Beneath The Lies Read online

  I flip back to after it was refurbished.

  “Wow, Aaliya! This is truly… an incredible transformation. Hats off to your clever imagination.”

  “See, impressed you, didn’t I?” she says with a twinkle in her eyes.

  I hold my hand out to her. “Welcome to Gamma Inc., Miss Singh. It’ll be a pleasure to work with you on this project.”

  “Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” she says with her usual sass, as she takes my hand in a firm grip.

  Aaliya

  Aweight lifts off my chest and my spirits rise. I cast a furtive glance heavenward and thank my stars that Damien’s agreed to let me work with him. I am one step closer to my mission of getting him to fall for me again.

  I lean back on the sofa and listen to Damien as he puts forth his own ideas for Jonathan’s estate. Sitting next to him, watching him articulate himself with hand gestures, all of it feels so familiar and endearing.

  I blink the moisture from my eyes and reach forward to pick up a bottle of water from the table. Damien reaches for it at the same time and our hands touch. A spark of heat rushes through me and I forget to breathe. Our eyes clash and desire simmers in his grey gaze. Inhaling sharply, I move my hand and he offers the bottle to me. His eyes follow my every movement as I unscrew the cap on the bottle and drink from it. We stare at each other for several moments in silence, the air between us thickening with every second that passes.

  Finally, he clears his throat and switches on the TV. The news channel comes on and there’s a discussion going on about the crime rate in London. His name comes up and Damien stiffens beside me. The presenters talk about him—the shooting he was involved in, his memory loss and his life prior to that.

  I touch his arm. “You can turn that off, you know. We don’t need to watch it.”

  He switches off the television and rubs the back of his neck.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.

  He clucks his tongue. “There’s nothing I can say except that I’m lucky to be alive.”

  He stands up. “Come. Let me show you to your room.”

  I collect my handbag and pick up my boots in my hand and follow him barefoot. He escorts me to one of the guest bedrooms on the upper floor of the house.

  “I hope this is fine,” he splays his hand out. His tone sounds flat, the shutters drawn over his eyes. All the warmth that we had shared only minutes earlier is now gone.

  I drop the boots by the bed and survey the simple but tastefully done room. It’s all stark white and dark wood. I turn to him. “It’s lovely. Thank you.”

  Damien nods. “Dinner will be at seven and I’ll send Mrs. Perkins to help you settle in,” he informs me, before leaving me alone.

  Why would I need help from Mrs. Perkins? I frown as the door closes behind him. We may be stranded here for a day, maybe two until the storm subsides, and I have no luggage.

  I extend my arms up in the air, stretching my tired muscles and look around the pristine room. It looks unlived and there are no personal effects whatsoever. My eyes land on the balcony adjoining the room. I open it to step outside and immediately wrap my arms around myself against the freezing wind. Thick clouds roar in the distance and visibility is almost nil now. Powder soft snowflakes fall on my face and hair as I lean against the railing. A laugh escapes my lips. This is so divine!

  The ring of my cell phone draws me back inside and I grin on seeing my mom’s face on the video chat.

  “Hi, Mom!”

  She adjusts the phone screen and I can see my baby Rian in her lap.

  “Say hello to Mom, Rian,” she tells him.

  “Mum, mum, mum...See car…new car.” I hear his sweet rant as he waves his tiny fists at me. He shows me the new car that his grandma bought him and I coo a few words to him.

  No matter how many times a day I speak to him, it’s just not enough. His absence pricks like a thorn in my heart. It’s been more than a week since I left him and I don’t know how long it’ll be till I can hold my darling baby in my arms again.

  My eyes sting and my voice wavers. “I...I miss you, baby!”

  Mom immediately hands over Rian to my dad and I see her face light up my screen. “What’s going on, Aaliya? Talk to me.”

  I sniff. “I’m in Scotland, stranded with Damien in his house.”

  I give her the details and update her on what’s happened since morning.

  “How is he?” she asks, worry lining her face. “We’ve all been on tenterhooks since the shooting.”

