Authors: Sara Curran-Ross
Sleeping Love (23 page)
She could feel the house being watched. They weren’t alone. She could feel those familiar eyes following her every move from afar, boring uninvited into her soul. She always knew when he was there. It was like some sixth sense she had developed when originally stalked seven years ago. All of the old feelings and fears came back to haunt her. The very idea made her ignore the pain in her ankle and jump up to undo the long white curtains and sweep them across the three long windows.
As she closed the last one she was sure she could see a face peering at her through the fog. She jumped and gave a small cry and snapped the curtain shut. Chastising herself for her overactive imagination, she turned back to the room, listening to the pleasant homely noises of Raoul making food in the kitchen. Sudden warmth melted her insides at the notion of Raoul cooking for her. He loved to cook, especially for her, and there had been many a night she’d been a guinea pig for his latest concoction. She wanted to be near him, feel his presence surround the room. When she entered the kitchen, he looked up at her from stirring some soup.
‘I’m sorry but it’s tinned tomato soup. I don’t have any ingredients down here to make fresh soup. Damn, I meant to get you a drink. You need to sit down with that ankle.’
He dropped the wooden spoon against the pan and raced to the kettle, he’d already boiled once. She picked up the spoon and began to stir the soup. There was a delicious smell of pizza.
‘I can’t believe you even have a kettle in here. I thought as a Frenchman you only drank coffee,’ she teased.
‘The moment I found out you were alive, I began preparing the Summer House for your return.’
‘You never told me how you found me. Did you know who I was at that party in London?’
‘Yes I did,’ he grinned.
Sabrina frowned.
‘That’s cruel.’
‘I have had a team of private investigators looking for you for years. They came up with a lead at the University. I made sure you got an invitation to the party. I didn’t want to give the game away because I didn’t know what state you would be in, and more importantly I knew how you would react. I wanted you safe at home in the Chateau before I told you anything. There was no way I was going to give you the opportunity of vanishing from my life again,’ he told her firmly.
‘It’s still cruel and deceptive,’ she retorted.
‘Maybe so but it was all very necessary, I assure you. Now, I can’t make you tea yet. It’s warm water for you until I can make sure you are all right.’
‘You are kidding aren’t you? I’m dying for a cup of tea. I haven’t had a decent one since I entered France. You know I can’t live without regular tea rations.’
‘Yes, I remember. Here get this down you. Let’s make sure you haven’t got hypothermia. You can’t drink tea or coffee until we know.’
‘Where did you learn all these survival skills?’
‘You know where, Sabrina.’ He said it so softly it was almost a caress. ‘Is that soup ready yet?’
Sabrina dipped her head pretending to look down into the pan feeling ashamed of not telling him about getting her memory back.
‘Of course I remember, you climbed Mont Blanc before I met you,’ she mumbled to herself. ‘Yes, I think it’s ready.’
She moved over to let him take charge of the spoon again. She groaned when he gestured to the mug of hot water but did as she was told. He poured the steaming soup into two bowls and looked through the oven to check the pizza.
‘I never thought you would resort to frozen pizza.’
He looked offended.
‘I made it myself and put it in the freezer. It’s your favourite, goats’ cheese.’
Sabrina felt a warm snug, safe feeling engulf the last of the chill to her body.
‘I get the feeling I was on your mind,’ she mused smiling lovingly at him.
‘More than you know. Now back in the room. Here take this aspirin for your head.’
He ushered her out of the kitchen and instructed her to sit around the small dining table, tucking a blanket around her legs. The soup was hot and comforting, the pizza light but filling, and she ate hungrily.
‘You’ve eaten as though you never have before. It isn’t like you to clean your plate, Sabrina. What is wrong with you? Have you suddenly remembered you have a ravenous appetite?’
She gave him a coy, mischievous look.
‘You know I love any food you cook for me. You always know how to make a mean pizza. If you aren’t going to eat that, hand it over here.’
Raoul shook his head and handed her the plate.
‘It’s good to see you eat. You haven’t eaten a thing since you came back, and I’ve been worried.’
She stopped munching on her slice of pizza and caught his arm, leaning her head against it. The wool of the sweater he had given her to wear was soft, and it smelt of him.
‘I love you,’ she whispered.
She wasn’t sure she’d spoken the words. They sounded so sudden, so final and definite for a woman who had spent the last seven years forgetting her past. There was a pause, a stillness hanging in the air. Then he simply stroked her hair, weaving his fingers through its soft silky texture. He pulled it playfully.
‘I love you too, Sabrina, darling. But now that you’re fed and watered, we must talk.’
She lifted her head hearing his voice turn serious. He stood up and picked her up in his arms again. She laughed nervously.
‘Do you mean talk or do you mean talk in the bedroom?’
‘Nice try, Sabrina. As much as I would love to make love to you right here and now, we need to have a discussion.’
He carried her back into the living room.
‘Why are you carrying me everywhere?’ she heard the defensiveness in her voice. ‘I do have two legs.’
‘Indulge me. You’ve been through so much, and I just want to look after you.’
