Four heads spun round to see Lulu standing in the open doorway, looking awkward and defensive with her fingers stuck into the tight front pockets of her jeans. Instinct made Roberta want to take a defensive step away from Mac, but he tightened his hold, keeping her close.
Ruthless bastard, she told him silently. Now you’ve decided to deal with Lulu, you’re going to pull no punches, are you?
Lulu glanced at her father’s suddenly closed face, then at Roberta’s very wary one, and grimaced, her gaze then clashing with her uncle Joel’s for a long moment before her dark lashes swept down over her beautiful eyes. And it hit Roberta then that Joel must have done some hard talking to Lulu to make her look at him like that.
‘I think I’ve been making rather a nuisance of myself,’ she said, sidling further into the room, then added with a small shrug, ‘I’m—sorry.’
‘Oh, Lulu, darling,’ Delia murmured with a quiver in her voice.
Lulu glanced at her and smiled, albeit ruefully. ‘It’s your own fault, you know—both your faults,’ she added, including her father in the remark. ‘You always manage to look so—right together!’ Another shrug, then her slender shoulders sagged. ‘Anyone could be forgiven for thinking you were nothing but a silly pair of children who just had too much pride to kiss and make up!’
If Delia gasped at being spoken to like that by her daughter, Joel huffed out a sardonic laugh. ‘Good for you, pug-face,’ he encouraged. ‘You tell them what you think of them; it’s about time somebody did!’
‘Somebody already did, Uncle Joel,’ Lulu reminded him. ‘Told me, anyway.’ And she turned to look directly at Roberta. ‘Do you love my father?’ she demanded outright.
The room seemed to sway, and Roberta had to close her eyes in an attempt to stop it. Why did she have to ask me that question? she thought hectically. Why couldn’t she ask it of her arrogant father instead? His answer would be far more interesting, since everyone but Lulu, it seemed, knew her feelings! His were still a damned closed book!
The arms enfolding her tightened. ‘Well, come on, bunny rabbit,’ Mac whispered gently. ‘Answer the girl and let’s just see if that unfailing honesty of yours stands up in a real test!’
‘I hate you,’ she whispered, opening her eyes directly on to his warmly teasing gaze. ‘I hate all your rotten family!’
‘Mmm. I know,’ he agreed, and kissed the tip of her small, straight nose. ‘But...?’ he then prompted.
Pain shot across her features, pain and despair and a wretched weak surrender. ‘But I can’t help loving you too,’ she shakily confessed.
‘Then you both have my blessing when you marry,’ Lulu murmured in a thickened voice that said it hurt her to say it.
‘Oh, I’m not going to marry him!’ Roberta stunned everyone by declaring, and looked stubbornly into Mac’s suddenly narrowed eyes. ‘I’m not marrying you, Mac,’ she repeated, and gently but firmly withdrew herself from his arms, wanting—needing to get away before she fell apart inside.
‘But why?’ Lulu cried, glancing at her father’s face and going pale at whatever she saw written there. She moved jerkily to stand in front of Roberta. ‘You said you wanted him strong!’ she reminded her. ‘Well, hasn’t he proved he can be strong by asking you to marry him even though he knows it would hurt me?’
Roberta’s heavy sigh drowned out the shorter, shocked one Mac gave. ‘It’s nothing to do with strength,’ she denied wearily.
‘Then it’s me.’ Lulu reached out to grab her arm when Roberta went to turn away. ‘You don’t want me as a stepdaughter. I can understand that!’ she cried painfully. ‘After all, who would? I’m such a terrible bitch! But—!’
‘Stop it, Lulu,’ Mac inserted grimly, but his daughter just turned wide, urgent eyes on him.
‘No!’ she refused. ‘I won’t stop it! This is all my fault and I won’t stop it until I make it all right with you two again! Roberta,’ she pleaded urgently, unconsciously using her name for the first time ever, ‘if I promise not to interfere one tiny little bit, will you marry him? I’ll stay right out of your lives if you prefer!’ Sincere though she was being, her lovely eyes filled with tears at the prospect and, despite all the antagonism they’d shared during the last twelve months, Roberta couldn’t let the other girl hurt herself like this.
She took hold of her shoulders and, even though they were already trembling, gave them a gentle shake. ‘My decision has nothing to do with you, Lulu!’ she assured her. ‘It has to do with love—pure and simple—nothing else! Your father doesn’t love me, darling,’ she explained softly. ‘Didn’t you know that?’
‘Are you crazy or something?’ Mac burst in explosively. ‘When the hell have I ever said I didn’t love you?’
‘When have you ever said you did?’ Roberta corrected him grimly.
‘You mean, he’s never even told you?’ Lulu gasped. ‘You mean, the selfish rat has just taken and taken without bothering to—’
‘Lulu!’
This time Mac’s harsh reprimand brought her tongue to a skidding halt, but her eyes, when she lanced them on him, condemned, and Mac’s face darkened with colour.
‘I’m getting out of here,’ Roberta said, taking her chance while father and daughter spat knives at each other.
‘Good,’ Mac said. ‘I’m coming with you.’
‘But she doesn’t want you to!’ Lulu told him fiercely.
‘Darling.’ Mac paused in front of his daughter and bent to kiss her angry cheek. ‘I love you more than life itself, so don’t be offended when I tell you that you haven’t got the faintest idea what Roberta wants. But I do,’ he said huskily, swinging an arm around Roberta’s stiff shoulders. ‘She wants convincing. She wants coaxing. She wants me to grovel and beg, and a whole lot of other things that are just too shocking for your delicate ears. So we will both wish you all good-day,’ he concluded lightly, using brute strength to make Roberta move towards the door with him, ‘and we’ll see you all again one night next week, at my apartment, with a full complement of Maclaines and—’ He paused to look enquiringly at Roberta. ‘Are your parents still in the country?’