  “He’s fine, Mom. Thankfully, he’s unhurt. I’m so grateful for that. All of this is hard for me and so scary. I can only imagine how hard it is for him.”

  “I know my darling. I understand. It will all be fine soon. Just hang in there. Does he…?”

  I don’t let her finish that question. “He doesn’t. He still has no recollection of me. None at all! It just hurts so bad sometimes when he looks at me like an absolute stranger.”

  “A stranger that he’s attracted to, right?” she asks in a soft voice. There’s nothing I’ve hidden from her.

  I give her a slight nod.

  “Of all the women who could be at his feet, he wants you…you, Aaliya. That certainly means something. The mind may forget but the heart remembers. Trust in that always. So be strong for both your sakes.”

  “I feel like a fraud for being in his house as his guest.” I run a troubled hand across my face. “How could my life have come to this point, Mom, where I have to deceive my husband? Where I have to lie to him!”

  “Tell me Aaliya, do you have a choice?”

  I shake my head. There is no choice. I still remember the dread in Damien’s voice message to Gabriel. I remember the worry just now on his face when the news reporters spoke about the shooting and so, I’m willing to do anything to protect him and my son. I pray he finds the person responsible for all this heartache soon, so I can tell him about me without any fear.

  We chat some more and she passes the phone to my dad and to my son again. Rian sneezes a few times, making me worry.

  “Mom, is he unwell?” I ask her.

  “Just a slight cold.”

  I close my eyes in anguish. “I’m worried about him now.”

  “Will you relax, Aaliya?” Mom makes a face at me. “It’s just a cold. He’s a baby. Of course, he’s going to be unwell once in a while. It’s been raining here. You know how the weather gets. And I’m perfectly capable of looking after my grandson. Besides, Jasmine’s been a great help as well. She spends most evenings and the weekends with us watching over Rian.”

  I’m ever so grateful to my parents and Jasmine for doing this for me. They’re the best caregivers for my child while I deal with the situation we have been presented with.

  “Mom, I feel like a terrible mother being away from him when he is unwell.”

  “Aaliya, he is doing fine.”

  “But…”

  “No Aaliya. You work on getting Damien to remember you and all of us. We all miss him.”

  My mom took to Damien immediately when we started dating five years ago in Mumbai. When I started working for him, he was just about setting up the business in Mumbai. We dated for six months before he proposed. My Dad was quite reluctant when I told him that I wanted to marry Damien. He’s quite traditional and he’d never imagined his only daughter marrying a British man. Although Indian girls are marrying foreigners now, the list is short. But with his easy and natural charm, Damien won him over as well. We were so happy together and suddenly, life threw this curve ball at us.

  I hang up the call when I hear a knock on the door. I thought it was Damien coming to check on me, but it’s his housekeeper, Mrs. Perkins. She enters with her arms overflowing with clothes and puts them on the bed.

  “What’s all this?” I ask her as she starts organizing the clothes in the cupboard.

  She gives me a cheery smile. “His Grace has sent clothes for you to change into and some shoes as well.”

  I look at th
e pile of clothes. There are warm leggings, two long sweaters, a few tops and two dresses. Many of them have their tags on and are designer labels.

  “Oh! Please don’t tell me Damien sent some poor soul out in the storm just to get me clothes and shoes.”

  She laughs. “No, Ma’am. It’s rather impossible to drive out in this weather. All these belonged to his late aunt.”

  I take a step backward and shake my head. “Oh no! I can’t wear her clothes. That’s crazy!”

  “Ma’am these clothes are old and have been lying in the wardrobe for years. His Grace’s aunt was a lovely woman and had she been alive, she wouldn’t mind you borrowing anything. His Grace wants you to be comfortable. If you can leave your clothes in the basket inside the bathroom, I can launder them and have them ready for you in a few hours.”

  “Thank you,” I tell her. “I am grateful.”

  “My pleasure, Ma’am. Oh, and dinner is at seven,” she reminds me. “So you have a few hours to rest. We’ll dine in the formal dining room.” With that instruction she exits the room, leaving me alone once again.

