Rescued by the Brooding Tycoon

CHAPTER THREE

HARRIET prided herself on her common sense. She needed to. There had been times in her recent past when it had been all that saved her from despair. Even now, the dark depths sometimes beckoned and she clung fiercely to her ‘boring side’ as she called it, because nothing else helped. And even that didn’t make the sadness go away. It simply made it possible to cling on until her courage returned.

She knew that people had always envied her. Married at eighteen to an astonishingly handsome young man, living in apparently perfect harmony until his death eight years later. As far as the world knew, the only thing that blighted their happiness was the need for him to be away so often. His work in the tourist industry had necessitated many absences from home, but when he returned their reunions were legendary.

‘A perfect couple,’ people said. But they didn’t know.

Brad had been a philanderer who had spent his trips away sleeping around, and expected her not to mind. It only happened while he was out of sight, so what was she complaining about? It was the unkindness of his attitude that hurt her as much as his infidelity.

She’d clung on, deluding herself with the hope that in time he would change, presenting a bright face to the world so that her island neighbours never suspected. Finally Brad had left her, dying in a car crash in America before the divorce could come through, and the last of her hope was destroyed.

To the outside world the myth of her perfect marriage persisted. Nobody knew the truth, and nobody ever would, she was determined on that.

All she had left was Phantom, who had been Brad’s dog and who’d comforted her night after night when he was away. Phantom alone knew the truth; that behind the cheerful, sturdy exterior was a woman who had lost faith in men and life. His warmth brought joy to what would otherwise have been a desert.

It was the thought of her beloved dog that made her set out one morning in the direction of Giant’s Beacon. There was still a chance to improve relations with Darius Falcon, and for Phantom’s sake she must take it.

‘I suppose I’m getting paranoid about this,’ she told herself. ‘I don’t think he’d really do anything against Phantom, but he’s the most powerful man on the island and I can’t take chances.’

She recalled that at their last meeting he’d actually spoken to him in a kindly tone, calling him ‘You daft mutt’ and ‘a good fellow’, thus proving he wasn’t really a monster. He probably had a nicer side if she could only find it. She would apologise, engage him in a friendly chat and all would be well.

The road to Giant’s Beacon led around the side of the house, and over the garden hedge she could see that the French windows were open. From inside came the sound of a man’s voice.

‘All right. Call me again when you know. Goodbye.’

Excellent, she would slip inside quickly while he was free. But as she approached the open door she heard him again, ‘There you are. I know you’ve been avoiding my calls-did you really think I’d let you go that easily?-I know what you’ve been doing and I’m telling you it’s got to stop.’

Harriet stood deadly still, stunned by his cold, bullying tone. She must leave at once. Slowly, she flattened herself back against the wall and began to edge away.

‘It’s too late for that,’ Darius continued. ‘I’ve set things in motion and it’s too late to change it, even if I wanted to. The deal’s done, and you can tell your friend with the suspicious credentials that if he crosses me again he’ll be sorry-what? Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. There’ll be no mercy.’

No mercy, she thought, moving slowly along the wall. That just about said it all. And she’d kidded herself that he had a nicer side.

No mercy.

Quietly, she vanished.

‘There’ll be no mercy.’

Darius repeated the line once more. He knew that these days he said it too often, too obsessively. So many foes had shown him no mercy that now it was the mantra he clung to in self-defence.

At last he slammed down the phone and threw himself back in his chair, hoping he’d said enough to have the desired impact. Possibly. Or then again, maybe not. Once he wouldn’t have doubted it, but since his fortunes had begun to collapse he had a permanent fear that the person on the other end immediately turned to a companion and jeered, ‘He fell for it.’

As he himself had often done in what now felt like another life.

That was one of the hardest things to cope with-the suspicion of being laughed at behind his back; the knowledge that people who’d once scuttled to please him now shrugged.

The other thing, even harder, was the end of his family life, the distance that seemed to stretch between himself and his children. It was easy to say that he’d given too much of himself to business and not enough to being a father, but at the time he’d felt he was working for them.

Mary, his wife, had been scathing at the idea.

‘That’s just your excuse for putting them second. You say making money is all for them, but they don’t want a great fortune, they want you there, taking an interest.’

