Blackpeak Station Page 16

  Luke grinned. ‘Oh, not long. Who’d like a Scotch?’

  ‘I’m off to bed,’ snapped Jen. ‘Night, Charlie.’

  ‘Goodnight, Jen,’ Luke called, as she disappeared down the hall.

  ‘How long were you there?’ asked Charlotte, cheeks burning.

  Luke put the bottle down and, sauntering over, pulled her up out of her chair. ‘Come with me.’ He gave her his most predatory smile. ‘It’s game time.’

  Chapter FOURTEEN

  Charlotte parked outside the homestead with a heart full of cheer and a ute full of goodies. On top was tied a huge Christmas tree, only slightly worse for wear after its two-hour journey. Rex and Jen emerged from the kitchen to help her unload.

  ‘Leave that!’ she yelled, as Jen tried to pick up the last box. ‘Your presents are in there.’

  Hiding the box in her wardrobe, Charlotte thought she couldn’t remember a Christmas she’d looked forward to this much. It would be her first with a — man. Thinking of Luke, she struggled to use the word ‘boyfriend’. But that’s what he was, wasn’t he? Since that night … she shivered and smiled to herself. Since he’d flown out with the Cromptons two weeks ago, he’d called every day. And now he was coming down to spend Christmas and New Year with her. Ten nights. God, she was getting weak-kneed just thinking about it, and he didn’t even get here until tomorrow.

  ‘Get a grip,’ she said out loud.

  She headed back to the kitchen. ‘Any messages?’

  Kath, busy with the grocery bags, stuck her head out of the pantry. ‘Your mum called. And Siri rang to say she’ll bring the turkey with her tomorrow when she comes.’

  Much to everyone’s amusement, Matt was taking Siri down to spend Christmas with his parents.

  ‘Nothing else?’

  Kath smiled sympathetically. ‘No, dear — he hasn’t called.’

  Wrapping her presents after dinner, Charlotte tried not to notice that the phone still hadn’t rung. She checked her watch. Ten o’clock. Well, of course, he didn’t have to call every day — that would be silly. She moped through to the office to shut the computer down.

  New message.

  Sleep well tonight. I’m going to keep you up for a very, very long time tomorrow.

  L.

  God. Charlotte blushed. She really should put a password on this thing.

  On Christmas Eve, the temperature hit thirty and activity in the kitchen rose to fever point. Rex brought in the ham, then made himself scarce. Charlotte and Jen got to work on the tree.

  The crunch of car wheels sent Charlotte scurrying to the back door, but it was just her mother’s Prado. Nick was driving. Andrea sat beside him, with Flavia and Caddy the Labrador sharing the back seat.

  Flavia flung open the door. ‘Ciao, Carlotta!’

  Caddy scrabbled over her and jumped out, barking with excitement.

  ‘Charles!’ Looking tired, Nick gave her a hug.

  Flavia followed. She was just wearing jeans and a plain white shirt that had probably been crisp before it got covered in dog hair — but even so, she was stunning, and Charlotte tried not to stare. She’d forgotten quite how beautiful Flavia was.

  ‘Hello, dear.’ Andrea enveloped her in a wave of blonde hair and perfume — the fragrance, taking Charlotte straight back to ‘brunch’ with Luke, made her blush. She’d better buy some of her own. She hoped he wouldn’t recognise it.

  As it happened, her mother’s perfume had plenty of time to wear off — it was nearly seven o’clock before Luke pulled up outside.

  ‘Sorry I’m so late.’ He kissed her — somewhat inattentively, she thought. ‘I got caught up at the office.’

  ‘Right.’

  He stopped, searching her face, and smiled. ‘Are you pouting at me?’

  ‘What if I am?’

  Taking her by the belt-loops, he pulled her hips hard against his and repeated the job, more thoroughly this time.

  ‘Whoa,’ she warned him, swaying slightly as he drew back, ‘my mother’s in there, you know.’

  ‘I can’t wait.’ Luke gave her his wickedest smile. ‘To see your family, I mean.’

  ‘Come on.’ She slipped from his grasp. ‘Dinner’s been waiting for an hour.’

  ‘Excellent. I’m starving.’

  Charlotte opened the door to the kitchen, hoping the results of that kiss weren’t written all over her face, and ushered him inside. ‘Mum, you remember Luke?’

