Mistletoe Magic
If it was her shoulder he had been referring to…
Her gaze narrowed on him questioningly, and was instantly answered by Gideon’s mocking grin.
No, it wasn’t her shoulder he’d been referring to.
‘Let me take him from you and put him in his cradle,’ Gideon offered, reaching out to take the baby, his fingers brushing lightly against Molly’s breast as he did so.
Molly’s skin seemed to burn where those fingers had lightly touched.
Had that touch been accidental or deliberate? she wondered as she watched Gideon cross the room and carefully place the baby in the cradle before covering him with a blanket. She still had found no answer to that question when Gideon returned to stand beside her.
‘Shall we leave them to sleep and take Merlin for a walk?’ he suggested huskily, even as he held out a hand as an offer to help pull her to her feet.
Molly looked at that long, artistic hand, clearly remembering its touch upon her skin, its caresses seeking, finding her complete response. It would be dangerous to her own peace of mind to go outside alone with him. But not to go would be just as unacceptable to her heart!
‘That sounds like a good idea,’ she agreed abruptly, ignoring his hand to get agilely to her feet unaided.
Gideon gave a rueful smile in acknowledgement of her obvious rejection, his arm falling back to his side. He thrust his hand into his denims pocket. ‘Wrap up warm,’ he advised briskly as they walked down the hallway to the kitchen. ‘There’s more snow forecast for later this afternoon.’
Molly felt slightly self-conscious as she wrapped the deep pink cashmere scarf he had given her for Christmas around the bottom half of her face and neck before pulling on her thick sheepskin jacket. It was such a beautiful scarf, and so soft to the touch, that it would be churlish not to wear it just because Gideon had given it to her.
‘Here—let me,’ he offered as the scarf became slightly dislodged by her coat collar. His fingers were warm against her cheeks as he deftly pulled the scarf back into place. ‘It really does look wonderful against the rich auburn of your hair,’ he stepped back to remark admiringly. ‘But, then, I knew that it would.’ He nodded his satisfaction.
Molly looked up at him from beneath her lashes, slightly breathless at the compliment. ‘Thank you,’ she accepted self-consciously.
Gideon chuckled at her obvious wariness. ‘You’re welcome. Come on—let’s go.’ He threw open the door, a blast of icy cold air instantly hitting them.
It really was cold outside, and Molly was grateful to be able to burrow down in her scarf, her hands thrust into the deep pockets of her coat. The scarf about her lower face also served to hide the blush to her cheeks caused by Gideon’s unexpected compliment.
‘You didn’t think I would remember you, did you?’ Gideon remarked quietly after they had walked in silence for several minutes. Merlin was happily running on ahead, obviously fascinated by the cold white stuff that covered the ground.
Molly gave Gideon a sharp glance. ‘Sorry?’
‘From James and Crys’s apartment over three years ago,’ he answered evenly.
So they were back to that, were they? So much for hoping they might be learning a new tolerance between them.
She turned away, hunched down in her jacket. ‘I don’t recall ever giving it a second thought,’ she answered dismissively.
She didn’t remember giving it a second thought because she had followed that by dozens of others once she’d known Gideon was to be at Peter’s christening.
She gave an impatient sigh. ‘Gideon, did you invite me to share this walk with you just so that you could pick another argument with me?’
His face lit up in a smile, eyes laughingly blue. ‘Strangely enough, no!’
Molly gave an irritated shake of her head. ‘Then you have a very funny way of showing it!’
‘Funny, strange—not funny, ha-ha?’ he drawled derisively.
‘Oh, definitely funny, strange!’ she answered impatiently, stopping abruptly as they reached the gate that would take them out into the country lane. ‘Gideon, how many times do I have to tell you that I did not—however briefly—ever have an affair with James?’
He met her gaze unblinkingly, his expression unreadable. ‘I don’t believe you ever have told me that…’
Molly’s frown deepened. ‘But—of course I have!’ she dismissed before walking on, stiff with indignation, only to find herself swung back to face Gideon as he took a firm hold of her arm. ‘Let me go, Gideon,’ she instructed coldly.
To her surprise he instantly did exactly that, holding up his hands before stepping away from her. ‘No, you never did, Molly,’ he assured her softly.
She blinked, thinking back over the conversations they had had together over the last four days—most of them unpleasant. And that unpleasantness had merged into one long battle of wills between the two of them. When they hadn’t been in each other’s arms, of course.
