Alejandro's Revenge (17 page)

A
BBY
took a taxi to her own tiny flat in Notting Hill when she got back to London. She argued with herself that it was early morning, that Ross wouldn't want to meet her and miss taking his first class of the day. But what she really meant was that she didn't want her fiancé turning up at the airport; didn't want to spend the best part of an hour making small talk on their journey into town.

In actual fact she'd been deliberately vague about her plans when she'd spoken to Ross before leaving Florida. She told herself it was because she hadn't decided what she was going to do yet, but that wasn't really true. She knew she was going to have to find a way to break her engagement. And that wasn't going to be easy when, as far as he was concerned, nothing had changed.

But things had changed for her. She'd changed, she acknowledged, after paying the driver and rummaging through her bag for her keys. It wasn't just the relief of knowing that Lauren knew about Edward's gambling, or that Alejandro had known what her brother was doing all along. It was the realisation that, long before Alejandro's behaviour had been justified, she'd realised that her feelings for him were not going to go away.

Which was stupid when it was obvious that he despised her. He thought the only reason she'd let him touch her was to save her brother's skin. And it was too late now to tell him that she hadn't been thinking about Edward when she'd kissed him—even if he wanted to hear it. Their whole relationship had been dogged with lies and half-truths, and although it wasn't all her fault he was never going to believe her now.

Endearingly, it had been Lauren who had begged her not to
leave without seeing him. Lauren who had so easily explained her own involvement with Alejandro when she'd admitted she was receiving treatment to help her conceive. Alejandro had been paying her medical bills. She was desperate for a baby, as Edward had said, and she hadn't wanted to tell her parents or worry her husband when she knew they were short of cash.

Of course her brother had maintained he'd known nothing about it. Whether he had nor not, Abby didn't know, but it was a relief to know that Lauren still loved him in spite of his faults. She was even going to ask her father to loan them the money to pay off Edward's debts. And, although Abby guessed her brother was going to have some difficult times ahead, perhaps that was the only way he was going to learn.

If only they could all have such a happy ending, she reflected ruefully, inserting her key in the lock and pushing open the door. Surprisingly, there was no pile of mail in the hallway, as she'd expected, and as she went into the living room she heard the radio playing in the kitchen annex next door.

She didn't have time to panic, however. She had barely registered that there was someone in the flat before Ross put his head round the door. ‘Surprise, surprise,' he said, evidently expecting her to be delighted. ‘I had a free first lesson, so old Banks said I could come in later on.'

Abby dropped her haversack onto the floor. She'd left her suitcase in the hall and she had the unpleasant feeling that she was a stranger in her own home. How had Ross got in? To her knowledge, he didn't have a key. All right, perhaps she should have given him one, but this had always been the place where she could escape from everyone. It had been her bolthole ever since the house she'd shared with Edward had had to be sold.

Ross had come fully into the room now, and was advancing on her with arms outstretched. ‘Hey, what's wrong?' he asked, his brows drawing together. ‘I thought you'd be pleased to see me. I've got a pot of coffee brewing, and there's toast and bacon under the grill.'

Abby could hardly hide her revulsion. She'd been offered
bacon and eggs on the plane and she hadn't been able to eat them then either. She felt sick, not just with the change in time zones, but with apprehension. She so much didn't want to face this confrontation now.

Ross's arms dropped when he saw her expression. ‘Oh, hey!' he exclaimed. ‘I've been thoughtless, haven't I? You're not feeling well. What was it? A rough trip? The gales across the Atlantic can be murder. I remember once, when I was coming back from New York, we had to have our seatbelts on the whole—'

Abby held up her hand to stop him. ‘How did you get in, Ross?' she asked, cutting him off in full flow.

‘How did I get in?' Ross blinked. ‘With my key, of course.' He pulled a face. ‘I didn't break in, if that's what you're thinking. After I'd spoken to your brother, I had the bright idea of staying the night here.'

‘You've been here all night?' Abby was incredulous. ‘And how did you have a key to this place? I've never given you one.'

