Mistress of His Revenge (Bought by the Brazilian #1) (6 page)

She frowned when she saw a ginger figure flash past and bolt into the fire-damaged part of the house. ‘
George!
Come back.’

‘Who is George?’ Cruz found he was talking to himself as Sabrina tore across the lawn before disappearing into the fire-blackened house.

‘George, where are you, sweetheart?’ Sabrina called, vainly trying to peer through the blackness. The part of the house where the fire had done most damage was known as the annexe. It had been built in the early nineteen hundreds, and, as Cruz had commented, was of less historic importance than the main house. The flames had been extinguished but the rooms were still full of thick smoke that made Sabrina’s eyes sting.
‘George.’

‘Is George the guy who was looking forward to being woken by you in the morning?’ Cruz’s deep voice cut through the darkness and Sabrina jumped when he appeared at her side.

‘What...?’ Comprehension dawned as she remembered that when Cruz had paid his first visit to Eversleigh Hall earlier in the evening, the party had been in full swing. ‘No,’ she said distractedly, ‘that was Hugo. George is—’

‘Another of your juvenile lovers?’ Cruz suggested. ‘How many do you have? You should not play with boys,
gatinha.
You need a man to satisfy you.’

‘How would you know what I need?’ She bristled at his outrageous arrogance.

‘I know that the boyfriend I saw you with at the party is not strong enough for you. On the surface you are the cool and composed lady of the manor, but beneath your serene smile there is, not ice, but heat and simmering sensuality. You need a man who can tame your fiery temperament and who would be prepared to put you across his knee if necessary.’

Sabrina’s choking fit had nothing to do with the smoky atmosphere. ‘You are the most chauvinistic
dinosaur
I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet,’ she spluttered. ‘We haven’t seen each other for ten years and you have no idea what I want.’

‘You want me,’ he said with infuriating self-assurance. ‘Did you think I didn’t feel the quickening of your heartbeat when I kissed you earlier, or that I did not notice the flush of sexual desire that stained your creamy skin so prettily?’ His voice deepened and his husky accent caused the hairs on the back of Sabrina’s neck to stand on end. ‘It’s still there, Sabrina, and we both recognised it in the library. I could have had you on the desk and you would have been with me all the way. I bet you have never met another man who excites you as much as I do.’

Sabrina was thankful that the darkness hid the wave of heat she felt spreading across her cheeks. ‘This is an utterly ridiculous conversation and an even more ridiculous place to be having it.’ She swung away from Cruz and yelped as she stubbed her toe on a door frame. ‘Damn it, I can’t see a thing.’ She blinked as a light suddenly flared and she saw that it came from Cruz’s mobile phone. ‘There’s George,’ she cried as she glimpsed the glitter of green eyes.

‘George is a
cat
?’ Cruz swore. ‘I can’t believe you risked your safety for a cat.’

‘He was probably terrified by the fire and he’s looking for somewhere to hide. Quick—grab him before he runs off.’ Sabrina heard a yowl, followed by a torrent of Portuguese that she guessed from Cruz’s tone it was lucky she did not understand. ‘Have you got him?’

‘It would be more to the point to say that he has got me,’ Cruz muttered as he viewed the ball of orange fur that had attached its teeth to his hand with considerable dislike.

‘Oh, my poor darling.’ Sabrina’s soft-as-butter voice went some way to soothing Cruz’s damaged pride, until he realised that she was speaking to the cat. The animal responded to the sound of his mistress and released its grip on Cruz’s flesh before leaping into Sabrina’s arms.

‘I don’t think he’s injured,’ she said as she carried George outside and inspected him anxiously.

‘Lucky cat,’ Cruz muttered, wrapping a handkerchief around his hand to try and staunch the blood pouring from the teeth marks left by the creature from hell.

‘Thank you for rescuing him. Oh...’ Sabrina was shocked to see blood pouring from Cruz’s hand. ‘George only bites when he’s upset. It just goes to show how traumatised he must have been, poor angel.’ Seeing Cruz’s glowering expression, she added hurriedly, ‘You had better come into the house and let me clean the wound.’

The main part of the house, including the kitchen, had not suffered any fire damage. Sabrina set George down on the floor and fed him a handful of cat treats before she took the first-aid box from a cupboard. ‘Wash the bite area thoroughly,’ she instructed. ‘Cats have a high level of bacteria in their mouths and bites can easily become infected.’

