Runaway Fiancee

‘You never used to wear clothes like that,’ he commented evenly.

‘It’s not too late,’ she pointed out mockingly. ‘If you disapprove of me so much you can forget all these crazy ideas you have. Forget me. Go and look somewhere else for the woman who ditched you.’

A slight stiffening of Caine’s jaw was the only sign that her jibe had gone home, and his voice was quite unemotional as he said, ‘On the contrary, I’m quite sure you’re the woman I want. And, now that I’ve found you, I don’t intend to let you go.’

Huffily, she turned away and yawned.

‘You’re tired?’

She gave him a sideways glance. ‘Very. I had to say goodbye to Jean-Louis last night. Remember? So, naturally, I am extremely exhausted.’

He probably didn’t know it, but the tightening of his features gave away his inner anger, and she laughed again in ironical amusement.

The Paris traffic was heavy and required his entire concentration so they didn’t speak again until the car was safely stowed on Le Shuttle and the train was carrying them at immense speed across France towards the Channel Tunnel and England. They sat in the passenger compartment in seats across from one another, the only other travellers were at the far end of the carriage, out of earshot.

‘You said that you were involved in an accident,’ he reminded Angélique. ‘What kind of accident?’

Her eyes shadowed. ‘I don’t remember it. I only know what I was told.’

‘And what was that?’

She hesitated, then said slowly, ‘They told me I was on a bus. It was travelling along the Périphérique in a storm when a container truck jackknifed in front of it and they collided. Most of the passengers were rescued but then the bus caught fire and was destroyed. Two people were killed.’ Her voice faltered a little on the last sentence, and then Angélique said, ‘That’s what they told me when I woke up at the hospital.’

‘Were you badly hurt?’

‘No. Just a bruised shoulder and a bad bump on the head.’

‘How did they know your name?’

“There was a piece of paper in my pocket. It gave my name. It said “Angélique Castet. Born Lisieux.” And it gave the date of my birth.’

‘Nothing else?’

She shrugged. ‘A few scribbled numbers and words that didn’t mean anything to me.’

‘Do you still have the paper?’

‘Perhaps. Somewhere.’

‘You didn’t bring it with you?’

‘No. Why should I?’

Leaning forward and looking at her intently, Caine said, ‘Can you remember anything from before you had the accident?’

Her eyes grew troubled. ‘Sometimes at night—when I dream, I see places that I feel I know, but in the morning...’ She threw open her hands and made a blowing shape with her lips ‘...poof! They’re gone.’

‘Never people?’

Her mouth creased in amusement. ‘No, Englishman,’ she said in open mockery. ‘I have never dreamt of you.’

He wasn’t put out, instead smiling rather wryly. ‘I left myself wide open to that one, didn’t I?’ She didn’t return the smile, and after a moment he said, ‘Look, we’re going to see a lot of each other in the near future. I know you’re angry with me and you don’t want to do this, but couldn’t we try to be civil to one another?’

‘You are being civil to me.’

Again his lips twitched. ‘All right, do you think that you could please be civil to me, then?’

‘How?’

‘You could start by calling me by my name instead of “Englishman”,’ he suggested.

‘Very well, Monsieur Caine.’

‘My name is Milo,’ he reminded her.

Tilting her head, she considered the idea. ‘I don’t think I like it.’

‘Nor do I, but I’m afraid I’m stuck with it, and it would upset my mother if I tried to change it.’

‘You have a mother?’

‘Most people do.’

Her face tightened. ‘Do they?’

Reaching across, he took her hand. ‘Sorry. Would you like me to tell you about your family? You do have one, you know, Paige.’

So he was convinced that she was his girlfriend, and seemed convinced, too, that she had lost her memory. With a sigh, she said, ‘Are you always going to call me that?’

‘It’s your name.’

‘And you want me to be civil to you and use yours?’

‘Yes.’

She was suddenly angry. ‘Why should I be civil to someone who has turned my life upside down, who ruined my engagement party, who has taken me away from my fiancé’s side? You’re a fool if you think—’

But he interrupted by saying, ‘No, I’m giving you back the life you had. Filling in your past. You have the right to that. Even if you choose to reject it, you should at least have the right to choose.’

His words took her aback and she stared at him for a long moment before she realised that in his vehemence he had spoken in English.

Milo realised at the same moment and his eyes widened. ‘You understood, didn’t you? Didn’t you?’

Paige didn’t answer directly, but said, in perfect English, ‘How did you know where to look for me?’

‘It was the portrait. It was reproduced in an art magazine that I take. And it even gave the details of your engagement party.’ Sitting back, his eyes on her face, he said, ‘I would have known your eyes anywhere.’

CHAPTER THREE