‘No, well, I guessed that was just an oversight, so I had one made weeks ago,' said Ross comfortably. ‘Now, aren't you glad I did? It wouldn't have been much fun to come home to an empty flat.'

Abby thought it would have been heaven, but she couldn't say that, so she said faintly. ‘You say you've spoken to Edward?'

‘Last night,' agreed Ross calmly. ‘I wanted to speak to you, of course, but he told me you'd already left for the airport. I did think about coming to meet you at Heathrow, but this seemed the better option. I know you don't much feel like talking when you've come off a long flight.'

Abby took a deep breath. ‘You shouldn't have bothered,' she said, trying to hide her frustration. It wasn't his fault that she'd made such a mess of her life.

‘Well, take off your jacket,' he said now, evidently deciding not to press his luck by being too affectionate. ‘Like I say, I've got some coffee in the kitchen. I'm sure you'd like a cup.'

‘Not right now,' said Abby, unbuttoning her jacket almost automatically. And then, remembering what she was doing, she added. ‘As a matter of fact, it's probably just as well you're here. We have to talk.'

Ross looked doubtful. ‘Oh, I don't think we have time to talk about your trip now,' he said, glancing at his wristwatch. ‘By my reckoning we've just got time to have breakfast together and then I'll have to go. I know I told Banks I'd be late, but we don't want to offend him, do we? I mean, especially when he was so understanding about you taking time off—'

‘Ross, please!' Abby wished he would just shut up and let her speak. Didn't he realise she was on edge? She had virtually accused him of trespassing, for God's sake. Yet he happily went on trampling over everything she said.

‘I'll get the coffee—'

‘No!'

‘No?' He looked confused. And then he noticed she wasn't wearing her engagement ring. ‘Oh, Abby,' he exclaimed, ‘don't say you've lost your ring? That was a very expensive ring, you know. I expected you to be more careful—'

‘I haven't lost it,' she cried, scrabbling in her bag and bringing out the offending item. She held it out to him. ‘That's what I wanted to tell you. I'm sorry, Ross. I'd have liked to give you more warning, but—well, I think you should take this back.'

Ross made no attempt to take the ring. ‘You're not serious,' he said disbelievingly. ‘You're tired. You don't know what you're saying.'

‘Oh, I do.' Abby had never been so sure of anything in her life. ‘I've thought about it and thought about it, and my feelings aren't going to change. I wish I didn't have to say this, but I can't marry you, Ross. I'm sorry.'

Ross's face was tight. ‘This is your brother's doing, isn't it?' he said angrily. ‘I knew I shouldn't have let you go out there.'

‘You couldn't have stopped me,' said Abby, disliking his
proprietorial attitude. ‘I thought Edward was badly injured and I had to go and see for myself.'

‘That he wasn't,' said Ross sarcastically. ‘Apart from that emotional stress you made so much of. For Pete's sake, Abby, don't be such a fool! We've got so much going for us: similar backgrounds, similar interests, similar jobs.'

And how depressing that sounded suddenly. Maybe she was being foolish. Maybe she'd never find another man as patient as Ross. Or another man who'd want a woman who couldn't give him children, she reminded herself painfully. But that was her tragedy, not his.

Whatever happened, she didn't love Ross. She knew that now. She'd probably known it even before she'd got on the plane to Miami. That was why she'd felt so strange, seeing his ring on her finger. She'd never intended to let things go so far.

Nevertheless, seeing Alejandro again had altered everything. Until then she'd been able to fool herself into thinking that what she'd felt for him had died along with their child. Now she knew it wasn't true. She'd never stopped loving Alejandro. She had hated him sometimes, but her real feelings had never changed.

‘I'm sorry,' she said again now, putting the diamond ring down on the coffee table that stood between them. ‘I'd like to be able to blame Eddie, too, but it's not true, Ross. He had nothing to do with my decision. I thought I loved you, but I don't. I like you. I like you a lot. But that's not enough to base a marriage on.'

He looked mutinous, but she noticed that he bent and picked up the ring and slipped it into his trouser pocket before he spoke again. ‘So what now?' he demanded. ‘Are you going back to Florida? I suppose your brother has finally persuaded you to settle over there.'

