Diamonds are for Marriage: The Australian's Society Bride

Right away she headed towards Jinty to what … remonstrate with her hostess … issue a warning? Jinty wouldn’t take kindly to that; married to Rupert Blanchard, she was queen of all she surveyed. Nonetheless Leona was halfway across the room, chiffon skirt flowing, a springtime nymph in flight, when a black-jacketed arm reached for her.

“What’s the hurry?”

Excitement surged. She spun to face him. “I was just going to … going to …”

“Get it out, Flower Face,” he urged.

What could she possibly say? Jinty has taken off the diamond earrings and left them in a Limoges porcelain bowl back there. Surely an unsafe place? It struck her forcibly that Jinty wouldn’t want Boyd to know that. The diamond suite, after all, would one day be handed down to Boyd’s wife.

“I was just going for a breath of air,” she managed, realising that Jinty needed protection.

“You mean you were going into hiding from Peter,” Boyd suggested dryly. “You really should put poor old Pete out of his misery.”

“I’ve never put him in his misery,” she said sharply. “I can’t help it if Peter’s got a bit of a crush on me.”

“Bit old for a crush, isn’t he?” Boyd offered in a sardonic tone of voice. “Peter must be twenty-eight.”

“So?” She stared defiantly into his brilliant eyes. “Haven’t you heard of men having crushes in their eighties? There was Goethe for one. Tolstoy, I’m sure. Great-Uncle William fell for that twenty-year-old ballet dancer, remember? People in their nineties find their one true love in nursing homes. There must be plenty of others.”

“Please, that’s more than enough,” Boyd said, drawing her to his side. “Don’t let’s have a brawl here. I’ve been praying we’d get a moment alone.”

“Praying?” The familiar banter had resumed. “I didn’t think you liked me all that much.”

“But I do enjoy kissing you,” he said, sweeping her out onto the terrace. “Where did you learn to be so darn good, by the way?”

“It’s called doing what comes naturally.” Leona smiled and waggled her fingers at Geraldine, who was standing with a little group of her closest family allies. Geraldine waggled her fingers back, her grey eyes sparking with interest.

“Then you were born an expert.”

“So were you.” There wasn’t time to add anything further.

“Quick, over here,” Boyd said, almost lifting her off her feet.

“Whoa!” She blinked, wondering what had happened, then it clicked. “Ah, you’ve spotted Tonya.” She didn’t bother to stifle her impish glee. “Or could it have been Jinty. She’s awfully fond of you.”

He was steering her down a camellia-lined path, walking fast. “I wish she’d remember she’s a happily married woman,” he said, as though it bothered him.

“That doesn’t make her immune to your appeal,” she mocked. “And is she so happy?”

They were sliding like shadows away from the broad circle of exterior lights and into the mysterious glimmering light beneath the canopy of trees. “Jinty treasures money,” he said.

“So do most people,” Leona added dryly. “They say they don’t, but they do.”

“Only Dad is in a position to be far more generous than most men. Money matters a great deal to women like Jinty.”

“So when Rupert says jump, Jinty has to jump.” Leona didn’t like the idea of jumping on demand.

“I guess that was the deal,” Boyd said, his tone dry as ash.

“Does it always have to be deals where there’s money?” she asked. “Shouldn’t love be stronger than any deal?”

“I’d like to think so,” Boyd said.

“Good thing you’re your own man then,” she mocked him. “Rupert has Chloe lined up for you.”

“Think I need you to tell me that?” He glanced down at her, this ravishing young creature who lived to cross swords with him. “This time Dad’s wishes and his judgement are way off kilter. I like Chloe. That’s a long way from falling in love.”

“My thoughts entirely. But she loves you,” Leona felt obliged to point out. “Listen, can you slow down? Those long legs of yours!”

“Sure,” he responded immediately. “Leo, I’m not about to offer Chloe Compton an engagement ring, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“It surely doesn’t matter what I think,” she said. “I’m only your cousin. Of sorts. Way down the pecking order. About three would you say on a scale of one to ten? If you did want to please your dad and offer Chloe an engagement ring, Tonya might well have a nervous breakdown. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight. Not to mention all your exes. Thought of that?”

“I’d be so pleased if you didn’t mention my exes,” he said. “Which does not include Tonya, by the way. Dad invites her just to annoy me.”

“I’m so glad you see that,” she said cheerfully. “But you have established quite a reputation as a ladies’ man.”

