Chapters (73)
- Cover
- Dedication
- PART ONE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- PART TWO
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- PART THREE
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- PART FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- PART FIVE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Keep Reading …
- About the Author
- Also by Barbara Taylor Bradford
- About the Publisher
‘You sound admiring of him yourself,’ Robert murmured, and added: ‘The silver trolley is being pushed our way. We’re about to enjoy a delicious piece of beef, with the best horseradish in town.’
THIRTY-SEVEN
He awakened suddenly, as if he had been shaken, and sat up, disorientated for a moment about whether he was still at his house in Yorkshire. When he had gone to bed earlier, he had opened the long draperies covering one of the windows to allow fresh air to circulate. He preferred a cool room. Now moonlight streamed in as well. It was still the middle of the night.
Throwing back the bedclothes, Robert Lassiter swung his long legs to the floor and turned on the small lamp on the bedside table.
Thank God for the invention of electricity, he thought, as he hurried into the adjoining bathroom, where he turned on another light. It was still far from common to have electricity in domestic houses, but Robert was fascinated by all the technological advances that the new century was bringing, and was fortunate enough to have the money to indulge his interest.
He stood in front of the mirror, staring at himself, deciding he looked exactly the same as he had a week ago. Black hair, sleeked back, black eyebrows above bright blue eyes, pale cheeks, clean-shaven and a full mouth.
This was him, all right, no doubt about that. And yet he felt completely different, not the same man at all. But of course he did. A change had been wrought the moment he had set eyes on Vanessa Stratton.
He was hopelessly smitten. And shaken up inside, and knew he was in trouble, because he was not a free man, could not pursue her. He had nothing to offer her. Certainly not an affair, which, incredibly, she was willing to embark on, and at once.
He had fallen for her, had never felt this way before. Oh yes, women there had been, but only infatuations; no relationship had lasted very long.
An unexpected smile curved his mouth as he pictured her in his mind, the image of her face very vivid, the abundant russet hair, the amber eyes, the alabaster skin. A precocious young woman who couldn’t help being honest and a trifle blunt, traits which had instantly endeared her to him, since she was revealing her true self to him.
He didn’t want to be in trouble. He never had been before, and trouble did not work with his lifestyle.