Sleeping Love

Sleeping Love By Sara Curran-Ross

Sleeping Love By: Sara Curran-Ross Copyright © 2011 Sara Curran-Ross Published by: Hellfire Publishing, Inc at Smashwords www.hellfirepublishing.com All rights reserved. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Digital ISBN: 978-1-937179-91-5 Cover art by: Dara England Edited by: Julanne Batterton

This book is work of fiction. Characters, names, places, incidents, and organizations are a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

Chapter One Sabrina glanced out of the window, watching the moon cast a silvery shadow over the pretty French countryside. The black Mercedes glided over a hill and entered a picturesque pine forest. It opened out to reveal a beautiful French chateau illuminated by strategic lighting to highlight its majestic size and architecture in the darkness. Sabrina caught her breath. Chateau Valois appeared to have been stolen brick by brick from a fairy-tale. She couldn’t help feeling that it would have been more romantic to have arrived in front of such a grand building by carriage instead of a car. Its tall, cream turrets were capped with smooth grey and strained to their fullest imposing height. They served to show that not only was the house a home but also an impenetrable fortress just like its owner. She’d expected something elaborate and elegant, after all her host was a wealthy businessman, but this was stunning and far outweighed her expectations. The car travelled over a drawbridge lying over the moat surrounding the Chateau. It drove through an arch nestled between two towers, and Sabrina heard the car’s wheels softly crunch over the gravel of the inner courtyard opening out in front of them. He was there striding out of the house as the car came to a halt. His tall intimidating frame sent a curious mixture of excitement and fear tingling along the length of her spine. It was a feeling that had seized her the first time she had met him and continued to intrigue her curiosity. He opened the door before the chauffeur alighted and offered his hand, giving her no choice but to accept his assistance. She felt his hand linger, smoothing the pad of his thumb over her knuckles. It was an intimate caress, one only made

by a lover. Startled, Sabrina pulled her hand away embarrassed. She hardly knew the man and considered his gesture more than a little forward engendering her suspicion. He gave her a hooded smile as though he had fully anticipated her reaction and remarked on the coldness of the weather, completely undeterred. Expressing his concern that she would be feeling the chill, his arm hung loosely around her waist, bringing a healthy flush to her cheeks as he guided her into the house. The housekeeper was waiting for them. She gave Sabrina a cordial but guarded greeting, making her believe that the woman was unsure about her presence in the house. The very idea made Sabrina anxious. Housekeepers were the guardians of their employer’s privacy and secrets. It made Sabrina worry if she was in some sort of danger. But she dismissed it as a fanciful notion. The woman led them both up the snaking stone staircase blanketed by a luxurious red carpet to Sabrina’s room. ‘I put you in this room, Sabrina, because it has a good view of the grounds,’ her enigmatic host told her as they entered one of the guest rooms. ‘Do you like it?’ he asked moving away towards the white marble fireplace at the side. He appeared eager for her approval, but it was hard to take in the splendour of her surroundings when Raoul Valoire was present. His very being dominated the pretty blue room, making it appear small and insignificant. Sabrina swept her eyes over the room making a conscious effort to survey it. The Antique French walnut four poster bed with dark blue curtains and bedding of white and blue silk caught her attention immediately. She quickly removed her gloves and smoothed her hand up one of the thin posts to the intricate gothic carving that decorated it. Sabrina glanced up at one of the four gargoyles on each edge of the wooden canopy, no doubt placed there to ward off evil

spirits in the night, and smiled with pleasure. She was looking forward to spending the night in the bed. ‘Yes, of course I do. My life, my job is History. I eat, sleep and breathe it, and here I am surrounded by it. It’s as though I have physically stepped into the past. The room is beautiful,’ she gushed nervously. Raoul was on his hunches stoking the fire to make it blaze higher. He stopped for a moment, and she was sure she could see his mouth curve into a knowing mocking smile. She prickled. Why did she get the unsettling feeling Raoul Valoire knew more about herself than she did and was enjoying it? The unexpected feeling bore strength and caused uneasiness in her mind. Just a week ago had marked seven years since she had woken up beaten in a London hospital minus her memory. She couldn’t even remember her real name. It made her more than suspicious and fearful when people appeared to know more about herself than she did. Inwardly she rebuked her thoughts. You are just being paranoid. How could he possibly know anything about you? We both come from very different worlds. There is no way he could know . . . Stop it. He’s just one of those bloody men who knows, exactly how to charm a woman until she falls at his feet. That was quite obvious when we met at his cocktail party in London a week ago. He had all of the women flocking around him. Raoul can pick any woman he wants and with a click of his fingers they would be in his bed. Arrogant, pompous, womanising. . . She began removing her gloves, loosening the buttons on her coat, trying to think of more derogatory words to call him when she suddenly felt him close behind. Sabrina stopped and turned to look up at him nervously having a crazy thought that he might have heard her thoughts. Raoul’s tall figure dwarfed her small curved form, and she found herself straightening her back to rise to her full petite height.

‘You haven’t taken your coat off yet,’ he said with a frown. ‘Is there something wrong? Are you cold, Sabrina?’ It was the way he said her name, the way it rolled off his tongue with that sexy melodic French lilt, like an intimate caress that made her soften. ‘No, thank you. I’m fine. I was just about to.’ But he was there before she could raise her hands to begin the task, slowly slipping the cashmere coat from her shoulders and depositing it on the bed behind her. Why stop there? Cold? How could I be? Every time you are near me, I feel myself burning like a furnace. Ever since we met I have felt this, and you know it. You think you have got me just where you want me, and I don’t like it. It’s not like me to be so stupid with a man or to have some silly girl crush. Yet, here I am allowing you to exert your power and reel me in like a dumb fish. Damn it, Sabrina. Get some control. The man was a virtual stranger. She knew nothing about Raoul Valoire, but her body spoke to her in fleeting images of them in past encounters entwined together in unbridled passion. It was crazy. They were so vivid they felt like memories. Could they be? Maybe we did meet in the past, and I just can’t remember? Perhaps, I am one of your old conquests? A one night stand or something? Maybe you heard about my memory loss and thought it would be fun to play with me? Stop it Sabrina. You have to start trusting people. It’s just paranoia and your wild imagination kicking off. Calm down. She looked up at him wondering if somehow he’d seen it too. Raoul’s eyes were dark and fathomless. They were dangerous eyes, the type that swallowed a woman whole and didn’t allow her up for air. She heard herself give a small inward gasp as those mysterious black-as-the-night pools drew her in and held her prisoner.

Unnerved by the curious effect he was having upon her and feeling a sudden chill, Sabrina pulled away to admire the roaring fire, rubbing her arms. ‘Are you feeling all right, Sabrina? Is there anything I can get you?’ he asked. She turned around. There it was again, that knowing smile, as if he knew exactly what she was feeling, and it amused him. She studied his face looking for some clue as to the game he was playing, but he was giving nothing away. Sabrina watched him smile innocently, clearly aware of the purpose of her scrutiny. Every time she looked at him, he took her breath away. That was what made him so deadly, she decided. He possessed the type of looks that would seduce a woman from a mile away. An English mother and French father provided a light Latin warmth to his skin and an aristocratic smoothness to his face. His smooth mid-length hair was an enticing mixture of dark brown flecked intermittently with a lighter version of the colour. Sabrina felt a sudden urge to run her fingers through its rich texture and gave a small jump when a clear picture of her doing just that, vividly entered her mind. It was something she had done before, she could almost swear to it. Sabrina began stepping backwards both alarmed by her thoughts and on seeing Raoul stride towards her, but there was no safe retreat. Her back was nearly hitting the fireplace, and the heat of the fire was about to scorch and melt the leather of her boots if she got any closer. Her blue eyes searched his face, looking for some explanation when his eyes narrowed at her. More than a little nervous, she made an attempt to move away to the side. But she found her chin being lifted, and her head tilted sideways. Sabrina took a breath unexpectedly delighted at his gentle hold.

Raoul trailed the warm tips of his fingers along her neck, gently probing the aching stiffness that tormented her so often because she was unable to fully relax. It was a problem that never relented in plaguing her. Surprised, she found herself allowing him to turn her around to face the fire so he could better massage her painfully stiff neck. Pleasure forced her eyes to close as she felt her body obediently soften and melt against his masterful touch. ‘You are always tensing, Sabrina. When will you ever learn to relax?’ It wasn’t even his words that shocked her, it was the gentle familiarity with which he spoke them. Her mind was screaming caution, but her body had a will of its own, paralysing any movement she made to escape. He knew exactly where to touch, to soothe and to deepen the massage to ease her pain. She would swear to it. What is happening? More to the point, why am I allowing him to touch me like that? ‘Dinner will be ready in half an hour,’ the housekeeper stopped her speech abruptly, her eyes resting anxiously on her employer. They hadn’t even heard her knock. Raoul lowered his hands. Sabrina moved away from him quickly, feeling grateful that she had been rescued from making a fool of herself. Raoul had been so close in conquering her resistance. If the housekeeper hadn’t come in . . . Who knows what it would have led to? But try as she might she couldn’t deny the irritation she felt at the loss of his wonderful caress of her neck. With as much dignity as she could muster and ignoring the warm flush to her cheeks, Sabrina thanked the woman and informed her that she would be downstairs as soon as possible. It was the cue for both of them to leave. The housekeeper took it at once, but Raoul lingered. Sabrina felt afraid and for a moment considered making some excuse to leave the Chateau. But her common

sense made light of the situation. She was imagining it. He obviously liked her, and she was complimented. Is it so bad that he likes you? Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking that you’ve known him before. Maybe for once in my life I should take a chance on a man and not view him as the enemy. After all, Raoul is very attractive to say the least. I should be flattered he is even taking an interest in me, when he can have his pick of women. He’s kind, considerate, even if he is a little bit of a control freak. Married life with Raoul . . . Now there is a thought. I bet he’s great in bed and there would be no more money worries for sure . . . Then there is the Chateau . . . Bloody hell, Sabrina. Stop thinking like a school girl. I don’t need a man in my life. End of story. Raoul Valoire has got you thinking like a mad woman. Maybe I should leave. None of this feels right or safe. No, I came here to do a job and I am not leaving until it’s done. I will conduct myself professionally from now on and make sure he keeps his distance. Yet, the strangeness of the whole occurrence kept intruding on her thoughts, and try as she might she could not put it aside. There was something about this house and the people who inhabited its walls, a familiarity she couldn’t quite explain. It was just like déjà vu. Raoul interrupted her ruminations. His hands were firmly in his trouser pockets as if to keep them from further mischief, his speech formal and remote once more. ‘I will see you later. Please call myself or my staff if you require anything.’ Smiling, he headed for the door and took his leave. Sabrina was left wondering what other excitement the evening would bring and what part Raoul would play in it. Sabrina changed into a short plain black dress with spaghetti straps. It was the only dress she possessed. She preferred trousers. They never let her down. They hid the petite legs she always unjustifiably condemned herself for

owning, but defined her small waist to perfection along with the feminine curve of her hips. She looked at herself in the full length mirror and groaned, trying to pull the dress down a little further to her knees. Her attention turned to her breasts and produced another groan. They were generous and voluptuously round. She had no wish to over amplify their size, but the dress wasn’t giving her a choice. Not really one for wearing dresses, Sabrina had thought she better make the effort to look her best. It wasn’t every day that she got to dine and stay with the glitterati in their mansions. The dress had been bought at considerable expense, putting a heavy strain on her meagre budget, and now she felt self-conscious wearing it. It made her feel exposed, as if all her secrets were on show. Just what I need. More fodder for Raoul to tease me with. About to decide to rebel and pull on her jeans and a sweater, she became distracted by a new torment. Her hair. Half an hour later she finally gave up the ghost on trying to soften and straighten her defiant bob of black curls. A quick glance at her watch had her cursing her lateness and heading for the door. Her host was about to knock on her door when she left, making her think he’d been prowling around outside waiting for her to come out all of that time. But he had changed. He was in a black suit and casual white designer shirt open at the neck. Those dark eyes scanned her dress and came to rest on her breasts. An approving smile twitched across Raoul’s lips. Triumph that he found her attractive in the dress warred with her indignation at his intimate assessment. ‘You look beautiful Sabrina, but you should have worn something warmer. The Chateau is full of draughts,’ he teased.

‘I will be fine, Monsieur Valoire,’ she insisted, irritation audible in her tone. She edged away to maintain some distance between them. But his hand rested firmly against the smooth satin skin of her bare arm when her distracted mind tried to lead her in the wrong direction and brought her back to heel. They walked through a string of rooms until they finally reached the dining room. It was decorated in a deep earthy gothic red, garnished with Flemish tapestries and portraits of the Chateau’s previous ancestral owners. The long oak table which sat twelve people was dressed with elaborate candelabra dripping lightly with molten wax. The flames of the candles flickered shadows around the room as they entered. It was just the way she liked to have dinner, romantic by candlelight, and in this Chateau, it was a dream come true. How did this man know all of her secrets? Maybe he’d had her followed, checked out. She wouldn’t put it past a rich man like Raoul. But why would he do such a thing? Maybe he really is interested in me. It’s flattering but . . . Tough, this lady is not for turning, Buster. He pulled out a high back chair covered in Spanish leather for her to sit next to him at the head of the table. ‘Monsieur Valoire, when can I expect to view the historic documentation you possess on your ancestor Christophe Valoire so I can begin my research?’ she asked as they were served a light started of goats’ cheese and salad dressed in aromatic oil. He caught her eyes as the butler poured claret into the crystal glasses. ‘You are a work alcoholic, Dr Michaels. I thought you could take a few days to relax and enjoy your stay. I thought you might allow me to show you around the Loire Valley. He was looking at her so intently she felt her eyes lower and her cheeks flush in response.

‘I would have liked that very much, but I have to give a lecture in Paris in a couple of days, and I need to prepare.’ He was undeterred. ‘Well, we will just have to see what we can achieve in the time we have together.’ Sabrina managed a nervous smile. It was no secret that he wanted her. The conversation continued, his deep velvety tone playing havoc with her every attempt not to melt and fall at his feet like some love struck teenager. You know damn well what kind of effect you are having on me and like an idiot I am falling for it. He is making fun of me. I can see it dancing in his bloody eyes. Bastard. I don’t like being manipulated. ‘I have read your book and recent articles, Sabrina. I am especially interested in your research concerning gender issues in popular culture in Europe in the Eighteenth century. You are a hopeless feminist, aren’t you?’ It was her turn to smile. ‘Does that threaten you, Monsieur Valoire?’ ‘Please call me Raoul. Why would I feel threatened? I admire it. Well, to a certain extent,’ he grinned. ‘As long as it suits me. I just wonder whether or not you have considered how a man would have felt about the way he was forced to live in the Eighteenth century in France?’ ‘I can assure you Monsieur…Raoul that I make adequate recompense to the issues of masculinity, that is why I intend to write a biography of your famous ancestor…’ she told him firmly, feeling her temper rise at his questioning of her professional work ethic as a Gender Historian. But when she heard him laugh and realised with embarrassment that he was merely teasing, she halted her passionate speech and bent to eat her food feeling foolish. An awkward silence ensued, and Sabrina began to feel more uncomfortable. Ribbons of light from the candles

danced across Raoul’s handsome face giving him a dark and mysterious air when he finally broke the oppressive silence. ‘I’m sorry, Sabrina. I was only playing with you,’ he smiled warmly. ‘I enjoyed reading your academic work. It raises some interesting questions.’ She nodded, accepting the apology but felt reluctant engaging in any further conversation, suddenly feeling very tired and on edge. The more she looked around the room, the more convinced she was that she had been in it before. She couldn’t explain it. Maybe she’d visited the place as a child when its previous owner allowed the public to visit. But the explanation didn’t seem adequate. Even the tapestries and the scenes they depicted were more than familiar. ‘Are you ill, Sabrina? You look a little pale,’ he asked. ‘No, no I’m fine. I just have this weird déjà vu feeling that I’ve been here before. It’s silly really,’ she joked. She raised her eyes to the ceiling and shook her head. ‘Maybe in my last lifetime,’ she smiled, amused at her thoughts. He said nothing, taking another sip of wine. For a moment his eyes avoided her. She found it odd that he would not make some remark or even a joke. ‘I look forward to reading your work on my rogue ancestor, but for now I want to hear all about you,’ he insisted, putting down his glass, quickly changing the subject. Raoul’s eyes never left her face as she took a hurried sip of her own wine. ‘There isn’t much to tell I’m afraid,’ she said nervously. Sabrina didn’t really talk about her memory loss to anyone. Only a couple of close friends knew about it. It wasn’t something she was very comfortable talking about. There was always a worry that the wrong person would find out and somehow use it against her. It was an odd fear

to have, but it was there. She always wondered if it was a way to hide from the man who beat her and put her in the hospital. ‘Maybe we should talk about something more interesting.’ She smiled sweetly, expertly covering the pain that slashed at her insides with a knife. But he was to remain annoyingly inquisitive. ‘No. I’m intrigued. Tell me about yourself.’ She didn’t miss the command in his tone. There was no escape. Raoul Valoire was the first man she’d come across who didn’t take no for an answer. Many people had sensed she was secretive. They had tried to find out about her past, but she had eventually been able to suppress their curiosity and change the subject. Raoul was clearly different. He was not about to let her gracefully bow out of the conversation. There was nothing to tell. Nothing she could remember beyond seven years ago when she’d woken up in the hospital badly beaten, raped and without her memory. She didn’t want to talk about it. Sometimes when people continued to press for her life story and family details she would make up stories. They were better termed fantasies. She didn’t want to do that tonight. Besides, she had a feeling Raoul would see straight through them. Sabrina’s voice stalled in her throat and another awkward silence fell upon the dining room. She looked away, desperately searching her mind for a way of excusing her behaviour. ‘Well, I don’t see you wearing a wedding ring, so I take it that you aren’t married?’ he quizzed. His voice was soft but Sabrina could hear some malice lingering in his tone. What is your problem? I’ve had enough of your games. Maybe I really should leave. She jumped when he suddenly picked up her hand that rested on the table and began to gently examine her fingers. He stroked each one sensually, circling the pad of his

thumb in the middle of her palm. His touch was tender, gentle and warm, her hand so small and slender against his large one. The action made her feel safe, soothed. It felt curiously natural for him to caress her this way as if he had done many times before. Her mind seemed reluctant to even question it. She watched entranced as he continued his rhythmic stroking of her hand, wondering why Raoul appeared to have so much power over her self-control. It was a normal thing to ask, to see if there was any competition. He wasn’t hiding his interest. But there was a curious firmness in his tone that appeared to challenge her answer, dared her to say no. ‘No, I’m not married,’ she told him truthfully. She felt herself begin to tremble when his eyes stared directly into her own. To her amazement they were full of hurt. Her heart began to thud at an alarming rate when his eyes slowly began to narrow with dark primitive anger. ‘I think you are lying,’ the words were spoken coldly, a streak of menace lining every one. ‘Where is your wedding ring, Sabrina?’ Confused and terrified, Sabrina attempted to pull her hand away. Raoul’s response was to hold it tighter, making her cry out with the strength of his grip. Once more he demanded angrily, ‘Where is your wedding ring? Did you throw it away? Why did you forget? Answer me, Sabrina or so help me. . .’ Almost as if on eerie cue, the wind that had been building outside swirled around the Chateau with a deathly cry from an open window, extinguishing the burning flames of the candles. The lamps at intervals on the walls also went out as if a fuse had been blown. Sabrina felt suffocated as the wall of darkness imprisoned her sight and pressed down upon her. She was terrified of the dark and had never known the reason. The last seven years had been spent living in the dark not knowing what had happened. It

was all too much to bear. She struggled violently in Raoul’s hold. ‘Hush, Sabrina. I know you have been frightened of the dark since you were a child. It will only last for a few moments. The lights are always going out. It happens in old buildings,’ he told her gently, lowering his voice to a smooth velvet tone to calm her fear. She heard him stand and felt him pull her struggling form into his arms. His fingers stroked soothingly through her hair, but she was not to be placated. ‘What is going on? You’ve been acting strange with me since I arrived. Why are you asking me about a wedding ring? Let me go. I want to go home,’ Sabrina insisted. ‘You’re not going anywhere, Sabrina,’ he told her firmly transferring his hold to her wrists in an effort to stop her moving. ‘You belong here. This is your home, and I am never letting you leave again.’ ‘What are you saying? Who are you? How do you know so much about me?’ she stopped struggling, more from shock than anything else. ‘You really don’t remember do you?’ he sounded disbelieving, dismayed, barely able to contain his frustrated anger. ‘You are my wife.’

Chapter Two Sabrina instantly halted her struggle to escape Raoul’s hold, shocked to her core by his words. ‘Sabrina, it’s true. I’ve played this charade far enough.’ There was an impatient brewing storm in his tone. ‘I know the doctors told me to be careful with you, but you are my wife. I have been without you for too long.’ The butler brought in a lit candelabrum, momentarily ceasing their conversation. He sat it on the middle of the

table without speaking and quickly left. Raoul’s face came back into view. It was filled with love. Sabrina began to struggle again, desperate to free herself from his grasp. ‘What the hell are you talking about? Let go of me. I’ve never been married. You heard about my lost memory didn’t you? Maybe you thought it would be fun to make me think I was your wife. Perhaps you can replace those memories I lost with ones of your own for your own amusement,’ she shouted. ‘Maybe someone bet you to do it for a laugh?’ There was a shake to her voice she fought hard to control. You sound crazy. Why would he even bother to do that? What the hell is happening here? She felt exposed, vulnerable. She’d lost seven years of her life, lost her family, lost her identity. When she’d woken up in that hospital in London, nobody knew who she was. No one came to claim her. She had to make up a new name for herself and find the will to carry on. Afraid and alone, she managed to set up a new life for herself, going to University to study history, afterwards a PhD. Then she became a lecturer and wrote a book, gaining a reputation in the academic field. She’d given up trying to find her family. They didn’t appear to want to know her. ‘Sabrina, don’t say those things. I love you, you are my wife,’ Raoul insisted holding her in a tight grip against him. ‘You’re lying. My family have made no effort to find me. Why would my husband want to claim me as his own now, after all these years? He would be remarried by now . . . This is a cruel, sick joke . . .’ Sabrina’s eyes filled with angry tears. ‘Enough. I won’t listen to this. I will prove it to you,’ Raoul snapped, reaching down to scoop the candelabrum off the table. He tightened his hold on her wrist with a grip that would have been better suited to a vice, making her squeal.

He led her out of the room. Sabrina made every effort to drag her heels, pulling at his hand to force him to let go. Raoul only tightened his hold further and dragged her along. Sabrina’s eyes could see nothing but what the candles allowed her to see. They travelled through the dark rooms, the wooden floors creaking and groaning with centuries of use under their feet, highly audible in the ghostly silence that settled on the house. Finally, they reached a room that she presumed was Raoul’s study by the elaborate desk and leather chair he dragged her behind. He came to a stop in front of a large framed canvas and raised the candelabrum, directing her to look at it. Sabrina gasped out loud. There was no mistaking her own image. She was seated in a chair in a black velvet ball gown cut away seductively across the breast. Raoul stood tall, proud and possessive at the side of the chair. Her hair was longer, and her eyes twinkled with a happiness. Sabrina couldn’t remember looking that happy or even feeling that way in the last seven years. It was breath-taking and a shock to the system. She tried to take a step back and found herself half falling to the floor, half fainting with shock. Raoul caught her waist skilfully and pulled her up close to him. It was then that the lights came back on. ‘Now do you believe me, Sabrina?’ Raoul demanded, a note of triumph and vindication in his voice. She glanced around the room. The place was littered with photographs of herself and Raoul very much in love. The room began to spin with a carousel of broken memories, a hundred swirling images that were there in a second and gone in a heartbeat. She didn’t know what to believe anymore. Her body began to sway alarmingly as she looked up at the canvas again. Raoul slipped his arm under her legs and swept her up into his arms to deposit her onto a chair. He quickly moved away and poured her a glass of cognac from the drinks cabinet.

‘I know you don’t like cognac, Sabrina, but you will drink it. You need it for the shock you have just experienced. Now drink.’ He was right. She didn’t like it. She wasn’t keen on alcohol apart from wine. Sabrina obediently took the glass, too dazed and confused to pass comment on his correct knowledge. But her trembling hands made her clumsy, and he took control holding the glass to her lips, instructing her to sip slowly. She coughed as the fiery liquid hit the back of her throat and tried to push the glass away, but he was firm, giving her no choice but to continue drinking. He watched her anxiously when frustrated tears gathered in her eyes once more. ‘You have been using your middle name, Sabrina. Your first name is Melissa,’ he gave a small laugh. ‘You hate it, so you use Sabrina. Michaels is your maiden name. You’ve been using them without even knowing.’ He knelt at her feet, gently cupping her face with his hands. ‘There is no Christophe Valoire is there?’ she asked, already knowing the answer. Raoul shook his head and smiled. ‘No there isn’t. It was just a ruse to get you here. You disappeared from the Chateau on the night of a ball I held for your birthday party, seven years ago. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get you to believe me until I brought you home. I saw the way you looked at the Chateau. You remembered it. I knew you would. You love this place.’ He smiled at her again. There was relief in his eyes. ‘This is going to be difficult for you, Sabrina. I am a stranger to you at the moment, but in time I hope I can help you remember our life together.’ ‘I don’t know what’s happening. I just want to leave,’ she heard herself say before she could even think. ‘I’m confused. I can’t trust all of this . . . I . . .’ He sighed.

‘You’re afraid. I understand that. It’s a lot to take in, but I can’t let you leave. You are my wife, you belong here, and I am never going to part with you again, whatever the outcome.’ His thumb caressed the light satin of her cheek as if to soften the impact of his revelation. She rubbed her eyes. ‘Am I a prisoner here?’ Did he intend to hold her here against her will? ‘I would hardly call you a prisoner, in your own home, Sabrina,’ he told her with affront. But there was something in his tone that made her believe that if she pushed him with her threats to leave, he would keep her a prisoner. ‘What happens if I leave?’ she challenged. He smiled. ‘You won’t. You have too many reasons to stay.’ Sabrina’s heart began to pound. He wasn’t giving her a solid answer. ‘How far will you go to stop me leaving?’ she asked nervously, seeing no point in hiding her blatant concern any longer. Raoul’s seductive black eyes narrowed a fraction, as a frown burrowed in his forehead. Sabrina found herself holding her breath as he captured her face in his hands once more. There was no mistaking his resolve or his authority when he spoke in a low soft velvet voice. ‘You have amnesia, Sabrina. That makes you unwell. A doctor might say that you were unable to make decisions for yourself, and I as your husband should make them for you. A court of law would most likely see it the same way. . .’ ‘You wouldn’t dare . . .’ she was outraged. She watched him study her trembling lips with longing, then look up at her with dark possessive eyes. She heard herself take a quick breath overpowered by their intensity. There was no doubt in her mind that he would

never let her leave. Somewhere deep inside a treacherous part of her loved him for it. ‘I will go as far as I have to. You are my wife. It’s time I reminded you of your wedding vows.’

Chapter Three Sabrina glared at Raoul and moved to stand up from her chair in a temper. She pushed her way past him, ignoring his demand for her to remain seated in case she fell to the floor again. She shook her head and looked up at the painting. ‘I don’t believe this . . . it’s unreal. I don’t remember getting married. I don’t remember anything about our life together,’ she told him angrily. Raoul frowned and straightened from his kneeling position, making Sabrina feel small and defenceless against his tall height. Afraid of what he might do, she took two steps back, but Raoul headed for the top drawer of his desk. Sabrina glanced back at the door wondering whether she should make a sudden break for freedom. She needed space, time to think. Her mind made up, she straightened and headed for the door deciding to leave and collect her thoughts. There was nothing he could do to keep her here. A doctor couldn’t just write her off as insane and have her committed. There were laws. She needed to think, to escape. Her whole world felt as though it was a whirl. Nothing appeared safe or trustworthy. Leaving would give her some control back until she could decide what to do. Surely, Raoul would understand that. Frantically, she headed for the door and reached out for the handle with a shaking hand when she stopped dead, hearing the cracking whip of Raoul’s reprimand across the air. ‘Sabrina. Where are you going?’

Sabrina turned sharply, tilting her chin defiantly at him. ‘You can’t stop me leaving,’ she threatened. ‘I will call the police.’ He gave a laugh and began walking towards her with determination. ‘It will do you no good,’ he told her softly. ‘They know that you are home and that your memory loss may have made you unstable. They are more than likely to advise hospital care if I can’t keep you under control, than help you leave.’ ‘I knew you would be like this so I dug our wedding certificate out of my pile of personal papers last night.’ He unfolded the piece of paper he held in his hand and offered it to her. ‘Your signature will prove that this is not some elaborate hoax. You belong to me, Sabrina, and I am not letting you walk out of that door again.’ She glanced at the certificate and the signature that he pointed to. It is definitely my writing. Blind panic filled her mind. She didn’t know what to do. What if Raoul is the man who beat me so badly I lost my memory? What if he really is the man who put me in the hospital seven years ago? Maybe I had tried to leave him, and he’d become violent. Too many questions. I need to get out. ‘Do what the hell you want, but I am still leaving, and there is nothing you can do,’ she shouted, wasting no more time in turning the door handle. But to her dismay she was not to get very far. Raoul leaned over and raised his hand above her head, slamming the door shut hard. Sabrina gave a yelp of fear and turned around to face him, finding her back pressed against the door with no means of escape. Raoul’s dark eyes looked down at her threateningly. He closed the distance between them, sweeping his arm around her waist when she made a gesture to duck out from under the cage of his arm. He

pushed her back against the door once more and restrained her there. ‘I am going to keep you here even if I have to tie you down. I want to know why you walked out on my life. We were in love. I have spent years wondering what happened. I never once thought you were dead. Did you leave me for another man? Your absence has tormented me. One moment we were happy and the next you were gone from my life. I didn’t know what to think. At first I thought you had left me. Then when I saw there had been a struggle in your study, I was terrified.’ Raoul’s tone grew more intense with anger, leaving Sabrina trembling. ‘The police believed you were murdered, and I was their main suspect. I was an obvious target after someone told them that they had heard us arguing that night. The police even dragged the lake on the grounds looking for your body. How the hell do you think that made me feel? Even our own friends began to suspect me, and the English press went out to get me. I spent two nights in a jail cell while the police questioned me. I thought I was going to lose my mind. The only thing that stopped them from charging me with your murder was the lack of a body and help from my old school friend in the police, who believed in my innocence. I lost friends. I nearly lost my business, but worst of all I had lost you. I hid myself away in this Chateau like some kind of recluse. Here I could be close to you. I wasn’t sure I was going to pull through, and I spent some dark nights alone wondering whether or not I should carry on life without you.’ Sabrina’s eyes filled with unexpected tears as she listened to Raoul’s impassioned speech as he recounted his pain at her disappearance. Their appearance only seemed to fuel his anger even more. ‘I want answers, Sabrina, and after everything you have put me through these last seven years, you are going

to give them to me, darling wife. So yes you will stay, and yes I will make you a prisoner if I have to.’ Sabrina would have retorted, but both fear and confusion about her disappearance from the Chateau caused a flurry of broken images to twist inside her mind. She could see herself standing talking to someone. Music played in the background, and there were people dancing in Venetian masks. It looked as though she was attending a Masked Ball. She was unhappy with someone and kept saying, ‘I know what you are doing, and I won’t let you get away with it. You won’t stop me.’ Her emotions at the time were fearful, but she was determined. The image played over and over in her mind. ‘Sabrina,’ Raoul sternly called her name, but his voice sounded vague, distant, beyond the memory taking prominence in her mind. ‘Sabrina,’ Raoul’s voice was more gentle this time, but it was the touch of his fingers on her cheek that roused her and brought her attention back into focus. ‘Sabrina, what is wrong? You seemed to disappear. You were vacant for a moment, I . . .’ ‘I remembered something . . . I think I did anyway,’ her voice sounded drowsy with disbelief and confusion. Raoul’s mouth lifted into a cautious smile as he studied her closely. ‘That’s good. It’s a start. You look pale. You were out of it. Now you must see how I can’t allow you to leave. It is unsafe for you to be alone,’ he whispered, continuing his light caress of her cheek. ‘I just want to be alone so I can think. I know you are upset and angry, but this is very frightening for me. I woke up beaten in a hospital and . . .’ she paused feeling the tears gather in her eyes. ‘And raped,’ Raoul slowly finished for her. The pain in his eyes tightened. ‘I know about your injuries, Sabrina.’

Sabrina turned away angrily rubbing at the tears suddenly running down her face. She didn’t like showing weakness to anyone. ‘You must be afraid to trust anyone, especially me,’ Raoul continued gently. ‘But I have to make you. You need help, and I want you back. I will do whatever it takes to make you remember. I want to know who did this to you, and I want them to pay,’ he was restraining the angry frustration in his voice, but Sabrina couldn’t help pity the man when he found him. ‘Please you have to let me go. I want to think about this. . . How do I know you weren’t involved?’ she blurted out afraid that she might actually be imprisoned with her real attacker. ‘How do I know it wasn’t you?’ She felt the remorse the moment she spoke the words. Raoul’s eyes fired with angry disappointment. Hurt was visibly strong on his features. A sense of betrayal and disloyalty strangled Sabrina’s insides with guilt. Raoul caught her chin and lifted it up towards himself, forcing her gaze to painful attention with the strain of his hold. ‘Make no mistake,’ he told her darkly. ‘I did not beat or rape you. I did not try to murder you either. I would never hurt you. I love you, and I want you back. If you remembered me, you would never think that I was capable of such violence. Don’t ever doubt or question me on this again. I won’t tolerate it. Do you understand, Sabrina?’ ‘You just expect me to trust you? I know nothing about . . .’ ‘Yes, I do,’ he interrupted with impatience. ‘You have no choice. I am not giving you one.’ He slowly lowered her chin and moved away. He picked up the wedding certificate he had dropped onto a side table and took it back to the drawer. He gestured towards all of the photographs littering the room.

