Bride at Briar's Ridge Read online

  Twenty minutes after it had been agreed that the guests would be seated at the dinner table, ready to be served the entrée, they were all still congregated in the drawing room, where they had been enjoying pre-dinner drinks. Daniela could feel herself getting upset. It wasn’t easy to keep food at its peak. It needed to be served right on time.

  ‘Are you sure everyone has arrived?’ she double-checked with Gary. On rare occasions it happened that a guest was unavoidably late. Not everything went as planned.

  ‘Did a head count,’ Gary confirmed. ‘All present and accounted for.’

  ‘Have a quiet word in Violette’s ear,’ she told him, after another ten minutes had elapsed.

  ‘She’d slap him if he got that close.’ Jules gave another bad-boy grin.

  ‘Do it all the same.’

  To no avail. Instinctively Daniela knew Violette was counting on getting her out of the kitchen and into the drawing room, to do the reminding herself. Anything to cause a bit of embarrassment or, in Violette’s view, bring her down a peg. Her most distinguished clients back in London, always the most considerate, would never have done this to her. Their guests would have been gently shepherded into the dining room.

  ‘Damn it!’ Gary was getting angry now. ‘I’m starting to think this is deliberate. The woman wants us to fall on our faces.’

  ‘Try her one more time,’ Daniela advised. ‘Tell her very quietly that if she and her guests don’t go to the table now, she might well be doing the serving herself.’

  ‘Good for you, Danni—call her bluff,’ Jules egged her on. ‘Better yet, let me do it.’

  Daniela waved that risky suggestion away, shifting her attention to the food. She had made the final touches to the entrée a good twenty minutes before, but as it was a cold dish it could stand for a while before it was ready to be eaten. Even so the ocean trout mixture that had been packed so gently within baking rings might lose its precise shape.

  The seasoned chicken breasts, sealed in a hot frying pan, had been transferred to a pre-heated oven. The poached baby vegetables could be kept warm in the stock they were cooked in. She could whiz the sauce a couple of times to keep it light and frothy.

  Violette heeded the warning, and they got through the rest of the meal without incident.

  Coffee and liqueurs had just been served, along with some tiny dark chocolate confections Daniela had made especially, when Jules glided back into the kitchen, wearing an expression of concern. ‘What’s the matter with the flowers?’ he asked.

  Daniela stared at him. ‘They’re all right, aren’t they?’ What could go wrong with them?

  ‘They’ve really wilted,’ he said, drumming his fingers rather nervously on a benchtop. ‘You didn’t forget about the water?’

  ‘Don’t be stupid, Jules.’ Gary reprimanded the boy without wanting to cause him too much discomfort. Jules had performed extremely well tonight, validating their confidence in him. He might easily have been in the business for years instead of six months.

  Jules shook his trendily coiffed head. ‘All I know is the ferns and the orchids in the swan have kind of keeled over through dinner. I’d say it won’t be long before they’re dead. One of the guests—the sweet little redhead, Zoe—’ Jules’s face momentarily lit ‘—was trying to fix them with her fingers. It was a sort of talking point. Madam looked very put out. Personally, I think Violette Denby looks wicked.’

  Daniela felt herself go cold. ‘The tiny orchids and the baby’s breath around the candlesticks. Are they okay?’

  ‘Spry as ever,’ Jules nodded. ‘And they don’t have any water. Anyone would think someone had poured some bleach into the swan.’

  Gary glanced across at Daniela. ‘Maybe that’s her game?’ he asked, his eyebrows coming together in anger and concern.

  ‘Would you do such a thing at your own dinner party?’ Daniela retorted.

  Gary shrugged. ‘Leave it to a jealous woman every time. She’s giving that Mastermann guy the full treatment—matter of fact, all evening she’s looked like she wanted to eat him, forget the menu. Or that’s how I see it.’

  Danielle barely heard. She was reflecting that she was the outsider here. Violette was on her home ground. She was a stunning-looking woman and she knew how to be charming when it suited her. The knowledge lay coiled like a snake in Daniela’s chest.

  Daniela made her brief appearance a short time later, in her little black dress. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but the guests greeted her with much interest, enthusiasm, and lots of plaudits on the beautiful food and its presentation.

