Emma’s Secret (16 page)

Linnet sensed that he had returned, and she opened her eyes, looked up at him. He leaned down, draped a silk dressing gown around her shoulders, and once more joined her on the rug in front of the fire, pulling his own robe around himself, tying the belt.

‘You should always wear that shade of blue,’ she murmured, looking across at him. ‘It matches the colour of your eyes.’

‘I know. My favourite woman bought it for me.’

She smiled at him, her eyes crinkling with laughter, then she said softly, ‘I love you, Julian Kallinski. I love you as much as you love me.’

‘I know that, Linnet.’

There was a small silence; she bent her head, plucked at the dressing gown, then went on, ‘I’m sorry…sorry I did this to you…asked for breathing space, and in the process hurt you so much. I did, didn’t I?’

‘Yes, you did.’

‘Do you accept my apology?’

‘I do, but I have a question.’

‘Yes?’

‘Why?
Why did you do it, Linnet? I’m still baffled.’

She nodded, let out a deep sigh. ‘I felt I was being manipulated, that
we
were being manipulated into marriage by our grandfathers. I really and truly did feel this. After all, the three clans have always wanted a Kallinski to marry a Harte.’

‘You’re an O’Neill,’ he teased.

‘You know what I mean…a descendant of David Kallinski and a descendant of Emma Harte must marry, because long ago, almost a hundred years ago, at the turn of the last century, David loved Emma.’

‘And Emma walked away from him, just as you walked away from me. History must repeat itself, is that it?’ he asked, sounding just a little acerbic.

‘No, no, of course not! David Kallinski, your great-grandfather, was a married man, and you know that. Emma had immense integrity and she would never break up a marriage, attempt to build a life on someone else’s misery. That’s why she walked away, but she remained his friend until he died, and he was her partner in Lady Hamilton Clothes for years. Grandfather Bryan’s often told me
that
story. I know it by heart by now.’

‘And I heard it from Grandfather Ronnie at one point in my life. But feeling manipulated is not a good enough reason, Linnet,’ Julian murmured.

‘I know. And it was only part of the reason. I wanted us both to be sure of the way we felt about each other. I wanted to let you have a few months of…well, freedom, actually, to find out where you stood with me. You could say I set you free, Julian…you know what I mean.’ She made a small
moue
with her mouth, shaking her head. ‘I didn’t want you to feel obligated to me. I wanted you to be unattached, in a sense, so you could have a relationship with another woman if you wanted.’

He gaped at her, surprise sliding onto his face. Then he burst out laughing. ‘You mean you set me free so that I could…
play around?’
he gasped, still chuckling.

‘Yes.’

He was so amused he couldn’t speak for a moment, and he laughed again.

Linnet frowned. ‘Did you?’ she demanded.

‘Did I what?’

‘Have an affair in the last few months?’

‘No, of course I didn’t! I’m not interested in anybody else but you. Surely you know that by now,’ he retorted heatedly.

‘I suppose I do. But I did feel we were being pushed headlong into marriage because of
their
pasts, because the three clans wanted it, and I resented that a whole lot. Also, there was another thing. I thought that once we were well and truly married you’d get bored. That does happen, you know. A couple are together for years, happy being with each other, and then once that piece of paper’s been signed,
it
comes between them. I began to worry that we’d been together for so long…I thought the marriage would break up, and then where would we be?’

‘Oh Linnet…darling, how could I ever be
bored
with you?’

‘Well, we have been sleeping together for ten years…that’s a long time.’

‘That’s true, and I’ve loved every minute,’ he said, staring at her, wondering whether to laugh or cry. She had put him through hell, agonies of mind and body for weeks, and all because she was full of preconceived ideas about men and their behaviour with women. But he was not like other men. Their rules didn’t apply to him; he didn’t follow anybody’s rules.

In a way, she was right about the grandfathers, though. They were to blame, if blame could be attached to anyone. They had not let the matter rest for years, ever since they’d realized, and with delight, that he and Linnet were a twosome. And they had stepped up their campaign this past year, so he knew exactly how troubled she was by their manipulation. He had felt it himself, if the truth be known. He had simply been less affected than her, had been able to shrug it off.