‘Did I look like I wanted to murder you? Can’t you see how happy we were?’ he sounded frustrated, almost despairing. ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t remember. If there was any way I could, I would,’ Sabrina heard herself shout. Raoul leaned back against his desk with folded arms, watching her intently. ‘We will find a way,’ he said calmly. There was no room for defeat in his tone. ‘I have a doctor who specialises in treating amnesia coming to the Chateau tomorrow to examine you.’ ‘What? You can’t just take over my life. I have my own doctor . . .’ ‘I am your husband, and I have every right to interfere in your life and take over when you are in ill health. Besides, I only deal with the best in the medical profession.’ Sabrina lost her temper. ‘You are infuriating. I am leaving in the morning. I am going to my room.’ Sabrina opened the door. Raoul had done nothing to stop her leaving the room, remaining in his relaxed position, leaning against his desk. ‘Sabrina, if you leave this house tomorrow, I will find you and have you committed to a hospital until your memory returns,’ he informed her casually. She turned quickly ready to launch a full on verbal attack, but he held up his hand to silence her protest and carried on. ‘And believe me, it will be useless to fight me on this. I have enough power and influence with the police and the medical profession in Paris to make it happen so fast, it will make your head spin. Don’t force me to act. I really don’t want you confined in a private psychiatric hospital. I want you here at home with me. I want us to be together again. But if confining you in a hospital is the only way to keep you in my life until you remember, I will not hesitate.’

Sabrina gave a small growl of contempt. ‘I won’t let you get away with this. I don’t lie down and play dead easily.’ ‘I know. That’s why I am coming down hard on you. You have been warned,’ he said quietly, narrowing his dark eyes, leaving her in no doubt he had every intention of carrying out his threat if she pushed him to it. He was that afraid of losing her again. A secret part of her loved him for his passion and desire to breach boundaries to keep her with him, but the stronger more sensible, sane part of her detested him for it. He would not win this war. When she remembered, if she could remember, it would be on her terms and in her way, not his. Sabrina turned to walk out of the door frustrated and angry that he had suddenly taken control of her life. This wasn’t how she’d fantasised about meeting her long lost loved ones. She hadn’t anticipated it being so adversarial. In her fantasy, regaining her memory would be gradual, not a forced, impatient process or one where she was made to feel mentally unstable and a prisoner. Control of how she would regain her memory would be in her hands alone not anybody else’s. ‘Oh and one more thing,’ he said standing to his full height to walk towards her. ‘You will be sleeping in our room with me tonight. I want my wife back in my bed.’

Chapter Four Anger rose inside Sabrina to fever pitch. She cherished her independence with a passion, and not Raoul or anybody else was going to take it away from her. It wasn’t in her make-up to capitulate so easily to threats no matter who was dishing them out. To emphasise her angry determination not to be frightened she slammed the door shut with force and turned to confront Raoul.

He was shaking his gorgeous head and tutting at her with cruel amusement. Sabrina felt her eyes narrow. ‘Temper, temper, darling. You always were explosive. A firecracker, I used to call you. I see that you have lost none of your spark.’ His lips curled in a mischievous, seductive smile, and that damned playful look glinted in his eyes. Her greatest wish that moment was to wipe the smile from his face, and it was with a huge effort she kept her hand by her side. Though she did wonder how long she would be able to restrain herself if he kept on provoking her. He seemed to be taking great pleasure in riling her anger. He knew exactly how to push her buttons and obtain a rise from her. Perhaps it was some sort of revenge for making him feel as if she had deserted him. ‘I don’t know what kind of woman I was when I lived with you, but here and now I do not take orders from anyone, especially from men,’ Sabrina’s attempt to keep her voice level and calm disintegrated towards the end of her sentence. To her fury, triumph reigned in his eyes. Bastard. He was enjoying his control over her. She swallowed a breath and forced herself to continue maintaining as much dignity as she could, refusing to give him anymore satisfaction. ‘I am leaving. If you do anything to stop me, I will call the police and have you arrested for false imprisonment. I am sure they would be interested in what I have to say, especially when they obviously believe you are capable of murder,’ she snapped loudly, suddenly feeling confident the upper hand was now hers. But to her fury and her strong sense that he deserved the jibe, she felt her insides twist with remorse and guilt once more. A frown creased Raoul’s forehead, but he appeared undeterred or affected by her words. Sabrina watched him reach into his suit pocket and bring out a mobile. Sabrina recognised it at once. It was hers. He must have taken it

from her room when she wasn’t looking. He’d planned this reunion well. He shook it at her. ‘And how are you going to call them without this?’ he asked. Sabrina’s eyes quickly diverted to the land line on his desk. ‘I’m afraid that won’t help you. I’ve had all the land lines cut.’ Instinct not to trust his words made her rush to the phone and pick it up. To her horror she did find the line dead. Raoul took the receiver from her with a smile and put it down. ‘Like it or not darling wife you are here to stay.’ There was no mistaking the bitterness and hurt that she wanted to leave again, in his voice. Sabrina backed away towards the door watching him follow her. Raoul dropped the mobile to the floor and stepped on it, crushing the small metal box. ‘There is no escape, Sabrina. Until you get your memory back I am in control . . .’ Sabrina didn’t let him finish his sentence. Her temper finally got the better of her. She brought her hand crashing against the side of his face in a heavy slap. Raoul’s reaction was swift. He caught hold of her arms and pushed her backwards against the wall. She vainly attempted to raise her hand and slap him again, afraid for her life and the sudden violent darkness in his eyes. He caught both of her hands and held them against the wall at the sides of her head trapping her there. Terrified of what he was about to do, Sabrina caught her breath. She couldn’t help wondering if her earlier remorse for questioning him as her attacker might have been misplaced. What followed spun her head and her thoughts out of control. Far from using violence against her, Raoul bent his head and captured her lips in a deep, possessive kiss. But what disturbed her the most was her own reaction. Far from

being repulsed or angered by his liberty, Sabrina found herself responding, opening her mouth wider to accommodate him as though it was a pleasure she had been denied for far too long. Slowly her resistance melted, and she found herself in Raoul’s arms lost in another time. Her mind whispered caution, but her heart and soul craved the memory of his masterful touch. Raoul rested his head against her forehead. His thumb traced the delicate curve of her cheek as a still quietness surrounded the room. Sabrina could find no words. Her thoughts were confused. She was full of anger, resentment, defence, yet even after all he had said, a part of her responded to Raoul with trust and need. She prayed it was not misplaced. His soothing caress was slowing her frantic heartbeat, and out of the blue she felt very tired and weary. Sabrina looked directly into his eyes searching for his intentions. He gave a small laugh. ‘I’m sorry, Sabrina. I don’t mean to make you fearful, but I can’t let you go. It’s been too long. All this time. . . Don’t leave me. Stay of your own will, not because I force you to. Remember what we had together,’ he almost whispered the words. ‘Just now. . . it was as if you remembered. Please . . . come back to me,’ it was a plea for release from torment. Unexpectedly, Sabrina felt tears gather in her eyes and spill out on to her cheeks. ‘There’s so much I don’t know. I had to restart my life from scratch. The doctors told me I might never find out about my past. It’s been seven years now. I only get small flashes of memory. Maybe it isn’t going to happen. What if I can’t remember?’ she asked, feeling the sudden weight of panic and guilt, as she swept her eyes over all of the photographs of herself with Raoul. It was her responsibility to remember and ease Raoul’s pain. Raoul gently wiped her tears away with his fingers and cupped her face.

‘Shhh. Listen to me, Sabrina. You will remember. I’ll get you all the medical help you need,’ he paused and smiled. ‘But if by some unbelievable chance you don’t, I will just make you fall in love with me all over again.’ A knock at the door and the sound of the housekeeper’s voice interrupted their conversation. Raoul caught Sabrina’s hand in his and opened the door. ‘Francine, Madame Valoire has come home,’ he told the woman with pride. He brought Sabrina’s hand to his lips and gently kissed it. That’s when she saw the wedding ring on his finger. It hadn’t been there when she arrived. The woman clapped her hands together excitedly and looked at Raoul with relief. She briefly touched his arm and smiled. ‘I have done as you asked and moved all of Madame Valoire’s clothes into your room again,’ she informed him. Sabrina frowned. ‘Good. Now Madame Valoire is very tired and needs to rest, but not before a small celebration for her homecoming. Please bring up a bottle of champagne to our room.’ The woman left quickly to get the champagne ready. ‘You don’t give up, do you?’ Sabrina said crossly. ‘I am not sleeping with you. I don’t even know you.’ Raoul gave a sigh and then a small sarcastic laugh. He wagged a finger at her. ‘I could strongly argue that point. But relax, I will take the sofa.’ Sabrina felt her shoulders relax but then tense once more when he added. ‘At least for tonight, so you can rest. Tomorrow I want you back in my bed and in my arms where you belong. No arguments,’ he told her firmly with that arrogant smile that said he always got what he wanted. She had until tomorrow night to make her escape. Still it was nice to be so wanted by a man like Raoul. Sharing

his bed would be no bad thing, more than desirable. But she wasn’t about to let him have his way so easily and dictate to her. If he wanted her back in his bed, he would have to prove he was worthy of her trust and her love. Nothing less. She was in for one hell of a fight. Sabrina closed the bathroom door in Raoul’s room and tightened the belt on her silk dressing gown. She eyed him with suspicion when he handed her a glass of champagne. She’d done all she could to avoid sleeping in the same room, but Raoul was a formidable, strong personality. There had been no room for negotiation, especially when he threatened to carry her there if she continued to refuse. ‘I told you there is no escape. You are spending the night with me as my wife.’ The way he said it made her feel as though she had been neglecting her duty. Champagne was the last thing she wanted. Her mind and body were drained and tired. She was already giddy from the whole experience, but she would do anything to placate him. Maybe once she’d had a drink, she could just slip under the covers and throw him a pillow for the sofa. ‘To our reunion,’ he said with a smile tapping his glass against hers. Sabrina nodded cautiously and took a sip. ‘You look tired,’ he said gently. ‘I think you should get into bed.’ He took her glass away and put it on top of the wide alabaster fireplace that was the centre piece of the large room. He guided her towards another antique Walnut French Gothic four poster with crimson curtains, very similar to the one in the blue room only it appeared a little larger. Raoul lifted the white silk covers, gesturing for her to get in. Sabrina stared at the bed with a mixture of anxiety and longing. She was desperate to go to sleep. Maybe she would wake up in the morning and find herself back in her own bed in London, having woken from a strange dream. She fumbled at the tie on her dressing gown, hoping to get into bed quick, but Raoul stood in front of her taking over just the way he had done with her coat. Before she

could protest he had removed her dressing gown and tossed it onto a chair. Sabrina took her cue and slipped into bed, pulling the covers up around her feeling safe that she could hide her body from view. Raoul gently lifted a matching crimson mohair and silk bed throw over the covers to keep her warm on the chilly night. She nodded her thanks and quickly reached for a pillow, alarmed when he started removing his suit jacket. ‘Here, you will be needing this,’ she said handing it to him. He took it with a grin. ‘You are safe for tonight.’ Sabrina ignored him and reached over to turn the lamp off at the side of the bed. She lay down quickly, tightly pulling the covers under her chin over her silk camisole and pyjama trousers. She murmured goodnight. Sabrina heard Raoul give a chuckle. She closed her eyes tight hoping he wouldn’t change his mind and get in bed beside her. Raoul moved about the room taking a blanket out of the wardrobe and then poured himself another glass of champagne. Try as she might Sabrina could not allow herself to sleep. A hundred fleeting memories entered her mind only to vanish in a breath before she could work out what they were. She was restless, moving her body about in the bed, vainly attempting to enter the sanctuary of sleep. A moment later Raoul’s breath caressed her face, and she inhaled his intoxicating scent of pine and cedar wood. She pretended to be asleep. His lips brushed her forehead. From the way he talked to her she knew he believed her to be asleep. ‘Shhh, Sabrina. You are safe. There is nothing to fear. You are home now,’ he whispered gently, slipping his fingers through her hair. ‘I love you, Sabrina. I always have. There has never been anybody else. No matter what you thought. You should never have doubted me before you left. Je t’aime, Sabrina.’

His lips brushed her forehead once more, and then Sabrina heard him settle down on the sofa. She couldn’t help wondering why she would have doubted his love in the past. Something had been going on, and whatever it was would give her the answers about how she ended up beaten and raped in that hospital. It was time to put her history research to good use in her own life.

Chapter Five Sabrina woke late the next morning. It hadn’t been a dream. She was still in Raoul’s bed but he was nowhere to be seen. Relieved she decided to get up. She felt the chill in the room immediately. Reaching for her dressing gown she remembered what Raoul had said about draughts in the Chateau the night before. Sabrina parted the silver grey drapes and stole a look out of one of the two large arched windows with French doors, leading out onto a long balcony. A heavy winter’s frost covered the ground giving the deceitful appearance that snow had fallen the night before. The room was positioned at the back of the house and overlooked the moat that ran around the Chateau, the formal gardens and wide lake in the distance. A light cold mist hung in the air. The sun tried in vain to penetrate the covering here and there lending a breath taking fairy-tale quality to the idyllic scene. Sabrina picked up a photograph on a table next to a vase of fresh Casablanca lilies. They were her favourite flowers. She smiled considering that Raoul may have had them put in the room for her. The photograph showed her sitting on a horse next to Raoul on his. She had never imagined herself riding. In the last seven years there had never been any impulse to ride. They were both leaning over towards each other engaged in a kiss. It was

impossible to mistake the love between the two figures. Sabrina touched the figures in the picture and stroked her fingers over Raoul’s face. How could I forget my own husband? ‘Madame Valoire, are you all right?’ It was Francine bringing a breakfast tray into the room. Sabrina changed her frown into a gentle smile and nodded, thanking the woman for her concern. She put down the photograph and walked over to inspect the contents of the tray. Francine put it down on the large, oval glass table in front of the long, curved, white leather sofa that sat in front of the white marble fireplace. The woman moved away and busied herself lighting the open fire. Sabrina came to stand next to her. ‘Francine, please call me Sabrina. I hate Madame Valoire. It makes me sound ancient. Francine, is this all true or am I dreaming?’ she said with humorous wonder, taking in her rich exuberant surroundings. Francine stood up and gave a small sarcastic laugh. Sabrina prickled. ‘No, Madame Valoire you are not dreaming. Monsieur Valoire has really missed you. He never gave up looking for you. He has suffered too much. I only hope that you see fit to remember the wonderful life he has given you. You owe him that,’ she said with a stiff measure of haughty disapproval. ‘And if you please, I prefer to use your correct title, Madame Valoire.’ Sabrina raised an eyebrow. It seemed Raoul wasn’t the only one who bore some resentment and anger at her disappearance. She nodded still shocked by the older woman’s forthright speech. Yet she considered it might work to her advantage. Perhaps, Francine would also be forthright in giving her some information regarding the day of her disappearance. ‘Francine, what happened on the day of my disappearance? Did Raoul and I argue over something? I

remember arguing with someone at the party. It’s so faint and vague. Do you know what happened?’ Sabrina asked seizing her opportunity for information not coloured by Raoul’s influence. Francine’s face turned ashen. Sabrina watched her turn to the door to make sure no one was standing there. She opened her mouth to speak but then quickly closed her lips together tight, obviously thinking better of what she was about to say. Eventually she spoke. ‘It’s not my place. If there is nothing else, Madame, I will leave you now.’ Sabrina caught her arm. ‘No. Please, Francine. Help me remember. If not for my sake, then for Raoul’s,’ she pleaded, playing on Francine’s more than obvious motherly concern for Raoul. Francine looked down at Sabrina with impatience and gave a small sigh. She opened her mouth to speak, but a male voice cut her short. ‘Francine, Sabrina will remember in her own time. We must be careful with her memory until she has been examined by my doctor,’ Raoul told her firmly as he stood in the doorway. He had been riding. He wore a heavy knit cream sweater over the broad frame of his shoulders underneath a black wool jacket. Sabrina watched him throw his riding hat on a chair and stride into the room in his jodhpurs and boots. Cedar wood, pine and a generous helping of delicious male scent wrapped around her senses. She remembered that intoxicating smell. Breathing it in, a dozen memories of their bodies entwined in bed penetrated the fog in her mind. It was a potent aphrodisiac and she found herself at its mercy. Francine smiled nervously at Sabrina. ‘Of course,’ she said with a brisk nod and took her leave.

Sabrina clamped her teeth together in frustration. Francine obviously knew something Raoul didn’t want her to know by the dark look he gave the woman when she left the room. Sabrina would have to wait for another opportunity to question the woman alone. Raoul was pouring coffee for them both when she looked back at him. ‘Sabrina, come and sit down. You hardly ate a thing last night. You need to eat.’ He was speaking softly, as though she was a child. It infuriated her. ‘No,’ she snapped. ‘I can’t eat anything. I need to clear my head. Since last night I can’t think straight. My life feels as though it is out of control. I need to leave and get some space so I can think.’ She turned back to the bed deciding to get dressed when she suddenly felt Raoul’s arms around her waist from behind, tugging her possessively towards him. She felt him press his head against hers before brushing his lips across her neck. ‘No. I won’t let you leave. I have already won this argument,’ his words were a whisper against her skin. ‘Besides . . .’ he paused to kiss her neck again. Sabrina closed her eyes finding herself melt with his warm closeness despite all efforts not to let him placate her with his seductive powers. Once more his strong fresh scent triggered her memories of them making love. It was a struggle not to give in to the power he wielded over her self-control, admit defeat and snuggle against his chest. ‘I don’t want you to be on your own. We need to work out what happened. We have to make sure you are safe,’ he told her. Sabrina turned quickly in his arms to face him, alarmed by the level of anxiety in his voice. The seductive memories dissolved and vanished quickly. He really didn’t

want her being alone, and he wasn’t just being overprotective. ‘What do you mean? What aren’t you telling me? What do you mean we must make sure I am safe?’ she challenged forcefully. She was in no mood for him being evasive. He took her back into his arms and told her to hush. There was nothing to worry about. He was just concerned about her health. Sabrina flinched away from him demanding to know what he kept from her. Raoul dropped his hands from her waist and sat down on the bed. He leaned back on his elbows studying her closely with his black fathomless eyes. He muttered some words in French under his breath then shook his head. She spoke French well, and she’d heard enough to know he was calling her stubborn. ‘I shouldn’t be telling you this. The consultant told me to be careful with you. No shocks . . . Telling you who you are last night was more than enough for now.’ ‘Raoul, please. I have every right to know.’ ‘You were kidnapped right from this house where I thought I kept you safe,’ anger rumbled under his tone. ‘You were working as a lawyer in your English firm’s Paris office . . .’ ‘Me, a lawyer?’ she said with a disbelieving laugh. ‘Yes you were. You were a damn good business lawyer. Anyway, you started getting phone calls, heavy breathing . . . someone listening but not speaking on the other end of the phone. A man started following you to your car. You never saw who it was. He always managed to escape when you tried to confront him. He followed you in his car back to our apartment. We used to stay in Paris during the week. Then there were the anonymous presents you used to receive. You were terrified, but you didn’t tell me anything. Stupidly, you thought you could deal with the problem all on your own.’ Raoul tapped his finger to his

head in frustration. ‘Once you get an idea in your head you will not be moved. You are a stubborn woman, Sabrina.’ Sabrina straightened slightly annoyed by his comment, but then he did have a point. It did sound exactly how she would have dealt with it. She wouldn’t have ran to the nearest man like a helpless woman for help, husband or not. Raoul was bitter at her decision not to allow him to protect her, and maybe on reflection, she should have at least told him what was going on. He continued. ‘I only found out what was going on when Francine confided in me that she had found you crying after receiving a phone call at the Chateau one weekend. I was so angry with you, Sabrina. I still am. Why did you not tell me?’ he asked raising his voice. ‘I don’t know. I’m sorry, but I don’t remember any of this.’ ‘I informed the police. I picked you up every night and made sure you were never alone, much to your feminist disgust. I heightened security at the Chateau and apartment. Yet still you were taken from me, from our home.’ For no reason she could understand, Sabrina looked down at her hands and to her surprise found them shaking. A cold fear swept the length of her spine making her shiver. Flashes of bright colourful dresses accompanied by laughter and broken conversations forced their way into her mind’s eye. It felt so vivid and real as she stepped back into a vision of time past. She was anxious and expecting to see someone at the party, someone who frightened her on a scale she had never encountered before. Sabrina closed her eyes holding her breath in anticipation of seeing the frightening identity of her attacker.

Chapter Six

Raoul now stood in front of her gently prising her shaking hands from her face. ‘Sabrina, are you all right? Are you remembering something?’ Sabrina nodded, desperately trying hard to hold on to the memories fading like ghost ships in her mind. Raoul’s voice was excited. ‘Do you know who took you from here? At first the police thought it might have been one of your client’s, but I know it was someone closer to home.’ ‘I can’t see who it is. I just remember feeling afraid the night of the ball because I was going to confront him.’ The moment the words left her lips she regretted them. How could I not have told him? I should have trusted him. He was my husband. I would have been hurt if he hadn’t come to me about his problems. If I hadn’t been trying to prove myself as a bloody independent woman all the time, those horrible things might not have happened to me. Raoul’s eyes hooded, making him look sexy and dangerous all at the same time. Sabrina swallowed and tried to move away as his temper rose, but he caught her arm, holding her still. ‘So you were going to deal with this on your own and not tell me anything. Didn’t you think for one moment and realise how dangerous that was?’ he angrily demanded. Raoul cupped the side of her face and tilted it up towards him in one sharp movement. Sabrina frowned as he began to speak in a low, deep, threatening voice. ‘Don’t make the mistake of trying to keep anything from me again, Sabrina. I won’t tolerate it.’ Sabrina glared at him and attempted to move away, but his grip forced her to remain still. He was furious and a part of her felt afraid, but she was damned if she was going to show him she was feeling that way.

‘No more of your feminist crap. I am in control. I want to know about all of the memories you regain. Do not keep anything from me or so help me, Sabrina, you will regret it. I want the man who took you from me.’ ‘I don’t respond to threats, Raoul,’ she challenged bitterly. Raoul swore loudly in French. ‘I am not threatening you. I am trying to keep you safe. I only meant that I will never allow you to be on your own again.’ ‘I am not a child.’ Why does this argument sound so familiar? It feels like deja-vu. I swear we’ve said the same words to each other many times before. This is too weird. ‘No you aren’t,’ he said calmly as though trying to diffuse the growing row. ‘But you are ill and in danger. I will keep you confined to this house until I know who hurt you. I won’t. . . I can’t lose you again. He is still out there, and now you have resurfaced, I have a feeling he is going to come for you again. I am going to do whatever I have to, to protect you. I let you down last time, Sabrina. I won’t do it again.’ Sabrina stared at Raoul. Fierce determination blazed hotly in his eyes. Far from believing the old Sabrina weak and allowing Raoul to control her, she was now beginning to realise how well she had dealt with such a formidably strong character. It was wonderful he cared so much and was so protective. No one had ever shown her such love. He made her feel cherished. Tears gathered in her eyes as she stared up at the pain in his eyes. She wanted him for a husband more than she would have liked, but she couldn’t afford to fully trust him. Despite all of his protestations of love, he might still be her attacker. She’d lost her memory, and at that point in time, she didn’t really know him or what he was capable of doing. He did have a temper, and those eyes of his burned hotly with anger and frustration.

I really hope I am wrong. ‘You really think he would try again?’ she asked considering the possibility with alarm. ‘Yes, I do. I have always thought it was somebody close to us. Someone we both knew well.’ ‘Intuition?’ He smiled. ‘Something like that.’ Sabrina gave a sigh. She wanted more answers. ‘What else do you know?’ Sabrina persisted. Raoul studied her closely for a moment and then abruptly moved away to pick up his cup of coffee from the tray. ‘No more. I think we should wait until you have been examined by a doctor before we discuss this any further,’ he told her, taking a gulp of coffee. ‘I don’t want to cause any more damage to your memory.’ Sabrina groaned. ‘I want to know more. Don’t keep anything from me. I have every right to know what happened to me before I disappeared,’ she loudly snapped. ‘And I had every right to know that you were planning to confront that maniac who was stalking you. But you kept everything from me. No, you will wait,’ he informed her with a heavily bitter tone. ‘Right, fine then I am leaving.’ Sabrina walked around to the other side of the bed and picked up her suitcase to toss it on the bed and begin to pack. Raoul snatched the case off the bed, but Sabrina was quick to hold on to it. They stood engaged in a small tug of war. It was almost comical. ‘I have told you I am not letting you leave,’ Raoul thundered at her. Sabrina leaned over towards him. ‘Yeah, well, if you don’t tell me, I will find someone who will. Francine looks ready to burst with what she

knows. I am sure with enough persuading I will get it out of her. Then there’s the police. I am sure they are going to want to talk to me at some point. I will ask them. You won’t be able to keep them away from me. What are your frightened of, Raoul? Are you frightened I might find out that you had something to do with all of this?’ she shouted yanking at the case. Raoul had pushed her too far, acting as though he held all the cards to her memory and life. ‘You will not dictate to me how and when I will recover my memory,’ she almost screamed such was the strength of her frustration. Raoul’s eyes narrowed to a sharp point, but despite the sudden tenseness in her shoulders, Sabrina was determined to stand her ground and not be afraid of him. Raoul pulled hard on the suitcase and took possession of it. He threw it to the floor then took two steps towards her. His tall muscled figure towered over her small form. She titled her chin defiantly at him. No way am I going to back down on this, so get used to it, Raoul. She put her hands on her hips and braced herself for what he might do next. ‘I am only going to say this once more, Sabrina, and I don’t want it raised again,’ he said in a smooth voice that was doing its level best to keep calm and not erupt. ‘I have never hurt you. I have never wanted to hurt you, and I did not beat you, rape you or kidnap you. Do you understand me?’ Sabrina stared into his eyes, looking for something, anything that would confirm her reluctant suspicions that he was lying, but she could see only pain and hurt. Maybe she was wrong after all, but that nagging small doubt that she should be careful around Raoul refused to go away. A part of her did not trust him whether she liked it or not. Slowly, she lowered her eyes.

‘I understand. So convince me it wasn’t you. Let me find out what happened. This is my memory, Raoul. It’s not yours to rule.’ She heard him take a breath to calm his anger and then curse under his breath in French. She raised an eyebrow and gave him an indignant, impatient look. ‘Fine. There were signs of a struggle in your study. The police found out later that some drunken idiot heard you arguing with a man there,’ he confessed. ‘Why was I in my study and not with you at the party?’ she quizzed confused. Raoul sighed obviously uncomfortable with their conversation. ‘You were avoiding me,’ he said flatly staring at the picture on the table she had picked up earlier. Sabrina furrowed her brow. ‘Why would I do that? Did we have a row or something?’ Infuriatingly, Raoul turned and walked to a door at the other end of the room, giving her a tantalising glimpse of the way his jodhpurs moved in perfect moulded unison with his tightly muscled thighs and buttocks. To her annoyance she found herself staring at the magnificence of it all. She could tell by the gentle lift of his lips from the side that he knew she was watching. Damn it. He turned on a light to reveal a large walk in closet. Sabrina followed him to insist he explain. He paused looking at the rail holding his large collection of neatly ordered suits and shirts. ‘We were having many rows. You thought I was having an affair.’ ‘You were having an affair?’ Sabrina heard her voice rise in disbelief. The imaginary world of wedded bliss he had dazzled her with despite her doubts crumbled inside her head, leaving her

bitterly disappointed that he had proved her right. She dipped her head. How could I have thought for one moment . . .? ‘Sabrina . . .’ Raoul held her gaze. ‘No. I said, you thought I was having an affair. I see you still cannot accept that you were wrong.’ ‘I am not stupid. I must have a good reason to believe you were having one,’ she retorted. He shook his head. His attention turned to the opposite rail on which an array of women’s suits and dresses hung in order of colour. It’s been seven years, and they are all out of date. Yet you still kept them. You couldn’t let me go . . . Tears gathered in her eyes once more as she watched him lift out a red dress. Quickly, she wiped at them so they were undiscovered. ‘I loved you in this. It always showed off your curved figure to perfection.’ Sabrina’s eyes widened with surprise, as she watched his eyes sweep longingly over her form. ‘It’s good to see that you haven’t lost any of your curves,’ he said with a wide grin, looking down appreciatively at her ample cleavage peeping through her camisole and loosened black silk robe. Sabrina snatched the dress from him. ‘You were having an affair?’ she repeated with disgust. ‘I have just told you I wasn’t.’ ‘Oh, and I suppose your word is supposed to be good enough?’ ‘Yes. It is,’ he said flatly. ‘Maybe there are some memories of our life together that you don’t want me to remember,’ she challenged. ‘You know, Sabrina. You are going to have to start trusting me at some point.’ ‘I’m not sure that will ever happen.’

