"Shh, Majesty. It's okay."

The horse spooked at a rabbit as I peered into the undergrowth beside the path. Light was fading, and the woods were gloomy as hell. Should I get a torch out? No, I'd ruin my vision. We'd been in the woods for ten minutes when I heard crying and knew we were in the right place. Up ahead, Tia hobbled along the path, tears streaming down both cheeks.

Was she okay? Not quite—she was dragging her left foot and holding her right arm crossed over her chest. Thank goodness I'd brought the first aid kit.

"Tia?"

She looked up, her face a juxtaposition of relief and peevishness. Should she be grateful someone had come to help or pissed off because it was me?

Eventually, she settled for whining.

"Why did you take so long? I've been out here for ages, and I can hardly move. And I'm freezing."

I hopped off Majesty, who'd behaved impeccably after his initial high jinks, and tied his reins to a nearby tree. He snuffled for grass, then gave up and pawed the ground.

Taking Tia's good arm, I steered her over to a nearby log and sat her down.

"What hurts? Your arm and leg, obviously, but anywhere else?"

"N-n-no, just my arm and my ankle."

"What happened?"

"Gameela spooked, and I came off and landed on my side. I wrenched my ankle in the stirrup as I fell."

I knelt and studied her. No, I didn't like her colour, or rather, the lack of it.

"Did you hit your head?"

"I don't think so."

"Okay, I'm going to have a look. Tell me if the pain gets worse."

"Can't you just call an ambulance?" she demanded, some of her attitude coming back. "One of those helicopter ones."

"We're half a mile into dense woodland. Where exactly do you think it would land?"

"Fine. A normal ambulance, then."

"Which would have to drive a couple of miles up a rutted track in the snow. Not gonna happen, sweetheart. Plus, I lost phone signal at the start of that track, so I can't call anyone from here, anyway."

"You're not being very sympathetic."

"Nope. Sympathy isn't one of my strong points. Getting things done is."

"So what are you going to do? It'll be dark soon, and there are wild animals out here."

"The worst thing in these woods is a fox, and I can guarantee it'll be more scared of you than you are of it. Now, let me look at your arm and ankle."

Tia finally shut up and let me examine her. She shrieked when I touched her ankle, making Majesty leap in alarm, but at least she didn't get too hysterical.

"Your arm's broken. It'll need to be pinned. I think your ankle's just badly sprained."

"So now what?"

"I'm going to strap up your arm then you can sit on Majesty while I lead you back to civilisation."

"I'm not riding that evil horse! He bucks and rears."

"Yes, I found that out first-hand, but he's tired now. He'll be fine if I lead him." I gave her a saccharine smile. "Or you can wait here while I go for help."

"Wait here? On my own?"

"There's a few spiders around. Maybe some rats. They'll keep you company."

"You'll have to help me get on."

I found a straight branch to act as a splint, then bandaged Tia's arm and ankle so they were supported. I gave her my jacket, and with the buttons done halfway up, it formed a makeshift sling. A handy log provided a step for her to get on board, I handed her the phone to watch for a signal, and we set off down the hill. Majesty pricked his ears forward, eager to be heading home. I knew that feeling. It was colder than a witch's tit out here.

We'd got halfway along the track when Tia broke the silence. Good things never lasted.

"Why did you come?"

"What do you mean?"

"To find me. Why did you come to find me? I mean, you hate me, so why are you helping?"

"I don't hate you." It took a lot for me to hate someone, and usually resulted in the loss of body parts. "I care about your brother, and he's worried sick about you."

"But you must hate me." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I've been really nasty to you."

"Yes, you have, and I'll confess you didn't exactly endear yourself when you got me sacked, but I can understand why you did it. You were looking out for your brother, in your own way, and you're scared of losing him."

My words must have hit close to home because a tear rolled from her eye.

"He's all I've got. Apart from Mother, who ignores me, and Arabella, who only likes me when I'm wearing the right clothes and the latest accessories."

"How about other friends at school?"

"Mother made me go to private school. It's two towns away, and nobody except Arabella lives near here. They all hang out together after school, but I have to come home."

"Can't you go out with them in the evenings sometimes?"

"Mother won't let me. She won't even let me get the bus to school. She sends me and Arabella in a car every day."

"I'm sure she cares about you."

Except I wasn't. Not after Luke's comments on the subject.

"But she's never there! She's always at bridge or a supper party or the theatre or the tennis club. I tried sneaking out, but Mrs. Squires told on me, and I got grounded again."

