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‘Last September, you mean...?’ Riona trailed off, feeling he could answer that one for himself, too.

In actual fact, she had reapplied to the music school at the beginning of the summer, but then she had met Cameron, and al thought of col ege had

flown out of the window. Her acceptance had arrived three weeks after he left, but by then it had meant nothing to her. Nothing had meant anything by that time.

She said none of this—but Cameron saw the pain of memory cross her face. ‘I real y loused up your life, didn’t I?’

Riona could have left him thinking that. After al , didn’t he deserve the guilt? Yet her need for truth was stronger than any desire to punish him.

‘Don’t flatter yourself,’ she answered carelessly. ‘I could have stil gone to col ege if I’d wanted. I just didn’t want it enough.’

‘For God’s sake, I’m not a fool. You were pregnant with my child.’ Cameron suddenly seemed to realise the effect it had had on her life.

But Riona decided he could keep his guilt. It was a poor substitute for the love he had once given her.

She shrugged her shoulders and said dismissively, ‘Wel , it hardly matters now. I have Rory. Life goes on.’

‘You make things sound so simple.’ He searched her face for signs of weakness but saw none. ‘Can you real y forget our past so easily?’

Riona could have told him no. Could have told him how she remembered everything—every word, every glance, every touch of the hand—from their

brief love affair. But what would be the point?

‘I have to,’ she answered in a hard, flat voice, and, before he could pursue it, walked past him to the door.

She half expected him to cal her back, but he simply fol owed her out into the hal and watched her as she climbed the stairs to her room.

She didn’t cry that night but she lay in bed, sleepless, trying to understand him. She stil didn’t know what he wanted from her. Al along she had made it easy for him: she hadn’t asked for his help when pregnant; she accepted it now without argument or recriminations. Yet he seemed to need to make things as painful as possible. Did Cameron real y hate her so much?

She decided he must and was on her guard the next evening when he came to see Rory, but he said nothing controversial. He played with the baby a

little, then departed. They saw each other at dinner and it was a rerun of the previous night. Melissa dominated the conversation, excluding Riona with talk of people she didn’t know.

Riona didn’t object. It seemed pointless to fight for a place in a family where she didn’t belong. In fact, it wasn’t Melissa’s hostility or Barbara’s coldness that made her feel bad, but Charles Adams’s enthusiasm for the marriage.

It was Charles who talked wedding plans, asking whether they intended a civil or church ceremony. Cameron deferred to her, and she chose civil as

the least hypocritical in the circumstances. Charles then pressed Cameron about what sort of house they planned on buying. Cameron surprised her by claiming they’d decided on a townhouse in the city. She only just stopped her jaw from dropping open, and, while Charles discussed the pros and cons of such a choice, she marvel ed at the ease with which Cameron lied.

Later, when his father again insisted on them having time alone, she felt she had to say something. ‘Cameron, I realise your father put you on the

spot, but did you have to make up that about a townhouse?’

‘I didn’t,’ Cameron replied succinctly.

‘You didn’t what?’

‘Make it up... I thought we could look for a house this weekend.’

This time Riona’s jaw did drop open. ‘To buy, you mean?’

‘Or rent. Whichever’s going to give us the quickest entry date,’ he explained.

‘But... you want to leave here?’ Riona had taken for granted that they would remain in his father’s house rather than set up a temporary home

elsewhere.

‘I assumed
you’d
want to.’ He raised a questioning brow. ‘It can’t be easy for you living in someone else’s house, especial y my stepmother’s.

After al , she doesn’t even make my father feel welcome,’ he added drily.

‘I...’ Riona didn’t know how to respond. The thought of her own house, where she didn’t have to creep around avoiding Barbara and Melissa, was

very tempting. But the thought of her and Cameron alone, without any restraint on their tempers, was less exciting.

‘Don’t worry.’ He misread her expression. ‘We’re talking a strictly impersonal set-up. A bedroom each.’

‘I didn’t mean that,’ she denied. ‘I was just wondering whether we could live in—er—harmony.’

‘Probably not,’ Cameron conceded with a wry twist, ‘but we could at least try. And you won’t see much of me, considering my work hours.’

