Read Online Island of Darkness by Rebecca Stratton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rebecca Stratton
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would have done credit to his employer. “I went there to see you,” he explained. “But you weren’t there -fortunately I hadn’t left when your call came, so I came out for you.”
“Why, Scottie?” she asked softly. “Why now?”
It was not that she did not want to see him, but she had taken his absence as a sign that he was prepared to go along with what Jason Connor had decreed - either choose her or his job. It had been reasonable to expect he would want to stay in what must be a very lucrative and fairly comfortable post, but she had found his decision hurtful and rather deflating. Now it seemed he had had second thoughts, and for her own sake she was delighted.
“Och, you know well enough why!” he said quietly, and looked at her briefly over his shoulder. “I’d nothing to do with that quarrel the other week, and I missed seeing you. I did as Jason said for a while, but then I decided I wasn’t letting him spoil my - my relationship
with you and I went to see you.”
Impulsively she reached over and touched his hand with her finger-tips as he spun the wheel. “I’m glad,” she said softly. “I’ve missed you.” She looked at him from the thickness of her lashes, another point occurring to her suddenly. “Does Ja - Mr. Connor know you came?” she asked, and he pulled a face.
“He will now,” he said. “I borrowed his car to run into Rapallo and said I wouldn’t be long. Then I not only called at your uncle’s place to see you, but also came out again to rescue you. He’ll think I’ve left home!”
“Oh dear!” She looked at him again anxiously. “Will he be very angry?”
Scottie shrugged. “Very likely,” he said with a singular lack of concern. “He’s fond of blowing his top lately.” She declined to comment, but spared another moment to admire his driving skill. He was surely expert enough to be a racing driver himself if his current form was anything to judge by, unless, of course, he lacked the necessary dash and nerve that track racing demanded. But now at least she knew who this sleek, fast car belonged to and realised that it was just the kind of vehicle she would expect Jason Connor to own.
“I’m not surprised this is Ja — Mr. Connor’s car and not yours,” she told him with a wry smile. “I thought it didn’t look like you somehow, but I never thought of it being -being his.”
“Jason’s,” he said quietly, and gave her a brief, wry smile from the corner of his eye. “You don’t have to shy away from using his name, Leonora.”
She looked a little startled at his perception, but said nothing, and he smiled again. “You don’t afford cars like this on my pay, either,” he told her. “You’re right, it isn’t me — this bit of machinery is strictly luxury class!”
“Whosever it is,” Leonora said, “I’m glad you had it today and came so quickly to my rescue. I only hope you don’t get into too much trouble over it. Will - Mr. Connor raise too much of a dust about you being so long?”
Scottie smiled wryly. “As I said, he’ll probably blow his top and ask me where the hell I’ve been, but don’t worry, he won’t object when he knows why I’ve been so long. You’re doing him an injustice if you think he will, Leonora.”
“Am I?” She kept her eyes straight ahead and thought about that glamorous visitor in the cafe, wondering if Scottie knew of her impending arrival, or even if Jason Connor himself did, but she lacked the nerve to say anything about her yet.
“You don’t know him,” Scottie insisted. “He’s already regretting that fight you two had, and if you were to come over to the rock again, he’d welcome you with open arms -even if he didn’t make it very evident.”
Leonora doubted it very much, especially with the advent of the visitor, but she wished Scottie’s words had not aroused the memory of how she had been held in those arms that were supposed to be ready to welcome her, and she felt a warm colour
“Why, Scottie?” she asked softly. “Why now?”
It was not that she did not want to see him, but she had taken his absence as a sign that he was prepared to go along with what Jason Connor had decreed - either choose her or his job. It had been reasonable to expect he would want to stay in what must be a very lucrative and fairly comfortable post, but she had found his decision hurtful and rather deflating. Now it seemed he had had second thoughts, and for her own sake she was delighted.
“Och, you know well enough why!” he said quietly, and looked at her briefly over his shoulder. “I’d nothing to do with that quarrel the other week, and I missed seeing you. I did as Jason said for a while, but then I decided I wasn’t letting him spoil my - my relationship
with you and I went to see you.”
Impulsively she reached over and touched his hand with her finger-tips as he spun the wheel. “I’m glad,” she said softly. “I’ve missed you.” She looked at him from the thickness of her lashes, another point occurring to her suddenly. “Does Ja - Mr. Connor know you came?” she asked, and he pulled a face.
“He will now,” he said. “I borrowed his car to run into Rapallo and said I wouldn’t be long. Then I not only called at your uncle’s place to see you, but also came out again to rescue you. He’ll think I’ve left home!”
“Oh dear!” She looked at him again anxiously. “Will he be very angry?”
Scottie shrugged. “Very likely,” he said with a singular lack of concern. “He’s fond of blowing his top lately.” She declined to comment, but spared another moment to admire his driving skill. He was surely expert enough to be a racing driver himself if his current form was anything to judge by, unless, of course, he lacked the necessary dash and nerve that track racing demanded. But now at least she knew who this sleek, fast car belonged to and realised that it was just the kind of vehicle she would expect Jason Connor to own.
“I’m not surprised this is Ja — Mr. Connor’s car and not yours,” she told him with a wry smile. “I thought it didn’t look like you somehow, but I never thought of it being -being his.”
“Jason’s,” he said quietly, and gave her a brief, wry smile from the corner of his eye. “You don’t have to shy away from using his name, Leonora.”
She looked a little startled at his perception, but said nothing, and he smiled again. “You don’t afford cars like this on my pay, either,” he told her. “You’re right, it isn’t me — this bit of machinery is strictly luxury class!”
“Whosever it is,” Leonora said, “I’m glad you had it today and came so quickly to my rescue. I only hope you don’t get into too much trouble over it. Will - Mr. Connor raise too much of a dust about you being so long?”
Scottie smiled wryly. “As I said, he’ll probably blow his top and ask me where the hell I’ve been, but don’t worry, he won’t object when he knows why I’ve been so long. You’re doing him an injustice if you think he will, Leonora.”
“Am I?” She kept her eyes straight ahead and thought about that glamorous visitor in the cafe, wondering if Scottie knew of her impending arrival, or even if Jason Connor himself did, but she lacked the nerve to say anything about her yet.
“You don’t know him,” Scottie insisted. “He’s already regretting that fight you two had, and if you were to come over to the rock again, he’d welcome you with open arms -even if he didn’t make it very evident.”
Leonora doubted it very much, especially with the advent of the visitor, but she wished Scottie’s words had not aroused the memory of how she had been held in those arms that were supposed to be ready to welcome her, and she felt a warm colour
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