‘Wonderful,’ Cruz said drily. As he held his hand under the tap he gave George a dark look and was fairly certain than the deep sound coming from the cat’s throat was not a friendly purr. He turned his attention to the breakfast trays set out on the counter. ‘Had you planned to serve your guests breakfast in their rooms?’ He counted the trays. ‘It must take you all morning.’

‘I have John, the butler, to help me, although the arthritis in his knees means he can’t manage the rooms on the top floors. A girl from the village comes to help on party weekends. Breakfast in bed is part of the party package offered at Eversleigh.’

Sabrina saw the puzzled look Cruz gave her and bit her lip. The shock of the fire was sinking in and she was struggling to contain her emotions. ‘You may as well know the truth as it will be public knowledge soon,’ she said heavily. ‘I can’t afford to pay for the upkeep of the house and estate and I might have to sell up. It’s been on the cards for a while, but tonight’s fire means that selling Eversleigh Hall looks unavoidable.’ The words sounded like a death knell, and misery settled heavily in the pit of Sabrina’s stomach.

Cruz dried his hand on the paper towel that Sabrina gave him and allowed her to apply antiseptic solution to the bite wound. ‘I assume the maintenance costs of a huge mansion are expensive.’ He recalled his conversation with the farmhand in the pub. ‘Has your father run out of money?’

‘There is money in his account but I can no longer access it to pay the hall’s bills since—’ Sabrina hesitated ‘—since Dad disappeared. He’s been missing for over a year and his bank accounts and assets have been frozen. I’ve employed a missing persons’ agency to search for him but so far they’ve found no trace of him. If he isn’t found after a number of years, he will be presumed dead, but in the meantime I’ve used all my savings and spent everything I earn on the house and, to put it bluntly, I’m broke.’

‘I imagine a house this size must be worth a lot of money,’ Cruz said casually.

‘The house and estate, which consists of three hundred acres of prime Surrey land, have been valued at ten million pounds.’

Cruz’s brows rose. That much! Eversleigh Hall was worth more than he had expected. It had occurred to him that he could buy the house so that he would have the opportunity to look for the map of the diamond mine. But a house as old as Eversleigh was bound to be a money pit, and there was a chance that the map did not exist. He was a gambler but he wasn’t a fool.

‘It will probably take some time to find a buyer,’ he commented, thinking that in the meantime he needed to persuade Sabrina to allow him to search the house for the map. ‘Not everyone can afford, or would want the responsibility of owning, a historic stately home.’

‘I already have a buyer lined up. A hotel chain approached me a few months ago and made an offer for the estate. The Excelsior Group plan to build a golf course in the grounds and turn the house into a luxury golf and spa resort.’

Her shoulders slumped. ‘Once I give the go-ahead for the sale it should only take a matter of weeks. Sometimes I’ve even wondered if I would be happier to be free of the worry of trying to maintain the estate. But this is my home and I have happy memories of living here with my mother before she left us. My father was never interested in Eversleigh but I always hoped that one day Tristan would run the place properly.’

Cruz frowned at the unwelcome news that the house could be sold so quickly. ‘You said your father’s assets are frozen because he is officially registered as a missing person. Surely Eversleigh Hall is listed as one of his assets, so how can it be sold without his knowledge or permission?’

‘The house is owned by a group of trustees made up of Dad, me and my brother. Only two of us need to agree to the sale.’

‘And Tristan is in agreement?’

‘Tris is unaware of the financial situation,’ she admitted heavily. ‘I’ve tried to spare him the worry because he is studying for his final exams at university. He’ll be upset to lose our ancestral home, but he’s a realist and he’ll understand that we have no choice but to let Eversleigh go.’

Sabrina was shocked to feel tears sting her eyes. She rarely cried, but the impact the fire would have on her life, if—as it seemed almost certain—she would have to leave the only home she had ever known, was starting to truly sink in. Feeling as vulnerable as she did, the last thing she felt able to cope with was Cruz.

Sabrina used the excuse of putting the first-aid box back in the cupboard to move away from Cruz. Being so close attending to his injured hand, she was supremely conscious of his lean, muscular body. Vivid memories rose to the surface, the feel of him on top of her, his weight pressing her into the mattress as he thrust into her over and over again.

