Whisper Of Scandal. Kathryn Ross

and then almost immediately they were on board the aircraft. From then it was just half an hour before they were putting down in Paris.

      She was on her third glass of champagne by the time they were being chauffeur-driven along the banks of the River Seine.

      ‘I can’t believe this,’ Sabrina murmured as she looked out at the sparkling water and the majestic buildings lit with the brilliance of spring sunshine.

      ‘Can’t you?’ He looked across at her, and then to her surprise he reached for her hand and pressed it close to his lips. ‘I could offer you the world, Sabrina,’ he said huskily. ‘Whatever you want, I could give you.’

      Her heart seemed to flutter in some strange way as she looked into his eyes. She didn’t want anything, she realised with one strange jolt. It was enough to have him look at her like that.

      She pulled her hand away from his, confused by her emotions. She couldn’t afford to get involved with Marc Kingsley, she told herself fiercely. This was a one-off. For the sake of her father, she had to remember that.

      ‘Have I said something wrong?’ he asked softly.

      ‘No...’ She shook her head, then forced herself to smile at him.

      He didn’t return her smile. ‘I take it you are thinking about the other man in your life?’ His deep voice was suddenly spiced with an emotion Sabrina found hard to define.

      ‘No...’ She shook her head, but she could tell he wasn’t convinced. His lean features had a hard look to them suddenly, and his eyes glittered with cold, harsh light.

      ‘You’re a fool, Sabrina... he won’t leave his wife for you,’ he said grimly.

      For a moment she was so stunned that she couldn’t answer him. ‘What...what on earth makes you think I would go out with a married man?’ she spluttered at last.

      He shrugged nonchalantly. ‘It was just a passing notion.’

      ‘Well, I would let it pass if I were you,’ she said in a very angry tone.

      He looked at her closely. It was so hard to tell what went on behind those cool, watchful eyes, she thought with a shiver.

      ‘If that’s what you want,’ he said at last.

      ‘Yes, it is.’ Sabrina frowned indignantly. Why had he assumed she was seeing a married man?

      ‘Come on.’ Marc leaned forward and tapped the glass partition. ‘You can leave us here,’ he said to the driver. ‘Pick us up at the restaurant at about four.’

      The car pulled smoothly to a halt. ‘We may as well walk from here,’ Marc said, holding out a hand to her as she moved towards the door.

      She ignored his outstretched hand and alighted to the pavement without help.

      ‘You’re not going to spend the rest of the afternoon in a sulk, are you, Sabrina?’ he asked as he closed the door and the limousine pulled away from them into the busy flow of traffic.

      She caught his eye and then smiled. ‘I don’t sulk. I was just irritated that you could make such a rash assumption.’

      ‘I’ve made my fortune by them,’ he said in a dry voice. ‘You will have to forgive me.’

      ‘I’ll think about it.’ But she was already forgetting about it. It was such a glorious day. The sun sparkled over the wide boulevards with their grand buildings, the horse chestnuts were starting to unfurl their green banners; the feeling of spring was everywhere.

      ‘I love this time of year,’ she said, breathing in deeply.

      His lips tugged into a lazy smile and he reached for her hand. ‘It’s a time for lovers to stroll hand in hand,’ he said in a low tone that sent Sabrina’s heart into overdrive.

      She didn’t try to pull away from him; instead she allowed herself to savour the feeling of his warm skin next to hers. They walked along the banks of the Seine in silence for a while and for a moment Sabrina felt more relaxed than she had for a long time.

      ‘How old are you, Marc?’ she asked suddenly.

      He looked at her with an amused glint in his eyes. ‘Thirty-six... why?’

      She shrugged. ‘I was just wondering about you, that’s all.’

      ‘What were you wondering?’

      ‘Well... why you’re not married... don’t you want to settle down, have children?’ It must have been the champagne. She would never have asked him such a question ordinarily.

      To her surprise he considered her question. ‘I would like children one day,’ he said seriously. ‘I’ve just never met anyone I want to settle down with.’

      ‘Garth says you are a heartbreaker.’ The words just slipped out and she regretted them immediately.

      ‘Does he now?’ Marc’s voice was arid.

      ‘Oh, don’t get me wrong. Garth thinks the world of you,’ she continued hurriedly. ‘He was just...concerned.’

      “That you might fall for me?’ He looked at her with a strange expression in his eyes.

      ‘No...’ Sabrina trailed off, wishing she had never started this conversation.

      ‘Did you tell Garth you were coming out with me today?’ he asked abruptly.

      ‘Yes, of course.’ Sabrina looked over at Marc. For a moment his expression looked harsh and remote, then he caught her watching him and smiled, making her wonder if she had imagined that look.

      ‘Are you hungry?’ he asked now.

      She nodded. It was amazing but she was; for the first time in ages she had a real appetite.

      They ate lunch in a beautiful restaurant that looked out over the river. It had a stylish ambience and Sabrina was very glad that she had taken so much trouble over her appearance that day.

      The food was excellent. Sabrina chose seafood while Marc went for steak washed down with some excellent wine.

      Later, as she listened to him speaking French to the waiters, Sabrina was reminded forcibly that he was half French and that he lived most of the time out here. He wasn’t in London very often. That thought upset her more than she had thought possible. How ridiculous, she chided herself. She couldn’t get involved with Marc anyway. It wasn’t fair to Garth and it wasn’t fair to Marc. You couldn’t possibly have any kind of relationship with a man that you had to keep such a large secret from.