  Carl, looking fantastically handsome in his evening clothes, came to her side, lowering his voice for her ears alone. ‘Dinner was wonderful, Daniela,’ he said warmly, looking smilingly into her eyes. ‘Rest happy. As for the flowers in the swan…I’m not sure Violette hasn’t been up to a few tricks.’

  ‘It would certainly explain it,’ Daniela murmured, immensely grateful he had made a point of coming to her.

  ‘Such a pity about the orchids,’ Zoe, the pretty redhead, came up to say. ‘I expect the heat got to them.’ Her voice conveyed nothing but sympathy and friendliness, no guile.

  ‘I’ve never had such a thing happen before,’ Daniela said regretfully, her eyes on the wilted arrangement, so cruelly robbed of its beauty. So much for any heat—a lovely breeze was coming in through the open French doors. The delicate white petals almost looked as if they’d been burned.

  ‘Don’t let it put you off,’ Zoe whispered behind her hand. ‘You won’t be waiting long for the phone to ring. Everyone will want you. You’re marvellous! Please don’t go back to London early.’

  Violette, her high-cheekboned face taut with anger, had no qualms at all about taking Daniela to task. The last of her guests had departed, and she clearly felt free to raise her voice.

  Daniela felt a preparatory charge of adrenaline. This wasn’t going to be pleasant.

  ‘I hope you’re not expecting the full amount of your exorbitant fee?’ was Violette’s opening salvo. She seized hold of a piece of notepaper, shredding it violently as though it was the cheque Daniela was expecting.

  Daniela gave her a very straight look, thinking how dumb she had been taking the job in the first place. ‘I certainly am. My fee was agreed. All the guests I spoke to were perfectly happy with dinner.’

  ‘Okay, so they were too kind to point out that the centrepiece was a disaster,’ Violette said, her voice vindictive.

  ‘And I can’t quite fathom why. Perhaps it’s time for you to tell me what you put in the water?’ Why should she put up with this? Daniela thought. This strange young woman had gone out of her way to humiliate her.

  For answer Violette flapped her hands wildly in the air, as though swatting a plague of flies. ‘Are you mad?’

  ‘Are you?’ Daniela countered, thinking Violette might have brought herself to a new low. ‘You were prepared to spoil your own dinner party to make me look bad. If that’s not mad, please tell me what is?’

  Violette’s blue eyes flared with shock. She was about to reply, only there was a knock on the kitchen door.

  Gary put his head around it. ‘I’m off, Danni. Everything okay?’ His eyes went from the petite Daniela to the tall Violette, who for all her stunning good looks, seemed ready to kill.

  ‘Fine.’ Daniela gave him a reassuring smile. ‘Ms Denby is just complimenting us on a splendid effort.’

  Gary’s round pleasant face looked highly dubious. ‘Okay, then. I’ll say goodnight.’

  ‘’Night, Gary.’

  Violette shooed him off, her mood explosive.

  ‘Actually, if you don’t mind, I’ll take a sample of the flower water and have it analysed,’ Daniela said. ‘I’m sure a chemist will do it for me.’ It was an empty threat. She had no intention of doing any such thing, even if a chemist would oblige. But Violette must have believed her, because her haughty expression wavered.

  ‘No, no—you’ll do no such thing!’ She placed her h
ands on her slim hips, standing tall. ‘I’d like you out of here.’

  Daniela gave a wry laugh, sitting down firmly on the nearest chair. ‘Then we both want the same thing. But I’m not going anywhere without my cheque. Tell me, is there sport in doing what you do, Violette?’ she asked, genuinely curious.

  ‘I can’t for the life of me think what you mean.’ Violette’s voice was so tight it had trouble making it out of her throat.

  ‘Now who’s kidding who? You were prepared to let the food go cold, and you sabotaged the arrangement—all as a way of embarrassing me. It didn’t work. Though I hate to see those beautiful flowers deliberately ruined. Plus, they were very expensive.’

  Violette didn’t cave in. Not for a moment. ‘Who would care?’ she snapped, then swept out of the room, returning moments later, cheque in hand. ‘You should be very grateful I’m giving you this,’ she said, ice chunks for eyes.

