The Secret Child

‘This is as bad as it’s going to get,’ she told herself calmly. ‘Luke Davenport can’t hurt me any more.’ Another rumble of thunder loudly penetrated the room and she transferred her attention to the window, watching the white flashes of light out at sea. The storm was still a long way off, and the air was even hotter and stickier than before.

In her mind she heard Luke’s voice again. ‘I’ll expect to hear from you tonight with an invitation to your house. If I don’t then reasonable negotiations are over.’

The words sent a shiver running through her.

Why had he suggested she speak to Garth?

Suddenly she was remembering Garth’s optimism on the phone this morning, his bright assurance that their troubles might be over because he had found an investor for the hotel.

Even as her mind grappled with the possibility that he had been talking about Luke she was rejecting the idea…it wouldn’t be Luke…it couldn’t be. No member of her family would ever do business with a Davenport. Hadn’t she almost been thrown out of the family once for daring to consort with Luke? And Garth had been one of his chief opponents, had hated him almost as much as her father had.

The phone rang on her desk and she snatched it up.

‘Hi, sis, did Clare pass on my message?’

‘No. Listen, Garth, I’m glad you’ve phoned back. I’ve just had—’

‘I don’t have time to chat, Ali,’ he interrupted hastily. ‘I just wanted to say that Luke Davenport might call by the hotel today. If he does, will you show him around the place?’

‘Show him around?’ Alison’s mouth felt dry inside. ‘Why would I do that?’

‘I know it’s a bit of a strange request coming from me, but just trust me on this and show him around.’

‘He’s been here already and I told him to get lost.’

‘You did what?’ The relaxed and affable tone left Garth’s voice. ‘Why the hell did you do that?’

‘Why the hell do you think? Luke isn’t interested in the hotel. He was here to ask about Nathan.’

‘On the contrary, Luke Davenport is very interested in the hotel; he told me he might be willing to invest in the place. You do realise that your actions this morning could ruin everything? He is our one chance of saving the place… Alison, are you there? Alison?’

Alison put the phone down; she couldn’t speak…she couldn’t even think straight any more. All she knew was that this was worse than any nightmare scenario she might have imagined.

CHAPTER TWO

THE office had a strange, darkish green cast to it thrown from the sky outside, but it could easily have been a reflection of her mood, Alison thought grimly as she reached to switch on her desk lamp.

The first thing she’d done after putting the phone down on Garth was phone Jane to tell her that under no circumstances was she to go out with Nathan today and nor was she to open the door to callers.

Jane probably thought she had suddenly turned into a completely neurotic mother, but whatever she thought she wisely kept it to herself.

Realistically speaking, Alison didn’t for one moment think that Luke would go around to her house uninvited. He had issued his ultimatum and if she knew anything about the man she figured he would be sticking by it. But even so she felt better once she’d phoned Jane and played it safe.

Then she sat down in her office chair and tried to think sensibly about the situation. But all she could see were Luke’s eyes as they blazed into hers. And all she could think was how far removed it all was from the way he used to look at her with teasing warmth and deep desire. Of course, she had just been a game as far as he was concerned; there had never been anything meaningful in their relationship…that had all been in her imagination.

The Davenports owned the prestigious estate that neighboured her parents’ farm. Although Luke had grown up next door, so to speak, she hadn’t seen much of him as they moved in separate social circles. And he was eight years older than her and from an early age he was away at a private boarding-school in London. But she had first become aware of him when she was sixteen. It had been a very ordinary incident; she’d dropped a bag of groceries on the way out of the village shop and he had stopped to help her pick things up.

She remembered smiling at him, thinking that she had never met anyone with such gorgeous blue eyes before, and suddenly the ordinary day had turned into something very special.

‘Thank you,’ she had said.

‘That’s OK.’ He grinned at her and then said more seriously, ‘How’s your mother, Alison? I hear she’s been very sick.’

It didn’t surprise Alison that he knew. The village of Penray was tiny and everyone knew each other’s business.

