Читать книгу: «Mistletoe Magic», страница 6

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘WELL, isn’t this a nice scene of domestic harmony?’ David murmured approvingly a short time later.

Molly turned to give him a narrow-eyed warning look. Domesticity, my foot; Gideon was as domesticated as a feral cat. And, in view of the fact that they had been working together in tense silence for the last ten minutes or so, she doubted that he even knew what the word harmony meant as far as she was concerned.

‘All you need is a pinafore, Gideon, and you’ll completely look the part,’ David added with teasing challenge, having given a hasty look round the kitchen to make sure they had put Merlin safely outside before coming completely into the room himself.

Gideon looked at the other man from under raised blond brows. ‘And what part would that be, David?’ he drawled softly.

The actor grinned unabashedly. ‘Why, Assistant Chef, of course,’ he said mockingly.

‘Of course,’ Gideon echoed derisively. ‘Why don’t you make yourself useful and pour us all some more wine?’

‘I won’t, if you don’t mind.’ David replenished their two glasses. ‘Someone has to drive us all to church later tonight,’ he reasoned. ‘As you two seem to have done all the hard work towards dinner, it may as well be me.’ He shrugged.

Molly had completely forgotten their plans to go to the late service that evening. ‘Do you think Crys and Sam will still want to go?’ She frowned, having seen nothing of the other two since delivering Peter’s medicine to them a couple of hours ago.

‘Maybe not.’ David grimaced. ‘But that’s no reason why we shouldn’t.’

‘Why you shouldn’t what?’ Crys asked as she came into the kitchen. ‘Oh, thank you, Molly.’ She hugged Molly when she saw that dinner was already well in hand. ‘I feel awful for deserting you all like this today.’

‘How is the little chap?’ David was the one to ask gently.

‘Much better, thank you.’ Crys sighed her relief, looking less strained than she had earlier this afternoon. The colour was back in her cheeks, too. ‘He’s sleeping quietly at the moment, so Sam should be down in a minute or two. What were you talking about when I came in?’ she prompted interestedly, smiling her thanks as she sat down and accepted the glass of red wine Gideon poured for her.

‘Church later tonight,’ David explained.

‘Oh, yes—you must all go,’ Crys insisted warmly. ‘Sam and I went last year and it was very beautiful, with all the candles alight and decorated with holly. You—’ She broke off as the telephone began to ring.

Molly froze at the sound, turning sharply to Gideon and finding her look returned frowningly as he, too, obviously wondered if this was yet another of those hang-up calls.

‘I’ll get it,’ Sam told them as he came into the kitchen, and plucked the receiver from the wall. ‘Yes? Speaking. Oh, fine thanks,’ he answered warmly seconds later.

Much to Molly’s relief, and Gideon’s, too, if his smile was anything to go by, this obviously wasn’t another of those calls.

‘Much better,’ Sam continued. ‘No, I’m sure there’s no need for you to do that. Although…’ He put his hand over the mouthpiece. ‘Is there enough dinner for one extra?’ he prompted softly.

‘Molly?’ Crys turned to her.

‘I’m sure there is,’ she confirmed lightly, wondering exactly who the ‘one extra’ was going to be; Sam’s tone was extremely warm and cordial, so it certainly wasn’t a reporter.

Sam removed his hand from the mouthpiece. ‘Why don’t you come over anyway and join us for dinner? No, of course you wouldn’t be intruding,’ he added firmly. ‘We’re eating about eight, so come about seven-thirtyish. I believe several of us are going to church later, if you would like to join us for that, too…? Fine, we’ll see you later, then.’ He rang off. ‘Diana Chisholm is going to join us for dinner,’ he announced happily.

‘Oh, that’s wonderful.’ Crys smiled her pleasure. ‘I didn’t like the idea of her spending Christmas on her own.’

