A Wicked Persuasion (7 page)

‘I’m catering for all age groups tonight,’ said James blandly, and pushed back his chair. ‘May I have the pleasure, Miss Wilde?’

Secretly as horrified as Claudia, Harriet smiled at the others in desperate appeal. ‘Please join us.’

The dance floor was big for a marquee, but small to Harriet as James took her in his arms to revolve with skill she hadn’t expected. Her heart resumed its tattoo again as he held her close. ‘Where did you learn to waltz?’ she muttered, shaken to the core just to be in his arms again.

‘A kind lady in Newcastle taught me. She taught me other things, too, the kind not permitted on a dance floor,’ he added in an undertone, his hand so warm on her back Harriet was afraid the satin would burn. ‘After we broke up, I needed consolation. She provided it. How about you?’

‘I learned in school.’

‘I meant consolation. Or maybe you didn’t need any.’

She looked up at him squarely. ‘Of course I did, but I had no one to console me.’

He pulled her closer. ‘Why are you trembling, Harriet?’

‘Nerves at being the centre of attention,’ she lied, grateful when more people took to the floor.

‘You look ravishing tonight,’ he said, which made the trembling worse.

‘More like the girl you left behind?’ she said lightly.

‘No. She was a girl, Harriet, with no ravishing allowed, remember?’ His eyes bored down into hers. ‘Things are different now you’re all woman.’

Harriet stared, mesmerised, into his narrowed, glittering eyes as they moved together, oblivious of everything other than the sensuous contact as they moved together. She came back to earth with a start as the rhythm changed, and James cursed under his breath.

‘Hell. Whatever this is, my lessons never covered it.’

‘It’s a foxtrot.’

‘We could jig about to it like the younger set, or would you like to sit down?’

‘Sit, please,’ she said, so fervently James gave her a wry, knowing look as he led her back to the now empty table.

‘Was dancing with me such an ordeal, Harriet?’

‘Of course not,’ she lied serenely. The ordeal had been hiding her response to the heat of his body against hers.

‘Your father’s still in the dark about me, obviously. Will you tell him?’

‘Not unless you want me to. He’s bound to hear from someone sooner or later. He can kill some other messenger.’

He frowned darkly. ‘Is he likely to turn violent if you tell him?’

She shook her head. ‘I was speaking metaphorically. He’s never raised a hand to me in his life. But it was so hard to persuade him to agree to this tonight I didn’t risk enlightening him beforehand.’

‘Why was his agreement so vital?’

‘We need the money,’ she said baldly, and shook her head as James offered a fresh bottle of champagne. ‘No, thanks. I’d rather have some iced water from that jug.’

James eyed her closely as he filled a glass for her. ‘Back then I assumed your family was very wealthy.’

‘Comfortable rather than wealthy, but not even that any more. The recent financial situation played havoc with my father’s investments.’ She gave him a rueful smile. ‘This party tonight may have satisfied your need to get your own back on the Wildes, but it provided me with money to pay for the roof, and hopefully it will attract other punters to hire River House so I can get more maintenance done.’

He frowned. ‘It provided
you
with money, not your father?’

She nodded. ‘The others are coming back, by the way, and Claudia’s giving me the evil eye again. You’d better dance with her next.’

‘In that dress? Not a chance. There was a major incident earlier when Marcus first laid eyes on it. She refused to change, so it’s thanks to Moira that she’s here at all.’

‘Tricky. How does your sister cope with family crises?’

‘Brilliantly. But then she’s known the girls since they were babies. She was Marcus’s personal assistant for years, long before she became his wife. His stepsisters are fond of her, thankfully, and their mother is, too. Louise has never been a wicked stepmother where Marcus is concerned.’

Harriet smiled at the others as they returned to the table, and then got to her feet with a smile when David Walker asked her to dance. He led her back on the floor to partner him in a lively quickstep, which eventually changed to a tango.

‘I was in Argentina earlier this year and got hooked on this,’ he informed her. ‘Are you up for it, Miss Wilde?’

She was about to say no, then nodded, abruptly tired of her role as the quiet one in the family. ‘Oddly enough, I am. When I was a student I joined a dance club and liked Latin American best. I hope I remember how—but go easy with the kicking bits, please.’

Dancing the tango, Harriet found, was only similar to riding a bike in that she hadn’t forgotten how to do it. David was surprisingly skilful, she was wearing the perfect dress for it and, to her amusement, they drew glances of admiration from all the onlookers, bar two. James watched them with all the animation of a graven image, and Claudia, predictably, had a face like thunder. But when the other dancers cleared the floor to watch Harriet called a halt.