‘She’s in hospital at the moment.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ He patted her shoulder. It was just a brotherly gesture…he was so much older and more sophisticated that he probably didn’t even think twice about it. But Alison did.

‘I’m here for a few weeks before I go back to work in London. Tell your dad if I can be of any assistance I’ll come over.’

Her father, who had been watching from his car, berated her severely once she got into the passenger seat beside him.

‘Don’t ever let me catch you talking to a Davenport again.’ He ground the words out with bitter rancour.

‘He was just being nice and he asked about Mum. Said to tell you if you need anything—’

‘We don’t need anything from the Davenports. Just keep away from them, Alison. They are nothing but trouble. My brother would be alive today if it weren’t for them.’

Alison had heard her father make that statement many times over the years. Her uncle had worked at the Davenport copper mine and there had been an accident resulting in his death. Although an investigation had cleared the mine of any blame and had stated it was just a tragic accident, her father believed the Davenports had used their money and influence to cover up the truth and that really there had been a serious lapse in safety standards.

Even though this had happened over forty years ago and the mine had long since closed, the bitterness in Alison’s family was as strong as if it had happened yesterday.

To Alison’s mind this had nothing to do with Luke Davenport. He couldn’t change or help what had gone on in the past any more than she could. But she knew better than to argue this with her dad. His beloved brother was dead and that was all he could think of where the Davenports were concerned.

Six years after their first proper meeting she met up with Luke again. It was at a birthday party in London, a trendy affair in a wine bar down by the River Thames. Alison was edging towards the door, trying to escape the crush of people and the heat and noise, when she suddenly spotted him across the room. Even though it was several years since she had last seen him, she knew him instantly. There was no mistaking Luke Davenport; he was so attractive, tall and dark with a commanding presence that drew a woman’s attention and held it.

She watched him for a moment, trying to work out who he was with, but there were so many people around him that it was an almost impossible task, so she made her way across to him.

She caught his eye as he turned and for a few seconds she could tell that he recognised her but couldn’t place her.

‘Hello, Luke; you’re a long way from home.’ Alison smiled and quite enjoyed the look of astonished recognition in his eyes as they swept over her.

‘Heavens, it’s Alison, isn’t it…? Alison Trevelyan.’ Along with the note of surprise there was a definite hint of male appreciation in his voice. He seemed to do a double take on her, noting the leather trousers that emphasised her small waist and long legs, and the sparkly halter-neck top she wore. The perusal was very far removed from the way he had looked at her the last time they had met. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time, noting the golden-red of her hair, which lay long and loose around her shoulders, and the soft curves of her body, registering her as a woman, not the gawky schoolgirl he had last encountered. ‘I hardly recognised you. You look fabulous,’ he said, and she felt a thrill of exhilaration unlike anything she had ever known.

‘What are you doing up in London?’ he asked.

‘I’m at university; my flat is just around the corner from here. How about you?’

‘I work for a company called Millington Hays. My office isn’t far from here.’

‘You’re a high-flying executive, aren’t you?’

‘Assistant Director.’

‘Sorry.’ She grinned. ‘The grapevine in Penray obviously isn’t one hundred per cent accurate.’

‘Thank heavens for that,’ Luke agreed with a grin. ‘How do you know Barbara?’

‘Who…? Oh, Barbara, the girl whose birthday party this is! Sorry.’ Alison laughed. ‘As you’ve probably just guessed, I don’t really know her at all. She’s the older sister of a friend of a friend. A whole crowd of us from university have dropped in on the spur of the moment…actually I feel like a gatecrasher because I hardly know anyone.’

‘I don’t know a lot of people here either. Barbara is a work colleague.’ He smiled at her, the kind of smile that made her feel weak inside. ‘Would you like a drink?’

Forgetting the fact that a moment ago the crowds had seemed unbearable, Alison accepted happily and followed him towards the small bar at the far side of the room.

It was hard to have a conversation because of the noise and the loud music and they had to stand very close, Luke leaning down to speak closer to her ear; the husky rasp of his voice and the feel of his breath against her sensitive skin set her pulses racing, and she was hardly able to concentrate on anything except the profound effect he was having on her senses.

