Penmort Castle (54 page)

“Well, it’s
only that, Cash here,” she motioned to Cash with a flick of her
wrist and Abby’s hand flexed spasmodically in his, “see, his father
died in a car wreck,” Suzanne finished, what sounded inanely.

Both policemen
shifted awkwardly on their feet, their eyes going to Cash.

“I’m sorry,
sir,” one of the police mumbled.

“No,” Suzanne
went on to announce, “you don’t understand. Foul play was
suspected.”

Cash felt
Abby’s body jerk through his hand and his own eyes riveted on
Suzanne.

“It was?” the
policeman asked.

“Yes, indeed it
was,” Suzanne answered blithely. “They never pinned it on anyone
but, you know, it does seem an odd coincidence that Cash’s father
might
have been murdered and here we are, decades later, and
Cash’s expensive, high performance, Italian sports car which was, I
assume, running smoothly last night during its trek from Somerset
to Devon, this morning, with no warning, strangely both accelerates
on its own
and
its brakes go out,
both at the same
time.
” Suzanne licked her lips, sat back in her chair and
finished. “I mean, don’t you think that’s utterly
bizarre?
”

Alistair cut in
and all eyes moved to him as he declared, “Nothing was ever
proved.”

“I know nothing
was every proved, Alistair,” Suzanne shot back. “That doesn’t
change the fact that foul play was suspected. The police, you’ll no
doubt agree, should have all the facts.” Her eyes moved to the
police. “It was a long time ago but I’m sure there’s still a case
file somewhere.”

Alistair moved
further into the room, his eyes narrowing on Suzanne.

“Nothing was
ever proved,” he insisted.

“You said that
already,” Suzanne returned mildly.

Alistair’s gaze
flicked to Cash then to the police. “There’s no reason to dredge
that up again just because of an accident. We’re planning a
celebration tonight and it will only serve to distress my family,
my nephew –”

“It does seem
weird,” Fenella piped up, interrupting Alistair.

“Very
peculiar,” Honor added.

Cash saw
Nicola’s mouth twitch in a way that looked like she was trying to
control a smile before she turned her face away.

“You see,”
Suzanne smoothly carried on, “Anthony Beaumaris was a rich and
powerful man. Now his son is. It could be someone has it out for
him and his family. We could all be in danger.”

“That’s
ridiculous,” Alistair spat.

Nicola turned
to her husband. “I don’t know if it’s ridiculous considering Abby
and Fenella were in that car. If someone’s after Cash they couldn’t
know Abby would drive his car. It was the first time Abby ever
touched the steering wheel. And it could have been any one of us
sitting beside her. If someone intends Cash harm, what happened
this morning proves that we could all be in danger.”

“You’re not in
danger,” Alistair retorted.

“I was today,”
Fenella reminded him and Alistair’s narrowed eyes shot to her.

Then Alistair
turned to the police declaring, “This is rubbish.”

“It doesn’t
sound like rubbish to me,” Honor commented. “How often does this
happen? I mean, this kind of thing doesn’t happen to most people
even once, but now it’s happened to Cash
twice?
That’s just
plain weird.”

“We’ll look
into it,” one of the police muttered, obviously desiring not to be
caught in the middle of a family squabble and they again turned to
leave.

“I think that’s
a good idea,” Suzanne encouraged, standing and giving them a
charming smile as she moved their way and Cash watched her eyes
warming to an inviting, suggestive allure that Cash was used to
having directed at him. She touched one of the police on his arm
and murmured, “I’ll just walk you to your car.”

Watching her
walk the police out, Cash reconsidered allowing Suzanne to stay at
the castle.

And definitely
Honor and Fenella could stay.

Abby’s hand
released his as she rose and looked at Nicola.

“I’m so sorry.
Every time I’m here it seems I’m having some kind of acci –” she
started.

Cash watched,
surprised, as Nicola’s eyes sliced to Abby and her voice was
unusually forceful when she interrupted, “Don’t you apologise. You
have
nothing
to apologise for. Not one thing.”