‘But won’t it be an expense—’ Riona felt uncomfortable with his generosity ‘—buying a house just for six months?’

He shook his head. ‘I’l need a bigger place anyway, when Rory comes to visit... So what do you think?’

Riona decided to be honest. ‘I think it’s a wonderful idea.’

‘OK, we’l go house-hunting this weekend.’ He smiled at her enthusiasm.

Riona smiled back, imagining for a moment they were real y starting a new life together.

She remained in buoyant mood for the rest of the week, until the Friday evening, when Melissa heard about their proposed move and, waiting til they were alone, reminded Riona that her hold on Cameron was only temporary.

Riona was never sure what to believe of Melissa’s claims. She maintained she was Cameron’s real choice and only Rory was obliging him to marry

elsewhere. Yet Riona had seen no evidence to support this. Melissa might flirt with Cameron, but he seemed to laugh most of it off.

Melissa’s nastiness, however, stil lingered the next day, as Riona drove into Boston with Cameron, Rory strapped in a baby-chair in the back.

‘I’ve selected five houses to view, al near the park,’ he relayed, handing her over some real-estate papers. When she didn’t comment, he added, ‘I assumed you’d prefer a house, but we could look at some apartments instead.’

‘No, a house would be fine,’ Riona responded flatly.

‘Look, if you’ve gone off the idea...’ He glanced from the road to her, trying to gauge her mood.

‘It’s not that. It’s just...’ Just your stepsister. She could hardly say that. At least, she could. She could ask him straight out if Melissa was right—if, freed from obligations, he’d sooner marry the American girl. But did she real y want to know the answer?

‘It’s nothing. I was just wondering what we’d do for furniture,’ she said off the top of her head.

‘No problem,’ he dismissed. ‘I’ve arranged credit facilities for you. If we find a suitable house, you can buy furniture next week and arrange delivery for our entry date.’

‘I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. I’ve never furnished a house before.’ Riona doubted her taste would please him.

He shrugged. ‘Get what you like. It’s your house.’

Her house. If only it was, Riona thought as she imagined for a moment this whole thing was real—that they were stil in love, and marrying was a

joy, and their first house together was an adventure. But none of that was true.

She let herself pretend a little, however, as they met the estate agent and went round a variety of houses, comparing one with the other. They al

seemed beautiful—not massive and intimidating like his father’s, but stil large, with wel -proportioned rooms, decorated in such style; she couldn’t help thinking of the contrast between them and her smal , dark crofthouse.

In the end, she left Cameron to make the choice. He picked a three-storey brownstone close to the park which was already vacant and available for

almost immediate possession. In a fortnight they might be ready to move.

As suggested, Riona went furniture shopping the fol owing week. She insisted on travel ing by train rather than having Stevens trail after her. She took Gloria, however, to help with Rory, and daily they visited the shops. Riona enjoyed it, as she formed a picture of their living-room, bedrooms and kitchen, but she never let herself lose sight of reality. Mental y she chose every stick of furniture for the house but
bought
none of it.

It was a dream, and she knew it. Even as Cameron and she suddenly began to talk again, and plan, and laugh a little, she knew it wasn’t going to last.

Something would spoil the dream and force her to wake up.

The something happened on the Friday evening. Cameron’s father had decided to give a dinner party so friends could meet his son’s future bride.

Riona dreaded the event and was surprised when Melissa seemed to look forward to it, but eventual y a few sly hints from the other girl told her why. Faced with the sophistication of their guests, Melissa had high hopes Riona would prove a social disaster.

Melissa was very possibly right, Riona thought, as she walked down the wide marble staircase for dinner, but she stil held her head up and tried to conceal her nerves.

Cameron was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs. He stared up at her without smiling. She wondered if she’d dressed wrongly. She was wearing

the black silk slip dress for the first time, with her hair arranged in a chignon by a surprisingly expert Gloria. The other girl declared her the last word in elegance and Riona, too, had been pleased with her image in the bedroom mirror. Now she began to have second thoughts as a frown creased Cameron’s

forehead.