"Who's Mrs. Squires?"

"Part housekeeper, part dragon."

"Have you told all this to Luke?"

"I tried, but he's always busy with work. He said I should find a hobby, that he'd pay for me to take classes in something, but Mother vetoed everything I suggested. Painting's too messy, apparently."

Despite our earlier run-ins, I kind of felt sorry for Tia. Somewhere under her spoilt, bitchy exterior was an insecure kid who just wanted attention. I'd been there myself.

"Do you want me to speak to Luke? See if he can have a word with your mother?"

"Would you?" She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "He'll listen if you say it."

Tia went quiet, giving me space to think. It was hard to believe she was the same person as the brat who destroyed Luke's house. If I'd realised breaking an arm could have such a dramatic effect on somebody's personality, I'd have done it more often.

Calm down, I was only joking.

"A signal! There's a signal!" Tia shouted.

Oh, happy days. I took the phone back and called Luke.

"I've got her."

"You're serious?"

"Unfortunately."

"Thank fuck for that. Is she okay?"

"No damage that can't be fixed. We'll need an ambulance to come and meet us, though."

"How bad is it?" His voice cracked. Yeah, he really did care.

"A broken arm and an injured ankle. I don't think the ankle's broken, but she'll need an X-ray to make sure. The arm's likely to need pinning."

"I'll arrange it. The police have just turned up, so they can help. Where are you?"

"Good question." I turned to Tia. "Do you know the name of that rise over there?" I pointed ahead.

"Christmas Hill."

Well, at least we were in keeping with the festive season. "We're heading for Christmas Hill. Tia's on horseback, so we can make it to the road. I remember crossing a lane next to a cottage with a caved-in roof—ring any bells?"

"Yes, I know where that is. I used to mess around in it when I was a kid. I'll meet you there with an ambulance. The roads should be passable up to that point."

Tia had turned ashen by the time we made it to the cottage. Shock was setting in now the adrenaline had worn off, but thankfully, the ambulance was waiting next to Luke's car. He leapt out when he saw us coming.

"You're going straight to hospital," he told Tia. "The doctors are waiting. Where does it hurt? Just your arm and your ankle?"

Two medics helped her from the horse as I flexed my frozen fingers to get some feeling back into them.

"Everything hurts," she mumbled.

He leaned over and squeezed her good hand. "You'll be okay."

While Luke went to the hospital with Tia, I rode Majesty back to Hazelwood Farm by the light of the moon. Stars twinkled overhead in the clear sky, and with the light reflecting off the snow, it never truly got dark. So peaceful, so serene. As Majesty strode forward, ears pricked, I was reminded that despite the evil in the world, it could still be a beautiful place.

The vet waved from his Land Rover as we walked up the drive, and back in the barn, I was relieved to see Gameela happily munching her hay with her legs bandaged.

Majesty nosed at my pockets as I put him to bed, and I pinched a handful of Marianne's carrots.

"Good boy. You mostly redeemed yourself today."

His biggest crimes were being smart and being bored. Somebody needed to take him for the long rides he enjoyed and tire him out, then he'd behave better.

Now, where was Luke? He didn't answer when I called, so I cycled home, dodging cars in the dark. Made a change from bullets. Luke wasn't there, so despite my hatred of hospitals, I hopped in a cab to go and lend some moral support.

As the car got closer, the knot in my stomach grew tighter. Over the years, I'd spent too many hours in the emergency room, most of them because someone was hurt or dying, and I couldn't stand the feeling of helplessness that came with waiting. Sitting around made me feel useless. I much preferred to be out doing something constructive. Or destructive, depending on which was more appropriate.

I found Luke slumped in a chair, staring into space, and I perched on the edge of an adjacent seat. The black circles under his eyes showed how much the day had taken out of him.

"How's Tia?"

"In surgery. She's got a displaced fracture, and the doctor wanted to repair it straight away."

"At least then she can start recovering."

He rubbed his temples and sighed. "Mother lost the plot, and they had to sedate her."

"Do you want to go and sit with her? I can stay here and wait for news on Tia."

"Sitting with my mother is the last thing I want to do. Besides, she's still sleeping."

"That's probably for the best."

He nodded. "The world always has to revolve around her, and I'm tired of it. She behaves like this all the time."

"It feels wrong, doesn't it? That you have to be the adult while she acts like a child?"

