Sinful Nights(27)

She turned and left before Sapphire could retaliate. Not that she had  anything left to retaliate with, she thought despairingly, staring  helplessly out of the window. Everything fitted together too neatly for  Miranda to be wrong. She had thought herself, the last time she saw him,  that her father looked better. He had even been out of bed, she  remembered. Dear God how could he have done this to her? How could he  have put her in this position?

Perhaps Miranda was wrong, she though feverishly  …  after all she had  only the other woman's word for it that her father had only had  pneumonia. Frantically pacing the kitchen Sapphire knew there was only  one way to find out. She was already dressed for walking, so pulling on  her boots she stepped out into the yard closing the kitchen door behind  her.

If Miranda was right Blake would have to be told. She shivered in the  cold breeze. What would his reaction be? He had never made any secret of  the fact that he wanted Flaws Farm, but there was a big difference in  expecting to inherit in say six months' time and waiting perhaps sixteen  years? After all her grandfather had lived to his mid-eighties and so  had his father before him. Walking quickly to try and blot out her  jumbled thoughts, Sapphire headed for Flaws Farm.    

 



 





CHAPTER TEN


YOUR FATHER?' Mary responded in answer to Sapphire's query. Yes, he's in his room.'

How is he today?' Sapphire watched closely as she waited for Mary's response.

Oh much better,' the older woman beamed. In fact he's improving  rapidly every day now. As soon as this cold spell breaks he'll probably  be able to go outside. He's chafing at the bit now I'm afraid,' she  smiled ruefully, not the best of patients, but then that's  understandable when one thinks of the active life he's led.'

But he will be able to get out and about?' Sapphire queried.

Good heavens yes.' Mary looked surprised that she even needed to ask.  Pneumonia is serious of course, but these days, with modern drugs, it's  not dangerous, and of course your father is supremely fit.'

Pneumonia  …  There weren't any other complications then?' Sapphire asked  trying to sound casual while inwardly shaking with dread. So Miranda  had been right after all.

Not as far as I know.' Mary looked concerned. I know you must be  worried about him, but there really is no need you know,' she told her  gently. For a while he did seem to have reached a plateau stage, but  since you came back he's really made progress. I suspect the hope of a  grandchild has had some bearing on that. Men hereabouts place a great  deal of importance on continuance of the family line. I think when your  father was ill he brooded rather a lot on the fact that he was the last  male Bell, but he's definitely over that now. Why don't you go up and  see him, he'll welcome the interruption. He's working on the farm  accounts.' She grinned conspiratorily, And you know how he hates that.'

It was amazing what one could see when one knew what to look for  Sapphire thought wretchedly, opening the door without knocking and  walking into a scene familiar to her from her childhood.

Her father's dog lay curled up at his feet, swear words turning the air  mildly blue as he bent his head over his ledgers. Seeing him now with  her new knowledge, Sapphire could see that he had been ill and that he  was recovering. There was more flesh on his bones for one thing and for  another the colour of his skin was better. The door creaked faintly as  she let it swing closed and he turned round, his welcoming smile  changing to a frown as he saw her pale face.

Sapphire.' He got up, coming towards her, but she avoided him, sitting down in a spare chair.

I know exactly what's been going on, Dad,' she said quietly. I know  you're not  …  not dying.' Her control broke as she cried out wretchedly,  How could you do this to me  … ? How could you trick and deceive  … ?'

Lass, lass, believe me I thought it best,' he interrupted sadly. Your  place is here with your husband. I've always thought that.'

You're free to think what you like, Dad, but to try to force me back  with Blake by pretending  … ' She bit her lip, turning away from the  remorse in his face.

Sapphire, perhaps I shouldn't have meddled, but believe me I thought it  was for the best. It was plain to me that you weren't happy in London.  You loved Blake when you married him.'

