Diamonds are Forever

CHAPTER TWELVE




‘ANNIE?’ Rufus raised her chin once more with gentle fingers, but this time she wasn’t able to look at him. ‘I love you, Annie Fletcher,’ he whispered. ‘And it’s been a long time since I said that to anyone other than Jess.’

Annie stared at him. She couldn’t seem to do anything else. He had said it again! ‘But—I—Margaret …!’ she groaned desperately.

Rufus shook his head, smiling. ‘After what you’ve just said to me, I have a fair idea of the thoughts that have been running around in your beautiful head, although for the life of me I can’t imagine where you got them from. Margaret was Jess’s nanny to me, nothing more.’

‘But—’

‘Nothing else, Annie. Ever,’ he insisted firmly. ‘I’m not saying I’ve been celibate during the five years since Joanne died, but there haven’t been that many women either, and Margaret certainly wasn’t one of them. No, I’ve been waiting for a little red-haired witch who makes me laugh and want her all at the same time.’ He smiled at her in a way he never had before, the love he talked about shining in the dark depths of his eyes. ‘I love you, Annie. I want to marry you, have children with you. I’m sorry I don’t have a better family to offer you.’ He grimaced with feeling. ‘But they’re the only family I have. And eventually we’ll have children of our own, and then—’

‘You want to marry me?’ She couldn’t believe he was saying these things to her.

‘I insist on it,’ he told her sternly. ‘After all, you’ve compromised my reputation by sharing my bed.’

‘Compromised your—!’ Annie broke off, chuckling at the ridiculousness of what he was saying.

‘It won’t be so bad, Annie.’ His arms tightened about her once again. ‘I intend staying around in future. It’s time I stopped all the travelling. And, in truth the only reason I’ve done it for so long is because I couldn’t stand being in this house. But if you’re going to be here I don’t want to go away. I’m going to write a book, Annie. It’s been floating around in my head for years now, but the thought of staying in one place long enough to write it has never appealed before. Now it does.’ He drew back slightly to look down at her. ‘But you aren’t saying anything now,’ he said uncertainly. ‘Tell me if I’m going too fast, or assuming too much. Don’t let me carry on like a drivelling idiot if this isn’t what you want too, if it’s Anthony you love after all.’

To be married to Rufus. To be with him and Jessica always. To have children of their own …!

‘Oh, Rufus …!’ She sank weakly against him. ‘I don’t love Anthony—I never did,’ she said with certainty. ‘I would very much like to marry you. I love you, too. And I can’t imagine anything more wonderful than being with you for ever.’ She clung to him so strongly now, it made her arms ache.

His breath left him in a deep sigh of relief. ‘Thank God for that!’ he groaned. ‘You had me worried for a moment. But I couldn’t imagine your having let last night happen at all if you didn’t love me.’

‘I wouldn’t have,’ she agreed.

Rufus bent his head to kiss her, and it was some time later, with Annie sitting on his knee in one of the armchairs, that they resumed their conversation about Margaret.

‘Do you remember why we didn’t completely make love last night?’ Rufus looked at her with teasing eyes as she blushed. ‘I’m glad we didn’t, Annie. Our first night together will be our wedding night. The way it should be. The way you deserve it to be.’

‘Margaret,’ she prompted pointedly, before they became side-tracked once again.

‘It was the conversation we had last night that made me realise a very good reason why Margaret wouldn’t actually meet me in person. She’s five months pregnant, Annie,’ he said flatly. ‘And it shows.’

Rufus didn’t love the other woman, he never had; he had just wanted to know, especially after she had written to him telling him she had left, exactly why she had done so.

‘We’ll have to help her, Rufus,’ Annie told him. ‘That child is your niece or nephew.’

‘We’ll help her, Annie,’ he assured her.

And she knew that they would. She also knew that they would care for Celia until she didn’t need caring for any longer.

As the years passed the two of them would grow closer, and Rufus would be able to talk to her about his childhood, his father, the mother he couldn’t even remember, and his never-the-love-of-the-century marriage. And she would be able to tell him about her loneliness as a child, the children’s home, the feeling of never belonging.

Because she belonged now. Belonged with and to Rufus.

How different her life was going to be. She would be a dearly loved, and loving, Diamond bride.

‘It’s bad luck, you know,’ Annie scolded affectionately.

Rufus lifted his head from the soft cushion of her satin-covered breasts, grinning down at her. ‘Another one of those old wives’ tales? The one concerning twins didn’t come true!’

