‘That’s how it will work out, yes.’
‘No! No, I don’t believe you! You can’t want anything that much.’
‘But I do,’ Conor said, so softly that Arden could barely hear him. ‘I do, Linda. Believe me, you can’t imagine how much!’
Arden clamped her hand over her mouth and spun away from the wall. She could hear Conor’s voice droning on and on, but the words were unintelligible. Good, she thought with a choked sob, because she didn’t want to hear any more. God, she couldn’t hear any more, not if she wanted to stay strong enough to pack her things and get out of this house.
She flew up the stairs, her bare feet soundless against the carpeted steps, and raced down the hall to her room. Once inside, she shut the door after her, locked it, and sank back against it.
Tears filled her eyes, overflowed and spilled down her cheeks. She wanted to hurl herself on the bed, weep and weep until there was nothing left inside her heart but dust.
But there was no time for that. Not now.
She raised her arm, wiped her streaming eyes, then stopped and glared at her damp sleeve. This was Conor’s shirt, not hers—and these were his jeans she was wearing.
A shudder went through her. It was obscene, feeling his clothing against her skin. Quickly, she ripped the things from her body and kicked them into the corner. Naked, she pulled clothing blindly from the dresser, underwear and a shirt and cotton trousers...
And then she stopped. She would leave El Corazon as she had come to it, she thought, not sneaking out the door with her face tear-streaked and her hair hanging down her back, but with what little dignity she could manage. She yanked open the closet door, took a steadying breath, and reached for a hanger.
A short while later, dressed in a beige silk blouse, white linen suit, and matching pumps, Arden tossed the last of her clothing into her suitcase and snapped it closed. She stood erect, smoothed down her skirt with a trembling hand. All that remained now was to confront Conor, tell him she knew what he’d been up to, tell him...
Breath puffed from her lungs. Tell him what? she thought, and the anger that had protected her the last few minutes began to crumple. Te
ll him that she’d been as stupid as any of those silly girls she’d grown up with, that she’d let herself fall in love with a no-good aristocrat from the top of the Hill? Tell him she’d gone against all her beliefs, that she’d given him her heart and her soul, that she’d never feel whole or clean again?
No. No, she couldn’t let him see her this way, she’d fall apart if she had to face him, she’d—
‘Arden?’
Her heart leapt into her throat. Conor was just outside.
‘Arden?’ The knob rattled and her gaze flew to the door, as if she expected it to give way at any moment. ‘Arden, are you in there?’
She spun in a quick circle, staring around the room as if by some miracle an opening might suddenly appear in one of the walls.
‘Arden?’ Conor’s voice, and the rap of his fist, had grown more insistent. ‘Mi amor, are you all right?’
Mi amor, she thought, mi amor...
Head high, she strode across the room, undid the lock, and flung the door open. Conor gave her a smile, one that was so sincere it would have fooled anybody. Anybody but her, she thought, and a fist seemed to clamp around her heart.
‘There you are. I was worried, sweetheart. You weren’t in my room, and when I tried your door...’ He broke off, frowning. ‘Why are you dressed like that?’
You can do this, Arden told herself, you must do this.
She smiled politely. ‘Like what?’
‘I thought we’d spend the day riding into the hills. You wanted to see the coffee fields, and——’
‘Oh, that’s OK. I’ll see them, eventually, won’t I?’
Conor’s smile was puzzled. ‘Well, sure. I mean, if you’d rather ride another day... tomorrow, maybe, or——’
‘Not tomorrow,’ Arden said, forcing a little laugh. She turned and walked to the mirror, looked into it, and adjusted her collar. ‘I doubt if I’ll see those fields, or any other part of El Corazon, for several more months.’
Behind her, in the mirror, she could see Conor’s reflection, see his mouth thin. Her heart began to beat more rapidly as he walked slowly towards her.
‘Arden. What’s going on here?’