And he supposed, if he were eminently fair, that many women might well think that a man could become sexually turned off one day, after spending years and years with the same woman, a woman he had known since her childhood. But he was different. He wished she’d realized that about him. It bothered him, for a moment, that she hadn’t understood him better, and then he kicked the thought away, with the force he once used to kick a rugger ball. And then dismissed it completely.

Moving closer to her, he put his arm around her and pulled her to him. ‘Do you remember what we did when you were seven and I was eleven? Up in the attics at Pennistone Royal?’

‘What
we
did! You mean what
you
did.’

‘What did I do that you didn’t do?’

‘You undressed me,
without
my permission!’

‘I don’t remember you objecting, you little beast.’

‘You didn’t think I was a little beast
then.
You were fascinated…with every part of me.’

‘If I remember correctly, you were very willing and able, and an enthusiastic participant in our little games when we were teenagers. In fact, you once undressed me, and quite forcefully, and examined me, and did a lot more, I might add. You even went as far as to—’

‘Don’t say it, Julian Kallinski, or I’ll—’

‘You’ll what?’ he interrupted.

‘I’ll do it again, right now.’

‘Yes, please.’ Smiling at her, he moved even closer, buried his face in her fragrant hair that smelled of lemon verbena and a hint of summer flowers and cleanliness. Such a familiar scent…her scent. ‘Oh I do love you so very much, my Linnet, my darling, my sweetheart. How could you ever think I would want to make love to another woman? I’ve only ever wanted you…only you could give me such joy, such satisfaction.’

She smiled to herself. ‘I
was
your willing pupil, wasn’t I?’

He pulled away from her, winked wickedly. ‘But you did have the best teacher in the world, don’t you know.’

‘Oh I do, I do, only too well!’

He cradled her in his arms, thinking about her, trying to be objective for a second or so. He knew her through and through, better than he knew anyone else, even members of his own family.

She was a complete Harte. She had inherited all of their characteristics: their toughness of mind, their loyalty and generosity, their spirit and energy, their many diverse talents, their extraordinary capacity for backbreaking work. All the Hartes were fierce in their defence of each other and she was no different. Touch a Harte and the rest of the clan would go for the jugular. He knew full well that she had never really liked Toby, but she would fight until she dropped to defend or avenge him. That was the way they were. They were abiding by Emma’s rules, as they did in all things. She had set the standards long ago and they still existed for every one of the Hartes.

Yes, Linnet had inherited
all
of their traits, good and bad, and their marvellous looks. Not to mention their hot-bloodedness. Emma’s blood ran in her veins, and Emma’s had never been icy. To the contrary. Men had fallen at
her
feet, and there had been a number of men she had loved, had had liaisons with, and several of her children had been born on the wrong side of the blanket–tribute to her passionate nature. If he was any judge of character, from what he knew about her, Emma Harte had more than likely been as hot and uninhibited in bed as her great-granddaughter was with him.

But he loved Linnet because she
was
a Harte, because she was all the things she was. He loved her defiance of the rules, her independence, her pithy bluntness that at times reminded him of her Aunt Emily, and made him laugh hilariously. And he loved her for her sweetness, her tenderness, her gentleness with children, her kindness to the elderly in the family. He knew how much she cared for Bryan, even though at times her grandfather had driven her crazy with his talk of the final uniting of the three clans.

For her part, Linnet’s thoughts were on her behaviour over the past few months. She was mainly worrying that Julian thought she had been silly. Well, she had been foolish in certain ways; she should have confided her worries in him, instead of insisting on a period of separation. What had been accomplished in the end? Nothing at all. It had only made them both miserable, and been a waste of precious time. No, perhaps not such a waste. Certainly she valued him more than ever…now she suddenly understood that. The very thought of losing him a short while ago had terrified her, filled her with dread, and she had been determined to make things right between them. Immediately. And she had.