He brought them to a halt. “Stop, Leo,” he said. “I thought this afternoon might have been lesson enough for you.”

She turned up an innocent face. “This afternoon? I don’t recall.”

“Then let’s give you a reminder.”

In the second or so it took him to pull her into his arms Leona felt such a concentration of sensation—excitement, rippling desire, a meltdown in her limbs—it was almost terror. Boyd had the power to turn her inside out. Should she trust such power? Should any woman trust such power? And it wasn’t just blind sexual yearning. It was much, much more. Like salvation. Or finding her true home.

His soul. Her soul. One and the same. Or had they in kissing opened a door that should never have been opened? Only time would tell.

His hand was lightly around her throat, his thumb gently stroking her chin up to him.

“I want you,” he said, scarcely above a murmur.

She tried to speak and found she couldn’t. Instead, she gave a convulsive shudder. Fear or longing or a mixture of both? Common sense told her she should pull away. This was Boyd, the Blanchard heir. Out of her league.

“This is madness!”

“Then I’ve been mad a long time,” he said, his mouth trailing kisses all over her face.

Such an admission from Boyd made her forget everything. All sense of caution was in shreds.

His hand moved to her breast, trapped a nipple that had already blossomed.

It took time for cold reason to kick in. Want? It had all shades of meaning. Did Boyd want an affair? Did he want to solve the mystery he thought she was? It was a huge open question.

“Boyd, we must stop. This isn’t possible …” she gasped.

His voice sounded fathoms deep in languor. “I don’t think you really mean that. Anyway, it’s happening.” Very slowly, as though savouring the ecstasy of the moment, his mouth made its sure return to hers.

Her defences crumbled. Desire over reason. She couldn’t resist it. He kissed her and kissed her. And she let him.

She was his. How could she now be deprived of him?

CHAPTER FOUR

TONYA DISCOVERED THEM returning to the house. “Where have you two been?” she called, her tone shrill and demanding.

Boyd laughed. “Tonya, what does it have to do with you?”

The darkness hid Tonya’s flush. Even she couldn’t miss the lick of sarcasm. “For heaven’s sake, Boyd, everyone was wondering where you were, that’s all.”

“I have enough of the family on my back when I’m at work,” Boyd responded, the arm Leona was holding tensing to steel.

“The fact remains that everyone wants to say goodnight.” Tonya aimed a glance so fierce at Leona that her eyes glowed in the semi-dark. “Peter has been looking for you everywhere.”

“Come on, Tonya,” Boyd intervened. “Leona and Peter aren’t a couple.”

“You’d better tell him that,” Tonya retorted with a knowing laugh.

“Tonya, why is it you get such an amazing number of things wrong?” Boyd wasn’t trying to hide his irritation.

Instinctively Leona pressed her fingers into his jacketed arm, trying to soak up some of his flaring temper. Was Tonya a complete fool?

“I have the evidence of my own eyes.” Foolishly, Tonya failed to see what was so obvious to Leona. She was making him angry.

“Then make a wish for a pair of glasses,” he retorted curtly.

“Look, why don’t we continue on to the house?” Leona made the hasty suggestion, wondering if she had a skerrick of lipstick left. Tonya would fasten onto that in a flash. God knew what questions would be asked then. Tonya obviously needed no encouragement to interfere in other people’s business.

“If you were a good sister you would have seen to your brother,” she said, rounding on Leona as if she were a recalcitrant schoolgirl. “He says the most impertinent things.” Tonya’s voice was filled with resentment. “It’s difficult to stand there and take it.”

“Robbie is given to speaking plainly,” Boyd said. “One wonders why you wanted to come this weekend.” His voice had taken on a note that would have alerted the thickest skinned woman.

Leona couldn’t bear to see Tonya crushed, no matter how well merited the put-down. “Excuse me, won’t you?” She broke away. She felt she had little option. They had nearly reached the terrace, which was now almost deserted. If Tonya continued in a similar vein she would surely come to grief. Why was Tonya investing all her energies into trying to attract Boyd? Maybe she was mad after all.

“Where did you get to?” Peter was hovering just inside the French windows, obviously on the lookout for her.

“Were you worried?” Leona asked. Perhaps she should have filled out a logbook. Once she had said her goodnights to a downcast Peter and the rest of the party, Robbie moved swiftly towards her. For a handsome young man he looked ghastly. He was very pale beneath his suntanned skin, his lustrous dark eyes glittering like coals. Obviously he’d had too much to drink. Robbie always did go over the top.

