Lovechild by Metsy Hingle

Author:Metsy Hingle
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Harlequin SD
Published: 2011-06-04T04:00:00+00:00

Thirty minutes later, Liza slipped out of the living room of the Carstairs mansion and into the study. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it, grateful to shut out the hum of voices, the tinkling of glasses and china, her awareness of Jacques. Making her way silently across the cream-colored carpet of the impeccably decorated room, Liza breathed a sigh of relief.

Dear Robert, she mused. He had been right. The im- promptu announcement that he intended to add Jacques’s piece to his extensive art collection had served to heighten the interest of the other collectors present. And no doubt the bidding at the auction for the work on the night of the gala would be fierce. Liza smiled as she considered what that would mean to the summer camp for the kids.

And of course Jacques’s presence, his encouragement that the people be generous and think of the children hadn’t hurt, either. In truth, it was Jacques’s own generosity that had made it all possible. Gratitude and pride rushed through her as she thought of the children who would benefit from his selflessness. Though he had claimed to have done it for her, Liza knew better. She had heard too many stories from Peter and Aimee over the years of Jacques’s generosity. Besides, hadn’t she herself witnessed firsthand his impassioned plea to the media for support of the fund-raiser?

Why then, Liza asked herself as she had so often in the past, would a man who was so giving and who brought so much light to people’s lives, consider himself incapable of loving anyone because of a darkness inside him?

The answer was the same one she had reached three years ago. Because it wasn’t a matter of Jacques not being able to love, but simply a case of his not loving her. The realization, though not new, sent a fresh shaft of pain through her just the same.

Moving to the window, Liza gazed out into the beauty of the winter night. Stars dusted the sky, twinkling against the canvas of black. The moon glowed like a huge glass ball suspended in space, glistening on the freshly fallen snow. In just over a week it would be Christmas.

And by then Jacques would be gone. The speed and sharpness of the ache that came with the thought surprised her, making her feel lonelier than she had in a long time. Liza hugged her arms around herself. Had she been fooling herself these past few weeks? Deep down inside had she secretly been hoping that he would stay?

“A lovely picture, isn’t it?”

Liza spun around and spied Jacques standing a few feet away. She had been so tangled in her thoughts she hadn’t even heard him enter the room. “Yes,” she finally managed to say, making an effort to keep her voice cool despite the frantic beating of her pulse. She turned back to stare out the window. “There’s something beautiful about seeing everything covered with snow at this time of year.”

“That is because it looks like one of your Christmas cards.

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