  ‘I’m not, particularly.’ Daniela took the cheque, studying it as though it might be a dud. Violette couldn’t be childish enough to stop payment, could she? ‘I did my very best for you, Violette. Your guests went off happy. A few of them, however, might go home wondering what really happened to the orchids. What did you put in them, and when?’

  Black storm clouds scudded across Violette’s patrician face. ‘I was as dismayed as everybody else. Certainly Linc thought you had slipped up somewhere. But I bet this isn’t the first time you’ve messed up,’ she said through clenched teeth.

  Daniela nodded, refusing to believe Carl had thought—or said—any such thing. ‘Sure, I’ve made mistakes. Who hasn’t? But you’re the one who had better pray no one finds out about your little trick. They might find it all too possible to believe.’

  Linc sat in the darkness, in his parked car, sheltered by trees and blossoming shrubs. He was waiting for Daniela to appear. It seemed as if he had been waiting for her all his life. And now that she had come he would never let her go. Daniela Adami had become central to his plans. He not only desired her madly, he admired her immensely—not simply for her beauty and her intelligence, but for her driving force, her will to succeed. She had done so very, very well—for herself and for her family, who were rightfully proud of her. He was proud himself.

  He had seen all the other guests leaving, followed some time later by the tall young fellow, Jules, who had served the truly memorable dinner like a pro, and then Gary. Just as he was wondering—and it had to be admitted worrying—what was taking Daniela so long, she came down the steps of the homestead, carrying a fairly large basket.

  His heart flipped at the very sight of her. The familiar excitement gripped him. She could literally bring a man to his knees. She had made an appearance at the end of the evening in a little black dress, looking impeccable and, as far as he was concerned, putting every other woman in the shade. The more he thought about that business with the centerpiece, the clearer it became. The Denby sisters were escalating their campaign. Violette had only hired Daniela to find some way to embarrass her. He had the dismal feeling he was at the bottom of things, as the latest eligible male in the valley. There were a lot more unstable people around than one would think. Violette could well turn out to be one of them…

  He hopped out of his car, lengthening his stride to get to Daniela. ‘Here—let me take that.’ He reached for the white basket filled with various items she had needed for the night. The weight meant nothing to him, but it was probably heavy for her. ‘I was getting worried.’ He glanced down on her. Even at night the bell of her hair shone.

  ‘I didn’t think you would stay,’ she said, enormously gratified he had.

  ‘What, and not follow you safely home? Something’s the matter, isn’t it?’ His eyes never left her. He was so attuned to her he could read her body language even in the dark.

  ‘No, everything’s okay.’ They had reached her small car now, and Daniela was trying to organise her chaotic thoughts. She opened the boot and Linc swung the basket in.

  ‘It’s no use telling me that, Daniela.’ His voice was openly sceptical.

  ‘You can read me like a book?’ She looked up at him. He had taken off his dinner jacket and his white shirt gleamed in the indigo darkness. Superbly tall and lean, he was, to her, the epitome of male power and grace.

  But he laughed harshly. ‘Not entirely. I do have an idea you and Violette might have had words. I mean, she deliberately held up dinner. I wasn’t the only one to notice. That Zoe is a sharp little thing, and a few of the others. Then there was the business with the flowers. God knows when she picked her moment.’

  ‘All in a day’s work,’ she said calmly, but in the next instant her temper spurted. ‘I was a plain fool accepting the job. At least I know she’ll never call on me again.’

  ‘I’m pretty sure none of her friends will join her,’ he said dryly. ‘Everyone enjoyed dinner immensely. Let’s get out of here,’ he said. ‘Someone is looking through the curtain. I think it’s Lilli. I saw her give her sister a few hard looks. There are a lot of similarities, but Lilli has the potential to be a whole lot nicer free of her sister’s influence.’

  It was Daniela’s opinion as well. ‘Nevertheless, she’s keeping an eye on you now, with a view to reporting back to Violette. You’d better get over here. She’s talking to Linc.’

  ‘Mightn’t that work for us?’ he asked swiftly. ‘Their seeing us together? Neither of them mean anything to me, Daniela.’

  ‘That’s sad when they both want you.’

