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‘Hello, I’m Caroline Stevens, and these two terrors are Tom and Ellie.’ Tom, Laura guessed, was about six, and Ellie four. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know your name. Jon never mentioned he was bringing a guest. Come inside. Let me take your coat.’
She urged Laura into the warmth of the house and helped her off with her coat. Laura watched as she hung it in the closet, very much aware that, for all the other woman’s friendliness, she was struggling to be polite. It occurred to her that Caroline Stevens hadn’t expected Jonathan to bring a woman with him, and was surprised to find herself upset by it. Perhaps Jonathan’s feelings weren’t unreciprocated after all.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’
That never-to-be-forgotten voice set the fine hairs all over Laura’s body on end. She turned towards the stairs where the owner of it stood on the half-landing. Against her will, the sheer masculine appeal of him took her breath away. Damn it, she thought as her knees showed a tendency to go disastrously weak, why on earth did this have to be happening to her now? It didn’t seem to matter to her senses that he was glaring at her, and that she actively disliked him; she was responding to the unseen signals he was putting out. It was that left-over animal instinct. Nature was telling her receptive hormones that here was an ideal male with which to make sure of the continuation of the species. Well, she had news for Mother Nature. The man was far from ideal, and she had no intentions of getting within a good country mile of procreation!
‘And good evening to you too, Quinn,’ she greeted him blithely, and he descended the last few stairs in no time at all.
‘Never mind that. Just give me a straight answer,’ he commanded imperiously, and his sister hastily stepped forward.
‘Quinn, for heaven’s sake! She’s a guest!’ She remonstrated with him, but he met that with a snort of derision.
‘Laura Maclane is no guest in this house,’ he returned shortly, and the other woman’s eyes grew round as saucers.
‘Laura Maclane? Oh.!’ She stared at Laura as if she had suddenly grown horns.
‘Is she the witch lady Stella talked about?’ Tom’s young voice piped up, and Laura caught her breath in dismay.
She didn’t think ‘witch’ was the term her half-sister had used but, whatever word it had been, she found it hurt to be spoken of that way. And when Laura was hurt she got angry. How dared Stella talk about her in front of the children? It was inexcusable!
Their mother clearly thought so too. ‘Goodness, Tom, what a thing to say!’ Caroline exclaimed in embarrassment. ‘I must apologise for my son; he had no idea he was being rude.’
Tom frowned heavily, taking exception to the rebuke. ‘Uncle Quinn didn’t tell Stella off when she said it to him!’ he complained, and his mother’s colour deepened.
‘That’s quite enough, young man,’ she ordered in a choked voice, only to hear her daughter put in her ten cents’ worth.
‘Is she really a witch, Mama?’ Ellie asked in a quavering voice, and Laura realised the tot was close to being really scared.
Cursing her insensitive half-sister, Laura quickly set about allaying her fears. ‘Of course I’m not, sweetheart,’ she responded, squatting down so that she could smile directly into the little girl’s eyes. ‘But I think your uncle and I are about to exchange words, so perhaps it would be better if you went inside, hmm?’ she suggested gently, not wanting to alarm her further. Rising, she looked pointedly at Caroline who, after a momentary hesitation, caught her children by the hand and led them away.
Once they were gone, Laura turned to her protagonist.
‘Have you been telling tales about me, Quinn, darling?’ she drawled sweetly, whilst her eyes shot daggers at him. His own eyes took on a sardonic gleam.
‘I don’t need to. Your reputation goes before you. This is the last place you should look to for friends.’
‘I’m aware of that,’ she snapped. It was why she was
here, so she could change the way they thought about her. ‘I’m angry that somebody’s been talking in front of the children. That is unforgivable!’ she responded hotly.
‘I agree, which was why I put a stop to it,’ Quinn replied reasonably, promptly taking the wind out of her sails.
Disconcerted, she eyed him suspiciously. ‘You did?’