‘I draw the line at providing the cabaret,’ she said breathlessly, and David thanked her very warmly and led her back to the table.

‘That was
wonderful
,’ exclaimed Moira, and Harriet grinned as Marcus held her chair out for her.

‘I haven’t tangoed since I was a student. Good fun, though.’

‘I had no idea you could dance like that,’ said Aubrey Wilde, eyeing his daughter with awe.

‘I joined a dance club in college. Even accountants need light relief sometimes!’

Lily looked delighted. ‘They’re playing a samba now, Harriet. Can you do that, too?’

‘I can, but I’m not going to.’

‘I can samba,’ said Claudia promptly, jumping up. ‘Come on, James. Dance with me.’

He shook his head. ‘Not a chance. I only waltz.’

Tom leapt to his feet. ‘Dance with me instead, Claudia?’

For a horrible moment Harriet thought the girl would refuse, but to her relief—and everyone else’s—Claudia smiled brilliantly at the young man and took his hand to run onto the floor.

‘Thank God for that,’ said Marcus piously. ‘If you have any feeling for me at all, James, dance with her once tonight or she’ll give us hell before she goes back to London tomorrow.’

Lily eyed her brother in disapproval. ‘Why should he? It’s James’s party; he should do what he likes.’

James beckoned David over for a word, and the young man nodded and went off.

‘Something wrong, James?’ asked Moira.

‘No. I just sent instructions to the band to cater for the younger element from now on.’

‘Anyone would think you were Methuselah, James,’ she protested.

‘When it comes to this kind of thing I feel like it,’ he said dryly, and sat back to watch as the band thumped into the latest chart-topper. The small dance floor was immediately packed with heaving bodies as Lily and Dominic
raced off to join Claudia and Tom. But eventually Claudia became the centre of a group with no partners required as she danced with an abandon which drew young men around her like bees to a honeypot as she tossed her long blonde locks and from time to time threw triumphant glances towards James to make sure he was watching her.

Aubrey Wilde drained the last of his brandy and stood up. ‘Past my bedtime,’ he said apologetically as James got to his feet. ‘Thank you for a damn fine party, Crawford, but I think I’ll cut along now. A great pleasure to meet you both,’ he said to the Graveneys. ‘Goodnight. Coming, Harriet?’

‘Don’t worry, sir,’ said James. ‘I’ll see that your daughter gets back to the Lodge safely.’ He signalled to David, and the young man accompanied Aubrey from the marquee, chatting pleasantly as they went. ‘How about a drink, Harriet? Moira?’

Moira smiled ruefully. ‘Right now, I long for a cup of tea.’

‘If you fancy a short walk I can provide you with some at the Lodge,’ Harriet offered.

‘I can provide it here,’ said James, and beckoned to a waiter. ‘Tea, Marcus?’

‘Not for me, dear boy. I shall just nurse my last brandy while I marvel at the energy of the young!’

Harriet was glad of the tea, but felt suddenly depressed because she felt old and staid to be drinking it instead of bouncing around on the dance floor. She was still, she reminded herself sharply, one whole year short of her thirtieth birthday.

‘Something wrong?’ said James in her ear.

She smiled ruefully. ‘I just feel like a different generation from that lot on the floor.’

‘You didn’t look it when you were performing that bloody tango,’ he said in an undertone.

She turned to look him in the eye. ‘You disapproved?’

‘Of course I—’ He broke off as a piercing scream came from the dance floor. The music stopped and James and Marcus tore down the room with David to push the dancers aside. Moira gasped in horror as they came back flanking Tom with a hysterical Claudia in his arms, Lily in tears following behind with Dominic.

Sweating and breathing hard, Tom set his burden down very carefully next to Moira. She thanked him gratefully, then concentrated on Claudia, her voice soothing as she quietened the girl.

‘It was those stupid, stupid heels,’ cried Lily hoarsely. ‘She turned on her ankle and—and just fell with a horrible thump.’

‘Where’s the nearest hospital?’ demanded Marcus, white to the gills as Claudia’s moans rose in anguished crescendo.

‘Across town. I’ll show you,’ said Harriet, thankful she’d kept to one glass of champagne. ‘Is your car parked in the paddock?’

James nodded grimly, and beckoned to David. ‘Find my driver.’