But he didn't love me, he only married me to get Flaws Farm. That's the  only reason he took me back,' she cried wildly. Can't you see that? He  doesn't really want me, he only wants your land, and the only reason he  re-married me was because he thought it wouldn't be long before he  inherited it. We made a bargain you see,' she told him wretchedly,  peace of mind for you, and Flaws Farm for Blake. I agreed I'd sell it  to him, once  …  How do you suppose he'll feel when he discovers how  you've tricked him and he will discover it  … '

Sapphire, you've got it all wrong,' her father interrupted sternly.  I've never deceived Blake. He knew exactly what was wrong with me. He  wanted you back here as much as I did. Don't you see  …  Blake knew the  truth  …  he knew, Sapphire  … '

For a few minutes it was too much for her to take in and then she burst  out bitterly, I see  …  and how were the pair of you planning to resolve  this grand charade-a miracle recovery? And to think I fell for it.'  unable to endure any more she wrenched open the door, ignoring her  father's anguished cry, half-running through the kitchen and out into  the yard. The afternoon was drawing in and the cold blast of air against  her heated skin stung, but Sapphire ignored it, head down, hands  stuffed into her pockets as she walked doggedly away from the farm,  instinctively taking the path that had been her favourite as a child.    

 



 

It led to a disused quarry, now overgrown and mossy. As a child she had  discovered a moss-covered ledge halfway down one of the escarpments, and  almost hidden from view by the lip of the quarry.

This had been a favourite refuge of her childhood, and now driven by an  intense need to be alone she automatically took the path that led to it.

She could understand what her father had had to gain from deceiving her,  but Blake  …  Had her father perhaps dangled the farm in front of him?  Take Sapphire back, give me a grandchild and in return  …  Her mind shied  away from the thought. No, Blake would never allow himself to be  manoeuvred like that, he wasn't that type of man, but he was very fond  of her father  …  and he did want Flaws' land  …  and he did find her  desirable. Given that might he not decide that marriage to her was a  reasonable price to pay, especially when he could still be Miranda's  lover?

Round and round her thoughts circled, tormenting her with each  combination that came to mind. There were so many imponderables for her  to consider, so many differing combinations, and only Blake knew the  real truth; exactly what had motivated him. But now it would have to  end. She couldn't stay with him knowing what she now did. Humiliation  seared her soul when she thought about their lovemaking; about the  intensity of emotion she had put into it when he had merely been  enduring it out of necessity.

On and on she walked, scarcely aware that it was starting to get dark,  setting one foot in front of the other, wrestling with her thoughts.

By the time she reached the quarry it was almost dark, but logic and  common sense had long since given way to an instinct for sanctuary which  led her to seek out the treacherous path going down to her childhood  hiding place.

She found it more by instinct than anything else, stumbling once halfway  down and clinging to the quarry face for support as a tiny avalanche of  stones crumbled downwards beneath her feet, to eventually splash eerily  into the deep pool that had formed at the centre of the quarry crater.  This place had been out of bounds to her as a child but it had never  stopped her coming here. She shivered suddenly, coming out of the bleak  despair that had driven her to seek out this place, swaying  lightheadedly. Perhaps she ought to go back; her father would be  worrying about her. Remorse overcame her earlier anger. Of course he had  been doing what he thought best; to him no doubt she was still the shy  seventeen-year-old who had first fallen in love with Blake. And her  father was old-fashioned. To him marriage vows were sacrosanct and not  lightly to be set aside. Sighing faintly Sapphire started to turn round,  freezing tensely as she felt the shale beneath her feet shift. The last  time she had come down here she had been seventeen-a child bride  looking for somewhere to escape the miseries of a marriage that had  turned out to be so far removed from her childish imaginings of high  romance that now it seemed to be a farce. Even then the path had been  dangerous-something she had forgotten when she came down it tonight. She  shivered again remembering the remoteness of the quarry and the  unlikelihood of anyone guessing that she was up here. If she made it to  the ledge she would be stuck there until morning when she might be able  to attract the attention of one of the shepherds. If she made it, she  thought wretchedly as another part of the path slid away to drop into  the pool. The pool. Icy trickles of fear dripped down her spine. The  water in that pool was freezing, its sides smooth and worn by time into a  glassy slipperyness that made the pool a death trap for anyone foolish  enough to swim in it. Closing her eyes and clinging to the wall of the  quarry she inched her way carefully down to the ledge, easing her  shaking body on to its grassy smoothness.