Devil in Paradise Read online

  Devil in Paradise

  By

  Joanna Mansell

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  "Nothing's going to shift me."

  Kate's voice was firm. "I'm staying at the Villa des Anges. And as for my reputation, I shouldn't think it's in the slightest danger. After all, we're cousins."

  "That doesn't stop us from becoming as close as we want, Kate." His voice had a purring note in it now, and Kate's skin responded with an unexpected rush of goose pimples. "Perhaps I'd better let you in on a little secret. We could get involved in any way we like. You see, we're not actually related, Cousin Kate. I was adopted."

  Kate gaped at him in surprise. "But—you can't be," she spluttered.

  "Believe it, Kate." His dark eyes were glinting brightly now. "If you've convinced yourself that you're safe with me because we're cousins—think again."

  JOANNA MANSELL finds writing hard work but very addictive. When she's not bashing away at her typewriter, she'd usually got her nose buried in a book. She also loves gardening and daydreaming, two pastimes that go together remarkably well. The ambition of this Essex-born author is to write books that people will enjoy reading.

  Books

  by

  Joanna Mansell

  HARLEQUIN PRESENTS

  1116—MIRACLE MAN

  1139—LORD AND MASTER

  1156—ILLUSION OF PARADISE

  1186—THE THIRD KISS

  1218—WILD JUSTICE

  1250—NIGHT WITH A STRANGER

  1291—THE SEDUCTION OF SARA

  1331—A KISS BY CANDLELIGHT

  HARLEQUIN ROMANCE

  2836—THE NIGHT IS DARK

  2866—SLEEPING TIGER

  2894—BLACK DIAMOND

  Harlequin Presents first edition May 1991

  ISBN 0-373-11364-1

  Original hardcover edition published in 1990

  by Mills & Boon Limited

  DEVIL IN PARADISE

  Copyright © 1990 by Joanna Mansell.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Kate pulled the car over to the side of the road, and then sat back to admire the view. Blue sky, blue sea, small bays with golden sand, gently swaying trees and vividly coloured flowers were spread out in front of her. Best of all, the whole scene was bathed in bright, hot sunshine. Right now, it looked to her exactly like paradise.

  'Fantastic,' she murmured to herself. 'Good old Great-Uncle Henry, leaving me a half-share in a villa in the South of France. All I've got to do now is try and find it!'

  Kate studied the instructions the solicitor had given her, and then started up the car again. As she headed along the coast she drank in the dreamy views, and itched to get into her bikini so that she could plunge into that marvellously inviting sea.

  Eventually, she turned off the main road and headed down a much narrower side road. At the end of it were a pair of very ornate wrought-iron gates, with the name of the villa worked into the scrolled pattern. 'Villa des Anges.' Kate gave a sigh of relief as she said it out loud. This was it, Great-Uncle Henry's villa. And on either side of the gateposts were the tall statues of angels that gave the villa its name.

  Kate got out of the car and opened the gates. The statues gazed down at her with rather cynical smiles on their stone faces, and Kate decided that she didn't like them very much.

  'Well, you can get rid of them, if you want to,' she reminded herself. 'You are the owner.' Then she remembered that only half of the villa was hers. 'All right, you can get rid of one of them,' she told herself with a grin. 'I suppose that, legally speaking, the other one belongs to Cousin Rafe.'

  As she said her cousin's name the sun disappeared behind a patch of cloud, and a faint patterning of goose-pimples covered Kate's skin. For just an instant, she was startled; then she grinned to herself again. It was just a silly coincidence, that was all. On the other hand, Kate's mother had always sworn that Rafe was half devil. If that were true, then it was hardly surprising that the sun had vanished when Kate had said his name!

  The cloud quickly passed and the sun blazed down again, but Kate kept on thinking about Rafe Clarendon for a few more moments. Cousin Rafe, who was the other main beneficiary in Great-Uncle Henry's will, and who owned the other half of the Villa des Anges. It was several years since she had seen him, and she knew next to nothing about him, except what she had heard through family gossip. Not that there was any shortage of that! According to the latest stories, he had set up in business as an enquiry agent. Kate gave a brief snort. What kind of job was that for a man? Rafe was far too old to be playing at private detectives!