Those black eyes sharpened again. He took a step towards her. She took two steps back and inwardly cursed herself for her fear. He gave her a look of disbelief and reached past her, brushing the side of her breast to pick up one of the many suits that lined his side of the closet. Sabrina felt foolish and went to fold her arms across her chest, only she found she was still holding the red dress. Frustrated, she thrust it back on the rail. Raoul winced. ‘The Sabrina I knew was a very ordered person and hated her clothes not being on the right section of the rail. If you start mixing things up, when you remember who you are you’ll be mad as hell,’ he grinned. ‘Dresses go on the rail near the window.’ Sabrina gritted her teeth together, wishing she could slap him and get away with it. He grinned again and looked down at her foot that was inadvertently tapping against the floor with irritation. He gave a laugh and leaned over to graze her lips capturing a kiss before she could protest. ‘You haven’t changed a bit, Sabrina. Je t’aime.’ I’m going to have a shower,’ he announced, as she followed him back into their room. ‘We need to talk,’ she almost shouted, out of her wits that he would not tell her more and deflected any attempt she made to extract information about the state of their marriage before her kidnap and memory loss. He tossed the suit on the bed and began lifting his sweater up over his shoulders. He threw it on a chair. Bronze toned muscle rippled and stretched across his chest, forcing Sabrina’s eyes to widen with appreciation. Another wicked grin lighted his lips at her reaction. She glared, disliking his blatant manipulation of the power he held over her, and turned away from the provocative sight of him undoing the zip on his jodhpurs. He kicked off his boots and then pulled down the riding trousers. With a surprised gasp she turned around, determined not to give him the satisfaction of watching him

undress. She folded her arms again and then undid them quickly remembering his teasing. ‘Care to join me in the shower?’ he asked with an amused tone. ‘I don’t think so, do you?’ Sabrina answered still with her back towards him. Liar. Damn it. ‘How can I shower with a man I hardly know?’ she snapped, more than annoyed by her sudden urge to throw caution to the wind and take up his tantalising invitation. ‘That’s a pity. I did so enjoy it when we showered together,’ he teased. Sabrina forgot herself and turned around to deliver a rebuke. Raoul stood before her in nothing more than a pair of tight Calvin Klein’s and moved in close. It was too close. Heated desire radiated between them. It sent her heart into a frantic rhythm when he dipped his head to brush her lips with his own. ‘Stop glaring, Sabrina. What did you tell me once? Yes that’s it. If the wind changes, your face will stay like that.’ He laughed and moved away as her eyes narrowed into short jagged points. Before he reached the door of their bathroom, he slipped off his underwear, raising a shocked gasp from Sabrina. Thankfully, he didn’t see the longing look she gave his naked form when he kicked the door closed behind him. * * * She turned her attention back to the room and decided to investigate its contents for clues to the life she did not know. She started with the dressing table. It was still covered with make-up, cream and other assorted goodies that would have been way past their best. All the makes were the same as she used in the present. With discomfort she realised that the Sabrina she was today, wasn’t very different to the original seven years ago. Her identity was

splintering like her image in a broken mirror. Perhaps it was time to take off the mask and stop pretending. If it was only that easy. She looked back at the bottles. Her heart leapt just as it had done in the walk in wardrobe. It was as though Raoul had left everything as it was for her coming back. He’d never given up hope. The small CD rack caught her attention. It had to be hers. She was never without music. She grew excited. You can tell a lot about a person by the CD’s they buy and the music they download. Maybe I can find out some more about the old Sabrina. On careful inspection, she found many of the CD’s she already kept in her car and house in London or downloaded on her I-Pod. There was no conforming style. They ranged from classical and pop to rock and heavy metal. They were her CD’s all right, a mixture of everything. She pulled out Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and went hunting for the CD player that seemed to be secretly concealed somewhere in the room. She found it tucked inside a disguised cabinet not far from the TV, which was also similarly cloaked. She inserted the CD and listened to the music drift around the room. She returned to the dressing table to brush her hair and stared at herself in the mirror. Who am I? It happened instantaneously. One minute she was looking at her confused reflection in the mirror, the next she was greeting guests with Raoul, and then she was watching masked dancers swirl around the chequered floor again. The memory was so real she felt as though she was re-living it. She could see Raoul talking to a woman who kept touching him, a hand on his arm, the brush of her fingers along the lapel of his evening suit. Even as he courteously backed away from the woman to talk to another guest, all she could feel was anger, suspicion and

hurt. She turned on her heel. She was wearing that dress, the velvet one in the portrait, the one he’d lovingly bought her on a business trip. She remembered wondering if it was a bribe to keep her quiet, while he carried on his affair. Then her memory revealed that she knew about his affair and who was stalking her every move that night. She was going to ask for a divorce and confront her stalker alone at the party. ‘Sabrina.’ The concerned voice brought her right back to the present with a thud. Startled, she turned to find Raoul standing at the door in nothing more than a towel. His hair was wet and slicked back. Moisture glistened on his skin giving his lightly tanned body a seductive sheen. He looked concerned, protective. She turned her eyes away embarrassed, attempting to avoid direct contact with his own as he strode over. ‘You were staring into space looking vacant. Are you all right?’ He touched her forehead with the back of his hand as though checking for a temperature. She did look hot and flushed. And it’s not just from that memory. Do you have to stand over me half naked tempting me to distraction? ‘I remembered being at the party. It was so real it felt like I was there again. I want to remember more.’ ‘I think you should wait until we see Dr. Martin.’ ‘No. It’s the music, that’s what helped me remember. It was playing when the guests were arriving. Please, you have to help me.’ He gave her one of his famous stern looks and then smiled as he moved away from her to retrieve something from a concealed closet. He sat on the floor crossing his long legs in front of him whilst he played with the combination on a safe. The towel tied precariously around his waist opened,

threatening to expose more than she was ready for at that moment. She looked at him wistfully. Can this hunky, sexy man, really belong to me? Maybe he doesn’t, maybe it is all a dream, and I am about to get a nasty wakeup call any minute. Maybe I share him with that woman I saw in my memory. She felt her teeth close together and grit at the mere thought. But if by some miracle you are only mine, what can you possibly see in me? I am small and curved, not like all those super slim, elegant French women littering the ball in my memory. He looks as though he should be kept on a leash. He is far too sexy, too lethal for any woman’s good sense to be let out on his own. He must have had an affair. Too many female admirers to choose from to keep you confined to one woman. Sabrina turned back to the mirror, disappointment shining in eyes that blinked the colour of sapphires. ‘Here, you were wearing this the night you disappeared. I found it on the floor of your study. I had it repaired for your coming home.’ He was standing behind her draping a necklace around her neck. It was made of beautiful droplet emeralds surrounded by cut diamonds. ‘Raoul, is this real?’ she asked taking a breath. He looked affronted. He cupped her shoulders and stared at her in the mirror surrounding her with his intoxicating scent of masculinity she appeared to have no defence against. ‘It’s beautiful, Raoul. I can’t believe you bought me such an extravagant gift.’ It was gorgeous. She shuddered to think how much it cost. Thousands wouldn’t have been close. She twisted and turned her neck watching the diamonds and the gemstones catch in the light. She looked at herself in the mirror disbelieving what she was hearing and seeing. It was like

waking up to find out you were a crown princess in a fairytale. Raoul was fast mending those walls of her imaginary wedded bliss. Maybe the idea is for me to remember all the good bits and discard the rest such as his affair. Yes, maybe the necklace had been another bribe. Her thoughts trailed off as she watched a hand reach out and snatch the necklace from her throat. She cried out with pain flinching away. She was in her study, trying to back away. A man’s tuxedoed arm reached out and pulled her towards him. His other hand reached out and punched her face, knocking her to the floor. Her head hit the wooden floor with a thud leaving her dazed. She tried to get up, but the man held both her arms and was pushing her back down, straddling her body. No matter how hard she fought him, his strength was too much for her own. She’d never felt fear like it, a fear of being raped. As she felt the skirt of the velvet dress being lifted, the memory shut down flat, a sudden blank calmness seeping into her mind. ‘Sabrina, Sabrina, are you all right?’ She looked up to find Raoul cradling her in his arms on the floor. She was shaking uncontrollably. She rested her head against his bare chest and held on to him for dear life. ‘You were having a flashback. Who hurt you, Sabrina, who was it? I need to know.’ He stroked her hair rocking her in his arms to soothe the emotion, holding her tight and close as she told him what she’d seen. ‘You didn’t see who attacked you?’ She put her hand to the necklace that suddenly felt heavy around her neck, the image of it being torn from her throat echoing again and again in her mind. She pushed her body closer to Raoul, hiding her face against the smooth, taut muscle, shaking her head. It took several minutes for her fear to subside. He held her, whispering gentle words of

reassurance in French. His soft musical tone soothed her raw nerves. Her thoughts asked a million questions, about her attacker, about Raoul, about the house. Her conscience was warning her about being close to anyone. She could not see her attacker’s face, but she was aware that she knew the man very well. Isn’t that what they say? You often know your rapist beforehand. But Raoul’s arms held her so tightly, so protectively, she wanted to melt against him. She could feel his strength against her hand, as she pushed at his chest to compose herself. ‘I’m not sure I want to see him.’ ‘No, I can understand that. But I—we, the police need to know who hurt you so we can stop him from doing it again. He’s still out there. I want you safe, Sabrina. God knows I don’t want you to hurt like this. If I could swap places, make it all go away, I would. But we can’t, and we have to face it. I will be with you every step of the way.’ Raoul swept his hand softly through her hair, a hundred emotions were swirling in his eyes. Love, anger, protection, frustration, all fighting for supremacy. ‘Dr. Martin is coming in an hour. He might be able to help you enlarge that memory.’ ‘I’ll get ready.’ Raoul stopped her from moving. His hands didn’t want to relinquish their possession, and truth be known she didn’t want him to let her go. There was warmth and safety in his embrace that she found hard to tear herself from. ‘I’ll stay with you,’ it was a statement rather than a suggestion. ‘No, I’m fine really.’ ‘You are so tense again.’ Raoul gestured for her to turn around. She closed her eyes as he kneaded the painful knots in her shoulders. She

tried to ignore her conscience that demanded she move away urging caution, but her physical self was firmly in control, rejoicing with each careful and sensual touch of her body. Raoul’s mobile phone rang, jerking her eyes open. His hands ceased their pleasurable movement and rested flat against her skin, simply holding her body still to prevent any escape. He sighed deliberating whether or not to answer the persistent ring. Sabrina was agonisingly torn between insisting he get the phone and begging him not to stop. This was dangerous. There was no telling where this simple massage could lead to. His gentle persuasive touch told her she was in trouble if she didn’t stop it now. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down however much she wanted to. ‘I suggest you answer that. It could be important,’ she said. Raoul glanced at the offending object on the table with a frown and got up. By the time he picked the phone up, Sabrina was in the bathroom locking the door behind her. * * * Raoul stared at the closed door. He couldn’t believe she had just walked back into his life from nowhere, just at the point he was beginning to think she was dead. She was his beautiful Sabrina, yet different, all at the same time. She still retained her sexy, irresistible, feisty nature. He couldn’t wait to have her back in his bed underneath him so he could tame it again. He had so many fond memories of mastering her stubbornness the first time around. The very thought made him ache to be inside her that very moment. It was an effort not to go to her in the shower and take her there and then under the hot steaming water just like he used to. The noise of the shower running interrupted his thoughts and made him feel a warmth inside that he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was feeling of snugness, of belonging

to another. They were married for only five years before she disappeared, but it felt like a lifetime. Just hearing the noise of the rushing water was comforting, he wasn’t alone anymore. It was just as though she had never left. Raoul started to dress. He always took great care with his appearance, but today he would take more. It sounded old fashioned, but he was courting Sabrina all over again, seducing her back into their marriage and his bed. His strategy was to present himself as both the old and new Raoul, a man she would want to go back to. He looked at himself in the full-length mirror. She always said she loved him in a suit. He grinned. By the time he was finished, her resistance would be futile.

Chapter Seven ‘You have amnesia, Madame Valoire,’ the Consultant told her with a smile that did not sit easily on his face. ‘Please call me Sabrina.’ As if I didn’t already know that. And if anyone calls me Madame Valoire once more I am going to hit them. I want to keep my own name. She caught sight of Raoul’s mouth curving into the briefest of smiles. Every time he did that it was another sign, another confirmation she was indeed his Sabrina. It was more evidence of the identity she’d lost. It frightened her more than ever that she really didn’t know who she was and to some extent was living a lie. Even worse was the fact that Raoul and many others possessed the advantage of knowing more about herself than she did. She felt out of control, incredibly vulnerable and totally dependent on Raoul to help her recover her lost life. The Consultant moved from his position next to the roaring fire in the lounge and sat down. Sabrina glanced at Raoul. There was sympathy etched into his features, and he

covered her hand that gripped the arm of the brown leather chair. She could feel his strength and support seeping inside, warming her heart. ‘You experienced a severe emotional trauma, and your mind shut down, subconsciously burying emotional and physical pain. It is the mind’s way of protecting itself.’ ‘Yes, I know that already. My own doctor explained,’ Sabrina announced impatiently. ‘But why did I need to forget who I am? I can understand that I might want to forget the attack, but why my identity? I still can’t get my head around that part.’ ‘In severe cases it happens. Your mind has made you believe that those events happened to someone else and has created a new identity for you to live in.’ He sighed and ran his hand through the bristly grey beard covering his chin. ‘Patients with this condition may leave and relocate, function normally but without knowing their past.’ ‘So what about recovery? How long will it take for Sabrina to regain her memory?’ Raoul asked, the impatience and eagerness in his voice unmistakable. ‘It can happen all of a sudden or may take a while. It depends on the individual or she may never regain her memory.’ Sabrina watched a frown crease Raoul’s smooth brow, as he considered the possibility of her never knowing him. But it readily disappeared to be replaced by avid determination. The grip on her hand tightened positively. She got the feeling that never recovering her memory of their love for each other and their marriage was not an outcome Raoul was prepared to tolerate. She gave him a nervous look. He was never going to give up, and deep inside she was relieved. ‘But this type of dissociative amnesia is usually reversible. The best course of action, Madame, is to move

back to your home and get back into a normal routine as soon as possible.’ ‘But my life. I have so much going on in it.’ She felt frustrated. She couldn’t be expected to just dump the life she’d spent years building up to make her feel safe. ‘I live in London now. I’m a doctor of history, a lecturer. I’m in the middle of writing my second book. I have a dog and a fish for heaven sake.’ Raoul laughed. It was the wrong thing to do, and his face turned serious when she glared at him. So you think I will just give up my life and run back into your arms after seven years? You’ve got another thing coming, Buster. There must be a good reason I chose to forget you. She quickly stood, yanking her hand from his hold and folded her arms across her chest, taking the floor as if holding a lecture. ‘I won’t be dictated to like this. I don’t want to give up who I am. I like who I am. What was I before? Your little woman who sat around looking pretty, letting you dictate and control her life?’ Raoul stood up quicker than she had done herself, a dark cloud of anger covering his face. She found herself backing away, feeling the fire from the fireplace right behind her legs. Why do you always make me do that? I refuse to be afraid of you. ‘You are not a decorative part of our marriage.’ He took hold of her arms and pulled her towards him. His voice was angry but level. ‘The Sabrina I knew and loved was an independent courageous woman. But she was also incredibly vulnerable, and she needed me to look after her as well. She needed me as much as I needed her. It’s this vulnerability you are afraid of knowing again, you are frightened of being hurt. I won’t hurt you, Sabrina, and I will not allow anyone else to

either. If you don’t try to recover the old Sabrina, you and I will always be incomplete.’ She stared at him hard, feeling her chest rising and falling with each agitated breath. There was no reply, he was right, and she had to face it. She was frightened. Her new identity protected and shielded her insecurity. She wasn’t sure if her mind would ever let go of it. How can you force me to remember being raped? She pulled away unable to find any words and quickly left the room. * * * She didn’t notice exactly when he entered their bedroom, but her small suitcase was nearly packed. ‘What are you doing, Sabrina?’ he asked, his reprimand cutting across the air like the crack of a whip again. ‘What do you think, Genius? I’m packing.’ She picked up her army of creams and indulgent skin luxuries and tipped them into her vanity case. When she turned back with underwear from the drawer, he had removed the bottles and put them back on the dressing table and was beginning to unpack her suitcase. She looked at him as though he had committed the crime of the century. Yet, she offered no protest when he took the rest of the clothes from her hands and laid them on a chair. He took her hands in his and sat her down on the bed beside him, smoothing the gentle stray wisps of hair on her forehead as he talked. ‘Sabrina, you do not have to be afraid. I am here for you. We are going to do this together.’ ‘You keep saying that, but I have to do this on my own. You are hell bent on destroying who I’ve become to get back what you lost, without even thinking about what I want.’ He eyed her with concern, reading the emotion in her eyes.

‘I want both of you, the old and the new Sabrina. I don’t want to lose either of you.’ He cupped her chin and looked deeply into her eyes. ‘Why are you so frightened?’ his voice lowered to a gentle caressing whisper. ‘Are you frightened about what you might find out about the old Sabrina?’ She tried to lower her eyes, but his penetrating gaze was unavoidable. ‘I don’t know. Yes, I suppose I am afraid of what I will find out.’ ‘The old Sabrina isn’t the mild mannered walk over you take her for. Don’t insult her. I deeply love her and you hurt me when you talk of her that way.’ He gave Sabrina a gentle smile. ‘She is intelligent, very strong and has a ferocious temper when riled. She has never been a walk over in our marriage, and I don’t want you to think of her like that. It’s unfair. You shouldn’t judge people you don’t know,’ he laughed gently. She couldn’t help but smile with him. Raoul raised her fingers to his lips and kissed them lightly. ‘God knows I don’t want you to re-live that nightmare, but I need to know who hurt you, and you need help. You have to confront what happened so you can move on. I will be with you every step of the way.’ Sabrina only noticed the force of her tears when they ran down her cheeks covering his fingers. Raoul reached up to wipe them away and then swept his arm around her shoulders drawing her into the comforting shelter of his arms. ‘I let you down, Sabrina. I wasn’t there to protect you. I won’t ever let anyone, any man hurt you like that again,’ he said kissing the top of her head. She snuggled closer, the strong overwhelming emotion subsiding.

‘I will do whatever is necessary to protect you, Sabrina, with or without your approval, and I expect….’ She gave a small laugh through her tears. ‘You expect me to do, as I am told.’ She looked at him with disbelief when he remained silent. ‘You aren’t kidding are you?’ She tried to move away feeling her strength return, but he held her fast. ‘I don’t believe you. You are always trying to control me, Raoul. Don’t you ever get sick of it? I know I do. Let me go. There isn’t any way I am going to live my life according to your rules . . .’ Raoul sighed heavily interrupting her passionate speech. ‘I am not trying to control you. I just want to make sure that this time I can protect you properly. I want you back, Sabrina. You took a vow to be with me, forsaking all others. I have a right to take back what is mine. Forgive me for being over-bearing just this once, Sabrina. It’s the only way I can deal with this and keep you safe. I don’t care if you hate me for it.’ Sabrina parted her lips to retaliate, but Raoul effortlessly captured them with his mouth, silencing any errant protest she was about to make. His fingers raked through her hair. Possessively, he tugged at her ebony curls. Her palm pressed weakly against the tight unforgiving muscle of his chest, reminding her of how fragile and helpless she was in his hold. She might have felt frightened, yet there was warmth and comfort in his embrace making her feel safe and cherished. Slowly, her resistance melted and her hand fell away. She felt Raoul smile with triumph against her lips and begin lowering her back on to the bed. Raoul leaned over her devouring her mouth. His fingers swept to the tie of her black wrap dress and quickly undid it. Sabrina gave a gasp the moment he opened the

dress and splayed his hand across the exposed flesh of her thigh above her lacy hold up stocking. He raised himself from her lips, seductively brushing her thigh with his fingers in a feather light touch. She looked up at him expectantly, out of breath with arousal when his fingers began to skim the edge of her panties. ‘I have waited a long time to have you underneath me again,’ he whispered close to her ear. Sabrina’s reply was a small cry of surprised pleasure when without warning, he slipped his fingers beneath the black silk. He caressed the small bud nestled between her thighs with two purposeful strokes and a gentle pinch to squeeze the juice from it. Sabrina felt herself moisten obediently on cue. Raoul murmured his approval as he lowered his lips to the breast he scooped out from her bra cup. Sabrina arched her body on the bed, as he nipped at its plump, ripe, tip with his teeth. The moment her body moved, Raoul took advantage and slipped a finger inside her moist inviting entrance. He pulsed his digit back and forth feeling her begin to writhe beneath him. Sabrina thought she might die. It had been a long time since she had allowed any man to touch her so intimately, and she wanted all that he could give her. Damn the consequences. This is heaven. All of a sudden he moved off and swept his hands across her hips frowning. ‘Next time, Sabrina, don’t wear a bra or panties, especially when you are at home with me. They are very pretty and alluring, but you know I prefer to find you naked under your clothes,’ he instructed firmly. Sabrina’s body jumped involuntarily when she felt him snap the flimsy straps that supported her thong and draw it out from under her. ‘I want to be able to touch you whenever and wherever I like. You should remember the rule, darling,’ he told her, tossing the remnants of the material to the floor. ‘You know what happens when you break it,’ he grinned.

She shook her head enthralled, curious and shocked that she was becoming impossibly damp between her thighs wondering what he would do. Her mind may not have remembered Raoul, but her body knew his practiced caress well and wept with pleasure at feeling it again. ‘No I don’t. What happens?’ she whispered, not believing she was even having the nerve to ask. With a jolt his finger was back inside her and joined by a second in one deep dominant thrust making her cry out. Raoul lowered his mouth over hers once more, and in response she opened her own willingly, allowing him to take it with force. ‘I think it’s time I reminded you.’ ‘Monsieur Valoire, I need to speak to you urgently,’ Francine’s worried voice and knock at the door made them both stop and look at each other with frustrated smouldering desire. ‘What is it, Francine?’ Raoul asked, making no effort to hide the impatience in his tone as he lifted off Sabrina. She tried to sit up but only found herself being lowered back down with firm hands. He rested his arm over her body to restrain any further attempt at escape, whilst he lovingly cradled her breast in his hand, flexing his thumb over its tip. ‘The business papers you required have been delivered by courier,’ the woman hesitated. ‘The courier says that the papers must be signed and returned with him now.’ Raoul gave a heavy impatient sigh. ‘All right, Francine. I will be down in a few minutes.’ Raoul closed his mouth over Sabrina’s once again, his probe of her mouth deep and uncompromising. She reached up for him, her arms around his neck bringing him down to take more of him inside. She couldn’t help herself. Despite everything, his touch on her body felt so right, so natural. ‘I want you so much,’ he whispered, grazing his teeth over her swollen bottom lip. ‘But I have to go.

Unfortunately, those papers are very important for a merger of one of my companies. I am sorry. I really don’t want to leave you,’ he breathed stealing another kiss. He gave her breast a gentle squeeze making her gasp and then gently replaced it back inside her bra. ‘Remember, don’t wear that again,’ he grinned, caressing a finger around the cup of her bra. ‘I won’t be long. I want to give you a tour of the Chateau and show you your life here. Then I want to take you in to Paris for the rest of the day.’ ‘I will have to put on some new panties,’ she chastised. ‘No. I meant what I said, Sabrina. I wasn’t kidding. I hate it, and you have never disappointed me that way before.’ He was deadly serious then a smile spread over his lips. ‘You have a lot to remember about us, Sabrina, a lot more than you realise.’ ‘It seems I have,’ she said frowning at him. He gave her one last aching kiss and stood unable to tear his eyes away from her as she lay on the bed. ‘By the way I cancelled your lecture after we spoke to Dr. Martin. I explained your situation, and they will contact you about re-scheduling it,’ he told her matter-of-factly without any emotion or even remorse. ‘You did what? How dare you. Who gave you the right?’ she demanded, sitting up covering herself with her dress again. ‘Until you are well and safe from that man who kidnapped and raped you, I am in control of your life. Get used to it fast,’ he told her formally, leaning over her small form that sat on the bed. ‘I am taking you back as my wife, Sabrina, if I have to drag you back kicking and screaming.’ ‘Bloody Neanderthal. We’ll see about that,’ she shouted at him as he made his way to the door. ‘I will be whatever I have to. Besides, you love it,’ he teased.

He quickly slipped through, narrowly missing the two bottles of cream that she neatly aimed at his head.

Chapter Eight She was already finding her way around the Chateau when he caught up with her. ‘I wanted you to wait for me.’ ‘Well I didn’t want to wait.’ He looked hurt. She was glad, it served him right. ‘What have you found out?’ ‘Nothing really. I like cars, especially fast cars and apparently I am able to give you a run for your money on horseback. And according to Francine, I always wanted to stop being a solicitor and take a degree in history.’ ‘Really?’ he grinned. ‘Fascinating.’ She smiled. ‘Oh and some rooms are familiar apart from one that you keep locked.’ ‘Your study, the room you were taken from. I don’t want you to be alone when you go in there.’ ‘How touching, but I can look after myself.’ ‘No you can’t.’ ‘Don’t start again,’ she walked quickly down the hall trying to get away from him. He caught her arm. ‘All right. I will take you to your study. But we do this my way, together,’ he over emphasised. She nodded not wanting to rock the boat and make him change his mind. Control freak. Sabrina’s study was on the ground floor at the back of the house, not far away from Raoul’s. It was a large square room with old paintings of horses and ladies and gentlemen in seventeenth and eighteenth century dress. A black

marble desk that appeared to look more like a table to Sabrina, was situated at the far end of the room. Two long windows, dressed in beige and black damask curtains that hit the floor, overlooked the moat allowing light to flood the room. The air was still a little chilly. It was as though time stood still in the room. Sabrina rubbed her arms. For all her bluster her heart had pounded as she’d watched Raoul unlock the door and lead her in. Now she was glad of his company. At first there was nothing, no memory, absolutely nothing. Dismay hit her hard. She approached the large oversized desk that was bare, apart from an old style laptop. Nervously, she reached out to touch it. Raoul remained quiet and watchful of her every move looking for signs of distress or memory gain. A blurred black image shot across Sabrina’s mind making her hold her breath. She could hear voices again, angry voices. Her own was one of them. Then she watched herself being pushed to the floor accompanied by a sudden crushing realisation that she could not escape what was about to happen, no matter how hard she fought. She was forced to lie flat. Her rapist was on top of her body, squashing her into the floor with his weight. Try as she might she could not see his face. The images her memory chose to show her were cloudy, wispy and ethereal. All she could hear was her frantic pleading and his excited breathing. The man smelt of stale cigarette smoke making bile rise from her stomach. The terror she felt at the time was acute. Now the feeling was fresh and renewed with strength, threatening to suffocate her. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was vaguely away of sobbing with fear. But she forced herself to concentrate on holding the memory and enlarging it, just as she had tried to do before. Unfortunately, she was to be defeated by the will of her mind. The moment she recounted the rapist’s first vicious

touch of her bare flesh between her thighs under her dress, the memory disappeared. ‘Shh, Sabrina, open your eyes. You are safe. It isn’t happening again. I promise you,’ Raoul’s voice was heavily concerned and fearful for her. When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying curled up like a child on the wooden floor. Her face was wet with tears and her body was convulsing with the tremors of shock and fear. Raoul was bent over her prostrate form doing his best to cuddle her and lift her from the floor. Immediately, she felt ashamed, embarrassed, and hurried to lift herself straight, horrified she could have let herself go like that. Raoul refused to let go of her. He pulled Sabrina’s reluctant body against his chest and held her there tightly. Not until her shaking began to lessen did he slacken his grip. ‘I want you to remember, Sabrina, but I don’t want you to suffer like this . . . I shouldn’t have let you come in here. It’s too soon. I’m sorry, darling,’ he whispered, running his fingers gently through her hair. ‘No, I need to remember. It’s better I find out and face it,’ she lied. Why do I have to remember that? I don’t want to. Why would anyone want to remember being raped? Ignorance is bliss in this case. I hate this . . . ‘We need to take this at a slow pace. I won’t have you hurt this way. Come on, I want to get you out of here and the house. You need room to breathe.’ Raoul helped her stand. ‘Come on let’s go to Paris like I promised. Get your coat.’ * * * The car journey to Paris, which was to take them an hour and a half, was spent in silence. Sabrina sat with her arms folded staring into space. Neither one of them talked

anymore of what had happened in the study. She couldn’t help feeling that she had no control of her life anymore and that Raoul was dictating it to her now. ‘How long is your mood going to last this time?’ Raoul asked with a sigh, clearly unable to bear the silence and picking up on Sabrina’s mental discomfort. ‘It can last for days.’ ‘I know. When are you going to accept what is happening?’ he calmly asked. ‘When you start treating me like an equal partner in this marriage I didn’t even know existed,’ she argued. He started to speak in French with frustration at a pace she’d never heard anyone speak before. She was fed up with him calling her stubborn and complaining that she would not see sense and reason. ‘Right that’s it. Stop the car. Stop the damn car,’ she shouted at the driver. The car pulled onto the side of the busy road, and she got out of the vehicle before Raoul could stop her from moving. It was bitterly cold. Paris was shrouded in a light winter mist. But all she could think about was getting away. She ran up some steps and passed through a gate finding that she had entered the Tuileries Gardens. She was vaguely aware of Raoul calling her name, but she didn’t want to listen. She padded out onto the white powdery floor of the gardens that teemed with visitors from every nation in the world in the summer, but was now deserted in the winter. There was a sharp pull on her arm, and she found herself being swung round to face Raoul. She let out a cry as the memory of her attacker spinning her around sprang into her mind. She jerked away from him as though she’d been burnt by his touch. She collected her thoughts, wondering. Slowly, his eyes narrowed with comprehension

as he read the conflicting emotions flashing with confusion in her eyes. What if I was going to leave him because I found out he was having an affair, and he tried to stop me from going? He is prepared to keep me prisoner to make me regain my memory, but maybe he is trying to control the memories I retrieve? She looked into his eyes, they were dangerous, dark, mysterious and far too sexy to resist. As she stared into them the less afraid she became, the more she was convinced she was wrong. Or is that the idea? ‘Sabrina,’ he said it calmly, a gentle soft caress floating on the breeze. She expected him to say something, to confront the suspicion that he had undoubtedly read in her eyes. But he said nothing, letting it hang there, suspended in the air between them unspoken. ‘Why are you running away from me again?’ He advanced. She firmly stood her ground. ‘I don’t know you,’ she told him with an even voice. ‘Yet, you think you have the right to just walk straight back into my life and take it over without my consent. You are bossy, arrogant, controlling…’ the words trailed off as unexpected angry tears sprung into her eyes. She watched hurt creep into his eyes from the corners, but he didn’t betray the emotion, taking the reprimand with the dignity of a brave soldier. How could you be so cruel to him? He was hurt, it was almost a physical pain they both seemed to share. He reached out with his hand and smoothed it along her jaw, his touch burning away any resistance. ‘I’m only trying to protect you, Sabrina, you must see that. I am terrified that he will take you from me again.’

He was too close again, searching her eyes, holding them captive as they vainly tried to avoid his hypnotic gaze. He looked down at her lips and brushed them with his own before entering her mouth with his penetrating kiss. She didn’t object. It was a deep kiss, possessive, unrelenting. He would never give her up. ‘I’m sorry, Sabrina. I just don’t know how to handle what has happened to us both. All I know is that I’ve spent years searching for you. I never gave up, Sabrina, not once. Then you walk back into my life, and you don’t even know who I am and what we had together. You are in danger, Sabrina. Whoever hurt you got away with it and may come back for more. I have every right to do what is necessary to protect you.’ She turned away looking up the gardens at the smaller version of the Arc De Triomphe built in respect of Napoleon’s war victories. It was in perfect line with the obelisk in the centre of Place De La Concorde, the Arc De Triomphe and the Arc in the business quarter, all visible at the other end of the gardens. She remembered her love for the neat, tidy, formal order of Paris with its beautiful stone architecture, and the people, always wearing their designer clothes with such style and elegance no matter what the age. She remembered the feeling of being very at home in Paris and never wanting to live anywhere else. She was jerked from her thoughts as she felt his thumb caress her knuckles. It was something she remembered he did to soothe any anxiety, anger or fear he knew she was feeling. An intimate caress to remind her he was close by and she was safe. Every time he touched her it was electric. And the way he looked at her with such yearning and a deep burning passion, it made her feel both excited and afraid. It was a potent cocktail that tempted her self-control. ‘What do you need from me, Sabrina? How can I help you?’

‘I need some space, some distance so I can think clearly and figure all of this out.’ He was silent for a moment, his eyes never leaving her face. She held her breath, still feeling the touch of his fingers over the knuckles of her leather clad hand. And then he simply nodded. ‘I will try, Sabrina.’ He smiled reassuringly. ‘Why don’t we just spend the day in Paris and visit the places we usually do and see what you can remember? No pressure.’ She agreed, suddenly feeling remorse as he removed his hand and put both hands in his pockets of his long military style wool overcoat. ‘I’ll tell the chauffeur to come and pick us up later.’ He moved away and then suddenly stopped. ‘You’ll wait for me?’ ‘Yes, you know I will,’ she told him quietly, feeling him pull hard on those strings he’d attached to her heart. When he returned he looked surprised to find her still standing there. She was herself to a great extent. She always wondered what deferred her escape, a burning need to find out about her past life or the feeling of being torn apart when she left Raoul’s side. ‘I thought we could go for a drink first to warm up.’ His arm hung loosely around her waist to guide her out of the gardens and across the road crowded with manic French traffic. They stepped onto the covered archways of the Rue De Rivoli, glancing at the small boutiques and souvenir shops. There was a multitude of tourists all communicating in different languages and her own. They wound their way past a guide narrating the history of the famous street and slipped in to a tea room named Giselle’s. Her memory was immediate. She had been in Giselle’s many a time.

Yes, I remember. I do, I do. I remember the crisp white tablecloths, the brown leather chairs . . . its old style elegance that always reminded me of the nineteenth century and that movie, Gigi. She sat down looking at her surroundings with excitement. ‘I remember, Raoul. I remember being here.’ He smiled with affection. ‘That’s good. Do you know what you usually have?’ She smiled nervously at the waiter who handed her a menu. ‘Monsieur Valoire, I have not seen you here in an age. Not since Madame Valoire . . .,’ he stopped eyeing Sabrina with confusion. Raoul grinned. ‘Yes, Françoise. So that’s why I thought I would bring her back here.’ Françoise raised his eyebrows at Raoul and then took another look at Sabrina. ‘Madame Valoire?’ Sabrina looked nervously at Raoul and then nodded at the man. ‘Yes, yes I can see it now.’ He took her hand. ‘Madame Valoire, it is so good to see you again. We all thought you were dead. What happened?’ Sabrina felt uncomfortable, and Raoul was quick to the rescue. ‘Madame Valoire lost her memory Françoise. We don’t know what happened yet. I can’t believe we found her again.’ The man kissed her on both cheeks in the traditional French style, giving Sabrina the impression that she must have known him well. ‘Well, let us see if we can jog your memory. I will prepare my best…’

‘Ah Françoise do not tell her what she usually has in here. I am trying to get Sabrina to remember.’ The man smiled and handed her a menu. ‘Of course, Monsieur Valoire.’ He chuckled. ‘I am sure Madame will not have forgotten.’ He laughed and walked away, and they could hear his hushed whisper as he told the other waiters. Sabrina glanced at the menu and its contents, but put it down dismayed that she could not even remember what food she loved to eat. Raoul placed his hand over Sabrina’s that rested on the table. ‘Relax, Sabrina. It is coming back slowly, we just have to be patient. One step at a time.’ She felt as though she was letting him down. ‘What would I have normally?’ He made a quick scan of the menu. ‘It’s a little different from what it used to be seven years ago. Ah there it is. We would have breakfast here before, as you so astutely put it, we ran amuck in the shops.’ Amuck was such an English word, one of her words. It was an inelegant word that his soft accent seemed to make sound almost poetic. ‘But I don’t really like shopping that much.’ Raoul raised one dark eyebrow making him look devilishly sexy. She tried to avoid making contact with his eyes, but he was there holding her own captive. They were mesmerising, beautiful and haunting. She haunted them. She could see his memories of their life together reflecting back at her. ‘Oh yes you do, Sabrina. It is your favourite past time, and you are relentless in its pursuit.’ He shook his head with amused disbelief leaving her feeling annoyed that he knew so much that she didn’t. She watched him give the menu another closer look.