He’d sacrificed so much for financial success, and now that too was fading. Lying awake at night, he often tried to look ahead to decide which path to take, but in truth there was no choice. Only one path stretched forward, leading either to greater failure or success at too great a cost. They seemed much the same.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the mood, and turned on the radio to hear the local news. One item made him suddenly alert.

‘Much concern is being expressed at the suggestion of problems with the Herringdean Wind Farm. Work has only recently started, yet-’

‘Kate,’ he said, coming downstairs, ‘what do you know about a wind farm?’

‘Not much,’ she said, speaking as she would have done about an alien planet. ‘It’s been on and off for ages and we thought it was all forgotten but they finally started work. It’ll be some way out in the channel where we don’t have to look at the horrid great thing.’

‘Show me,’ he said, pulling out a map of the island.

The site was located about eight miles out at sea, within England’s territorial waters. As these were owned by the Crown, he would gain nothing. He could even lose, since the island might be less appealing to potential buyers.

‘They’ve actually started putting up the turbines?’ he said.

‘A few, I believe, but it’ll be some time before it’s finished.’

He groaned. If he’d bought this place in the normal way, there would have been inspections, he would have discovered the disadvantages and negotiated a lower price. Instead, it had been dumped on him, and he was beginning to realise that he’d walked into a trap.

Fool! Fool!

At all costs that must remain his secret. Kate was too naïve for him to worry about, and nobody else would be allowed near.

‘Shall I start supper?’ Kate asked.

‘No, thank you. There’s something I’ve got to see.’

Darius had just enough time to get out there before the light faded. When he’d inspected the turbines he could decide if they were a problem.

For this he would need the motorboat that was also now his property, and that was lodged in a boating shed at the end of a small creek that ran in from the shore. He found it without trouble, opened the door of the shed and started up the engine.

He was expecting problems. The engine might not work, or would at least be complicated to operate. But it sprang to life at once, everything was easy to operate, and since the fuel gauge registered ‘full’ he reckoned that luck was on his side, just for once.

Briefly he glanced around for a life jacket but, not seeing one, shrugged and forgot about it. A breeze was getting up as he emerged from the creek and set out across the channel. Glancing back, he could see the beach where he’d had his first ill-fated meeting with Harriet. Then he turned determinedly away and headed for the horizon.

At last he saw it-a dozen turbines rearing out of the water, seventy metres high, and, nearby, the cargo ships bearing the loads that would become more turbines. He got as close as he could, trying to think only of the benefit to the island of this source of electricity. But the new self, who’d come to life on the beach, whispered that they spoiled the beauty of the sea.

Functional and efficient, that was what mattered. Concentrate on that.

Now the light was fading fast and the wind was mounting, making the water rough, and it was time to go. He turned the boat, realising that he’d been unwise to come out here. He wasn’t an experienced sailor, but the need to know had been compelling. Now he had just enough time to get to shore before matters became unpleasant.

Almost at once he discovered his mistake. The waves mounted fast, tossing his little boat from side to side. Rain began to fall more heavily every moment, lashing the angry water, lashing himself, soaking through his clothes, which weren’t waterproof. The sooner he drove on the better.

But without warning the engine died. Nothing he could do would start it again. Frantically, he peered at the fuel gauge and saw, with horror, that it still showed ‘Full’.

But that was impossible after the distance he’d already travelled. The reading was wrong, and must have been wrong from the start. He’d set out without enough fuel, and now he was trapped out here in the storm.

He groaned. It went against the grain to admit that he needed help, but there was no alternative. He would have to call Kate and ask her to notify the rescue service. Then it would be all over the island. He could almost hear the laughter. Especially hers. But it couldn’t be helped.

Taking out his cellphone, he began to dial, trying to steady himself with his feet as he needed both hands for the phone. That was when the biggest wave came, rearing up at the side of the boat, forcing him to cling on with both hands. With despair, he saw the phone go flying into the water. He made a dive for it but another swell hoisted the boat high, twisting it so that he went overboard into the sea.

Floundering madly, he tried to reach the boat, but the waves had already carried it away. Farther and farther away it went, beyond his strength to pursue, until it was out of sight.

Now his own body seemed to be turning against him. The shock of being plunged into cold water had caused his heart to race dangerously, making him gasp and inhale water. His limbs froze, and he could barely move them. He wondered whether he would die of cold before he drowned.