"Between her and Tia... Everyone thinks I've got this perfect life, and yes, I've got money. But the old saying's true. It doesn't buy happiness."

Yeah. It bought big houses and cars and yachts and diamonds and even a bloody jet, but without my husband by my side, I might as well live in a shack.

"Ain't that the truth."

Luke slumped down in his chair, while I stared at the wall opposite and got lost in my thoughts.

The last time I sat in a hospital like this was on that day. My husband had died at the scene, but the medical staff were trying to save one of the men who'd killed him.

Why was I there? Why did I want that fucker to live?

Firstly, because he was hired help—I'd worked that much out—and I wanted to ask him nicely who'd paid for the hit. Secondly, because I wanted the pleasure of peeling his skin off, piece by tiny piece.

This isn't happening. This isn't happening. I'd repeated the mantra over and over, wedged between Nick and Dan, until the doctor came out in bloodstained scrubs to tell us the murdering scum hadn't made it.

But it was better news for Tia. Three hours later, a smiling nurse told us we could go in and sit with her. Hooray.

"You want to go in alone?" I asked Luke.

An appropriate answer would have been "yes," but he pulled me into the room alongside him. At least Tia was still unconscious. I much preferred her that way.

But the anaesthetic soon wore off, and I mustered up a smile.

"Welcome back," Luke said, stroking her hair back from her forehead.

"My tongue feels too big for my mouth," she mumbled.

"Do you need more painkillers?"

She shook her head. I suspected they'd put something good in her drip.

A commotion in the corridor made us all turn our heads, and Tia's mother swept in to join the party, followed by a pissed-looking doctor.

"Tia, you're awake! I was so worried, darling, but the doctor says you're going to be just fine."

Tia mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "No thanks to you," but Mrs. Halston-Cain had already turned to the doctor.

"When can she come home?"

The doctor scanned Tia's chart, still looking far from happy about her mother's presence.

"Assuming there are no setbacks overnight, she can be discharged tomorrow. I'll check on her in the morning."

"That's wonderful, isn't it darling? I have tennis first thing and the spa in the afternoon, but I'll make sure Mrs. Squires is at home to look after you."

Tia took on the same air of resignation as Luke had earlier when talking about his mother. "Okay. Whatever."

Now Mrs. H knew Tia wasn't at death's door, she lost interest and looked at her watch.

"I'm late for the rotary club meeting, darling." She air-kissed Tia on both cheeks, continental-style. "I'll see you at supper tomorrow."

While the members of the Lower Foxford Rotary Club were no doubt wonderful people, I found it somewhat tragic that she considered them more important than her own child. The bitch was so wrapped up in herself, she'd barely acknowledged Luke either. Had she even noticed I was in the room? I doubted it.

No wonder Tia was lonely.

And that loneliness was something I understood. The donor of my own chromosomes had been no better.

"How are you feeling?" Luke asked his sister, and I knew he was asking about their mother's visit rather than Tia's arm.

"Fine."

"That's good." Didn't he understand that when a woman said she was fine, she meant the complete opposite? "Shall I bring you a magazine or something?"

Oh, for goodness' sake... I rolled my eyes at him.

"How are you really feeling?" I asked Tia.

She burst into tears. Shit.

Between sobs, her true feelings came pouring out. "I hate everything. I hate being at home, and now I'm stuck there. I'd rather be at school, and now I can't go. Mother won't be around; it'll just be me and the nosey old cow, and I'm not allowed to do anything. I can't even make myself a snack without her moaning about the mess, and if I try to watch a movie, she says it's unsuitable or too loud. And I've got no privacy. She pokes through all my stuff." Tia let out a loud sniffle. "I want to go to boarding school, but Mother won't let me. I wish I was dead."

"Uh..." Luke looked to me for help as Tia rolled over and carried on crying. "What the hell do I do? Normally if a woman cries, I buy her stuff, but I'm not sure that'll work?"

Good grief. "Could you go and find some tissues?"

Luke shot from the room, no doubt relieved to have a task that didn't involve comforting an upset teenager. After he'd left, I sat on the edge of the bed.

"Are you still speaking to me, Portia, or am I back to being the devil incarnate?"

"I don't hate you anymore. And call me Tia. All my friends do."

Well, that was progress. "Let's try and fix this. In an ideal world, what would make you happy?"

A minute passed. Then another. I stayed quiet and gave her space to think.