‘Well you didn’t have tea because you hate tea in France and any other European country. You always complain that it looks and tastes like dishwater.’ He laughed watching the surprised recognition widening her eyes. ‘It’s so bad that you have to have your brother send you tea bags from England….’ His voice trailed off realising the mistake. ‘I have a brother?’ She asked the question with timidity. He looked uncomfortable, as though he’d said too much too soon. ‘Yes, he’s already on his way to France. He wanted to be here on Friday, but he is a doctor, a heart surgeon and couldn’t get away. He will arrive at the Chateau later on. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to spend the day worrying about meeting him.’ Sabrina felt her eyes sting with tears. ‘My parents?’ ‘They died when you were twelve in a car accident,’ he told her gently. ‘Your brother was nineteen at the time, and he looked after you. I’m so sorry, Sabrina.’ She swallowed hard and tried to blink her tears away. It was just like being a ghost in your own life. Raoul stroked her fingers with his thumb over the hand she rested on the table. But she snatched it away. He stared down at the bare table where they had been connected and sighed. Sabrina couldn’t speak, she was too choked with emotion and the effort of containing her feelings to this stranger. He didn’t remove his concerned eyes from her once, even when he ordered her usual of a cappuccino and a decadent butter croissant covered in sugar. They visited the Louvre first. She slowly began to remember her way around the smooth display floors and was able to follow its labyrinth appearance, with its long halls and wide staircases. It made her feel confused.

How can I remember my way around this magnificent building, yet I can’t remember my own name and identity? After a tour of the French and Italian paintings, they ended up in the Denon Wing to view the Sculptures. So far an amicable distance between them had been maintained and discussion had centred on the painting techniques of her favourite painters, Caravaggio, Vermeer and Da Vinci. But now they were looking at the Sculptures, Raoul appeared to be closing the distance both physically and emotionally. She responded by moving away to look at a particular piece she felt drawn to look at. ‘I’ve seen this before haven’t I? Many times before.’ She was talking to herself as though locked in some distant memory she was trying to keep hold of and examine in detail. Raoul eyed her cautiously, expectant. He nodded, and Sabrina smiled with triumph. ‘I like it don’t I? In fact, I will go as far as saying that it is my favourite next to…’ she paused. ‘Yes, the Venus de Milo and The Wings of Victory. It’s one of the reasons you and I come here.’ She turned to him unable to hide her glee. He took hold of her hand and brought her fingertips to his lips. She blushed conscious of people around them. He stared at her with hooded eyes that made her insides melt and turn to warm liquid. She tried to remove her hand and break the spell, but he held it firmly, rhythmically rubbing his thumb over her knuckles again. So much for distance. He led her around to the front of the sculpture. ‘It’s Psyche revived by Cupid’s kiss, made in 1793 by Antonio Canova.’ She accessed the information easily from her splintered memory. Reeling it off with direct precision as she did the many historical facts that lay dormant in her mind. Raoul moved behind her. She could feel his breath blow tantalisingly against the lobe of her ear as he spoke.

‘You find this sculpture intriguing and erotic,’ he whispered seductively. He began to walk around her as if viewing his own exquisite sculpture. She was spell bound unable to move a muscle. All she wanted to do was to listen to the hypnotising erotic note of his voice. He lifted her hand and trailed a digit over its back. ‘I think you appreciate the smooth lines and curves of the marble bodies and their curved voluptuous forms.’ Why do I get the feeling you aren’t just talking about the sculptures? She concentrated on the Canova. Beautiful Psyche lay on a bed of white marble, a simple sheath covering her modesty. Her slim arms stretched up around Cupid’s neck as he leaned over her, his large wings spread. His hand was curved around one of her breasts as she met his kiss. ‘Venus was jealous of Psyche’s great beauty. She sent her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest man alive. But Cupid fell in love with her and visited every night as an invisible lover,’ Raoul told her, the seduction unmistakable in his caressing tone of voice. Sabrina’s eyelashes fluttered involuntarily as she felt his gaze settle on her moist parted pink lips. He continued. ‘He warned her not to attempt to discover his true identity and when she did, he left. Psyche searched everywhere for Cupid until Jupiter made her an immortal so she could be with Cupid again.’ Raoul smiled. ‘It’s rather like you and me. I am invisible to you, Sabrina, even though I love you.’ He studied the soft silky skin of her hand. ‘And if I try to see the real you and what happened, will you leave me? Or did you already do that seven years ago?’ she ventured. She couldn’t believe she’d said it. He lowered her hand and smiled, refusing to make any comment. He annoyed

her with his silences, baiting her to come out of her protective shell, remember everything and solve the mystery of their past life together. Maybe you think it will make me stick around. You know me better than I thought. I can’t stand an unsolved mystery especially when it involves my life. . . Raoul was fully aware that her nature would be too curious to leave any stone unturned, and she would never give up. Damn you. She pulled back her hand as though his touch was offensive. So, he loved to tease her. He’d told her that he wasn’t having an affair, but she obviously didn’t believe him at the time. In Raoul’s eyes telling her that it was untrue should have been enough, but Sabrina, knowing herself, would have wanted more evidence of his faithfulness and would have done her own investigation. Trusting people wasn’t something she did easily. She only wished she knew the reason for it. Perhaps it was another remnant from her past she needed to uncover. There were two ways to deal with this situation, either trust the man or find out the truth herself. She preferred the second option. She hardly knew the man and would not fall in the naïve trap of putting her full trust in a stranger. Raoul was a stranger despite his protestations to the contrary, and she intended to remain in control. Flouncing off to view another sculpture irritation stung her to the core. The corner of Raoul’s all too sexy mouth curved with amusement as she walked away. A fantasy about wiping it away with a well-aimed punch struck her mind with anger. The rest of the day was spent on amicable terms. She discovered a love for French shopping that equalled no other. She wasn’t too keen on French food and was not impressed by the Continental way of eating that made her comment that, they were so close to the next table that they might as well be sitting on it. The Eiffel Tower was her

favourite attraction, followed closely in line by Jardin des Tuileries, Place De La Concorde and the dazzling streams of traffic lights parading up and down the Champs-Elysees. In fact everything was going well until they caught up with an old friend on the Champs-Elysees as the winter darkness began to fall around them. ‘Raoul, fancy seeing you here. Who is this gorgeous creature on your arm?’ It was an English voice, crisp, clear and instantly recognisable. Sabrina turned round to find Cressida Williams hugging Raoul. It was the woman who fawned over Raoul at the ball from her memory. She clung to his arm. Raoul looked uncomfortable and removed her hand. ‘Cressida. How nice to see you,’ Raoul said with irritated sarcasm. ‘Sabrina, is that you?’ there was amazement in the voice and something else—fear. ‘Yes it is, Cressida. I found her again. Sabrina has lost her memory, but we are doing everything we can to get it back.’ There was a warning in his words to the woman, and Sabrina couldn’t help wondering if he was signalling for her to be on her guard. ‘So the rumours were true. She doesn’t remember anything? What about you? Does she remember you, Raoul?’ ‘Raoul, please stop talking as if I’m not here. I do remember some things,’ Sabrina said with a smile. The woman suddenly looked nervous. You should be nervous, Bitch. I bet it was a shock when you heard I’d been raised from the dead and was back in Raoul’s life. ‘Cressida Williams, isn’t it? Yes, I remember. You were the architect who designed that luxury holiday village on the south coast for Raoul’s company. Yes, I’m beginning to remember a lot of things.’

Oh yes I am. You’ve had your eyes on Raoul for years and every other man with money and power you can find. Why can’t you find some power of your own? You are always pawing Raoul, always touching him in front of me, desperate to make me jealous. And men love you for the attention you give them. They all fall into your trap. Suckers. I guess Raoul eventually fell for you as well. She could almost hear both of them hold their breath. The two women locked eyes for a moment. Cressida’s beautiful pea green eyes narrowed to a sharp point under the brim of her black winter fur hat, as she caught Sabrina’s warning. Her peachy brown lips tightened, but she slowly relaxed them into a smile that widened as she turned to face Raoul, her back deliberately to Sabrina. ‘Raoul, you must come and see me soon. It’s been a while.’ The woman possessively held his arm again and ran a finger down the front of his coat. ‘I miss you. You must come.’ It sounded like a pathetic plea to Sabrina, and the invitation was obviously not extended to herself. She looked around at the throng of shoppers walking up and down the busy avenue trying not to bump into them. She could just escape now, forget Raoul, forget this humiliation and disappear again. There was obviously still something going on between them. She wondered if Cressida’s husband had found out just like herself. He obviously found it easy to ignore. Raoul was firmly pulling Cressida’s hand from his arm, his eyes communicating impatience at her persistence. ‘It was nice to see you, Cressida. We must catch up once Sabrina is back to full health again. Now we must go, Sabrina is tired.’ Sabrina murmured goodbye and found herself being guided towards the edge of the kerb where they were due to meet the car. They didn’t speak until they were inside, and

the car pulled away to join the throng of traffic heading down the Champs-Elysees. ‘You were going to leave weren’t you?’ he challenged. ‘I thought we had an agreement? I could see you weighing up an escape plan. You thought you could disappear into the crowd?’ ‘Huh. I’m surprised you noticed with all of that touching going on. Are you sure you really want me hanging around? Am I not in the way? Were you surprised to see her? It must have been so irritating for you. I mean she could have stayed out of the way until you told her it was safe,’ she almost spat the words. He ignored her questions shaking his head with frustrated anger. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you remembered Cressida? I thought I asked you to tell me about the memories you retrieved.’ He was annoyed, formal in his speech. ‘What’s the matter? Are you concerned whether or not I remember that you two were having an affair and still are by the looks of it.’ She heard herself hiss the words and was surprised at the anger and hurt she felt so strongly. Raoul smiled. ‘So you are beginning to remember our life together?’ ‘Yeah and obviously the reason I chose to forget it. As soon as I get back to the Chateau I am leaving you, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do to stop me,’ she said sharply, leaving no room for negotiation. ‘You aren’t going anywhere, Sabrina. I think it’s about time I properly reminded you that you are my wife and of the life we shared together.’ Raoul shouted at the driver in French and within minutes the car was pulling off the road to the side and into a small restaurant car park. Raoul undid his seatbelt the moment the car came to a halt and moved along the wide

seat of the Mercedes towards her. Afraid and more than a little frustrated by meeting Cressida, Sabrina opened the car door and got out. Undeterred by the dark or the small wood and fields that stretched out in front of her, Sabrina walked on fuelled by rage and the need to escape. She was vaguely aware of Raoul talking to the driver, and then she heard quick marching male footsteps behind her. She ignored him and quickened her pace. She wasn’t thinking straight, and she knew it. Where the hell am I going to go? All I want is to have a few moments to myself to think. But Raoul was to match her pace as she walked into the wood determined on losing him. Maybe she could find somewhere to ring the police and get some help to go home back to London. It was a crazy thought. She couldn’t just run away from this. Her mind was racing and splintering with fractured memories. Exasperated, she stopped dead putting her hands to her head and turned to shout at Raoul. ‘Don’t you ever give up? Just let me go.’ Raoul caught her arms. ‘No. I can’t. I will never give up on us. I told you that night at the ball. We love each other. There has never been anyone else for me. I am not letting you just walk out of my life and disappear again.’ ‘You are lying to me. I saw the way you were with Cressida. I am not stupid. If I wanted a divorce all those years ago, I had my reasons. I don’t make snap decisions. I would have had all of my fact straights.’ ‘Yes, just like the lawyer you always were. You always had to be right,’ Raoul sneered. She gave him a surprised indignant glare that he would dare to even question her integrity. ‘You had me convicted and sentenced before you even heard my side of the story. I was always guilty whenever any woman took any notice of me,’ he gave her a shake as snow began to fall heavily around them. ‘All because you

believed you weren’t worthy of me or my love. You never thought you were good enough for me,’ he told her in a tone laden with disbelief and confusion. Frustrated, he caught hold of her face and held it tightly. ‘Look at me,’ he ordered. Sabrina’s eyes jumped to attention and stared into his pained eyes. ‘Tell me, Sabrina, what the hell do I have to do to make you believe I love you? There never has and never will be anyone good enough or worthy enough for me than you.’ Tears sprang into Sabrina’s eyes. His angry words about her character struck an unwelcome chord. A familiar fear of insecurity twisted her insides. It was confirmation of all that he spoke. God knows she wanted to believe him, but she was so afraid of the way her safe comfortable life was being pulled apart and dissected. Until she knew what was going on, she would remain guarded. He seemed to read her thoughts in her eyes. He nodded and cursed. He let go of her face but tightened his grip on her arm. ‘I see. This . . . this distrust of me is not going to end any time soon,’ he said with contempt. He took a deep breath. ‘Well, I guess I am just going to have to keep working on you until that cruel memory of yours decides to come back to its senses,’ he said with distaste. Raoul pulled her across the ground towards him until her face was mere inches from his. Sabrina’s heart pounded in her chest as he bent his head unsure if he was about to kiss her or issue another hurtful jibe. He studied her lips, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. Sabrina felt her body begin to shake not sure if it was with the cold snow falling damply onto her face or the potent mix of desire and fear she felt for Raoul when he was close. ‘You trusted me enough before when you let me touch you, Sabrina. I know you still love me. I can feel it. It’s

brimming underneath all of that deception you cower under. It’s time you woke up to yourself.’ ‘I am not a bloody coward,’ Sabrina snapped desperately trying to move his arm. ‘Maybe you should realise that you can’t get away with your deception. Wake up. This fantasy marriage you go on about never existed anywhere but in your head. Go back to Cressida. It’s over.’ Raoul’s eyes swirled with anger. ‘You are pushing me, Sabrina. None of this is over. Deal with it and stop running.’ ‘Pushing you like the night of the ball . . .?’ ‘I told you not to question me on this again. I never hurt you. Now go back to the car,’ he demanded. Sabrina shrugged his arm off and glanced around her. Raoul was watching her every move. There was no way she would get out of the wood without him stopping her. ‘There is nowhere to run, Sabrina. You have to face what is happening. No more running.’ Still she stared, her mind frantically working on a means of escape. ‘Sabrina, don’t try it. Even if you made it to Paris, I would have you picked up by the police the moment you got there. If you regain your memory and you still want to leave, then we will talk about a divorce.’ ‘And if I don’t regain my memory?’ ‘Then you are stuck with me. Call it an incentive. Get your memory back, prove me innocent, lawyer, and uncover your love for me that’s sleeping inside your subconscious. I know it’s there. I see it in your eyes when you look at me. Then we can pick up where we left off and move on from this damn nightmare,’ he urged. Sabrina stared. Her mind buzzed with a hundred different thoughts. Once again she considered escape. Raoul shook his head and caught her arm again. ‘Sabrina, start walking back to the car or so help me I will carry you there,’ he ordered making her jump.

She didn’t dare refuse. No way was she letting him humiliate her by carrying her back kicking and screaming. She would just have to accept his challenge and win his game. Then she would get her revenge. Without speaking they walked back to the car, Raoul’s restraining hand tight on her arm. ‘I’ve invited some people for the weekend, and they will arrive this evening,’ Raoul told Sabrina in the car as they travelled home. ‘Don’t worry, these people are very close to you. You’re best friend, Amelia Newman, you have known since your school days in England, is dying to see you. You are both like sisters. I didn’t want to tell you straight away, especially this morning when you seemed so distressed.’ Raoul was carrying on conversation as though the whole argument in the wood had not occurred. He had no right to call her stubborn, he was just as bad. Sabrina felt uneasy at the prospect of meeting more people who she called strangers. But she looked up at Raoul. ‘I’m ok. I will deal with it,’ she assured him coldly. She turned away and pretended to be preoccupied with watching the French countryside. She didn’t want to talk anymore. It always seemed to end in a row. Was our marriage always like this? One continuous row and competition for control? She felt tired. It seemed to creep up on her like it had done the night before. She closed her eyes and allowed the motion of the car to lull her into a gentle sleep as she wondered what her guests would be like. * * * Sabrina woke just before the car made its descent along the narrow road that led to the Chateau. She found a blanket tucked around her body. ‘Did you have a good sleep?’ Raoul asked gently. ‘Yes, broken with dreams or memories. I can’t seem to tell the difference these days.’

She glanced out of the window. ‘The Chateau is so beautiful in the snow. Why do we live there?’ she asked sleepily. ‘I would have thought we would have lived in the centre of Paris for work.’ ‘We do, correction did, during the week. Since you left I have spent more and more time in the Chateau. I always felt close to you in the house,’ he told her gently. ‘We have a few properties,’ he continued. ‘One in London as well. I bought the Chateau for your wedding present. It’s your home, Sabrina.’ ‘What? You’re joking right?’ ‘No, I am perfectly serious. Your passion was history. What better wedding gift to give you. It seems even more appropriate now.’ ‘You’re mad,’ she laughed, putting her hand to her mouth in shock. He grinned. There was relief in his eyes every time she smiled. ‘I wanted you to see the Chateau first because it’s where we spent most of our time together. We lived there every weekend when we didn’t go away.’ ‘This has to be a dream,’ she laughed again. Francine greeted them at the door. ‘Marie-Claire is running a bath for Madame Valoire.’ Inwardly Sabrina groaned. Damn it, I can run my own bath and anyway I prefer showers. The housekeeper continued, ‘Monsieur Valoire, your guests are on the way. All the rooms are ready. Oh, and your friend Maxim is waiting in the study. He urgently wants to speak to you before the other guests arrive.’ ‘You better go and get ready, Sabrina. Our guests will be arriving soon,’ Raoul instructed. ‘That is if they can make it in the weather, sir,’ Francine added. ‘It is closing in. The snow is falling heavily again. I thought you might not make it back. You know how the roads get blocked with snow in the winter.’

Still Raoul remained positive. ‘They’ll make it. Wild horses wouldn’t keep them from seeing Sabrina.’ ‘You make me sound like some kind of freak show.’ Sabrina felt uncomfortable again. ‘You aren’t a freak show. They are your friends and family. They’ve missed you. We all have. Please go and get ready. Oh, and I hope you like the present I have waiting for you on your bed,’ he told her stealing a quick kiss on her cheek. Then he was gone before she could say anymore. Raoul hurried down the stairs and straight to his study. ‘Maxim.’ Raoul shook hands and hugged his oldest friend Maxim Tissier. ‘I can’t believe she’s back. How is she? You must be ecstatic.’ ‘I’m not sure I really believe she is here. I’d just about given up hope and was ready to have her legally declared dead. She’s distressed, confused, emotionally tired and afraid. She isn’t very sure of me either. But I am doing everything in my power to make the transition back into her old life as easy as possible.’ Raoul sat down in his chair behind his desk and leaned back. He looked wistfully up at the ceiling and eased his feet onto the end of the desk. He suddenly swung round in his chair and stared up at the extravagant portrait of himself and Sabrina. His mother and father had insisted they have the painting done to compliment their history in the Chateau next to the previous owners in years and centuries gone by. ‘She hasn’t changed a bit, apart from being in more control of her life. She was always feisty. But I don’t know, she’s stronger somehow. She’s more confident with herself. Sabrina has achieved so much on her own. She has direction, purpose and doesn’t….’

‘Take you bossing her around as much?’ Raoul frowned as his friend laughed. Raoul turned back around to face him. Maxim laughed again and swirled the warm cognac in his glass he helped himself to whilst waiting for Raoul. ‘What about Cressida? Does Sabrina remember her?’ ‘We ran into her today. Oh yes, Sabrina remembers her,’ he said with a heavy sigh. ‘And Cressida is already causing trouble.’ ‘I see,’ Maxim grimaced. ‘Good luck with that one,’ he said taking another gulp of his drink. Raoul thought for a moment and then addressed Maxim again. ‘You know that I didn’t just ask you to come to see Sabrina again as a friend.’ ‘I gathered as much. So I am here in my official capacity as well?’ ‘Yes. The police are eager to talk to her, and I would rather it was you. There is also the matter of her safety this weekend. I have increased the security on the Chateau since Sabrina’s arrival. I have men at the gate, and the police are watching the Chateau, but I trust you more. Whoever could have taken Sabrina from the Chateau had to be on the inside. I thought it could have been one of the staff. But none of them left. Whoever it was will be in this house tonight. They all left around the same time as she disappeared.’ He took a key from the top drawer in his desk and opened the drawer beneath it. He handed Maxim a letter that came by courier this morning for Sabrina. Thankfully, Francine had found it suspicious and had wanted to inform Raoul of its arrival straight away. Her ruse that it was business papers had stopped Sabrina finding out about it. ‘He knows she is here, Maxim. I tried everything to keep Sabrina safe when she was stalked. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do . . .’

‘I remember. You threatened to lock Sabrina away in one of the towers when she tried a jail break,’ he murmured as he read the letter made up of letters cut out of newspapers. ‘I wish I had, then she mightn’t have been kidnapped and raped.’ Maxim gave his friend a look of sympathy. ‘I will do the same this time. I am taking a big risk by inviting everyone to the Chateau this weekend. But I have to do it. I know one of them is the stalker and responsible for everything that happened to Sabrina. I want him caught. This is the only way I know how to get him,’ Raoul told him with determination. ‘By using Sabrina and her lost memory as bait to flush him out?’ he sounded disapproving. ‘Yes. I know it’s dangerous. But I don’t know what else to do. I want Sabrina safe and not afraid for the rest of her life. Don’t worry, I will lock her in that tower and keep her well out of the way if he tries to do anything to her. I know we will get him this weekend.’ ‘By the looks of this letter, he’s going to try and take her again. We will have to watch Sabrina round the clock,’ Maxim gave a sigh and shook his head. ‘I’m not sure I like this. But I agree we have to do something. Trapping him here and forcing him out of the shadows is the best way to catch him. I will have this analysed to see if we can get a lead. Does Sabrina know about this letter? I am wondering why he has sent her just a letter and not rang as well like he used to.’ ‘I had all of the outside land lines cut when I tried to stop Sabrina leaving yesterday.’ Raoul grinned at Maxim’s raised eyebrow. ‘You know how stubborn she gets. She wanted to leave and work it all out on her own. I don’t think she realises just how much danger she is in. I have had to threaten her with everything to keep her here.’

‘I can imagine. Sabrina really doesn’t like being told what to do,’ he smiled. ‘I will need to speak to her about all of this at some point, she is our star witness. Does she remember anything at all?’ Raoul sighed. ‘She remembers being attacked in her study, but she can’t hold on to the memory, and she never sees his face. I’m not sure she will be able to help you.’ ‘You will be surprised. Any little detail may help.’ ‘I just wish she could remember me and our marriage.’ ‘I’ve seen this thing before. She will remember just give her time.’ Raoul nodded. His eyes blackened like a night storm, a hurricane of anger blowing inside him that was threatening to destroy everything in its path. ‘I want her protected Maxim and that man caught. You better get to him before I do or I’m not sure I will be able to control myself.’

Chapter Nine Sabrina tied the towel around her body after stepping out of the bath and sat down on the bed only to jump up, realising that she was sitting on top of something. Casting her eyes downwards, she found herself looking at a dress elaborately laid out on top of the bed. It was a deep scarlet red, her favourite colour. Skimming her hand lightly across its surface told her the garment was made of silk and chiffon. There were shoes to match and tiny droplet ruby earrings encased in diamonds. She giggled, the man thought of everything. She quickly put on what little make-up she wore and smoothed the dress over her curves. The dress was off one shoulder and reached the ground. A small train from a gathering at the front of the dress at the level of her thighs dropped to her

side on the ground. It swished elegantly as she walked across the floor to admire herself in the full length mirror. Sabrina was startled by the telephone ringing. She had checked all of the phones and found that she could not get an outside line, just as Raoul had promised. It must be an internal call. Perhaps, Francine wants to ask me something. ‘Sabrina.’ She knew the minute the man said her name that it was him. The man who took her from her home, raped her and held her captive somewhere dark for endless days and beat her when she tried to escape. It was a disguised voice, but she knew it was him. The memories clouded her mind making her head spin and her legs turn to jelly. The pain and fear were almost too much to remember, but she steadied her voice. ‘Who are you?’ ‘I am the man you really belong to. You shouldn’t have run away. I will have to punish you.’ ‘Who are you?’ She persisted trying to ignore the deep sinister voice that was frustratingly unrecognisable. ‘You really can’t remember. That’s good. It will make it all the easier for me to take you away again. And this time, Sabrina, I won’t ever let you leave me again.’ ‘I’m not afraid of you. Who are you? Why are you doing this?’ ‘You should be afraid of me, and if you aren’t, I will make you.’ The line went dead and a terrified Sabrina could hardly put the phone down for shaking. She didn’t have to, Raoul was taking it from her trembling hand. He held her arms, his eyes searching her face for comprehension. ‘Who was that on the phone? It was him wasn’t it?’ She nodded.

‘I can’t remember who it is. But that voice. I feel sick. That was an internal line. It means he is somewhere in the house,’ she said frantically. Raoul guided her to the bed and sat her down, soothingly rubbing his hands up and down her arms. ‘I know, my love. I am very sure he is one of our guests. This is the only way I can find out who he is and protect you from him. I want you to stay close by my side,’ Raoul’s voice was gentle but urgent. Sabrina looked at him shocked. ‘And when were you going to tell me about your plan? I don’t believe this . . . Don’t you think I had a right to know . . .’ she protested fearfully, her temper rising. ‘Sabrina, hush. There is a police officer in the house and the Chateau is being watched by them. Security is tight, I can assure you. I am sorry I have to put you through this, my love, but it is the only way I can protect you from this monster. Now listen to me, I want you by my side all of the time and on this I expect to be obeyed without question. Do you understand me?’ he fiercely demanded. Sabrina stared unable to find the words to retaliate. Fear had overtaken her temper. Knowing the man was here in the house terrified her to the core. His disturbing presence made her feel vulnerable, helpless. She hated admitting it but she didn’t want Raoul to leave her side despite her angry feminist indignation. Her need for protection from Raoul won the battle out right. Ashamed of her fear she found herself nodding obediently in agreement. ‘He says he is going to take me back,’ she continued, ‘I remember what he did to me the night I disappeared, Raoul. I remember what he did. He raped me in the study, then he dragged me out of the house and pushed me in the boot. I’m sure there was somebody else with him in the car. He took me somewhere miles from here. I think it was to a house somewhere in the country. He kept me locked up in the cellar. It was so cold and dark. My food would come

through a hole in the door. Sometimes I spent days sitting there in the dark, then he would come back and force me to . . . It feels as though it was just yesterday and not seven years ago. I don’t want to remember, I don’t want to remember.’ She stopped. Raoul’s face wore a mixture of horror and anger. He stopped rubbing her arms and stared. He was hanging on every word. It made her shake all the more as she worried how he was taking what she told him. ‘I tried to escape several times, but he kept getting me back. He hit me so much and forced himself on me.’ She began to cry. Raoul pulled her into the safety of his arms and held her tight against him, brushing his fingertips against her cheek to wipe her tears and soothe her fear. She felt him tremble with anger against her as she carried on narrating her story. ‘I eventually escaped. I don’t remember how at the moment, just that I did. I remember running through the fields. I must have planned it well because I somehow had money. I must have stolen it from him. I managed to get myself on a ferry. We were so close to the channel. I don’t know why I just didn’t go to the police. I was so injured. I started bleeding, and I knew I had to go to the hospital when I reached London. I collapsed when I went to hospital reception. I don’t remember any more after that.’ ‘He won’t touch you or take you away,’ he told her calmly, deeply, yet she could hear the thunder of fury rumbling under his words. ‘Trust me Sabrina. Trust me as your husband.’ Raoul’s arms tightened protectively around her. ‘This time I won’t let you down. I will be there for you.’ Instinctively, she pressed her face against his chest allowing herself the indulgence of seeking his warmth and protection. Somewhere a part of her had to trust him. Once more confused by her conflicting feelings she listened to him whisper French words of endearment. She felt him

stroke the softness of her hair and kiss it. In that brief moment she allowed herself to feel safe, warm and loved. ‘There is someone downstairs who is dying to see you again and can’t wait until dinner. I think it will be good for you to talk to her now,’ Raoul spoke softly, carefully, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. He slowly let go of her and rose to his feet. When he did finally look at her, his eyes were cold, distant and swollen with pain. His movement was precise and formal as though he was in the room with a stranger. She looked at him with confusion, feeling empty and abandoned. She bent her head as he picked up the phone to call down stairs. She was embarrassed and hurt. She’d made the mistake of letting her guard down, allowing him a glimpse of her vulnerability. He came to tower over her as she sat on the bed now unable to meet his eyes for fear of what she might see. Hurriedly she wiped at her eyes. He was keeping the distance she requested earlier that day, the space between them she did not want anymore. He was acting as though she was infected, a leper. The thought slashed across her mind creating a painfully bleeding wound. But the anger that followed gave her the strength to protect herself and slam down the shields. Her eyes dried, and she folded her arms defensively across her chest as she felt him look down at her. He started to speak, but a frantic knock at the door cut his speech short. ‘Amelia.’ He forced a smile. ‘She is so eager to see you, she must have run up those stairs.’ He opened the door to reveal a tall, elegant blonde woman. She was dressed in a black bustier and flared evening trousers slit just past the ankles. Her black and white sandals were high and complemented the white and black patterned motif on the bottoms of the trousers and across the top of the bustier. It was a simple outfit but stunning, showing the woman’s long legs off to perfection.

Her chocolate eyes danced with excitement as if she was a small child who had just got her hands in the cookie jar. But she said nothing, her full sensuous peach lips clamped tightly shut as if to prevent any errant words from escaping. She glanced at Raoul with impatience, waiting for his introduction. ‘Sabrina, this is your best friend Amelia Newman.’ Sabrina quickly looked away from him trying to stop her bottom lip from trembling and formed her lips into a shaky smile. It was the last thing she felt like doing. The woman rushed at her throwing her arms around Sabrina’s body. ‘Sabrina, I really can’t believe it’s you. Let me look at you. I don’t believe it, we almost have the same hairstyle.’ Her eyes turned serious. ‘That’s good, I never liked that long bob.’ Raoul shook his head. ‘I’ll leave you to get reacquainted.’ He caught Amelia’s eye. ‘Take your time to catch up and talk.’ Amelia gave him a gentle nod of understanding. He left without even complementing Sabrina on the dress that he’d bought for her to wear. Amelia was excited again. ‘Do you remember me, Sabrina?’ Sabrina shook her head. She felt Amelia’s disappointment land on her like a heavy weight threatening to crush her. ‘I’m sorry. I seem to be disappointing a lot of people at the moment.’ She moved away and sat back down on the bed. Amelia flopped down beside her, resting a hand on Sabrina’s shoulder. ‘It will all come back to you. You will of course remember me,’ she giggled. ‘How could you forget.’ ‘Were we close?’

‘Close? We were like sisters and still are I hope. I never gave up thinking you were alive and that you would come back one day. I figured it had to be something like losing your memory that prevented you from making your contact. Just like in the movies. It was never your style to walk away from anything.’ ‘I know, he told me. Where did we meet?’ ‘We met at boarding school in England. My father was the English Ambassador in Paris. We went right through school and University together. This is weird. It’s like I’m filling in the blanks, Sabrina. Anyway, you chose law and became a professional. I on the other hand decided to spend my life loafing around on my father’s money.’ She gave a wicked grin. ‘And I still am. You came to work in Paris and I followed. That’s when you met Raoul. You were suing his company on behalf of a client.’ Sabrina shook her head in disbelief. ‘I still find it hard to believe I was a lawyer.’ ‘Hasn’t he told you how you both met?’ ‘No, he is very guarded in what he does tell me. It makes me wonder if there are some things he doesn’t wish me to remember.’ Amelia looked uncomfortable, making Sabrina wonder if she knew exactly what she was not to remember. Maybe Raoul’s affair with Cressida? ‘He wouldn’t do that. He’s just being protective,’ she didn’t sound so sure. Amelia smiled trying to mask her concern. ‘Let me tell you how you met Raoul,’ Amelia gushed changing the subject quickly. ‘You arranged a meeting between your client, Raoul and his lawyer over some business dispute. I forget what it was, you know that stuff bores me.’ Sabrina looked at her blankly.

Amelia gave a small nervous laugh and then shook her head. ‘No, I suppose you don’t know . . .’ She smoothed her palms down the tops of her trousers. Nervous habit. Sabrina smiled reassuringly and asked her to continue, more than interested to know how Raoul supposedly fell in love with her and more so, how she could have fallen for such a gorgeous but domineering man. ‘No one envied you taking him on. The most feared and revered predator of the business world was not an opponent to be taking lightly, and you were just a new lawyer trying to make your mark on the world. He could have destroyed you. But you said he was only a man.’ Sabrina gave a small laugh. ‘Yes, that sounds just like what I would have said.’ Amelia shook her head and smiled. ‘Yes, that is you all right. Always walking where, angels fear to tread.’ She slipped her hand into her pocket and took out a silver cigarette case and a lighter before continuing. ‘I was worried. When I told my father about it, he shook his head. He thought you should just get your client to settle for the offer Raoul had already made for an out of court settlement. It was well known that if you made an enemy of Raoul, you would be made to regret it.’ Amelia stood up opening the case and took out a cigarette. She tapped it on top of the case. ‘I know you hate me smoking, but I didn’t expect to be so nervous around you. Do you mind if . . .’ She gestured at the French doors that led out to a wide balcony. Sabrina nodded and stood up to follow her. Amelia opened the doors on to the cold air. ‘It’s bloody freezing. Look at the snow. Doesn’t the place look picturesque?’ she said lighting her cigarette and giving a shiver.

