The Diamond Bride

As Jessica’s mother had died when Jessica was still a very young child, she really had little memory of her. Celia Diamond, Jessica’s paternal grandmother, was a tall, stately-looking woman, blonde and still beautiful despite her sixty-or-so years, but a woman who obviously found it difficult to show affection to a young child; a summons to her private sitting-room before bedtime was the most attention she paid her granddaughter.

But Jessica’s father was back now, so perhaps things would change...

And one of those changes could be the dismissal of the new nanny!

Annie’s feet dragged with reluctance as she made her way back up to the house. Nevertheless she took the path carefully—the weather seemed to be worse than when she had set out and she grabbed onto the handrail several times as she almost lost her footing on the rocky path, relieved when she saw the ominous shape of the house rising up in front of her.

Clifftop House was a magnificent building, almost gothic in proportions, and it had taken Annie a week to find her way around its many rooms. It had seemed incredible to her at the time of her arrival that one elderly lady and a small child should live in such a large house.

Although she had to admit that within several hours of Anthony’s arrival at the weekend, with his fiancée, for a week’s visit, the house hadn’t seemed big enough for all of them!

She had a feeling it was going to seem even less so with Rufus Diamonds’s impressive presence!

‘Really, Rufus, I didn’t see the point in contacting you,’ Celia Diamond was protesting impatiently as Annie moved quietly past the sitting-room doorway. ‘The doctor said it’s a simple sprain, nothing to get in a panic about, and Annie has been taking very good care of her—’

‘Who the hell is Annie?’ that oh, so familiar voice rasped harshly.

‘The new nanny you seem so angry about,’ Celia responded coldly. ‘You weren’t here, Rufus—but then, you never are,’ she added cuttingly. ‘What else was I supposed to do when Margaret walked out so unexpectedly?’

Annie couldn’t move, had become frozen to the spot the moment she heard her name mentioned...!

‘I suppose it was too much to expect that you could look after Jessica yourself,’ Rufus drawled scathingly. ‘Although you still haven’t given me an acceptable explanation as to exactly why Margaret walked out. And if this Annie is taking such good care of Jess, why is it that she’s upstairs in bed at this moment with a leg injury?’

Annie gasped at the injustice of this last remark; there was simply no way, without completely smothering the child, that she could monitor every move of her young charge. And Jessica had been riding for years; in fact, this man had bought her the horse she had fallen from!

‘Maybe I should just ask Annie that myself!’ Even as Rufus spoke, the door to the sitting-room was wrenched completely open, exposing an embarrassed Annie eavesdropping in the hallway. ‘Well?’ Rufus Diamond barked at her. ‘I presume you are Annie?’

She looked at him with widely startled eyes—and it wasn’t all due to being caught out in this way. He knew damn well she was Annie; she had told him down at the jetty that she was his daughter’s nanny.

‘Really, Rufus,’ Celia Diamond admonished haughtily. ‘Sometimes I find it difficult to believe you could possibly be David’s son; he was always such a gentleman, so aware of his position as head of this family,’ she continued scathingly.

Rufus gave her a contemptuous glance. ‘You mean you were always so aware of your position as wife of the head of this family!’ he returned disgustedly. ‘I’m sure my father only died at the relatively early age of sixty-five so that he could at last get away from you and your social-climbing!’

‘Really, Rufus!’ Celia’s gasp was one of dismay now as she clutched at the double string of pearls about her throat, her expression one of deep hurt. ‘Your long absence hasn’t made your tongue any kinder. And have you forgotten there are servants present?’ She flicked a chilling look in Annie’s direction.

She meant her, Annie realised after several stunned moments. A servant! Well...she supposed she was, in a way; she did work for these people, and was paid a wage for doing so. But even so...!

‘I don’t think Annie took too kindly to that last remark, Celia,’ Rufus Diamond interjected.

Annie turned her gaze in his direction, only to find those dark eyes regarding her with amusement. He had obviously been watching her every expression—and deriving great enjoyment from doing so!

Her head went back proudly. ‘Mrs Diamond is perfectly correct in her statement,’ she said smoothly. ‘This appears to be an extremely private family conversation. But I would be quite happy, Mr Diamond, to talk to you about Jessica’s accident at a more convenient time.’ She met his eyes challengingly, still slightly confused as to why he didn’t seem to have told his mother that the two of them had already met earlier down on the beach.

Why hadn’t he told Celia Diamond? Why hadn’t she confessed? The answer to the last was easy; she shouldn’t really have been down on the beach at all this afternoon. Celia Diamond had warned her when she’d first come to work here not to go down there when the weather was like it was today...