“Where did you go?”

Leona had to fight for control. “You’re the third person to ask me that. Or, in Tonya’s case, demanded to know.” Because she loved her stepbrother, she weakened, linking her arm through his, urging him towards the staircase.

“God, she’s a stupid woman!” Robbie cursed. “Sometimes I find it hard to believe she and Jinty are sisters. At least Jinty had the brains and the cunning to land old Rupe. So where did you disappear to?”

“Boyd and I went for a stroll.”

Robbie gave a low whistle, pregnant with meaning. “No wonder Tonya tore after you.”

“Why is that exactly?” she asked, feigning ignorance.

“Sweetie, there’s no way you can fool me. You’ve loved Boyd since you were a little girl. Now you’re a beautiful woman. Boyd has made it pretty clear he can see that.”

“And it will come to nothing,” Leona said fatalistically.

“I don’t agree with that at all.” Robbie cut any further protests short. “You’re special. Think Boyd doesn’t know that? Just don’t let him share your bed until you’re well and truly married. I know plenty of girls who have blown their chances.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Robbie,” Leona said, thumping her hand on his arm.

They had reached the gallery by the time Leona stopped to take a really good look at him. He had a decided pallor. “What’s wrong?” she asked worriedly. “You’re deathly pale. You simply can’t drink too much, Robbie.”

Robbie shut his eyes. “Robbie?” She shook his arm.

“God, hell, no!” he replied. It wasn’t blasphemy. It sounded more like a plea for forgiveness.

“Oh, Robbie, what’s happened? You’re in trouble, aren’t you? I just knew it.” Her green eyes darkened with anxiety. “Talk to me, please.” If Robbie couldn’t pull himself together he had an uncertain future. That was the very last thing she wanted for him. “Here, come into the bedroom.” She all but pulled him through her bedroom door.

“Don’t leave the door open,” Robbie warned, slumping into an ornate Louis chair. “Jinty’s efforts at redecorating are atrocious,” he moaned. “That bed, for one, is utterly ridiculous.” He lowered his head into his hands.

“Forget the bed. What’s wrong with you? Is there anything I can get you?”

“I’m not drunk, Leo. I know better than to break Rupe’s house rules,” he said, then broke into a wild laugh that had nothing to do with humour.

“Oh, Robbie, you’re breaking my heart. What is it?” Leona went to him, laying her hand gently on his head. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. We’ll face it together.”

“I don’t think even you will forgive me this, Leo,” Robbie said, looking soulfully up at her. “I’ll never forgive myself. I must be bad. And mad. Carlo, after all, was a scoundrel.”

“Carlo wasn’t a scoundrel.” Leona surprised herself by coming to Carlo’s defence. “I’ve always had the feeling that your father was badly maligned by Delia,” she said. “She found it useful to denigrate him so she could get sympathy from the family. If I were you I’d look him up. I don’t believe Carlo was anywhere near as bad as your mother makes out. She’s a very devious and manipulative woman.”

“And you’re not exaggerating,” Robbie moaned. “But I do carry some Mafia genes.” He reached inside his breast pocket and, to Leona’s horror and amazement, withdrew Jinty’s diamond earrings.

Leona was so shocked she said absolutely nothing. Then, after a moment, she gave a little sobbing gasp, bending over and clutching her breast as though she had taken a bullet right to the heart. “Robbie … Robbie … Robbie! What were you thinking? You’re going to have to explain. Have you completely lost your mind?”

“Possibly temporary insanity,” Robbie groaned, feeling a tidal wave of guilt and remorse. “I live among all these filthy rich people and I can’t change places with a one of them. Money corrupts, Leo. It seduces. It leads you into temptation. And finally sin.”

Leona stared down at him, her blood running icy-cold. “We have to get them back,” she said decisively. “You saw Jinty put them into the Limoges bowl?”

“An incredibly stupid thing to do,” Robbie muttered, as though Jinty’s stupidity lessened his own crime.

“Nowhere near as stupid as your lifting them,” she said. “What did you think you were going to do with them? The Blanchard Diamonds are famous.”

Robbie slumped even further. “I told you I went cuckoo. It’s a bloody nightmare. It didn’t take me a moment more to come to my senses, I swear. I was desperate to find you, only you’d disappeared.”