‘Yes it does.’ Sabrina felt impatience to know what happened, gnaw at her. The woman loved to take her time telling a story. ‘Here let me get you something to wear or you will freeze to death.’ Sabrina rummaged around in one of the drawers and eventually found where Francine had put her cardigan all neatly folded up. She draped it around her friend’s shoulders then reached for the bed throw to cover her own shoulders as Amelia nodded thanks, ‘You always did look after me.’ ‘So are you going to carry on and tell me what I did,’ Sabrina asked with a smile. Amelia took a puff of her cigarette. She sighed with relief then grinned widely. ‘You marched full steam ahead into his lawyer’s office and negotiated. Boy did you put him in his place. No one has ever done that. You are famous for it. You got everything you wanted for your client. And for Raoul it was love at first sight. He was so impressed he asked you out to dinner, and the rest is history. You are the only one who has ever really stood up to him, and he loves you for it. That’s why he had to marry you.’ ‘Really?’ Sabrina chuckled. ‘He is quite a formidable character and he certainly likes to have his own way. He won’t even let me leave this house. I am not sure why I married him. He’s caring but very bossy. He likes to be in control of everything, including me. It seems out of character for me to fall for a man like him.’ Amelia stared at her in amazement. ‘Can you blame him? He’s never forgiven himself for what happened.’ Amelia looked wistful for a moment. ‘I remember what he was like when you were being stalked.’ She stopped, worried she’d said something wrong and given something away she shouldn’t have.

‘It’s all right, I remember, and I made Raoul fill me in,’ Sabrina informed her, sheltering in the doorway. ‘Well, Raoul was fiercely protective. He collected you from work every night. He bullied the police into finding out who it was and hired people to double the security on the Chateau.’ She began to laugh. ‘A couple of us were here for the weekend when you had a row with him about it. You told him you felt suffocated and you could damn well look after yourself,’ she said accurately imitating how Sabrina would have told him. ‘You nearly hit him when he said he wasn’t so sure. He was so angry with you for trying to deal with this man on your own. You tried to leave in disgust and go back to Paris to stay with me. He made you get out of the car and carried you back into the house when you refused to go back in. He even had the gall to threaten to lock you in one of the tower rooms until you came to your senses. Boy did you make him pay for saying that. He was lucky he ever got sex again,’ she laughed. Sabrina widened her eyes with amusement and surprise when the scene came to rest unexpectedly and vividly in her mind. She’d been so angry and embarrassed she hadn’t spoken to him for days. But it had ended like all of their arguments, in bed. She took a breath fondly remembering the way he made love to her to settle their arguments, usually in his favour. His touch was a little rough, demanding, his hold on her naked body strong and unforgiving. He wouldn’t wait long to be inside her and within moments his deep penetrating thrusts would have her riding to ecstasy almost at his command. Then he would make love to her more slowly, gentling his caress, deepening his kiss possessively as he took her once more until she whimpered her surrender against his lips.

Amelia was staring into space looking wistful again as Sabrina contemplated the paradoxical nature of her character and marriage with Raoul. Her thoughts were broken when Sabrina got a fleeting memory of Amelia looking the same way at a boy in the village not far from their school. She widened her mouth into a sensuous coy smile as he looked in her direction making him trip over his laces, unable to tear his eyes away. Only she remembered there was nothing coy about Amelia, quite the opposite where men were concerned. ‘You took offense at Raoul’s caveman attitude. Well at least on the outside, but I think you secretly liked it. I thought Raoul was being devastatingly sexy, the way he was protecting his woman. If you ever leave him and you don’t want him back, you can always pass him on to me,’ she grinned and laughed but the glint in her eye told Sabrina she meant it. Sabrina sighed inwardly. Amelia was yet another woman to be on her guard about and her best friend to boot. She decided to ignore Amelia’s comment. ‘Yes, he is a bit of a caveman,’ Sabrina said, frowning with disapproval. ‘Don’t look at me like that. You act all strong and independent and that’s good. But you have to acknowledge that a part of you loves him to take care of you. You can’t possibly deny it,’ she told Sabrina matter of a fact. ‘I know you too well, Sabrina. I think you act the way you do because you are afraid of letting your guard down and trusting anyone. Perhaps you believe that if you show your vulnerability to him, he will leave you. Maybe you are afraid of being abandoned and hurt like you were when your parents died. Whatever it is, Sabrina, I know you fell in love with Raoul because he saw past your defences and he gives you exactly what you need. And that is why you love him.’

‘You knew the old Sabrina. Now I am very different,’ Sabrina said defensively trying to ignore the guilty twist in her stomach that told her Amelia had her assumption dead line centre. ‘I won’t be held here like a prisoner.’ ‘He only wants to do the right thing, Sabrina. He shut down when you disappeared. He locked himself away in this fortress, the only place he felt close to you. The police blamed him at first and so did others. I still can’t believe they actually thought he had murdered you. It took a lot for him to pull himself through it all.’ Sabrina felt it then. Her already deep affection and attraction to Raoul was taking on new strength and knocking down her defences. The realisation made contact with her soul with the force of a punch, making her cry unexpectedly for what he’d been through at her expense. ‘Sabrina, what’s wrong? What did I do?’ Amelia’s arms were suddenly around her, desperately trying not to burn her with the cigarette. ‘I don’t know. I just keep getting memories of feelings, thoughts, images, everything. I try to hold on to them, some of them stay but the others vanish. I feel so empty when they go. I remember Raoul and what he meant to me and how much I love him. Then it goes and he’s like a stranger again. I can’t believe I could forget my own husband.’ ‘Sabrina, I feel so helpless. I don’t know what to do for you.’ ‘I can’t believe I am telling you all of this. I just feel as though I could tell you anything in the world, yet I don’t know who you are.’ ‘I am your best friend even if you don’t remember I am.’ Sabrina nodded. ‘So dry your eyes, Sabrina, and let me tell you all the juicy gossip about your guests downstairs,’ Amelia said giving her a wicked grin. * * *

Amelia led Sabrina down the stairs. Sabrina bit her lip knowing fine well that her presence would cause a stir. She didn’t want to see them all looking at her as if she was the main attraction in a freak show. She didn’t want to feel them watching, wondering what she remembered about them. Sabrina glanced at Amelia and took a deep breath before entering the drawing room. The soft murmur of pleasant conversation hushed into an eerie silence as her presence was noticed. If she’d ever wanted to make a grand entrance, this was it. She felt apprehension flutter inside as she frantically searched the sea of faces looking for any familiar characteristics. Nothing. Some of the strangers looked on in disbelief as if they were witnessing the presence of a ghost. Others looked confused, even afraid. Three didn’t look surprised at all, merely smiled with glee at the others, having been close enough to the couple to be let in on the secret of her return. There was no sound in the room, all she could hear was the hiss and spit of the wood burning in the open fire. Raoul was suddenly by her side. ‘Sabrina, let me introduce you to our friends.’ Sabrina allowed Raoul to introduce her to the strangers cluttering the large room filled with antique furniture, she had a distant memory of having chosen herself. ‘Sabrina, this my brother Luc.’ Luc Valoire was dark and handsome, just like his brother, but he lacked the unmistakable masculine firmness and definition to his frame and facial characteristics. His appearance was reckless, a devilish dark shadow lined the contours of his jaw line, giving him a magnetic rough charm that would attract more than his fair share of women. But his wide smile that bored down on Sabrina gave him a dangerous almost leering countenance that activated her guard. Her fleeting memory told her he was a man that loved to live life to masculine excess without apology and

took what he wanted without remorse. He was a constant headache for his older brother who, more times than enough, had sorted out his gambolling debts and disagreements with angry husbands. Luc reached out to put his arms around his sister-inlaw, but Sabrina found herself taking two steps back before she even realised what she was doing. Her back hit a solid muscled wall, Raoul. His arm slipped protectively around her shoulders. ‘One step at a time, Luc. To Sabrina, everyone in this room is a stranger, including myself.’ Luc frowned but nodded, watching Raoul’s fingers trace the smooth skin of Sabrina’s shoulder as though he was mesmerised. But his attention was quickly turned when a woman appeared by his side wearing a revealing backless blue dress that clung seductively to her tall svelte body. His arm slipped around her waist. ‘And you already know Cressida,’ Raoul’s voice was stiff. ‘How could I possibly forget?’ Sabrina smiled condescendingly, holding the reins of her irritation and outrage tight. She couldn’t believe Raoul had the nerve to invite his mistress to dinner. But now was not the time or the place, and she was dammed if she was going to give Cressida the satisfaction of seeing her lose control. Cressida looked her up and down assessing her appearance in comparison to her own and gave her a mocking pitiful smile. Sabrina clenched her fist at her side wishing she could wipe the smile off the bitch’s face. ‘Raoul, the snow is falling heavily. It makes the grounds look quite beautiful. Wouldn’t it be romantic if we were snowed in together all weekend.’ Raoul laughed. ‘Yes, it would be romantic,’ he said looking down at Sabrina.

Sabrina felt her shoulder shrink from his grasp feeling disappointment and hurt crush her. ‘Well, I think it’s time we went into dinner everyone. If you’d all like to go through, Sabrina and I will join you in a moment,’ Raoul instructed. Sabrina ducked to move out of Raoul’s hold. She took up position at the fireplace for the second round of their battle regarding the issue of his infidelity. Irritated by the slow movement of their guests from the room she drummed her fingers against her folded arms. ‘I had no idea she was coming,’ he said it quietly, his voice as smooth and rich as dark chocolate. She tried to ignore the caress it made over the ache of her restless anger and anxiety. She spun on her heel. ‘Liar.’ It was a vicious accusation, tripping all too easily from her mouth. Raoul’s eyes darkened, but his voice retained its spell binding smoothness. She’d never been able to resist the French accent, now he was using it to every advantage to calm her. Manipulator. ‘Luc brought her with him, just to cause trouble like he usually does. He had no right. I thought at least on this occasion he would behave himself.’ He turned to one of the tall windows and looked out at the heavy snowfall. ‘I would ask them to leave, but I’ve been informed the roads are blocked. They are predicting more heavy snow fall, and it looks like we will be cut off.’ ‘You knew she was coming. This all just some ploy with Luc. How could you do that to me? I don’t think you really want me back at all. Maybe for some misplaced guilt or sense of duty.’ He strode across the room, capturing her wrist tightly as she moved away and pulled her to him.

‘Why all the sudden concern, Sabrina. If I were still a stranger, you wouldn’t care so much. Are you beginning to remember us and what we had?’ he asked firmly, hope weighed heavy in his tone. She turned away. His response was swift. He cupped her chin, lifting her face to obtain a better view of her eyes to search for any betrayal of his suspicions. She looked up at him unable to avoid his penetrating stare. She felt her eyes widen and open shedding all of her deepest secrets until her soul was completely bared. Slowly that knowing, mocking smile curved his lips. ‘Anger is good, Sabrina. If you didn’t remember any feeling for me, you couldn’t be so angry and jealous of Cressida.’ He gently let her chin go and moved away once more putting an awkward distance between them. ‘If you are so concerned, why are you keeping away from me all of a sudden?’ she prodded. ‘I thought you wanted me to stay by your side.’ The words blurted unchecked from her mouth. He was making her lose her self-control, making a fool out of her vulnerability. She was beginning to resent him for the power he wielded over her. He visibly tensed. ‘I am merely keeping the distance you required. But I want you in plain sight near me, so do not get any ideas about finding an opportunity to evade me.’ The formal tone in his voice cut deeply into her heart. But she persisted, needing to know his feelings about her account of her rape and kidnap. Maybe he viewed her as being unfaithful with her attacker. The very thought stung her insides. ‘It didn’t seem to bother you earlier today,’ she probed. He was silent for a moment, pensive. ‘It should have,’ he told her gently, quietly. Francine entered the room stopping their conversation dead.

‘Monsieur Valoire, Madame Valoire’s brother has arrived.’ Julian Michaels rushed into the room. He hadn’t even taken his coat off, and he was moaning about the French traffic and the snow holding him up. He stopped and stared at Sabrina. ‘Sabrina, it really is you.’ Julian Michaels’s attractive fair features paled for a moment and then a smile widened his mouth and lit his face providing it with much needed warmth. He rushed to put his arms around her and hugged her close. She felt such warmth and sibling love in his embrace, and it pained her that she was incapable of reciprocating. He looked down at her with deep affection studying her features, staring into her eyes for the merest hint of recognition. She watched his face crumple with dismay. But he expertly covered the betrayal of emotion quickly. There was determination in his voice that signalled that he would not allow his unhappiness to spoil the reunion. Sabrina looked at him with glassy eyes. ‘I’m so glad you are alive and well. Sabrina, I have missed you so much. It just hasn’t been the same. It doesn’t matter that you can’t remember me. That will all come in time.’ She glanced at Raoul. He was leaning against the white fireplace, striking a tall formidable pose. He was as still as one of the Sculptures in the Louvre carved from perfect smoothly toned muscle. He watched Julian with suspicion. Sabrina felt her back straighten with affront as her distant mind acknowledged her need to protect her brother. There was a tension in the air between the two men. Both were too formal in their language with each other. Julian kissed the top of her head. ‘I’m going to take you back to London. I have doctors waiting in Harley Street to help you retrieve your memory.’ ‘Sabrina is not going anywhere.’

Both brother and sister turned to face Raoul. ‘Sabrina is not leaving the Chateau,’ Raoul repeated with heavy warning in his tone. Julian pulled his sister protectively to his side. Sabrina felt her heart begin to thud with anxiety. ‘Sabrina is coming with me,’ Julian insisted. ‘She isn’t staying here one moment longer in this house, after what you did to her.’ Sabrina’s eyes shot questioningly at Raoul. One dark eyebrow rose making the pit of her stomach throb with a pleasurable ache. Her unexpected reaction made her angry, and she looked at him with a haughty air. ‘If you think I am leaving my sister here with you alone when the last thing she told me was that you were having an affair and she wanted a divorce. She was frightened of what you would do to stop her from leaving. No way. You don’t win this one, Raoul.’ Colour drained from Sabrina’s face as Julian watched Raoul with stern triumph, waiting for his reaction. Raoul straightened to his full height. ‘I will not continue to defend myself. I am not, nor have I ever had an affair. And Sabrina has no reason to be afraid of me. I would never hurt her, I love her. But then you have never been able to cope with that have you, Julian?’ ‘My sister did not imagine anything, Raoul.’ Julian continued ignoring Raoul’s question. ‘Look that’s enough, both of you. Who do you think you are? I am here you know. Stop talking about me as if I am not. Don’t I get a say in my own life?’ Sabrina interrupted. Both men were suitably silent. She stared at them angered by their lack of response. ‘Right that’s it, I am moving out and going back to England to carry on my new independent life. It seems my life before was dictated to me.’

She turned on her heel to leave, to make a grand exit, but Raoul was there catching her arm and swinging her round. ‘You are not leaving and that is final Sabrina. Remember what I told you I would do, if you tried to leave. I always carry out my threats, and I will have you put into a private hospital until you get your memory back.’ She stared at him, her face flushing hot with anger. But her brother found his voice first. He simply laughed. ‘Try it. Our family lawyer will discredit you as an unfit husband.’ Raoul looked at Sabrina ignoring Julian’s intrusion into a conversation between husband and wife. ‘You are my wife, Sabrina, and your place is here by my side, and I will do whatever it takes to keep you here. I know you well, and you have no intention of leaving until you find out the truth.’ ‘Stop filling her head with that mystical notion of wedded bliss, Raoul. She is coming home with me.’ Julian stood in front of Raoul, inches away from his face. Raoul’s broad shoulders squared. ‘Get used to it, Julian. You can’t play at being her father anymore. You can’t stand it that she married me and left you on your own.’ Sabrina was sure if she walked out of the room neither man would notice. They were so engrossed in their argument over her. It seemed both of them wanted to control her life and she wasn’t to have any say in it at all. ‘Stop it,’ Sabrina issued the order prising the two men apart before more than words began to fly like bullets. ‘Get a grip both of you. I don’t know what the old Sabrina was like, but you are dealing with a new one and by the looks of it a much improved one. And the sooner you get it through you thick, egotistical male skulls we will all be better off. I make my own decisions about my own life. Get used to it.’

‘Raoul, Sabrina, are you coming? They won’t serve until you come, and I’m starving,’ Amelia moaned entering the room. ‘Oh, Julian, you’re here at last. I’m sorry I’ve interrupted something haven’t I?’ Amelia looked embarrassed, her eyes flicking between the men and Sabrina for confirmation. Sabrina wasn’t so sure of Amelia’s innocence and was convinced her interruption had been a rescue attempt. Relieved and thankful she joined her friend and gave a shaky smile when Amelia turned to walk out of the room and winked at her.

Chapter Ten Sabrina glanced around the table at the faces of the guests in the flickering candle light. Beatrice and Jacques were married and worked with Sabrina as lawyers. Clearly their relationship was strained with Jacques’s wavering eye that frequently rested on Cressida, roved around to Amelia and finished with Sabrina herself. Beline and Floren were originally friends of Raoul’s from his youth. But Sabrina had become close with Beline when they all lived in the same apartment building in Paris. They were very much in love and planning a family. Alain and Sophie were Raoul’s top executives. Both were eyeing her nervously. The police officer, Inspector Tissier was unnerving and left Sabrina feeling alert and on her guard with everyone in the room. His eye wandered around the table as frequently as her own did but with more suspicion. Then there was the bitch from hell, Cressida, pawing Luc Valoire whilst trying to catch Raoul’s eye. But Sabrina was having her own battle with Luc, his constant vigil of every move and lift of her eyes made her feel scrutinised and embarrassed. He wore the same knowing smile on his lips that Raoul often did, only his had a sinister quality to it.

Then there was Raoul, the man who she was beginning to remember as husband and lover, who wanted her so much, yet now wished to keep away from her. He did not engage her in conversation and spent most of his time brooding. And her brother didn’t stop watching Raoul and Cressida with a steely eye. If it weren’t for Amelia’s and Julian’s constant attention, she would have left the room. By the end of the meal she was feeling isolated and anxious of everyone. These people were strangers, she knew nothing of their lives, hopes and dreams, yet they were her supposed to be her closest friends. She hated having lost her memory. It continually put her at great disadvantage. The conversation amongst the people in the room once they had recovered from their initial shock of her miraculous return, made her feel ignored. By the time coffee was served in the lounge and further stories of the life she didn’t know were recounted with amusement, she couldn’t take anymore. The room full of people made her feel like a freak and lonely with the unnerving notion that they all knew more about herself than she did. Luc’s constant staring and Alain’s nervous suspicious looks made her want to seek the solace of sleep. Once she was sure Amelia, Julian and Raoul were both engaged in conversation, she slipped unnoticed from the room. ‘Going somewhere?’ It was Cressida standing at the bottom of the stairs. Sabrina stopped half way up and turned to face her enemy. The woman mounted the stairs and came to rest on one step down from Sabrina. She smoothed her red tipped fingers over the silk material of Sabrina’s dress on her shoulder, a flute of champagne in the other hand. ‘I suppose it will be tiring and quite uneasy to be in a room full of people who know you much better than yourself,’ she smiled pausing to take a sip of her drink and lean against the marble balustrade. ‘Maybe they know

things you don’t? Such as how much Raoul prefers the company of my bed to your own.’ ‘Really?’ Sabrina questioned with sarcasm, frowning at Cressida with distaste. Sabrina watched the vixen’s cherry lips pout when she didn’t receive the reaction she was looking for. ‘He only wanted you back so he could prove he didn’t kill you. He wants a divorce so we can be married. You were never good enough for him, you could never give him what he wanted and needed in his bed. You were always so inhibited, that’s why he always came to me . . .’ Sabrina’s hand shot out in a reflex action, swiping neatly across Cressida’s polished face. Cressida’s eyes narrowed, but she laughed. ‘You should pack your bags and leave. He doesn’t want you now. Make it easy for him to get a divorce. Or maybe I should tell him about the affair you were having with Luc. I’m sure he would love to hear the details of your torrid affair with his brother.’ ‘I didn’t . . . I couldn’t have . . .’ Sabrina’s voice faltered. The bitch had her at a disadvantage. The colour drained from her face. Did I really have an affair? No, no I wouldn’t have done that to Raoul. I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t . . . You lying bitch. Sabrina’s hand shot out again, but Cressida caught her wrist. ‘Do as you are told and nobody will know anything. Then you won’t be responsible for tearing a family up, especially when Raoul and Luc’s mother, old delightful Madame Valoire is recovering from a stroke. You wouldn’t want to make her ill again by putting a rift between her sons would you?’ Sabrina wrenched her hand free. She was about to retaliate with disbelief when Luc appeared. Sabrina gave

him a thunderous look as he came to stand next to them and smiled wickedly. ‘Now ladies what are you arguing about? Has Cressida been filling you in on the parts of your life your darling husband forgot to mention? Don’t you remember that night in your bed when you were feeling so alone and rejected, Sabrina? Don’t you remember how I made you feel wanted again all those lonely nights?’ Alarm bells began ringing inside Sabrina as he approached. They were both lying, they have to be. . . I don’t know. She backed away from Luc and lifted her dress to run up the stairs. She had to figure this out. Their laughter echoed up the stairs and down the corridor of the first floor as she made her way to the blue room. This was the room she had first been brought to when she arrived at the Chateau and she craved its solace. Relieved to be safe, she shut the door and locked it. * * * Sabrina leant against the closed door wondering when her torment would end. They had to be lying. She couldn’t have been having an affair. It wasn’t her style to deceive someone, but as Sabrina Valoire she didn’t know what she was capable of doing. Raoul may have hurt her to the point that she sought comfort or retaliation in someone else’s arms. The room was cold, making her shiver. She threw a couple of logs on the fire and lit it. Standing back with her arms folded defensively across her chest, she watched it burst into flame. ‘Sabrina, I know you are in there. Open the door.’ It was Raoul. His tone was reprimanding, his knock at the door heavy and demanding. ‘No, please I want to be alone.’ She couldn’t face him, not now, not until she could think clearly and get her head around what she’d been told.

‘Sabrina, I have already sent Francine for the spare key. Let me in.’ ‘No, go away, I thought you were giving me some space. Go back and see your beloved Cressida. She’ll want you more than I do.’ Sabrina grimaced at her words and bit her lip with regret. He was making her sound like a silly, jealous and petulant schoolgirl who couldn’t get her own way. There were no words of reply, only the key turning in the lock and the creaking of the old door as it opened. She stood her ground as he advanced. He was sexy when he was angry, she decided. He was dark and dangerous, his look showed her there would be no mercy. It fired her blood and warmed the most intimate depths of her body. There were memories of arguments and disagreements past, of how they ended. She wanted this one to end the same way even after all that had passed between them. He banged the door closed making her jump. ‘Why did you leave the room without telling me?’ he demanded. ‘You’ve been so preoccupied all night, I didn’t think you would mind. Anyway I wasn’t aware that I had to report all of my movements to you,’ she snapped. ‘I expect you to stay by my side and not disappear, Sabrina. We discussed this . . .’ ‘Who the hell do you think you are? My jailer?’ ‘I was worried. I told you I need to make sure you are safe at all times. Your attacker could be anyone of the men in this house.’ ‘So who do you think it is?’ she demanded He caught her arm and began to lead her to the door. ‘I don’t know. I am suspicious of everyone at the moment.’ He was evading her eyes. ‘I would prefer it if you came back downstairs, but if you are tired, I will take you to our room and we can stay there.’

She shook off his hold. ‘Wait one minute. I am not going anywhere with you, let alone sleep in the same bed. Tell me is it true you only wanted me back so you could prove to the police and your precious social world that you didn’t kill me? How long has your affair with Cressida been going on? Did I find out? Did I get angry? Threaten to take all of your money and expose you for what you were? Maybe ruin your business? Did you have to shut me up?’ She almost spat the words with contempt, a futile attempt to squash the need she had for him, her encounter with Cressida and Luc playing over and over again in her mind. But she regretted the last sentence instantly by the intensity of the heavy unforgiving dark clouds brimming in his narrowed eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that she had pushed him too far and she could have sworn he was going to hit her. Sabrina grimaced, expecting the worse. Instead he caught her wrist and began leading her to the door again. ‘I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that, Sabrina, for your sake and mine.’ Sabrina pulled against his grip, digging her heels into the floor. ‘I want answers, Raoul. I have a right to know the truth about our life together. Cressida informs me that you and her were having an affair for years and you’ve wanted to get married. You needed me back to prove you hadn’t killed me and to get a divorce. What am I supposed to think? Did it all go wrong, Raoul?’ His reaction was swift. He took hold of both of her arms and sharply pulled her to him in one jerked moment. He pulled her up until she was forced onto her tiptoes. His face almost touched her own, their lips inches away from each other. The air tensed around them both until it sparked, threatening an electrical storm.

‘Are you afraid of me, Sabrina? You used to like being a little afraid of me. You should be afraid for the way I am going to make you take back those words.’ An excited tremor shook Sabrina’s body from inside, making every fibre pulse with anticipation, but she maintained a defiant posture. He pulled her even closer, a smile slowly spreading sexily across his lips. She couldn’t hide anything from him, he’d seen her desire shining like a beacon in her eyes. ‘Do you want me to make love to you, Sabrina?’ he whispered as he caressed her neck with his mouth, holding her arms tight as she tried to pull away. ‘Or do you still wish me to keep my distance until you are ready?’ He looked up at her gently grazing her bottom lip with his teeth, searching her eyes for an answer. He still held her arms in restraint but let go as he read her answer in her eyes. He bent to slide his hands up under the silk dress and smoothed his palms over her hips and thighs. He held her hips possessively and tugged her closer, penetrating her mouth deeply, entering her with deep fast thrusts that demanded her submission. ‘Give yourself to me, Sabrina. I won’t hurt you. Trust me.’ The cold distrust inside her melted away. Her mind ruled her body no longer. It wouldn’t seem to listen to her fierce direction to walk away. Like the fool she took herself for she gave in and surrendered. Raoul laughed gently against her lips. She felt him tug at her underwear. ‘Why do you wear these things?’ He took hold of the ends of the lace briefs protecting the tantalising arch at the top of her thighs and snapped them. Her body jumped. He undid the covered zip at the back of her dress and pulled it down, watching it fall from her hips to the floor around her feet. He moulded her to him

until she could feel his arousal pressing against her stomach, urging her taking. ‘You looked beautiful, breath taking in that dress. I chose well. Every man in the room couldn’t take his eyes from you, nor could the women.’ He held her hands and guided her to step out of the dress then kicked it across the room as though it were merely a rag, unworthy of his attention. He moved fast, undoing the catch on her strapless bra, tossing it away. Then he curved his hands around her bare breasts gently squeezing and pulling, lifting her up on her toes. He groaned with pleasure. ‘I’m not sure I want elaborate foreplay. I don’t think I can wait to be inside you, Sabrina.’ He lifted her up until her legs were around him, the damp triangle between her thighs pressing over his shaft. The tight hard peaks of her breasts pressed painfully against his tuxedo. He tipped her back on top of the bed making the satin sheets rumple against her skin and caress the smooth curves of her body. He crawled across the bed between her legs loosening his bow tie, pulling at his clothes until they lay discarded on the wooden floor. Her hands traced the contours of muscle, feeling its strength and power, feeling the broadness of his shoulders as his body came to rest over her. His mouth took her own hungrily and then travelled down her body, exploring every tingling facet. His hand brought the peak of her breast to his mouth. She cried out as his teeth nibbled and suckled so hard she thought he might draw milk. She couldn’t help acknowledge the closeness of pain and ecstasy. His mouth left her swollen breasts and travelled down her stomach to probe the delicate moist flesh between her thighs. She moved restlessly on the bed feeling his fingers sink into the skin covering her hips to hold her still, unsure if she was at the edge of torment or pleasure.

Sabrina was helplessly weak, her body languid and buttery as the tip of his tongue caressed and probed the soft creamy wetness within her. Ripple after ripple of intense rhythmic pleasure built into an inconsolable wave, rising from deep inside. He continued to build it until he knew she could take little more and then entered her with one sharp deep thrust that left her crying out. His power and strength settled down on top of her. It was then that she heard herself whimper, protest. Her hands pushed against his chest as her legs twisted and turned underneath him in an attempt to move him away from her body. She couldn’t stop the images of her attack, the feeling of suffocation, yet she wanted him. She needed Raoul to banish the ghost. But his eyes showed comprehension. He kissed her once more and then took her by surprise. He slipped his arm under her body and brought her up to sitting with him. She clung to him moving her body up and down to meet him as he drove himself upwards inside her. His hand caught her hair and gently pulled, directing her mouth to his with primal need. Her breasts pushed against the muscle of his chest. The simple action causing another intense flush of pleasure. Her own hands weaved through dark silk strands of his hair. She couldn’t get enough of him. Sabrina whimpered unable to speak when his hands splayed across her buttocks and pulled her even closer. His fingers dipped between the tight crease and pressed against her entrance and held her firmly in place. ‘I can’t wait any longer. I want you now,’ he told her firmly increasing the push of his thrusts. ‘I want you to come now,’ he demanded hungrily devouring the side of her neck. The very way he told her to come made her moisten all the more. Tiny, intense shivers shock waved around Sabrina’s body when his fingers pressed tightly into the small

entrance between her buttocks, leaving her with the sensation that she was being taken by him in every possible way. His rhythmic thrusts intensified, and Sabrina felt her body explode and shudder with release. He gave a low animal roar that growled against her ear and exploded with her, making her his once again. Afterwards he laid her back against the pillows and drew her towards him, stroking her back. ‘How do you feel?’ he whispered. She smiled. ‘How do you want me to feel?’ ‘Oh, just that we had incredible sex and you remember everything and you never ever want to be apart from me again.’ ‘Well, it was wonderful, and although I can’t remember everything, I am beginning to remember the incredible sex we used to have.’ He looked at her with surprise. ‘Really?’ ‘Oh yes, boy are we dangerous together. I keep getting flashes of what we used to get up to. I can’t believe it was so often and the places. Well, I’m not getting into that,’ she giggled. ‘I am French. I would make love to you all day if I could get away with it,’ he grinned. He flexed his thumb over the peak of her breast, making it stand to his attention. ‘In fact I think we should try it again. We have a lot of time to make up.’ ‘You can’t be serious, we have guests.’ ‘They are fine, they know the score.’ He cupped the melting softness between her thighs, pressing his palm down in a possessive gesture that left her writhing against him.

‘I have you back, Sabrina, and I won’t let anyone take you away from me again. Now let me remind you of who you belong to once more.’ * * * After their third session of love-making Raoul allowed her to rest. He tenderly wrapped the silk sheets around her making sure she was warm, cradled in his arms. ‘Why, did you keep away from me when I told you what happened to me? Did you feel as though I had been unfaithful with him?’ there were tears in her voice as she spoke. Raoul sighed and circled her shoulder with his thumb. ‘No, no Sabrina. Shhh. I was ashamed that I hadn’t been there to protect you. I felt as though I’d really let you down. It seemed easier to deal with when it was merely written down on paper. I was just so concerned to see you, to get you back. But when you started to describe what happened, your helplessness and fear, I realised just how much I’d failed you. All I wanted to do was to hold you, but I also wanted to make sure I did everything right for you.’ Sabrina curved her slender hand around the firm line of his jaw. ‘You couldn’t have stopped it, Raoul. If there is one thing I remember most about you, it’s how protective and bossy you are with me. But you were always there when I needed you. You never let me down.’ ‘So I’m right, you are beginning to remember.’ ‘I get flashes, feelings. They are all becoming stronger and vivid with every day I’m here, especially when I am around you. I am beginning to realise how much I care about you. I just wish I could believe your story about wedded bliss.’ Raoul frowned and stopped his caress of her shoulder. ‘If you are talking about Cressida, I’m innocent. She just sees me as a better meal ticket than the last poor fool

she married. Forget her, she loves causing trouble. I am not having an affair with her and never have. The only thing I want from her is her professional expertise as an architect. Unfortunately, she is the best. But if she is causing trouble, I will contract someone else.’ ‘You don’t have to do that, I can handle it.’ ‘No, you have enough to deal with. Tomorrow morning I’ll make sure she leaves. The weather is supposed to be clear. Michel will be able to fly her out.’ Sabrina gave him a confused frown. ‘The helicopter, remember? No, I suppose you don’t. You were learning to fly it. We have a jet as well, and as soon as all of this business is settled, I’m going to fly you out of here, somewhere warm, so we can get better acquainted.’ Sabrina giggled and then her face suddenly turned serious. ‘Raoul, was there anybody when I was gone?’ ‘There were one off affairs, one night stands after a long time.’ ‘With Cressida?’ she ventured. Raoul smiled. ‘No. I had a quick relationship with her well before I met you. I wouldn’t go there again. Cressida is trouble and by that time she was married. She tried to get me back into her bed, but she never succeeded. I wouldn’t let anybody near. No one ever equalled you, Sabrina.’ Raoul kissed her long and leisurely when she looked up at him with moisture glistening in her eyes again. ‘There were a few affairs and one man who asked me to marry him, but it didn’t work out. I never really let him get close. I was always so reluctant to get involved with any man.’ ‘Hush, I know, you don’t have to tell me. We both did things in our weakest moments when we didn’t think we

would see each other again. The past is gone, let’s start looking forward to our life together.’ She snuggled against him feeling sleep beckon and stroke its finger over her drowsy eyes. She didn’t believe a word Cressida said now, and for her affair with Luc, it was nonsense. It had to be. It wasn’t her style, she would have just left, found another way to punish Raoul for his crime. She smiled and rested her head against his chest listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart, feeling his fingers tangle in her hair in a soothing caress and allowed sleep to claim her. * * * Sabrina stretched her arm across the bed and discovered she was alone. She sat up searching for Raoul, her eyes blinking in the sunlight streaming in from the windows. She shrugged, he’d probably gone out riding. She felt empty inside without him, having hoped to wake with him by her side. She threw off the covers and slipped on the dress giggling at the torn underwear lying on the floor and scooped up her shoes as she padded across the wooden floor. A nice warm shower was in order, and she decided to return to their own room for one in the hope of catching him when he came in from his ride. Last night had been exhilarating, the sex amazing, every bit as good as she remembered. She felt so close to Raoul now. She may not remember everything, but there was enough to feel a strong bond and deep connection did exist between them. She would never understand why her mind would cause her to forget her husband and the man she loved. That was until she opened the door to her bedroom. Cressida sat up from Raoul’s bed as if on cue and suitably horrified. She was naked, her body half exposed under rumpled sheets. She tossed her chestnut curls over her shoulder and looked defiantly at Sabrina standing in the doorway. Sabrina felt her mouth go dry. She glanced at the door of the bathroom that was slightly ajar. The shower

was running. She narrowed her eyes at it. How could she have been so stupid in falling for Raoul’s lies? You nearly had me convinced of your faithfulness, Raoul. Now this . . . What game are you playing with me? ‘He left your bed for mine, just like he used to. You just don’t seem to be able to satiate a man like Raoul.’ ‘Grow up, Cressida and get out of my bed before I drag you out,’ Sabrina snapped walking over to tug the sheets from the bed. Cressida laughed that laugh which made Sabrina feel as if she knew everything and was manipulating it all to her advantage. And there wasn’t a damn thing Sabrina could do about it. Cressida stood up totally unabashed by her nakedness, giving Sabrina’s body a pitiful stare. Sabrina bit her lip and tossed Cressida her robe, repeating her command for the woman to leave the room. She closed the door and gathered her clothes as quickly as possible. She couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid. People lost their memories, forgot their families and their husbands or wives for a reason. Cressida and Raoul’s affair must have been one of them in her case. Raoul had merely taken advantage, counted on her not remembering everything. The shower was still going when she tipped everything into her small suitcase and ran back to the blue room to dress and leave before he was in a position to stop her. She showered and dressed warmly in a black polo neck, trousers and boots before contemplating a way to leave the house. She looked out at the heavy snow and banged her fist against the wall. She was too angry with herself to lament. All she could think about was getting out of the house. She wanted to get away from everyone, away from Raoul before he cast another spell on her with those mesmerising eyes. She’d allowed herself to think he really did love her, that their marriage was a fairy-tale. Daydreaming got you nowhere but trouble.