Their attraction for each other was as rampant now as it had been the first time they had made love. She remembered that night very clearly. They had kissed and touched and explored each other for years, and then, not long after her sixteenth birthday, the petting had gone too far, flared into something much more dangerous one evening. She had encouraged him, enticed him until finally they were carried away by their own feelings, and had gone the whole way. Several times that night, in fact. Then they had worried themselves to death until she had her next period. After that Julian had armed himself with contraceptives until she went on birth-control pills.

Julian Kallinski. Her first
love. Her
only
lover. She sometimes wondered if she had been his only conquest; she was not sure. He was four, almost five years, older than her, and had gone away to boarding school, then to Oxford. Once she had heard her father and Uncle Winston talking and laughing about Gideon and Julian, and Uncle Winston had muttered something about them being a couple of ‘Jack the lads’. Which meant only one thing in her mind.

But she did not care. Those days had ended. He was carrying a great deal of responsibility at Kallinski Industries, and he would have to shoulder much more one day in the future when he took over. They understood each other very well, and she herself had her own load to carry at Harte’s. In a sense, they had been lumbered by their ancestors’ great successes. Perhaps that was why they were compatible, the shared background and upbringing, the dedication to duty, their acceptance of the circumstances of their lives. No explanations were ever necessary when it came to work and business. Julian was brilliant, hard working and dedicated, and they had identical values. For as long as she could remember she had loved him; she also liked, admired, and respected him. For her, he was a man for all seasons.

She stirred in his arms, and sat up. ‘You told me you had a surprise for me,’ she exclaimed, remembering what he had said earlier.

‘I do.’

‘What is it?’

‘Close your eyes.’

‘Okay. They’re closed.’

Julian reached into the pocket of his robe and fumbled around until his fingers touched the object he was seeking. He took it out, got hold of her hand and slipped on the ring.

‘Open your eyes.’

‘Oh my God, Julian! It’s beautiful,’ she cried as she stared down at the emerald engagement ring glittering on her finger in the firelight. She looked up at him. ‘It’s more than beautiful, it’s absolutely perfect. Thank you.’ Reaching up, pulling him down to her, she kissed him on the mouth.

‘It matches your eyes,’ he murmured a moment later, enjoying her pleasure. ‘Do you accept it?’ He drew away, peering at her in the soft light. ‘You know what it means if you do?’

‘Of course I accept it, and I
do
know what it means, silly. We’re engaged.’

‘At last.’ He began to chuckle.

‘What is it? Why are you laughing?’

‘The grandfathers are going to take credit for our engagement, you know.’

‘Don’t you dare mention
them
to me now,’ she exclaimed, but she couldn’t help laughing with him. ‘So this is why you came to the store tonight, appeared at my office unexpectedly and dragged me off, almost by the hair. To get engaged to me.’

‘I didn’t know what was going to happen, how you’d respond,’ he replied. ‘But I wanted to be prepared…for any situation. I mostly wanted to talk to you, Linnet, to clear the air. You see, I just couldn’t stand it any longer. I thought I was going to go insane without you. I wanted to have it out, settle it once and for all.’

‘And when you kissed me in Chester Street I knew I couldn’t bear to be apart from you any longer. So you see, you were right to come to the store and act so masterfully. And tomorrow I shall thank Joe Pinkerton for sending you up unannounced.’

He hugged her to him, and after a moment he said, ‘I could eat an elephant I’m so hungry. Aren’t you?’

‘Yes. But you never have any food in your refrigerator.’

‘I do tonight. This afternoon I did a bit of shopping, and brought dinner home. Mrs. Ludlow prepared it all just before she left at six. She put everything on the tea trolley in the kitchen, left the champagne on ice, lit the fire in here. We’ve nothing to do really, just wheel in the trolley, that’s all. How about a picnic on the rug? Courtesy of Harte’s, of course.’

‘It’ll be lovely, but we won’t have a fire if you don’t put another log on it.’

‘Right away.’ He jumped up, removed the fireguard, dropped a log on the smouldering embers.

‘I’ll come and help you in the kitchen,’ Linnet said, also rising. ‘Now that I’m almost, if not quite, your missus.’