"For Helen?" Matthew arched his dark brows. "Yes. So am I, I guess. Although I have to say I"m not sorry to see the back of the Berrenger Stables."
"But"what about the other horses?"
"They"ve all had to be sold to help pay off the mortgage.
Thankfully, my father"s insurance company didn"t hold him in any way responsible. He"s only left with the mortgage on Rycroft."
Olivia frowned. "But Helen isn"t"isn"t in prison, is she?"
"Oh, no." For the first time, the trace of a smile touched Matthew"s lips. "My father prevailed upon a lawyer friend of his to act on her behalf, and he thinks it"s possible she may get away with a heavy fine. Who knows? In any event, she"s left the village. She said she couldn"t bear to live there any more, now the stables have gone."
Olivia swallowed. "So"does that mean----?" She couldn"t say the words, but Matthew said them for her.
"That we"re getting a divorce?" He regarded her with cool a.s.sessing eyes. "Yes. I guess it does."
"Oh, Matthew!"
Olivia could hardly believe it was true. But she wanted to. So much. Without hesitation, she launched herself at Matthew, wrapping her arms around his neck, and burying her face in his shoulder. She was laughing and crying, all at the same time, and it took her several minutes to realise that Matthew wasn"t sharing her excitement.
When it did eventually dawn on her that he had made no move to touch her, was not responding in any way at all to her eager advances, an unpleasant chill invaded her stomach. Surely there was nothing wrong now, she thought apprehensively. She"d told him she loved him, so what more did he want?
"M-Matt?" she stammered, drawing back a short way, so that she could look into his face, and he met her anxious gaze unsmilingly. "Matt, what is it? What"s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Don"t" don"t you want us to be together?"
Matthew"s hands came up then and gripped her arms, forcing them down to her sides. But although his action sent a wave of anguish through her heart, his words were not what she had expected to hear.
"Don"t"talk"rubbish!" he told her savagely, and even though he was hurting her the pain was worth the pa.s.sion in his voice.
"It"s what I"ve always wanted, G.o.d knows," he continued, gazing at her with grim repression. "But until I know why you left me years ago I"ll never have a moment"s peace, whatever your mother says."
Olivia blinked. "What"whatever my mother says?" she echoed faintly. "What did my mother say?"
"Never mind that now----"
"No, I mean it." Olivia fought free of his restraining hands to gaze anxiously at him. "Tell me: what did my mother say? It might be important."
"The same way it was important for me to know why you walked out on me?" ground out Matthew violently, and she groaned.
"Darling, I know that"s important to you," she exclaimed, and, with more confidence than she had had moments before, she brushed her lips against his. "But, I promise I"l tell you everything," she went on, even though his response to her eager lips had been more than she could have hoped. "Just tell me what my mother told you. I really need to know."
Matthew stared at her for a long time, and then, as if unable to prevent himself, he pulled her into his arms. "It had better be good," he said hoa.r.s.ely, and she could hear the taut emotion in his voice. "All right," he went on, forcing himself to speak coherently, even though she sensed his raw frustration. "She said I should come after you. She said she was sure you did still care about me, and that I should tell you that she"d remembered another letter, that had been with the ones she showed you." He frowned. "Does that make sense?"
Olivia drew back. "She said that?
"Mmm." Matthew"s hands curved around her throat, and he tipped her face up to his. "So go on, tell me what it means. I think I deserve to know."
Olivia"s tongue came to moisten her lips, and she took a few moments to absorb what Matthew had said. There had been only one significant difference between the letters they had found in her grandmother"s box, and that was the fact that one of the letters had been from her mother to Matthew"s father, and not the other way about. Which meant...
Olivia trembled. "My"my mother is all right, isn"t she?"
"When I last saw her," conceded Matthew tersely. "Liv, if this is some ploy to---"
"It"s not." But Olivia had to marshal her thoughts. If her mother had remembered that other letter, did that mean she had guessed what had happened after all?
"Liv---"
"All right, all right." Olivia took a deep breath. "My" my mother"knew"your father"years ago. Before I was born."