She put her winter coat on and picked up her suitcase. She couldn’t take anymore. She didn’t know who was lying, who was telling the truth. She couldn’t even trust herself. Not even the snow was going to stop her from escaping.

Chapter Eleven ‘Oh, you are up.’ Raoul stood in the door way carrying a tray of breakfast accompanied by a romantic single red rose in a vase. She frowned at it as though he was rubbing salt in the wound with his thoughtful touch. His brow creased. ‘Where are you going?’ He asked the question quietly, but there was no mistaking the concern in his tone. ‘I’m leaving,’ she said, confidently raising her head to meet his eyes with defiance. He laughed with disbelief as he put the tray down on the bed and walked towards her taking her arms. ‘What’s wrong? What have I done to upset you now?’ He looked genuinely concerned. He was so eager to please, to love her, to be attentive to all her needs. But it was all a lie, a con. It just made the exploit all the more hurtful. ‘Don’t touch me.’ She shrugged off his hold and tried to walk around him. But his arm swung expertly around her waist and brought her back. ‘Sabrina, I want to know what is going on. Why are you trying to leave yet again?’ He was holding back his frustration, maintaining patience.

‘As if you don’t know. She was in your bed. You left me last night to sleep with her.’ ‘Who are you talking about?’ His grip tightened as she tried to pull away. ‘Who do you think? Cressida. I went back to our room and found her naked in your bed and you in the shower,’ she shouted. ‘That’s impossible I’ve been downstairs making your breakfast. I showered ages ago, after my ride. She’s playing games with you, Sabrina. I can’t believe this keeps happening. Why won’t you trust me? Isn’t my word worth anything over Cressida’s? I’ll make her leave right now.’ ‘It’s not good enough, Raoul. She was in your bed, our bed. I can’t believe you would make love to me. Why bother if you believed I was so inadequate?’ A torrent of abusive French words tripped from his mouth. All she could make out was that they were aimed at Cressida. ‘I will make her leave right now with Luc. They can walk into the village and get a room. Then I will get on to my lawyer and take out an injunction to force her to keep away from you.’ ‘Oh yes that would suit you fine wouldn’t it. Keep her away from me so she doesn’t give anything else away.’ ‘Why won’t you believe me? I thought marriage was about trust?’ he asked sarcastically. ‘Trust? How can I trust someone I hardly even know? If it’s a divorce you’re after, I will gladly give one to you.’ His eyes narrowed, and he abruptly let go of her arms. She found herself putting a hand to her mouth, shocked by her words. Only a couple of days ago her life had been stable, lonely, but she’d liked it. Now she didn’t even know who she really was or this man who called himself her husband and protector. She was asking for a divorce from a marriage her mind hadn’t even acknowledged. Her emotions were so up and down it was like riding a

rollercoaster. She thought she might be going insane after all. ‘Is that what you really want, Sabrina? You would just discard me like that? It’s so easy for you to do that? To, forget me? Don’t lie to me. You remember a lot more than you have told me. Why are you so frightened to remember me?’ She was about to speak but Luc appeared in the doorway. His face was ashen. ‘Raoul, Mother is ill again. We must go and see her at the hospital in Paris.’ Raoul took his brother to one side to talk to him about his mother in French. Then Sabrina heard Raoul rebuke Luc for bringing Cressida and telling him about what Sabrina had just witnessed. He wanted them both gone. There were raised voices. A flurry of broken images entered Sabrina’s mind as both men finished their discussion. She remembered Luc arguing with Raoul, with herself. It was the party, she was going to tell Raoul something about Luc. He’d threatened her when she confronted him, and she remembered wrenching free from the tight hold he had on her wrist. A thousand reasons popped into her head, their supposed affair being one of them. The worst, that Luc was her rapist. Without realising, she edged closer to Raoul when he returned to her side. Luc and Raoul talked to each other about visiting their mother, in cold voices, clearly annoyed but feigning civility in front of Sabrina. Eventually, Luc left and Sabrina tried to back away from Raoul again, but he caught her arm puzzled by her sudden closeness when Luc had still been in the room. ‘Sabrina, you must come. I told Maman that you were back, and it will do her good to see you. You both had such a good relationship, almost mother and daughter.’ She gave him a shaky smile, her body was still trembling inside.

‘Of course. I’ll do anything to help. But after that I want to leave.’ ‘No, Sabrina. We must hurry.’ He firmly caught her wrist and took her bag from her. Her resistance was pathetic against his strength. He tossed it on to the bed and led her out of the room. * * * Cressida didn’t accompany them in the helicopter. She was nowhere to be found, out riding somewhere with the others, their day of activities halted. Only Alain came along for moral support. He was another man in their party of friends that made her feel uneasy and afraid to be around alone. His constant staring when Raoul could not see and his awkward manner loaned more than enough suspicion. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was walking along the hospital corridor with her attacker right by her side. It could have been anyone of them, even to her dismay, Raoul. The notion made nausea well up inside and made her light-headed. Sabrina put her hand to her head as the room began to spin. She was back at the party, re-living the same events. The memory was so vivid she felt as though she was inside it. She was in her study arguing with Luc. She was holding a piece of paper with figures on it. She was accusing him of stealing money from Raoul’s company. She was heading for the door, but Luc caught her arm and spun her round and leaned in close squashing her face with his heavy hand. She wasn’t going to tell Raoul anything, he was going to make sure, and for once he was going to hold all of the cards and take what he wanted. Then he was kissing her hard, forcing her mouth up to his, bruising her arm that he held so tight. Her struggles were useless as her free hand clawed at the hand that painfully gripped her face. But he stopped when someone else entered the room.

‘Sabrina, Sabrina,’ she could hear Raoul’s voice from somewhere distant calling to her as if trying to wake her from a dream. The memory began to fade into darkness, and her attempts to hold on to it were futile. Her mind was shutting it down to protect her once again. Sabrina looked around and found her back pressed up against the wall of the corridor, Raoul was smoothing his hand over her face that felt damp with moisture. A nurse was at his side. ‘What happened?’ she asked catching her bearings again. ‘You just had another flashback. I want to get you home as soon as I have seen my mother and her doctor.’ Sabrina caught Luc’s eyes watching her with curious intent. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so embarrassed.’ Raoul pulled her into his arms. ‘What did you remember?’ ‘Just what I told you before,’ she lied. She couldn’t just tell him that she remembered his brother was stealing money from the company and that he possibly could have raped her. She tried to dismiss it, pushing him away, straightening her back. ‘I think you should be worrying more about your mother than me.’ His arm wound tightly around her waist like a rope and pulled her towards him. He tilted her chin and stroked his thumb over her lips in a provocative sensual gesture. The others backed away, taking the hint that Raoul wished to talk to his wife alone. ‘You still don’t seem to understand, Sabrina. Your health is of the utmost importance to me. You are my wife,’ he told her sternly. His voice was deep, melodic, an enchantment that melted her resistance and soothed the painful memories. Every time he reminded her of her status in his life as his

wife she felt as though he spoke the words with a primitive possession. Amelia was right, she would protest, but deep inside her own primitive part of herself acknowledged his right and ached for him to make her realise its power. ‘I won’t hear of any more talk of divorce. I will never permit you to leave this marriage. You made vows Sabrina, and I intend to hold you to them. Now we will see Maman, then I will take you home and make you rest, and we will talk about what you really remembered.’ She opened her mouth to speak, but the brush of his thumb, then his lips, silenced the desire to object. He kept an arm around her waist partly for restraint, partly for support as they joined the others. By his tender brush of her hip as they approached Luc and Alain she could not fail to comprehend that he was acutely aware of her fear of the men. She felt him pull her just that little bit closer to assure her of his protection, and for the first time she felt grateful for the action. * * * Madame Valoire was an elegant Englishwoman in her sixties. She was sitting up in bed after having collapsed from over exertion after her illness. She hugged Sabrina tightly. To her surprise, there was genuine warmth and concern in her hold. ‘I knew you were still alive, and I knew you would come back. I was right you see, Raoul. She lost her memory. Sabrina would never leave you, she loves you too much, besides she is the only woman who would put up with you.’ Sabrina looked at the woman amused. Louise winked at her as Raoul began to shake his head. She couldn’t help but like the woman immediately. ‘I know you can’t remember me dear, but we used to get on famously. Don’t worry I am not the mother-in-law from hell. At least, I don’t think I am.’ Louise Valoire held Sabrina’s hand tightly.

‘We all missed you, never mind Raoul. I’ve had no one English to moan to for ages since I’ve been stuck in my house. And all Raoul has done is have a go at me because I wouldn’t go and live in the Chateau with him. I like my independence.’ She ran her hands through her short, light brown hair that suited her round face and chestnut eyes. ‘I can’t stand lying around anymore. I need my hair done for heaven sakes, the grey is beginning to show.’ ‘Relax, Maman. You need to take it easy for a while. You are weak. When they let you out of here, you are coming back to the Chateau with Sabrina and I.’ ‘Like hell am I. Do you think I want to be cooped up with two young married people who haven’t seen each other for ages? You both need time and space, and Sabrina needs to recover. Besides, I need my own space.’ She turned back to Sabrina whose hand she was still holding. ‘He’s so damn bossy, isn’t he? Just like his father. If he were here today, he would have something to say about your return. He thought you were amazing. But you know what French men are like with women. Aah, Olivier, I miss you so much.’ Raoul and Luc bent their heads at the mention of their father. Sabrina looked at Raoul bewildered. ‘You don’t know, do you dear, and he was so fond of you, as you were of him. He never gave up on you either. But he died just last year.’ ‘I’m sorry, Madame Valoire.’ ‘Don’t call me that, it’s Louise. It makes me sound so old, don’t you think.’ Sabrina smiled. ‘Yes, I know what you mean. I’m sorry about your husband.’ Louise frowned at Sabrina’s words.

‘Raoul, I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. Has Sabrina seen a doctor? You must make her remember, I can’t bear it. You are acting as if I am a stranger, my dear. Raoul, make sure she has the best doctors.’ ‘It’s already done. Sabrina is to have counselling next week, but she is beginning to remember lots of things.’ Louise cupped Sabrina’s face. ‘Don’t look so worried child, everything will be all right, trust me. You and Raoul love each other too much for one of you to forget.’ She sat up straight. ‘Then you can both work on producing me a grandchild and you, Luc, can get yourself married and settle down before you give me a heart attack next time.’ Raoul grinned at Sabrina’s shock and Luc’s brief annoyance. ‘Oui, Maman,’ both brothers chorused with amused resignation. * * * Sabrina walked briskly out of the plush hospital room and found Raoul’s arm swiftly around her waist drawing her back to walk alongside him. But she got the feeling he was doing more than trying to prevent her from escaping. She got the distinct impression he was shielding her from Alain and Luc. ‘My mother is quite a character,’ Raoul laughed speaking to Sabrina. ‘She certainly is. I see why we got on,’ Sabrina told him stiffly. ‘You are still unhappy with me, Sabrina. We will talk when we go home. This problem with Cressida is getting out of control, and I am going to put a stop to it.’ She was about to renew the fight when he brought them to a cold stop and stared down the corridor at the approaching gang of reporters, flashing cameras and shouting questions at both of them. He took hold of

Sabrina’s hand in a vice grip. There was no other way out of the corridor. He looked at Luc. ‘Who told them? Can’t they give her a chance?’ Luc shook his head uttering some words of instruction to Alain. ‘Sabrina is the wife of one of the world’s wealthiest businessmen, who went missing and was presumed murdered by that man. They want to talk to her,’ Luc said with apprehension in his tone. ‘And you know they never give up.’ Alain was agitated. ‘Raoul, I advise you to say nothing and that goes for you too, Sabrina, until your memory returns and we can strike a deal with these people. Be on your guard, they are vultures and some of them will twist what you say. You both don’t need it at the moment.’ ‘What’s happening, Raoul?’ Sabrina was nervous. A feeling of dread gathered in Sabrina’s toes and travelled the length of her body. Alain moved to talk to the reporters along with Luc, making an effort to hold them back, but they were pushing past running headlong at Sabrina. She heard herself take a breath, suddenly feeling suffocated as they surrounded Raoul and herself. ‘Do not let go of my hand, Sabrina, there will probably be more of them outside.’ Raoul’s eyes darkened as he looked at the reporters completing their circle of attack. There was a barrage of questions, some intimate, some general. She could feel anger burning Raoul up inside, but he kept calm, his voice cool, collected and aloof. She got the impression it was a well-practised art he had perfected. ‘My wife and I have nothing to say. We will be making a statement through our lawyer in due course. Now if you would move out of our way, my wife needs to rest.’ The bright lights of the hospital were already enough to dazzle her eyes, but the constant flashing of cameras made Sabrina feel as if she was going blind. They seemed

to be in her face, pushing and shoving. Raoul began to lead her out of the throng as the reporters closed in for the kill. He positioned his body directly in front of her own, shielding her from view. It was a task easily undertaken. His tall, powerful frame easily sheltered her small, curved body until she was almost invisible. But Alain was behind her, his body making momentary contact as he brushed against her in their effort to escape. She wanted to scream. Every time he came near she felt nausea, just the same as with Luc. She didn’t understand what Alain had done to make her feel that way. The memories she had in relation to her attack were of Luc. There was nothing connecting her memory to Alain. When they eventually reached the bottom of the stairs, there were even more reporters all eager to get the inside scoop on her loss of memory. Helped by hospital security, Raoul pushed through the thong with the speed of an express train, taking Sabrina with him at a pace she could hardly keep up with. But there were too many of them bringing the party to a halt. Sabrina became separated and was carried away by a sea of hands. She could hardly bear the suffocation, the bodies pressing against her. She was vaguely aware of Raoul calling her name, but his voice grew more and more distant as the reporter’s questions grew louder and more demanding, drowning him out. When she looked around she could not see him at all. With great effort she tried to push her way through the crowd, but they wouldn’t let her get anywhere, pulling at her clothes, demanding that she answer their questions and give them a picture. One of them shoved her hard, and she felt herself falling to the ground. Someone stepped on her arm. She felt dizzy with fear as faces loomed around her, looking down at her fragile form. She remembered a heavy darkness, the same feeling of suffocation. She’d been lying down then as well, unable to move, faces looking down at her in the

darkness, faces she couldn’t see. And then she felt someone pulling on her arm, lifting her to her feet. She felt Raoul’s reassuring arms around her body, lifting her up into his arms. His face was as dark as thunder, his eyes flashing with the threat of swift retribution. She couldn’t shake the memory that filled her mind with its dark images and buried her head against Raoul’s shoulder. He was surrounded by a blanket of police and hospital security parting the waves of reporters and camera crews surrounding them. Raoul raced to the car and deposited her in it. To her relief Alain and Luc were nowhere to be seen. The car drove slowly until it escaped the squawking gaggle of reporters. ‘Sabrina, are you all right?’ Raoul covered her trembling hand that lay on the seat. She could feel him frowning at the way she held her other arm so awkwardly. ‘I’m fine. Please, I’m fine there’s no need to worry.’ She moved her hand away feeling embarrassed and worked up by the whole incident. He shouted some words of French at the driver, and the car began to move faster, springing free from its trap. She took a deep breath as though coming up for air, and looked away out of the window attempting to brave her fear and examine the memory that had so disturbed her. ‘Don’t lie to me, Sabrina you are injured,’ he said softly. He leaned over turning her to face him so that he could take a look at her arm. ‘What are you doing? I’m ok.’ He ignored her, gently lifting her arm and probing it with his fingers. She squealed. ‘Hush, it’s not broken but probably badly bruised and sprained. We’ll get your brother Julian to take a look at it when we get back home. And you are going to get some food and rest when we get back.’

He smoothed his hand over her face and brushed away her hair from her forehead. ‘You are exhausted, Sabrina. I’ve already got Alain making a complaint, and I want the person who has injured you held responsible. The Paparazzi are animals. They don’t care about anyone’s privacy. They will stop at nothing to get a photograph. They will pay for this.’ Sabrina put her hand to her head. ‘You do not need to do that, I’m fine really. I just want this all to stop.’ Raoul wiped a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb, his face filled with concern and silent guilt. ‘Give me time, Sabrina, I will make it go away. You just have to help me. Why were you so uneasy around Alain and Luc? Have you remembered something that you aren’t telling me? Or are afraid to tell me?’ His voice was soft again, almost a caressing whisper blowing across her skin, cajoling her reluctance to let him take control and banish all her fears. It was tempting to cuddle close against him and give in, tell him everything. But her first thought was to protect him, to maintain an illusion. The thought of turning his life even more upside down and setting him apart from his brother was too much to bear. Besides, his mother could not take the stress of finding out that all she knew about one of her sons was a lie and he was guilty of committing a crime against his brother’s wife. She just couldn’t do it to Raoul or Louise, even if it meant being apart from him. She didn’t realise she was crying so hard until she noticed the car had stopped and he was pulling her into his arms. She basked in his warmth, the fresh smell of cedar wood and pine filling the air around her, a blanket of male security soothing her fear momentarily. She held on to his taut, firm frame frightened that if she didn’t, she would lose him, even though it seemed inevitable that would have to

be the case. If she left, he would never know, would never find out the truth, and he could carry on. She held tighter. She didn’t want to go. She knew she loved him. She remembered every last detail of their love now. But she couldn’t afford to let him know how much she had missed him or the pain he caused her with Cressida and her games. How they talked about starting a family after a few years and her desire to change her career. Their lives had been perfect. A fairy-tale wedding and courtship followed by a blissful happy ever after until Cressida and the stalker. Then she remembered the rows and her fight to maintain her independence, despite his potent male need to protect and control her life until he was assured of her safety. She loved him, there was no doubt. He had succeeded in uncovering her sleeping memories. She was his and always would be, even when she left him.

Chapter Twelve Raoul held her hand in the car. He kept her warm in the helicopter as it sped over the French countryside covered in a soft downy blanket of snow. He didn’t question her further about Luc and Alain who sat in front of them. Back at the Chateau she retreated to their room before lunch. ‘I feel so rude, I haven’t seen anybody. You seem to be sheltering me from our guests.’ She was frightened of her need for him. It was so strong now she remembered, and she would have a hard time trying to convince him otherwise. The sooner he got the message that she was never going to remember the easier it would be for him to let go, or so she thought. ‘They are here for support. It isn’t one of our normal weekends, and they are aware that you see them as

strangers. They just want to make things easy for you, as I do. How’s that arm?’ ‘It’s ok. Listen about before, I still think it would be best if I leave. I don’t seem to be remembering anything concrete,’ she said it nervously as his hands rested seductively on her hips. ‘Hush, I don’t want to hear any more talk of leaving.’ He picked up her hand and brought her wrist to his lips and gently kissed it. She heard a breath escape her lips, awed that such a simple action could prove so potent a stimulation to the sexual act. ‘Raoul, please don’t do this.’ Her words were breathless. ‘But you want me to. Your place is by my side as my wife, Sabrina.’ As she backed away he swung an arm up under her legs and lifted her on to the bed and slipped off her boots. She was still protesting, but her eyes blazed with aching need, her body limp and pliable to his direction. He pulled off her sweater and rounded his hands tightly over her breasts as if each time they made love he’d been parted from them for too long. His touch ignited a fire deep inside that melted her body, the heat too fierce to resist. His hands blazed across her stomach and settled there, one hand resting as his thumb made a circling motion, his face thoughtful. He kissed it gently. ‘Would you like to have a child, Sabrina? We were planning a family before the rows, before you disappeared. We were going to wait a couple of years, but we were both so eager.’ He kissed her throat. ‘Once this is all over and you are yourself again, I want us to have a child. I want all of you and all that you can give me.’ He leaned over her, studying her face intently. She looked up at him. There wasn’t anything she wanted more

than to carry his child, creating the ultimate bond that would never separate them again. But it could not happen, not now. He read the answer in her eyes but also saw her apprehension. He stroked his fingertips over the tender peak of her breast maintaining his pleasurable assault across her body, rendering it defenceless and obedient. ‘There has only ever been you, Sabrina. Cressida has never meant anything to me. I have never wanted or needed an affair with her. Do you believe me?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘I need your trust, Sabrina. Our marriage will survive, but it will be turbulent if you don’t. And that’s not the environment in which to bring up our child.’ She wanted to cry. He wanted to give her everything she wanted and craved, everything that was missing from her empty life, yet she knew she couldn’t take it. But Raoul had a wonderful way of making it impossible to refuse. Maybe she could pretend that she never remembered everything about her attack. But Luc would always be there. What about his threat to tell Raoul about an affair they never had? And the way he stole money from Raoul’s company? For that moment, all she could think about was Raoul and his desire for them both to have a child. It was enough to make her forget, to find hope that the matter would resolve somehow without Raoul and Louise having to be hurt. If she was parted from him, she didn’t know if she could stand it. Deep down she knew it was useless. Somehow he would find out. She had to protect him, but just for this moment she could pretend. ‘I trust you.’ It was a leap of faith, of remembering what they shared together before she was so brutally taken away from him. She felt a warm, moist, softness seep into the junction

between her thighs anticipating his touch. He cupped the dark triangle tightly, pressing his palm hard against her until she cried out and her body lifted from the bed. He descended on her mouth with the force of a ravenous bird of prey. His hands swept round under her bottom and squeezed tight until her body rose from the bed again. He quickly finished undressing her, groaning with pleasure that he could freely hold the quivering snow-white mounds, massaging them back and forth whilst his lips stole another kiss. She moaned under the fierceness of his touch, dancing and coiling like a snake to the tune his hands played across her body. ‘Do you remember the time I came to your office to take you for lunch, but we spent the time in a hotel room?’ Oh hell, yes, I remember. What a day. And you are wicked in reminding me. You know I will be helpless to your seduction. Damn it, I am putty in your hands and what is more than scary is that I want to be. ‘Yes, you confiscated my bra and panties. You threw them in the bin and forbid me to wear underwear again, that way, next time you came to my office you could just slip your hands up my skirt and touch me. It was your right as my husband to be able to take me whenever and however you liked,’ she whispered huskily. ‘Then two days later you came to my office to pick me up, hitched up my skirt and took me on top of my desk. Mmmm, yes I remember now.’ ‘Good girl. Now you know I mean what I say. So don’t let me catch you with these things on again,’ he said tossing her underwear across the floor. ‘Or I will have to spank you,’ he grinned. Sabrina’s hands clutched around his back pulling him nearer. Inside the fire was burning out of control. She was screaming in her mind for his touch to soothe and embalm the painful throb between her thighs. He was more than aware of her ache and cruelly decided to prolong it by flicking his fingers over her hips, circling the silky skin,

dipping across her thighs. His fingers edged closer and closer but not close enough until she cried out his name and begged him touch her. Sabrina unconsciously parted her thighs and raised her body invitingly to beckon him. He sank his fingers deep inside her making her buck as his thumb pressed and stroked her clitoris. He pushed his digits back and forth, enjoying the dip and swell of her hips and breasts, and teased her clit with a sharp pinch. The pleasure ended momentarily as he rose from the bed and undid the buttons on his jeans. He pulled off his black sweater treating her to another vision of well-toned muscle that awaited her caress. He wore no underwear and his shaft was hard and pulsing. He turned Sabrina over and pulled her back against his kneeling form. A gentle whisper in her ear told her not to be afraid. He wanted to take her this way to prevent her from feeling crushed and rousing the memory of her attack. Savagely, he kissed her neck and massaged the tiny bud between her thighs as she lay back against his chest. Sabrina writhed helplessly feeling her body pulse close to release. She gave a small whimper of aching need for him to be inside her body and felt relief when Raoul pressed his palm into her back to push her down onto all fours. With one deep thrust Raoul penetrated her. His lean body stretched out across her back as he curled his fingers through her hair in a possessive gesture, gently forcing her head upwards. His free hand rested on her hip to steady her as he rode them both to blissful satisfaction. * * * Sabrina lay content in Raoul’s arms. She snuggled up closer at the thought of having to leave the bed and him. ‘I don’t want to leave here. I want to stay in bed with you forever,’ she told him with seriousness, sliding her fingers over his smooth muscled chest. He caught her hand and brought it to his lips.

‘I would love to, Sabrina. There is nothing I want more than to be with you always.’ He gave her a gentle loving smile. ‘I’ve really missed you, Sabrina. There were some times I lost hope and thought we would never be together again. They pressed me to declare you legally dead after five years because of your vote and rights in the management of the company. But I wouldn’t. I didn’t even want to consider the possibility that you were dead.’ He tilted her chin that was resting against his chest. ‘Since you’ve come home, I can’t help feeling I’ve put you through hell. I thrust you back in a world that was strange and alien. I pushed you to remember everything including what happened to you. I am forcing you to re-live that nightmare, one you chose to forget to protect yourself. I wonder if it would have been better to let you go on living the new life you’d made for yourself. I’m sorry I’ve been so selfish, Sabrina.’ She found herself caressing the firm line of his jaw, her fingertips brushing the tantalising roughness of the dark shadow that had not been groomed that morning. It was an erotic sensation that tingled against her palm. She considered what he said. ‘But you would have condemned me to live a lie for the rest of my life. You had no choice, Raoul. Whether I like it or not, I have to face what happened to me.’ She thought of Luc and Alain and frowned. She wanted to forget they even existed. Raoul obliged reaching for her body, pressing his lips against hers, laying her flat to slip inside her again. This time she felt no fear as his weight pressed down upon her. She trusted that he would not hurt her. Raoul had banished the fearsome ghost of her attacker who’d strove to keep them apart in bed. * * * Sabrina let the warm water of the shower cascade down her body, drowning out the voice in her head that told

her she had to do something urgent about the situation with Luc or leave. No one would win whatever decision she made. She was going to have to choose who got hurt. She closed her eyes, her mind recounting a million memories of her life in the Chateau with Raoul, how they met, his arguments with Luc, Alain always staring, always making her uneasy. And her friendship with Amelia. Her memory was coming back thick and fast after only a few days, forcing her to confront the demons she’d run from all those years ago. She pressed her hands against the wall and let out a cry as the night of her attack played inside her head like a bad movie. She could see Luc, his grip on her face and arm so tight. She had a feeling there was someone else in the room. This time the memory was longer. Luc was swearing at her in French, threatening her that if she told Raoul anything he would kill her. She’d believed him after the rumours Amelia had told her about him. Then Luc was turning, talking to the other person in the room. There was only a small lamp on, and she could not see the man’s face. Luc raised his hand and slapped her hard knocking her to the floor and stepped back. Sabrina gasped feeling the fear and tension increase in her body as the memory stopped then started again. She couldn’t see the man’s face, only his arm as he yanked her up sharply. She could hear herself cry and plead with the man, but his hand reached out to tear the necklace from her throat, its emeralds dancing all over the wooden floor around her feet as he knocked her back to the ground. She shut her eyes and cried out. The memory shut down quick. When she opened her eyes, her hands were pressed taut against the wall, her body was cold and shivering despite the warmth of the shower. An eerie feeling swept over her body. There was so much steam in the room, and she could not see much outside the shower cubicle, but her senses told her there

was someone there watching her shower and possibly had been for a while. She saw the figure of a man move closer. ‘Who’s there? Raoul, is that you?’ She heard the panic in her voice. The intruder moved away from the shower and made for the door, knocking over a metal rack filled with towels. Sabrina ran out of the shower, grabbing a towel to wrap around her body, and out of the door only to run slap bang into Raoul. ‘Sabrina, what’s the matter? Why are you are shaking?’ He held her damp arms, smoothing his fingers up and down them to soothe her agitation. Sabrina paused, wondering if Raoul had seen anyone come out of the room. She was desperate to ask him, tell him everything, but something made her stop. She had to know what was going on before she could accuse anyone. She had to make sure, it was too risky to get wrong and too many people to hurt when she made a decision whether to reveal the truth or not. ‘I just had another flash back. I got scared and ran out here to find you,’ she lied. She looked down at the towel rack lying across the floor. She put a hand to her head. ‘I knocked the rack down as I ran. I’m sorry.’ Raoul held her close and kissed her forehead. ‘Let’s get you dry, you need to eat something.’ He opened the towel and began to dry her body. It was a comforting action, more than sensual, making her feel glad of his closeness. He stayed with her as she dressed, reluctant to leave her alone. His eyes watched her with guarded suspicion and concern making her convinced that he did not believe her story. * * * A late lunch was served and was another guarded affair. Sabrina knew most of the guests now, although her memory was still distant and vague with the details of their

lives and their connections to Raoul and herself. She would not have personally considered them all close friends, but she now understood why Raoul had invited some of them on this pretence. They were his suspects for her kidnap and disappearance, and he was determined to flush the person responsible out. Cressida had managed to sit herself on the other side of Raoul and was directly competing with Sabrina for his attention. Raoul paid her little, if any at all. But it only had the effect of making her try harder. She constantly touched his arm, brushed his hand and made comments about Raoul’s life without Sabrina and their various meetings and days out, the times they were alone and the attention he’d lavished on her. The other guests shook their heads and Raoul became annoyed with the way she constantly interrupted his conversations with Sabrina. He laughed at the way she tried to make out that he had been infatuated with her, reminding her quite clearly that their meetings had been on business terms only and the days out spent with clients and other partners engaged on the project they had been working on. But it was all enough to make Sabrina wonder if she hadn’t been right in the first place. She remembered heated conversations with Cressida over Raoul before she disappeared and her stunt that very morning that Raoul swore he knew nothing about. She narrowed her eyes at Raoul. He grinned and picked up her hand and lavished it with a gentle kiss. He leaned in close and kissed her cheek. He whispered in her ear. ‘As soon as lunch is over I am going to speak to her and make her leave. Don’t believe anything she says. I am not the only one who knows she is lying here. Ask anyone here.’ Sabrina looked up at Cressida who was giving her best vamp scowl. Sabrina smiled sweetly with sarcasm making Amelia dig her side with triumph. Sabrina glanced around

the table feeling eyes rest on her. They belonged to Alain. She wondered if it had been him in her room before and maybe he was the other person in the study who had raped her. She shuddered as the thought crossed her mind. She wished she could remember the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle to end the mystery of her past life. She caught his eyes and felt her body tremble as his eyes bored into her making her feel violated. She quickly looked away only to find Maxim Tissier watching her intently. She decided the best place for her eyes to look were down at her plate and began to eat again, although she barely could force it down. The feeling that her attacker might be in the same house, or even around the table made her feel sick with fear and dread. Coffee was served in the lounge. Raoul hovered close, not leaving her side once, causing her to feel suspicious. Her head felt stuffy and the sick feeling was unbearable. Her head seemed to spin with questions, theories, scrutinising all those around her as they tried to make conversation. Alain and Luc were both watching her along with Cressida and Maxim. She felt like an exhibit in a freak show, and all she wanted to do was to get out of the room, even the house, just so she could breathe. Cressida would not leave Raoul’s side and was openly making a play for his attention. Sabrina couldn’t stand it anymore and made an excuse about going to the bathroom to freshen up. She glared at Raoul who appeared to be finding Cressida’s antics amusing. The more he ignored her the more attention she gave him. It gave Sabrina the wrong impression of his sincerity. She breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind her. What she needed was some air. A tingle of excitement ignited her memory. She’d missed riding so much. Although she would be rusty, it would be worth a try to see how much of it she remembered. Besides, the dubious routine with Raoul and Cressida was driving her nuts. Some good old fashioned

fresh air would do her good and help her work out a plan. Sabrina ran upstairs feeling a new energy with the return of her memory. She knew exactly where to look for her riding jacket and coat. They were still neatly hanging in the space she’d left them, her riding hat on the shelf, all in neat order. She smiled remembering how Raoul had teased her the day before for her methodical meticulous nature with her clothes. Thankfully, this time it paid off and made her escape a whole lot easier and quicker than it could have been. Quickly, she changed and sneaked back down the stairs making sure she was not seen. Winding her way around the side of the Chateau, she stole away to the stables. There were voices from a nearby window making her realise she was outside Raoul’s study. She stood to the side, her footsteps quiet in the soft snow. One of the voices was female. It belonged to Cressida. Sabrina tensed, but she could only make out snatches of the argument. What she did hear confirmed her doubts. They were talking about their relationship. Cressida reached up and rested her hands against Raoul’s back that was turned to her as he poured a drink from the cabinet. She leant her head against him savouring his warmth. Sabrina closed her eyes as though she’d experienced a sharp stab of pain. She felt jealousy soar within her. So she’d been right all along. Without giving the scene a further look, she made her way down the sweeping stone steps that led into the grounds and down to the stables, trying to wipe away the warm tears that froze against her cold cheeks. It was time to leave Raoul and the Chateau behind. * * * Raoul swung round sharply nearly knocking Cressida off balance. ‘Don’t touch me. How many times do I have to tell you I am not interested, Cressida,’ he bellowed.

