An Affair to Forget (16 page)

Morrin
glanced at her watch, anxious to change the subject. “Will we be in time to see the procession?”

Vicki
nodded to the square. Packed with excited families, it held a huge Christmas tree. “Absolutely, it passes right by this veranda. We’ll have a perfect view.”

Morrin
sat entranced as the procession passed by. Children playing bugles and drums led the way, followed by ranks of girls dressed in red and white and carrying Spanish flags. The three Kings, noble and proud on magnificently bedecked camels, then passed along the narrow street, each surrounded by his slaves bearing gifts and palm fronds.

Caught
up in the magic that shone from the eyes of the children, laughing as chubby little hands reached out for the sweets the three Kings tossed to the crowd, Morrin glanced up… and found herself looking into cool green eyes that held hers for a long moment.

Even
though he was surrounded by a close-packed crowd Gareth seemed to Morrin to stand out, his open-necked white shirt gleaming against the dark night and the rainbow of clothes about him. As she stared across at him he lifted one hand in a light salute, then turned away. Vicki and Sam, watching the procession halt while the Kings descended to bless the children in the crowds about them, had not seen him but as far as Morrin was concerned the magic of the evening had gone. As the last of the procession moved away a breeze touched her bare arm and she shivered.

“
Cold?” Sam asked.

“
Not really.” But she felt, in that moment, that she was being haunted… by Gareth, by Cass, by something she could not understand.

“
You look a bit drained. Time to get back, perhaps.”

“
Nonsense!” Vicki said, her eyes alight with excitement. “There’s lots to see yet… come on, Sam.”

As
she pulled him from the terracing Sam turned to shrug and smile at Morrin, holding out his free hand. She had no option but to take it, and be carried off into the crowd.

For
the next half-hour the three of them wandered round the town, stopping finally in a square where excited children played on a huge bouncy castle. In a nearby street there was music and dancing, and before she had time to protest Morrin found herself whisked into a laughing group, away from Vicki and Sam. Laughing herself, dizzy from the noise and the whirling dance, she followed where she was led, forgetting her earlier unease, letting the music carry her feet along and catching glimpses now and again of the other two, who seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as she was.

And
then as the music changed a firm hand spun her away from her companions, and she found herself clasped in an embrace that she would have known anywhere.

“
You do turn up in the most unexpected places, Morrin of the long hair. Having a good time?” Gareth asked, his arms tightening as she tried to pull away from him. “Let’s dance…”

For
several minutes they moved together in silence, then he said into her ear, “A penny for your thoughts.”

“
I have no thoughts.”

“
Not even an opinion?”

“
Since you asked, I was wondering if it had been a terrible wrench for you to say goodbye to Cass so soon after meeting her here.”

“
Indeed it was.”

“
I thought, from something she said the other night, that she might let the ship go on without her.”

“
The two of you had a chat, did you?”

“
No, just a chance meeting in the hall during the party.”

“
She did offer but I wouldn’t hear of her changing her plans. But forget about Cass, how are you getting on with Sam?”

“
Very well.”

“
You’ve managed to smooth over the little problem of you lying to him?”

“
I didn’t lie, I just – ”

“
Didn’t tell the truth,” Gareth agreed smoothly. “Has he forgiven you?”

“
Yes of course. He knows that he can trust me.”

“
I never doubted that,” Gareth said. “The thing is, can you trust him?”

“
Of course I – ” His arm tightened, drawing her head against his shoulder, smothering her voice. The crowds all around them seemed to fall away, the noise all about them dulled to a murmur in the hazy back-ground as the two of them danced together under the clear night sky and the old trees filled with coloured lights.

It
was like the previous evening, she thought as they moved together in perfect harmony. And then, recalling what else had happened on the previous evening, she drew back sharply when the music stopped and his embrace relaxed. Edging away as the music began again she looked around for the others and was relieved to see that they were coming towards her.

“
Gareth, where did you get to? You missed dinner,” Vicki accused.

“
Cass and I went on board early and had some supper together. We had a lot to talk about. When I left the ship I decided that I might as well come on here. Let’s go and have a drink.”

“
You three go ahead. I think I’ll go back to the house. I feel quite tired,” Morrin said swiftly. “I’ll get a taxi.”

“
They’ll all be far too busy. My car’s nearby, I’ll drive you back,” Gareth said.

“
I’ll drive Morrin.” There was an edge to Sam’s voice. “After all, she’s my responsibility.”

Gareth
gave a faint shrug. “So, Vicki, it looks as though you and I are going to be left to our own devices.”

“
Aren’t you coming back with us, Vicki?”

There
was more than a touch of amusement in the green glance that moved from Sam to Vicki. “Don’t be greedy, Sam,” Gareth chided. “You’ve chosen Morrin, and now I choose Vicki… if she’s willing, that is.”

“
Absolutely,” she purred, tossing back her long black hair. It shimmered like silk in the lights as she and Gareth, arm in arm, walked into the crowd without a backward glance.