Quinn nodded in assent. ‘As soon as I realised what Stella was doing. Clearly I was too late for some of it.’
‘Oh.’ Darn it. She did not want to be grateful to this man for anything.
‘I can see you’re overwhelmed with gratitude,’ he observed laconically, and she scowled.
‘Stella ought to know that little pitchers have big ears,’ she rejoined huffily, refusing to do what he wanted and thank him. The words would choke her.
‘She knows now,’ Quinn asserted firmly. ‘She won’t be doing it again.’
In a dizzying about-face, Laura instantly felt sympathy for Stella. ‘I bet she loved that! Do you always expect everyone to do what you want?’
The faintest hint of a mocking smile twitched at his lips. ‘Let’s just say I’m dangerous to cross.’
Laura raised an eyebrow in a gesture less than impressed. ‘So is the street outside my studio, but I do it all the time.’
The statement produced another smile. ‘Am I supposed to take that as a challenge?’ he enquired mildly, and Laura was reminded that a crocodile appeared to smile just before it bit your hand off.
‘Do I look like a fool?’
‘Actually, no, but that can be deceptive. Looking at you, who would have thought you would sleep your way into a fortune?’ he remarked sardonically, and she felt her palm itch with a violent need to slap him hard.
Quinn Mannion had made up his mind about her before they had ever met. As far as he was concerned, the only thing she could have wanted from Alexander was money, and the only way to get it was with sex. What that said of his opinion of his godfather made her furious. Under the circumstances she had no qualms about responding in the provocative way he so disliked.
‘Oh, but I didn’t sleep. That wouldn’t have got me anywhere,’ she retorted silkily, and was immensely gratified to see she had indeed got under his skin.
‘You have no shame, do you?’
Her smile was as unrepentant as she could possibly make it. ‘None at all where Alexander is concerned.’
Quinn shook his head in reluctant admiration at her nerve. ‘It’s hard to know whether to call you brave or foolhardy. You almost defy description. So what does bring you here? Other than the need to flaunt your victory in the face of the family?’
Tipping her head to one side, Laura let her lips curve lazily. ‘Perhaps I simply wanted to see your fabulous blue eyes again. Did you know they look stunning when you’re angry?’ she taunted and, the funny thing was, it was quite true. Even sending out frosty messages, they were the most amazing eyes she had ever seen.
A strange expression flitted in and out of those blue depths as he went quite still. ‘Why are you coming on to me, Laura Maclane?’ he asked with disquieting softness, sending a trickle of unease down her spine.
Bearding the lion was a risky business, and probably not the wisest move she could have made under the circumstances. As a rule, her instinct for self-preservation would have made her back off, but not with this man. Unable to resist the impulse to drive a further dart under his skin, she sent him a sultry look from under her lashes and reached out to brush an imaginary speck of fluff off his Argyle sweater.
‘Why do you think?’ she returned audaciously, and almost leapt out of her skin when his hand snaked out and closed tightly about her wrist. She winced and had to bite down hard on her lip to keep from crying out. ‘Brute!’
‘I’ve warned you about playing games. I’m not my godfather. I am neither kind nor a fool. If you’ve come here to cause trouble, I can give you more trouble than you can imagine. Do you want to think again, darling?’
Of all the. If he thought he could get away with manhandling her, he was wrong. Laura was winding up to give him a strong piece of her mind when a sound at the door made them both turn.
‘What’s going on here?’ Jonathan asked sharply as he came in with their cases. Setting them aside, he closed the door and frowned at Quinn who slowly let Laura go.
‘So she came here with you, did she?’ he observed evenly, as Jonathan disposed of his own coat.
‘Do you have a problem with that?’ Turning from the closet, Jonathan crossed to Laura’s side and slipped an arm around her shoulder in a purely protective attitude.
Quinn eyed the gesture speculatively. ‘I’m wondering if you’re out of your mind. Bringing her here is the last thing everyone needs.’
