Storm's End Read online

  "Don't be silly," he snapped impatiently. "Who else are you going to marry? You love me… and you need me, too, and I don't intend to accept a 'no.' All you're doing is trying to punish me, but no matter how long it takes for you to come to your senses, I'll wait. I don't plan to ever leave you again, Julie. Not for a single day."

  Julie half-smiled at that. "Don't you think it'll be hard to drive back and forth from your job each day all the way from Louisiana?" she teased.

  She was surprised to see a rather strange expression cross his face, but before he could answer, Bobby returned and the uncomfortable conversation came to an end.

  "There's a gift shop here, too," Bobby informed them. "Let's go over there, Julie. Maybe we can find something for Mom."

  Duane grudgingly trailed along while they browsed through the gift shop and, as she moved from one display to another, Julie wondered how soon she could persuade him to give up and return to Oklahoma. He seemed to pay no attention whatsoever when she stated that she was not going to marry him and it was actually maddening. She had never known Duane to be quite so tenacious before. But there had to be some way of convincing him that she was serious and meant what she said, short of telling him that she was already married. And that, she was determined not to do. Especially not after the way Blaise had goaded her this morning. If and when the marriage was ever announced, it would come from Blaise himself, or her grandfather.

  It was late afternoon by the time they returned home. Julie sighed inwardly with relief as they turned into the winding drive between the stately magnolia sentinels. Duane had been difficult and moody all day, partly because every time he attempted a personal conversation Bobby interfered, partly because he was angry with her. He really did seem to believe that she was only trying to be difficult, paying him back for having broken off their engagement in the first place, and that by now she should be getting over her anger and give him the welcome he deserved for having followed her here.

  In spite of Duane's frustration and Julie's own unhappiness, at least Bobby seemed to have enjoyed the day, and he eagerly spilled out an account of it for the benefit of his mother and Grandpa, who sat outside on the patio. Julie had gone with him and she perched on the arm of Ruth's chair, but Duane had gone upstairs to his room. Secretly, Julie was glad. At the moment, she badly needed a break from his morose presence.

  When Bobby wound down at last, Julie asked idly, "Where is Sarah?"

  "She went to the printer's with her mother to pick up her wedding invitations," Ruth replied. "Which reminds me, Sarah is leaving us at the end of the week."

  Julie lifted her brows in surprise. "Axe you sure it's wise for her to go this soon?" Her gaze swept from her mother's face to her grandfather's.

  Andrew grinned and nodded. "This morning while you were away, Sarah drove your mother into the city to see the doctor. He says she's doing splendidly and, as long as she takes it easy, there's no need for her to stay in bed so much or to have a nurse around."

  "That's wonderful." Julie smiled. "But we'll miss Sarah. Especially you, Mom."

  Ruth nodded. "That's true, but she would have been going in another couple of weeks anyway. Mrs. Landry and I have already consulted about having a special dinner in Sarah's honor Friday night. You'll have to go into town in the next day or so for me, Julie, and pick up a gift for her from me. I thought something that she could use in her trousseau."

  "Of course, Mom," Julie agreed. "Be happy to." And once again, she felt a spasm of pure envy that her own marriage could not have been a normal one, with all the attendant excitement and anticipation that most young brides-to-be enjoy.

  A few minutes later, Julie excused herself and went upstairs to her room. There she stripped off her sundress and stretched out on the bed and closed her eyes. What she wanted most of all this evening was to be left entirely alone, even though she knew it was not possible.

  How, she wondered drearily, was she going to manage to face Blaise at dinner tonight? The memory of his hands on her body last night scorched her face and made her body wither in an agony of pain and embarrassment. Could she ever forget the intimacy of his caresses, the way she had responded, or afterward how it had felt to sleep curled up next to a man's firm, warm body? Could she ever forget the contempt in his eyes this morning, or the way he had taunted her? Announce their marriage, indeed, she thought bitterly. And only a moment later, he was reveling in the kisses of another woman after condemning her for Duane's kiss!

