After that, the final decision was taken right away from her, because her newly found friends simply took over.
‘Though why a lovely young thing like you is alone in Hong Kong is incredible,’ the lady remarked as they went to search out the tour guide.
‘My husband—’ that felt strange to say out loud, she thought as something tightened up inside her ‘—is involved in business today,’ she explained.
‘Business? Isn’t that just like a man?’ was the scathing reply to that one. ‘Well. My name is Sadie and this is my husband, Josh.’ Sadie made the introductions.
A spare seat was happily found for her on the coach, and half an hour later Shaan found herself surrounded by twenty friendly Americans who made the day a sheer delight after too much of Rafe’s abrasive company.
They began the tour with a hair-raising trip on the Peak Tram to the top of Victoria Peak that made Shaan wish she’d brought a camera with her. The view from the top was spectacular, the journey back down nerve-racking. From there they visited Aberdeen Harbour, where the big floating restaurants were moored and the water was like a floating city of residential junks in itself. After that they travelled along the coast to a place called Stanley, and Shaan marvelled at the abrupt change from heavily built up Hong Kong to a tropical paradise. It was beautiful on this side of the mountains, hardly a building to be seen, and the air was less humid.
Stanley had its own huge market—nothing like as fascinating as the night market Rafe had taken her to, but, still, she found a cerise silk scarf that matched the belt around her waist, and bought it Then on impulse she bought her aunt and Jemma a similar one each, plus a small jade Buddha she spied that she thought her uncle might like. On further impulse she bought one for Rafe, too.
Guilty conscience, she recognised, even as she did it. Only, she’d happened to glance at the time and realised with a shock that it was already way past one o’clock. He should know by now that she’d escaped, and a tiny shiver trickled down her spine as she wondered how he was taking the discovery.
They lunched in Stanley itself, and by the time they all climbed back onto the coach it was already well past three o’clock. They travelled back via Victoria Peak again, where they stayed to watch the sun go down.
‘I’ve been in some beautiful places in my time,’ Sadie murmured softly beside her, ‘but I’ve never seen a sunset as glorious as this one.’
And it was, beautiful—magical, mystical. And while Shaan stood there, feeling the power of it sink into her very bones, she suddenly wished Rafe were here with her to share it. Wished it so much, in fact, that she began to regret coming on this tour at all.
Which rather defeated the object, she ruefully acknowledged as they all climbed back on the bus so they could be ferried back to their hotel.
In the foyer, Shaan thanked her new friends and said goodbye to them, because they were leaving Hong Kong for Singapore first thing in the morning. Then, tired. but feeling more at peace with herself than she had felt since Rafe strode in and took over her life, she rode the lift up to her floor. She only began to feel anxious when she opened the suite door.
The lights were on, the curtains not yet drawn, and Rafe was standing in front of the window, stiff backed, tight-shouldered, with his hands stuffed into his trouser
pockets.
He swung around the moment she stepped into the room. ‘Where the hell have you been?’ he bit out furiously.
Her chin came up, automatic defiance taking over from any idea she might have had of smiling at him. ‘You know where I’ve been,’ she replied. ‘I left a message for you at Reception.’
‘To hell with that,’ he said angrily. ‘Have you any idea how humiliating it was having no idea where my wife—my new wife—had gone when I brought some people back here to meet you? Your message arrived five minutes after we did!’ he tagged on stingingly. ‘By then I was already tearing my hair out!’
With anger, not worry, Shaan grimly assumed. ‘Look.’ She tried for a bit of placating. ‘I’m sorry. It wasn’t my fault if the message arrived late. But if it will make you feel better, I’ll apologise to your friends for not being here.’
‘You’ll damn well do that!’ he snapped. ‘In exactly—’ he stabbed a silver glance at his watch ‘—one hour from now, since we’re meeting them for dinner!’
CHAPTER EIGHT
DINNER! Out to dinner! With total strangers—again! And with him in this mood.
‘Oh, damn it,’ Shaan muttered as she fought with hair that did not want to go up in the French pleat she was trying to put it in, and, in the end, she dropped her aching arms to her sides and just stood staring at herself in the full-length mirror.
The dress she was wearing was another new one bought by Rafe since they’d arrived here. It was a pure silk, slinkily cut traditional mandarin dress that seemed to mould just about every sensual curve of her figure. It was deep, dark red in colour, and piped in black with gold-threaded embroidery. With her loose black hair she looked even more exotic than she’d ever seen herself look.
It was a shock—a big shock—because the woman standing inside that mirror had ‘seductress’ written all over her.
There was no way she could go out looking like this! she decided on an upsurge of stomach-clenching dismay which had her fingers reaching for the high-buttoned mandarin collar with the intention of unfastening it
Then, what’s happened to you? she paused to ask her own unrecognisable reflection. Where’s the meek and conservative little mouse you used to be—gone? What even made you choose this dress from all the other less provocative dresses hanging on the rail?
I don’t know, she answered herself with a wretched kind of helplessness. I don’t seem to have any idea who I am or even what I am any more!
‘Shaan!’ She jumped, that harshly impatient voice raking across nerve-ends so on edge they literally vibrated.
He was back to snapping out commands at her, she noted on a tension-packed little sigh.