave him a suspicious look. ‘Extensive questioning?’

He gave an inclination of his dark head. ‘I have a farm myself in America—or perhaps you would call it a ranch.’

‘You have a ranch?’ She was aware that she was repeating everything he said, but he had taken her aback. She had fully expected him to be as bored with Nicholas as everyone else seemed to be.

‘A few acres,’ he confirmed.

She felt sure that ’a few acres’ amounted to hundreds, possibly thousands. ‘But your home is in London,’ she pointed out.

‘I have no—home. I live where it suits me, and no doubt one day it will suit me to live in America. I have a manager there at the moment, but I visit from time to time.’

She could just see this man astride a horse, master of all he surveyed. The healthy tinge to his swarthy skin indicated that he did not spend all of his time working indoors and socialising now. No, there was power in his muscular physique, not an ounce of superfluous flesh on his tall agile body.

‘So you can understand,’ he continued, ’that I found your friend’s conversation very interesting. He is very knowledgeable on certain subjects.’

‘Yes,’ she agreed tightly.

The amusement in his dark eyes deepened. ‘You did not expect me to find him so,’ he mocked.

Sophie gave him a furious look. ‘Are you always so arrogant and—and emotionless?’ she snapped.

Luke’s mockery became more pronounced. ‘I do not think I am the one to ask about that. I have all the usual male appetites and emotions.’

‘I know that,’ she sneered. ‘And not all of your conquests are single wom …’ She broke off, looking with horror from him to her stepmother and back again. Oh no, she couldn’t believe it, not Rosemary and this man! But what other explanation could there be, why else did her father look so anxious and her stepmother so glowingly beautiful?

She had always known that her stepmother and father didn’t have the normal marriage of her friends’ parents, the two of them enjoyed a different life-style, but that Rosemary could be interested in another man had never occurred to her. They had always appeared fond of each other, but she doubted her parents were actually in love with each other. But another man …

‘You have gone very pale.’ Luke Vittorio stood in front of her, shielding her from the rest of the people in the room. ‘Are you feeling unwell?’

She swallowed hard, nausea rising up in her throat. ‘I—I feel sick,’ she choked, unable to look at him.

‘I think you should go to your room and lie down,’ he advised. ‘Perhaps you would like me—–’

‘I wouldn’t like you to do anything,’ she snapped, her eyes flashing her dislike.

‘Why me in particular?’

She glared at him. ‘I think you know the answer to that. Excuse me, I can’t bear—–’

‘Luke,’ Eve Jeffers came up to them, smiling broadly, ’I can’t seem to get you alone this evening.’ She gave Sophie a disparaging look. ‘The Bedford women seem to be monopolising your attention.’

At least she had progressed from a brat to a woman! And she understood this woman’s reference to her stepmother looking forward to Luke’s arrival now, understood it and hated it. And she hated him! He had no right to encourage her stepmother in this folly, to use his sensuality like a flytrap against Rosemary’s ever-increasing consciousness of the coming of middle age, her awareness of the passing of the years.

She gave the other girl a tight smile. ‘You can have him back now,’ she gave Luke a look of intense dislike. ‘I’ve finished with him.’

‘Well, really!’ Eve Jeffers gasped.

Sophie didn’t wait to hear any more. She wanted only to escape, to go to her room and be sick, to wallow in her own misery. She didn’t need to look up as she was pulled round, knowing that her accoster must be Luke Vittorio.

‘What do you want?’ she demanded nastily.

‘I do not care to be dismissed in that way,’ he told her coldly.

Sophie didn’t know how she could ever have thought his eyes magnetically seductive. Right now they were like hard angry pebbles, although she managed to meet his gaze with haughty defiance. She wouldn’t be daunted by him, not by a man she hated and despised.

‘Well, that’s too bad,’ she answered. ‘Because I’ve certainly dismissed you. I don’t like you, Mr Vittorio, and I make no secret of the fact.’

‘You most certainly do not. I would be interested to know the reason for this dislike.’

She looked pointedly at her stepmother. ‘I’m sure you’re well aware of the reason. Let go of me!’ She shook off his hand.