She expected no compliments by the time she reached his side and was surprised when he said, ‘I’ve never seen you look so beautiful.’

‘Thank you,’ she responded softly and trembled a little as his hand closed over hers.

‘Nervous?’ he asked as he led her towards the living-room, where the guests were gathered for pre-dinner drinks.

‘Petrified,’ she admitted frankly.

‘You don’t have to be,’ he assured her. ‘None of them is real y important.’

To her, she supposed he meant. After al , did it matter if she made a fool of herself? She was never going to be part of his world.

She didn’t real y want to be, Riona decided, too, as she sat through an interminably long dinner party. She had little in common with women who

talked of clothes and health clinics and exercise plans, their whole lives dedicated to remaining young and beautiful-looking. And the men, they talked of business deals, and proposed mergers, and making money, as if it were a religion.

Knowing nothing of such things, Riona didn’t contribute much to the conversation. Not that she was expected to. She forced a smile when the men

complimented her or Cameron on her beauty, and lost pleasure in her appearance as they treated her like an acquisition. The women were no better, coming mostly from the Barbara Adams school of chil y charm.

Melissa held court over the younger guests. Riona could hear her raised voice from the far end of the table, and, when she glanced downwards, she

met two or three pairs of curious eyes. She was probably being paranoid, but she felt herself to be the cause of the mocking laughter that fol owed.

It wasn’t real y a surprise later when she had her suspicions confirmed. It was after dinner when the guests had drifted back through to the lounge.

As it was a warm night, the French windows had been thrown open and the younger, noisier crowd gathered outside on the terrace, their spirits lifted further by the drink being liberal y supplied by two floating waiters.

Although they might also have been his friends, Cameron seemed to deliberately stay clear of this crowd, and, keeping Riona at his side, ensured she stayed clear, too.

Riona didn’t object as she began to relax in the company of a couple cal ed the Van Sykeses, whom Cameron introduced as close friends. Blair, the

woman, seemed different from the rest, talking more of her young family than what beauty treatments she favoured, and, displaying no embarrassment, asked Riona straight out about Rory. Very soon they were swapping baby stories and Riona forgot to be nervous.

The woman was just suggesting a lunch date when Charles Adams approached, and, politely excusing himself, took Cameron to one side. Cameron

frowned at whatever his father had to say, then excused himself and headed outside to the terrace.

Riona didn’t understand what was going on, but possibly the Van Sykeses did as they both broke into conversation at the same time in an obvious

attempt to distract her.

They could not drown out Melissa, however, as she came in from the terrace, her over-loud voice drawing curious eyes.

Cameron was at her side. In fact, he had hold of her wrist, with the intention of heading for the door, but Melissa, obviously more than a little drunk, resisted, and dug her heels in when they came near to Riona.

‘How do you love him? I’ve bet you’ve counted the ways,’ she burst out in a shril parody of song, then laughed as Cameron forced her on.

He threw Riona an apologetic look, but it didn’t make up for the embarrassment. The Van Sykeses smiled kindly, too, but Riona’s face remained

frozen as she tried to hide her feelings.

Worse was to come as raised voices drifted in from the terrace.

‘Clever old Melissa,’ a female voice applauded. ‘She said she’d get him and she has.’

‘It looked more the other way round,’ her male companion remarked on Cameron’s summary treatment of a drunken Melissa.

‘Don’t kid yourself. She’s managed to prise him away from Little Miss Nonentity, hasn’t she?’ the woman crowed, to be greeted by general

laughter.

Riona stood where she was and listened. She could hear Blair Van Sykes desperately trying to distract her with conversation, but none of it

penetrated.

‘So who wants to take a bet on the result?’ a new voice chimed in.

‘Wel , I’l give you ten to one he marries Melissa in the end,’ the woman threw back.

‘You think so?’ A male voice cast doubt on it. ‘Nonentity she may be, but I certainly wouldn’t kick her out of bed on a cold morning.’

It was a compliment of sorts, but Riona felt defiled by it. Stil she kept listening. She had needed these clever, sarcastic, sickening people to wake her up to reality.