‘It doesn’t alter the fact that Laura is my guest, and as such has a perfect right to be here,’ Jonathan argued, not in the least daunted by Quinn’s frosty response.
‘I wanted to see the house,’ Laura added expansively, not to be outdone. ‘When Jonathan told me he was coming here for Christmas, I knew it was the perfect time for me to come too.’
‘Even though you know you’re not wanted here?’ Quinn charged coldly.
Laura winced inwardly as that jibe found its mark. She knew she wasn’t wanted, but she hoped to change that. If it meant putting up with this man, she would do it.
‘I have a very thick skin,’ she lied, looking him squarely in the eye and daring him to say more.
Quinn gave them both long looks, then shrugged as if to say he had done his best. ‘Very well, if you’re determined to stay I can’t stop you, but I’m warning you now, Laura. If you upset anyone, you’ll have me to answer to. Do you hear me?’
‘I should imagine everyone can hear you,’ she replied with dismissive irony. ‘By the way, what will you do if someone upsets me?’
He sent her an old-fashioned. ‘Somehow, I seriously doubt that will happen.’
She couldn’t help but laugh, though her dislike of him was increasing by leaps and bounds. ‘You have me all worked out, don’t you?’ she charged, and he nodded, his eyes glinting mockingly.
‘Right down to the last dot so, if you’re wise, you’ll be very careful and walk softly.’ With which piece of advice, he turned his back on the pair of them and disappeared into the lounge.
Laura let out a soundless whistle. ‘Wow!’
‘Ditto,’ Jonathan drawled wryly.
‘I don’t think he likes me,’ she declared with a satisfied smile. The more he disliked her, the more she liked it.
‘I can tell you’re bothered.’
She laughed grimly. ‘Quinn Mannion needs taking down a peg or two. Did you see how easily he believed everything I said? Incredible!’
‘What I saw was you playing with fire. He’s not the sort of man to make an enemy of, Laura.’
He was already her enemy. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Besides, nobody’s going to run me off. Especially not Quinn Mannion!’
Jonathan gave her a worried look. ‘Seriously, Laura. I wouldn’t tangle with him if I were you. He doesn’t believe in losing,’ he cautioned like the good friend he was.
Losing wasn’t on her agenda, either, she thought determinedly. ‘I’m only going to play with him a little.’ Just enough to really irritate him. She would be the nuisance fly he just couldn’t swat.
Jonathan look at her unhappily. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this, but I don’t suppose that’s going to change your mind, is it?’ he asked as he took her by the elbow and turned her towards the door Quinn had disappeared through.
‘Not in the least,’ she agreed determinedly. ‘Oh, by the way, I liked the look of your Caroline,’ she added gently, and wasn’t in the least surprised to see a tide of warm colour wash into his cheeks. Aha. So she was getting warm.
‘She’s not my Caroline,’ Jonathan denied, and Laura smiled sympathetically.
‘Really? Then why did I get the impression she might like to be? She was very put out to see me arriving with you, and that was before she knew who I was,’ she told him, and felt her heart twist at the sudden hope she saw in his eyes.
‘She was?’ he asked with such boyish eagerness it quite made her envious.
Laura slipped her arm through his and gave it a squeeze. ‘Oh, yes. I think it might not be quite as hopeless as you imagine.’ She hoped she was right. One look at Caroline Stevens had convinced her that she was just the sort of woman Jonathan needed.
The sound of raised voices greeted them as they approached the doorway to the lounge, and Laura braced herself for their entry into the room.
‘Mother, you cannot have that woman in this house!’ a female voice declared in outrage. ‘You can’t let her insult you so!’
‘Oh, Stella, darling, do keep your voice down. She’ll hear you,’ a gentler voice implored softly.
‘I don’t care if she does! Quinn should have seen her off at once!’ the younger voice declared unrepentantly.
