The Art of Retaliation (17 page)

Mara spent the
rest of the day sleeping and by the evening she actually felt hungry and
awake.
 
She found one of the maids
sitting at the side of her bed reading a book when she woke late afternoon.

The maid announced that Monsieur
Garreau
had instructed her to care for Mara and see to her every need.
 
The Count was obviously concerned for
her health despite the situation and had spent the majority of the day watching
over her while she slept.

Surprised, Mara dressed for dinner and made her way downstairs
confused but touched by
Stephane’s
action but not
enough to dispel her annoyance with him. Maybe he had just wanted to ease his
guilty conscience?

There was no one else seated at the dining table when she entered
the room and she was able to enjoy a small meal on her own.
 
It was the first time in a long time she
had enjoyed eating.
 
When she
finished she decided to take a walk in the grounds.

The air was still hot with the heat of the day even though it was
early evening when she stepped out on to the terrace.
 
She went further towards the bridge that
crossed the moat in the hope of feeling a cool breeze of the water.
 
The sun was beginning to set, fingers of
orange and red streaking the sky intermingling with the first stars of the
night.
 

Mara’s walk led her down the side of the grounds to an area that she
had not explored.
 
The dusty path
weaving through the carefully manicured lawns on either side ended at the
stables.
 
The stable hands were
locking the horses up for the night.
 
She moved away from them not wishing to attract any attention.
 
Mara wasn’t in the mood to talk to
anyone.

She walked a little further on and came to the building that housed
the kennels.
 
Two of the hunting
dogs were lying lazily outside of the kennels, unable to bear the heat
inside.
 
One of them raised a
reluctant paw to swat a fly buzzing around his nose.
 
He sat up sneezing as the offender
landed on his nose and noticed that she was there.
 
Curiosity getting the better of him, he
slowly walked towards her.
 
Mara
smiled and bent down, poking her fingers through the wire holed fence to stroke
him as she softly talked to him.
 
He
sniffed the air and began to lick her fingers.

“I see you have found the dogs,”
Stephane
said walking up the path towards her.

She stood up and backed away from the fence.
 
The dog lost interest and wandered back
to the kennel to flop back down again.

“They are beautiful hunting dogs aren’t they? These dogs are a cross
between English Foxhounds and
Poitevins
.
 
We have a hundred of them that we take
out on hunts.
 
We
don’t have as many as Chateau
Chevreny
though
,
they have over two hundred
.
 
Do you ride and take part in a hunt,
Mara?
 
I know Ryan went on a
few.
 
He said he belonged to the
local hunt.”

She looked at him with distaste.

“I do not approve of hunting and I wouldn’t believe everything Ryan
has told you.
 
I would have thought
you would have realized that by now.”

Mara gritted her teeth when she saw the billionaire Count bend his
head to hide the smile appearing on his face at her words.

“No I suppose you are right,” he answered.

Stephane
moved
closer to the fence and called to one of the animals to come to him.
 
The dog
who
had
just returned to his position raised his head inquisitively towards his
voice.
 
He gave a small toss of his
head and lowered it again annoyed at the interruption.
 
The dog closed his eyes to emphasize
that he was not to be disturbed again.
 
Undeterred
Stephane
continued calling to the
animal.

Mara moved on towards a small building next to the kennels decorated
with a plaque stating “Trophy Room”
for
 
the
many tourist visitors of the
Chateau in the few months that
Mr
Garreau
allowed to see the inside of the Chateau as a contribution to displaying his
country’s heritage.
 
The main room
was decorated with stags heads and antlers.
 
Not an inch was uncovered.
 
She looked around in despair as she
tried to imagine how many of those majestic animals had been killed in sport.

“There is over 2,000 antlers in this room,” The Count said proudly
as he entered the room as though he had heard her thoughts.
 
“I got this one in January this year.”

Mara refused to look at the antlers he was pointing to.
 

“It’s so cruel,” she murmured and quickly walked out of the room
sickened by the tour of his blood sport triumphs.

She didn’t want to speak to him.
 
Mara was wary and tired of the game they
were playing.
 
She began her walk
back to the house.

“Are you all right, Mara?” he asked catching her up.
 

“Fine, as well as I can be after being drugged now will you please
leave me alone.
 
I’m tired.”

He gave a laugh.

“How can you be tired?
 
You have slept all day.”

“And
who’s
fault is that?”

He was silent for a moment and then he changed the subject.

“I’ve got some good news for you.
  
Ryan wants us to meet him in Paris
tomorrow evening.
 
I told you he
would come.”

“You call that good news,” she said quietly breaking out into a run
and disappearing in to the house.