  And poor Duane… coming here expecting to patch up things, expecting to find her willing to resume their relationship, to marry. Not only was she unable to because of her secret marriage, but even if she had been legally free, it would have been too late. She had already met a dark-eyed southerner and now her heart was hopelessly bound to him, even though he would never know.

  Listlessly, she forced herself off the bed, went into the bathroom for a quick shower and then dressed for dinner. She toyed with the idea of simply going to bed, of claiming a sick headache, but she knew that was the cowardly way out. Besides, it would be cruel to leave Duane all evening to Blaise's scowling gaze and her grandfather's grudging hospitality.

  But when she got downstairs a few minutes later, she discovered that she had worried for nothing as far as Blaise was concerned. He was not there. Clive had come, however, and Duane and he were engaged in what appeared to be a genial conversation as they stood, cocktail glasses in hand, near the window. Ruth and Andrew sat on the sofa and following Julie into the room was Sarah and Bobby.

  "Where's Blaise?" Bobby asked the question that was in Julie's mind but which she had not dared to ask herself.

  Andrew Barclay answered him. "He called earlier to say he wouldn't be here for dinner." Speculatively, he eyed his granddaughter and Julie felt uncomfortable beneath his scrutiny. Was he silently blaming her for Blaise's nonappearance, she wondered.

  Duane had looked across the room and noticed her, and now he broke off his conversation with Clive and came toward Julie. "You look very pretty tonight," he told her as his approving gaze roamed over her yellow silky dress and her hair which had been swept atop her head in a mass of curls. Obviously, he had recovered his good humor during the past hour or so, because his smile was warm and there was no hint of his earlier black mood. "How about letting me take my best girl out to dinner this evening?"

  Julie was momentarily taken aback. She had not bargained on Duane's wanting to go out again today. She shook her head. "Oh, no, I don't think so, Duane. Mrs. Landry expects us at dinner and…"

  "It can hardly put her out," Duane argued persuasively. "The others will still be here to eat her dinner. Come on, Julie, we've had no time alone together at all yet." He directed an appealing smile at Andrew. "Tell her it's all right to go, sir," he said in a half-laughing manner. "Surely you can understand my desire to have her to myself for a little while."

  Andrew Barclay's thick brows lowered over his keen gray eyes. "Sorry," he said gruffly. "Once I told Julie what to do and it was a mistake I do not intend to repeat. She's quite old enough to make her own decisions."

  Julie stared at him in complete astonishment. Was her grandfather actually apologizing to her for forcing her into a marriage that had been doomed from the start? And why? Why now?

  "What in the world are you talking about, Andrew?" Ruth asked with a puzzled frown. "You sound so serious."

  "Did I?" Andrew smiled and shook his head. "Never mind. Now, are you two going out or staying? I'm hungry and I see Mrs. Landry at the door telling us dinner is ready."

  Julie returned her gaze to Duane, whose face was slightly red. She supposed he was a little embarrassed because her grandfather had not backed him up and though she felt sorry for him, she kept to her resolve. She had no desire to spend an evening alone with him. There seemed safety in numbers.

  "I'm still tired from our sightseeing expedition today," she said with a quick smile, "and I really don't feel like going out again."

  Duane shrugged neglige
ntly. "Sure, baby. Maybe tomorrow night."

  After dinner, Ruth decided to go to her room early since she had been up most of the day. Andrew Barclay soon went off to his room as well. Bobby went away to watch a television program, but Sarah remained with the rest of them for a while as they had coffee on the patio.

  For a while the talk was general, covering a range of the latest world news to vacation travel, but just as darkness was about to descend, Sarah excused herself and went away, too.

  It was cool on the patio and Julie closed her eyes and relaxed for the first time all day. She could hear Duane and Clive talking in low voices, but she did not bother to pay attention. She was only grateful that the two men seemed to get along so well and that Clive was willing to entertain Duane to some extent.