Sixteen

“He’s so sure of himself as far as women are concerned,” Sam said resentfully two hours later. They had gone back to the villa, made coffee, and were sharing a wide garden lounger on the patio.

“
Mmmm?” Morrin stirred against the cushions, reluctant to break the companionable silence between them.

“
When his girlfriend sails away he just reaches out a hand and Vicki goes off with him.”

Despite
all her protestations to Gareth, suspicion was beginning to dawn in Morrin’s mind, fanned by Sam’s obvious resentment over the way Vicki had disappeared into the crowd with Gareth without a backward glance. “You’re not jealous of him and Vicki, are you?”

“
Jealous?” Sam dropped a kiss on the end of her nose. “Why should I care about them when I’ve got you beside me? Have you decided where you want to spend your holiday?”

“
Can’t we leave that until we get back to London?”

“
You haven’t changed your mind, have you? We’ll have a wonderful time together.” He ran the tip of one finger down her bare arm. “You look very beautiful in the moonlight. Remind me to tell you that when we’re on some palm-fringed beach together. Or have you decided on some exciting city instead?”

Morrin
took a deep breath. “The thing is, I’ve never gone away with a man before… It’s different for you!” she added defensively as she heard him laughing in the dusk.

“
So you think I’m in the habit of going off with other women?” he teased.

“
It has happened, hasn’t it?”

“
Good grief, darling, I’m not a monk.”

“
And it’s happened with Vicki.” Morrin kept her voice steady, her eyes fixed on a distant star.

There
was a faint pause before Sam spoke again, lightly. “So? It was a long time ago. We’ve both moved on since then.”

“
Yes, you have.
You
got a play in the West End and you didn’t give Vicki the lead as you had promised. And
she
…” The pieces were beginning to fit together, one clicking into the other. Perhaps it was because she had been working with Gareth on his drama script, perhaps not, but all at once Morrin felt as though she was in a theatre, watching a real-life drama unfolding on a stage. “She gave up the stage and opted for marriage to a rich man instead.”

“
She threw all that talent away because I broke my promise.” A husky note had come into his voice.

“
You can’t blame yourself for her decisions.”

“
I knew… I know Vicki well. It was my fault. If I had kept my word she might have been a big name by now.”

“
And you want to make it up to her.”

“
She’s still young, Morrin. She could still do so much.”

“
You care a great deal for her, don’t you, Sam?”

“
Why not? We saw each other through some hard times in the past. I owe a lot to Vicki.”

“
Are you in love with her?”

“
What?” He gave an incredulous laugh. “Why should you think that, just because I want to see her succeeding as an actress?”

“
Do you love me?”

“
Grow up, Morrin; this is the real world, not some teenage romantic fantasy.”

“
I think I have just grown up. I thought you cared about me.”

“
Of course I care. Why do you think I want this holiday? It would give us a chance to get to know each other.”

She
scrambled to her feet and his hand fell away from her elbow. “I don’t have to sleep with someone to find out if I like them, Sam. I prefer to do things the other way round.”

“
It’s Sinclair, isn’t it? He’s turned you against me. Don’t you see, Morrin” – Sam was on his feet, reaching out for her – “that he’s trying to come between us. He wants you for himself.”

She
stepped back, away from him. “That’s ridiculous. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed… alone.”

As
she turned to leave the patio he pulled her back and into his arms. “Morrin…” His voice was muffled in her hair. “You don’t understand, do you? I’m not like him. All I want is for you to be happy, for us to be happy. And we can at least do that for each other, for a little while…”

His
hands spread over her back, tightening to pull her against him, her face pressed against his chest. She could hear the fast thumping of his heart, feel the throb of it against her cheek. She clung to him for a moment, wondering if despite what she had just heard he was, after all, her forbidden flame, that tantalising brilliance that should be avoided, and yet was so desirable. She no longer knew the truth of anything.

He
put a hand beneath her chin to tilt her face up to his. His kiss was warm and gentle, and when it was over he eased her away from him. “In that white dress you look like an exotic night-moth.” He kissed her again, then bent his head to murmur against her throat, “So beautiful… so pure…”

Then
his mouth was on hers again, but this time the kiss was hard and demanding, his hands greedy and swift, and Morrin began to struggle, knowing that this was not the time, not the way. This was not the man.

Then
the two of them fell apart as the patio light flashed on like an accusing eye. Vicki stood in the open glass doors, silhouetted against the dimly lit room at her back.

“
Vicki? You’re home early.”

“
Too early.” Vicki spoke in a whisper, yet it pierced the night. “How could you, Sam? How could you betray me with this… this slip of a girl? This nobody!”

Her
voice rose on the final word and she turned sharply and disappeared into the house.

“
Vicki?” Sam’s voice cracked with disbelief. “Vicki!”

“
You’re a surprisingly poor judge of women, Kennedy,” Gareth said as he emerged from the French windows, his white shirt glimmering in the darkness. “She’s been on edge ever since you left us. She couldn’t wait to get back to you, and what does she – ”

“
Get out of my way!” Sam pushed the other man aside and ran into the house, calling Vicki’s name.

