Sins of Sarah (50 page)

'Thank goodness you came in,' Sarah said. 'I have to admit that a few more minutes and Nick would have come back to find her floating in the pool!' she confessed.

'Honey, don't try and be too nice to her! She has to learn,' Miriam protested. 'Let her know you won't tolerate that kind of thoughtlessness, for heaven's sake! I know what it's like -1 went through purgatory with Seth's kids. I know exactly what she's up to. Let her know where the limits are.' 'Miriam she's so young still.'

'And the little devil is playing on it! Nick won't allow it, he tells her and so should you. Stand up to her - believe me, it's the best way,' Miriam said. 'She already adores that babe, though at the moment she's shy of showing it to you both. She is coming round to the idea of you and Nick, I'm sure of it.'

'Oh, Miriam, I hope so - for Nick's sake,' Sarah sighed. 'I love him so much, and I know he loves me.'

'Yes, he does, and don't you forget it! I've never seen him so happy, Sarah, and it's all your doing. When he discovered you had dumped him, he was almost demented with grief.'

'He told me. Oh, Miriam, I wish I could come to the airport with you.'

'Hardly wise in the circumstances, is it? Cheer up, Sarah, he'll be back here by six, I promise.' 'Well, let's hope I can keep my hands off the little fiend till then!'

'Patience, honey, patience,' Miriam counselled wisely. 'Spend the afternoon resting, with earplugs in, if you can't bring yourself to discipline her!'

'I may have to! Oh-ho!' Sarah leapt up as a definite wail came from upstairs. 'Lunch-time for someone!'

* * *

Surprisingly, Charlotte was affable all afternoon, but she still seemed rather jumpy and was on the phone frequently. Sarah put it down to her looking forward to Nick coming back, as she was herself, and simply carried on with her normal routine - feeding Sam and playing with him for a while, before she went for the rest that Nick and the doctor still insisted on. It was still warm outside when she came down, and Charlotte was still spread out by the pool.

To hell with it, Sarah decided suddenly. A swim couldn't hurt her, she was sure. She had put on a swim-suit intending only to sunbathe a while, but it was almost a month since Sam had been born and her body felt back to normal. 'Coming in. Charlotte?' she asked, poised by the edge.

'Did Daddy say you could swim?' Charlotte drawled as she sat up, taking off her sunglasses to stare at Sarah 'Hey! You look great!'

'I've been lucky, I guess.' Sarah looked down at her body. 'I'm a dancer. Charlotte, and my muscle tone is still good - and despite your papa I have been exercising. Surprise, surprise, I don't do everything he tells me to do; there's no fun in that!'

Leaving Charlotte staring in amazement, she slid into the warm water and swam lazily up and down, until Charlotte finally gave in and joined her. They were actually laughing together when they climbed out and sprawled on the loungers having tea.

'Do you really love Daddy?' Charlotte demanded, after lying in silence for several minutes.

Sarah rolled over and met her eyes squarely. 'Yes, I do, Charlotte. I really am sorry if your mother has been hurt, darling, but . . . well, things haven't been that great between them for a long time.'

'It worked until you came along!' Charlotte retorted. 'And trapped him by getting pregnant!' 'Believe me. Charlotte, I never intended to get pregnant.' Sarah stood up and reached for her robe. 'I knew only too well what Nick felt about that. But he's happy about it now, you must be able to see that?'

'Oh, yeah! And Mummy has that creep Paul hanging around her! Cosy, isn't it? Daddy never liked him.'

'Charlotte, is it Paul that's bothering you?'

'Not me ... no, sir! I told you, everything is cosy. Now I'll have a stepfather, just like everyone else at school. Lucky me - an extra set of presents at Christmas!'

'Stop it. Charlotte!' Sarah was angry now. 'I'm not going to listen to self pity, and that's what it sounds like to me! Your father loves you dearly, probably even more than me, and that means he loves you a lot. I want us to be happy together because it means the world to him, and you are not going to spoil it, I won't let you, and that's an end to it!' Leaving Charlotte stunned at her outburst, she stalked off, trembling with fear at what she had done, praying Miriam had been right and that she hadn't made things worse.

She looked in on Sam, asleep in his nursery as Isabelle sat calmly knitting, then went to shower and dress.