‘You may as well open this house up for all waifs and strays!’ David remarked caustically, scowling. Then he seemed to realise what he had just said. ‘Sorry,’ he muttered harshly. ‘If you’ll all excuse me?’ He turned and strode purposefully from the kitchen.

‘What’s wrong with him?’ Sam looked as dazed by the other man’s abrupt departure as they had all been by the remark that had preceded it.

‘My insensitivity, I think.’ Crys gave a grimacing sigh. ‘After all, it’s David’s first Christmas without Cathy, which can’t be easy after all those years of marriage.’ She stood up. ‘I’ll go and talk to him.’

‘No, I’ll go,’ Gideon offered, putting down his wineglass. ‘It’s a man thing,’ he assured Crys gently as she would have protested. ‘Less embarrassing all round if I go, and especially for David,’ he added ruefully.

It might be less embarrassing for David, but Molly had serious doubts about Gideon being the one to deal with such a sensitive subject.

‘Unless you would like to go?’ Gideon paused beside Molly, obviously guessing at least some of her thoughts.

Although the mockery in his gaze seemed to imply he had completely misconstrued the reason for her expression of doubt. As usual.

‘Not at all,’ she assured him lightly. ‘As you say, it’s a man thing.’ She looked up at him challengingly.

She was not in the least interested in David in the way this man seemed to be implying she was, but if he wanted to go on thinking that, that was his problem.

Gideon continued to look at her for several long seconds, then with an abrupt nod of his head he followed the other man from the room.

‘Phew,’ Sam breathed ruefully. ‘Exactly what’s been going on here today while Crys and I have been otherwise occupied?’ He looked questioningly at Molly.

Apart from Gideon insulting her at every opportunity, then almost kissing her, and a photograph of them all being spread all over the newspaper—giving yet another excuse for Gideon to be insulting to her—and then being inundated with strange hang-up calls, absolutely nothing had been happening today!

All of which she had no intention of so much as mentioning to either Sam or Crys.

‘Just normal Christmas Eve tensions,’ she dismissed lightly. ‘Now, tell me, Crys.’ She turned to her friend and sister-in-law. ‘Do you want me to serve an orange or an apple sauce with the duck this evening?’

Anything to do with cooking was guaranteed to distract Crys, and the two women discussed the merits of both sauces before deciding on apple. All the time Molly was aware of Sam watching her with amused green eyes, as if completely aware of her distracting tactics—and not fooled by them for a moment.

But then she and Sam had always been as close, if not closer, than real brother and sister. Sam was often able to tell what she was thinking before she was aware of it herself. She only hoped he didn’t pick up on some of the things she had been thinking about Gideon Webber today. They were too contrary for her to make any sense of, let alone anyone else.

Think of the devil…

Molly felt herself stiffen defensively as Gideon strode back into the room, his good humour restored if his grin was anything to go by. Hopefully he had had the same success with David.

‘Everything okay?’ Crys prompted concernedly.

‘He’ll be down shortly,’ Gideon reassured her. ‘He’s decided to shower and change before dinner.’

‘Well, at least he is joining us.’ Sam grimaced.

‘Of course he is.’ Gideon’s grin widened. ‘I only had to point out the advantages of having such a lovely and accomplished woman join us for dinner for him to agree to that.’

Oh, and what was she? Molly wondered disgruntledly. Chopped liver?

Probably, as far as Gideon was concerned, she accepted heavily.

Sam’s actress sister—at the moment splattered with grease from basting the duck, her face flushed from the Aga, her hair frizzed up from the heat—couldn’t really compare to someone as coolly beautiful and caring as the doctor she had met earlier today.

Rather depressing, really, she acknowledged ruefully. Even if it was true.

‘You two lovely ladies apart, of course,’ Gideon added dryly. Rather too tardily, as far as Molly was concerned.

‘Too late, I’m afraid, Gideon,’ Crys told him laughingly, turning to link her arm with Molly’s. ‘Let’s all have a bit of fun and dress up for dinner. After all, it is Christmas. Molly, what say you and I leave these two men to lay the table while we go upstairs and change before dinner?’

