Rescued by the Brooding Tycoon (7 page)

Three days later she looked up from serving in the shop to find Darius standing there.

‘It’s a nice day so I managed to escape,’ he said with a smile. ‘I wanted to bring you this.’ He held out the phone. ‘I’ve got my new one now, but this was invaluable. Thank you. There seems no end to what I owe you.’

‘Did you manage to call your sons?’

‘My son and daughter, yes.’

‘Oh, I thought—Mark and Frank.’

‘Frankie. Her name’s Francesca, but we call her Frankie. It’s a bit like calling you Harry.’

She laughed. ‘Yes, I suppose it is.’

‘And there’s also this,’ he said, reaching into a bag and drawing out a huge bone. ‘This is for Phantom, by the way, not you.’

Her lips twitched. ‘I’m glad you explained that.’

‘About our dinner. Kate’s set her heart on cooking it for us.’

‘Good idea. She’s a great cook, and it would be better for you.’

‘If you say I need to stay indoors for a few more days I shall do something desperate,’ he warned. ‘You two mother hens are driving me crazy.’

‘No, I was only going to say that anywhere else you’ll get stared at. I’ll come to Giant’s Beacon.’

‘You and Phantom.’

‘He’s included?’

‘It wouldn’t be the same without him. Friday evening.’

‘I look forward to it.
We’ll
look forward to it.’

He thanked her and departed. Outside the shop, he hesitated a moment, then headed for the harbour and the lifeboat station, but after a moment his attention was claimed by a man watching him from across the road with an air of nervousness. Enlightenment dawned, and he crossed over.

‘I know you, don’t I? You were part of the team that saved me from drowning.’

‘I’m glad you remember that,’ Walter said, ‘and not the other thing.’

‘You mean when you advised Harriet to let me drown?’ Darius said, grinning.

‘Ah, yes—’

‘It’s in the past,’ Darius assured him. ‘Look, do you have a moment? There’s a pub over there.’

When they were settled with glasses of ale, Darius said, ‘I want to show my gratitude in a practical way, with a donation to the lifeboat.’ He took out his chequebook. ‘Who do I make it out to?’

Walter told him, then looked, wide-eyed, at the amount. ‘That’s very generous.’

‘It’s not too much for my life. Will you make sure this reaches the right part of your organisation?’

‘It’ll be a pleasure. It’s good to see you on your feet again. Harry said you were in a bad way.’

‘All that time in the cold water. I reckon I was bound to go down with something. But Harriet got me home and took wonderful care of me.’

‘She’s a great girl, isn’t she? Sometimes I wonder how she survived after what she’s been through.’

‘Been through?’

‘Losing her husband. Oh, I know she’s not the only widow in the world, but they had a fantastic marriage. Everyone who gets married hopes they’re going to have what those two had. We all envied them. When he died we thought she might die too, she was so crushed. But she came back fighting. I don’t reckon she’ll ever really get over him, though.’

‘But she’s a young woman, with plenty of time to find someone else.’

‘Yes, if she really wants to. But you only get something as good as that once in your life. It wouldn’t surprise me if she stayed single now.’ He drained his glass. ‘Got to be going. Nice to meet you.’

They parted on good terms.

On Friday Darius came in the late afternoon to collect both his guests. Phantom leapt into the back seat of the car as though being chauffeured was no more than his right.

‘Don’t worry, I’ve washed him,’ Harriet said.

Darius grinned over his shoulder at his four-pawed guest, who nuzzled his ear.

‘Wait,’ Harriet said suddenly, bouncing out of the car. ‘I’ll be back.’

He watched as she ran into her home, then out again a moment later, clutching a small black box.

‘My pager,’ she said, settling into the front seat. ‘It has to go with me everywhere in case the lifeboat gets called out.’

‘You’re on call tonight?’

‘Lifeboat volunteers are always on call. The only time that’s not true is if we’re ill, or have to leave the island for some reason. Then we give them notice of the dates and report back as soon as we return. But normally we take the pager everywhere and have to be ready to drop everything.’

‘Everything? You mean…even if…suppose you were…?’

‘At work or in the bath,’ she supplied innocently. ‘Yes, even then.’

That wasn’t quite what he’d meant, and her mischievous look showed that she understood perfectly. For a moment another memory danced between them, when the edges of his robe had fallen open just long enough to be tantalising. By mutual consent they decided to leave it there.