He slammed his drink down. Cressida lowered her eyes hurt. She was playing him again, giving him that innocent virgin girl routine. ‘You used to be.’ ‘That was before Sabrina and when I realised what you were all about.’ She pouted her cherry lips. Once upon a time, many years ago Raoul would have found Cressida’s pout irresistible. But since he had first met Sabrina, all he could think about was loving her and the way she pouted and lowered her eyes when she wanted something from him. The way she curled her arms around his neck and stroked a finger over his lips as she asked please in her most seductive voice rendering him at her mercy. He could only ever love Sabrina. No one else could ever match her. ‘I still don’t know why you married Sabrina. I could have been so much better for you. I thought you would have come to your senses these last seven years, but you’ve done your worst to keep away from me,’ a fierce jealous anger burned in Cressida’s tone. ‘You cast me away remember. It was you who had the affairs. You who thought you could play me off with that playboy millionaire and his young brother, just so you could snare one of us into marriage and get what you really wanted, money,’ Raoul snapped back. Cressida raised her hand and slapped him. Raoul rubbed his jaw. His voice was cold and brutal. ‘The truth hurts doesn’t it, Cressida. I don’t want you, I never have, and you’ve always known that, yet you still persist. You made Sabrina’s life hell before she disappeared. Just when she needed my support, you made her think we were having an affair. She asked me for a divorce the night of the ball, and I refused. That’s the last thing I want. There is no way I will ever let her leave me. When I showed you out that night, I meant what I said, that I never wanted to see you again in my house. And now

you’re here thanks to Luc. I want you to leave before the weather sets in bad again.’ ‘What if I refuse? Luc won’t hear of it,’ she told him triumphantly. ‘Do you really want to cause an argument with him again when your mother is so ill? She has a hard time as it is keeping you two happy with each other.’ ‘If you refuse, I will put you on that helicopter myself. I don’t want you hurting Sabrina any more than you have. Now get out of my house.’ ‘I will make lots of trouble for you, Raoul.’ ‘You mean like the stunt you pulled this morning trying to convince Sabrina that we slept together last night. I suppose that was Luc in the shower helping you out. I don’t know what you two are up to. I should have realised when he convinced me to engage you as the architect on the holiday complex.’ He heard himself laugh at his naivety. ‘I must have lost more than Sabrina when she disappeared. I thought I should give you a second chance. I thought seven years would have made a difference, not to mention your marriage. But I was obviously wrong. Your contract will be terminated.’ ‘You can’t do that, I’ll sue.’ Raoul looked at the woman he once thought he was in love with in his early twenties with contempt. ‘Go ahead but you might want to read the small print. I have already engaged another good architect, your sister Alexandra. You two should have stayed a team, but I gather she didn’t trust you either.’ He watched Cressida’s eyes cloud with moisture and felt a pang of guilt. But she deserved it for all the hurt she had caused Sabrina and their marriage. Her voice was choked. ‘I don’t believe you don’t want me. What if I told you your precious Sabrina was having an affair with your brother before she so mysteriously disappeared.’ Raoul felt his blood move faster around his

veins with anger as her words hit a cord, confirming the suspicions he hadn’t even wanted to consider.

Chapter Thirteen Sabrina engaged the help of the stable groom with saddling one of the horses. She walked the animal out onto the snow covered courtyard and didn’t refuse the groom’s help in mounting the horse. It had been awhile and his assistance was greatly appreciated, although before her disappearance she would have been embarrassed. Not once in the last seven years had she even considered the possibility that she was a competent rider. There had never been a chance or desire for her to find out. The groom didn’t know who she was, otherwise, he probably would have stopped her from going off on her own no doubt. Raoul appeared to have all the staff trained to watch out for any impending danger when she was around. She took a breath and instructed the black mare to move off along the path and down into the grounds towards the partially frozen lake. She maintained a sedate walk at first, too nervous to try anything else until she gained more confidence. She moved slowly down the hill and began to walk around the lake. It was her usual route to take when riding on her own. Everything was so peaceful and still under the snow. Woods lined both sides of the lake revealing several secret sculptured fountains and marble men and women in Greek dress, that would be hidden in the summer months in the generous green foliage of the trees. It took her forty-five minutes to reach the wall that travelled around the grounds of the Chateau. It stood before her. A reminder of the barrier that crossed between the two lives that she was leading. Beyond the wall was her life as Sabrina Michaels in England and on

the other side, Sabrina Valoire. She had to choose. Telling Raoul about Luc would tear the family apart. Leaving again might produce the same result, but it had to be better than knowing your own brother was a thief and perhaps a rapist. She wasn’t sure Luc was the one who raped her, but she knew he was somehow involved with everything that had happened. She loved Raoul deeply, but then there was Cressida. She’d tried to believe him but every time she did, Cressida was always there proving her wrong. If you really want a divorce, Raoul, why do you keep trying to hold on to me? Is it just to prove to the police that you were not involved in my kidnap and attack? What is it? Why won’t you just let me go? She pulled on the reins, as the horse grew restless feeling a cold wind begin to pick up. She walked alongside the wall deliberating her next move, and then she saw it. In between a gap in the wall was a huge gate locked with a padlock. She laughed remembering how she had jumped it, forcing Raoul to do the same as she rode off down the lane that led into the village. He’d been so angry. She could have been thrown and gotten herself killed he’d chastised. He probably had a point but . . . If there was going to be away out of the Chateau and Raoul’s life to protect him, jumping over the gate was it. She could be in the village and catching the local train back to Paris within ten minutes. She would find a way back to England. She started to walk the horse backwards in anticipation. But will he ever forgive me? Does it matter anymore? He wants Cressida more than me, and I have to get used to it. Feeling more determined to put the hurtful past behind her, she backed the horse right up. She questioned her sanity for a moment. It had been a long time since she’d ridden, and this was dangerous. She closed her eyes and bit

her lip, lamenting the reckless nature that yearned for adventure she’d got back in touch with. The new Sabrina was cautious, but the old one begged her to take a chance for Raoul’s sake. The horse broke into a canter and soared up into the air over the metal gate, clearing it easily to land with a gentle crunch in the snow. Glancing back, Sabrina patted the horse’s neck in reward and laughed. She could still do it. Ahead of her, fields of snow stretched out towards the village. They made her remember the last time she saw them, they were full of sunflowers and lavender, the air was heavenly scented with perfume. It had been so warm that day. Raoul had chased her all the way into the village, and they had laughed over fresh croissants, brioche rolls dusted with sugar and warm café ole when he eventually calmed down. She felt her heart ache. She would never stop thinking of him, wondering what would have happened if she’d stayed and somehow worked it all out. There was still so much that she didn’t know about her life. Maybe it was wrong to run away, it was wrong to turn her back on her past and her identity. Maybe she should fight for him. Sabrina looked back at the gate, and before she could change her mind, she backed the animal up again and soared over it. She heard someone clap with gloved hands and turned around quickly. Cressida sat on her horse laughing. ‘Bravo, Sabrina.’ ‘What do you want?’ ‘I want you to get back over that fence and ride off into the sunset, never to return,’ she said coldly. ‘Sorry, Cressida, no deal. My memory is coming back, and I want to know more. You may have stolen my husband for now, but the war isn’t finished yet. I want my life back, and I want Raoul. You are not taking him from me.’

Cressida rode closer until she stood next to Sabrina. ‘I’m sorry, Sabrina, darling, but I am going to do everything in my power to see that you don’t get it all. This time you aren’t going to get the man. If I were you, I would get over that fence. I told him about you and Luc and your torrid affair.’ ‘Bitch. I never had an affair with Luc or anyone, and you know that.’ ‘But he doesn’t know that. He’s too blind. He doesn’t see how inferior you really are. He’s too busy trying to let you down gently and get what he needs, a divorce. He can do so much better with me. I will be an asset to his business and social contacts.’ ‘You mean you will sleep with them. And probably dump him if a better offer comes along.’ Cressida reached out and tugged her fingers around Sabrina’s coat and pulled her close. ‘You are going to pay for this. If you won’t go voluntarily, then I’ll make you go myself.’ It was too late before Sabrina realised Cressida held a kitchen knife. She struggled with the woman, helplessly watching her reach down to cut the girth of Sabrina’s saddle. She hit the horse’s rump, making it gallop off carrying Sabrina who fought hard to keep in the saddle. It was hopeless, and she felt herself sliding. The whole world seemed to slip in slow motion as she lost contact with the horse and fell to the ground, the saddle falling with her. The last thing she remembered was the horse’s feet tramping across her ankle before she fell unconscious in a bed of icy snow. * * * Ten minutes later Sabrina woke up feeling as though icy water was running through her veins. She was still lying in her bed of snow and almost covered by another blanket of white. She looked up into the heavy grey sky and watched the snowflakes fall down upon her prostrate form.

The wind was fierce and howling, making the snow fall hard and fast in all directions. She ached all over, but she could move everything without searing pain, apart from a dull ache in her ankle. She remembered the horse trampling over it and slowly sat up frightened that it would be broken. A quick prod told her it wasn’t broken, but it was probably badly bruised. She shivered uncontrollably and folded her arms around herself, rubbing furiously in a futile attempt to generate warmth in her body. The sky was almost dark, and she was afraid. Memories of the dark room she’d been held in flashed across her mind with lightning speed, making adrenaline pump inside her. It gave her the impetus to rise. Her legs felt like jelly, and it was an effort to stand. With her arms around her she looked around for the horse, but it was nowhere to be seen. She hoped it had made its way back to the house both for safety and to raise the alarm. She couldn’t make out where she was. The horse had taken her off into the wooded area on the opposite side to where Cressida cut the girth of her saddle. She was disorientated and her ankle throbbed now that she was standing on it. She couldn’t get her bearings. The house wasn’t visible from the bottom of the gardens as they dipped into a valley. If she could just make it out of the woods and to the lake, then all she had to do was follow it, and it would lead her back to the house. Sabrina heard her teeth chatter noisily and felt her body become weak with the cold. If she didn’t get a move on, she would end up with hypothermia. There was a mist gathering as she walked, and the frosty wind blew hard against her face. She dragged her ankle, tears of pain gathering in her eyes as her body grew colder and weaker. After a while she realised that she was going around in circles and was totally lost. She sank down on the snow exhausted and then tried to pull herself up again. It was like trying to lug a heavy weight around. She

took a few steps and then sank down again feeling her concussion get the better of her. It seemed like an eternity before she heard her name being called. Sabrina tried to call out, but her voice was hoarse and no sound came. So she drew on every ounce of strength she had left and began to walk in the direction of the voice. She crunched along in the snow feeling her feet slide precariously over its surface and then stopped abruptly, hearing another set of feet pad behind her. She turned around quickly feeling her body tense with apprehension. ‘Who’s there? Raoul?’ she cried out in a small voice. The bare wood was silent apart from the wind. All she could hear was a bird fluttering its wings on a nearby branch and the howl of the ferocious wind. She turned around and made her movement faster than before. The footsteps were closing in on her. She gave a cry feeling someone near. It was the same feeling that night in the study and in the dark dungeon she’d been locked away in from the world. The presence surrounded and suffocated her with horrible fleeting memories that disorientated her further and blocked her progress. The voice was growing distant. She gave a sob and cried out as loud as she could, but her strangled voice was no match for the wind. There was silence and then the voice sounded again, stronger this time, growing near. She managed to make a desperate cry in response. Just as she felt the man come behind her and lunge for her body, knocking to the ground. He turned her over, and she struggled for her life. Sabrina tried to see his face as he pinned her to the ground, but it was covered. There were more footsteps, and the man looked up to see Raoul running for him at speed shouting at him in French. The man jumped off Sabrina and defended himself as Raoul tackled him using every technique she’d last seen in her kickboxing class at the University. But the man broke free and ran off through the trees. Raoul hesitated

wanting to go after him, but he was reluctant to leave Sabrina in her present state. He let the man go and bent down to look at her as she tried to stand. He touched her face with his fingertips. ‘You are so cold, Sabrina, and you are shivering uncontrollably. We need to get you warm.’ He helped her to her feet. ‘Sabrina, you can hardly walk. What’s wrong with your leg?’ ‘It’s my ankle. The horse trampled on it when I fell.’ The wind blew harshly against their bodies nearly knocking Sabrina off balance. He caught her as she swayed. She stood before him, her teeth chattering wildly, snow falling heavily on her wet hair covering her in a blanket of white. He knew that if he didn’t do something quick, she would become hypothermic. His heart leapt as she gave him that familiar rebellious look when she knew he was about to do something she couldn’t stop. It was a stark determined look breached only by a trace of apprehension she fought hard to hide from him in her eyes. She hadn’t given him that look once since her return, and there had been plenty of opportunity. So her memory had returned, and she was keeping it quiet. He watched her back away, but he was too fast, and he was lifting her up over his shoulder and carrying her to his horse through the trees. He held her tightly against him hoping the heat from his own body would generate warmth in her own to prevent hypothermia. She struggled at first making it difficult, insisting she could walk. Always so damn stubborn, Sabrina. Raoul’s response was to hold her tighter until she cried out quashing her desire to test his strength again. He moved as fast as he could through the snow aware that all of a sudden her body was becoming still and her consciousness was beginning to slip. Determined to keep her alert he

began talking to her and demanded answers about what had happened. ‘Sabrina, Sabrina, wake up,’ he snapped shaking her legs. ‘Why did you leave and come out here on your own? No, Sabrina, you must stay awake.’ ‘I’m so tired, I just want to close my eyes just for a minute.’ ‘No, answer me.’ ‘I couldn’t stand the games you were playing with Cressida. It felt as though you were playing us off each other.’ He shook his head and growled. ‘I was trying to make her get the message. I was sick of her games and what she’d done to you. I wanted to teach her a lesson. But I should have been more careful. I’m sorry, Sabrina. Sabrina, stay awake.’ ‘You don’t care. You want a divorce, she told me. You’re trying to let me down gently.’ ‘Sabrina, I do not want a divorce. What do you mean she told you? Was she out here with you?’ Sabrina’s eyes closed, and Raoul felt his legs grow heavy. He could see the horse now. His eyes darted around looking for any sign of the man who had attacked Sabrina. He could hardly see anything. The mist was growing thicker, but the wind was beginning to die. They would both be easy targets. He hoped Maxim would find them soon, he shouldn’t be far away. ‘Sabrina, wake up you can’t sleep. You need to keep awake, Sabrina.’ ‘Why won’t you let me sleep, Raoul? Why won’t you let me go? You don’t want me, she told me.’ ‘Sabrina, you know that isn’t true. I love you and only you.’ ‘She had a knife. She cut my saddle and made the horse bolt.’

Maybe you got her to do it. I can’t believe that. I won’t. . . But who do I trust? Can I really trust you? So much is happening . . . I want to trust you . . . I do . . .Sabrina closed her eyes heeding the call for sleep to claim her but felt her eyes fly open wide in a panic when Raoul shouted at her. ‘Sabrina, don’t fall asleep. I need you awake. We’ve nearly reached the horse.’ She nodded but her eyelids closed once more desperate to seek the comfort of sleep. ‘Ok. I’ll try, just one minute to sleep.’ ‘Sabrina, why did Cressida hurt you?’ ‘She wants you. She said you want to be together,’ Sabrina answered drowsily. ‘And if I wouldn’t go voluntarily, she would make me. She said she would tell you I had an affair with Luc, but I never did.’ ‘Sabrina, please don’t sleep. I know you never had an affair, darling.’ Raoul rubbed his hand across the back of her legs in a comforting gesture. ‘Come on wake up, we’ve reached the horse.’ Sabrina opened her eyes but had a hard time keeping them open as he deposited her lethargic body on top of the horse. He climbed on to sit behind her. Raoul walked the horse on from the clearing and past the ornate fountain depicting a single large fish covered in snow and ice. He could hardly see anything. They would never make it back to the house in time. He turned the horse to walk further into the woods, heading for the summerhouse he’d recently had restored for the day Sabrina returned. He’d lavished all of his attention on the structure imagining her in the rooms. It was to be their secret haven, their retreat from the world when they wanted to be alone. He’d been there the morning before she came so the heating and water would still be on. He’d planned to show her the place when

everyone had left after the weekend, hoping it might help to jog her memory. He could start a fire and put Sabrina in a warm bath, and they could shelter there until the weather was better. His arm around her waist tightened as he broke the horse out into a gallop seeing part of the house through patches in the creeping fog. Sabrina’s alertness was decreasing, and he needed to hurry. When they reached the house Raoul had told her about to keep her awake and all the renovations he had made to it, he set her down on the ground and made her walk. He didn’t have the keys, and he leant her against the side of the house whilst he used all of his strength to kick down the heavy door. When the task was accomplished, Sabrina felt her arm being firmly taken, and she was made to move quickly despite the injury to her ankle. ‘I need to keep you moving, Sabrina, so you don’t get severe hypothermia. Go up the stairs. I will put the heating on.’ When he joined her he found her slumped on the landing. Her legs just didn’t seem to want to take her any further. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bathroom. ‘We are so lucky I have been spending most of my time here recently and everything is working.’ He took her straight to the large bathroom and sat her aching body on the edge of the bath. The ornate gold taps spewed out steaming hot water insulating the white porcelain and marble room. He then began the task of taking off her wet clothes. Her hand shot out. ‘Don’t you touch me.’ ‘Sabrina, I am not in the mood for your stubbornness. Now I need to get you out of those wet clothes before you get hypothermia and die.’ ‘Maybe that would solve all of your problems.’ Sabrina flinched with fear when he gave her a sharp shake.

‘How can you say these things to me? I am your husband, and I love you. Maybe if I say it enough, it will eventually sink into that mind of yours. I don’t know what poison that woman has been feeding you, but you have to trust me. Now let me make sure you don’t die. I am not going to lose you again.’ She nodded through her shaking, knowing it was futile not to comply. She didn’t offer any further resistance as he roughly pulled the long coat off her shoulders. His hands moved quickly almost ripping the lining in her coat, tearing at her sweater and trousers as he dragged them down her wet legs. He undid the catch of her bra and pulled the sodden garment down her arms. The scrap of lace she called briefs were yanked down her legs and came apart in his eager hands. ‘I thought we agreed you weren’t going to wear these again,’ Raoul reprimanded her with impatience, shaking the flimsy material at her. ‘Are you serious?’ she chattered rubbing her freezing arms. ‘Yes, I am and I really thought we were making progress on this. I don’t want to see them again.’ Sabrina raised an eyebrow with surprise as she watched him scrunch up the material and toss her underwear in a bin just like that day in Paris. Then she was up in his arms again and being plunged into warm water up to her neck. She sank under the water for a moment trying to wake herself and stop her shaking. Slowly she felt the warmth seep into her skin to heat her core. It was a painful sensation to have feeling restored to her body. Her whole being felt as though it were a mass of pins and needles. When she came up Raoul was quickly undressing. Once naked he plunged into the bath behind her and gathered her close to his body. He held her tight, and her drowsy

struggles were useless. She had no strength left to fight him, she felt so exhausted. His arms felt so strong and protective around her fragile body, she just wanted to melt against him. She rested her head against the smooth taut muscle of his chest and felt his strength surround her and support her sleepy chattering body. She wanted to sleep but she knew he would not allow it. She sighed with defeat and listened to the comforting beat of his heart. ‘Are you feeling warmer, Sabrina?’ he asked gently after a while, lifting some water to trickle it lightly over her bare arms. ‘You aren’t shaking so much now.’ ‘Yes, I feel better. I’m just so tired, and my head hurts.’ He ruffled her hair looking for a cut. ‘I have everything we need here. I’ll get you some aspirin when we get out. I’m just so glad I found you when I did. I still don’t know what you were doing out on your own. You know it’s dangerous. That man, if only I knew who he was . . .’ Raoul paused for a moment. There was a sudden shake of emotion in his tone, and he appeared to be fighting a losing battle to contain it. ‘If I hadn’t reached you in time, it might have all happened again. I can’t lose you again, Sabrina. I couldn’t bear it a second time around. I would lose my mind.’ His arms automatically tightened protectively at the mere thought, making her heart weep for joy. Dare I allow myself to think for more than one moment that maybe I’ve been wrong, that Cressida has only been playing games to get you for herself ? If you don’t care so much, why are you so protective of me even now? If he wanted to marry Cressida as she said, then all he had to was request a divorce for desertion. But he was doing everything in his power to keep their marriage alive and declare his undying love. He’d never given up

searching for her, never given up on their love. It was eternal. She curled against him, finally having the courage to let go and trust both Raoul’s love and that of her own for him. She wasn’t afraid to be the old Sabrina anymore. Now she had Raoul back in her life she could be anyone she wanted. He would always be there to support and love her for whatever she chose. His arms left her body forcing her to sit up and watch him climb out of the bath. He was a beautiful sight. He carried his tight muscled form with aristocratic erectness. She pitied any man who chose him as a physical enemy. He wrapped the towel around his waist as he picked up her wet clothes and trotted out of the room giving her a stern look. She lay back down in the water feeling confused. Every time they got close, something or someone pulled them apart. When he came back into the room, she decided to have it out and clear the air. ‘What have I done wrong now, Raoul?’ He was carrying another large white fluffy towel. He stopped and watched her intently considering whether to confront her or not. ‘When did your memory return? And why didn’t you tell me?’ Sabrina lowered her eyes. ‘What do you mean?’ He gave her an impatient look. ‘You can’t hide something like that from me. You had no right.’ ‘I didn’t. I just get flashes, I told you.’ ‘No. You know who I am now.’ He moved closer and looked down at her. ‘I can see it in your eyes. Whatever you try to hide is always bare in your eyes, Sabrina.’ ‘You’re wrong.’

She knew her defence was useless, but still she persisted afraid if she revealed her suspicions, she would hurt him and worse, he wouldn’t believe her about Luc. ‘I don’t believe you are still trying to deny it. Before I carried you to the horse, I saw it in your eyes. You have a certain look, Sabrina, that you give only me.’ He gave a soft laugh. ‘It’s a dangerous rebellious look when I try to take control of what you are doing, only because I am worried about you,’ he added in his defence. ‘It betrays your fear of your vulnerability, but it also shows me how much you love me and how much you value my care of you. You haven’t given me that look once since you arrived at the Chateau, and there have been plenty of times when you would have done. I knew then that you were my Sabrina again.’ He bent his head. ‘I don’t understand why you thought it necessary to keep the return of your memory secret from me.’ He held up the towel for her to get out of the bath. She complied and felt him wrap the towel around her. He moved his hands over the dips and swells of her body to dry her adequately. It was a task he loved to do for her when she came out of the shower, and she had no objections. He held her eyes as she felt the power of his seductive touch caress her curved form through the towel. ‘I didn’t think you would care. I thought you were in love with Cressida. And I thought I was right when I saw you both through the window of your study before I went out riding. She was holding your shoulders, resting her head against you. You don’t do that unless you’re in love with that person.’ He shook his head. ‘And did you see what happened after that? Did you not see me push her away, threaten to tie her up in court, hear me terminate her contract and tell her to leave?’

Sabrina bent her head guiltily. ‘No, I couldn’t bear to see anymore, you hurt me so much.’ ‘Cressida has done a good job playing on your fears and loss of memory. When I have her arrested for assault and possibly attempted murder, she will never bother you or us again, and we can get on with our lives. Now come on, let’s get you warm and some food inside you and we can talk some more.’

Chapter Fourteen He led her to one of the six rooms that made up the summerhouse in the Chateau’s grounds built at the same time in the seventeenth century, in the same style. The bedroom was in a small tower with windows on either side of the circular room. Her feet felt so cold as she walked across its wooden floor to sit on the bed. His eyes searched the room as he pondered on the problem of keeping Sabrina warm. He turned and hurriedly pulled out a pile of his sweaters and trousers out of the dark antique wardrobe and some slippers he kept there for the nights he spent in the Summer House. He pulled one of the sweaters over her head ignoring her protests that she would be buried alive in its male size. The indignity of long cargo pants followed, but they were nothing compared to the long Italian wool socks and slippers that made her look as though she wore clown shoes. He stepped back to admire his work and grinned. ‘At least you will be warm.’ She frowned lifting up her arms hidden under the long sleeves of the beige polo neck woolly sweater. He dressed in a pair of trousers, shoes and heavy black sweater. He gathered up some blankets from a chest at the bottom of the bed and disappeared downstairs. Sabrina made to follow

him finding her progress hampered by her rather large attire. But Raoul was back in an instant lifting her into his arms. He carried her down the stone steps into a large room he’d made into a living room with a fireplace and every modern comfort. He sat her down on the long biscuit coloured sofa and covered her body up to her chin in the warm blankets. ‘You must keep warm, Sabrina. We may have stopped you from getting hypothermia, but you might get a bad chill.’ He arranged the cushions comfortably around her head and neck then turned his attention to starting a fire. She watched him at work feeling cosy and protected. It felt like old times. He sat back down on the sofa and pulled down her sock to look at her ankle. He rested it gently on his lap as he probed its soreness. She yelped. ‘Sorry, Sabrina but I needed to check. I don’t think anything is broken, but you are badly bruised. You will have to keep off it for a while. I’ll get Julian to check it out when we get back to the house. Now I’ll get you a warm drink and some food, just relax.’ She watched the fire crackle and spit, the flames fighting to grow higher. It cast a warm orange glow and flickering shadows around the dimly lit room. Outside the snow had stopped falling, but the fog was dense surrounding the small summerhouse in the clearing of the forest. Darkness was moving in fast, and she felt a curious fear twist in the pit of her stomach. She could feel the house being watched. They weren’t alone. She could feel those familiar eyes following her every move from afar, boring uninvited into her soul. She always knew when he was there. It was like some sixth sense she had developed when originally stalked seven years ago. All of the old feelings and fears came back to haunt her. The very idea made her ignore the pain in her

ankle and jump up to undo the long white curtains and sweep them across the three long windows. As she closed the last one she was sure she could see a face peering at her through the fog. She jumped and gave a small cry and snapped the curtain shut. Chastising herself for her overactive imagination, she turned back to the room, listening to the pleasant homely noises of Raoul making food in the kitchen. Sudden warmth melted her insides at the notion of Raoul cooking for her. He loved to cook, especially for her, and there had been many a night she’d been a guinea pig for his latest concoction. She wanted to be near him, feel his presence surround the room. When she entered the kitchen, he looked up at her from stirring some soup. ‘I’m sorry but it’s tinned tomato soup. I don’t have any ingredients down here to make fresh soup. Damn, I meant to get you a drink. You need to sit down with that ankle.’ He dropped the wooden spoon against the pan and raced to the kettle, he’d already boiled once. She picked up the spoon and began to stir the soup. There was a delicious smell of pizza. ‘I can’t believe you even have a kettle in here. I thought as a Frenchman you only drank coffee,’ she teased. ‘The moment I found out you were alive, I began preparing the Summer House for your return.’ ‘You never told me how you found me. Did you know who I was at that party in London?’ ‘Yes I did,’ he grinned. Sabrina frowned. ‘That’s cruel.’ ‘I have had a team of private investigators looking for you for years. They came up with a lead at the University. I made sure you got an invitation to the party. I didn’t want to give the game away because I didn’t know what state you would be in, and more importantly I knew how you would react. I wanted you safe at home in the Chateau

before I told you anything. There was no way I was going to give you the opportunity of vanishing from my life again,’ he told her firmly. ‘It’s still cruel and deceptive,’ she retorted. ‘Maybe so but it was all very necessary, I assure you. Now, I can’t make you tea yet. It’s warm water for you until I can make sure you are all right.’ ‘You are kidding aren’t you? I’m dying for a cup of tea. I haven’t had a decent one since I entered France. You know I can’t live without regular tea rations.’ ‘Yes, I remember. Here get this down you. Let’s make sure you haven’t got hypothermia. You can’t drink tea or coffee until we know.’ ‘Where did you learn all these survival skills?’ ‘You know where, Sabrina.’ He said it so softly it was almost a caress. ‘Is that soup ready yet?’ Sabrina dipped her head pretending to look down into the pan feeling ashamed of not telling him about getting her memory back. ‘Of course I remember, you climbed Mont Blanc before I met you,’ she mumbled to herself. ‘Yes, I think it’s ready.’ She moved over to let him take charge of the spoon again. She groaned when he gestured to the mug of hot water but did as she was told. He poured the steaming soup into two bowls and looked through the oven to check the pizza. ‘I never thought you would resort to frozen pizza.’ He looked offended. ‘I made it myself and put it in the freezer. It’s your favourite, goats’ cheese.’ Sabrina felt a warm snug, safe feeling engulf the last of the chill to her body. ‘I get the feeling I was on your mind,’ she mused smiling lovingly at him.

‘More than you know. Now back in the room. Here take this aspirin for your head.’ He ushered her out of the kitchen and instructed her to sit around the small dining table, tucking a blanket around her legs. The soup was hot and comforting, the pizza light but filling, and she ate hungrily. ‘You’ve eaten as though you never have before. It isn’t like you to clean your plate, Sabrina. What is wrong with you? Have you suddenly remembered you have a ravenous appetite?’ She gave him a coy, mischievous look. ‘You know I love any food you cook for me. You always know how to make a mean pizza. If you aren’t going to eat that, hand it over here.’ Raoul shook his head and handed her the plate. ‘It’s good to see you eat. You haven’t eaten a thing since you came back, and I’ve been worried.’ She stopped munching on her slice of pizza and caught his arm, leaning her head against it. The wool of the sweater he had given her to wear was soft, and it smelt of him. ‘I love you,’ she whispered. She wasn’t sure she’d spoken the words. They sounded so sudden, so final and definite for a woman who had spent the last seven years forgetting her past. There was a pause, a stillness hanging in the air. Then he simply stroked her hair, weaving his fingers through its soft silky texture. He pulled it playfully. ‘I love you too, Sabrina, darling. But now that you’re fed and watered, we must talk.’ She lifted her head hearing his voice turn serious. He stood up and picked her up in his arms again. She laughed nervously. ‘Do you mean talk or do you mean talk in the bedroom?’

‘Nice try, Sabrina. As much as I would love to make love to you right here and now, we need to have a discussion.’ He carried her back into the living room. ‘Why are you carrying me everywhere?’ she heard the defensiveness in her voice. ‘I do have two legs.’ ‘Indulge me. You’ve been through so much, and I just want to look after you.’ He sat her down on the sofa and flopped down behind her. It was the most natural thing in the world to curl her body against his powerful male frame, to feel his arm slip protectively around her shoulders and draw her near. She laid her head on his chest as he covered her with a blanket. The more she remembered, the more she was slipping back into her old character with her old habits. ‘Sabrina, I want you to tell me just how much of your memory has returned.’ She let her head rise and fall in rhythm with his chest for a moment, considering the implications of telling him the truth. There was too much at stake to risk it. She didn’t want to lose Raoul or see him more hurt than he already had been. ‘I don’t remember any more than I told you about what happened to me. If that’s what you are talking about?’ she lied. ‘Sabrina, don’t be afraid to tell me.’ There was pain in his voice. She always seemed to be hurting him, yet all she was trying to do was to protect him and his family. She watched the fire. ‘Why are you afraid of Luc and Alain? Did they have something to do with what happened to you?’ She sat up. ‘No, no, of course not. I just feel so nervous around everyone.’ ‘Sabrina, was it Luc who raped you?’