Mara’s room was locked the whole of the following day.
 
She supposed
Stephane
didn’t want to take any chances on loosing her, not now, not when he was so
close to getting Louise back.
 
Mara
didn’t care.
 
She didn’t seem to
care about much anymore.
 
Everything
seemed to be decided for her she had no control over her life.
 
She felt hopeless and she missed Maxine.

Mara knew that things were really starting to get on top of her and
she had to fight it but how there was no hope.
 
Even if she escaped with Ryan, he would
take control of her life again.
 
He
made it obvious on the phone in
Stephane’s
study that
he wanted her back and when he wanted something he would relentlessly pursue it
until it was his.

 
She was instructed by
the housekeeper to be ready by six o’clock that night for dinner in Paris.
 
Mara wore a pink fitted sleeveless
summer dress that defined the curve of her body elegantly but that was
sophisticated enough to make her feel power dressed and confident.

Stephane
and Leon
spent the journey to Paris talking to each other in French and Mara found
herself
watching what she could see of the countryside in
the dimming sunlight behind the protective cover of her sunglasses.
 
They eventually reached Paris and drove
to the pier to join the boat on which they would be having dinner.

A solitary figure stood away from the crowds of tourists.
 
She knew it was Ryan straight away.
 
She could tell by the way the figure was
standing, tall with shoulders upright, like his father had drummed into
him.
 
They made their way towards him.
 
His short thick unruly fair hair was a
contrast to
Stephane’s
neat short dark style as were
his brown eyes.
 
Next to
Stephane
Garreau
he struck a
pathetic figure.
 
He continued
smoking on his cigarette and smiled at them all like they were old
friends.
 
Mara’s stomach turned.

“Mara, are you okay? I’ve missed you,” Ryan moved towards her after
dropping his cigarette and stubbing it out with his foot.
 
“You look stunning as always.”

Mara backed away and avoided his hands that reached out to hug
her.
 
Stephane
frowned.

Ryan gave her a puzzled look but didn’t say anything to her.
 
He lowered his
arms
 
and
turned to
Stephane
with a grin on his face.

“She’s annoyed with me.
 
I suppose I can understand that,” he said.

The billionaire shook his head at him.

“Can we get on with this please?” Mara demanded unable to take
anymore, just wanting it to be all over.
 
She marched past Ryan in her heels and made her way to the end of the
pier where the passengers were boarding.

The small group made its way to the top of the boat an in to the
open air.
 
Stephane’s
mobile rang and he was forced to take the call.
 
Leon and the others went to the bar to
order some drinks before being led to their
table
as
the boat got ready to move off.

The boat moved away from the pier for its cruise down the
Seine.
 
When Leon’s back was turned
for a moment Ryan caught hold of Mara’s bare arm in a tight grip that would
leave bruises.
 
She had found it
difficult to even make eye contact with him let alone speak to him.
 
Mara gasped when he roughly swung her round
to face him causing her to drop her pink silk wrap on the floor of the boat.

Without a word he marched her back towards the stairs and to the
side behind a pillar and slammed her up against it out of view.

“You stupid fool.
 
I was
just getting this together.
 
If you
hadn’t got in the way I could have been worth a fortune in a month.
 
I was so close and you just had to
interfere.
 
Why couldn’t you stay
away from Paris out of the way?
 
I
was coming back to you,” he angrily whispered leaning in towards her ear, his
hand holding her chin in a painful grip.

“Let go you are hurting me.
 
I had business in Paris and I didn’t ask to be kidnapped,” she snapped
trying to keep her fear of him at bay.

Ryan squashed her face between his fingers.

“You made it easy for him to find you by coming to France.”

“You’re mad.
 
He was
coming to England to get me.
 
You
underestimated
him,
Ryan and you are just taking your
frustration out on me.
 
Just like
you always do Let go you are hurting me of me.”

“Hurting you? You will learn about what it truly means to hurt when
I sort this mess out and I get you back, baby.
 
I love you but I am going to have to
punish you for this one.
 
I was so
close.”

Ryan clamped his heavy hand around Mara’s neck and pushed her
further back against the pillar.
 
She clawed at it with her nails trying to draw blood, anything to stop
him choking the life from her.
 
It
didn’t seem to register.

This is what drowning must feel like she thought, slowly going under
as she struggled to breathe the air his hand denied her.

“I’m trying to salvage something out of this.
 
The money was supposed to be for
us.
 
I can’t believe you messed it
up.
 
We were going to be happy.
 
I had it all planned.
 
I was going to make you pregnant
straightaway.
 
Everything was going
to be perfect.”