Harriet shook her head. ‘I know the quickest route and my car’s right here at the Lodge. I’ll bring it to the top of the steps. You’d better stay here and see to your guests, James.’

Harriet could hear James making explanations over the microphone as she ran with Dominic, who insisted on accompanying her to the Lodge. ‘I’ll just change my shoes before I get in the car,’ she gasped.

‘It’s Claudia’s fault! She was like a wild thing on the dance floor. In those heels she was an accident waiting to happen. She ruined James’s party.’

Dominic, it was obvious, was not one of Claudia’s fans. ‘It was just about over, anyway,’ Harriet panted as they reached the Lodge. ‘I’m fine, Dominic. You go back to Lily.’

‘I’ll wait until you get in the car,’ he insisted.

‘In that case, you get in too.’ She rushed inside to exchange her heels for flats and swiftly backed her car along the terrace until she was level with the steps leading down to the lawn. ‘Leave the passenger doors open, Dominic, and tell the others I’m ready for the off. I’ll keep the engine running.’

James carried a moaning, shivering Claudia up to the car, and installed her carefully on the back seat.

‘There’s a blanket,’ said Harriet. ‘She’ll need it.’

‘Thanks,’ he said tersely, and turned to help his sister in beside Claudia. Moira wrapped the girl gently in the blanket and held her close, smiling in reassurance at her husband as he got in beside Harriet.

‘We’ll soon get her sorted, Marcus.’

Claudia turned her face into Moira’s shoulder and wept bitterly. ‘I spoiled … everything … for James.’

‘No, you didn’t,’ he said briskly. ‘It was nearly time for the party to break up, anyway. I’ll follow on as soon as I can.’ He looked at Harriet. ‘Thanks for this.’

‘Only too happy to help,’ she assured him, and took off along the terrace and down the familiar winding bends to the road, hoping there hadn’t been an influx of Saturday night accidents at the hospital. Fortunately, the emergency department was relatively quiet for once when Harriet ran inside to request a wheelchair, and Claudia was eventually assessed, then X-rayed, and finally wheeled off to have her ankle put in plaster, with Moira and Marcus in close attendance. Soon afterwards James arrived with Lily and
Dominic, and Harriet, shivering by this time in spite of the hospital’s heat, was able to go home.

Lily hugged her gratefully. ‘Thank you for everything. I was running around like a headless chicken, and you were so cool and organised.’

‘Was it just a sprain?’ said James.

Harriet shook her head. ‘Broken, I’m afraid.’

‘Hell. She would wear those insane heels. You’re cold,’ he added, and took off his jacket. ‘Here, put this on.’

She shook her head. ‘Don’t need it. I’m off home now.’

‘Dammit, woman, put it on, you’re shivering,’ he growled, and put it round her shoulders.

‘I’ll see you to your car,’ offered Dominic.

‘No need. I’ll do that,’ said James brusquely.

Harriet was so glad of the jacket in the cold, eddying wind outside she was sorry to hand it over to James as they reached her car. ‘I’ll be fine now. Goodnight.’

His face was stern in the harsh car park lighting as he looked down at her. ‘The marquee people will be at the house in the morning to dismantle the thing, so you can’t even have a peaceful stay in bed. You were a great help tonight, Harriet. None of us could have organised the trip to hospital so quickly.’

‘No trouble for me. I’m a local. I’m sorry your party ended like that, James. Otherwise it was a triumph.’ She looked him in the eye. ‘So come on, tell me the truth. Was your revenge sweet?’

He shook his head. ‘Not really.’

‘You mean it’s incomplete. Never mind, my father will soon know who you are. I must go,’ she added, shivering. ‘Goodnight, James.’

‘Your teeth are chattering. Get in a hot bath before you go to bed, and have a good rest tomorrow.’

‘If you tell me I look tired I’ll get violent and
you’ll
be in the emergency room!’

‘You look gorgeous, and you know it. God knows there were enough men hovering around to convince you,’ he said grimly. ‘David was bowled over, and so, I suspect, is young Dominic. But leave him alone, please, he belongs to Lily.’

‘Are you serious?’ Harriet stared at him in utter disgust. ‘I’m not into cradle-snatching.’

‘What are you into these days? This?’ He jerked her into his arms and kissed her with a violence she responded to helplessly, her mouth parting to the insistence of his as his arms locked her in an embrace which was so familiar and right she melted against him, her heart hammering against his as his arms tightened. When she finally regained wits enough to try to free herself he let her go and stood back, his breathing laboured as he glared down at her. ‘Do you want me to apologise?’