Time passed, tormenting him, then vanishing into eternity until time itself no longer existed. Perhaps it had never existed. There was only darkness on earth and the moon and stars high above.

His wretchedness was increased by the thought of his children, waiting in vain for his call tonight. They would think he’d forgotten them, and only the news of his death would tell them otherwise. Then it would no longer matter.

Darius wanted to cry aloud to them, saying he loved them and they must believe that, for he would never be able to tell them again. But the distance stretched into infinity, and then another infinity that he feared because so much was left undone in his life-so many wrongs not righted, so many chances not taken, so many words not spoken…and now…never…never…

Why was he even bothering to tread water? Why not just let go and accept the inevitable?

But giving in had never been his way. He must fight to the end, no matter how much harder it was.

In his dizzy state he seemed to lose consciousness. Or was he going mad? That might make it easier. But doing things the easy way wasn’t his style either.

Yet the madness was already creeping over him, giving him the illusion of lights in the distance. It was impossible but he saw them, streaming out over the water, turning this way and that as though searching. Then the beam fell on him, blinding him, and a cry split the darkness.

‘There he is!’

The universe seemed to whirl. Vaguely, he sensed the boat approaching, ploughing through the waves. Another few seconds-

But it seemed that a malign fate was intent on destroying him even now. A wave, bigger than the others, reared up, sweeping him with it, up-then down back into the abyss-up-down-then away from the boat to a place where he would never be found. A yell of fear and rage broke from him at being defeated at the last moment.

Then he felt a hand clasp his, the fingers tightening with fierce determination, drawing him closer. The waves fought back but the hand refused to yield to them. Suddenly he realised that two men were in the water with him, and were loading him onto a stretcher. Gradually the stretcher began to rise, taking him clear of the sea, lifting him to safety.

From somewhere a man’s voice said, ‘OK, I’ve got him. You can let go, Harry.’

And a woman replied, “No way. This one’s mine.’

Harry! That voice-

Shocked, he opened his eyes and saw Harriet’s face.

‘You,’ he whispered hoarsely.

Harriet was there, leaning close to ask, ‘Was there anyone else with you-anyone we still need to look for?’

‘No,’ he gasped. ‘I was alone.’

‘Good. Then we can go back. There’ll be an ambulance to take you to hospital.’

‘No, I must go home-my children-I’ve got to call them. Wait-’ he grasped her ‘-my cellphone went into the water. Let me use yours.’

‘I don’t have it here.’

‘Then I must call them from home.’

‘But the hospital will have-’

‘Not the hospital,’ he said stubbornly.

‘Gee, you’re an infuriating man!’ she exclaimed.

‘Yes, well, you should have left me in the water, shouldn’t you?’ he choked. ‘You had the right idea the first time.’

A coughing fit overtook him. Between them, Harriet and Walter got him under cover, and she stayed with him for the rest of the journey. He slumped in the seat, his eyes closed, on the verge of collapse. Watching him, Harriet was glad she hadn’t needed to answer his last remark. She wouldn’t have known how.

At the lifeboat station she helped him ashore, and there was another argument.

‘No hospital,’ he insisted. ‘I’m going home.’

‘Then I’ll take you,’ she said. ‘Walter-’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll do the report. You keep him safe.’

Darius was about to say that he would drive himself when he remembered that his car was a mile away. Besides, there was no arguing with this bossy woman.

Somehow, he stumbled into her car and sat with his eyes closed for the journey.

‘How did you manage to find me?’ he murmured. ‘I thought I was a goner.’

‘Kate raised the alarm. She said you left suddenly after you talked about the wind farm. Later, she went out and bumped into an old man she knows who works on the shore. He said he’d seen you leaving in your motorboat. When you didn’t return she tried to call you on your cellphone, but it was dead so she alerted the lifeboat station.’

Kate was waiting at the door when they arrived. Darius managed to stand up long enough to hug her.

‘Thank you,’ he said hoarsely. ‘I owe you my life.’

‘As long as you’re safe,’ Kate insisted. ‘Just come in and get warm.’

In the hall, he made straight for the phone.

‘Get changed,’ Harriet said urgently. ‘You’re soaking.’