  ‘Luke!’ At her gracious best, Andrea rose from the table to give him a peck on the cheek. ‘Lovely to meet you again. It’s so nice you could make it down.

  ‘And of course you know just about everyone else.’ Charlotte watched him carefully. ‘Except Flavia.’

  The green eyes flared as they came to rest on Flavia’s face — but only for a second.

  ‘Piacere.’ Flavia flashed her brilliant smile.

  ‘The pleasure is mine.’

  Oh great, Charlotte thought — he knows Italian. Of course he does. She shot a glance at Nick, who was glaring at Luke from the other end of the table. But as Luke took Flavia’s hand, his smile, she was pleased to see, looked innocent enough.

  ‘Can we eat now?’ snapped Nick.

  Rex sharpened the carving knife. ‘Sounds good to me.’

  Charlotte took her seat.

  Luke sat beside her. ‘Sorry to have held you up.’ Under the tablecloth, his hand slid into its usual place over her thigh.

  With some difficulty, Kath manoeuvred the glazed ham onto the table. Rex hovered over it with a critical eye. ‘Looks beaut, love,’ he pronounced. ‘Right then.’ He sliced in. ‘Let’s see how she’s turned out this year.’

  ‘You know,’ Luke breathed in Charlotte’s ear, his hand inching higher, ‘it’s the weirdest thing, but something about your mother is really turning me on.’

  She jerked her head round to look at him, horrified.

  His eyes laughed into hers. ‘I never forget a perfume.’

  After dinner, Andrea shepherded everyone into the formal sitting room, which she’d spent the afternoon dusting off for its annual starring role. A gentle breeze was blowing in through the French doors that stood open on two sides of the room, and the scent of jasmine drifted in off the west verandah. The midsummer sky was still light, but the sun was behind the hills and the garden soft and shadowed.

  ‘Put the Christmas CD on, will you, darling?’

  Charlotte obeyed, while Nick poured the drinks. The tree twinkled in its corner.

  ‘Could you grab us another bottle of pinot gris, Charles?’

  When she got back from the fridge, Luke and Flavia were out on the verandah. Luke had his back to the room, while Flavia leant against the rail, waving her hand as she talked, her lovely face animated.

  ‘We are just speaking about Milano,’ she said happily, as Charlotte walked up. ‘Luca knows it so well. He has been to my favourite trattoria! Imagine!’

  Charlotte smiled politely. Five minutes later, she slipped away, leaving them to it. Of course Luke had been to Milan — suit-shopping, no doubt. She definitely didn’t want to be there when they got onto that one. Walking back inside, she saw that Nick was watching them too, looking over Kath’s head from his perch on the arm of the sofa.

  It was getting dark when the two of them came back in, Flavia rubbing her bare arms. Andrea got up and closed the doors behind them. ‘Shall we light the fire now?’

  Flavia shivered, and smiled. Nick did the honours, and orange light flickered over the old stone walls. Charlotte put on another CD. Andrea pulled the curtains.

  ‘So.’ Luke settled himself on the arm of Flavia’s chair. ‘How many mills does your family have?’

  Oh, for Christ’s sake! Unnoticed, Charlotte stomped off to get a jumper. Thinking of Flavia’s trademark cashmere, she rifled her wardrobe for something that wasn’t too chunky. Her old cricket vest, would that do? Maybe not. Her mother was right — she needed to buy some clothes. Her black v-neck — that was more like it, if she didn’t wear a s
hirt underneath. She shed her top and pulled it on. Checking her reflection in the bedroom mirror, she redid her make-up — not, she fumed, that there was much point in any of this, since nobody was looking at her.

  She walked out of the bedroom to find Luke coming down the hall.

  ‘There you are.’ His voice fell to its suggestive best. ‘I was wondering where you’d got to.’

  ‘Who, me?’ Charlotte glared at him.

  Taking her by the shoulders, he looked into her face. ‘You’re pouting again.’

  ‘You were so busy talking to Flavia, I’m surprised you noticed I’d gone.’

  ‘Ah.’ He pushed her back against the wall, pinning her next to the grandfather clock. ‘I like it when you’re jealous.’

  Charlotte caught her breath as his hand slid down her jeans. Suddenly, the green eyes wavered to the side. ‘Christ — is that a van der Velden?’

  ‘Yes,’ she managed, thinking this was hardly the time for art appreciation. ‘We’ve got a few. He stayed here for a while.’