Even the sight of her son didn't calm her quite as much as it usually did, since she was so worked up. He certainly seemed to look more like Nick every day, and he was growing at an amazing rate. Nick frequently laughed and demanded to know what on earth she was feeding him on to make him plump out so quickly.

Surprised by a sudden knock, she jumped, then called out cheerfully, hoping it would be Charlotte. It was a maid, telling her that there was a visitor in the drawing room with Mademoiselle. 'Who is it?' Sarah demanded, annoyed that one of Miriam's friends should arrive just as Nick was due home. They would have to stay downstairs and be sociable, when it was the last thing she wanted. Then she shook herself and told herself firmly not to be so selfish. They were, after all, Miriam's guests.

'I don't know, madame, but Mademoiselle seems to know him.'

'OK. Well, I'll be down in a second.' She pulled a brush through her barely dry hair and ran down to the drawing room. Easier to get it over with she thought, realizing from the fullness of her breasts that it was almost time to feed Sam. Normally he was yelling for his feed by quarter to six. Trust him to sleep on when she didn't want him to.

She grimaced as she opened the door to the drawing room.

Charlotte was back in her jeans and a torn T-shirt, sprawled on one of the huge brocade sofas drinking Coke from the bottle - a habit she knew Nick hated. But opposite her ... Oh, God ... she thought helplessly, Charles sat calmly drinking tea. As neatly dressed as ever, in a pale grey suit, he even had his briefcase with him.

'Charles! How the hell did you get in here?' she demanded, and then the realization hit her. Charlotte had been on the phone constantly during the day. It must have been Charles she had been speaking to.

'Sarah, my dear!' Charles stood up. A different Charles, hard-eyed, and brittle-calm. 'What a greeting! Come and give me a kiss, darling.'

'The hell I will!' Sarah held the door open. 'Get out of here! I will never forgive you for what you tried to do to Nick and me! And neither will he!'

'Such melodrama! I told you the truth, Sarah, and don't you forget it! You look absolutely wonderful! Motherhood certainly suits you.'

'Stop it right there!' Sarah snapped. 'Just how did you get in here, anyway?'

'I invited him,' Charlotte announced defiantly. 'I thought he should have a chance to talk to you while Daddy wasn't on guard.'

'And your gateman wasn't going to refuse an old friend of the family, now, was he?' Charles was within a couple of feet of her, and she backed off nervously. There was something about him that she didn't like today. 'Not when Charlotte vouched for me!' he added smoothly.

'Stay away from me!' She tried to sound confident. 'Charlotte! Ring for Raoul. Tell him to come here immediately.'

'No, Charlotte!' Charles countermanded. 'You can go and fetch the baby. I'd like to see the results of all my care over the last few months. I think I have the right to that, don't you, Sarah?'

'No, I damn well don't!' Sarah was in a panic now. Any moment Sam would be wanting his feed, and there was even a possibility Isabelle would bring him down to the drawing room. 'Do as I said. Charlotte.'

'She will do no such thing! This time I am going to do things my way.' Charles reached for his briefcase, and Sarah began to shake with fear as she realized that there was indeed something very different about this man who had always shown her nothing but kindness. He appeared to have lost all control. And then she knew she was right ...

Charles flipped open the case, and in the next second he had a revolver in his hand, pointing straight at her.

She froze, recognizing the gun. It was one of a pair he kept in the gun room. They had all used them several times, to shoot at tin cans in the garden, and she knew just how good a shot Charles was; far better than Nick or her.

'You are coming with me, Sarah. You and the baby! This time I won't let Nick cheat me.'

'He didn't cheat you before, Charlie,' Sarah managed in a strangled voice. 'You know he didn't. Natasha tried to go to Nick despite him telling her not to.'

'Oh, but he did! He wanted Natasha back and he would have stopped at nothing to get her! Charlotte, go and get that baby now!' Equally horrified now. Charlotte stood up, and the Coke bottle slid from her fingers. Almost in a dream, Sarah saw the brown liquid soak into the Persian rug and thought casually how it would stain. Then her frantic eyes met Charlotte's.

'Don't, Lotte,' she begged. 'Tell Isabelle to take him to Miriam.'

'But Miriam . . . Oh . . .' Charlotte edged cautiously towards Sarah, her eyes glued to the gun.

