Sleeping Love (18 page)

She couldn’t just tell him that she remembered his brother was stealing money from the company and that he possibly could have raped her. She tried to dismiss it, pushing him away, straightening her back.

‘I think you should be worrying more about your mother than me.’

His arm wound tightly around her waist like a rope and pulled her towards him. He tilted her chin and stroked his thumb over her lips in a provocative sensual gesture. The others backed away, taking the hint that Raoul wished to talk to his wife alone.

‘You still don’t seem to understand, Sabrina. Your health is of the utmost importance to me. You are my wife,’ he told her sternly.

His voice was deep, melodic, an enchantment that melted her resistance and soothed the painful memories. Every time he reminded her of her status in his life as his wife she felt as though he spoke the words with a primitive possession. Amelia was right, she would protest, but deep inside her own primitive part of herself acknowledged his right and ached for him to make her realise its power.

‘I won’t hear of any more talk of divorce. I will never permit you to leave this marriage. You made vows Sabrina, and I intend to hold you to them. Now we will see
Maman
, then I will take you home and make you rest, and we will talk about what you really remembered.’

She opened her mouth to speak, but the brush of his thumb, then his lips, silenced the desire to object. He kept an arm around her waist partly for restraint, partly for support as they joined the others. By his tender brush of her hip as they approached Luc and Alain she could not fail to comprehend that he was acutely aware of her fear of the men. She felt him pull her just that little bit closer to assure her of his protection, and for the first time she felt grateful for the action.

* * *

Madame Valoire was an elegant Englishwoman in her sixties. She was sitting up in bed after having collapsed from over exertion after her illness. She hugged Sabrina tightly. To her surprise, there was genuine warmth and concern in her hold.

‘I knew you were still alive, and I knew you would come back. I was right you see, Raoul. She lost her memory. Sabrina would never leave you, she loves you too much, besides she is the only woman who would put up with you.’

Sabrina looked at the woman amused. Louise winked at her as Raoul began to shake his head. She couldn’t help but like the woman immediately.

‘I know you can’t remember me dear, but we used to get on famously. Don’t worry I am not the mother-in-law from hell. At least, I don’t think I am.’

Louise Valoire held Sabrina’s hand tightly.

‘We all missed you, never mind Raoul. I’ve had no one English to moan to for ages since I’ve been stuck in my house. And all Raoul has done is have a go at me because I wouldn’t go and live in the Chateau with him. I like my independence.’

She ran her hands through her short, light brown hair that suited her round face and chestnut eyes.

‘I can’t stand lying around anymore. I need my hair done for heaven sakes, the grey is beginning to show.’

‘Relax,
Maman.
You need to take it easy for a while. You are weak. When they let you out of here, you are coming back to the Chateau with Sabrina and I.’

‘Like hell am I. Do you think I want to be cooped up with two young married people who haven’t seen each other for ages? You both need time and space, and Sabrina needs to recover. Besides, I need my own space.’

She turned back to Sabrina whose hand she was still holding.

‘He’s so damn bossy, isn’t he? Just like his father. If he were here today, he would have something to say about your return. He thought you were amazing. But you know what French men are like with women. Aah, Olivier, I miss you so much.’

Raoul and Luc bent their heads at the mention of their father. Sabrina looked at Raoul bewildered.

‘You don’t know, do you dear, and he was so fond of you, as you were of him. He never gave up on you either. But he died just last year.’

‘Raoul, I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. Has Sabrina seen a doctor? You must make her remember, I can’t bear it. You are acting as if I am a stranger, my dear. Raoul, make sure she has the best doctors.’

‘It’s already done. Sabrina is to have counselling next week, but she is beginning to remember lots of things.’

Louise cupped Sabrina’s face.

‘Don’t look so worried child, everything will be all right, trust me. You and Raoul love each other too much for one of you to forget.’

She sat up straight.

‘Then you can both work on producing me a grandchild and you, Luc, can get yourself married and settle down before you give me a heart attack next time.’

Raoul grinned at Sabrina’s shock and Luc’s brief annoyance.

‘
Oui
,
Maman
,’ both brothers chorused with amused resignation.

* * *

Sabrina walked briskly out of the plush hospital room and found Raoul’s arm swiftly around her waist drawing her back to walk alongside him. But she got the feeling he was doing more than trying to prevent her from escaping. She got the distinct impression he was shielding her from Alain and Luc.

‘My mother is quite a character,’ Raoul laughed speaking to Sabrina.

‘She certainly is. I see why we got on,’ Sabrina told him stiffly.

‘You are still unhappy with me, Sabrina. We will talk when we go home. This problem with Cressida is getting out of control, and I am going to put a stop to it.’

She was about to renew the fight when he brought them to a cold stop and stared down the corridor at the approaching gang of reporters, flashing cameras and shouting questions at both of them. He took hold of Sabrina’s hand in a vice grip. There was no other way out of the corridor. He looked at Luc.

‘Who told them? Can’t they give her a chance?’

Luc shook his head uttering some words of instruction to Alain.

‘Sabrina is the wife of one of the world’s wealthiest businessmen, who went missing and was presumed murdered by that man. They want to talk to her,’ Luc said with apprehension in his tone. ‘And you know they never give up.’

