Unknown (19 page)

Davina let out a gasp of surprise. ‘Why, it’s all finished! And furnished. When did you do it?’ she asked, but her eyes were on the softly glowing walls, the colourful Turkish carpet and the two new armchairs and matching curtains, picking out the predominant colour in the carpet. The desk was obviously already in use, for books and papers lay in neat piles, and in the fireplace stood a brand new portable heater.

‘The furniture arrived today while you were still asleep,’ Rex said, then, ‘Try one of the chairs. I’ll bring the tea.’

He came back to find Davina curled like a kitten in one of the huge armchairs. ‘They’re super,’ she announced as he put the tea tray down. ‘But why did you buy such big chairs?’ He stood, hands on hips, looking down at her. ‘Do you see me really relaxing in something of smaller dimensions?’ he asked in a challenging voice, then added wickedly, ‘In any case, I’d another possibility in view when I picked them out.’

Davina fell right into the trap. ‘Another possibility?’ she queried innocently, then gasped as two long arms swept her out of the chair and Rex sat down with her cradled in his lap. ‘Precisely 1’ a soft voice whispered. ‘I thought they’d hold two perfectly. Tell me—are you well enough to be kissed?’

Davina looked up, met his eyes and was lost Almost of their own free will her arms twined themselves round his neck and she said shyly, ‘I think so,’ and hid her face against his collar.

‘Well, we’ll never find out while you continue to bury your face in my shirt,’ a mocking voice said, and a firm hand felt and found her chin, turning her face up again.

For ten minutes all coherent conversation ceased until Davina began to feel as if her whole body was on fire, A hypnotic feeling of inertia seemed to have taken possession of her as caressing hands and warm lips expertly roused her sleeping desires. Before she became quite incapable of resisting the urge to give in to Rex’s increasing demands she dragged herself ruthlessly down to earth and tried to struggle upright.

With a fiery gleam in his eyes Rex said thickly, ‘I’d say you were
quite
recovered—but why the halt to such pleasant proceedings?’

Davina captured a wandering hand. ‘You must know the answer to that We’re not children. Anyway,’ she went on, clutching at straws, ‘the tea must be getting cold.’

Rex began to look amused. ‘Good try! It must have been too cold to drink some little time ago. Let’s forget the tea. You’re an extremely attractive female and I imagine you know I’m no plaster saint Neither are you, come to that I’ve seen you kissing your cousin James in a most uncousinly fashion, and heaven knows what would have happened this afternoon if I hadn’t interrupted the touching scene taking place right here in the kitchen.’

Davina unlocked her hands and hid her face in them, partly to cover up her flushed cheeks, partly to conceal the hurt expression in her eyes. Rex seemed to believe she met every man more than half way! She looked up bravely and wet her lips. ‘I seem to have somehow given you the impression that I habitually indulge in ...’ She stopped, at a loss for the right words.

‘... indiscriminate lovemaking?’ Rex supplied as she hesitated, and there was mockery in his glance. Davina swallowed a hard lump in her throat as she met that sardonic look, deciding that to dispel the hateful cynicism nothing but the truth would do.

‘I happen to have fallen in love with you. That’s the only reason for this,’ and with trembling fingers she rebuttoned her shirt ‘Don’t ask me how or when it happened, because I don’t know,’ she went on as he did not speak. ‘When we first met, it simply never occurred to me that we’d ever be likely to form any kind of a relationship, because you seemed a bit distant Almost as if you didn’t care for the cut of my jib,’ she added with a rueful smile.

‘And now?’ Rex pulled her back into his arms and kissed her breathless.

Her face was pink when he finally let her up for air, but her flush was no longer due to embarrassment. ‘Oh, Rex! Do you feel as I do? You can’t imagine how happy that makes me,’ she added before he had time to answer. ‘But what are we going to do? Everyone thinks we’re brother and sister.’

‘Stepbrother and sister,' Rex corrected her, then to Davina’s surprise he got up and deposited her in the chair. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll think of something. Meanwhile—tea,’ and picking up the teapot he strolled out.

