The Secret Kiss of Darkness Read Free

dishevelled enough from the sea breeze already and coming loose from its queue. This was not turning out to be such a perfect night after all. He had exulted too soon. Well, there was only one thing he could possibly do under the circumstances.
    With a sigh, he put his arms around Lady Eliza and pulled her close, rocking her like a child and whispering soothing words. The sobs racked her small body for a considerable time, but he did nothing to stop them. He knew it was cleansing, she had to let the anguish out. Only then could he find its cause. And find it he must.

Chapter Three
    ‘Where on earth have you been? I was going to take you out for lunch today since it’s the only day I’m free this week.’ The impatient voice of her boss, Mike Russell, greeted Kayla as she entered the office and she stared at him in surprise.
    ‘Oh, I’m sorry, you should have said.’ She managed to answer him in a fairly calm and reasonable tone, despite the fact that she was still shaking from her recent ordeal. ‘But today was the auction, remember? I did tell you I was going. That’s why I took the morning off.’
    ‘Oh, the auction. Damn, I’d forgotten. Sorry.’ He frowned and raked long fingers through his fair hair, making it stand on end, then bent to kiss her when no one else was looking. Mike wasn’t just her boss, he was her fiancé as well, but ever since he’d been made a partner in the law firm they both worked for, he had become self-conscious about open displays of affection.
    ‘We really must be seen to act professionally at all times now I’m a senior member of staff,’ he’d told Kayla, and although she privately thought that surely it didn’t matter since everyone knew they were a couple anyway, she had reluctantly gone along with this. Today, however, it irritated her, but she didn’t say anything. It wasn’t Mike’s fault she was a trembling wreck after all.
    Kayla hung up her coat on a hanger behind the door and shook out her shoulder-length hair before sinking down onto the seat behind her desk. To occupy her still shaking hands, she sorted through the day’s workload, while taking deep breaths to calm her erratic heartbeat.
    ‘Which tape do you want me to do first? This one?’ she asked. There were two piles of files, each with a small audio cassette perched on top, and she pointed to the nearest one.
    ‘What? Oh, it doesn’t matter. Either. They’ve both got to be finished before this evening.’ He still seemed a bit irritated and Kayla knew he hated to have his plans disrupted, but honestly, he hadn’t mentioned anything about lunch. Or had he? A flash of guilt shot through her. She had been rather preoccupied these last two weeks …
    It was all Auntie Emily’s fault. She had died just before Christmas and left all her nephews and nieces a legacy of fifteen thousand pounds each. Kayla’s portion had arrived in her bank account only two weeks previously, and she had by then decided what she wanted to do with the money.
    ‘I think I’ll buy myself a painting or an antique. Something which will increase in value, but at the same time be decorative,’ she’d told Mike. Even though it was her money to do with as she wished, she thought it best to at least discuss the matter with him. After all, everything they had would soon be owned jointly once they were married.
    ‘Are you sure?’ he asked. ‘Don’t you think it would be better to invest it in shares or something? It takes years before you can sell an antique and make a profit, but with shares you would receive regular dividends.’
    Deep down Kayla knew he was right. It would be a more practical option, but something inside her rebelled against the idea. It seemed mercenary and clinical and she was sure Auntie Emily had meant for her to enjoy her legacy by indulging herself in one way or another.
    ‘No, I want something I can see. Something to remind me of Auntie Em,’ she insisted.
    ‘Well, I suppose I can’t stop you.