Someone bumped into her and jerked her forward. Luke reached out a hand to steady her and for a second he held her close in the confined space.

The touch of his hand sent a thrill of excitement rushing through her, and as she looked up into the depths of his gorgeous eyes she was totally smitten…just as she had all those years ago as a teenager. She could hardly believe her luck that he was here now and that he was looking at her with equal interest.

He walked her home and they talked non-stop. There was this strange feeling of unity; she found herself opening up to him as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if the divisions that had kept their families apart over the years had never existed.

She told him she was studying accountancy and they talked for a while about living in the city and the places they liked to go.

‘But don’t you miss Cornwall?’ she sighed. ‘I used to love getting up really early in the morning when I lived on the farm. Riding one of the horses across the fields towards the cliffs, breathing in the sea air, watching the fishing boats and just listening to the sound of the ocean pounding against the rocks. There is something magical about Cornwall, the way the mist and the light sparkle as a new day dawns. That feeling of peace and tranquillity…and belonging somewhere.’

As they stopped outside the house where she shared a flat with a fellow student she abruptly fell silent and looked up into his eyes with an acute feeling of shyness.

‘I talk too much, don’t I?’ she said with a nervous laugh.

‘No.’ He smiled. ‘I think you are quite enchanting, Alison Trevelyan.’ The words were said so matter-of-factly that they sounded completely sincere rather than charming. Or maybe it was just the fact that Luke was so good-looking he could get away with any old line. According to the rumours back home, Luke was a womaniser, with one beautiful woman in his life after another.

‘Bet you say that to all the girls,’ she said, trying her best not to be thrilled by the compliment.

‘Only the ones that I’d like to see more of,’ he said, a teasing glint in his eye.

Before she could say anything to that he bent his head and kissed her. She would never forget that first kiss, the sensation of desire, of being overtaken totally by emotion and need. Luke was certainly a master at turning a woman on. When he pulled back from her she was breathless with longing.

‘Can I see you again?’ he whispered, and she nodded, unable to trust herself to speak.

There followed a whirlwind of dates, a time that was so exciting that Alison found herself living for the evenings or the weekends when she would see him.

He always arrived to pick her up in his convertible blue Jaguar and took her out to clubs and restaurants and long drives in the countryside. Everything about her time with him seemed so perfect, so idyllic. She felt as if she could talk to him about anything…and yet they always skirted around the feud between their families; it was like an unspoken pact between them, as if that problem was left behind in Cornwall and was therefore nothing to do with them.

A few weeks after they had started going out together Luke drove her down to Kent. It was a beautiful evening and the countryside was filled with the sounds and scents of summer, the sky a rich, warm blue. She had thought that they were going to a restaurant but Luke surprised her with a picnic. They had a most romantic evening, seated by the banks of a river in the warm spring air. The picnic hamper was from Harrods and filled with fabulous delicacies and Luke had even brought along a bottle of chilled champagne. Alison later remembered it all so vividly that she could almost smell the blossom in the air; she remembered lying on her back in the dappled shade of an apple tree, looking up at the blue of the sky thinking how wonderful life was and that this was just perfect…

‘I’m driving down to Cornwall on Friday night, Ali, to see my father. Would you like to come with me?’

The casual invitation threw her, and suddenly made her face the fact that if she arrived back in the village with Luke in tow her father would find out she was seeing him…and there would be serious ructions. ‘I don’t think I can,’ she refused.

‘Why not? I’ll be driving back to London on Sunday so you’ll be in plenty of time for uni. I thought you’d like to go down and see your family for the weekend?’

‘I would…but…’

‘But you don’t want to go with me?’

The matter-of-fact statement made her sit up. ‘It’s not that, Luke.’ She felt herself going red as she said softly, ‘It’s just…why raise trouble? There isn’t a lot of love lost in our home for a member of the Davenport family.’

Luke inclined his head. ‘Tell me about it…’ he drawled heavily. ‘But it’s time that feud business was forgotten.’