No, she couldn’t remember specifically telling him that she hadn’t had an affair with James. But even so…
‘Well, I did not have an affair with your brother! Or, more to the point, Crys’s husband,’ she added, indignation starting to rise in her voice. ‘Crys is my best friend,’ she added firmly. ‘She always has been. Always will be. And I would never, ever do anything that might hurt her. I think having an affair with her husband might just have done that, don’t you?’ she scorned.
‘Undoubtedly,’ Gideon acknowledged quietly.
‘Well, she won’t be hurt, because I didn’t.’ Molly was warming to her subject now, wanting to get all of this off her chest while she had the chance to do so. ‘Yes, I was at Crys and James’s apartment that night when Crys was away, but not because I was having an affair with James. And if you knew anything about me at all—’
‘I believe you.’
‘—you would believe me when I tell you that’s—’
‘I believe you.’
‘—the truth… I beg your pardon?’ She looked at Gideon warily as his words finally penetrated her indignation.
Gideon drew in a deep breath, looking down at her intently. ‘I said, I believe you, Molly,’ he repeated softly.
She blinked, wondering if this wasn’t another ploy on his part, if he wouldn’t later somehow twist her words to suit his less-than-flattering opinion of her.
‘Oh,’ she said noncommittally.
Gideon gave a heavy sigh. ‘Now it’s you who doesn’t believe me.’
‘Can you blame me?’ Her eyes flashed darkly. ‘You’ve done nothing but accuse me of one indiscretion or another since we met again on Sunday. To accept that you now believe my version of what happened over three years ago is a little hard to take.’
He grimaced. ‘I’m sure it must be,’ he acknowledged. ‘Although, if you think back carefully over the early part of this conversation, you might recall that you didn’t actually give me your version of what happened. I told you—I believe you, anyway,’ he pointed out huskily.
Molly, after days of this man’s taunts and put-downs, was beginning to feel slightly as if her legs were being taken out from under her. Where was Gideon’s antagonism now? Why was he being so nice to her?
‘Would it help if I were to apologise for all the less-than-flattering remarks I’ve made to you over the last few days?’ Gideon asked grimly.
‘It might,’ she allowed warily.
It was a wariness Gideon seemed all too aware of, and he sighed heavily. ‘Molly, I think the two of us need to talk, and I’m not sure here is the best place.’
‘Everything all right here, sir?’
Molly turned sharply at the sound of that voice, her eyes widening as she saw a policeman standing on the other side of the gate. She had been so taken up with this unexpected exchange with Gideon that she hadn’t even noticed the police car parked beside the road, let alone this man’s approach.
Gideon gave the policeman a reassuring smile. ‘Everything is fine, officer.’ He nodded. ‘Miss Barton and I are just taking the dog for an after-lunch stroll.’
The other man nodded, eyeing the watchful Merlin with a certain amount of caution. ‘You’ll be two of the guests staying at Falcon House, sir, with Mr and Mrs Wyngard?’
‘Yes, we are.’ Gideon moved slightly in order to take a proprietorial hold of Molly’s arm. ‘Is there any news?’
The policeman nodded. ‘I’m just on my way to see Mr Wyngard now.’
‘With good news, I hope?’ Gideon prompted guardedly, his fingers tightening slightly on Molly’s arm.
The policeman looked grim. ‘Depends on how you look at it, sir,’ the policeman answered noncommittally. ‘Well, I’ll just pop along and see Mr Wyngard now, and leave the two of you to continue your walk,’ he added briskly. ‘Nice day for it,’ he added, before strolling off to get into the squad car, giving them a wave as he drove off towards Falcon House.
Molly frowned as she watched him drive away, totally lost as to what the conversation between the two men had been about. She had no idea what news, good or bad, the policeman could possibly have to give to Sam.
But obviously, from their brief conversation, Gideon knew.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
‘OKAY.’ Molly turned determinedly towards Gideon. ‘Exactly what is going on? And please don’t insult my intelligence by answering “nothing”,’ she added forcefully.
Gideon gave the ghost of a smile. ‘I wasn’t about to do that,’ he drawled. ‘But I think it might be better if we return to the house and I leave it to Sam to explain,’ he added grimly.
‘But—’
‘It really isn’t up to me, Molly,’ Gideon cut in firmly. ‘But maybe once he’s explained you’ll excuse some of my behaviour over the last couple of days,’ he added frowningly.
‘I wouldn’t count on it!’ Molly told him hardly, even as she turned and began to walk back to the house.
‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’ Gideon caught up with her after only a couple of strides, Merlin trailing along obediently behind him.
