Cherish Collection January 2014 (Books 1-12). Rebecca Winters

does have a nicer side. He’s always been fond of you and he wanted to take you into the family—’

      ‘No, it’s more like claiming property. He doesn’t have a daughter of his own, and he wanted me to “complete the set”, because he can’t bear not to have everything other people have. He didn’t care which one of his sons he tied me to as long as he put his brand on me. When only Jackson was left he went mad because neither of us would give in.’

      ‘This is terrible.’ Janine groaned. ‘But if Dan really only proposed for such a reason he’d have been a terrible husband. Jackson was stupid, but maybe he did you a favour in the long run.’

      ‘Don’t you dare stand up for him!’ Freya cried. ‘When I think of these last few weeks, how I’ve trusted and relied on him, and all the time he was hiding the truth.’

      ‘Because the truth would have hurt you even more. How could he do that to you?’

      ‘How could he have let me make such a fool of myself?’

      ‘He probably wasn’t thinking straight,’ Janine said wryly. ‘Men tend to do what they imagine will sort the problem today without realising that it might make it worse long-term. It obviously didn’t occur to Amos that his threats would have exactly the opposite effect to the one he wanted.’

      ‘I often wonder why you put up with him. Don’t tell me it’s for the money.’

      ‘No, if anything his money has been a disadvantage. It looms so large in his life that it leaves no room for anything else.’

      ‘Then why do you stay with him?’

      ‘He needs me, my dear. He’s vulnerable in ways he doesn’t realise.’

      ‘He’d never admit that.’

      ‘No, he likes to see himself as powerful. That falcon god that Jackson brought back from Egypt has really sent him onto cloud nine. The trouble is, that’s the side of him I find hardest to live with.’

      ‘Does he know that? No, of course not. It would never occur to him that he doesn’t come up to standard. I’d like to see his face when you tell him that you know what he did to Dan.’

      ‘I’m not sure that I will tell him. And please don’t you say anything.’

      ‘All right, I’ll leave it to you. How you handle your horrible husband is your affair.’

      ‘Forget about Amos. This isn’t about him. It’s about Jackson. Don’t condemn him too much for keeping quiet. He did it because he was feeling his way forward, moment by moment. He didn’t ask himself what would happen when you found out later.’

      ‘He never meant me to find out at all. He wanted to rule the roost all the time—just like Amos. Like father, like son. Haven’t you noticed how alike they are? You don’t see it at first, because Jackson can seem so charming, but every now and then you’ll catch an expression on his face that makes him the image of Amos.’

      ‘That’s true,’ Janine mused. ‘I remember Dan telling us that producers were always getting annoyed because Jackson kept insisting that his way was best. He said it laughingly, but—yes, I can imagine.’

      ‘So can I,’ Freya said cynically. ‘I don’t think it ever crosses Jackson’s mind that he might be wrong.’

      Janine stared. ‘Darling, what’s got into you? You’re even more upset than you were when Dan betrayed you.’

      ‘I’m not upset, I’m furious,’ Freya said quickly.

      ‘It’s more than that. This has hit you hard—even harder than Dan.’

      ‘No! Of course it hasn’t—it’s just different. Please, I don’t want to talk about it any more. And I think it’s time I went back to London, got another job and made a new start.’

      She didn’t say that she wanted to delete Jackson from her life, but no words were necessary. Each knew what the other was thinking. They hugged, and then Freya left the room to head upstairs.

      Neither of them saw the man standing back in the shadows, where he’d hastily retreated to avoid being discovered. Amos knew he needed time to consider everything that he’d overheard. And that perhaps all the time in the world would not be enough.

      * * *

      There was a flight to London later that morning and Freya secured a seat. When she appeared for breakfast she was already dressed to depart. She found Jackson at the table alone.

      ‘We need a nice long talk,’ he said to her in a low voice.

      ‘I’m afraid not. I’m leaving in an hour.’

      ‘What? Freya, you can’t leave things like this. We have to sort it out.’

      ‘There’s nothing to sort. I’ve seen the truth about you now, and I don’t like it. This is where it ends. You should be glad. I won’t be a nuisance to you any more.’

      He turned away and strode around the room, tearing at his hair.

      ‘No, I’m not accepting this,’ he said, returning to stand before her.

      ‘I don’t care what you accept. I didn’t ask your permission,’ she said furiously. ‘I’m returning to London and I don’t want to see or talk to you again.’

      ‘You’d do this because I made one little mistake?’

      ‘You treated me with contempt and I don’t see that as a “little mistake”.’

      ‘Why must you be so unforgiving?’ he demanded. ‘I was wrong, I’ve admitted that. Now I want to put things right.’

      ‘But they can’t be put right. Ever. And that’s final.’

      Jackson stared at her as though seeing her for the first time. Or as though someone else had appeared in her place.

      ‘I can’t believe this is really you,’ he breathed. ‘I’ve never known you like this before—so hard and unforgiving.’

      ‘I’m not hard. I’m just someone who’s been pushed around and manipulated enough and I’m not going to put up with it any more. You think this isn’t really me? It’s the me I am now. She’s different to the old one. Don’t mess with her.’

      Jackson met her eyes, trying to look deep inside and rediscover the woman he knew. But she’d vanished into thin air, leaving behind an enemy. There was a stab of pain in his heart, but at the same time his temper began to rise.

      ‘Right,’ he said. ‘Then I won’t mess with her. She’s cold-hearted, ill-natured—well, never mind the rest.’

      ‘Cold-hearted?’ she echoed in fury. ‘You dare call me cold-hearted after everything that’s happened? I’m the one who’s been knocked down and kicked around by people I trusted. But perhaps you’re right. It’s time I became cold so that it can never happen again.’

      ‘And you think you can protect yourself from pain for ever?’

      ‘Yes, because people who feel nothing can’t be hurt.’

      ‘That’s the coward’s way out. I never thought I’d see it in you, but if you can’t find it in your heart to forgive a mistake from someone who’s truly sorry then you’re not the woman I thought you were. Just who you are is something I won’t stick around to find out. But I’ll say this. Heaven help anyone you meet in future. Heaven help the man who’s fool enough to fall in love with you. Because you’ll kick him in the guts the first time he gets muddled.’

      ‘That’s all you think it was? A muddle? Oh, no! You just thought you knew better than anyone else.’

      ‘Yes, I believed I was doing the right thing,’ he shouted. ‘Is that a crime?’

      ‘It can be.’

      ‘You’re