  He could hardly deny it. Linc drew in a deep slow breath. ‘I’m sure I haven’t given either of them the slightest encouragement, beyond a bit of tomfoolery at Guy’s wedding. Certainly no serious business. A lot of women hanker after what they can’t get.’

  She responded sharply to the note in his voice. ‘You’re speaking from experience?’

  ‘I’m just laying it on the line,’ he answered, his voice terse.

  She moved to the front of her car, ready to unlock the door on the driver’s side. ‘It would hardly surprise me to hear a lot of women have hankered after you.’

  He gave a laugh, a sardonic glint in his eyes. ‘What does a man do to avoid them?’

  That gave her pause. Hadn’t she done everything in her power to avoid Gerald Templeton, without success? ‘Look, it’s one o’clock in the morning,’ she said, determined not to be the kind of woman ripe for the plucking. ‘You don’t have to follow me, Carl. Fly away home. I’m fine.’

  He rested his hand over hers, tightening it slightly, stirring up all her senses to something like anguish. ‘You’re really not. Come back with me. Please.’

  She could feel herself starting to tremble. In all other things she could keep her emotions under restraint. With him she was demonstratively passionate. He was the one who had unlocked her sensuality. ‘I don’t want to do that,’ she said, knowing how half-hearted it sounded.

  ‘It’s odd, but I don’t believe you. That’s exactly what you want to do.’

  She rounded on him with unconscious seductiveness. ‘You’re so sure of yourself, aren’t you?’

  ‘You’ll have to do better than that, Daniela.’ He rested his hands on her delicate shoulders. Every part of her body was lovely—her hands and her feet. He wondered for the very first time what a child of theirs would look like. A little girl, with her mother’s wondrous beauty and spirit. ‘If you’re upset—and you are—I really want to hear about it. And afterwards I want to make it up to you.’

  ‘In bed?’ Her honeyed voice bit, though her yearning was sharp.

  ‘Can you think of a better way?’ he retorted, wanting to pull her into his arms, but aware that Lilli was probably still watching from upstairs, believing herself unobserved. ‘Don’t let’s argue,’ he said, looking down at her intently. ‘Come back with me—if only for a little while.’ Very gently he touched her cheek, letting his finger trail down to her swanlike neck.

  Their eyes met. He lowered his dark head, nuzzling the side of that neck softly. She ti
lted her head so as to better accept his caressing mouth. It was impossible not to surrender to the spell.

  Believing herself screened by the curtain, Lilli continued to look down into the drive, her stomach tied in knots. The exterior lights were still on, so she could see their dusky silhouettes. She couldn’t have moved even if she had wanted to. She was caught up in what was happening down there.

  The death of her dreams, she thought dramatically, though in her heart of hearts she had known she had no chance.

  The exterior lights hit their figures obliquely. He was facing the house, towering over the petite Daniela, his white shirt gleaming. She saw him take Daniela’s shoulders. She saw the way he lowered his head to kiss her cheek, or her throat—she couldn’t quite make out which, but she wished to God it was happening to her. Linc Mastermann was the kind of guy to drive a girl wild.

  Moments later both of them got into their cars, Daniela leaving first. Lilli slowly dropped her hand from the curtain. She had a vivid image of them together. Naked. In bed. She knew the way he would make love would be unforgettable.

  ‘What the devil are you doing?’

  Violette’s loud voice startled her so much she jumped.

  ‘For crying out loud, what are you trying to do? Shatter glass? What does it look like?’ Lilli croaked, made to feel like a sneak by someone who had made sneakiness an art form. ‘He waited for her.’

  Violette’s rage overflowed. ‘He wh-a-t?’ She broke off, speechless, stalking to the window. ‘There’s no one there.’ She turned on Lilli, as though Lilli were delusional.

  ‘They’ve gone.’ Lilli stood a distance away, a beautiful, sadly disappointed young woman in her lovely lilac satin dress. ‘You’ve yet to learn how to play it smart, Vi,’ she said with regret in her voice. ‘That bit with the flowers was just plain dumb. What did you spray them with? I can just see you ransacking the kitchen cupboard.’

  ‘Don’t be so ridiculous,’ Violette shot back savagely. It was Violette’s way to deny everything she didn’t want to face.