'Miriam is out,' Charles said coolly. 'My little friend here was only too chatty this morning. Nice try, Sarah. Now we are going to take the baby and leave here together. Charlotte here will tell her daddy that you have changed your mind about him and have decided to come back to me.'

'By force? Dream on, Charles Hastings! I'm not going anywhere with you!'

'But you are, Sarah.' Charles moved rapidly and caught her arm. 'We are going to be a very happy little family, you and I. Maybe we'll even manage to have a child of our own one day.'

'You have gone totally crazy!' Sarah tried to twist out of his grasp, but anger made him strong, and suddenly the gun muzzle was cold at the side other throat. All the self-defence lessons she had taught on the programme were useless in this position.

'I've never been more sane in my life!' he assured her. 'This is going to be Nick's turn to suffer. Now get the baby. Charlotte, or I'll kill her now!'

'Uncle Charlie. . .' Charlotte pleaded, white-faced with fear. 'Please . . . don't.'

Charles whirled suddenly and the gun exploded, shattering a mirror close behind Charlotte's head, sending shards of glass everywhere as she screamed. 'Do it, Charlotte!' he ordered..

'Oh, God!' Charlotte fled, sobbing with fright, as Charles swung the gun back onto Sarah. In that split second Sarah heard the crunch of gravel on the forecourt and she realized Nick and Miriam were back - they would be walking straight into danger. If Charles would shoot at Nick's daughter, he would certainly shoot at Nick!

He was dragging her inexorably towards the door, the gun still pressed into her neck, his other arm trapping both hers. Now she had nothing to lose, as long as Charlotte didn't bring Sam. 'Nick!' she screamed, at a pitch only an actress could reach. This time it mattered that her voice carried. 'Nick! For God's sake. . . help. . .' Then Charles hit her with the butt of the gun, and her cry became a strangled scream as the pain of the blow stunned her for a moment.

Nick and Miriam, puzzled by the gateman's explanation of a visitor for Charlotte, were already alert as they reached the front door to be met by a sobbing Charlotte, hurling herself at Nick, almost incoherent with fear.

'Daddy! Daddy! It's Uncle Charles. He's got a gun. I think he's going to kill Sarah! Oh, do something. Daddy.' Nick thrust Charlotte aside, every sense alert.

'Miriam, get the men!' he ordered. 'Lotte, get Sam and Isabelle out of here. The pool house, next door - any-where! Move!' Charlotte raced upstairs just as Charles dragged Sarah out of the drawing room. Blood ran down her face from the blow on her cheek and Nick's heart stopped for a moment as he took in the horrifying scenario in front of him. It was a common enough scene in any of his films - but not in real life! Charles had the gun firmly at her throat and her arms pinioned by her side. That he was having to drag her, and having trouble doing so, was obvious to him.

Sarah was almost as tall as Charles, and even having lost some weight she was still half a stone heavier that she had been.

'Leave her, Charles,' he said, as calmly as he could. 'Your quarrel is with me, not Sarah.'

'But it's Sarah I want. Nick - not you! You don't matter any more, because Sarah is going to be with me!'

'And how do you propose to keep her with you?' Nick taunted. 'Come on, Charlie, be sensible - let her go.'

'Never! I'll kill her first!' His grip on Sarah tightened, and Sarah couldn't help her stifled moan. Every tensioned muscle in her body screamed with pain as Charles wrenched her forward. Behind him. Nick was aware of other people in the doorway, and he heard the frightened cry of the maid as he frantically gestured them back. He, of all people, knew that when Charles was as cool as this he was dangerous. Charles rarely lost it, but when he did. . .

'Move over, Nick!' Charles snarled waving the gun at him, but Nick took a step forward instead, and then dared another. It was the one chance Sarah needed - and probably, she realized, her only one. With a hard jerk of her pinioned body she threw Charles off-balance, and the gun went off again, somewhere in the ceiling, bringing lumps of plaster down.

In that split second Nick lunged forward, hurling Sarah aside and launching himself on Charles in one almost continuous movement. A week or two earlier and he would never have been able to do it, but the rest and the adrenalin had brought his strength back in abundance. The three guards immediately sprang across the room to pull Sarah away from danger, and for a moment it was total chaos.