  Damien

  “Anything, Mike?” I query.

  “No, Sir,” he says shutting the final cupboard in the study.

  After dropping Aaliya to her room, Mike and I have been searching the house for any possible clues as to who would want me dead. We’ve spent hours searching my bedroom, the storeroom and the study, the most plausible areas in this house where I would have stored anything of value. But there is nothing.

  I rub a tired hand across the back of my neck. “Thanks!” I tell him. “It was a long shot anyway.”

  I pace the length of the study.

  “Fuck! I was living in Edinburgh for five years and yet I didn’t visit here even once. Why? This house is my safe haven, so why would I never visit here?” I pause and turn to Mike. “Jeeves has assured me that no one ever visited. Their salaries and expenses for running the house and the land surrounding it came like clockwork every month, but no one visited.”

  Mike stares at me sharply for a second and then he opens his mouth to say something but closes it immediately and looks away from me.

  I splay my hand out. “What is it?”

  His eyes dart to mine. “Uh, I think we ought to visit your country estate and conduct a search there. And after that, the London mansion.”

  “Yes, I’ll schedule that on my agenda as soon as I can,” I say exiting the study to retire to my own room.

  Mike bows his head and leaves me at the foot of the stairs.

  I lay on my bed, unable to sleep even though I’ve hardly slept in the past two days. My mind whirls thinking about the list of things I have to do and there are too many. I’m already stretched thin between learning the ropes of Annette & Co., running Gamma Inc. and working on the various estates, assets and charitable causes that the Duke of Kittridge is expected to support that there’s been no time for anything else.

  My mother overlooked most of the charity work for my father but, now she refuses to participate. It’s her own way of showing me that I need a wife and stressing how Celia would be perfect for the job. Her rebellion is petty and shows how little she knows me. I hate my hand being forced and I’ve never shied from working hard. That is purely the reason why I’ve been so successful with little to no help from my family.

  Later in the evening, I step outside my room and look at the shut door of Aaliya’s room. For the first time in months, I’ve experienced such an instant connection to another person. And the more time I spend with her, the more I appreciate how absolutely perfect she is. She’s smart, beautiful, intelligent and perceptive as hell. Something is evolving between us and my soul is screaming at me not to put an end to it before exploring the possibilities. But I have to end it. I have to keep away from her. I cannot bring her into my life no matter how much I want her. Thinking about the shooting reminds me of how Mike saved me. Had he not reacted when he did, I would’ve been dead. And so, until I have the answers I seek, I have to stay away from her.

  A heavy sigh escapes my mouth.

  Still, she’s a guest at my house and for the time we’re stuck here, I have to be a gracious host. With that thought in mind, I walk towards her room to check if she’s ready to step down. Just when I raise my hand to knock, Aaliya rushes outside and bangs right into me. I hold her arms to stop her from falling and steady her. A loose white sweater dwarfs her petite frame and a pair of black leggings curve down her legs to end at flat shoes. Her dark hair is slightly wet and flows behind her. Her face is devoid of any makeup and yet she outshines any woman I know.

  Her eyes flick over me, taking me in. I’ve changed into denims and a blue sweater, thankful that the clothes I found in my room still fit me well. She blushes as her gaze meets mine.

  An errant strand of hair falls on her eye and I move it away with a finger. My hand lingers on her face, caressing her satiny cheek. A strangled sound escapes her lips. She retreats a step and her back hits the shut door. My body reacts instantly; my breath catches in my throat and my heart pumps harder in my chest. Without a second thought, I put both my hands on either side of her head and lean forward into her, inhaling her scent. She smells fresh and foreign like always. She turns her head away from me and breathes deeply. One side of her sweater drops down, giving me a tantalizing glimpse of creamy skin and a curved shoulder. My mouth waters as desire clouds my brain.

  Damn her and these loose sweaters! They make my imagination run wild and just like that I’m hard as a rock and my decision to stay away from her flies out the window. I lower my head and lick that tempting, creamy shoulder.