  ‘Did he?’ Luke’s attention was back, his eyes studying her face as his hand resumed its pressure.

  ‘We can’t,’ she gasped, ‘do this here.’

  ‘No,’ he said, not stopping, ‘I suppose we can’t.’

  Charlotte groaned. Abruptly, he released her. ‘Come with me.’ He led her towards the front door.

  ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘I’m taking you outside.’

  When they got back to the lounge, Andrea had gone to bed and Rex and Kath had gone home. Jen glared at them and shook her head.

  ‘Bloody hell. Right, I’m turning in — Merry Christmas, everybody.’

  Nick glared even harder. Unabashed, Luke poured two glasses of wine and, handing Charlotte one, sat down on the sofa.

  ‘I’ve been waiting to talk to you,’ said Nick frostily, ‘about the contract.’

  Flavia, brushing by, smiled and picked a leaf off Charlotte’s shoulder. ‘You can talk in the morning, Nikki. It’s late.’ She turned in the doorway, looking back at him. ‘I need you to take me to bed now.’

  Now that, Charlotte thought, is a pout. She was glad Luke couldn’t see it.

  Nick rose, and, with a final look of disdain, swept Flavia out, closing the door behind him.

  Phew. Trying not to giggle, Charlotte collapsed into a chair.

  ‘Oh no you don’t.’ Prowling over, Luke pulled her back to her feet. ‘I need to take you to bed. Now.’

  Her eyes widened. Again?

  ‘What?’ he smiled. ‘You didn’t think that was it, did you? Baby …’ He shook his head as he stroked her lower lip. ‘I’m just getting started on you.’

  Christmas Day dawned bright and sunny. It would have done so unnoticed had Charlotte’s alarm not gone off — as it always did — at five-fifteen. She rolled over to silence it.

  ‘Ugh.’ Luke stretched. ‘Do you never sleep in?’

  ‘This morning I do.’ She settled back into his arms. ‘I meant to turn it off last night — something must have distracted me. I can’t think what it was.’

  ‘No? Let me remind you.’

  She finally dragged Luke out of bed just before eight-thirty.

  ‘Five bedrooms and only one bathroom,’ he complained. ‘It’s like living in the Stone Age.’

  ‘Ah.’ She passed him a towel. ‘But we do have a billiard room.’

  ‘Handy.’

  Charlotte left him to it. She opened the kitchen door on a blur of activity — Kath was stuffing the turkey on the bench, while, on the kitchen table, Andrea was attempting to do something dangerous looking with toothpicks and chorizo. Charlotte made a plate of toast as inconspicuously as she could and beat a quick retreat to the verandah. Evicting Caddy from the cane sofa, she tucked her feet up and yawned. How much sleep had she actually had? She felt completely … she stopped, smiling to herself, and stretched happily.

  ‘Morning.’ Nick’s tousled blond head emerged from the window beside her. ‘Happy Christmas.’

  He certainly looked in a good mood. ‘Happy Christmas,’ she smiled. ‘Sleep well?’

  ‘Never better.’

  Flavia leaned out over his shoulder. ‘Buon Natale, cara.’

  They gathered back in the sitting room for presents at ten. Charlotte gave Luke a copy of Offroading for Dummies. Luckily, he laughed. Stuffing everyone’s wrapping paper into a rubbish sack, she tried not to be hurt that he hadn’t given her anything personal at all. He’d bought that huge hamper for them, she told herself. Not to mention all the champagne.

  ‘Hey.’ Luke followed her through to the dining room. Taking the rubbish bag from her and putting it down, he circled her wrist with his fingers. ‘There’s one more present.’ He reached into the pocket of his jeans. ‘Close your eyes.’

  He lifted her hand. She felt his lips brush the inside of her wrist, and then something cold slide over her skin.

  ‘Open them.’

  Wow.

  ‘Do you like it?’

  ‘I love it.’ She turned her delicately sparkling wrist to the sun. ‘What is it?’

  He laughed. ‘It’s called a tennis bracelet.’

  Charlotte studied the fine band dubiously. ‘Are you supposed to play in it?’

  ‘Most definitely.’ Luke brushed a finger up the inside of her arm. ‘All kinds of games.’ Pulling her closer, he put his lips to her ear. ‘It’s also what you get when you win.’

  Her heart stopped. Double wow.

