The Diamond Bride

‘To me, yes. To Celia, no,’ Rufus replied, his grin wolfish again now, as it had been down on the beach. ‘If you’ve been here two months someone really should have filled you in on the family history by now—’

‘Rufus!’ Celia admonished sharply, two spots of angry colour in her cheeks.

He gave her only a cursory glance. ‘Something else the servants shouldn’t know?’ he taunted.

Celia gave him one of her chilling looks—a look that had no visible effect on him whatsoever!—before turning back to Annie. ‘Perhaps if you wouldn’t mind going and checking on Jessica now...?’ she suggested smoothly—although it was more in the order of an instruction. ‘I’m sure you and Rufus can catch up with each other later,’ she dismissed.

Annie was beginning to wish she had never set eyes on the man!

There was no doubting that Celia Diamond could be slightly condescending in her manner, or that things had become a little complicated since Anthony had arrived with his fiancée for a visit, but for the main part Annie had enjoyed her time here, found Jessica a delight to work with. Admittedly, it hadn’t all been peace and harmony, but she loved Jessica, and anything else was just discomfort she had learnt to live with.

With the arrival of Rufus Diamond, she had a feeling all that was about to change!

CHAPTER TWO

‘ISN’T it wonderful?’ Jessica’s eyes glowed deeply blue. ‘Daddy’s home!’ She clapped her hands together in pleasure.

Annie wished she could share the young girl’s enthusiasm, but, having made her escape from the man downstairs only minutes ago, she was in no hurry to see Rufus Diamond again. Although it was obvious, from Jessica’s excitement, that his daughter couldn’t wait for him to come back up to her bedroom.

‘It’s a lovely surprise for you,’ Annie acknowledged guardedly, straightening the pillows behind her charge. ‘Does your father often return unexpectedly in this way?’

‘Always!’ Jessica nodded happily, dark curls bouncing. ‘But he leaves just as suddenly too,’ she added wistfully.

Annie realised he probably had to; as an investigative reporter he would just have to go where the story was, whenever it occurred. Which was pretty tough on his young daughter. Although, she had to admit, Jessica seemed a well-adjusted child to her; she certainly didn’t qualify as neglected or psychologically disturbed!

Annie herself was still puzzled as to what she could have said earlier to so amuse Rufus Diamond. Neither he nor Celia had offered an explanation before she’d excused herself to come upstairs to Jessica. And she had no intention of asking the little girl; that would be most unfair.

‘How are you feeling this afternoon?’ She smiled down at her young charge.

Jessica grinned back at her—her grin, Annie now knew, was not unlike her father’s! ‘Well enough to go downstairs for dinner!’ she announced cheerfully.

Annie felt her heart sink at the statement. If Jessica went down to the family dining-room for the meal, then it meant she had to join them too. And if the tension between Celia and Rufus was any indication of the man’s effect on the rest of the family it boded ill for everyone’s digestion—including her own!

‘Are you sure?’ she prompted lightly. ‘You’re still using the crutches to get about.’ The accident had happened at the weekend, three days ago, and Jessica had been advised by the doctor to rest for several days before attempting to put any stress on her ankle.

The first day or so Jessica had enjoyed being waited on, having visitors come up to her bedroom, but after that the novelty had begun to pall. Consequently, this morning she had announced she would get up for a while, although after a couple of hours’ activity she had been happy to spend the afternoon back in her bed resting. But not now, with the arrival of her father, it seemed!

‘Daddy will carry me down,’ Jessica assured her warmly, obviously liking this idea very much.

‘The sooner you get up on your own two feet, the sooner you can go back to school,’ Annie teased the little girl.

Jessica’s face lit up at the thought. ‘Can I go back tomorrow?’

Annie laughed indulgently, knowing that the week Jessica had been told to take as sick-leave from the private day school she attended twenty miles away had been an added incentive to Jessica when it came to the bed-rest. But even that had started to fade as Jessica had begun to miss her schoolfriends, especially her best friend, Lucy.

‘I think that may be a little soon.’ Annie shook her head regretfully. ‘Besides, you can spend some time with your father now.’ Her humour faded at that thought; hopefully she wouldn’t have to spend time with him too! ‘Speaking of which,’ she added briskly, ‘I had better go and shower and dress for dinner so that I can come back and help you later.’