"Knew"as in the Biblical sense, I suppose you mean,"
remarked Matthew drily. But he didn"t sound surprised, and Olivia was disturbed.
"Why"why, yes," she said unevenly. "Did you know?"
"I thought everyone knew that old story," replied Matthew wearily. "What has that to do with us? Surely it was no reason to break up our relationship!"
"Well, no." But Olivia sounded as disconcerted as she felt, and Matthew gave an impatient shake of his head.
"Christ, that wasn"t the reason, was----?"
"No!" She had to silence him, and she did, but once again it took her a few minutes to regain her composure. "You don"t understand, I"my grandmother showed me some letters. Letters written by your father to my mother."
Matthew"s mouth twisted. "My G.o.d! How the h.e.l.l did she get hold of them?"
"I"m not sure. I think she must have found them when my mother threw them away, and kept them. Goodness knows why."
"Even so---"
"There"s more," said Olivia tensely. "There"there was another letter, with your father"s letters. A letter my mother had written to your father, but never sent." She paused, and then plunged on, "It was to tell him she was pregnant. My grandmother said I was the result."
Matthew blinked now. "You mean"you thought---"
""that you were my half-brother, yes." Olivia caught her breath. "Now, do you see why I had to go away? I couldn"t"we couldn"t"there was no way I could tell you that."
"Oh, Christ!"
Matthew continued to stare at her as she explained the rest.
How Harriet Stoner had told her that even her father"her mother"s husband, that was"didn"t know she wasn"t his daughter, nor Matthew"s father either. That her mother thought it was her secret, but that her grandmother, being a G.o.d-fearing woman, could not let their relationship continue.
"So, you see," Olivia finished, "I had to go away. I knew if I stayed in the village it would be much much worse. And who knows? I might have given in, if you"d continued to want me.
Where you"re concerned, my resistance is very low."
Matthew groaned. "You could have fooled me!"
"Oh, Matt!" She wound her arms around his neck. "You do forgive me, don"t you?"
By way of an answer, Matthew bore her back against the pillows, and the urgent pressure of his mouth on hers was all the proof she needed. For the first time in years, she could return his kiss without restraint, and the tenor of his breathing revealed his own response.
"I should strangle you, you know," he said, unb.u.t.toning her jacket, and exposing the lacy bra beneath. "You should have realised that affair was over long before you were born. Your mother was only a kid at the time. My mother told me that."
"She did?" Olivia convulsed as his thumb probed the lacy trim of the bra and found her hardened nipple.
"Well"I---" She caught her breath. "I was just a kid when Gran told me. She"she must have made a mistake."
"Like h.e.l.l," growled Matthew, lifting his head and scowling at her. "I guess that other old story about your grandmother having a thing for my grandfather isn"t just gossip after all. You must have been her means of revenging herself on the Ryan family."
Olivia"s fingers curled into his hair. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, it"s old gossip," he admitted, his gaze dropping to her mouth, and her hands slid down his chest. "According to my mother, old Harriet had no love for the Ryans after my grandfather married someone else." He shook his head. "It"s ironic really. That three generations of our families should have shared a common bond. And if your grandmother had had her way the result would have been the same."
Olivia moved her head helplessly from side to side. "I never knew."
"No"well, it is history," murmured Matthew, drawing her hands back to his body. "Unfasten my shirt, will you? I think I"m overdressed."
Olivia did so with trembling fingers, but she was still shaking her head. "I had no idea," she whispered. "Oh, G.o.d! How could she?"
"We"ll never know," said Matthew softly, and, realising he had to divert her, he added, "So tell me, when did you find out it wasn"t true? About our being related, I mean. And why didn"t you tell me then?"
"Oh---" Olivia spread her palms against the fine hair that covered his chest. "My mother told me. Indirectly, of course.
We"we were going through Gran"s things, and we found the letters, you see. She"she told me the whole story. About her miscarrying the baby, and your mother getting pregnant with you, all at the same time. She didn"t know I"d seen them before, and I couldn"t tell her."
"No?"