Davina snuggled into the chair still warm from his body, but there was a puzzled frown between her brows. It was beginning to dawn on her that there had been something not quite right about his response to her admission of love. For the first time in her life she had committed herself frankly and fully, but would it have been wiser to have waited, played hard to get? Perhaps, their mutual attraction having been established beyond doubt, Rex felt it unnecessary to put his feelings into words. It would have been nice if he’d been more forthcoming, Davina thought, then sighed. On occasion he could be a man of few words. A pity this was one of them, she mused, as he returned with the tea.

The first frost of the coming winter lay over the gardens and fields, Davina discovered when she got out of bed next morning, but it could not chill the warmth inside her as she remembered Rex’s passionate goodnight kiss before he had pushed her almost roughly inside her bedroom and closed the door between them last night. Wings seemed to have been fitted to her feet as she sped downstairs and prepared breakfast, but when Rex came in there was no smile in the hooded eyes as he said, ‘I’m going to Barnard Castle right after breakfast. Tell Farr when he arrives that the rams are out. I don’t know what time I’ll be back, so keep an eye on the boy. He thinks because I’ve let him get his leg astride the horse a couple of times he knows how to ride. I don’t want to be accused of letting him break his neck.’

His whole manner was so prosaic and matter-of-fact that Davina stared, unable to believe her ears. Impossible to convince herself that this was the same man who had kissed her into submission, for the romantic lover of yesterday had vanished as if he had never existed. Perhaps this morning he was regretting letting passion off a tightly held rein, triggering as it had her rash admission of love.

Too late for recriminations now, Davina thought, when with a casual, ‘See you later,’ Rex had gone. Suddenly she saw the bracken was turning brown on the hills, the heather blossom already dead. She was relieved to have the day broken into by the old shepherd coming up to the house at midday for a hot meal. The housework was all done and she had no heart today for writing a love story.

‘How are you settling down in our north country?’ the old man asked when, the meal over, he reached for his pipe. ‘Missing the city life, I dare say?’

‘Not really,’ Davina smiled as she met the shepherd’s kindly eyes. ‘I was brought up in the country, though not so wild as up here. I expect you get a lot of snow in winter?* ‘We’re certainly in for it this year,’ he nodded. ‘I know the signs and it’s my guess the first snow will be early. You’ll need something warmer than those cotton pants, missie, in a week or two.’

Davina glanced down at her jeans. ‘I’ve got waterproof trousers to put over them and a winter-weight anorak, so I should be all right. I’ve done a fair bit of hill walking since my teens, and it doesn’t do to be caught out in a winter storm.’

‘Nor in a stiff wind either,’ the old man ribbed her. ‘Gaffer was fair kicking himself for letting you catch a cold t’other day. Though as I told him, he’s not used to our climate either.’

So Rex had been anxious and blamed himself for her brief indisposition, despite his words of condemnation as to the proper attire for a windy day, Davina thought, and her heart lightened. But when he returned in the late afternoon he did not so much as come near the house, for a few minutes after the engine stopped, she caught a glimpse of him striding up the track towards the pastures where the sheep had been put out to graze.

When he finally came in, supper was almost ready. ‘I feel like a bath and a stiff whisky. Have I got time?’ he greeted Davina after a swift glance at the places set at the table.

At her silent nod, he simply said, ‘Good,’ then as he reached the door into the hall, ‘Farr is staying to supper. I take it Peter didn’t turn up?’

Davina managed a ‘no’ as the door closed behind him. Tears were almost choking her as she laid another place at the table, for there was no doubt now that last night was over and forgotten as far as Rex was concerned. How vexing he must have found her unsolicited declaration of undying love!

'I may be late,’ he told her baldly as he and the shepherd got up to leave. ‘Mr Farr’s playing in a darts match at the pub, so I shall stay and cheer him on.’

Davina fancied there was pity in the old man’s eyes as he thanked her for the meal, but in trying to hold back the tears, she could not be sure. As soon as the Land Rover could no longer be heard they overflowed and Davina, her head on folded arms, wept until she could weep no more. She eventually pulled herself together, blew her nose and faced up to the unpalatable fact that Rex’s lovemaking must simply have been a spur-of-the-moment affair, without depth or sincerity.

But a bruised heart, not to mention a feeling of sick self-loathing for being so naive, does not disappear simply by facing facts squarely, and Davina gave a sigh of relief when the clock on the kitchen mantelpiece chimed ten. But when she dragged herself upstairs and crept into bed sleep eluded her as she lay staring like a lost child into the darkness.