Just thinking about him making love to her induced a molten sensation between her legs, and a quick glance downwards showed the outline of her nipples was clearly visible. She reminded herself that the peach silk robe she had pulled on over her matching nightdress when the fire alarm had sounded was perfectly respectable, but she was aware of Cruz’s intent scrutiny and fought the urge to cross her arms over her breasts. It was imperative that he leave before she made an idiot of herself, and she walked over to the kitchen door, hoping he would take the hint and follow her.

He was unfairly gorgeous, she thought as she took advantage of him looking at his phone to study his chiselled features. Wealth and success had given him an air of sophistication that he had not had ten years ago, although he had never lacked self-confidence, she acknowledged. She flushed when he suddenly looked up and caught her staring at him.

‘It’s late,’ she said abruptly, glancing at the kitchen clock. ‘I’m sure you can appreciate that it has been a stressful night. I want to go to bed so I’ll have to ask you to leave.’

Cruz flashed a smile that stole her breath. ‘Not a chance.’

She stiffened. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean that I am not going to allow you to stay here on your own while the house is unsecured. Every burglar and criminal in the area will have heard about the fire. They won’t even have to break in—they can simply walk into the fire-damaged part of the building and access the rest of the house, including your bedroom.’

‘Rubbish! You can’t tell me what you’ll
allow
me to do.’ Sabrina’s temper simmered. ‘Anyway, there is very little crime in the village, and the local police constable said he will post one of his officers at the front gate tonight.’ She placed her hands on her hips when Cruz did not move off the kitchen stool where he was sitting. ‘I’m not going to argue with you.’

‘Good idea,’ he said blandly. ‘Save your breath,
gatinha
, and show me to a spare bedroom.’

He slid off the stool and walked towards her, his eyes glittering with a fierce possessiveness that touched something deep inside Sabrina. Despite his size he moved with a noiseless grace and the predatory intent of a panther stalking its prey. ‘Unless you would prefer me to share your room?’ He stopped in front of her and ran his finger lightly down her cheek. The caress was as soft as a butterfly’s wing brushing against her skin, yet her senses leapt and she felt as if he had branded her with his touch. ‘Although I can’t guarantee that either of us would get much sleep,’ he murmured.

She swallowed hard, fighting the treacherous longing of her body.
Why not forget her worries for one night and lose herself in the guaranteed sensual pleasure of making love with Cruz?
whispered the voice of temptation in her head. But all he was offering was sex, she reminded herself. It hadn’t been enough for her ten years ago, and she sensed it would not be enough now.

‘You are unbelievable,’ she told him tightly.

He grinned. ‘So I’ve been told.’

Sabrina recalled the recent stories she had read in the newspapers about the hotshot Brazilian diamond tycoon who had taken the London social scene by storm and seemed to be intent on sleeping with every beautiful blonde he met. A sharp barb of jealousy stabbed her through the heart. To disguise her swift intake of breath she swung round and marched out of the kitchen door, aware, because she was so intensely aware of Cruz, that he followed her across the hall and up the stairs to the second floor. Frustration surged through her that she could not make him leave, but she recognised the determined gleam in his eyes and knew that she would lose an argument and probably her dignity in the process.

‘You can use the bedroom at the far end of the corridor,’ she told him in an emotionless voice, and did not glance at him as she walked swiftly along the hallway towards her room on the opposite side of the house.

But the trauma of the fire, the likelihood that she would have to sell her home, and more shockingly the images in her mind of Cruz naked in bed just down the corridor, kept her awake until the pearl-grey glimmer of dawn peeped through the chink in the curtains.

* * *

Eversleigh Hall had never looked more beautiful, Sabrina thought the next morning. She had ridden Monty up to the North Downs Way, classed as an area of outstanding natural beauty, and from her viewpoint the fire-damaged section of the house was hidden. In the early morning sunshine the sandstone brickwork gleamed palely gold, and she could see the elegant knot garden, the tall poplar trees and the deep blue of the lake.

Her heart ached. How could she bear to part from the place that meant so much to her? How could she end the Bancroft family’s five-hundred-year ownership of the hall? But what choice did she have? She had run out of money and ideas, and her hopes that her father would be found alive and well were fading.