She smiled, happy that he felt the same way as she did. ‘Yes…I agree. But if we arrive down there together they’ll all know we’re seeing each other and it will just awaken all the old animosities again… I’d rather not face all that unless…or until I have to.’

‘If that’s what you want.’ Luke shrugged. ‘But frankly I don’t care much for subterfuge.’

‘Yes, but it’s easy for you to be unconcerned; you live in London, Luke.’

‘So do you.’

‘But only for the time being while I’m at uni.’

There was a small, strained silence for a moment before she continued swiftly, ‘Anyway, maybe your father isn’t quite as…’

‘Dogmatic and domineering?’ Luke supplied the words drily and they irritated her.

‘I was going to say that maybe your father isn’t as angry about the past as mine is,’ she corrected him quietly, her loyalty to her father suddenly rearing up. ‘After all, losing my uncle like that was a dreadful blow for the whole family.’

‘I’m sure it was,’ Luke said softly. ‘But it was a terrible and tragic accident, Alison; it wasn’t anyone’s fault. Your father’s inability to accept that caused a lot of further and unnecessary distress between our two families.’

Whatever else she had been going to say on the subject was abruptly cut off as Luke moved towards her and rolled her gently back against the grass, pinning her beneath him.

‘But that’s all in the past, Alison. It’s here and now that matters.’

As his lips captured hers she forgot instantly what they had even been arguing about. He held her hands high over her head as his lips crushed hers and then as she kissed him back heatedly he relaxed his hold and they lay together in a heated blaze of an emotion that had nothing to do with anger.

‘Mmm, that was nice.’ She stretched languidly beneath him, feeling like a cat that wanted to purr with pleasure.

‘Maybe a bit too nice,’ he murmured, his eyes raking over her upturned face with an intensity that made her heart drum crazily against her chest. ‘I’ve been trying to be a gentleman and not come on too strong these last few weeks.’ His gaze lingered on the softness of her lips. ‘But I’m finding it very difficult.’

‘Maybe I don’t want you to be a gentleman,’ she said, reaching up to kiss him again.

She trembled as the kiss deepened, delighting in the touch of his hands against her body, feeling them as if they were burning through the delicate material of her dress.

When Luke pulled back to ask huskily if they should go back to his place she didn’t even hesitate in saying yes.

It was the first time she had ever been in Luke’s apartment. She thought how ultra-modern it was with its panoramic views out across the docklands of London. She compared it with her basic lodgings and suddenly it struck her how far apart they really were in a lot of ways…she was just starting out, he was already a high achiever with a multinational firm.

But what really had made her nervous was the fact that while he was an experienced lover…she was a virgin.

‘Would you like a drink?’ He smiled at her as if he knew that she was apprehensive.

‘Yes…thank you.’ She watched as he poured them both a glass of wine.

‘Here’s to us,’ he said lightly as he passed her the glass.

‘Yes, to us.’ She took a sip of the wine and then as she glanced up at him uncertainly he reached out and took the glass away from her, putting it down beside them on the table.

‘Now, where were we…?’ he murmured, a gleam of purpose in his eye that made desire and apprehension mix in a shivery way inside her. ‘Oh, yes…I remember. You were telling me how much you didn’t want me to behave like a gentleman…’

‘Was I?’ The seductive gleam in his voice and the heat of his eyes as they swept over her slender body made her temperature soar.

‘So how do you want me to behave?’ he murmured, peppering small butterfly kisses over her face. ‘Am I heading anywhere in the right direction?’

‘Definitely…the…right…path.’

His kisses had always been hard to resist, but that evening as the darkness fell over London she knew that she wasn’t going to pull back. She wanted him, had wanted him for weeks. As he started to undress her she helped him, her body urgently demanding her to get as close as she possibly could. When he swung her up into his arms and carried her through to the bedroom she was beyond any sensible, rational thought; all she wanted was to be next to him, to feel his hands hungrily against her body. Their kisses were so heated that her mouth was swollen from them, her breasts tight with need as he took off her bra. It was a wild coupling as weeks of desire and longing finally gave way and barriers came crashing down in a torrent of emotion.