  ‘Che bella.’ Flavia, en route to the kitchen, paused to examine Charlotte’s wrist as it lay draped over Luke’s shoulder. She grinned. ‘Very nice, Carlotta.’

  ‘What is?’ Jen stopped to look too. Seeing her friend’s double take, Charlotte couldn’t help a small surge of triumph. ‘Just what you needed,’ said Jen bitchily.

  ‘Yes.’ Charlotte smiled up into Luke’s eyes. ‘It is just what I needed.’

  After dinner — her mother’s chorizo spiedini were a great success — Nick hunted Charlotte down on the verandah.

  ‘You have to talk to Mum.’

  She played with her bracelet. ‘About what?’

  ‘Come on, Charles. I’m not signing the contract until you tell her.’

  She looked up, over the peeling grey boards to the top of the steps where Luke was trying to set up his new satellite phone. Beyond him, Jen lay stretched out in the shade of the wisteria, Flavia’s Vogue Italia held up over her head. Flavia, curled up on the cane sofa beside Charlotte, put down her book and laid a hand on Charlotte’s knee.

  ‘Be brave, cara.’

  Luke’s phone rang. Everybody stopped what they were doing to watch. He raised his eyebrows at them and grinned.

  ‘Luke Halliday … Michael! Merry Christmas to you too …’

  Charlotte rolled her eyes. Did Crompton never take a day off?

  ‘Yes, I am …’ Luke continued. ‘Actually, she’s right here with me now …’ Covering the microphone with his hand, he turned back to her. ‘Michael says Merry Christmas.’

  ‘Merry Christmas to him too.’ She put her hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh. How much a minute was this costing?

  ‘Bella!’ Grimacing, Luke pressed his fingers to his forehead. ‘Uhuh … yes, very nice presents, thank you …’

  ‘My God,’ Nick shook his head. ‘It’s like watching money actually burn.’

  ‘Michael … yes …’ Luke started to move off a bit, then, scanning the sky, thought better of it. ‘Well, that’s pretty hard to say … sorry? … uhuh … absolutely … as soon as I can …’

  ‘Mum,’ Nick reminded her. ‘You. Talk.’

  Charlotte looked over her shoulder, through the open front door and down the shadowed hall, at the end of which Andrea was having ‘a wee lie-down’ in her bedroom. ‘Tomorrow,’ she said. ‘I’m not going to go and wake her up now.’

  Nick sighed. ‘Tomorrow, then — you promise?’

  ‘I promise.’

  ‘Good.’ He sat down at Flavia’s feet
and leaned back, stealing her hand away from her book and placing it over his shoulder.

  ‘Nick?’

  He sighed again. ‘Charles?’

  ‘Will you come with me?’

  Standing outside Andrea’s room at nine the next morning, Charlotte turned back to Nick. ‘I don’t know how to start.’

  ‘It’s easy. Look.’ Taking her by the shoulders, he steered her through the open doorway. ‘Hey Mum, can we have a word?’

  ‘What is it?’ Andrea, in the middle of sorting out her wardrobe, glanced back at them. She stopped. ‘Oh dear — is this something I should sit down for?’

  They exchanged a look. ‘It might be an idea.’

  All suspicion, Andrea perched herself on the end of the bed.

  Charlotte took a deep breath. ‘I’m buying half Nick’s share of Blackpeak.’

  Her mother looked confused. ‘You’re doing what?’

  It seemed to take forever to explain. When they’d finished, Andrea took her hand off her mouth at last, and opened it briefly, before getting up and walking over to stand by the French doors. Turning her back on Charlotte and Nick, she rearranged the curtain swag. Then she walked back, sat down again and said the last thing Charlotte had expected.

  ‘What does Luke think about all this?’

  ‘Well …’ Charlotte faltered, wondering if Andrea had been listening at all, ‘it was kind of his idea, Mum.’

  ‘But he’s happy with it, you buying this place? Being here?’

  Nick clicked his tongue. ‘I really don’t think that’s the point, Mum—’

  Andrea held up her hand. ‘I’m asking Charlotte.’

  What the hell? ‘Yeah,’ she shrugged, ‘I guess so.’

  ‘It’s got nothing to do with Luke,’ said Nick frustratedly.

  ‘If your father were here—’ Andrea pressed her hand to her mouth again. ‘If your father were here, he’d go through the roof.’

  And out of the stratosphere, Charlotte thought. Luke could sight him with his phone.