He demanded the answer to his question with a firmness she found hard to resist. There was fierce anger, disbelief and despairing resignation swirling within his voice as he braced himself for the truth. She felt her heart race. She sat up further trying to get away, but he caught her arm and pulled her back across his chest, holding both of her wrists. ‘Answer me, Sabrina. And this time I want the truth.’ His face was hard and cold. She was afraid. She tried to get away again, but he held her fast. He gave her a warning look. ‘What is it with men? They always think they can throw their weight around and get just what they want,’ she snapped. ‘Don’t stall me, Sabrina. I am not letting you go until you tell me the truth.’ She felt her body writhe helplessly across the unmovable male muscled strength and gave in. ‘I don’t know,’ she blurted out. ‘But he was there.’ She could hardly look at him. She didn’t want to read the disbelief in his eyes, nor the anger. ‘What about, Alain?’ ‘I don’t know. But every time I go near him, he gives me the creeps. Raoul let me go.’ ‘No, tell me everything you remember about that night.’ ‘Are you sure you want to hear it? We might never be the same again after you do.’ He pulled her up to his face forcing her to look into his eyes. ‘If you think I am going to let any of this destroy our marriage and our love for each other, you don’t remember me very well, Sabrina. You made vows to be with me, and I am going to hold you to them. I love you, now tell me the truth.’

‘He was stealing from the company, and I found out. Our accountant found discrepancies. He came to me before he died in that car crash. Maybe he didn’t die in an accident and he was murdered because of what he knew. I think Alain was involved somehow. I confronted Luc in the study that I was going to tell you. We argued, and he threatened me. It led to a struggle. He hit me and knocked me to the floor. He said he would kill me if I told you anything. Someone else was in the room, and I can’t remember who it was. I honestly don’t know if it was Luc or this other person who raped me. You have to believe me, Raoul.’ ‘Why didn’t you tell me this before?’ ‘Luc and Cressida told me I was having an affair with Luc, and if I didn’t leave you, they would tell you. They knew how ill your mother was and just how it would affect her health if you two were at war again. I couldn’t do it to you. And I couldn’t be sure if I’d had an affair with Luc or not. I couldn’t remember anything, Raoul. It’s like being locked in a dark dungeon without any light or door to get out.’ He let her wrists go and tightened his arms around her. ‘I’m sorry, Sabrina, but I had to find out the truth. You are just confirming all of my suspicions that I’ve had for the last seven years. I found out recently that Luc was stealing money from the company. He’s always been jealous of everything I have, and I knew when I gave him a job for Maman’s sake he would try something like that. But I’ve turned a blind eye, hoping, waiting for him to lead me back to you somehow. I’ve always thought he was involved. He was always attracted to you, and I wouldn’t put it past him to arrange a kidnap. And I believe Alain has been in on the game as well. I wonder if Cressida has found out and taken advantage somehow.’ He pulled the blanket over her shoulders feeling her cling to him. He smoothed her hair and kissed the top of her head.

‘What about my supposed relationship with Luc? They said I was having an affair with him, but I can’t remember doing anything like that. I am gaining my memories fast but not all of them. Maybe I did . . .’ Raoul gave a small laugh. ‘Trust me, Sabrina, you were not having an affair with Luc. I think it has always been his dream that you would. He wants everything that I have and goes out to destroy what is mine if he can’t take it. I know you weren’t having an affair with Luc because I had you shadowed by a private detective when you started getting all those phone calls and were followed. I knew your every move.’ ‘You had me followed?’ She sounded indignant as she dried her eyes and looked up at him. He studied her with concern. ‘There has always been a threat to my family ever since my company’s success. The further you climb the ladder, Sabrina, the more dangerous it is. I can’t afford to take risks. I surrounded you with protection, but you were still taken from me, and the man I hired couldn’t find out the stalker’s identity. He is good at hiding and throwing a false trail.’ ‘Who do you think that man was in the forest?’ ‘It has to be the man who attacked you. I have a feeling that your stalking and Luc’s stealing from the company is all related. I invited everybody this weekend because I suspected it was one of our friends, even though it pains me to say it. I thought having them around would jog your memory. That’s why I was so determined not to let you leave my side.’ ‘And Maxim was here to investigate?’ ‘To investigate and protect. I called him and told him where we are. He’s got a warrant out for Cressida’s arrest and is arranging for some officers to be sent to comb the grounds when the weather is better. But it looks as though we will be here for the night. There are a couple of hideouts

around here that the man could be sheltering in. If anyone is missing from the house, then we will know who it is.’ ‘I’m sorry about Luc.’ ‘Not as much as he will be when I am finished with him.’ His voice was low, a dark menace streaking its tone. She felt fear twist in her stomach again. Her memory was opening a can of worms. The images of her attack bounced off the walls of her mind, refusing to go. But no matter how hard she tried she could not see the face of the man who tore the necklace from her throat. She flinched. ‘Sabrina, is it happening again?’ She slowly sat up. ‘It won’t go away. And I won’t let it until I can discover the truth.’ She rubbed her forehead and stood up. ‘Do you think the counselling will help? I just wish I could remember everything.’ She turned to face the fire watching the images dance in the flames. She felt Raoul’s hands on her shoulders, his deft fingers working away the tension that knotted in her neck and shoulders. ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself Sabrina. You’ve remembered more than I hoped for. You are doing well. Just take it one step at a time.’ She leaned back against him. ‘Show me what you’ve done in here. It was so dilapidated last time I saw it.’ He smiled and took her hand bringing it to his lips before leading her slowly across the wooden floor. Their tour ended up in a small study. There was a red leather reading chair, resembling the ones in the chateau, and a small office at one end of the room bearing state of the art communications technology Raoul needed to conduct business.

Another desk sat close to the reading chair on which a model of the Tall Ship, the Cutty Sark lay unfinished. Glue and small intricate pieces of the skilful puzzle lay around it. To one side several books on model ships and favourite classic novels in English, Moby Dick and a selection of Dickens most famous works were stacked. Sabrina picked up a piece and examined it closely before replacing it on the desk. ‘My father was doing this before he died. I swore I would finish it. But I haven’t as yet.’ There was pain in his voice. ‘I remember your father. He was such a gentleman and a kind man, always trying to please your mother. He was very much in love with her wasn’t he?’ she asked. ‘Besotted is the correct English word I think.’ He circled his hands over her shoulders. ‘Rather like me with you,’ he whispered the words next to her ear, his breath making her skin tingle with pleasure. His lips found her neck as he clasped her hips in his strong hands and lifted her around his waist. She could feel his hard arousal straining to reach inside her body. She rubbed against him as he carried her out of the room, the friction sending shock waves through her system. He stopped at the foot of the stairs unable to control his need for her any longer. He put her down and leant her against the wall. He clasped her face in his hand. It was a gentle but firm and passionate hold that she could not escape from. His assault on her mouth made her quiver with a primitive and savage pleasure causing her to respond with a fervour that equalled only that of his own. She slipped her fingers through his soft brown hair and held on for dear life as he tugged her trousers down. She wore no underwear this time, and he was quick to take advantage and murmur his approval. He snaked his fingers up and around her calves, up the sensitive parts of her

thighs, every touch causing her skin to flame and burn with desire. She thrust her pelvis out to beckon the invasion of his fingers inside the warm sheath that rested at the arch of her thighs. But it was not his fingers that probed her so delicately. His intimate kiss was electrifying, sending pulses of energy beating through her body. She moved the upper part of her body from side to side as though helplessly tormented by delicious torture. Just when she thought she could take no more of his expert caress, he moved away and stood. He fiercely took her mouth rendering her breathless and completely at his mercy. She heard the sound of a zip being pulled down, and he was lifting her up around his waist again. With one sharp urgent thrust he was inside her, filling her up to the hilt. His kiss was an exact replica, both acts thrusting and probing until she thought she would spin out of control. Sabrina felt her climax convulse through her body and heard herself cry out with the power of its intense sensation. It was never ending, carrying her out on a journey to a place she had not been before and back. She felt him ride it with her, slowing his rhythmic pace, making her feel as though time itself had slowed. She slumped exhausted over his shoulder attempting to recover her breath. He held her lovingly, his own breath laboured as he pulled his zip up. He carried her up the steps and laid her in the bed, smoothing the long sweater down her thighs. He covered her body with a sumptuous opulent red and black satin duvet and undressed. She felt him slip under the satin and pull her to him until her back curved under his body. There were no words spoken, none were needed. They had all been communicated through the intimate touch and binding of their bodies together in the heat of their manic love-making. Sleep swept its comforting blanket over Sabrina’s body and claimed her as its own. * * *

Raoul sat up on his elbow and looked down at a sleeping Sabrina. His fingers found the curls of dark chocolate hair and played gently with them. She looked so vulnerable while she slept, yet she bore the heart of a tigress. They hadn’t used protection when they’d made love last night. He’d made sure of that, wanting their reunion to bear fruit. She hadn’t objected but welcomed and encouraged the notion. He lay back down, his hand stroking her hip raising a soft whimper from her lips. His life was almost complete. Sabrina had come home, and there was the possibility of a child to strengthen the bond between them. All he had to do was to find the man who continued to hurt his wife and threaten their happiness. He’d let Sabrina down, but this time he intended to fulfil his role as husband and protector, whatever the cost.

Chapter Fifteen Sabrina dreamt she was in the study again. She could hear voices arguing behind Luc as he held her. One of the voices spoke in French. He called Luc away giving him some instruction she couldn’t understand. Then she was alone in the room with the man. She was so afraid and confused. She couldn’t clearly see his face. But she knew the man personally and couldn’t understand why he was involved in Luc’s scheme to steal from the company. She’d thought Raoul and herself could have always trusted him. But there he was threatening her and confessing he was the one stalking her for all those long months. She knew he was in love with her in some sick twisted way, and now he was going to have her and she would be his forever more. The man tore the necklace from her neck, and she heard herself scream. ‘Sabrina, wake up. You are just having a bad dream.’

Sabrina opened her eyes sharply. Raoul was leaning over her gently nudging her awake. Sunlight was streaming in through the small windows in the turret on both sides. She blinked and looked up at Raoul’s concerned expression on his face. He smoothed her hair away from her forehead. ‘Were you dreaming about being in the study again?’ She nodded and told him everything. He looked confused and frustrated. ‘I just wish I knew who it was. It’s vital we find out if it is someone close to us, they have to be in the house.’ He softened his features as she gave him a worried look. ‘I’m sorry, relax. I just want to make sure you are safe.’ ‘Are we going back to the house? Only I’m not sure I am going to feel safe knowing he, whoever he is, is walking around the Chateau. I didn’t tell you yesterday, but someone was in the room when I was showering. I thought it was Luc, and I didn’t want to tell you…’ Sabrina’s words trailed away knowing that Raoul would not take her small revelation well at all. He would regard it as another blow to his attempt to control the situation and keep her safe. He stood up quickly, running his hands through his hair lifting it high. ‘Sabrina, why didn’t you tell me? How can I protect you if you keep trying to hide everything from me?’ She sat up slowly wishing she hadn’t told him. It was then that she saw the tray of scrambled eggs, toast and tea. She tucked the duvet around her middle and sank back against the pillows. He marched back towards the bed and sat down. He caught her wrists and pulled her up. ‘Sabrina, I will not have you trying to deal with this on your own. That’s how I lost you before. Now listen to me if anyone of them comes near you when you are on your own, friendly or not, I want to know about it. That is if you ever

manage to leave my side again because from now on I am tying you to it.’ Sabrina laughed but the dark expression on his face stopped her dead. ‘I mean it, Sabrina. I don’t want you trying to protect me. I’ve always suspected Luc was involved. You are the most important person in the world to me. I love my mother and will do everything necessary to protect her from any scandal. But it is important that you trust me and tell me all that you remember.’ It was a direct command, smoothed delicately by a gentle velvet persuasion that rolled all too easily from his tongue. She twisted her wrists free and placed her hands around his neck and leaned in against him. ‘I’ve missed you, Raoul. I’ve even missed your pompous orders and commands and your never ending need to boss me around on the pretence of it being for my own good.’ She giggled and snuggled closer to him. He was silent for a moment, and then his arms swept around her tightly. ‘You know it’s for your own good, Sabrina,’ he mocked himself. Sabrina giggled again and reached up to kiss him. He wore another rough dark shadow sexily around his jaw and mouth. She felt it scrape the inside of her palms, provoking tiny tremors of pleasure in her core. Unable to stop herself, she pressed her lips against his mouth and found his response immediate, taking her breath away. He held her head, capturing her mouth, wrestling any control she had over the kiss. She gave a satisfied cry as his hands swept under the sweater and up her sides, softly curving around her breasts. He tugged the sweater up over her head leaving her exposed to his gaze. She helped him remove his clothes, feeling the urgent need to caress every muscled part of him once again, to feel him near making her his over and over

again. She wondered if they could ever be satiated, they had so much time to make up. He leaned her back and thrust inside her with determination. He tipped her head and body back, settling his lips over the peak of her breast, gently nipping and tugging. She felt her pleasure rise and wash over her body with the force of a tidal wave that he rode with her. * * * ‘You didn’t eat the breakfast I made you, Sabrina,’ Raoul sighed as he buttoned up his trousers. ‘You didn’t exactly give me a chance to eat it,’ she laughed. Raoul grinned and looked down at her lying naked under the satin duvet. Her pale skin and her ebony curls were striking next to the rich colour of the red and black duvet he’d chosen with her passionate nature in mind. There was a gentle afterglow lighting her face giving her a heavenly sensual look. He felt desire rise like fire within him again. ‘We’ll just have to make some more. You know how ravenous I am in the mornings.’ He laughed and leaned over to kiss her again. He could hardly stop touching her just to make sure she was real and he wasn’t in some vivid dream that he didn’t want to wake up from. ‘What’s that noise?’ He listened to the anxiety in her voice and then to the sound. There was a crisp crunching sound. Someone was walking around the small house in the snow. He moved to the window but couldn’t see anything. ‘Don’t move, Sabrina,’ he commanded in his fiercest tone knowing fine well it would take chains around her hands and ankles to stop her making any movement. She was already up struggling to move with the duvet to the window on the other side of the room. ‘Relax, Raoul, it’s Maxim at the door.’

He stood next to her looking out of the window at Maxim’s tall form. Something made him turn around and look up at the window. A feeling of being watched perhaps? Raoul watched him look at Sabrina with curious interest. He’d always known most of his friends were attracted to Sabrina, and he had always been astute enough to watch for any attempts to steal her away. It was therefore no surprise to Raoul to find a flicker of attraction lighting Maxim’s eyes at seeing Sabrina’s semi-naked form wrapped in the duvet. But Sabrina’s response was a surprise. She flinched and moved back from the window as though she’d been stung. Raoul’s brow creased as he took hold of her shoulders. ‘What’s the matter?’ She tried to laugh her action off, but he could see the fear in her eyes. ‘I am just letting my imagination get the better of me again. I thought I saw someone out in the woods. I did it last night as well.’ He hugged her close trying to reassure her of her safety. ‘Why don’t you have a warm shower while I talk to Maxim and find out if they know anything about that man in the grounds yesterday. Then I will make you some more breakfast, and we can think about going back to the house. We need to get you checked over. You had concussion, Sabrina, and I want to make sure that you are all right.’ She nodded, allowing him to kiss her forehead. He watched her go and threw on his sweater before leaving to open the door for Maxim. * * * Sabrina closed the bathroom door and ran the shower. She was confused. It was the way Maxim had looked at her. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but her instinct demanded extreme caution. Maybe it was because he was a police officer there to investigate herself and what

happened that put her on edge. It sounded an adequate explanation, but it did nothing to lessen her fear of the man. She let the hot water cascade down across her aching neck and closed her eyes catching a new set of memories playing in her head like a movie. They were all of Maxim and his friendship with Raoul. She shook her head. There was no reason to be afraid of Maxim, he’d always been so kind. He was Raoul’s best friend and had always been there for him and herself. But the way his eyes had burned into her own bespoke an attraction and a hidden communication that her mind seemed to recognise. She groaned wishing all of her memory had returned so she could work out just what had been going on before she disappeared. Sabrina dressed in her riding clothes that Raoul had dried, unable to shake the feeling of impending doom. The house was quiet and the air still outside making it easy to hear Raoul’s voice in the kitchen talking to Maxim. They were discussing what Sabrina had already told Raoul about Luc and Alain. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on her boots. Her body was shaking with anxiety, a tremor shook in her hands, and she was finding it hard to breathe. She tried to ignore the sensation casually dismissing it as nonsense and made her way downstairs. ‘Ah, Sabrina I’ve just been telling Maxim what you told me. Both he and the local police haven’t had any success in finding anyone in the grounds, but he’s arranged for Luc and Cressida to be arrested. Alain has also been taken in for questioning.’ Sabrina glanced at Maxim and then away quickly for fear of meeting his eyes. She folded her arms as she sat at the small kitchen table making Raoul watch her with interest. ‘How are you feeling, Sabrina?’ Maxim asked with genuine warmth.

She tried to smile and felt her mouth tremble with the effort of pretence. Her flesh was crawling, and she was growing cold with fear. ‘I’m ok. I just want this all to be over.’ ‘Can you tell me anything you remember about the man who attacked you in the study? Anything will help.’ He stubbed out a cigarette and lit another one. There was something about the smell. She recognised that particular odour of cigarette on the breath of her attacker. It was French unlike the English brand Amelia used. She put her hand to her mouth feeling nausea rise. She let out a slow breath to calm her agitation wondering if she was about to have another flashback and answered. ‘No, I just remember Luc being there first and someone else in the room. Luc left after threatening me, and the other person was the man who raped me.’ Her eyes steadily met Maxim’s searching his for a reaction. She ascertained nothing but a coldness that chilled every bone in her body. Raoul put down a mug of hot tea on the table beside her at the same moment. Every time she mentioned what happened, she could feel him physically tense. He rubbed his hand along her shoulders and stood behind her. She rested a hand on the table not knowing what to do, not knowing why she was feeling so bad and so distrustful of Maxim. His presence made her feel so uncomfortable, she wished he would just leave and lift the heavy oppressive weight that had settled in the small cosy room. Maxim leaned over and covered her hand with his own. ‘We’ll find him, don’t worry.’ Her response to his touch was instant making her memory trigger as though a bolt of lightning had hit it. She slipped back in time. She was in the study looking up at the man who was brutally pulling the necklace from her throat and pushing her to the ground. He was shouting so hard at her that she belonged to him and not Raoul. He was

shaking her, shouting abuse and saying he was going to take her away from Raoul. She was going to be his wife. She would never escape him. Sabrina heard herself sob as he pushed her to the ground, banging her head off the wooden floor. The man leaned over and Sabrina found herself looking up at the man who was about to rape her and lock her away from the world. His face was no longer a blur but a clear image. Sabrina snatched her hand away as the room came back into view. Raoul was kneeling down running his hands up and down her arms coaxing her back into the present. She stared at Raoul, tears streaming down her face and then forced herself to look round into the eyes of the man who had so viciously abused her that night. Maxim looked sympathetic for a brief moment. Then she saw comprehension in his eyes, a fleeting fear of discovery and then resignation. She felt nausea swell like a giant tidal wave and fled from the room pushing Raoul’s hands aside. She leaned over the toilet in the bathroom adjoining the bedroom upstairs and was violently sick. Sabrina slowly lifted her head that was now pounding and listened to the voices downstairs in the kitchen. Raoul was talking to Maxim of her flashbacks, and then she could hear his reassuring footsteps tapping up the stone steps. She splashed some cold water on her face and walked out into the bedroom determined to find a way to tell him everything and warn him of the danger they were both in. He stood impossibly tall in the doorway making her take a breath. His eyes were black with fierce anger. She stopped in her tracks, too afraid to move, to say anything. ‘It was Maxim, wasn’t it?’ It was all he asked. His voice was low, almost a whisper, and incredibly calm to the point it made her feel frightened. She didn’t appear to answer quick enough and his eyes narrowed, piercing her soul for an answer. She nodded.

‘Stay here,’ he commanded. She flew across the room as he caught the handle of the door and swung it shut with a slam behind him. She tried the handle, but he was turning the key in the lock, making her a prisoner of safety within the confines of the bedroom. She stopped pulling on the handle and began kicking manically at the door on hearing Raoul’s raised voice confront Maxim in French. At first he attempted to deny everything. A fight quickly ensued and Sabrina could hear knives and forks clattering to the tiled floor and a heavy bang. She heard the small kitchen table scrape noisily across the tiled floor and the sound of fists making contact with firm flesh. Raoul was shouting at Maxim demanding his confession. He eventually gave Raoul what he wanted. Maxim told Raoul how he’d always taken everything from him. He always got what he wanted even when they were at school. Maxim loved Sabrina and was determined to have her. He had kept her locked away in the basement of his deceased mother’s farmhouse in Brittany. Every moment he could, he spent with her. He’d travelled back and forth to see her from Paris. His brother had kept watch over her when he couldn’t be there. After seven months of indulging himself with her over and over again, she had planned and executed her escape to England. Now he was going to take her back, and there was nothing Raoul could do about it. This time Maxim would be more successful in making it appear to the local police that Raoul had murdered her. He wouldn’t escape the charge as he had done last time. Raoul was finished, and Sabrina was his again. The sound of fighting stopped abruptly. Sabrina held her breath. There were two sets of footsteps on the stairs. Maxim must be forcing Raoul to lead him to her. He must have a gun. ‘You go near her, Maxim and I will kill you.’

She knew Raoul meant every word by the dangerous tone lining his calm voice. The key turned in the lock, and Sabrina let go of the handle, taking a step back, knowing fine well what was about to happen. She picked up the heavy bronze statue of a man and woman romantically entwined that lay on a chest of drawers beside her and stood at the side of the door as it creaked open. Raoul was shouting a warning at her, and Maxim was calling her name. Maxim walked into the room dragging Raoul by the front of his jumper, his arm outstretched with his firearm in his hand. Before he fully entered the room Sabrina brought the statue down hard on his arm. The gun dropped to the floor. Maxim cried out in pain and dropped to the floor reaching out to retrieve it. Sabrina kicked the gun away as Raoul lunged forward and landed on top of him. The man fought back hard, but Raoul was the stronger opponent. When Maxim lay slumped against the bed unconscious, Raoul stood back to admire his handiwork. Sabrina sank to her knees suddenly feeling exhausted. Raoul was pulling out one of his ties to restrain Maxim’s hands and another for his feet. He quickly pulled Sabrina up and led her out of the room. ‘Let’s get out of here. I don’t want you in the same room with him. I’ll call the police and get them to pick him up.’ He locked the door and ran down the stairs to grab some keys out of the kitchen that was now in complete disarray and led Sabrina outside. The air was bitterly cold, but the sun was shining and the sky was clear. His hand was firmly enclosed around her small one, and there was no escape. This time she didn’t want to argue. She was more than grateful that he was taking charge. He unlocked the Range Rover parked outside the front of the house and told her to get in. ‘Raoul, you’re injured.’

Sabrina brought her fingertips up to the side of his forehead to examine the cut that was lightly bleeding. ‘It’s nothing. We need to get into the village and report this as soon as possible. I can’t get any reception on my mobile out here. We’ll have to see how far we can get in the car in the snow. We might have to get out and walk.’ He expertly drove the vehicle over the slippery snow covered terrain using the chains on the wheels until they reached the gate that Sabrina had jumped on horseback. Raoul jumped out and undid the lock. Sabrina heard her door being opened. Luc Valoire’s arm reached into the passenger side and took hold of the front of Sabrina’s long riding coat and pulled her out of the vehicle. She hit the ground, rolling uncomfortably in the fresh wet snow. When she pulled herself up, Alain was pressing a gun to Raoul’s temple, making him walk over to where Luc and Cressida stood. ‘You’re all involved in this aren’t you?’ Sabrina heard herself shout. Luc pulled her up until her feet stood on tip toes. Raoul was struggling to gain his freedom, shouting in French at Luc. But Alain jammed the gun hard against Raoul’s head, halting any further movement. ‘Aren’t you the clever one, Sabrina? But then you always were so clever, except on that night of course,’ Luc grinned. ‘I hear you have your memory back, so unfortunately, we will have to do something about that. If he hadn’t found you, everything would be all right. And we all did such a good job of keeping him from finding you.’ Cressida stood beside her as Raoul began to struggle like mad again. ‘Why did you have to come back, you stupid bitch? You’ve ruined everything. You know I would have been better suited to Raoul than you.’ She looked at Sabrina with contempt.

‘I’ve ruined nothing. Raoul never loved you, and you can’t stand it. You’ve tried to keep us apart for seven years, but he still doesn’t want you. I can’t believe you all did that to us. You cruel, hateful people. You will never have Raoul, Cressida, if it’s the last thing I do.’ Cressida reached out to hit Sabrina, but Luc impatiently pushed her away. ‘Give it a rest Cressida. You are just kidding yourself that Raoul loves you. He’s rejected every overture you made to him. He doesn’t want you, Cressida. He never has despite all of your scheming to make him have an affair with you. Give it up. You are as deluded as Maxim. Now if you just thought about the money like I have, you wouldn’t have been so damn disappointed.’ Sabrina glanced at Raoul. He was scowling at Luc with murder in his eyes. ‘Let her go Luc. You’ve done enough to us both. I already know you’ve been stealing from the company and defrauding it. I take it the rest of you along with Maxim were involved?’ ‘You always were astute, Raoul.’ ‘I knew you were involved in Sabrina’s disappearance. I never thought all of you would have been involved. Is this some kind of conspiracy?’ Luc laughed. ‘Alain and Cressida knew about the fraud from the start. She was in on it with me. She wanted you as a bonus. I saw the way Maxim looked at Sabrina. I followed him a couple of times and found out he was the stalker. I told him I could help him take Sabrina for himself in return for him getting you out of the way, Raoul. With you convicted of murder, the Board of Valoire Industries would have voted me in as chair and the company would be mine. Unfortunately, you managed to keep it all together, just like you always do,’ he sneered. ‘The only way I am going to

get the company now is to kill you both. Now get in the car and keep quiet.’ ‘Luc, what are you going to do?’ Sabrina could hear panic quivering in her voice and gritted her teeth as she got into the back of Luc’s Jeep. Alain slammed the car door shut, making her jump in response. Luc was getting into the front with Raoul, and Cressida got in the back with Sabrina, aiming a revolver at them both. ‘Let’s just say you are both going for a cold dip. Well, that’s after I have shot you both first. A bullet in the head, execution style should make it quick for you. I’m not a heartless man,’ he smiled. ‘You’re actually going to kill us?’ ‘Have you any better suggestions, Sabrina? You know too much.’ ‘You would kill your own family?’ ‘Family? Yes. I have debts, and if I don’t pay them, I am going to be killed. It’s all about survival. It’s you two or me. I would rather it was not me.’ The car drove off through the gate, out of the Chateau’s estate. They followed a small track road and then veered off sharply to drive down another track into a wood. Luc stopped it next to a large stagnant pond in a small clearing in the middle of the wood. Luc opened the car door on Raoul’s side. The moment he did, Raoul seized his chance and banged the door into Luc’s body. Raoul lunged at him knocking Luc and the gun to the ground. Sabrina seized her chance when Cressida began to panic. She reached for the gun and the two women began to struggle. Sabrina fought Cressida with all of her strength. Leaning back against the door she gave a sharp kick to Cressida’s stomach propelling her backwards with a grunt. The gun clattered to the floor. Sabrina and Cressida reached for it the same time, but Cressida was to get there first.

With shaking hands she aimed it at Sabrina and took off the safety. Sabrina held her breath, frantically searching for a way to save her own life. The sound of police sirens approaching didn’t deter Cressida from wanting to kill Sabrina. ‘You’ve ruined everything,’ she shouted. The malice in her voice was acute. ‘But at least I can stop you having Raoul.’ Sabrina took a breath and waited for the shot to be fired, but Cressida’s car door was abruptly opened causing her to fall back against Raoul. Cressida struggled with him to hold on to the revolver. Sabrina leaned over to help, but the gun went off. It was hard to see who had been shot. Sabrina’s heart began to thud as Raoul backed away from Cressida in shock, blood on his hand. He stared at Sabrina and then at his shoulder soaked in blood. Cressida was lying back along the seat trying to turn over with the gun. Rage boiled over in Sabrina. She lunged for the revolver once more and landed Cressida’s face a hard punch. Another swift hit had Cressida groaning and dropping the gun. Fired by anger and distress for Raoul, Sabrina pushed Cressida out of the car into the snow. Raoul was now on his knees dripping blood into the snow. The police were running forward and dragging Cressida up when Sabrina got out of the car. She dropped into the snow next to Raoul, screaming for help. ‘I’m all right, Sabrina. It’s over, it’s over,’ Raoul kept saying to her in a drowsy voice, as she frantically tried to pull him into her arms and look at his wound. He slumped unconscious next to her. Amelia and Julian ran out of the car as the police swarmed around them. Sabrina was crying holding Raoul, calling for help. Julian ran towards her. ‘Julian, you have to help him,’ she sobbed.

Julian helped her lay Raoul on the snow so he could take a better look at Raoul’s wound. ‘Relax, Sabrina’ he said placing his hand on her arm. ‘It looks a lot worse than it is. The paramedics are on their way.’ Sabrina collapsed with relief in Amelia’s arms as an officer helped Julian get Raoul into one of the cars to keep warm. ‘We knew something was wrong. Maxim has been acting so strangely. He refused to call the police for assistance. He said he could handle the stalker on his own,’ Amelia began. ‘Julian and I weren’t convinced and we were so worried something bad had happened when you didn’t come back this morning, so we got in touch with the police watching the Chateau from a distance on Raoul’s request,’ Amelia told Sabrina. ‘They said the police in Paris have been watching Maxim for illegal activities for a while. He’s been taking bribes and a work colleague had accused him of sexual harassment. They were eager to catch up with him. He was suspended two weeks ago,’ Amelia narrated with excitement. ‘It’s all over, Sabrina,’ Julian finished, watching the Paramedics drive up. ‘Come on, travel with Raoul in the ambulance.’ Sabrina followed Raoul as he was carried into the ambulance on a gurney. She sat across from him holding his hand. ‘The bullet nicked my skin, Sabrina. It didn’t go in deep. Don’t worry about me,’ he smiled reassuringly. ‘You certainly pack a punch. You floored Cressida. I’m impressed. Remind me not to get on the wrong side of you again.’ ‘Well, she shouldn’t have hurt my husband. There was no way I was going to let her get away with that.’

‘You called me husband,’ he said drowsily, feeling the effect of the morphine injection the paramedic had just given him. ‘Now we can carry on where we left off. That’s if you still want to?’ Sabrina smiled and squeezed his hand. She wiped at her tears. ‘You know I do. But we have some important issues to sort out before we can live happily ever after,’ she grinned mischievously. Raoul laughed and closed his eyes. ‘Here we go again.’ * * * A week later, Sabrina lay on the sofa wrapped in a warm rug curled around Raoul. The house was empty apart from Amelia and Julian, who were conspicuously keeping out of the way. Raoul smoothed his palm over her hair. ‘So now we are finally alone, Sabrina. What are the issues we need to sort out? I thought it was simple. You are my wife, and you stay here with me.’ She sat up and frowned. ‘Huh, me Tarzan you Jane. No, it’s not so simple. I have a life back in England. A life I like and I don’t want to let go of thank you very much. I worked hard to build it up out of nothing. But I also don’t want to leave the Chateau, so I have decided to leave my job. I am going to write another History book, work freelance as a lecturer, hopefully one of the Universities will take me on full time, and I want explore writing a fictional novel. ’ Raoul grinned and kissed her. ‘You seem to have it all worked out. I had fears about you demanding to return to England. Writing a novel was another one of your ambitions. I am so glad you have made this decision. I want you here safe with me and at home when we raise a family.’ She nodded and smiled as he put his arms around her, groaning with the pain in his shoulder.

‘I can’t wait to be a father. I love you.’ ‘I can’t wait to be pregnant,’ she said, gently snuggling against his broad chest for comfort. ‘I was so frightened when you were shot. I thought . . .’ she stopped not wanting to consider the possibility that she could have lost him. ‘I love you too. Promise we won’t ever be apart again. I don’t think I could stand it.’ ‘I meant what I said when you first arrived here,’ he said softly. He kissed her gently at first and then more passionately when she became responsive. ‘I am not letting you ever leave me again.’ THE END.

Sara Curran-Ross http://www.saracurranross.com http://www.saracurranross.blogspot.com [email protected]

You may also like, Knights of Swords, by Sara Curran Ross

Nathan Valancourt is young, stinking rich, a darling of London's social scene in 1893,

and a notorious womanizer. He had never believed in the supernatural, but, when a vampire killer masquerading as a clergyman begins haunting his dreams, forcing him to endure visions of the murders of his previous female conquests, Nathan determines to amend his frivolous ways.

When the killer turns his attention to Nathan's beautiful ward, Juliet, Nathan is anxious to protect her. As they battle the monster, Nathan and Juliet gradually realize that they share a psychic connection. This close bond triggers the discovery of their true heritage as descendants of humanvampire unions. Led to the gradual revealing of powers beyond their imagination, their bond offers them hope of victory.

Review for Knight of Swords:

This is a fast read, dark, twisting and satisfying. I’m going to give this one 4 fangs.

—Nyla Rowlins from Romancing Words http://www.romancingwords.com/reviews.html

Look for Ace of Swords, coming soon from Hellfire Publishing.

All available books by Sara Curran Ross Knight of Swords The Devil You Know Sleeping Love

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