Molly gave a disbelieving snort. ‘You aren’t afraid of anything!’
‘Oh, but you’re wrong there, Molly,’ he answered softly, causing her to give him a sharp look. ‘I’m very much afraid you aren’t going to forgive me once Sam has made his explanations,’ he told her grimly.
She gave an exasperated shake of her head. ‘I’m sure any lack of forgiveness on my part isn’t going to keep you awake at night!’
His expression became even grimmer. ‘You’d be surprised!’
‘Yes—I would,’ she dismissed scornfully.
Gideon drew in a controlling breath. ‘I’ve really messed things up between us, haven’t I?’
‘There’s never been any “us” to mess up,’ Molly assured him.
His hands were painful on her arms as he pulled her to a stop before they entered the house. He turned her to face him, his expression harshly remote. ‘Will you at least agree to talk to me in private after the policeman has said his bit and gone?’
‘What would be the point?’ She sighed.
‘Will you?’ He shook her slightly.
‘If that’s what you want—yes!’ she agreed, impatient to be inside.
‘It is what I want.’ He nodded grimly.
‘Fine,’ Molly dismissed. ‘Now can we go inside?’
He gave an impatient snort before releasing her, following behind as she hurried into the house.
No one was asleep when Molly entered the sitting-room a few seconds later. Crys and Sam were sitting on the edge of the sofa now, and David and Diana were all attention, too, as they sat forward in their chairs. The policeman held all their attention as he stood in front of the fireplace, nodding acknowledgement of Molly and Gideon’s arrival in the room even as he continued with what he had been saying.
‘Unfortunately Miss Gibson was involved in an accident about two miles from here just over an hour ago,’ he informed them briskly. ‘She’s dead, I’m afraid,’ he added evenly.
Miss Gibson? Rachel Gibson? Sam’s ex-fiancée of twelve years ago? The woman who had told all those lies about Sam to the newspapers after he’d broken their engagement because he had realised she was emotionally unstable? The woman who had made all of their lives such a misery twelve years ago—so much so for Sam that he had moved to the wilds of Yorkshire in order to escape her vitriol?
‘Oh, no…’ Crys had gasped at the policeman’s news. ‘I hated what she was doing to us, but… How awful!’ She turned her face into Sam’s chest.
Sam’s arm closed protectively about his wife. ‘How did it happen?’ he asked the policeman quietly, his face ashen.
‘Her car went off the mountain road and down into a deep ravine,’ the other man informed him. ‘She was already dead when the rescue services arrived,’ he added apologetically. ‘I’m sorry to bring you such bad news over Christmas, sir,’ he added regretfully. ‘Although, in view of the charges against her, if we had caught up with her…!’ He trailed off pointedly.
‘Yes,’ Sam acknowledged heavily.
‘What charges?’ Molly turned to Gideon with wide, bewildered eyes. ‘Is that Rachel Gibson they’re talking about?’ she demanded disbelievingly.
‘It is,’ Gideon answered hardly. ‘Come on,’ he encouraged, his arm about her shoulders as he guided her out of the room. ‘You don’t need to hear any more of that,’ he told her briskly, and he took her into the library, sitting her down in one of the armchairs before moving to pour her some whisky from the decanter on the table. ‘Please drink some of it,’ he said, as he came down on his haunches beside her to give her the glass.
Molly didn’t need any prompting, totally numb from the shocking news she had just heard.
But though her emotions felt numb, her brain seemed able to coolly and calmly dissect the events of the last few days, to pick out all the incidents that at the time hadn’t seemed to make any sense.
She looked at Gideon with clouded brown eyes. ‘She’s been stalking Sam, hasn’t she?’ she guessed heavily. ‘She was the one making those telephone calls on Christmas Eve. And that night,’ she continued determinedly, ‘the noises outside that so disturbed Merlin… Even his getting shut in the shed in that way,’ she recalled dazedly. ‘It was all her, wasn’t it?’
‘We believe so,’ Gideon said grimly. ‘Although we’ll never really know now, I’m afraid,’ he added heavily.
Molly gave a shiver at the reason why they would never know.
Twelve years ago Rachel had been a blight on all their lives, her lies encouraging the press to hound Sam, and the whole family, until their parents had been forced to move out of their home. Molly had had to begin anew in another school, and Sam had isolated himself in the wilds of Yorkshire.
But, even so, Molly knew that none of them would have wished the other woman dead…
‘It was her,’ Molly said with certainty. ‘But how did she…? The newspaper article about Peter’s christening!’ she realised with a groan.