“
So now you know, sweetheart,” Gareth said, and then as a car door slammed at the front of the house and an engine roared into life he clapped a hand to his trouser pocket. “Oh damn!” he said, and headed off through the house with Morrin in pursuit.

She
caught up with him at the open front door, just in time to see Vicki’s car turning out of the courtyard and on to the road. As it roared away the low sports car Gareth had hired reversed then headed in its turn for the road. As it turned Morrin glimpsed Sam crouched over the wheel, his face white and tense.

“
When,” Gareth said, “will I start remembering to take the keys out of the ignition? It’s living in the country that does it.”

“
Sam!” Morrin ran after the car, then stopped when she realised the futility of it. “What’s happening?” She turned to Gareth, still on the steps.

He
shrugged. “Vicki was like a hen on a hot griddle after Sam went off with you. She couldn’t wait to get back here to see what he was up to. And guess what he was up to?”

“
We weren’t – ”

“
She’s crazy about him.” Gareth cut across the feeble denial as though he had not even heard it. “Haven’t you realised that yet? Everything she’s done and said since we got here, all her flirting with me and her jibes at you, was her way of trying to make Sam jealous. Why else do you think he wanted me to dramatise
Charlotte
Dreaming
?” He came down the three steps towards her. “It was because he found out that her marriage was over and there was a second chance for him. It was never the play he wanted; it was Vicki.”

“
You’re wrong.” But even as she said it she knew that he was quite right. She also knew that the last time they had stood together in that very spot, the night they came back from Teide, he had kissed her.

The
growl of the sports car engine had faded into the darkness and now there was no sound apart from the sighing bushes and the waves hammering the beach across the road.

“
Come inside. We have things to talk about,” Gareth said, and Morrin suddenly realised that with Sam and Vicki gone they were quite alone.

“
I’m… I’m going for a walk.”

“
We can talk while we walk.”

“
I mean, alone.”

“
Not at this time of night,” Gareth said. “We’ve just lost two people, and I don’t intend to lose a third. Will you be warm enough?”

“
My jacket’s in the hall.”

“
OK.” As he went back into the house Morrin seized her chance and ran across the empty courtyard then on to and across the road.

Once
she was on the beach the fresh wind from the sea tangled her full skirt around her legs and sand caught at her high-heeled sandals, dragging them from her feet. She let them go, not wanting to waste time retrieving them. The wind had brought clouds with it, hiding the moon and stars, and she did not realise how close she was to the sea until she splashed into the first wave, gasping at its sudden chill.

“
Morrin, for pity’s sake what are you up to now?” Gareth asked from a few yards away. She turned, and saw him pause on the dry sand just beyond the line of creamy spray from the breaking wavelets.

“
Go back to the house. I just want to be on my own for a while.”

Fortunately
the beach was sheltered from the open sea at that point by a long high rocky barrier that broke the full force of the big waves crashing in from the Atlantic. But even so the wind was strong enough to whip Morrin’s hair about her face as she backed further into the water, away from Gareth. She was gasping for breath after her flight, and her heart hammered against her ribs.

“
You’d better get out of the water, Morrin.”

“
I’ll come out when you go away.”

“
I can’t just leave you here on your own.” Gareth’s hands reached out to her. “Morrin…”

For
a moment the moon broke through the clouds and she saw to her surprise that he was grinning broadly. “Morrin, I think you should turn round very carefully and have a look at what’s behind you,” he suggested.

“
Behind me?” Without thinking she did as he said, turning in time to see that a huge swell of water had rounded the rocky barrier and was advancing swiftly, menacingly, towards her.

Even
as she screamed and tried to run to safety, hampered by her skirt and by the few inches of water round her feet, the swell seemed to rear up to eye level, then higher until it was towering over her, its foaming white crest breaking, curling over, reaching for her greedily.

“
Gareth!” She screamed his name at the top of her voice.

“
Hang on,” she heard him shout, then he was by her side just as the wave hit her, knocking her from her feet. She opened her mouth to scream again, then gasped and choked on a mouthful of cold salty water. Her legs kicked against the wet weight of her skirt and only Gareth’s arms saved her from being dragged into the deeper water of the bay along with the wave as it ebbed back, leaving the two of them soaked to the skin, but on their feet.

“
You idiot,” Gareth said, water sluicing from his tangled black hair and into Morrin’s eyes as she blinked up at him. “You stubborn little mule you. You… what am I going to do with you, Morrin?” Then, answering his own question. “Let’s start with this.”

They
stood for a long moment in the swirling surf, locked in each other’s arms, and when the kiss finally ended Gareth swept her up into his arms.

“
I can walk,” she protested as he strode along the beach.

“
I know, I’ve seen you do it. And you can run too, but I’m tired of chasing after you, so stay put,” he ordered, and for once, exhausted and still shaking with fear, she did not argue.