Just as if I were a beggar, Laura thought desolately, trying not to be hurt but feeling it all the same. Was it naive to expect these people to like her? Wasn’t she just asking for trouble? Maybe, but she was committed now. She had to go on.
They stepped inside just as Stella Nevin dropped back into her chair. Everyone turned to look at them.
‘Stop being such a brat, Stella,’ the man seated at her side rebuked her. ‘I apologise for my wife’s childish behaviour,’ he added, and Laura realised he must be Ian Nevin.
She had never lacked courage but, in all honesty, she hadn’t expected it to be quite so difficult to walk in there. There was a distinctly uncomfortable atmosphere in the room, and she knew it was due to her presence. She quickly took stock of the occupants. She recognised Maxine and her two children from the photographs Alexander had had of them, and of course Stella’s husband. The only other occupant besides Quinn, his sister and her children was Philip’s girlfriend. A tiny brown mouse of a girl who looked as if she wouldn’t say boo to a goose.
Not so Stella. She had every intention of having her opinion heard. ‘Don’t apologise to her,’ she declared, affronted. ‘Why, she’s nothing but a…a…’
Fortunately, Stella’s reaction was just the goad Laura needed to bolster her nerve. ‘Gold-digger appears to be the description of choice.’ She helped her out as she strolled into the room with every appearance of calm. Hopefully nobody would realise she was faking it
Colour stormed into her half-sister’s pretty face, but her chin went up. ‘Gold-digger, then!’ she repeated, and Laura couldn’t help but laugh, for she knew that look. It had graced her own face countless times as she was growing up. Laughter eased her tension wonderfully.
‘Bravo,’ she applauded, and Stella frowned at her in sudden confusion.
Turning away from her half-sister, Laura took a deep breath and squared her shoulders as she walked over to where Maxine Harrington sat in a chair by the fire. She was an elegant if frail-looking woman who had never been beautiful, but had a presence that age could not dim.
Laura held out her hand. ‘How do you do, Mrs Harrington? I’m very pleased to meet you at last,’ she said pleasantly, determined that she, at least, would show good manners, whatever reception she received.
Maxine Harrington looked from the outstretched hand to Laura’s face and for a moment Laura was sure she was not going to respond. She was bracing herself for the blow when the other woman slowly raised her hand and offered it.
‘How do you do, Miss Maclane?’ she said politely, and Laura found she had to swallow a lump in her throat.
‘Please, call me Laura,’ she urged in a husky voice.
Maxine recovered her hand and rested it in her lap. ‘Laura, then,’ she agreed with a faint smile, and Laura was painfully aware that she had not been given the same leave. Maxine Harrington accepted her presence here, but her graciousness only went so far.
Her eyes were drawn to where Quinn stood behind Maxine’s chair. He was regarding her quizzically, silently asking her what else she might have expected. Nobody wanted her here. She was on sufferance, nothing more. If he thought to dismay her, the effect was the opposite. She stiffened her spine, reminding herself she had always known it would be neither comfortable nor easy. A fact which was reinforced mere seconds later.
‘Why have you come here?’ Philip Harrington demanded aggressively. He was a younger copy of his father, and it caught at Laura’s heart.
His mother winced. ‘Philip, please. Things are quite bad enough without you making them worse,’ she sighed.
‘But it’s what we all want to know, Mother. I think she wants to humiliate us all!’
Maxine sent her son a level look. ‘If I am not humiliated, then there is no need for you to be. Laura is a guest in this house, and I expect you to treat her with courtesy.’
Laura knew how much it must have cost for her to say that, and she was impressed. Jonathan was right; Maxine Harrington had class.
Thank you,’ she responded gratefully. ‘I hope that we can get better acquainted whilst I am here,’ she added, and Maxine Harrington shot her a curious look.
‘Perhaps,’ she agreed distantly, then smiled coolly. ‘I understand from Quinn that you run a business. I dare say you will not want to be away from it for long.’