As if!

‘Of course I'm not going back to Florida,' Abby answered. Her lips twisted. She doubted if she'd ever go to Florida again. ‘I'll be going back to work next week. I expect we'll see one
another in the staffroom, as usual. I'm hoping we can still be friends.'

Ross's face brightened. ‘You're coming back to school?' he exclaimed. ‘Well—of course we can still be friends.'

‘Good.'

Abby was relieved, but she had the feeling Ross hadn't given up hope of her changing her mind. He probably thought she was just testing the waters. Perhaps it would be best to look for another appointment after all.

 

After Ross had gone, Abby collected her suitcase from the hall and loaded the washer. Then, going into her bedroom, she quickly stripped the bed. It was childish, she knew, but she couldn't bear the thought that Ross had slept there. She needed to make a fresh start, and clean sheets and pillowcases were a beginning.

And during the days that followed she did try to pick up the pieces of her life. Going back to work helped, so long as she could avoid any
tête-à-têtes
with her ex-fiancé. The children she taught, the teachers she worked with, were all reassuringly familiar, and she was soon caught up in the day-today activities of the school.

Only in her quieter moments, and when she got to bed at night, did she succumb to her emotions. She found herself remembering how she'd felt when she'd been pregnant with Alejandro's child. Not unnaturally, now she found herself wishing she could have had the baby. At least she would have had some part of him to love.

As she'd suspected, Ross had apparently decided that all she needed was a breathing space. When she encountered him in the staffroom he insisted on behaving as if it was only a matter of time before she took back his ring. She didn't know what he'd told his colleagues. She'd made it perfectly clear to her friends that the engagement was over. But Ross's skin was thicker, and he couldn't seem to accept that she wasn't going to change her mind again.

Perhaps that was her fault, too, she reflected, when she left
work late one afternoon at the end of April to find Ross waiting at the gates. He'd known she'd stayed back that day to meet the parents of one of her students. And, although it was only a short walk from the school to her flat, he'd evidently decided to wait and give her a lift.

It was a pleasant afternoon. The almond blossom was out on the trees and Abby had been looking forward to the walk through the park that adjoined her square. Besides, she had no intention of giving Ross false hope by accepting his invitation. It had been thoughtful of him to wait, but he had to realise he was wasting his time.

‘Everything okay?' he asked as she came through the gate, almost as if his waiting for her was still the usual thing. ‘Who was it you had to see?'

‘It was Shelly Lawson's parents,' said Abby, wishing she could just walk past him. ‘What are you doing here, Ross? Did you have a meeting, too?'

‘As if you didn't know,' he said, indicating his car parked on the street. ‘Come on. I'll buy you a cup of coffee and a Danish. You look as though you could do with a break.'

Abby expelled a sigh. ‘Ross—'

‘Look, I know what you're going to say. I'd got no right to assume that you'd be glad to see me. But, hell, Abby, how long is this going to go on? It's already been five weeks!'

Abby shook her head. ‘Go home, Ross. That's where I'm going. I'll see you tomorrow—'

‘No, you won't.' To her astonishment, Ross grabbed her arm and prevented her from moving away. ‘Like I say, I've been patient, but you've got to stop all this nonsense. I'm not going to be turned away like an unwanted toy.'

Abby stared at him incredulously. ‘Ross, what do you think you're doing? Let go of my arm. You're hurting me.'

‘Well, that's par for the course,' he said angrily. ‘When you hurt people you have to expect to be hurt in return. You've made a fool of me, Abby, and I'm not going to stand for it. You're coming home with me and we're going to sort this out.'

Abby gasped. ‘No.'

‘Yes.' Ross started propelling her across the pavement. ‘It's not as if there's anyone else. You ought to be grateful to me for taking pity on you. Everyone knows what a sad life you've led since Edward moved to the States and married that Spik!'

Abby's jaw dropped in horror at his words, but before she could respond a long shadow fell across the path. As Ross had been wrestling her towards his car another vehicle had cruised to a halt behind it. A tall, dark-clad individual had thrust open the door and uncoiled his long length from behind the wheel.