Alain was agitated. ‘Raoul, I advise you to say nothing and that goes for you too, Sabrina, until your memory returns and we can strike a deal with these people. Be on your guard, they are vultures and some of them will twist what you say. You both don’t need it at the moment.’

‘What’s happening, Raoul?’ Sabrina was nervous.

A feeling of dread gathered in Sabrina’s toes and travelled the length of her body. Alain moved to talk to the reporters along with Luc, making an effort to hold them back, but they were pushing past running headlong at Sabrina. She heard herself take a breath, suddenly feeling suffocated as they surrounded Raoul and herself.

‘Do not let go of my hand, Sabrina, there will probably be more of them outside.’

Raoul’s eyes darkened as he looked at the reporters completing their circle of attack. There was a barrage of questions, some intimate, some general. She could feel anger burning Raoul up inside, but he kept calm, his voice cool, collected and aloof. She got the impression it was a well-practised art he had perfected.

‘My wife and I have nothing to say. We will be making a statement through our lawyer in due course. Now if you would move out of our way, my wife needs to rest.’

The bright lights of the hospital were already enough to dazzle her eyes, but the constant flashing of cameras made Sabrina feel as if she was going blind. They seemed to be in her face, pushing and shoving. Raoul began to lead her out of the throng as the reporters closed in for the kill. He positioned his body directly in front of her own, shielding her from view. It was a task easily undertaken. His tall, powerful frame easily sheltered her small, curved body until she was almost invisible. But Alain was behind her, his body making momentary contact as he brushed against her in their effort to escape.

She wanted to scream. Every time he came near she felt nausea, just the same as with Luc. She didn’t understand what Alain had done to make her feel that way. The memories she had in relation to her attack were of Luc. There was nothing connecting her memory to Alain.

When they eventually reached the bottom of the stairs, there were even more reporters all eager to get the inside scoop on her loss of memory. Helped by hospital security, Raoul pushed through the thong with the speed of an express train, taking Sabrina with him at a pace she could hardly keep up with. But there were too many of them bringing the party to a halt.

Sabrina became separated and was carried away by a sea of hands. She could hardly bear the suffocation, the bodies pressing against her. She was vaguely aware of Raoul calling her name, but his voice grew more and more distant as the reporter’s questions grew louder and more demanding, drowning him out. When she looked around she could not see him at all. With great effort she tried to push her way through the crowd, but they wouldn’t let her get anywhere, pulling at her clothes, demanding that she answer their questions and give them a picture.

One of them shoved her hard, and she felt herself falling to the ground. Someone stepped on her arm. She felt dizzy with fear as faces loomed around her, looking down at her fragile form. She remembered a heavy darkness, the same feeling of suffocation. She’d been lying down then as well, unable to move, faces looking down at her in the darkness, faces she couldn’t see. And then she felt someone pulling on her arm, lifting her to her feet. She felt Raoul’s reassuring arms around her body, lifting her up into his arms.

His face was as dark as thunder, his eyes flashing with the threat of swift retribution. She couldn’t shake the memory that filled her mind with its dark images and buried her head against Raoul’s shoulder. He was surrounded by a blanket of police and hospital security parting the waves of reporters and camera crews surrounding them. Raoul raced to the car and deposited her in it. To her relief Alain and Luc were nowhere to be seen. The car drove slowly until it escaped the squawking gaggle of reporters.

‘Sabrina, are you all right?’

Raoul covered her trembling hand that lay on the seat. She could feel him frowning at the way she held her other arm so awkwardly.

‘I’m fine. Please, I’m fine there’s no need to worry.’

She moved her hand away feeling embarrassed and worked up by the whole incident. He shouted some words of French at the driver, and the car began to move faster, springing free from its trap.

She took a deep breath as though coming up for air, and looked away out of the window attempting to brave her fear and examine the memory that had so disturbed her.

‘Don’t lie to me, Sabrina you are injured,’ he said softly. He leaned over turning her to face him so that he could take a look at her arm.

‘What are you doing? I’m ok.’

He ignored her, gently lifting her arm and probing it with his fingers. She squealed.

‘Hush, it’s not broken but probably badly bruised and sprained. We’ll get your brother Julian to take a look at it when we get back home. And you are going to get some food and rest when we get back.’

He smoothed his hand over her face and brushed away her hair from her forehead.

‘You are exhausted, Sabrina. I’ve already got Alain making a complaint, and I want the person who has injured you held responsible. The Paparazzi are animals. They don’t care about anyone’s privacy. They will stop at nothing to get a photograph. They will pay for this.’

‘Give me time, Sabrina, I will make it go away. You just have to help me. Why were you so uneasy around Alain and Luc? Have you remembered something that you aren’t telling me? Or are afraid to tell me?’

His voice was soft again, almost a caressing whisper blowing across her skin, cajoling her reluctance to let him take control and banish all her fears. It was tempting to cuddle close against him and give in, tell him everything. But her first thought was to protect him, to maintain an illusion. The thought of turning his life even more upside down and setting him apart from his brother was too much to bear. Besides, his mother could not take the stress of finding out that all she knew about one of her sons was a lie and he was guilty of committing a crime against his brother’s wife. She just couldn’t do it to Raoul or Louise, even if it meant being apart from him.