‘You want to know what your sainted mother did to mine? Really?’ said Suki.

‘Yeah, I do. I won’t believe it, but tell me anyway.’

‘First they killed her pet dog, Blue, and threw his body into a tomb in front of the altar of a little disused church near the camp where she and Josh grew up. Then two of the boys from the Cleaver clan raped her, right there in the church. And me? I was the product of that rape. One of them was my father, and I don’t even know which one. She gave me away as soon as I was born. Couldn’t stand to look at me. When I first met up with her again – not so long ago – you know what? She couldn’t even bear to be near me. And no wonder.’

Connor turned toward her, actually looked at her. What the fuck was she saying? Big pitiful blue eyes, a face soaked in misery. Pale blonde hair, wet and trailing down over her coat, which was too thin for this sort of weather. Knees all muddy from kneeling in the wet dirt by the grave. Long bare legs almost blue with cold. She looked a fucking mess. And – shit – she also looked sexy as hell. He’d thought it in the solicitor’s office and he thought it again now. Damn, she was hot.

And now she was spinning this tall tale, and expecting him to believe it. His mother, instigating a rape? In tight with the Cleavers? Then a thought occurred to him. A bad one, because he was finding her so fucking beautiful he could barely take his eyes off her.

‘Hold on. You’re sure about that? You couldn’t be anything to do with my dad?’

Suki shook her head. ‘What, you think I could be his child? I wish. I really do. But no. Mom was a virgin when she broke off her wedding to Josh all that time ago.’ She sighed. ‘He was great. I—’

‘Look, shut up, will you?’ he cut in, irritated with her, and irritated by the fact that he’d just felt a very male reaction to a woman when for one horrific moment he’d wondered if she could be his half-sister.

But tales of dog-killing and churches and gang rape? It was all too much to take in. And it was bollocks. He snapped on his seat belt. ‘Where are you staying?’

‘The Royal Garden,’ she sniffed. ‘It’s in Kensington.’

‘I’m going that way, I’ll drive you back,’ he said. ‘Put your seat belt on. And keep away from here in future, you got that? And tell your fucking mother too. She ain’t welcome.’

‘Yeah,’ she said tiredly. ‘I get the message.’

143

143

Claire was waiting for her when Suki got back to the hotel.

‘I was worried. You’ve been gone so long,’ said Claire, anxiety plain in her eyes.