  As she got back into the car, though, she pushed all thoughts of him right out of her mind. She had more than enough to occupy her at the moment, without wasting time thinking about Rafe.

  She started up the engine, passed through the gates, and then headed down the drive. The grounds of the villa were beautiful, with exotic trees, great splashes of bright blooms, and paths that disappeared off into the undergrowth. It was also wildly overgrown. Obviously, it hadn't been touched since Great-Uncle Henry had died. Kate's brow furrowed thoughtfully. Could she afford to employ a gardener? Then she shook her head a little impatiently. Yes, of course she could! Along with the half-share of the villa, Great-Uncle Henry had left her a great parcel of stocks and shares. Although she definitely hadn't got used to it yet, she could afford just about anything she wanted.

  Then she forgot about the money again as the drive swept round a curve, and she found herself looking straight at the villa.

  It was great. No, it was better than great. It was perfect. White walls and terracotta tiles, shuttered windows fringed with ornate balconies, bougainvillaea trailing over the lower walls, and great tubfuls of carnations outside the front entrance. As Kate got out of the car and walked towards the door, their scent danced in front of her, sweet but not cloying.

  She took out the key which the solicitor had given her, and then sucked in a deep breath.

  'This is it,' she told herself. 'Your first look inside your inheritance.'

  She slid the key into the lock and turned it, but then frowned when the door wouldn't open. The lock wasn't broken; she could hear it clicking back. The door remained annoyingly shut, though.

  Her brows drew even tighter together. Why couldn't she get in? Had someone bolted the door from the inside? Why would they do that, though? And who would do it?

  Then one possible explanation occurred to her. She knew that Great-Uncle Henry had had a housekeeper to look after him during the last couple of years, when his health hadn't been so good. Perhaps she was still here, and kept the door bolted because she was nervous at being in the villa on her own.

  There was a bell-pull to one side of the door, and Kate gave it an energetic yank. She could hear it clanging noisily inside the villa, but no one came to open the door.

  She stepped back a couple of paces and looked up at the windows. The shutters of one of the rooms on the first floor were open, and she could have sworn she saw a flicker of movement behind the glass. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. If the housekeeper could see her, why wouldn't the woman let her in?

  Kate gave another frustrated yank on the bell-pull, but still got no response. She muttered something very rude under her breath, and was just reaching for it again, determined to ring it until the housekeeper got sick of hearing it and finally let her in, when she heard the sound of the bolt being drawn back.

  'About time, too,' she said irritably.

  She picked up her shoul
der-bag and prepared to march straight into the villa. She was hot and flustered by this time, and dying for a shower and a change of clothes. When the door finally opened, though, the tall figure that appeared in the doorway just stood there, completely blocking the entrance.

  Kate's gaze slid over a pair of powerful shoulders, lean hips and well-defined thighs. Then she swallowed hard. Definitely not the housekeeper! Her eyes travelled upwards again, and this time rested on a dark-featured face that was disturbingly familiar, even though she hadn't seen it for several years. Her cousin, Rafe.

  His gaze swept over her, and he obviously wasn't in the least pleased to see her. At the same time, he seemed to be assessing every last inch of her, and Kate was infuriated to feel a faint flush of colour spread over her face.

  'Well,' he drawled at last, 'you look a lot more-mature—than when we last met, Kate. But what the hell are you doing here?'

  Kate somehow gathered her slightly addled wits together. 'I'd have thought that was fairly obvious. When I found out that Great-Uncle Henry had left me a half-share in this villa, I chucked in my job and headed straight out here. I'm going to spend the summer at the villa.'

  'I'm afraid that's not possible,' Rafe informed her.

  Kate stared at him edgily. Her nerves had already been severely jolted by the discovery that Rafe was apparently in residence at the villa. And now he was telling her that she couldn't stay here.

  'What do you mean, not possible?' she demanded.

  'Just that,' he replied coolly. 'You can't stay at the villa. You'll have to make other arrangements.'