"I want a family that cares about me and some friends other than Arabella. I want to live in my own house without feeling I'm always in the way, and I want to be allowed out. I'm sick of being treated like a kid. Like, I'm sixteen now."

Despite the differences in our upbringings, we'd both had shitty childhoods. Perhaps that's why I felt compelled to make the offer I did.

"If Luke agrees, how would you like to stay with us for a while? I'm around all day, so I could help with the things you can't manage with your arm."

"Do you really mean that?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise."

A pause. "I think I'd like that."

When I broached the subject with Luke in the corridor a few minutes later, he glanced up at the sign for the psych unit.

"Did you take a wrong turn?"

"No."

"But why would you want to help her after the way she's treated you?"

"Because somebody has to, and your mother isn't up to the job."

I hoped Luke wouldn't take offence, but I couldn't bite my tongue.

No worries there. "It's hard to imagine how she could be worse."

Oh, I could offer a couple of suggestions.

"I didn't realise things had got so bad for Tia," he continued. "I've spent too much time working. I'm a pretty second-rate brother, aren't I?"

"You've done your best. It's not like you asked to run the company at such a young age. You supported your family financially, but now Tia needs a different kind of help."

"I'll agree to her staying, but it's you who'll be with her all day. How do you feel about it?"

"I think we have to try."

He wrapped his arms around me, pulled me close, and kissed me chastely on the lips.

"In that case, you'll need to learn to fuck quietly. Or else I'll have to gag you."

"Ooh, kinky. Deal."

The following morning, Luke hammered on my door while it was still dark. Not that I was asleep. I'd been standing at the window for an hour, staring at the stars. Somewhere on the other side of the world, my friends were lying under those same stars, and that thought made me feel a little less lonely.

What did Luke want? He never normally got up this early.

"Is something wrong?"

"Two things, actually." He slid an arm around my waist and pulled me towards him. "Firstly, my sister's moving in and that's going to put a dent in my plans to christen every room in this house."

"And the second thing?"

"You're wearing too many clothes."

Okay, I liked this kind of emergency.

"What are you planning to do about it?"

He leaned into me, running his tongue along the outside edge of my ear, then murmured, "I'm going to peel off this T-shirt you stole from my wardrobe, then I'm going to sit you on the dining table so I can eat you for breakfast."

Funny how a few simple words could make my pulse race faster than a wild sprint from a gun-wielding terrorist, wasn't it? Even so, I couldn't help teasing.

"But I haven't had my coffee yet."

"You can drink the coffee while I fuck you over the kitchen counter."

"Fair enough. And then?"

"The lounge. The gym. Maybe we can screw in my car like a couple of horny teenagers?"

Heat crackled in the air as he brushed his lips against mine, and as his kisses became more intense, he gave up on the idea of peeling and tore his T-shirt clean in two. Luckily, he'd turned up in his boxer shorts so I didn't have to ruin any more clothing, just push them down his legs until his cock sprang free, hot and hard and heavy.

Did I stroke? Lick? Suck? As heat coursed through my veins, it felt like Christmas had come early. Or was that me? Because as I dropped to my knees and tasted Luke, an exquisite tension wound tighter and tighter in my core. I slid one hand between my legs to relieve the ache, but he tsk-tsk-tsked at me.

"That's my job, sweetheart."

I ignored him, but he stepped back, pulling me to my feet as he did so.

"You don't like doing what you're told, do you?"

So he'd noticed? "Not really."

That earned me a slap on the arse, and I bit his shoulder to keep from laughing because he was still so damn polite. That wouldn't even leave a handprint, let alone a bruise.

"Is that the best you can do, Mr. Cain?"

He squeezed one breast then lifted me up against the wall. His cock notched at my entrance, and he grinned as he lowered me down on top of it, deeper, deeper, then thrust hard as he sucked my lip.

"With you, I'm always on the verge of losing control. But you're this...this delicate flower and I don't want to break you."

Delicate? Fucking delicate? Wow. I was even better at pretending than I thought.

"You won't break me. I'm tougher than I look."

He feathered kisses along my jaw then hoisted me up further, one hand under each knee. I wrapped my legs around his waist, holding myself in place as a delicious burn started in my pussy.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm more of a diamond than a flower."

Multi-faceted and difficult to scratch through the surface. But Luke didn't understand that. Only one man ever would.

Instead, Luke tangled his hands in my hair as he surged into me, bringing us closer to what we both needed at that moment in time.

For me, a distraction.

For him? Something more.