At the
fierceness in her tone everyone in the room went still except Cash.
He moved to Abby’s side and slid an arm around her waist.

Abby and Nicola
stared at each other and finally Nicola blinked and turned
away.

“Right!” she
exclaimed shrugging off her mood. “I’ve a million and one things to
do. Honor, go rescue those policemen from Suzanne, I need her.
Fenella, you take a rest and when you feel up to it, find me. Abby,
you and Cash try to salvage your afternoon,” her gaze turned to
Alistair, “and you…” she paused giving him an unreadable look, “do
whatever it is you do.”

Then she
hurried from the room.

Honor glanced
at Cash and Abby before she followed her mother.

Cash put
pressure on Abby’s waist and started to lead her from the room but
he was intercepted by Alistair putting a hand to his arm.

“Cash,” he
started, “son, you don’t believe –”

Cash’s eyes had
gone to his arm when Alistair touched him but they cut to his uncle
as Cash pulled his arm away.

“Don’t ever,”
Cash’s voice was lethal, “call me ‘son’.”

Cash saw red
started creeping up his uncle’s neck as Alistair took a step back
and Cash continued moving, guiding Abby to their room.

Once they
arrived, he shut the door and Abby stormed deep into the room.

Then she
started pacing.

Then she
started ranting, however she did this quietly.

“I do
not
believe,” she hissed, “that Alistair tried to
kill
you.”

“Abby –” Cash
started but she talked over him.

“On the day of
his anniversary! Valentine’s Day!” she snapped. “Nicola has been
planning this for nine months! Nine!” she clipped, lifting both
hands up to Cash to show him nine fingers. “And he attempts the
murder of
my
boyfriend,” she thumped her chest for emphasis,
“on Nicola’s special day!”

Cash bit back a
smile at her words and tried again, “Darling, calm –” but she kept
going.

“He tried to
kill you on Valentine’s Day,” she repeated, “and nearly killed his
stepdaughter!
”

Cash leaned his
shoulders against the door and crossed his arms on his chest
deciding to let her get it out. She needed to vent so they could
move on with the weekend and she could keep her wits about her. She
was going to need them.

He watched her
pace and rant, her arms waving around. He thought, regardless of
their murderous circumstances (now
both
Cash and Abby were
on different firing lines), she looked quite adorable in her muted
fury.

And while he
watched her something suddenly occurred to him. Something he hadn’t
considered before. Something vital that freed a lock deep inside
him that he didn’t know was secured.

Throughout
their short relationship, she reminded him of his mother, not in
good ways, but in bad. Her mood swings, erratic behaviour and the
depth of her pain which he could not fathom, nor did he think he
could do anything about.

He thought
about Abby manically packing her bag, taking too many pills to kill
unknown pain, raving about a ghost.

He was used to
this bizarre and alarming behaviour from his mother. He was used to
a life of hour-to-hour, even sometimes minute-to-minute, not
knowing where her crazed mind would take her, dragging Cash along
with her.

And he’d
accepted it from Abby but held himself aloof, protecting himself
with an exit plan.

But Abby wasn’t
mentally ill.

Abby was simply
spirited. She also had been in the final throes of escaping a deep
grief that had her imprisoned in its grip for four years.

She was now
over that grief. She had let her guard down and given herself to
him.

Not only that,
she was putting herself in danger for no other reason but to make
his legacy safe. It had nothing to do with her but she was doing it
anyway.

Risking her
life.

For Cash.

When his
thoughts came back to the room, the edge he’d carried all his life
had faded away. The peace he felt with Abby settled around him like
a warm, nurturing shroud.

And at that
moment, Cash Fraser vowed he was going to keep that peace and the
only person in his life who’d ever given it to him.

Not for
awhile.

Forever.

Abby completely
missed his life-altering resolution and was still seething. “It
took everything I had not to walk right across the room and
kick
him in the shin
.”

He grinned at
the visual she created, uncrossed his arms and walked to her as she
stood, no longer pacing but planted and solid and glaring at
him.