‘What made you want to be a lifeboat volunteer?’ he asked as he started the car.

‘My father. My mother died when I was very young and Dad raised me alone. When he went out on a call I used to love watching the boat go down the slipway into the water. All that spray coming up seemed so thrilling. He was a fisherman and I often went out with him. He taught me to be a sailor and bought me my first boat. My happiest times were spent on the water with him, and it was natural to follow him onto the lifeboats.’

‘A fisherman? You mean herring?’

She laughed, ‘Yes. There have always been shoals of herring in the water around here. Other fish too, but that’s how the island got its name.’

‘You’ve never wanted to leave it behind and move to the mainland?’

She made a face. ‘Never! There’s nowhere better in the world.’

‘You sound very sure? As simple as that?’

‘As simple as that. It’s the best place on earth, and it always will be; unless something happens to spoil it.’

Darius didn’t need to ask what she meant. He had the power to do the damage she mentioned, and they both knew it. But this wasn’t the right moment.

The drive ran along the shoreline, from where they could see the sun beginning to set.

‘I’d never seen anything like that before I came here,’ he said.

‘Never seen a sunset?’

‘Not like a Herringdean sunset. I haven’t been much by the sea. It’s usually something I see looking down on from a plane.’

‘Stop the car,’ she urged.

He did as she asked and the three of them walked to the edge of the beach and stood watching as the water turned crimson, glittering as tiny waves broke softly. None of them made a sound. There was no need. Harriet glanced at Darius and saw on his face a look akin to the one she’d first seen when they met—absorbed, ecstatic. At last he gave a regretful sigh.

‘We’d better go.’

‘You can see it from the house,’ she reassured him.

‘In a way. But somehow it’s different when you’re out here with it.’

As they walked back to the car he glanced appreciatively at her appearance. Her soft blue dress wasn’t expensive nor glamorous, but neither did it send out the warning he’d sensed from her functional bathing gear. Her light brown shoulder length hair flowed freely in soft waves. She looked relaxed and ready to enjoy herself and he found himself relaxing in turn.

The evening stretched ahead of him, warm and inviting. Another new experience. When had he last whiled away the hours with a friend?

Two friends, he realised, feeling Phantom nuzzle his hand.

‘Just wait until we get home,’ he said. ‘Kate’s got something really special for you.’

‘I’m looking forward to it,’ Harriet declared.

Man and dog stared at her, then at each other. Darius gave a shrug of resignation, and Harriet could almost have sworn that Phantom returned the gesture.

‘You have to explain things carefully to women,’ Darius told him.

Woof!

‘You meant that remark about something special for Phantom?’ Harriet demanded.

‘Who else? Kate’s taken a lot of trouble with his supper. I told her he was the guest of honour.’

Harriet chuckled. ‘I guess you’re learning.’

Kate was waiting at the door, beaming a welcome. For Phantom there was the dog equivalent of a banquet, which he tucked into with due appreciation. Her mind at ease, Harriet left him to it and followed Darius into the large dining room at the back where a table for two had been set up by the French windows. From here the lawn stretched out until it shaded into the stretch of private beach where they had first met.

‘Remember?’ he asked, filling her wine glass.

‘I remember, and I shouldn’t think you’ll ever forget,’ she said. ‘You never did send me the bill for that suit.’

‘Well, maybe I’m not the monster you think me to be,’ he said.

‘Thought, not think. I wouldn’t dare think badly of someone who treats Phantom so well.’

‘Ah, you’ve noticed that I’m grovelling to him. I’m so glad. I knew I had no chance of getting on your right side unless I got on his first.’

Harriet seemed to give this serious consideration. ‘I see. And it’s important to get on my right side?’

‘Well, I can’t let you go on being my enemy. It wouldn’t be practical.’

‘And at all costs we must be practical,’ she agreed. ‘But I have to say, Mr Falcon, that I’m disappointed at how badly you’ve misread the situation. I’d expected more efficiency from “the most fearsome man in London.”’

‘Please,’ he protested. ‘None of that. It was enough of an embarrassment when I could make a pretence of living up to it. Now—’ He shuddered. ‘But how did I misread the situation?’

‘I was never your enemy.’