‘Not yet,’ Annie warned. ‘But that’s probably because we haven’t fully made love yet,’ she reminded him with a self-conscious blush.

‘But we will. Very soon,’ he promised, resting on his elbows as he looked down at her. ‘The thought of you having even one of my children does the nicest things to my body,’ he murmured, moving closer to her as he began to kiss her.

Annie could feel exactly what nice things it did to his body, groaning low in her throat with the same longing.


The last three months had been the happiest Annie had ever known, loving and being loved by Rufus.

Jessica couldn’t have been more pleased when told that Annie was going to be her new mother, eyes agog at this very satisfactory answer to her prayer!

It had been a time of talking, laughing, sharing, discovering—their love for each other deepening as each day passed.

And today was their wedding day …

And Rufus, after flatly refusing Celia’s suggestion that he spend the night at a hotel, had brought Annie a cup of coffee up to her bedroom half an hour ago—and hadn’t left again!

His eyes were almost black now as he raised his head to look at her. ‘Annie, I—’ He broke off as a knock sounded gently on the bedroom door.

‘Annie, are you awake?’ Celia called softly. ‘It’s time to start getting ready.’

‘Oh, hell,’ Rufus said to himself and he sprang up from the bed, his unbuttoned shirt slightly crumpled, his hair ruffled from Annie’s caressing fingers. ‘Celia is sure to know the same old wives’ tale!’ He scowled at the lecture he was probably about to receive.

‘Rufus?’ Celia prompted suspiciously. ‘Rufus, are you in there?’ she added sharply.

Annie lay back on the pillows, laughing softly at Rufus’s hunted expression. ‘Come in, Celia,’ she invited lightly, receiving a glare from Rufus for her pains.

‘I thought I heard your voice,’ Celia scolded Rufus once she was inside the bedroom. ‘Don’t you know that it’s unlucky to see the bride before the church service on your wedding day?’ She looked disapprovingly across at him.

‘You see.’ Rufus turned to Annie. ‘I told you she would know that one, too!’ He shook his head. ‘It’s a lot of nonsense. The Diamond brides aren’t known for their luck anyway.’ He frowned. ‘I almost didn’t ask Annie to marry me for that very reason.’

‘Now that is a lot of nonsense,’ Celia told him briskly, coming further into the bedroom, still extremely fragile to look at, although at the moment her condition seemed not to have deteriorated any further. ‘I’ve already explained to you about your mother’s death, and Joanne’s death was just an unfortunate accident. Besides, Rufus, I was a Diamond bride, and, despite what you may have thought to the contrary, David and I had thirty happy years together!’

Annie had watched with pleasure, over the last three months, as these two stubborn Diamonds had become quite good friends. And Celia certainly couldn’t have been more helpful concerning the wedding arrangements, helping Annie shop for her dress and Jessica’s bridesmaid’s dress, the little girl absolutely thrilled at being asked to be her only attendant.

Anthony and Davina’s wedding had taken place almost a month ago, Anthony continuing to visit his mother here, albeit keeping well away from Rufus and Annie. Anthony’s plans to make those visits alone were neatly foiled by Davina, as she continued to accompany him every time he came. In fact, Davina’s helpless-little-girl act—and the breathless voice, much to Rufus’s amusement—seemed to have vanished overnight, and in her place was a woman even more domineering than Celia had been. Anthony had met his match where he’d least expected it!

And Anthony’s ceremony neatly out of the way, his future very definitely decided, Celia had turned all her attention to Rufus and Annie’s wedding. In all honesty, Annie had been grateful for her help, had come to realise, over the last few months, that a lot of Celia’s imperious manner was, in fact, a barrier put up to protect herself from being hurt. The past having finally been put to rest, that barrier was no longer necessary, and as a surrogate mother to Rufus, and indeed Annie, Celia had proved more than capable. They were all going to miss her when the time came for them to say goodbye.

‘I’m sure you did.’ Rufus gently squeezed Celia’s shoulder. ‘Just as I’m sure Annie and I are going to have many happy years together.’ He turned to her, his love for her blazing in the dark blue of his eyes.

Annie was sure they were too, the last three months spent with Rufus more than enough to reassure her of their future happiness together.

She couldn’t possibly have guessed how it would turn out when she’d decided to work as part of a family—but she really was part of a family now. She and Rufus were their own family, with Jessica and Celia drawn into that loving fold.

The Diamond bride was to become the Diamond wife and mother.

Utter and complete happiness.

For ever.