‘Now is a convenient time for me,’ Rufus Diamond invited her.

‘It’s Annie’s afternoon off,’ Celia told him quickly before Annie could make any sort of reply.

Rufus looked at her with narrowed eyes now. ‘Is it indeed?’ he finally drawled slowly.

Annie didn’t need to be told that, with this new information, he was again adding up two and two and coming up with the answer of five! The speculation was clearly there in his mocking gaze.

‘It is,’ she confirmed briskly. ‘But I’m not going anywhere, except upstairs to check on Jessica, so I’ll be perfectly happy to talk to you once you’ve finished your conversation with your mother—’ She broke off with a puzzled frown as her remark brought forth a harsh laugh from Rufus. ‘Did I say something...funny?’ she said haltingly—although for the life of her she couldn’t imagine what it had been.

‘To me, yes. To Celia, no,’ Rufus replied, his grin wolfish again now, as it had been down on the beach. ‘If you’ve been here two months someone really should have filled you in on the family history by now—’

‘Rufus!’ Celia admonished sharply, two spots of angry colour in her cheeks.

He gave her only a cursory glance. ‘Something else the servants shouldn’t know?’ he taunted.

Celia gave him one of her chilling looks—a look that had no visible effect on him whatsoever!—before turning back to Annie. ‘Perhaps if you wouldn’t mind going and checking on Jessica now...?’ she suggested smoothly—although it was more in the order of an instruction. ‘I’m sure you and Rufus can catch up with each other later,’ she dismissed.

Annie was beginning to wish she had never set eyes on the man!

There was no doubting that Celia Diamond could be slightly condescending in her manner, or that things had become a little complicated since Anthony had arrived with his fiancée for a visit, but for the main part Annie had enjoyed her time here, found Jessica a delight to work with. Admittedly, it hadn’t all been peace and harmony, but she loved Jessica, and anything else was just discomfort she had learnt to live with.

With the arrival of Rufus Diamond, she had a feeling all that was about to change!

CHAPTER TWO

‘ISN’T it wonderful?’ Jessica’s eyes glowed deeply blue. ‘Daddy’s home!’ She clapped her hands together in pleasure.

Annie wished she could share the young girl’s enthusiasm, but, having made her escape from the man downstairs only minutes ago, she was in no hurry to see Rufus Diamond again. Although it was obvious, from Jessica’s excitement, that his daughter couldn’t wait for him to come back up to her bedroom.

‘It’s a lovely surprise for you,’ Annie acknowledged guardedly, straightening the pillows behind her charge. ‘Does your father often return unexpectedly in this way?’

‘Always!’ Jessica nodded happily, dark curls bouncing. ‘But he leaves just as suddenly too,’ she added wistfully.

Annie realised he probably had to; as an investigative reporter he would just have to go where the story was, whenever it occurred. Which was pretty tough on his young daughter. Although, she had to admit, Jessica seemed a well-adjusted child to her; she certainly didn’t qualify as neglected or psychologically disturbed!

Annie herself was still puzzled as to what she could have said earlier to so amuse Rufus Diamond. Neither he nor Celia had offered an explanation before she’d excused herself to come upstairs to Jessica. And she had no intention of asking the little girl; that would be most unfair.

‘How are you feeling this afternoon?’ She smiled down at her young charge.

Jessica grinned back at her—her grin, Annie now knew, was not unlike her father’s! ‘Well enough to go downstairs for dinner!’ she announced cheerfully.

Annie felt her heart sink at the statement. If Jessica went down to the family dining-room for the meal, then it meant she had to join them too. And if the tension between Celia and Rufus was any indication of the man’s effect on the rest of the family it boded ill for everyone’s digestion—including her own!

‘Are you sure?’ she prompted lightly. ‘You’re still using the crutches to get about.’ The accident had happened at the weekend, three days ago, and Jessica had been advised by the doctor to rest for several days before attempting to put any stress on her ankle.

The first day or so Jessica had enjoyed being waited on, having visitors come up to her bedroom, but after that the novelty had begun to pall. Consequently, this morning she had announced she would get up for a while, although after a couple of hours’ activity she had been happy to spend the afternoon back in her bed resting. But not now, with the arrival of her father, it seemed!

‘Daddy will carry me down,’ Jessica assured her warmly, obviously liking this idea very much.

‘The sooner you get up on your own two feet, the sooner you can go back to school,’ Annie teased the little girl.

Jessica’s face lit up at the thought. ‘Can I go back tomorrow?’