He sat her down on the sofa and flopped down behind her. It was the most natural thing in the world to curl her body against his powerful male frame, to feel his arm slip protectively around her shoulders and draw her near. She laid her head on his chest as he covered her with a blanket. The more she remembered, the more she was slipping back into her old character with her old habits.
‘Sabrina, I want you to tell me just how much of your memory has returned.’
She let her head rise and fall in rhythm with his chest for a moment, considering the implications of telling him the truth. There was too much at stake to risk it. She didn’t want to lose Raoul or see him more hurt than he already had been.
‘I don’t remember any more than I told you about what happened to me. If that’s what you are talking about?’ she lied.
‘Sabrina, don’t be afraid to tell me.’
There was pain in his voice. She always seemed to be hurting him, yet all she was trying to do was to protect him and his family. She watched the fire.
‘Why are you afraid of Luc and Alain? Did they have something to do with what happened to you?’
She sat up.
‘No, no, of course not. I just feel so nervous around everyone.’
‘Sabrina, was it Luc who raped you?’
He demanded the answer to his question with a firmness she found hard to resist. There was fierce anger, disbelief and despairing resignation swirling within his voice as he braced himself for the truth. She felt her heart race. She sat up further trying to get away, but he caught her arm and pulled her back across his chest, holding both of her wrists.
‘Answer me, Sabrina. And this time I want the truth.’
His face was hard and cold. She was afraid. She tried to get away again, but he held her fast. He gave her a warning look.
‘What is it with men? They always think they can throw their weight around and get just what they want,’ she snapped.
‘Don’t stall me, Sabrina. I am not letting you go until you tell me the truth.’
She felt her body writhe helplessly across the unmovable male muscled strength and gave in.
‘I don’t know,’ she blurted out. ‘But he was there.’
She could hardly look at him. She didn’t want to read the disbelief in his eyes, nor the anger.
‘What about, Alain?’
‘I don’t know. But every time I go near him, he gives me the creeps. Raoul let me go.’
‘No, tell me everything you remember about that night.’
‘Are you sure you want to hear it? We might never be the same again after you do.’
He pulled her up to his face forcing her to look into his eyes.
‘If you think I am going to let any of this destroy our marriage and our love for each other, you don’t remember me very well, Sabrina. You made vows to be with me, and I am going to hold you to them. I love you, now tell me the truth.’
‘He was stealing from the company, and I found out. Our accountant found discrepancies. He came to me before he died in that car crash. Maybe he didn’t die in an accident and he was murdered because of what he knew. I think Alain was involved somehow. I confronted Luc in the study that I was going to tell you. We argued, and he threatened me. It led to a struggle. He hit me and knocked me to the floor. He said he would kill me if I told you anything. Someone else was in the room, and I can’t remember who it was. I honestly don’t know if it was Luc or this other person who raped me. You have to believe me, Raoul.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me this before?’
‘Luc and Cressida told me I was having an affair with Luc, and if I didn’t leave you, they would tell you. They knew how ill your mother was and just how it would affect her health if you two were at war again. I couldn’t do it to you. And I couldn’t be sure if I’d had an affair with Luc or not. I couldn’t remember anything, Raoul. It’s like being locked in a dark dungeon without any light or door to get out.’
He let her wrists go and tightened his arms around her.
‘I’m sorry, Sabrina, but I had to find out the truth. You are just confirming all of my suspicions that I’ve had for the last seven years. I found out recently that Luc was stealing money from the company. He’s always been jealous of everything I have, and I knew when I gave him a job for
Maman’s
sake he would try something like that. But I’ve turned a blind eye, hoping, waiting for him to lead me back to you somehow. I’ve always thought he was involved. He was always attracted to you, and I wouldn’t put it past him to arrange a kidnap. And I believe Alain has been in on the game as well. I wonder if Cressida has found out and taken advantage somehow.’
He pulled the blanket over her shoulders feeling her cling to him. He smoothed her hair and kissed the top of her head.
‘What about my supposed relationship with Luc? They said I was having an affair with him, but I can’t remember doing anything like that. I am gaining my memories fast but not all of them. Maybe I did . . .’
Raoul gave a small laugh.
‘Trust me, Sabrina, you were not having an affair with Luc. I think it has always been his dream that you would. He wants everything that I have and goes out to destroy what is mine if he can’t take it. I know you weren’t having an affair with Luc because I had you shadowed by a private detective when you started getting all those phone calls and were followed. I knew your every move.’
‘You had me followed?’
She sounded indignant as she dried her eyes and looked up at him. He studied her with concern.
‘There has always been a threat to my family ever since my company’s success. The further you climb the ladder, Sabrina, the more dangerous it is. I can’t afford to take risks. I surrounded you with protection, but you were still taken from me, and the man I hired couldn’t find out the stalker’s identity. He is good at hiding and throwing a false trail.’
‘Who do you think that man was in the forest?’
‘It has to be the man who attacked you. I have a feeling that your stalking and Luc’s stealing from the company is all related. I invited everybody this weekend because I suspected it was one of our friends, even though it pains me to say it. I thought having them around would jog your memory. That’s why I was so determined not to let you leave my side.’