Conquering Sabrina (17 page)

Raoul deposited her lethargic icy cold body on top of the horse and climbed on to sit behind her. He walked the horse on from the clearing and past the ornate fountain depicting a single large fish covered in snow and ice. They could hardly see anything. They would never make it back to the house in time. He turned the horse to walk further into the woods, heading for the summerhouse he’d recently had restored for the day Sabrina returned.

Raoul had lavished all of his attention on the structure imagining her in the rooms.

It was to be their secret haven, their retreat from the world when they wanted to be alone. He’d been there the morning before she came, so the heating and water would still be on. He’d planned to show her the place when everyone had left after the weekend. He could start a fire and put Sabrina in a warm bath, and they could shelter there until the weather was better. His arm around her waist tightened as he broke the horse out into a gallop, seeing part of the house through patches in the creeping fog. Sabrina’s alertness was decreasing and he needed to hurry.

When they reached the house Raoul had told her about to keep her awake and all the renovations he had made to it, he set her down on the ground and made her walk. He didn’t have the keys and he leant her against the side of the house whilst he used all of his strength to kick down the heavy door. When the task was accomplished, Sabrina felt her arm being firmly taken and she was made to move quickly, despite the injury to her ankle.

“I need to keep you moving, Sabrina, so you don’t get severe hypothermia. Go up the stairs. I will put the heating on.”

When he joined her, he found her slumped on the landing. Her legs just didn’t seem to want to take her any further. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bathroom.

“We are so lucky that I have been spending most of my time here recently and everything is working.”

He took her straight to the large bathroom and sat her aching body on the edge of the bath. The ornate gold taps spewed out steaming hot water, insulating the white porcelain and marble room. He then began the task of taking off her wet clothes. Her hand shot out.

“Don’t you touch me.”

“Sabrina, I am not in the mood for your stubbornness. Now I need to get you out of those wet clothes before you get hypothermia and die.”

Sabrina flinched when he gave her a sharp shake.

“Come on. I am not going to lose you again.”

She nodded through her shaking, knowing it was futile not to comply. She didn’t offer any further resistance as he roughly pulled the long coat off her shoulders. His hands moved quickly, almost ripping her coat, her jumper and her trousers as he dragged them down her wet legs. He undid the catch of her bra and pulled the sodden garment down her arms. The moment she was naked, she was up in his arms again and then plunging into warm water up to her neck.

She sank under the water for a moment, trying to wake herself and stop her shaking. Slowly she felt the warmth seep into her skin to heat her core. When she came up, Raoul was quickly undressing. Once naked, he plunged into the bath behind her and gathered her close to his body.

His arms felt so strong and protective around her fragile body, she just wanted to melt against him. She rested her head against the smooth taut muscle of his chest and felt his strength surround her and support her sleepy chattering body. She wanted to sleep, but she knew he would not allow it. She sighed with defeat and listened to the comforting beat of his heart.

“Are you feeling warmer, Sabrina?” he asked gently after a while, lifting some water to trickle it lightly over her bare arms. “You aren’t shaking so much now.”

“Yes, I feel better. I’m just so tired and my head hurts.”

He ruffled her hair, looking for a cut.

“I have everything we need here. I’ll get you some aspirin when we get out. I’m just so glad I found you when I did. I still don’t know what you were doing out on your own. You know it’s dangerous. That man, if only I knew who he was. If I hadn’t reached you in time, it might have all happened again.”

His arms left her body, forcing her to sit up and watch him climb out of the bath. He was a beautiful sight. He carried his tight muscled form with aristocratic erectness. She pitied any man who chose him as a physical enemy. He wrapped the towel around his waist as he picked up her wet clothes and trotted out of the room, giving her a stern look. She lay back down in the water, feeling confused. Every time they got close, something or someone pulled them apart. When he came back into the room, she decided to have it out and clear the air.

“What have I done wrong now, Raoul?”

He was carrying another large white fluffy towel. He stopped and watched her intently, considering whether to confront her or not.