‘Sam seems to think so,’ Gideon confirmed gently.
‘But—it—I—it’s been twelve years!’ she gasped. ‘Twelve years, for goodness’ sake!’
‘Yes,’ Gideon acknowledged heavily. ‘But something happened over the weekend—something that seems to have sent her completely over the edge.’ He frowned grimly. ‘The police have been looking for her ever since.’
Those charges the policeman had mentioned…
‘What?’ Molly breathed intently. ‘What happened over the weekend?’
‘Molly, she’s dead.’
‘What happened?’ she demanded through gritted teeth.
Gideon drew in a deeply controlling breath. ‘She killed someone. The man she was living with,’ he continued firmly at Molly’s shocked gasp. ‘She discovered him with another woman and—she killed him.’ He frowned darkly.
Molly swallowed hard. ‘How?’
‘Molly, you don’t need to know—’
‘Tell me,’ she demanded harshly.
‘She stabbed him,’ he said flatly. ‘The woman he was with managed to escape, but unfortunately the man had died from his wounds before the police got there.’
Molly felt sick, waves of nausea washing over her as she realised that it could have been Sam—that if he hadn’t broken their engagement twelve years ago Rachel could have…
‘Bend down and put your head between your knees,’ Gideon encouraged gently, taking the glass from her hand as she did exactly that.
It took several minutes for the waves of nausea to stop, the light-headedness to dissipate. But they were minutes when her brain once again seemed capable of functioning without any help from her.
She straightened. ‘You knew about all of this,’ she said accusingly. ‘All this time you’ve known—’
‘I’ve known for precisely one day,’ Gideon corrected her firmly. ‘Since I mentioned my misgivings to Sam after you went to bed that night and he came clean on the subject. One of those telephone calls he had to return on Monday morning was to the police,’ he explained, as Molly would once again have spoken accusingly. ‘Rachel Gibson had been reported as being seen in the area, and, following investigations, they discovered that she and Sam had once been engaged…’ He shrugged. ‘The police wanted to inform Sam of the—incident, only as a matter of courtesy, because of their past connection. I don’t believe they really thought she would come after him here.’
‘Then they were wrong, weren’t they?’ Molly rasped. ‘Finally knowing where Sam was, seeing that photograph, seeing his happiness with Crys and Peter. My God, did Crys know about all this, too?’ She frowned as the thought suddenly occurred to her. She’d have a deeper respect for Crys if she had known; to all intents and purposes, apart from that scare with Peter, Crys had seemed caught up in the gaiety of Christmas.
Gideon smiled without humour. ‘Sam doesn’t have any secrets from Crys.’
‘Unlike you with regard to me,’ Molly snapped, picking up the whisky glass and downing the contents. ‘I suppose now you’re going to accuse me of being a lush again?’ she challenged, two fiery spots of angry colour in her cheeks.
It wasn’t logical, and she knew that it wasn’t, but nonetheless she couldn’t help her feelings of anger towards Gideon for treating her as if she were a child who couldn’t handle the truth. She felt the same anger towards Sam, too. But Gideon was the one here in front of her, and as such he was the one who would bear the brunt of her anger.
‘Molly—’
‘Don’t touch me!’ she told him fiercely, brushing past him to stand up.
Gideon eyed her warily and slowly stood up. ‘Molly, there was no point in worrying you, too—’
‘Don’t tell me whether or not I should worry!’ she snapped furiously, her eyes glittering brightly. ‘I’ll worry if I want to—not when someone else decided that I should!’ she continued illogically. ‘God, you’re an arrogant—’
‘I advise you to stop right there,’ he warned coldly.
‘—pig,’ she concluded challengingly. ‘A chauvinist pig to boot,’ she continued wildly. ‘You were the one who stopped Sam from telling me the truth.’ She realised what had happened now, what it was Sam had wanted to talk to her about. But he had been stopped from doing so by Gideon’s warnings of caution. ‘I can hear it all now. “Don’t tell the little woman”,’ she mimicked. “‘It will only worry her”.’
‘It wasn’t like that—’
‘Yes, it was,’ she snapped hardly. ‘It was exactly like that! Well, do you know something, Gideon Webber? You can go to hell,’ she continued, without giving him an opportunity to answer.
She turned sharply on her heel and ran from the room, taking the stairs two at a time until she reached the sanctuary of her bedroom, where she threw herself down on the bed, her anger quickly turning to tears.