‘No, I’ve got to call them first. They’ll be waiting.’ He’d been dialling as he spoke and now he said, ‘Mary? Yes, I know it’s late. I’m sorry, I got held up.’

From where she was standing, Harriet could hear a woman’s sharp voice on the other end, faint but clear.

‘You always get held up. The children went to bed crying because you didn’t keep your word, and that’s it. Enough is enough.’

‘Mary, listen-’

‘I’m not going to let you hurt them by putting them last again-’

‘It’s not like that-don’t hang up-’

Harriet couldn’t stand it any more. She snatched the phone from his hand and spoke loudly. ‘Mrs Falcon, please listen to me.’

‘Oh, you’re the girlfriend, I suppose?’

‘No, I’m not Mr Falcon’s girlfriend. I’m a member of the lifeboat crew that’s just taken him from the sea, barely in time to save his life.’

‘Oh, please, do you expect me to believe that?’

Harriet exploded with rage. ‘Yes, I do expect you to believe it because it’s true. If we’d got there just a few minutes later it would have been too late. You’re lucky he’s here and not at the bottom of the ocean.’ She handed the phone to Darius, who was staring as though he’d just seen an apparition. ‘Tell her,’ she commanded.

Dazed, he took the receiver and spoke into it. ‘Mary? Are you still there?-yes, it’s true what she said.’

A sense of propriety made Harriet back away in the direction of the kitchen but an overwhelming curiosity made her leave the door open just enough to eavesdrop.

‘Please fetch them,’ she heard him say. ‘Oh, they’ve come downstairs? Let me talk to them. Frankie-is that you? I’m sorry about the delay-I fell in the water but they pulled me out-I’m fine now. Put Mark on, let me try and talk to both of you at once.’

His tone had changed, becoming warm and caressing in a way Harriet wouldn’t have believed possible. Now she backed into the kitchen and shut the door, gratefully accepting a cup of tea from Kate.

‘He’ll go down with pneumonia if he doesn’t get changed soon,’ Kate observed worriedly.

‘Then we’ll have to be very firm with him,’ Harriet said.

‘Like you were just now.’ Kate’s tone was admiring. ‘He didn’t know what had hit him.’

‘I suppose he’ll be cross with me, but it can’t be helped.’

‘As long as we keep him safe,’ Kate agreed.

Harriet look at her curiously. ‘You sound as though you really care. But he can’t be very easy to work for.’

‘I’ll take him rather than the last fellow any day. Rancing just vanished, leaving me here for weeks. He never got in touch, never paid me-’

‘Didn’t pay you?’ Harriet echoed, aghast. ‘The lousy so-and-so. How did you live?’

‘I had a little saved, but I had to spend it all. I couldn’t contact him. Nothing. Then Mr Falcon walked in and said the place was his. I was still living here because I’ve got nowhere else to go. I thought he’d throw me out and bring in an army of posh servants, but he said he wanted me to stay and he paid me for all the weeks after Rancing left.’

‘He-paid you? But-’

‘I know. He didn’t have to. He didn’t owe me and I couldn’t believe it when he handed me the cash.’

Harriet stared, feeling as though the world had suddenly turned upside down. This couldn’t be true. Darius was a villain. That had been a settled fact in her mind. Until tonight-

‘Why didn’t you tell anyone?’ she asked.

‘Because he said not to. He’d be good and mad if he knew I’d told you now, so you’ll keep quiet, won’t you?’

‘Of course. I’m not even quite convinced.’

‘No, he said you wouldn’t be.’

‘He said what?’

‘Not at the time, but last night when I was making his supper, I mentioned it, asked if I could tell people, and he said that you especially must never know because you enjoyed seeing him as the devil and he didn’t want to spoil your fun.’

‘Oh, did he?’

There were no words for the unfamiliar sensation that shook her. Darius had looked into her mind and read it with a precision that was alarming. Or exciting. She wasn’t sure. One thing was certain. Everything she’d thought she knew about him was now in question. And the truth about his real nature was an even bigger question. The world had gone mad, taking her with it.

And what a journey that might be!

She recovered enough to say, ‘But if people knew he could be as generous as this they’d see him differently.’

‘Perhaps he doesn’t want them to,’ Kate said wisely.