Afterwards as she lay beside him, their naked bodies pressed close together, she didn’t regret what they had done because it felt so right. But even then she didn’t want to think too far ahead.

Luke didn’t go to Cornwall that weekend; instead they spent it in bed, Luke teaching her the delights of lovemaking. He was a skilled and expert instructor and she was completely addicted, so much so that as the weeks passed in a glorious haze, Alison secretly longed to move in with Luke. But he didn’t ask her and she refrained from making any hints.

At the time she told herself that it was sensible not to see each other too much as she had a lot of studying to do and exams still to take, but also she knew instinctively that Luke was a man who valued his freedom.

The day she took her final exam and knew that she had finished at university there were mixed emotions inside Alison. There was a part of her that wanted desperately to go home to Cornwall; she was a country girl at heart and although she had enjoyed her time in the city she knew it wasn’t really the life she wanted.

However, Luke’s life was in the city. He was ambitious…and he was rising fast within the company he worked for. She was under no illusion that if she wanted to be around him she would have to be the one to make the compromises. So she applied for a few jobs and while she waited for a full-time job she took two part-time ones so that she could afford to stay on in her flat.

On her last evening at Luke’s apartment they made love and then, cuddling together in the deep comfort of his double bed, he broached the subject of the future, asking if she had heard anything from her job applications.

‘I’ve got a couple of interviews next week.’ She hesitated before adding quietly, ‘But I’m starting to wonder if I should go back home.’

In honesty, she was testing the water, wondering if he would ask her not to go. But he didn’t say anything like that, just asked if she missed her family or just Cornwall.

‘Well…both, I suppose.’ She rolled over to look at him. ‘Don’t you miss home?’

‘I like Cornwall but I’ve got other things on my agenda at the moment. To be honest I’m thinking of leaving England altogether. I’ve been offered a posting to New York for a while.’

The statement took her so much by surprise that she lay there aware of her heart thundering against her chest as she waited to see if he’d ask her to go with him.

‘It’s a great opportunity for the future. The company are putting together a new Anglo-American venture and they want me on board.’

When she didn’t say anything to that he continued firmly, ‘It’s just a plane ride away, Alison, and I feel—’

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by the shrill ring of the phone and Luke reached to answer it. ‘It’s for you,’ he said, handing the receiver over. ‘Your flat-mate.’

She knew instantly there was something wrong; Sandra never phoned her at Luke’s.

‘Your brother has been on the phone, Alison.’ There was a moment’s hesitation. ‘It’s your parents—they have been involved in a car crash.’

Luke drove her through the night to reach the hospital. He offered to go in with her but she refused the offer, telling him she’d ring him later.

Garth met her in the corridor and one look at his face told her she was too late.

Grief-stricken, Alison threw herself into helping out at home. Her youngest brother Ian was just fifteen and she felt she needed to be there for him.

Luke came down just after the funeral and they met on the cliff path that ran along the side of their two properties.

‘I’m really sorry about your parents,’ he said gently. ‘I know what you must be going through; I lost my mother ten years ago, and it was a very difficult and emotional time.’

The gentleness of his voice stirred her deeply. She looked up and met his eyes and felt as if he was reaching out to her in a way that made her feel suddenly warmly protected, cocooned…it was the strangest sensation, but at that moment she felt as if she would trust Luke Davenport with her very life. What did it matter that he hadn’t told her he loved her? she asked herself. After all, they were only words…and maybe he wouldn’t take that posting to New York?

She found herself talking more about things at home than she had ever done. The farm had been left equally between her and all three brothers but Garth wanted to sell.

‘It’s the last thing I want. I love the farm and I believe we should keep things as they are at least for a little while…Mum and Dad have only just died and it seems we will be selling in almost indecent haste. But I’ve been out-voted by my brothers, and business-wise I can understand where they’re coming from. Garth is brimming with ideas for the old Cliff House. I’ve looked at the accounts with him and he’s convinced me it would be a viable proposition.’