‘Sounds good to me!’ Molly grinned conspiratorially, deliberately putting her nose in the air as the two of them swept out of the room.

Crys gave a rueful shake of her head as they climbed the wide staircase together. ‘So tell me, what’s really been happening today while Sam and I have been upstairs with Peter?’ she prompted dryly.

‘Not a lot,’ Molly said lightly, deliberately keeping her expression deadpan.

‘Liar!’ Her friend laughed softly. ‘You and Gideon seem to be getting along together?’

‘If by that you mean I haven’t actually hit him over the head with one of your saucepans yet, then, yes, I suppose that we are,’ Molly answered disgustedly.

Crys’s chuckle deepened. ‘Gideon is a love.’

Molly almost stumbled up the last stair in surprise at this statement. A love? Gideon?

‘Well, I think he is,’ Crys added with a frown of consternation at Molly’s reaction to this statement.

‘Probably because he is, as far as you’re concerned,’ she dismissed. ‘I’m a completely different matter, I’m afraid. Perhaps it’s just that he doesn’t approve of actresses,’ she added, as Crys looked less than happy.

‘But he did come and dispose of that spider for you last night,’ Crys reminded her cajolingly.

‘Crys, it’s a mistake for you to try to matchmake between Gideon and me.’ Molly didn’t even attempt to correct her friend concerning Gideon’s ‘disposal’ of the spider. What was the point? Probably she and Gideon would never meet again after this Christmas holiday. There was no point in upsetting Crys’s friendship with Gideon just because she found him a sadistic swine.

‘Sam’s been talking to you,’ Crys guessed indignantly.

‘Not at all,’ Molly said easily, having no intention of implicating Sam in any of this. ‘I would have to be blind not to see what you’re up to,’ she told her friend affectionately. ‘But just stop, hmm? I’m not Gideon’s type. And he certainly isn’t mine,’ she added more forcefully. ‘I’ve never been attracted to that arrogant, macho type.’

‘But—’

‘Excuse me, ladies,’ cut in an icy-cold voice from behind them. ‘But you appear to be blocking the stairway,’ Gideon added pointedly as he stood on the step behind them.

Molly closed her eyes briefly before looking up at the ceiling above them, all other thoughts fleeing as she saw the yellow rose painted in the dome above. James’s trade mark…

She became completely still. She had forgotten that she had recommended James’s work to Sam when he’d been looking for an interior designer to come here four years ago, but that yellow rose above them in the domed ceiling reminded her all too forcefully of the friend, husband and brother the three of them had all lost.

For a few seconds everything seemed to stop, including time and sound, and a mellow calm settled over her before she once again became aware of exactly where she was. And whom she was with.

She turned sharply, hoping that Crys hadn’t seen her brief distraction, or the reason for it; the last thing she wanted to do at this time was to remind Crys of the husband she had loved and lost. But she needn’t have worried; Crys had been distracted herself by one of the Christmas decorations on the stair banister that had come loose, and she was attempting to fix it back in place.

Not so Gideon, Molly saw with dismay. His jaw was set rigidly, blue eyes glittering with fury as he glanced up at the domed ceiling and then back at her.

Molly stepped away. ‘I’ll see you both later,’ she managed to murmur before hurrying up another set of stairs to her bedroom on the third floor.

She closed the door thankfully behind her, knowing it was pointless even trying to explain to Gideon what had happened just now; he didn’t seem to believe a word she said anyway. And especially when it came to the subject of his brother James…

She was almost knocked off her feet as the door was pushed open behind her, and regained her balance to turn and see Gideon silhouetted in the doorway.

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ he snapped furiously, moving into the room to close the door behind him with barely suppressed violence, his eyes glittering dangerously as he looked across at her with unconcealed contempt.

