Elodie was in her en suite bathroom, taking off her make-up, when there was a knock at the door. ‘Go away.’
‘Come on, sweetheart, open up,’ Lincoln said, rapping his knuckles on the door again.
She slammed the toner bottle down on the counter and tossed the cotton pad in the bin. She opened the door and glared at him. ‘If you’ve come to give me a lecture about being nicer to your housekeeper, then you’re wasting my time and yours.’
‘I’ve come to apologise.’
Elodie knew she shouldn’t be mollified so easily, but something about his tone made her anger melt away. Her shoulders went down on a sigh and she came out of the bathroom, tightening the ties of her wrap around her waist a little more firmly.
‘You’re seven years too late with your apology.’ She threw him a petulant look from beneath her lowered lashes. ‘She’s always been unnecessarily rude to me.’
Lincoln came over to her and raised her chin with his index finger, locking his gaze on hers. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you about that in the past. I can see there’s tension between you.’
Elodie made a scoffing noise. ‘Tension? You don’t know the half of it.’
He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. ‘I thought you didn’t care what people thought of you?’
She lowered her gaze from his to stare at the collar of his shirt. ‘I don’t. But I don’t think someone you employ to take care of your house should treat your...your...wife like she’s gold-digging trailer trash. I earn my own money—heaps of it, actually. Not enough to launch my own label, but still...’
Lincoln raised her chin again, to mesh his gaze with hers. ‘I’ve spoken to Morag and you shouldn’t have any trouble in future.’
‘And if I do?’
He drew in a breath and released it in a long exhalation. ‘Then I’ll deal with it.’
‘How? By firing her?’
He released her, stepped back and rubbed a hand over his face. ‘I don’t know. She’s worked for me a long time. She was a friend of my mother’s—they went to primary school together. She had a rough time growing up, then she married a brute of a man who physically abused her every chance he got. They had a couple of kids who both ran off the rails and barely speak to her now. She finally got the courage to leave him and has worked for me ever since. Plus, she developed Type Two diabetes recently. She would probably find it hard to get another job that pays as well and with such flexible hours.’
Elodie sat on the edge of the bed with her hands resting either side of her thighs. She was secretly impressed by his commitment to his housekeeper. Morag was clearly a vulnerable person who had been taken advantage of in the past. Her heart ached for her and what she had been through. It was no wonder she didn’t find it easy to let people into her life. It reminded her a little bit of herself.
‘My God. I’m sorry to hear Morag has been through all that. She doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. No one does. But hurt people don’t heal themselves by hurting others. You have to work through your own pain rather than project it on to someone else.’
Lincoln twisted his mouth into a grimace. ‘I guess that’s how it plays out sometimes. She’s a little set in her ways.’
Elodie flopped backwards on the bed, flinging her arms above her head. ‘Oh, God, I’m so tired of how the world can hurt people. It’s one of the reasons I want to work for myself. You would not believe the rubbish I’ve had to put up with for years.’
Lincoln came and sat beside her on the bed, but he didn’t touch her. Even knowing he was within touching distance made every cell in her body throb with awareness.
‘What sort of stuff? Sexual harassment?’ His frown was heavy, his expression gravely serious.
She rolled her eyes like marbles in a jar. ‘Nothing I couldn’t handle on my own.’
He reached out and brushed a strand of hair back from her forehead. ‘You shouldn’t have to handle that stuff on your own. That stuff shouldn’t happen in the first place.’
‘Yeah, well, it still does.’ She rolled over so she was facing him on her side, even more conscious of how close his body was to hers. ‘Thanks for listening. I don’t talk to anyone about this stuff except Elspeth, and half the time I don’t tell her the full extent of it. It would shock her too much.’
‘You try to be strong for her, don’t you?’
Elodie let out a puff of air. ‘Yes, well... I’m not the one with the life-threatening allergy, am I? When our father left...’ She frowned and then continued, ‘I didn’t see it coming, you know? I thought he would always be there for us, and for me in particular, because he always called me his favourite girl. It was all lies. He didn’t love anyone but himself.’
‘I’m sorry you had such a jerk of a father. I can only imagine how that has impacted on you.’
Elodie met Lincoln’s gaze, finding in it a warmth and an emotional connection that was completely disarming. ‘I think I’ve spent a lot of my life pretending to be someone I’m not. The cutesy outgoing twin, the cheeky extroverted kid who caused drama wherever she went. The blissfully happy bride-to-be...until I got cold feet, when the reality of being your wife—anyone’s wife, for that matter—hit me.’ She twisted her mouth and continued, ‘I’ve had to be tough all my life. And I can see now why Morag is the way she is. It’s emotional armour to keep from getting hurt.’
His eyes held hers, his pupils dark as black holes in outer space. ‘It was never my intention to hurt you or block you from your dreams.’ He took one of her hands in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘I wish you’d talked to me about this stuff way back then.’
‘Yes, well... We didn’t do a lot of talking, as I remember. Apart from arguing. And then having make-up sex.’ She gave a rueful smile and continued, ‘It was nice being with your family tonight, although I couldn’t help feeling guilty about all the pretence.’ She frowned and added, ‘I can’t help worrying that they’ll be terribly hurt when we end this. I mean, your father seemed so convinced I’m the love of your life.’ She gave an incredulous laugh and added, ‘I can’t imagine being the love of anyone’s life. I’m too much hard work.’
Lincoln stroked his fingers through her hair in a slow, mesmerising fashion, sending shivers over her scalp and down her spine.
‘Sometimes hard work brings its own rewards.’
His eyes became hooded and drifted to her mouth, and a wave of longing coursed through her. He leaned on one elbow, his other hand stroking up and down the length of her satin-covered thigh.
‘I like your sister’s fiancé, Mack. They seem a good match.’
‘Yes, she’s very happy and I’m happy for her.’ Elodie toyed with one of the buttons on his shirt and added, ‘I consider myself a bit of a matchmaker, actually. If I hadn’t got her to go in my place to the wedding she might never have met Mack.’
There was a beat or two of silence.
‘Why did you have a one-night stand with Mack’s brother Fraser that night?’ Lincoln asked. ‘The night we ran into each other at that bar in Soho?’
Elodie shuffled away and sat upright and hugged her knees. ‘I hope you’re not going to go all double standards on me about having a one-night stand. You’ve had plenty.’
‘I’m not denying it, but it seemed out of character for you.’