He stopped
close and slid his arms around her. “Are you done?”

“No,” she
snapped.

He waited. She
was silent.

Then she took
in a deep breath and said, “Okay, maybe I’m done.”

Cash burst out
laughing and while doing so he felt her body relax. She leaned into
him and wrapped her arms around him.

He looked down
at her to see she’d tipped her head back to watch him laugh. The
anger had gone out of her face. The awe he’d seen only once had
replaced it.

Then she
whispered, “I love it when you laugh.”

That shroud
drew closer, grew warmer and his arms tightened around her.

He didn’t
comment on her words, instead he asked, “Are you okay?”

“You mean after
crashing your fabulously expensive sports car into a wall?” she
queried in return.

He felt his
mouth twitch. “Yes, after that.”

“Pretty much,”
she replied. “Though now, if we have to make a quick getaway, we
have no wheels.”

“A rental will
be delivered within the hour,” Cash told her.

She looked
surprised for a minute then she smiled and relaxed further into
him.

“Are
you
okay?” she asked.

“No, but I will
be,” he answered.

Her arms gave
him a squeeze and her head tipped to the side. “What do you think
Suzanne is up to?”

“No idea,” Cash
replied.

Though he did
have an idea, however he was willing to ride it out and see where
it took them.

“Surprising
ally,” Abby whispered.

Cash bent his
head and put his mouth to the skin below her ear, not wanting to
talk about Suzanne, not wanting to talk
at all
, and
murmured, “Indeed.”

As his tongue
touched her neck, Cash felt her body tremble against his and
immediately he started walking her backward toward the bed.

She didn’t
resist and her hands slid up his back but she commented softly,
“You seem weird today.”

Cash’s mouth
glided to her jaw then across her cheek to her lips.

“Not weird,” he
said against her mouth.

“I –” she
started but her legs hit the bed and Cash kept moving, forcing her
body to fall back, his going with her, his mouth taking hers in a
kiss before he landed on top of her on the bed.

One of her
hands sliding in his hair, she kissed him back.

They would,
Cash thought before his mind cleared of everything but Abby, her
perfume, her soft body under his, her hands on him, talk later.

Right then,
Cash was intent on salvaging the afternoon.

Nicola

Abby stood at
the mirror over the bureau spritzing perfume at her ears and
wrists.

Cash had
showered first while she dozed in bed and he dressed while she was
taking a long, relaxing bath. When she was towelling off, he’d
called through the door that James was there and he had to go talk
to him. He didn’t explain why James was there and he’d been gone
before Abby had a chance to ask.

That afternoon
Cash had left their room once, to go get them some food for a light
lunch. After making love and eating, they’d spent hours in bed,
cuddling and whispering to each other about what could be causing
Nicola’s strange mood, what was behind Suzanne’s even stranger
behaviour and both their surprise at Fenella’s demonstrated
fortitude.

Well, Abby did
most of the whispering. Cash spent his time holding her, running
his hands over her skin and gliding his lips along her shoulder,
her neck, her jaw, her collarbone (and other places besides).

He would,
however, often mutter things like, “Mm,” or “I’ve no idea,” or
“Let’s just see how it plays out, shall we?”

Other than
that, he seemed pretty happy to let Abby talk her way through
things using him as a mostly silent sounding board.

Abby noted that
Cash was completely at ease with all the nefarious goings-on.

Abby was
not.

Regardless of
spending the afternoon in bed with Cash and her relaxing bath, Abby
was wired.

Although Cash
appeared laid back about the attempt on his life, he was that
morning more intense with Abby than ever.

Cash, Abby
thought, was always a bit intense but this was different.

Not in a bad
way. In a good one.

A
really
good one.

One that made
that blooming hope in her heart start to blossom out-of-control
even though she knew it was stupid, stupid,
stupid
to let
that feeling flourish.

That afternoon
she felt his intensity of the morning somehow settled even though
it didn’t diminish. It was as if he’d come to some conclusion.

Although Abby
wanted to know what that conclusion was, she didn’t ask him to
share, scared of what it could mean.