She cried for poor, sick Rachel, and the obsession for Sam that had never completely left her. She cried for the mess that was Gideon and her, for all the misunderstandings between them. But most of all she cried because in spite of everything she knew she still loved him.
‘Hey,’ Crys chided gently as she moved to sit beside Molly on the bed a few minutes later. Molly had been crying so deeply she hadn’t heard her friend enter the room. ‘Molly,’ she said firmly, ‘it’s over now. Come on.’ She pulled Molly into her arms, hugging her tightly as the tears finally began to stop. ‘Who are you crying for, Molly? Poor Rachel? Or Gideon?’ she added astutely.
Molly moved back to look at her friend. ‘Is it so obvious that I’m in love with him?’
Crys gave her an encouraging smile. ‘Only to me. Gideon doesn’t have a clue, I can assure you,’ she added ruefully. ‘In fact, from what he said to me just now, he seems utterly convinced that you hate him.’ She looked questioningly at Molly.
She swallowed hard, wiping the tears from her cheeks. ‘It’s him who hates me,’ she contradicted. ‘And all because—because… Crys, there’s something I should have told you long ago,’ she said huskily. ‘Something about James. And…and me.’
Crys frowned. ‘Yes?’
Molly closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath before she began talking, knowing it all had to come out now, and that Crys should have been told long ago. ‘Do you remember my disastrous love affair with Derek? Of course you do.’ She answered her own question with obvious self-derision. ‘You tried to warn me at the time about the dangers of falling in love with a man so recently separated from his wife—that very often they patched up their differences and were reconciled. I didn’t listen, as you know.’ She sighed heavily. ‘And I ended up getting very hurt when Derek did exactly that.’
Crys looked confused. ‘You don’t still love him, do you?’
‘No, of course not,’ Molly dismissed instantly. ‘I’m not sure I ever did,’ she added huskily. The way she now felt about Gideon made that other love pale into insignificance. ‘Maybe I was just flattered.’ She sighed again. ‘He was an internationally known actor, very good-looking, and it was me he wanted to be with! At least I thought it was at the time…’ She shook her head. ‘I was devastated when he returned to his wife.’
‘I know that.’ Crys nodded, still looking puzzled.
‘Yes,’ Molly said firmly. ‘But what you don’t know—what I’ve never told you—is that the night Derek went back to his wife I got very drunk—’
‘You were entitled,’ Crys replied. ‘He wasn’t exactly gentle about it, if I remember—just arrived at a party with her one night. A party where he was supposed to be meeting you,’ she recalled disapprovingly.
Molly winced at the memory. ‘The night I got dr—’
‘Alcoholically challenged,’ Crys corrected decisively. ‘You drank a little more than you would usually, that’s all. James assured me that you certainly were not drunk.’
Molly blinked, her mouth feeling very dry. ‘James did…?’
‘Of course,’ her friend dismissed. ‘I was glad that you went to him. Sorry I wasn’t there to help, of course, but James assured me he had done a good job of taking care of you.’
‘He did,’ Molly confirmed numbly. ‘But—I—you knew about that night?’
‘Well, of course I did,’ Crys assured her lightly.
She frowned dazedly. ‘But I… All this time…’ she shook her head ‘…and you’ve never said.’
Crys gave a rueful smile. ‘What could I have said? Derek was a very selfish man, and he hurt you very badly; there was no point in my bringing up the subject again when you obviously didn’t want to talk about him.’
‘But the night I stayed at your apartment—’
‘What of it?’ Crys asked. ‘Look, Molly, you’re my best friend and I trust you implicitly, just as I trusted James, so what was there for me to say about that night? Without reminding you of Derek’s duplicity, that is,’ she added grimly.
Molly shook her head dazedly. ‘I can’t believe you’ve known all this time that I stayed at your apartment with James when you were away…’
Crys smiled. ‘I’ve known and never for a moment thought there was anything wrong with it. Why should I have done?’ she said unconcernedly.
‘Well, Gideon certainly thought there was something wrong with it!’ Molly snapped disgustedly.
‘Gideon did?’ Crys looked more puzzled than ever, and then her brow cleared in understanding. ‘Oh, you mean because he called in to see James that morning and saw you there? Molly, Gideon didn’t think that you and James were having an affair, did he?’ She gasped as the idea suddenly occurred to her. ‘No! He can’t have done. Can he?’ She frowned dazedly. ‘He did, didn’t he?’ she realized incredulously. And then she began to laugh.