“And what was I supposed to do, put them back?” Leona asked incredulously. “I’ve spoilt you rotten, Robbie. I’m your sister. I’ve always tried to be there for you, and you go and do a thing like that to the Blanchards—Rupert will have you hanged.”

“Good thing they don’t hang people any more.” Robbie gave a hollow laugh. “Forgive me, Leo. It was a mad moment over which I had no control. I wanted to get back at them. Most of them treat me like I’m dirt beneath their feet.”

“Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Leona flashed, then she went to him and took the earrings out of his clenched hand. “I have to get these back. And I have to do it right away.”

Instantly Robbie rose to his feet, his face ashen. “I can’t let you do that, Leo. It’s time to be a man. I’ll find Boyd. I’ll explain what happened. He’ll tell me what a bloody fool I am—tear strips off me—but he’ll work it out.”

“Not Boyd,” Leona said. “We can’t involve Boyd in this. I’ll do it. They’ve all retired for the night.”

“What if Jinty has already gone to collect the earrings and found them missing?” Robbie spoke with quiet horror, scratching a sharp finger down his cheek and leaving a trail of blood.

“She hasn’t checked,” Leona said. “She can’t have. If she had, the whole house would be in an uproar.”

“Hammerings on the door. The oldest rellie turfed out of bed. The likes of me strip-searched.” Robbie brightened just faintly. “Let me do it.”

“And what if you’re caught out? No, leave it to me.”

No one in the long gallery of the west wing, though the faces in the paintings stared very hard at her.

No one coming up or going down the grand staircase, unless they were the ghosts of Blanchards past. No sound of voices or footsteps either. It was as though the night had swallowed everyone up.

Leona had never felt so terrified in her life. The diamonds were freezing, like chunks of ice in her hand. The big chandeliers were off but there were still a number of lamps and sconces burning. She pressed on stealthily, quiet as a mouse, if ever a mouse would have been allowed to take up residence in such a house.

What if she met up with someone—Rupert? She didn’t think she could deal with that. Rupert was famous for appearing when least wanted or expected. What excuse would she have for coming downstairs again? A book from the library, perhaps? Who would possibly swallow that? Maybe an insomniac who read until sunrise? Could she say she had lost one of her own earrings? Danger in that. She was wearing them, for one thing, and the very mention of earrings would be sure to alert Rupert, who was equally famous for his sweeping powers of deduction.

God, she felt sick. Sick and shuddering with nerves. For a moment, she stood outside the drawing room, trying to sense if anyone was inside. Not that they would be in there singing songs. She glanced in quickly, then out again. How could Robbie have done such a lunatic thing? It was wrong, wrong, wrong and he would have been made to pay for it. Rupert, beneath the cultivated veneer, was a hard man. Maybe cruel. He certainly hadn’t made Aunt Alexa happy.

By now she was convinced there was no one in the drawing room. A few lamps had been left on in there as well. But everything was very still. So still. Distressed, worried sick for Robbie, sick for herself, she moved into the beautiful quiet room like a girl with wings. She had taken the precaution of removing her high heeled evening sandals, replacing them with a pair of ballet-style flats. Now her footsteps on the carpet were soundless.

So far, so good!

Yet she felt like a thief, guilty as sin. Her heart was pounding so hard it had all but jumped into her throat. At any moment she expected Rupert or Jinty to materialise like a couple of sleuths hard on her tracks. She had to move faster. Finally she reached the little gilded table, putting out a trembling hand … Please, God, help me do this. But would or should God extricate her from sin?

“Leo?” a voice that surely wasn’t God’s said from behind her, making her jump. “What are you doing downstairs? Couldn’t you sleep?”

Tears pulsed in her eyes. She couldn’t seem to breathe as the anguish and humiliation rolled over her. The game was up.

“Leo?” Boyd said again. “Are you okay?”

He sounded very concerned. What should she say? No, I’m not okay. And I never will be again. Should she spin around, hold the diamonds out to him with a jaunty, I couldn’t resist taking them. Now I’m trying to put them back. The family might destroy Robbie but Boyd would never destroy her. He most certainly would be shocked and appalled, but she knew he wouldn’t turn her in. Boyd wasn’t Rupert. He had a huge reservoir of heart.