  Now she frowned. Clive was the only one who seemed interested in being congenial toward Duane. Ruth had been polite but slightly withdrawn and Julie knew that though her mother did not know the true facts of their break up, nevertheless she had been secretly pleased. Ruth had never been overly enthusiastic about Julie's engagement to Duane, although she had accepted it placidly on the surface. And now her grandfather, though a polite host, quite obviously did not welcome their guest with any degree of pleasure, either. And Blaise, of course… well, never mind about Blaise, Julie told herself sternly. She brought her attention back to the present.

  "With the Wyndover Company, we'd still be able to run the plant if we wanted," Clive was saying. "It's just that we'd have all their money backing us and we could expand to twice the capacity we have now. Of course, we'd be answering to them, but that wouldn't really be a hardship. It would actually be easier. We wouldn't have to work so hard and…"

  Julie got to her feet, stifling a yawn. "I'm going to tell Mom goodnight," she interrupted. "Be back in a few minutes."

  "Sure." Duane gave her a vague nod. "Well, what I'd like to know, Clive, is…"

  Julie went inside, not bothering to listen to more. Really, she thought irritably, Clive was absolutely boring the way he clung to his subject of the Wyndover Company. It was almost as though he were on their payroll the way he was so zealous in his commitment to sell to them.

  She paused in the hall, suddenly wondering if there might be some truth in that thought. It would certainly explain Clive's fervency, his unflagging efforts to sway Grandpa. She wondered if Blaise had thought of that. After a moment, she thrust the thought away and went up the stairs toward her mother's room.

  She returned to the patio fifteen minutes later to find the two men still engrossed in animated conversation.

  Duane looked up at her and she thought there was an odd gleam in his eyes, but even so it did not prepare her for what was about to come.

  "Clive and I have come up with an excellent idea, Julie," he said cheerfully. "Come sit down and listen."

  "I was telling Duane," Clive explained, "that since the two of you are about to be married soon, he should take a job with us at the plant. As your husband, he has as much right to a top management job as Blaise and me."

  Julie stared at him incredulously, too shocked even to speak. Duane hurriedly filled the little silence. "Clive was telling me that as Andrew Barclay's granddaughter, you're bound to receive your share of company stock in the near future and probably right away, because once you're married, the old man will see that you'll have a man to handle your business matters for you. And of course once we have your shares of the stock there can be no question of our having enough votes to sell to the Wyndover outfit and I'd be right in there with Clive to protect your interests."

  Clive rose to his feet. "Well, it's about time I was shoving off. Like I told you, Duane, you need to talk to Blaise since he's the plant manager, but I don't see how he can give you any trouble about it since you are going to be one of the family soon. Good night, Julie. I'll see you both in the morning."

  As soon as he had gone into the house, Julie turned a smoldering gaze upon Duane. "How many times do I have to tell you that I am not going to marry you? There's no point at all in you taking a job with the company here, so just forget it."

  "No, I will not forget it!" Duane said harshly. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her to her feet. Then both his arms slid around her waist. "You are going to marry me, Julie. You love me and you need me. What you don't seem to understand, darling, is that you are now a wealthy woman and you need someone to take care of your business affairs, and who has a better right to do that than me?"

  Julie was rigid with suppressed fury over his arrogant assumptions. She opened her mouth, about to blurt out the truth, that she already had a husband, but at that moment a shaft of light imprisoned them as Duane still held her in his arms and the words shriveled in her throat as the subject of her thoughts came through the door.

  Blaise stood there, with Rosalind at his side, and his eyes, as dark as the night, seemed to bore right through Julie, chilling her like a sudden evening breeze.

  "Oh, my," Rosalind gave a husky little giggle, "I think we've arrived at an awkward moment, Blaise. Maybe we'd better just quietly go away again."

  Julie wrenched herself from Duane's arms and backed away from him, as though she had been caught doing something wrong.

  But Duane, apparently, did not share her embarrassment. He smiled and went forward toward the couple who stood near the door. "Hello," he spoke to Rosalind. "I'm Duane Sutton, Julie's fiancé, and you're…" He paused expectantly.

  "I'm Rosalind York." She accepted his hand and smiled. "So you're Julie's fiancé. It's very nice to meet you."