‘Is Daddy coming back up soon?’ Jessica frowned at his non-appearance.

Very soon, if the abruptness of his conversation with Celia was anything to go by! ‘I’m sure he is.’ Annie squeezed the little girl’s hand reassuringly. ‘He was just saying hello to your grandmother when I came up.’

Jessica grimaced at this news. ‘Oh.’

Obviously the tension that existed between her father and Celia wasn’t a family secret, not even from someone as young as Jessica!

‘Try and get some rest,’ Annie encouraged. ‘Then you won’t feel sleepy over dinner.’

She wished, as she walked slowly down the hallway to her own bedroom, that she could sleep through dinner; it didn’t promise, with Rufus Diamond’s arrival, to be a very restful meal.

‘Annie!’

She turned sharply at the sound of her name being called, colour warming her cheeks as she saw Anthony hurrying towards her, her heart giving its usual leap of excitement just at the sight of him, his blond good looks breathtaking to say the least. Annie had been bowled over by him the first time she’d looked at him.

‘God, I’m sorry about earlier.’ He spoke agitatedly as he reached her side, hair windswept, sky-blue eyes troubled as he looked down at her. ‘Davina decided she just had to go into town, and I just had to drive her because the weather was so bad.’ He mimicked a good impression of the slightly breathless way his fiancée spoke. ‘I hope you didn’t wait too long for me down on the jetty,’ he said apologetically as he took one of her hands into his.

Annie was mesmerised once again by the deep blue of his eyes, her legs feeling suddenly weak, her hand trembling when it made contact with his.

How had Rufus Diamond guessed that she was waiting for his brother down on the jetty?

More important than that, how had he known she had become romantically entangled with his brother?

Because she had. Had been attracted to Anthony from the first moment she’d looked at him when he’d come to stay several weekends ago. Too late she had realised he was engaged to someone else. An engagement which was virtually impossible for him to get out of.

‘Not very long,’ she dismissed, though she had already waited almost an hour when Rufus Diamond had arrived. She sounded slightly breathless herself because of Anthony’s close proximity.

‘I’m really sorry.’ Anthony squeezed her hand, smiling. ‘I know that we need to talk, that there must be things you want to ask me.’

Annie felt that fluttering sensation in her chest again as she thought of the possibility that some of their conversation might concern how he felt about her! She wondered if he would kiss her again, as he had on Sunday.

His mother and Davina had gone off that morning to visit neighbouring friends for a couple of hours, and Anthony had cried off because he had some notes to prepare for a case he was involved in when he got back to London the following week. He had told her later that he had also hoped for an opportunity to be alone with her...!

In one way it was lucky he had stayed behind on Sunday, because he’d been the one to help her after Jessica had come off her horse, driving them to the hospital so that Jessica could have her ankle X-rayed, carrying the little girl up to her bedroom once they’d returned, sitting with them both until Jessica had fallen asleep.

And that was when he had kissed her...!

Annie had been stunned. Elated. Ecstatic. Because the attraction she had felt towards him, for so many weeks, was returned.

And then she had felt devastated. Embarrassed. Because he was engaged to marry another woman.

Anthony had explained that he no longer loved Davina, but that it was almost impossible for him to tell her so at this time, since Davina’s father was the senior partner in the law firm Anthony worked for.

Annie could sympathise with his dilemma, but she had no idea where that left her. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she excused him now abruptly, still uncomfortable with the fact that he was engaged to Davina. ‘I—your brother is home,’ she stated flatly, not sure that she would be able to see much more of Anthony anyway, still wondering if she would have a job after today.

It was as if she had given Anthony an electric shock. He stepped back abruptly, releasing her hand as he did so. ‘Rufus is back?’ he grated incredulously, blue eyes wide open now.

‘He’s downstairs with your mother.’ Annie nodded, feeling totally miserable about the other man’s return herself. In fact, the only one who seemed pleased to see him was Jessica! ‘I’m surprised you didn’t see him on your way up,’ she added heavily. Or hear him, she added silently: Rufus Diamond hadn’t exactly been quiet over his disapproval at Jessica having a replacement nanny.

Anthony still frowned. ‘I came straight upstairs to look for you. Do you know how long he’s staying?’