At this point, perplexed and intrigued, Boyd, who had come downstairs to turn off lights, moved purposefully towards her. His strong hands descended on her delicate shoulders, bare except for plaited wisps of chiffon that served as straps. Slowly he turned her to face him, conscious that she was scarcely breathing. “Tell me what’s the matter.” Urgently he searched her face.

“Nothing,” she whispered, averting her red-gold head.

“There must be something. What have you got in your hand?”

“Nothing.”

He looked at her in disbelief. “Of course you have.” He reached down to take hold of her hand and, as he did so, it went nerveless and the diamond earrings rolled out of her grasp and onto the exquisite Savonnerie rug, the diamonds all the while shooting out brilliant white lights.

“This isn’t possible!” Boyd groaned, bending to retrieve them.

“I don’t know what came over me.” Her voice shook. She was shaking all over.

“Well, I do.” Boyd began to ease her backwards into an armchair. “What the hell is going on here? Robbie’s in trouble. Surely to God he didn’t think stealing the earrings was a way out?”

This was horrible. He suspected Robbie already. “It had nothing to do with Robbie,” she said, vehemently shaking her head.

“So you stole them, did you?” he asked, his voice full of disbelief and disgust.

“It was a moment of madness, Boyd. I wanted to try them on. I knew I had to return them. That’s what I was trying to do. You mustn’t have noticed, but Jinty took them off towards the end of the evening and put them in the Limoges bowl.”

“Ah!” He considered that for a moment. “So recount your movements for me, if you would. At what late point of the evening did you make your move? Let’s see, you were in the garden with me, getting kissed senseless. Then you said your goodnights and went up to bed. I saw you and Robbie going up the stairs together. Robbie, your ‘kid brother’.”

“I’m telling you the truth, Boyd.” She looked up at him, looming so tall above her, with huge anguished eyes.

“No, Leona, you’re telling me one big fat lie. Why didn’t you just come to me? Then you wouldn’t have had to do this. Why didn’t Robbie have the guts to come to me and confess?”

“Robbie had nothing to do with it,” she repeated. She stood a better chance than Robbie.

“Oh, stop it!” Boyd said, as though he’d totally run out of patience. How formidable he looked! How handsome! He had taken off his jacket but he was still in his evening clothes, the collar of his white shirt undone, his black dress tie hanging loose.

“Someone’s coming!” Leona gave a terrified gasp, starting up in alarm. She looked towards the entrance hall.

Boyd didn’t reply. He grabbed her as if she were a doll, hauling her back against the green and gold curtains. “Kiss me,” he ordered bluntly. “Kiss me and make it good!”

She did exactly as he told her, a captive in his powerful embrace. Their mouths locked in a kiss that, strategy or not, deepened and deepened until her brain turned to mush and she was moaning his name.

“Well, this is a surprise!” Jinty stalked into the room like a goddess of the hunt who had caught up with her prey.

Leona couldn’t speak for the life of her. It was left to Boyd to query smoothly, “Surprise? It can’t be that big a surprise, Jinty. I’ve always had deep feelings for Leona and she for me.”

Jinty’s determined jaw set in unflattering lines. “If I recall correctly, you and Chloe Compton are to make a match of it.” She sounded chilly and utterly shocked.

“That might be Dad’s plan,” Boyd said, “but not mine. I make my own decisions, Jinty. I thought you knew that. I’m no more in love with Chloe than—who shall I say?—I’m in love with your sister, Tonya. Oh, by the way—” Boyd keeping one arm around the deeply trembling Leona, dug the other hand into his trouser pocket “—you really shouldn’t leave extremely valuable heirloom jewellery lying around. Is that why you came downstairs?”

Jinty’s skin flushed as if she were in disgrace. “You have my earrings?”

“I have the family earrings, Jinty,” Boyd said pointedly, swiftly seizing the advantage. “They will eventually come to my wife. It’s a good thing I happened to notice where you put them.” He held the earrings out to her and Jinty moved forward to take them, her features sharply honed with all manner of emotions.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to your father,” she said stiffly.

“Jinty, I wouldn’t dream of telling him. Just be a little more careful with them in future.”

Jinty, diamonds in hand, turned to go. “I may be a little slow,” she said, “but I had no idea what was going on with you and Leona.”

“But nothing has been going on, as you put it,” Boyd assured her. “Not until this weekend. I was giving Leo a little time, that’s all. She’s been enjoying her career. I’m sure we’re all very proud of her, but now I’ve decided we have to get on with the rest of our lives.”