One Chance At Love

Dizzy was mesmerised from the first, from the tapestry that was the height and breadth of one wall, to the four-poster bed that totally dominated the huge room.

As she walked dazedly into the room, she touched the brocade curtains on the bed wonderingly, knowing by their thickness that they would pull completely around the sides and bottom of the bed, affording its occupant complete privacy. Her eyes aglow with pleasure, she walked across the room to gaze out of one of the long, narrow windows that graced two walls of the room. The view was magnificent—lakes and mountains as far as the eye could see. Heat warmed her cheeks as she realised that the small lake Zachariah Bennett had swum in earlier was just behind the first hill to the east, that it might even be part of the land that obviously adjoined the castle.

She was never going to get tired of the scenery if every time she looked out of this window she remembered Zachariah Bennett’s nakedness so vividly!

‘—so far, don’t you think?’

She turned back to Christi, realising she had missed half the conversation in her musing over Zachariah Bennett. From the sudden impatience in Christi’s expression, she had realised it, too!

‘I said,’ her friend bit out with slow emphasis, ‘I think everything is going well so far, don’t you? Or, at least, it would be, if you would enter into the spirit of the thing a bit more,’ she added critically.

‘Christi, I don’t think this is going to work.’ Dizzy put all thoughts of Zachariah Bennett’s nakedness from her mind, as she concentrated on convincing Christi that her plan wasn’t such a good one, after all.

Thankfully, she noted, as she turned back into the room, that an adjoining door revealed a fully fitted bathroom. It wouldn’t be as good as a naked swim in a lake, but a bath would certainly refresh her!

‘It’s obvious you’re trying to convince your uncle I’m some sort of leech,’ she sighed. ‘But, personally, I think you’ve gone over the top. You’re making me out to be little more than a parasite to everyone I’ve ever known. No wonder he disliked me on sight!’ she grimaced.

‘Oh, that didn’t have anything to do with being a leech,’ Christi shook her head with certainty.

Her expression became wary. ‘Then what did it have to do with?’

Christi shrugged. ‘Henry.’

‘Henry?’ she repeated in a puzzled voice. ‘What does your dog have to do with this?’

‘Nothing, really.’ Christi began to smile, starting to relax, at last.

‘Then—Christi, what is going on?’ she demanded impatiently.

Her friend was really having trouble not openly laughing now. ‘Oh, Dizzy, it couldn’t have worked out better if I’d planned it that way!’ she said excitedly. ‘Of course I didn’t,’ she assured hastily.

‘What are you talking about?’ she prompted warily, sure that, whatever ‘it’ was, it didn’t augur well for her!

Christi grimaced. ‘You remember this morning that I told you I heard someone coming, and quickly ended our call?’

‘Vaguely,’ she dismissed with a sigh. ‘I don’t function too well at six o’clock in the morning!’

‘Well, apparently my uncle does,’ Christi said drily. ‘He was the one I heard. It seems he likes to take long walks first thing in the morning, before starting work for the day. He asked who I was talking to on the telephone.’ She pulled a face. ‘And so I explained that you had got my number from another schoolfriend, and asked if you could come and stay.’

That part of things seemed to be clear enough; it certainly explained the change of plans about her supposed arrival at the castle. ‘OK, I accept that you had no choice about that,’ she said wearily. ‘Although I think you might have warned me about it,’ she added sternly.

‘I haven’t had a minute to myself since I called you at six o’clock!’ Christi protested indignantly. ‘Uncle Zach insisted I join him for his walk, and then, when we got back, he watched over me while I ate a nauseously enormous breakfast.’ She shuddered at the memory and Dizzy remembered that she was ordinarily only a coffee drinker for her first meal of the day. ‘He thinks I don’t eat enough,’ she grimaced. ‘Then, of all things, he decided we hadn’t spent enough time together during my stay, and dragged me off for a tour of the area. I have never been so bored in my entire life, Dizzy. He really—–’

‘Christi, this is all very interesting,’ she cut in with a decided lack of sympathy. ‘But we seem to have forgotten Henry,’ she reminded.

‘Henry?’ Her friend frowned. ‘What on earth—oh! Oh, yes.’ Her expression cleared, and she bit her lip to once again stop herself from smiling. ‘Uncle Zach was quite shocked at the idea of your taking a man into your bed just because he has soulful brown eyes and looks lonely!’

‘Taking a man—–’ Dizzy stared at her in horrified disbelief. ‘What man?’ She shook her head dazedly.