“When did your memory return? And why didn’t you tell me?”

Sabrina lowered her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

He gave her an impatient look.

“You can’t hide something like that from me. You had no right.”

“I didn’t. I just get flashes, I told you.”

“No. You know who I am now.”

He moved closer and looked down at her, cupping her chin to lift her face up to him.

“I can see it in your eyes. Whatever you try to hide is always bare in your eyes, Sabrina.”

“You’re wrong.”

She knew her defence was useless, but still she persisted, afraid if she revealed her suspicions she would hurt him and worse, he wouldn’t believe her about Luc.

“I don’t believe you are still trying to deny it. Before I carried you to the horse, I saw it in your eyes. You have a certain look, Sabrina, that you give only me.”

He gave a soft laugh.

“It’s a dangerous rebellious look when I take you in hand and you are not sure whether you should let me or not. For the first time since you came home, you gave it to me just before. I knew then that you were my Sabrina again.”

He bent his head and let go of her chin.

“I don’t understand why you thought it necessary to keep the return of your full memory secret from me.”

“I didn’t. It just happened this afternoon. And I was worried about Luc and whether I had an affair with him. The whole situation with him and Cressida hasn’t help me feel very secure.”

Raoul held up the towel for her to get out of the bath. She complied and felt him wrap the towel around her. He moved his hands over the dips and swells of her body to dry her adequately. He held her eyes as she felt the power of his seductive touch caress her curved form through the towel.

“Cressida has done a good job playing on your fears and loss of memory. When I have her arrested for assault and attempted murder, she will never bother you or us again, and we can get on with our lives. Now come on, let’s get you warm and some food inside you and we can talk some more.”

Chapter Twelve

He led her to one of the six rooms that made up the summerhouse attached to the chateau, in the nineteenth-century style of the house. The bedroom was in a small tower with windows on either side of the circular room. Her feet felt so cold as she walked across its wooden floor to sit on the bed. His eyes searched the room as he pondered on the problem of keeping Sabrina warm. He turned and hurriedly pulled out a pile of his jumpers and trousers out of the dark antique wardrobe and some slippers. He pulled one of the jumpers over her head, ignoring her protests that she would be buried alive in its male size. The indignity of long cargo pants followed, but they were nothing compared to the long Italian wool socks and slippers that made her look as though she wore clown shoes. He stepped back to admire his work and grinned.

“At least you will be warm.”

She frowned, lifting up her arms hidden under the long sleeves of the beige polo neck woolly jumper. He dressed in a pair of trousers, shoes, and heavy black jumper. He gathered up some blankets from a chest at the bottom of the bed and disappeared downstairs. Sabrina made to follow him, finding her progress hampered by her rather large attire. But Raoul was back in an instant lifting her into his arms.

He carried her down the stone steps into a large room he’d made into a living room with a fireplace and every modern comfort. He sat her down on the long biscuit-coloured sofa and covered her body up to her chin in the warm blankets.

“You must keep warm, Sabrina. We may have stopped you from getting hypothermia, but you might get a bad chill.”

He arranged the cushions comfortably around her head and neck, then turned his attention to starting a fire. She watched him at work, feeling cosy and protected. It felt like old times. He sat back down on the sofa and pulled down her sock to look at her ankle. He rested it gently on his lap as he probed its soreness. She yelped.

“Sorry, Sabrina, but I needed to check. I don’t think anything is broken, but you are badly bruised. You will have to keep off it for a while. I’ll get the doctor to check it out when we get back to the house. Now I’ll get you a warm drink and some food, just relax.”

She watched the fire crackle and spit, the flames fighting to grow higher. It cast a warm orange glow and flickering shadows around the dimly lit room. Outside the snow had stopped falling, but the fog was dense surrounding the small summerhouse in the clearing of the forest. Darkness was moving in fast and she felt a curious fear twist in the pit of her stomach.