Long after Rex returned and she heard the slam of his bedroom door she lay wide awake, wishing with all her heart that she had never gone to have supper with James that fateful evening. Life would have been more tolerable had she never been introduced to the heartless man in the room across the landing.

A prolonged bout of weeping followed by only four hours’ sleep do nothing for a girl’s looks, and Davina gave a gasp of dismay when she caught sight of her face in the mirror the following morning. Before she started on the day’s work she made up carefully, and only went down when she felt certain all trace of last night’s orgy of self-pity had been hidden.

But she had underestimated Rex’s powers of observation.

As she put breakfast in front of him he said idly, ‘You’re not looking your usual bonny self this morning. Had a bad night?’

Davina’s glance across the table showed her there was not a vestige of sympathy in the ruthless eyes of the man opposite, and suddenly her mouth felt dry. She who was usually ready with a witty reply, a quick jokey remark, could think of nothing to say.

But Rex did not seem surprised at receiving no answer. His hard eyes took in the complicated make-up which Davina had hoped would deceive him. ‘Expecting someone? Or is the warpaint for my benefit? Sorry, but Farr and I have a busy morning ahead. Perhaps this evening, eh? It’s surprising how a comfortable room, a good meal after the day’s work is done and a willing female can turn a man on. And you, sweetie, are attractive enough to bring out the old Adam in any man—even without the perfume and eye-shadow.’

Davina felt as if she had been slapped. With a muffled gulp she got up, dragged a quilted jacket from a hook behind the door and ran outside. She did not pause until the house was out of sight when, winded, she stopped to catch her breath.

She found she had run up the track and over the rise and glanced nervously over her shoulder, but there was no sign of pursuit Either Rex was giving her time to cool down or he simply did not care how his words had hurt. She walked slowly on, hands in her pockets, until groups of sheep came in sight. Sitting down on the drystone wall, she watched them moodily, wondering what to do next.

This problem was solved by Rex himself some half hour later, for he came cantering gently along the track to pull the horse to a standstill at her back.

He sounded quite unconcerned as he drawled, ‘So this is where you’ve got to,’ as if they had met by accident in the middle of Piccadilly. ‘We’ve got an early visitor—our minister, no less. I’ve left him sharing a pot of tea with Farr. Come on, up you get!’ and the next moment Davina felt herself hoisted off the wall and dumped, none too gently, in front of Rex.

‘Good thing you’re only pint-sized,' he told the back of her head. ‘I daresay the poor beast finds my weight quite enough. However, it’s not so far and he should manage to carry us both without buckling at the knees.’

Davina sat as stiffly as she could and did not reply. She was determined not to unbend, but she had reckoned without the devastating effect to her overwrought nerves of a ride clasped against Rex’s broad chest. He guided the horse with one hand, holding her firmly against his body with the other, and even through the anorak she could feel her whole body responding to that masculine warmth.

Clinging tightly to her last shreds of self-control, Davina gave a tiny sigh of relief as George’s hooves clattered into the yard and escape lay ahead—but Rex hadn’t finished with her yet. Before she could get her leg over and slide to the ground he dismounted and turned to put his two hands at her waist and lift her off the horse as if she were no bigger than a doll.

For several seconds he held her hard against him, her feet just off the ground, and smiled maliciously down into her wide eyes. Then as electricity sparked between them, he suddenly set her gently down and turned to pick up the reins. ‘Tell Farr to come to the barn if he’s finished his tea,’ he ordered casually as he led the horse away.

Davina watched him for a moment or two, anger beginning to smoulder in her breast before she turned to walk into the farmhouse. The two men at the table got up and when she smiled at them, the old man said ‘This is our rector, miss—Mr Matthews. Gaffer wanting me, is he?’

Davina nodded before she turned to shake hands with the tall, ungainly young man in the clerical collar. He looked faintly anxious as he said, ‘Sorry my first call on you had to be this early. Mrs McKay lost the baby yesterday and Mother insisted that as she herself is laid up with a sprained ankle it was my duty to visit her.’

Davina gave him a sympathetic glance. ‘A bit of an ordeal, I imagine. Peter comes up here pretty often. Is there anything we can do?’