‘He’s only just arrived!’ she responded ruefully.

‘His last effort to be a father to Jess amounted to a full twenty-four hours, I believe,’ Anthony scorned. ‘Have you seen him? Spoken to him?’ He looked at her searchingly. ‘I can see by your expression that you have,’ he said disgustedly. ‘Throwing his weight about as usual, no doubt?’

She moistened dry lips. ‘He didn’t seem—too happy about Margaret’s departure.’

Anthony raised dark blond brows. ‘I wonder why? I mean, a nanny is just a nanny—Oh, not you, of course, my darling,’ he quickly apologised as she looked taken aback. ‘But Jess has had a succession of nannies; I’m just surprised Rufus could tell one from another!’

Well, he certainly seemed to know the difference this time! Although Annie was still stunned by Anthony’s endearment; was she really his darling?

‘Margaret was a blonde; Annie is a redhead,’ drawled a voice that was becoming all too recognisable. ‘I think even I can tell the difference,’ Rufus Diamond said sarcastically as he strode down the hallway.

Annie was once again struck by the lack of similarity between these two men: Rufus was at least a couple of inches taller than his brother as he stood beside the younger man, his hair long, dark and shaggy, while Anthony’s was blond and kept expertly styled. Rufus was also the more powerfully built, and even the casual clothing they both wore was of a completely different style; the older man wore jeans, whereas Anthony’s trousers were tailored. And, although both men were strikingly handsome, that was in a completely different way, too: Anthony’s was a boyish handsomeness, while Rufus Diamond’s face looked as if it had been hewn from the rocks along the seashore.

If Rufus had heard that remark about Jessica’s nannies, had he also heard his brother call her his darling?

Cobalt-blue eyes were narrowed on the two of them in cool assessment before he turned to look at his brother. ‘Davina seems to be wondering where you’ve got to,’ he went on pointedly. ‘I told her to look for the first pretty face and she was sure to find you there! And I was right,’ he added softly, his speculative gaze encompassing Annie again as well now.

She felt the colour enter her cheeks, could feel its warmth. And it had nothing to do with being called pretty by this man. Why was Rufus so contemptuous of her? He didn’t even know her! From the way he talked to her, and about her, she didn’t think he was going to take the time to get to know her, either!

‘I was merely asking Anthony if he knew whether or not you were coming up to see Jessica again,’ she told him tartly. ‘She seemed to think you would be.’

‘And she was right, because here I am,’ he returned, amusement—at her expense!—darkening his eyes even more.

She met that look unblinkingly. ‘I’m sure Jessica will be thrilled,’ she said evenly.

To her surprise Rufus threw back his head and gave a shout of laughter, his expression warm now, that grin still curving his lips as he looked down at her. ‘I was wondering if this unusual colour was real or from a bottle.’ He reached out and lightly ruffled the deep red of her short, curling hair. ‘Now I know it is red! I should watch yourself with this one, Anthony,’ he told his brother. ‘She may just turn round and bite!’ And, with that last taunt left floating in the air between them, he strode off to Jessica’s bedroom, quietly going inside. Jessica’s squeals of delight were heard seconds later.

‘What did he mean by that last remark?’ Anthony asked sharply. ‘Exactly what did the two of you talk about when you met earlier?’

Annie smoothed her mussed hair with irritated fingers. Really, Rufus Diamond treated her as if she were no older than Jessica! Although, from the implications he was making concerning herself and his brother, he didn’t really believe that...!

‘Annie!’ Anthony snapped impatiently. ‘I asked what you and Rufus talked about earlier,’ he prompted at her puzzled look.

She thought back to that embarrassing conversation with him on the beach, when she had mistaken him for a trespasser—and knew she couldn’t tell Anthony about that. She felt uncomfortable enough about the encounter already, without sharing it with anyone.

‘Not a lot,’ she responded vaguely. ‘Although he did tell me to be careful on the beach; he said someone had once died there.’ She looked up at Anthony, perplexed.

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. ‘Did he, indeed?’ he said slowly. ‘Did he say who it was?’

‘No.’ She shrugged. ‘We really weren’t talking for that long.’ Only long enough for Annie to make a complete fool of herself!

‘Hmm.’ Anthony was still attentive. ‘It’s interesting that he told you about that at all.’