She could feel the house being watched. They weren’t alone. She could feel those familiar eyes following her every move from afar, boring uninvited into her soul. The very idea made her ignore the pain in her ankle and jump up to undo the long white curtains and sweep them across the three long windows.

As she closed the last one, she was sure she could see a face peering at her through the fog. She jumped and gave a small cry and snapped the curtain shut. She chastised herself for her overactive imagination. She turned back to the room, listening to the pleasant homey noises of Raoul making food in the kitchen. Sudden warmth melted her insides at the notion of Raoul cooking for her. He loved to cook, especially for her, and there had been many a night she’d been a guinea pig for his latest concoction. She wanted to be near him, feel his presence surround the room. When she entered the kitchen, he looked up at her from stirring some soup.

“I’m sorry, but its tinned tomato soup. I don’t have any ingredients down here to make fresh soup. Damn, I meant to get you a drink. You need to sit down with that ankle.”

He dropped the wooden spoon against the pan and raced to the kettle he’d already boiled once. She picked up the spoon and began to stir the soup. There was a delicious smell of pizza.

“I can’t believe you even have a kettle in here. I thought as a Frenchman you only drank coffee,” she teased.

“It reminded me of you and the countless cups of tea that you drank. I’ve learned to like it. Although that is not what I am making you. It’s warm water for you until I can make sure you are all right.”

“You are kidding, aren’t you? I’m dying for a cup of tea. I haven’t had a decent one since I entered France. You know I can’t live without regular tea rations.”

“Yes, I remember. Here, get this down you. Let’s make sure you haven’t got hypothermia. You can’t drink tea or coffee until we know.”

“Where did you learn all these survival skills?”

“You know where, Sabrina.” He said it so softly, it was almost a caress. “Is that soup ready yet?”

Sabrina dipped her head, pretending to look down into the pan, feeling ashamed of not telling him about getting her memory back.

“Of course I remember, you climbed Mont Blanc before I met you,” she mumbled to herself. “Yes, I think it’s ready.”

She moved over to let him take charge of the spoon again. She groaned when he gestured to the mug of hot water but did as she was told. He poured the steaming soup into two bowls and looked through the oven to check the pizza.

“I never thought you would resort to pizza.”

He looked offended.

“I made it myself and put it in the freezer. It’s your favourite, goat cheese.”

“I get the feeling I was on your mind.”

“More than you know. Now back in the room. Here, take this aspirin for your head.”

He ushered her out of the kitchen and instructed her to sit around the small dining table, tucking a blanket around her legs. The soup was hot and dissolved the ice that rested in her core. The pizza was light but filling and she ate hungrily.

“You’ve eaten as though you never have any food. It isn’t like you to clean your plate, Sabrina. What is wrong with you? Have you suddenly remembered you have a ravenous appetite?”

She gave him a coy mischievous look.

“You know I love any food you cook for me. You always know how to make a mean pizza. If you aren’t going to eat that, hand it over here.”

Raoul shook his head and handed her the plate.

“It’s good to see you eat. You haven’t eaten a thing since you came back and I’ve been worried.”

She stopped munching on her slice of pizza and caught his arm, leaning her head against it. The wool of the jumper he had given her to wear was soft and it smelt of him.

“I love you,” she whispered.

She wasn’t sure she’d spoken the words. They sounded so sudden, so final and definite for a woman who had spent the last ten years forgetting her past. There was a pause, a stillness hanging in the air. Then he simply stroked her hair, weaving his fingers through its soft silky texture. He pulled it playfully.

“I love you too, Sabrina, darling. But now that you’re fed and watered, we must talk.”

She lifted her head, hearing his voice turn serious. He stood up and picked her up in his arms again. She laughed nervously.

“Do you mean talk, or do you mean talk in the bedroom?”

“Nice try, Sabrina. As much as I would love to make love to you right here and now, we need to have a discussion.”

He carried her back into the living room.

“Why are you carrying me everywhere?” she heard the defensiveness in her voice. “I do have two legs.”

“Indulge me. You’ve been through so much and I just want to look after you.”