That silenced Harriet. This was too much to take in all in one go. She needed space and solitude.

It was time to see how he was managing. Opening the door, they looked out into the hall and saw Darius sitting so still that they thought the call was ended, but then he said, ‘All right,’ in a hard voice.

After a pause he added, ‘You’d better go back to bed now-yes, all right. Goodbye.’

He set the phone down and leaned back against the wood, eyes closed, face exhausted. Something told Harriet the call hadn’t gone well.

‘Time for bed,’ Kate told him. ‘Shall we help you up the stairs?’

‘Thank you, but there’s no need,’ he growled.

He hauled himself slowly to his feet and began the weary trek, stair by stair, but waving the two women away if they seemed to get too close. They contented themselves with keeping a respectful distance, following him up and into his room, where he sat heavily on the bed.

‘It’s all right,’ he said. ‘I can manage.’

‘No, you can’t,’ Harriet firmly. ‘If we leave now you’ll just stretch out and go to sleep in your freezing wet clothes. Next stop, pneumonia.’

‘Now, look-’

‘No, you look. I didn’t give up my evening to come out to sea and fetch you to have you throw your life away through carelessness. You’re going to take off those wet clothes and put on dry ones.’

Darius looked warily from one to the other, and seemed to decide against argument. His eyes closed and Harriet thought for a moment he would lose consciousness. But when he opened them again an incredible change seemed to come over him.

Astonished, Harriet saw a faint grin that might almost have been good-natured, or at least resigned. Then he shrugged.

‘I’m in your hands, ladies.’

He unbuttoned his own shirt and shrugged it off, then unzipped his trousers and stood while they removed them. Kate fetched towels and a bathrobe that Harriet helped him put on. He tried to draw the edges together before removing his underpants, but his grip was weak and they fell open at the crucial moment.

Harriet quickly averted her eyes, but not before she’d seen his nakedness. Just a brief glimpse, but it told her what she didn’t want to know, that his personal magnificence measured up to his reputation in business.

Hastily, she began opening drawers, asking, ‘Where are your pyjamas?’

‘I don’t have any. Sleeping in the nude is more comfortable.’ He raised an eyebrow at her. ‘Don’t you find that?’

‘I really wouldn’t know,’ she said primly. It was incredible to her that he’d chosen this moment to tease her. He was half dead, for pity’s sake! Did nothing crush him?

‘I’m making you a hot tea,’ she declared, ‘and when I come back I expect to find you in bed.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ he said meekly.

Now Harriet was sure she could see a gleam of humour far back in his eyes, but she couldn’t be sure.

‘I’ll leave you in Kate’s capable hands.’ Some defensive instinct made her add, ‘Don’t stand any nonsense from him, Kate.’

‘Don’t you worry,’ Kate said significantly.

‘Harriet!’ She turned at the door in response to Darius’s voice. ‘Thank you,’ he said quietly.

‘Don’t mention it.’

She departed hurriedly. Downstairs, she made the tea but only took it halfway up the stairs before calling Kate and handing it to her. Suddenly it was important to escape him, above all to escape his knowing look that said he would tease her if he wanted to, and what was she going to do about it?

There was nothing to be done, except get back home-a place of safety, where she knew what was what.

When she got there safety greeted her in the form of Phantom. As they snuggled down under the covers she discussed the matter with him, as she discussed everything.

‘What a night! Him of all people. And it seems he’s not like… Well, I don’t know what he’s like any more. He was nice to Kate, I’ll admit that. Maybe we were wrong about him. No, not we. Just me. You always liked him, didn’t you?

‘If you could have seen him getting undressed tonight. It was an honest accident-at least, I think it was. But what I saw was impressive and maybe he meant me to see and maybe he didn’t.

‘He ticks the boxes-great thighs, narrow hips and the rest-well, never mind. But Brad also ticked the boxes, and he knew he ticked them. A man like that wasn’t going to confine himself to me, was he? And he didn’t. So if His Majesty Falcon is expecting me to be impressed he can just think again.

‘You agree with me, don’t you? Well, you do if you want that new stuff I bought for your breakfast tomorrow. Yes-yes-that’s a lovely lick. Can I have another? Thank you. Now, let’s go to sleep. And move over. Give me some room.’