"No." Olivia sighed. "She"s not strong, as you know, and I was afraid that if I approached her with what Gran had told me she might blame herself. I"I couldn"t allow that."
"Oh, Liv!"
"I even took the letters from her, before she could see the letter she had written to your father, telling him about the baby."
"The other letter," said Matthew, with sudden illumination.
"So"do you think she knows now?"
"Maybe. Maybe she put two and two together and made four,"
agreed Olivia huskily. "Oh, Matt! I"m so glad she did. You might not have come otherwise."
"I wouldn"t bet on it," muttered Matthew ruefully. "As I"ve said before, I don"t seem able to stay away from you."
She cradled his face between her hands. "Thank G.o.d!"
"But that still doesn"t explain why you didn"t tell me three weeks ago," he reminded her.
"I wanted to." Olivia remembered how much. "But I couldn"t stand by and let you sell the estate"not just for me."
"You mean Helen"s ultimatum, don"t you?" he said heavily, and she nodded. "You knew I"d do it, didn"t you?"
"I"thought you might," she admitted softly. "But I couldn"t take that responsibility. Not when you might have hated me for it later."
"Hated you?" Matthew"s mouth twitched. "G.o.d, you don"t now how often I"ve wished I could hate you. Particularly when you refused to marry me. I think I did hate you then. The trouble was, it didn"t last."
"Oh, Matt!"
The kiss that followed was taut with unfulfilled longing, and she eased his shirt off his shoulders, so that her hands could move over the smooth silky skin of his back. But when her hands went to his belt the memories overwhelmed her.
"Do you remember the first time I tried to undress you?" she whispered, as the buckle came apart in her hands. "I didn"t know what to expect then."
"Well, you do now," said Matthew thickly, responding to her sensual caress. "G.o.d, Liv"don"t do that! Not until I"ve got my pants off anyway..."
Hours later, Olivia stirred, roused by Matthew sliding off the bed and striding across the floor. "Where are you going?" she protested sleepily, switching on the lamp so that she could admire his lean, muscled body. "It"s hours yet till morning."
"I need a drink," Matthew told her drily, heading for the kitchen. "You may be used to drinking champagne, but I"m not."
"Oh."
Olivia smiled lazily, and rolled over on to her back. Indeed, she didn"t seem to be able to stop smiling, and Matthew pulled a face at her before disappearing out the door. But they had drunk a whole magnum of champagne, in between periods of making love, and Olivia felt both pleasantly relaxed and slightly intoxicated. But it was Matthew who had intoxicated her, not the champagne, and although she ached a little it was a most delightful feeling.
But the best part of all was knowing that when he went back to England she would be going with him. Agnes could continue running the agency, and now she might seriously consider setting up one in England. But that was for the future. Right now, making Matthew happy was the most important thing.
As for her mother, she guessed that one day soon she would tell her the truth. If she hadn"t already guessed it, of course.
Evidently Felicity Stoner was stronger than any of them had given her credit for being. Even her grandmother, Olivia reflected ruefully.
Matthew came back, drinking a gla.s.s of water, and as he approached the bed Olivia"s eyes drifted down over his body.
There was a singular delight in just looking at him, in knowing she had the right to do so, and Matthew was not indifferent to the possessive gleam in her eyes.
Even so, he finished the water in his gla.s.s before joining her on the bed, and Olivia eyed him teasingly as he stretched his length beside her.
"You have no modesty, do you?" she exclaimed, stroking her fingernail along the hair-roughened skin of his thigh, and he shifted restlessly.
"Nor do you," he told her, turning to imprison her beneath him. His heavy arousal throbbed against her leg, and she rubbed herself against him eagerly.
"You never did tell me how you got in here," she remembered, some time later, and Matthew eased himself away from her reluctantly.
"I told the doorman I was your brother, and I wanted to surprise you," admitted Matthew ruefully. "An unfortunate choice of relationship in the circ.u.mstances, but I guess, as I was English, too, he believed me."
"Thank goodness he did," murmured Olivia huskily, winding her arms around his neck. "But I"l tell him the truth tomorrow.
That"s one mistake I never want to make again."
end.