  Her gasp of breath is music to my ears. My mouth slowly inches up her body and into the hollow of her neck. I bite her there, running my tongue across her skin, tasting her. She moans and grabs my arms. I lift my head up and see the heat pool in her eyes as she stares at me. She bites her lower lip and more blood rushes down my body. My lips move to claim hers. Just before our lips touch, there is a loud ring startling both of us. We simultaneously turn to see the mobile in her hand light up with Gabriel’s name.

  I step away, the moment broken. Aaliya lifts the shoulder of her sweater back in place and answers the call. I climb down the stairs, giving her the privacy to finish her conversation, needing the time away from her to get control of my wayward senses. I wait for her at the landing. Her voice floats down and I can hear her convince Gabriel that she’s fine and that she’s with me.

  “Everything okay?” I ask her after she ends the call and joins me at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Perfect,” she says.

  “So Gabe’s not giving you a hard time about being alone with me?”

  She blinks. “He’s just being protective.”

  Gabe’s never found the need to interfere with any woman he knows I’m interested in and I’m quite surprised that he’s so protective about this one. Is there something to their relationship I’ve missed?

  I ignore that thought because Gabe told me that she was just a friend and I choose to believe him. We step forward together and I say, “The latest weather report shows that we’ll be snowed in for another day at least. So, would you like a tour of the house?”

  She tips her head forward. “That would be lovely. Thank you.”

  Jeeves chooses that moment to appear with two glasses of red wine. We accept the glasses from him and I show her around the house.

  “So, the ground floor consists of the kitchen, the formal dining room, the golden parlor and a bigger formal salon for hosting a party, a media room and two guest rooms,” I tell her as I lead her through the various rooms.

  “Have you designed the interiors?” Aaliya asks, as we mount the stairs to the first floor.

  I give her a wistful smile. “Yes, I did. This was the first house I ever designed. Sylvie gave me a free rein with everything. It vastly increased my confidence and she was ecstatic with the end result.”

  “Come on in,” I tell her as she waits just outsid
e the threshold of the master bedroom.

  She bites her lower lip as if deciding.

  “I’m not going to devour you, Aaliya, not without your permission at least. So, come in. You’re safe, for now,” I tease her.

  She makes a face at me, but she steps inside.

  “I don’t recall giving you permission a few minutes back and yet…” Her voice trails off. Her eyes run over the sitting area and the bed beyond it, looking anywhere and everywhere but at me. Her sudden shyness is rather fetching.

  “Oh, you gave me permission. Your eyes speak volumes. And had Gabe not chosen that time to interrupt, we’d have been entangled on your bed right now, with me driving you to ecstasy.”

  “Now who is being overconfident?” she counters, raising her chin.

  The slight waver in her voice gives me a thrill. I like that she is shy one minute, bold the next. It keeps me on my toes not knowing how she’s going to react when.

  I angle my head towards her. “This is going to happen between us and I will wait for you to ask for it, if that’s what you want. But you will ask and that is a promise.”

  Her eyes flutter to mine and she moistens her lips.

  “It’s lovely,” she says, changing the subject. “I love every aspect of this house. Even though it seems unlived, it looks like it was designed with a lot of love.”

  “Thank you. It was.”

  We complete a tour of the upper floors, which is just four more bedrooms including hers and return to the dining room where Mrs. Perkins is ready with our dinner.

  Aaliya

  “So, did you spend a lot of time here while growing up?” I ask Damien as we eat our meal. It’s grilled chicken in lemon and thyme served with a coleslaw salad and flavored potato wedges. Mrs. Perkins is a fabulous cook and I tell her so as she bustles around us.

  His lips curve slightly. “Yes, I spent many Christmas vacations here. I looked forward to visiting Scotland in the winter.”

  I’m glad that he’s at ease again. I give him an encouraging smile as I sip my wine and he talks some more. “Those were good times. I’d take a sledge from the far corner of the garden and go zipping down to the river and repeat it over and over again until Mrs. Perkins would call me to eat.”