  Now Duane turned his attention to her companion. "Richard," he said in a hearty voice, "you're just the man I want to see. Can you spare a few minutes for a private talk? There's something important that I'd like to discuss with you."

  Until that moment, Blaise's gaze had been riveted to Julie, but now, almost reluctantly, he withdrew his attention from her and looked at Duane. "Is it really necessary?" he asked coldly. "I'm sure tomorrow morning would do just as well."

  "It might," Duane agreed, "but I'd like to clear the decks tonight if I may."

  Blaise studied him in thoughtful silence for a moment before finally nodding. "Very well," he said. "We'll talk in the study."

  "No," Julie said suddenly. "No, Duane. There's no need and…"

  Blaise's eyes were forbidding as he swung around to look at her again. "I believe our discussion is to be a private one, so if you'll excuse us?" He turned toward the door.

  Julie stared at his retreating back with impotent helplessness. She knew that Duane was going to speak to him about being given a position with the company and Blaise would believe that she not only approved of the request but that she had actually put him up to it, and there was nothing she could do to stop it, short of running after them and causing a scene. And at the moment, she was sharply aware of Rosalind's amused interest in her.

  Julie knotted her fists at her side. Duane was going to make a fool of himself and of her by his request and there was nothing she could do about it, so now she forced herself toward an outward calmness that she was far from feeling.

  "Won't you sit down, Rosalind?" she asked politely of the other woman. "Perhaps they won't be too long."

  "Thanks." Rosalind walked over to one of the lounge chairs and gracefully sat down, spreading her shimmering silver skirt across her knees. "This will give us an opportunity to have a little talk ourselves." She smiled at Julie. "Congratulations on your engagement. Your fiancé is a very attractive man."

  There seemed no answer to that without either tacitly agreeing that she was engaged or bluntly denying it, and Julie was in no mood to discuss her private affairs with Rosalind.

  "Care for a cup of coffee?" she asked now in an effort to divert her from the subject.

  Rosalind nodded and smiled lazily as Julie poured her coffee and handed it to her.

  "You know," she said in that deep-throated velvety voice, "we have a lot more in common just now than you might think."

  Ju
lie could not imagine the slightest thing the two of them could have in common, but agreeably, she smiled and asked, "Yes? What is that?"

  "Our upcoming marriages, of course." Rosalind laughed. "Blaise proposed to me tonight."

  If Rosalind had thrown the scalding coffee in her face, Julie would not have been more shocked or pained. Her heart seemed to literally stop beating for a moment and when it did resume its function, it hammered against her breast with devastating blows.

  "I… I offer you congratulations," Julie finally managed to say.

  Rosalind smiled and nodded. "Thank you. However, we're keeping it a secret for a while, so please don't tell anyone else." She shrugged her shoulders delicately. "It's just that seeing you with your fiancé, I felt I could share my secret with you… that you would be able to understand my happiness tonight."

  Yes, Julie thought bitterly, I can understand your reasons for keeping your engagement a secret. Because your fiancé happens at the moment to be married! But she could not say the words, of course.

  All the same, she was more angry than she had ever been in her life. How could Blaise dare to propose to Rosalind under the circumstances? As long as he was married to her, Julie, he had no right. He had accused her of playing hot and cold games, but look what he was doing! Actually going so far as to ask another woman to be his wife when he already possessed one! It was cruel and unfair to Rosalind and insulting to herself! And anyway, her heart cried, how could he so soon after what had occurred between them last night?

  Tears clogged her throat and burned her eyes and Julie knew that if she stayed much longer, she would give herself away. She swallowed hard and said unsteadily, "I'm sorry, Rosalind, but you… you'll just have to excuse me. I've got a very dreadful headache. I think I'll go take some aspirins and go to bed. Would you tell Duane when he comes back out?"

  "Certainly," Rosalind said smoothly. "Don't worry about me. I don't mind waiting alone until the men return."

  Julie practically stumbled across the patio toward the door. By now the tears she was holding back had completely glazed her eyes and she could hardly see where she was going.