Annie was intrigued now. ‘Is it?’

‘It isn’t important,’ Anthony dismissed carelessly. ‘Although you do realise, with Rufus around, we’re going to have to be even more careful about when and where the two of us meet?’

She had been debating this afternoon, as she’d stood on the jetty waiting for him—pointlessly, as it turned out—whether or not they should meet again. Oh, she was no less attracted to him, and she wanted to feel wanted by him, but he was engaged to another woman—no matter how much of a farce, on his part, the engagement now was.

This was the circle in which she had kept going round and round, and every time she’d come back to the fact that she was attracted to a man who was engaged to marry someone else. Even though the attraction seemed to be reciprocated, it was still wrong for her to feel this way about a man promised to another girl.

She drew in a controlling breath. ‘Perhaps we shouldn’t meet...’

‘I was hoping you would say that!’ Anthony gave her a hug, smiling down at her when he released her. ‘It won’t be for long; as I’ve said, going by Rufus’s last visit, this one may only be for a day or so. Then we can start to see each other without worrying about him.’

That hadn’t been what she was about to say at all. Much as it pained her, the only conclusion she had come to concerning her relationship with Anthony—such as it was!—was that it would have to end. At least until Anthony had decided what he was going to do about his engagement. But Anthony seemed to have misunderstood her just now...

‘You really are wonderful, Annie,’ he told her huskily, blue eyes glowing. ‘How could I have been so stupid as to think I could make a go of things with Davina?’ He shook his head at his own lack of forethought. ‘I’ll sort things out, Annie, you’ll see. In the meantime, I intend to stay as much out of Rufus’s way as possible. I suggest you do the same.’

Easier said than done!

As Jessica had hoped, Daddy did come and carry her downstairs to dinner. Which meant he came up to Jessica’s bedroom to collect her. And as Annie was there too, having helped the young girl to dress in her prettiest dress—red velvet edged with fine lace at the neck and cuffs—she encountered Rufus again not much more than an hour later.

As the Diamonds were a family that dressed for dinner, his black evening suit, snowy white shirt and black bow-tie came as nothing of a surprise to Annie. The fact that the formality of his clothing did little to disguise the leashed power within was also expected; Rufus Diamond was a man who exuded arrogant masculinity.

‘Does our little mouse still have her roar this evening?’ he teased. ‘Or has Anthony managed to talk you down to a whimper?’

Jessica looked puzzled by his query. ‘But we don’t have any mice, Daddy.’

Annie didn’t pretend not to know it was her he was referring to. Usually she was so calm and controlled—temper tantrums hadn’t gone down too well at the children’s homes! It was only this man who brought back echoes of the fiery side of her nature that over the years she had taken such care to quell.

As he did now! ‘The younger Mr Diamond doesn’t talk down to me at all,’ she told him tartly.

The humour left Rufus’s darkly mocking face as he frowned, giving him a slightly menacing appearance—and making Annie wonder if she was wise to talk back to him so sharply. He was her employer, after all...

‘Don’t backtrack, Annie,’ he replied curtly—as if he was well able to read her inner uncertainty.

Maybe he could. She had never been any good at hiding her feelings. Another reason for ending this barely formed relationship with Anthony. It could only bring her grief, and possibly dismissal from working with the little girl she already adored. These sort of complications weren’t something she had given any thought to when she had opted to work in a family environment!

‘And I wasn’t talking down to you, either,’ Rufus continued firmly. ‘Jessica did nothing but extol your virtues for the earlier part of this evening.’ He ruffled his daughter’s hair affectionately, receiving a pleased giggle in return. Rufus turned back to Annie with darkly piercing eyes. ‘Children aren’t easily deceived.’

That was true; she had easily been able to tell, when she was in care, which people were genuinely interested in her and who was just making a show of being kind. But she didn’t see how anyone could be less than sincerely fond of a lovely child like Jessica.

‘Daddy...’ Jessica spoke carefully. ‘What does “extol your virtues” mean?’ She wrinkled her nose in confusion.

‘It means, young lady—’ Rufus easily swung his daughter up into his arms, grinning down at her ‘—that you think Annie is great!’

‘But she is,’ Jessica said without a shadow of doubt.

‘I’m sure she is, poppet.’ Rufus tickled his daughter as he carried her ceremoniously down the wide staircase.