Molly swallowed hard. She could try pretending she had no idea what he was talking about, but she had a feeling that would just make him angrier still. If that were possible! But at the same time she knew he wasn’t going to believe her if she told him the truth—that just for a moment, for a very brief moment, she had felt a closeness with James, an emotional affinity, and had mentally assured him that Crys was happy again now, that Sam would take care of her always.

If she even tried to put that into words she knew how stupid it would sound.

And to someone like Gideon, who seemed to enjoy thinking the worst of her, it would sound so much worse than stupid…

‘Well?’ he bit out harshly, a nerve pulsing in his jaw, hands clenched at his sides.

Molly drew in a deep breath. What could she say? How could she explain?

‘How dare you moon about like some lovesick idiot?’ Gideon rasped before she could formulate any sort of reply. ‘James is dead,’ he snapped viciously, before stepping forward to grasp her arms painfully in his hands and shake her slightly. ‘Dead—don’t you understand? When are you all going to accept that!’

Molly felt the colour drain from her cheeks at the stark brutality of his words. She knew James was dead, they all did, but that was no reason not to think of him sometimes. Especially now. Christmas was like that—a time of warmth and joy, but also a time to think of loved ones who were no longer here.

She shook her head. ‘I have accepted it—’

‘No,’ he rasped forcefully, shaking her again. ‘I don’t think you have.’

Molly’s breath caught sharply in her throat. ‘I don’t give a damn what you think—’

‘In that case…’ Without any warning, any indication of what was coming, Gideon’s mouth came crashing down on hers.

Molly was too stunned by the assault to respond at first, her breath lodged somewhere in her chest as Gideon crushed her against the hardness of his body, his arms like steel bands, his mouth ruthlessly plundering her own.

But that blinding numbness only lasted for a matter of seconds, and then Molly started fighting against him in earnest, her hands pushing at his chest as she wrenched her mouth away from the punishing determination of his.

‘Stop it!’ she gasped, glaring up at him with pained brown eyes. ‘Gideon, stop this!’ she cried again as his eyes glittered fiercely down at her.

He became very still, his face pale, set in grim lines as he stared down at her with narrowed eyes, his hands still tightly gripping her arms.

Probably as well; she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t collapse completely if Gideon weren’t holding her upright.

‘Please—stop,’ she groaned emotionally.

She simply couldn’t take any more today. The last twenty-four hours seemed more like a hundred. And it wasn’t over yet.

‘It’s Christmas,’ she added huskily.

Gideon blinked, still frowning darkly, although the glitter seemed to be fading from his eyes.

He shook his head. ‘What the hell am I doing?’ he finally muttered self-disgustedly, releasing her abruptly to step away.

Molly swallowed hard. ‘I have no idea. But I have a feeling you’re going to regret having done it once you have time to think about it,’ she added shakily.

One thing she was absolutely sure of was that the last thing Gideon really wanted to do was kiss her—at the time it had probably just seemed preferable to any other method of silencing her.

Gideon continued to stare at her for several long, breath-stopping moments, and Molly wasn’t sure quite what he was going to do next. In the circumstances, he probably wasn’t too sure himself.

He gave another shake of his head, frowning darkly now. ‘I apologise for…for whatever that was,’ he bit out abruptly, turning sharply away, seeming dazed by his own actions.

Molly felt her heart sink as she watched him walk heavily across the room. ‘Gideon…!’ she cried out as he opened the bedroom door.

‘Yes?’ He turned back to her, his expression bleak.

She bit her bottom lip, not quite sure what to say to him now that she had his attention, only aware that she couldn’t let him leave like this, with so many things left unsaid between them. ‘About James. I—we all still miss him,’ she breathed huskily.

If anything he looked even bleaker. ‘Some of us more than others, it would seem,’ he rasped, not waiting for her answer, but letting himself quietly out of the room.

Molly sat down heavily on the bed to bury her face in her hands as tears fell hotly down her cheeks.