Dark Summer Dawn Read Online Free PDF Page B

herself think about that because otherwise she would turn tail and run away somewhere—anywhere, and Dane would know then exactly what he had done to her, and triumph in his knowledge.
    She was restless, pacing round the flat like an animal in a cage, and she had to make herself stop, and fetch the hairdryer and sit down and do something about her ill-used hair which was going to dry like a furze bush if she wasn't careful, and contribute nothing to her self-confidence. There was something soothing and therapeutic in sitting there, brushing the warm air through her hair, and restoring it to something like its usual smooth shine. She wished she could smooth out her jitters as easily.
    She didn't sleep when she went to bed, but she told herself that she wouldn't have slept anyway. She'd had no exercise or fresh air to make her healthily tired.
    There was too much to do in the morning to give her time to think. She packed and tried to eat some breakfast, while she gave a surprised Mrs Hargreaves her instructions. Then she found Dinah's tour schedule and wrote her a hasty explanatory note, addressing it to the current theatre.
    She dashed out, posted the letter, and as she walked back from the box on the corner, she saw there was a car parked in the street outside the flat. She lived over a shop—a boutique really where they sold small pieces of antique furniture and jewellery, catering for the connoisseur market, and of course the car could have belonged to one of the said connoisseurs, but somehow she didn't think so.
    She stood for a moment, her hands buried in her coat pockets, and stared at it, and wished she was able to turn round and walk away again as fast as she could. It was dark and sleek and shining and looked extremely powerful. It proclaimed money and a quiet but potent aggression.
    Dane was waiting at the top of the stairs. He swung impatiently to meet her.
    'I was beginning to think you'd run out on me.'
    'I had to post a letter.' Lisa despised herself for the defensive note in her voice. She had nothing to apologise for. She wasn't late; he was early. She took her key out of her pocket and Dane calmly appropriated it and fitted it into the lock.
    'Thank you,' she said between her teeth, and went past him into the flat.
    'If you're ready, I'd like to leave as soon as possible,' he said. 'The weather forecast isn't too good for later in the day.'
    It would be brave weather that would dare interfere with his arrangements, she thought bitterly as she went into the bedroom to close her case.. She tugged russet suede boots on over her slim-fitting cream cord jeans, and pulled a matching coat, warmly lined, on top of her cream Shetland sweater. She had left her hair hanging loose round her shoulders as she had worked and packed, but now it was a moment's task to sweep it into, a smooth coil and anchor it securely on top of her head. It was a severe style, but it suited her, highlighting the line of her cheekbones and her smooth curve of jaw.
    She picked up her case and the weekend bag that matched it and went into the living room. Dane was standing by the window looking down into the street.
    'Is that all you're taking?' His glance ran over her luggage.
    'It's enough,' she returned shortly. 'I've learned to travel lightly.'
    'But not alone.' There was a barb in the smooth words which angered her, but she decided to ignore it. The journey ahead was going to be trying enough without a constant sparring match going on between them.
    Dane picked up the cases. 'I'll put these in the boot while you see to any locking up you need to do.
    She was fastening the safety catches on the windows when the phone rang.
    'Lisa?' Simon Whitman's voice sounded plaintively down the line. 'Jos has just told me you're off up north for an unspecified time. What's going on?'
    Her heart sank at the note of grievance in his voice, which she had to admit was fully justified. Before the West Indies assignment, she and Simon had been seeing quite a