Annie walked happily along behind them, pleased with the obvious closeness between father and daughter, despite Rufus’s three-month absence. The two could have been together only yesterday, so naturally affectionate was their relationship.

‘Mind you,’ Rufus paused to whisper conspiratorially to Jessica, ‘when I met Annie earlier, I didn’t think she was much older than you!’ This last, playful remark was accompanied by a glance back at a red-faced Annie. ‘She looks—much older in that black dress,’ he added lightly, blue gaze challenging.

‘I helped her to choose it,’ Jessica told him proudly.

And, in fact, she had. Having worked in a daytime kindergarten, where her evenings were her own, Annie hadn’t had much call for the sort of formal clothes she would need for one of the Diamond dinners. After two evenings of coming down in serviceable skirts and blouses, of feeling exactly what she was—the hired help—she had decided to change that, taking Jessica into town with her shopping on their first available Saturday and buying three dresses that, when matched with differing accessories, could get her through an evening no matter what company happened to arrive. On the very evening she’d bought the dresses she had been presented with a bishop and a judge, so her purchases had been well worth the effort!

She had bought black, royal-blue and white dresses, and tonight, as Rufus Diamond had duly noted, she wore the black one, which while not accentuating her figure, didn’t hide it either, the above-knee length revealing an expanse of shapely leg too. On a couple of other evenings she had worn a long floral scarf trailing from her throat, or a fitted jacket of powder-blue, but tonight she wore only a single silver broach fastened above her left breast; she hadn’t wanted to wear anything this evening that would draw attention to her!

‘And Annie is much older than me,’ Jessica added in a scandalised voice. ‘She’s twenty-two. She told me she is.’

‘Oh, that’s much older!’ Rufus agreed, only the twitch of his lips, as he turned briefly to Annie, telling of his repressed humour—again at her expense.

‘Really, Daddy.’ Jessica unwittingly sounded just like her grandmother at that moment. ‘You can be so silly at times.’ She gave an exasperated shake of her head—again, not unlike Celia would have done.

Annie doubted that the word ‘silly’ could be applied to Rufus—at any time. It certainly wasn’t the impression he had given her since their first meeting this afternoon!

And while Annie, in her parentless state, might have little idea of what a family dinner should be like, she was sure that the following couple of hours spent at the Diamond dining table was not it!

It was the strangest meal Annie had ever been present at—and she didn’t mean food-wise; as usual Mrs Wilson, the cook, had provided an excellent meal; homemade pâté, followed by duck in a delicious orange sauce, with fresh fruit in port to finish. But for all the justice the Diamond family paid it, it might as well have been the beans on toast Annie had often enjoyed in the past as her own meal of the day!

The tension around the table was intolerable, felt by all, she was sure, except Jessica—a happy Jessica with her father seated at her side. And Rufus Diamond was the catalyst for everyone else’s tension—although for all the notice he took of it he might have been as unaware of it as his daughter.

Or so Annie thought...

Jessica was seated between the two of them, and Rufus had to lean forward to speak to Annie. ‘Enjoying yourself?’ he asked, still with that repressed humour.

She had been wishing the meal over, at least her own and Jessica’s part in it. The young girl usually retired to bed when the coffee and port stage was reached. Although that might be different tonight, as her father was here...

As for enjoying the meal...! Celia was at her most haughty, while Davina, a tall, elegant blonde, flirted shamelessly with Rufus at every opportunity, and Anthony—well, Anthony seemed lost in his own reverie, paying little attention to any of them. This Annie was relieved about; the last thing she wanted was to give Rufus any more ammunition to fire at herself and Anthony!

‘Very much, thank you,’ she returned primly.

He gave that wolfish grin at her politeness. ‘Liar!’ he rejoined quietly.

She met his gaze unflinchingly. ‘I was referring to the food, of course.’

Once again she was taken aback when he threw back his head and gave a throaty laugh of pure enjoyment, those lines she had noticed earlier beside his eyes and mouth proving to be laughter lines—evidence that this man laughed a lot. And she didn’t think it was always at other people; somehow she sensed that he had the ability to laugh at himself too. This man was an enigma, a chameleon, one moment distant and forbidding, the next full of humour. It could take a lifetime to know such a man—