‘Really? You expect me to believe that when you got a bodyguard for Phantom? Oh, yes, I heard. And then you despised me so much that you made jokes about leaving me to drown.’

‘Well, you got your own back by walking in on me right after, didn’t you? And I didn’t leave you to drown—’ She checked herself, alerted by his teasing look. ‘Oh, ha ha! Well, I guess you’re entitled to make fun of me.’

‘Yes, I think I am as well,’ he said, smiling and raising his glass. ‘Truce?’

She regarded him with her head on one side. ‘Armed?’

He nodded. ‘Safer that way for both of us.’

‘It’s a deal.’

She raised her own glass and they clinked as Kate entered with the first dish.

‘Just in time to save me from your terrible vengeance,’ Darius said.

‘Don’t fool yourself,’ she told him. ‘When I wreak terrible vengeance on you, nothing and nobody will be able to save you.’

‘Then I’d better have my supper quickly,’ he said, leading her to the table.

Kate gave them a strange look and departed, making Harriet say in a quivering voice, trying not to laugh, ‘She thinks we’re both potty.’

‘She’s very observant.’

For a few moments they didn’t speak, concentrating on the food, which was Kate’s best, plain but delicious. Harriet wondered how it tasted to Darius, who must be used to more sophisticated fare, but he seemed happy to devour every mouthful.

‘If I had “enemy” thoughts, so did you,’ she observed. ‘When you came upon us in the garden of the pub you seemed to hate me.’

She thought he wasn’t going to reply, but then he nodded.

‘I did. I heard you talking about how I looked on the beach, “standing there like a king come into his birthright” according to you.’

‘That’ll teach me to jump to conclusions,’ she sighed. ‘You weren’t really feeling anything like that, were you?’

‘No, I was feeling what a glorious place it was. It took me completely by surprise and I just stood there, stunned, trying to believe such beauty existed.’

‘That was what I sensed when I first saw you,’ she admitted. ‘It was only later that I thought—oh, dear, I’m sorry. I guess I got it all wrong.’

‘We both got a lot of things wrong, but this is the moment when we put it all behind us and become friends.’

‘Friends…’ She considered the word for a moment before saying, ‘I must warn you, friends claim the right to ask each other questions.’

‘Fire away.’

‘Why did you go out to sea at all? It was madness.’

‘I needed to see the wind farm, and learn all I could.’

‘But surely you did an in-depth investigation before you bought the island?’ Something in his wry expression made her say, ‘You did, surely?’

‘The first I heard about it was when Kate told me.’

She stared. ‘I can’t believe a smart operator like you bought this place without checking every detail first.’ He shrugged.

‘You didn’t?’ she breathed. ‘But why?’

‘Perhaps I’m not quite as smart as I like people to think. Look, if I tell you, you’ve got to promise not to breathe a word to another soul.’

‘I promise.’

‘Seriously. Swear it on what you hold most dear.’

‘I swear it on Phantom’s life,’ she said, holding up her hand. ‘Now, tell, tell! The curiosity’s driving me crazy.’

‘I didn’t buy Herringdean. Rancing owed me money, couldn’t pay it, so he assigned the place to me, sent me the papers and vanished.’

‘What?’

‘My lawyer says everything’s in order, I’m the legal owner. But I had no chance to study the place, negotiate, refuse the deal, anything. Whatever I learn about the island comes as a surprise. My “investigation” consisted of looking Herringdean up online. What I found wasn’t informative—fishing, beautiful countryside, but no mention of a wind farm.’

‘Probably because it had only just got under way and they hadn’t updated the site,’ she mused.

‘Exactly. So you see I’ve approached everything like a dimwit. All right, all right,’ he added as she choked with laughter. ‘Have your fun.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she gasped. ‘I didn’t mean to but—he fooled you—’

‘Yes, he fooled me,’ Darius said, managing to be faintly amused through his chagrin. ‘And I’ll tell you something else. Before he left, he got a lot of the bigger tenants to pay him several months’ rent in advance, then he pocketed the money and ran. So it’ll be a while before they pay me anything.’

He knew he was crazy to have told her such damaging things. If she betrayed his trust she could make him look like an idiot all over the island.

But she wouldn’t betray him. Instinctively, he knew that he was safe with her.

Harriet was making confused gestures, trying to get her head around what she’d just heard.