Christi was choking with laughter. ‘Surely you remember what you said on the telephone about—–’

‘—about letting your dog sleep at the foot of my bed,’ she finished explosively, as she did remember. ‘Are you telling me your uncle actually thinks Henry is a man?’ Her eyes narrowed.

‘Isn’t it hilarious?’ Her friend chuckled.

‘Oh, hysterical,’ she scorned. ‘I may start screaming at any moment!’ she groaned.

‘Oh, come on, Dizzy,’ Christi chided lightly. ‘It’s very funny.’

‘Not if you’re me. Or Henry,’ she added disgustedly. ‘We’ll just have to hope his girlfriend down the road doesn’t get to hear about this!’

‘Hey,’ Christi’s eyes lit up with mischief as she ignored Dizzy’s nonsensical ramblings, ‘maybe what’s really worrying my uncle is that he has brown eyes and must get very lonely here in this mausoleum!’

‘His eyes aren’t brown, they’re golden,’ Dizzy told her absently, colour warming her cheeks as she realised what she had said.

Luckily, Christi didn’t seem to have taken any undue interest in the comment. It was testament to how disturbed by this situation her friend was that she hadn’t noticed Dizzy’s very personal observation about her uncle. Usually, Christi never ceased trying to interest her in one man or another, chagrined that Dizzy seemed able to keep her life man-free, while she somehow managed to attract a cluster of them, more often than not at the same time!

Dizzy could only breathe a sigh of relief at Christi’s lack of attention just now, although she recognised it was mainly because her friend couldn’t see that her uncle was an attractive man. But then, Christi hadn’t seen him the way she had!

She gave an impatient sigh. ‘Couldn’t you have just explained to your uncle that Henry is your dog?’

‘Of course not.’ Christi sounded irritated. ‘If I had done that, he would have realised you were pet-sitting at my flat. We aren’t supposed to have seen each other for years,’ she reminded. ‘And you were supposed to have called me this morning!’

‘Oh, I realise that.’ She shook her head. ‘You really went over the top with that “park bench” story,’ she said disgustedly. ‘Especially as I’m sure your uncle must have heard my comment about your having kept me out of spending a night in jail!’

‘This isn’t all my fault,’ Christi returned caustically. ‘You were the one who told him your name is Dizzy James!’

‘It is my name,’ she said firmly. ‘Professionally, at least. Besides, do you really think your uncle would have believed your story of my destitution if he had realised who my father is?’ she drawled derisively.

‘You’re right.’ Christi chewed worriedly on her bottom lip, then she grimaced. ‘I told him your family lost all their money shortly after you left school. That was very quick thinking on your part, Dizzy,’ she said thankfully.

Dizzy raised her eyes heavenwards. She hadn’t given her name as James to try and further Christi’s ridiculous plan, and Christi would have realised that if she was thinking in the least bit straight. Unfortunately, she wasn’t. But Dizzy had given up using her father’s name years ago, as she preferred not to be connected to him.

‘I’m glad you approve,’ she derided drily. ‘Now, what are we going to do about this mess you’ve got us into by telling your uncle these outrageous lies?’ She quirked blonde brows.

Christi looked wounded, and then a little sheepish, as Dizzy continued to meet her gaze mockingly. ‘OK, so I’ll have to think a little more before I speak,’ she accepted uncomfortably. ‘But other than that, everything is working out perfectly,’ she defended. ‘Since I told him about you, and the circumstances behind my inviting you to stay, my uncle hasn’t mentioned the fact that I’m going to Drama School, and that I don’t have the same boyfriend for more than a month at a time, sometimes less than that!’

‘I’m glad to have been of service!’ Dizzy’s sarcasm was barely veiled.

Christi, however, seemed to have missed it completely in her feeling of self-satisfaction. ‘I knew you would be.’ She hugged her. ‘Oh, Dizzy, it’s so good to have you here!’ she told her enthusiastically.

Her expression softened at her friend’s genuine pleasure. ‘It’s good to be here,’ she said wryly.

‘It’s going to be so much more fun now.’ Christi smiled her delight.

Poor pet, thought Dizzy, she really looked as if she had been having a miserable time of it, although the vivacity was fast returning to her enormous blue eyes. ‘I thought there was nothing to do,’ she teased.

‘There isn’t,’ Christi grimaced. ‘But I can never remember a dull moment in your company in the past.’ She brightened.