Deceived

She kicked him discreetly. ‘Give it a rest, can’t you?’

He shrugged, some of the contents of his glass slopping onto his dinner jacket. ‘Why worry? The contest’s over, and I came a poor second.’

Lydie bit her lip. ‘Well, make sure you don’t get stripped of the silver medal too.’

Austin cleared his throat. ‘It’s wonderful to see so many friends here tonight. I’m past the age when birthdays are something to celebrate, so tonight’s party is to welcome my nephew back amongst us all. Apart from my personal pleasure at having him home where he belongs, from next week our customers will have a new managing director to deal with.’ He let the rustle of interest and speculation subside, then added, ‘Now let’s enjoy ourselves.’

Like drawing a line at the bottom of a balance sheet; Lydie thought. And it would be a brave soul who’d dare question the accounts after that.

She watched him step down onto the floor, holding out a hand to his wife. Amid a ripple of applause they opened the dancing. Other couples followed, and Lydie turned to look for Hugh, only to find her way blocked by Marius.

Her throat closed up in sudden panic.

His voice was politely formal. ‘May I have the honour?’

Without waiting for her answer he drew her into his arms and onto the floor.

‘Austin’s orders.’ His lips grazed her ear, sending an unwelcome tremor of response quivering through her. ‘In the interest of family unity.’

She said frostily, ‘Of course.’

‘And my own inclination,’ he added, a thread of amusement in his voice. He swung her effortlessly round.

‘I suppose I could say—just like old times.’

‘No,’ she said deliberately and distinctly. ‘You could not.’

‘And they say absence makes the heart grow fonder,’ he mocked.

‘Then they, whoever they are, should think again,’ Lydie said shortly.

Absence tears you apart and leaves you to bleed, she thought. Absence makes you cry into your pillow at night and stumble round like a zombie during the day. Absence destroys.

‘I get the impression that, left to you, the red carpet would have remained unrolled,’ the softly taunting voice went on.

She hunched a shoulder. ‘What do you expect?’

‘Very little.’ He paused. ‘This reconciliation was not actually my idea.’

That jolted her, and she let it show, her eyes lifting to his in sudden startled query.

‘No? Then how did Austin manage to find you?’

‘I haven’t asked him,’ Marius drawled. ‘I imagine he’s been keeping tabs on me all along, though I doubt whether he’d admit it.’

‘And you wouldn’t have returned otherwise?’

‘I’d been ordered never to darken his door again. It was up to him to make the first move. I wasn’t going to beg.’

No, she thought. That had the authentic Benedict ring about it. And he’d come back for Austin, not for her. The thought stirred in her mind, causing a stab of pain, and was instantly stifled.

‘I’m surprised you agreed at all.’

‘On balance I had too much to lose.’ He added almost casually, ‘And some scores to settle.’

Lydie missed a step. ‘I—see.’

‘Not yet, perhaps,’ Marius said easily, steadying her. ‘But it’s early days.’

Her heart lurched in fright. That, again, was almost a threat, she thought, swallowing. But why? She’d done nothing—except fall in love—with the wrong man—at the wrong time. He was the one who’d broken the rules—and her heart ...

She was too close to him suddenly, his arm like a band of steel around her, the heat of his hard body warming the chill of her flesh, as if the layers of clothes between them had ceased to exist.

She said unevenly, ‘People are changing partners now. You should dance with Mrs Mottram, our MP’s wife. She’s over there in the red dress.’

‘How singularly inappropriate.’ He made no attempt to release her. ‘Let Jon do the honours—if he can tear himself away from the whisky for long enough.’

Damn him for noticing, she thought raggedly. And damn my idiot of a brother for providing him with an easy target.

She tried for nonchalance. ‘He’s had a trying day.’

‘The first of many, I suspect,’ he came back with equal smoothness.

Lydie bit her lip. ‘Leave Jon alone,’ she said. ‘He’s not up to your weight.’

‘How charmingly protective,’ Marius said softly. ‘But that’s what divides the human family from the animal kingdom. In the wild the weakest member of the pack is left for the predators.’

‘With you, no doubt, as king of the jungle.’

The grey eyes glittered down at her. ‘I’ll settle for nothing less—Madonna Lily.’

All the breath seemed to catch in her throat. ‘I told you—don’t call me that.’

‘No?’ His voice was like silk. ‘But it brings back so many delightful memories.’

‘Not,’ she said stonily, ‘to me.’

‘Then I’ll have to jog your memory.’

For a searing second Lydie was pinned against him, her breasts crushed against the firm wall of his chest, his leg thrusting between hers in blatant eroticism as the last chords of the waltz died away. His breath fanned her cheek. His mouth grazed her ear. The unforgotten scent of his skin seemed to fill her senses.

Blood rushed into her face. ‘Let go of me.’ Her voice shook. ‘How dare you ... ?’

He let her pull away, but retained hold of her hand as he escorted her from the floor, pausing to lift it to his lips in a mocking parody of a graceful courtesy, turning her fingers in his at the last moment so that his mouth stung her soft palm instead, swiftly and sensuously. Lethally.

He said quite gently, ‘So you do remember after all.’ And walked away.

She’d expected to find herself the embarrassed cynosure of dozens of pairs of avid eyes, but the only person who seemed to have registered what was going on was her mother.