  Kate's temper started to steam. Who did he think he was, telling her what she could or couldn't do? She wished she could just push straight past him and march right into the villa—half of which was legally hers!—but she could see that that would never work. Rafe was a physically impressive man. It would be like trying to barge through a brick wall.

  That meant there wasn't much alternative except to try and reason with him. Was it possible to reason with Rafe Clarendon? she wondered. She had no idea. As far as she knew, no one in her family had ever tried it!

  'Look,' she said, making a huge effort to keep her voice fairly calm, 'I'm sorry if I've turned up at an inconvenient time, but I had no idea you'd be here. And you've really got no alternative except to let me in. I've every right to be here. I'm Great-Uncle Henry's joint heir. Half of everything he owned is mine—including this villa.'

  'As far as I'm concerned, you can have all of it,' replied Rafe. 'I'm not interested in Great-Uncle Henry's property. Or his money, come to that. But you can't take possession for at least a couple of weeks. It—isn't convenient,' he finished slightly evasively.

  Light began to dawn inside Kate's head. Mentally, she kicked herself. She should have realised right from the start what this was all about. After all, she was perfectly familiar with Rafe's reputation. Her mother had certainly remarked on it often enough!

  'Oh, I get it,' she said, a grin beginning to spread across her face. 'You've got a gorgeous little blonde— or perhaps even a couple—tucked away upstairs. That's why the shutters were closed and the door bolted in the middle of the afternoon. No wonder you don't want little Cousin Kate hanging around, spoiling your fun. Well, sorry to be a party-pooper, Rafe, but I'm not going to move into some hotel just so you can have the run of the villa to play games with your girlfriends. Don't worry,' she added, 'I'll be perfectly discreet. You'll hardly even know I'm around. I'll just get my bags from the car—'

  'You're not staying here, Kate.'

  She had already started to head back to her car to collect her luggage, but his blunt statement made her stop dead. And when she swung back to face him, her dark eyes were as fiercely determined as his own.

  'Just how do you intend to stop me?' she demanded.

  His gaze slid with clear amusement over her slender body. 'I don't think it'll be too difficult,' he pointed out.

  'Legally, you don't have a leg to stand on,' came her furious reply.

  'I've never worried too much about the legal niceties. And, if it comes down to a question of sheer brute strength, I don't think you're going to be in with much of a chance, Cousin Kate.'

  Kate glared at him. 'Are you telling me that you'd physically throw me off this property? Even though I am the joint owner?'

  'I'm telling you that I don't intend to let you move into the villa.'

  There was a note of such utter determination in his voice that Kate very nearly gave up at that point. Then she lifted her head and straightened her shoulders. She was a Clarendon, wasn't she? And Clarendons didn't cave in at the first sign of trouble.

  Unfortunately, there was a small flaw in that argument. Rafe was a Clarendon, too, and he seemed equally determined to get his own way.

  He was looking at her now with cool composure. 'Are you prepared to be sensible about this?' he enquired.

  No, she certainly wasn't! On the other hand, she wasn't going to get anywhere by losing her temper. 'Let's both try and be reasonable,' she said in a conciliatory tone. 'I'm hungry and I'm tired, and I'm definitely not in the mood for any more of this. Just let me in, so I can have something to eat and rest for a couple of hours. Then perhaps we can talk this over, and reach some sort of compromise.'

  'I never compromise,' he informed her calmly. Then his eyes gleamed briefly. 'But, on the other hand, I wouldn't want you to think that I'm completely unreasonable. Wait here for a few minutes.'

  Before Kate could get out even a brief objection, he went back inside the villa, firmly closing the door behind him and keeping her shut out. Despite her earlier determination to hang on to her temper, another wave of frustration swept over Kate and she thumped on the door several times with her fist. She knew it wouldn't do the slightest good. Rafe wasn't going to have a miraculous change of heart and let her in. It did make her feel slightly better, though, even if it did rather bruise her hand.

  She turned away from the door and then paced restlessly up and down, scuffling her feet irritably and scowling at the world in general. A reception like this was about the last thing she had expected. She had been looking forward to a relaxing couple of weeks of sunbathing and sightseeing, before getting down to the business of deciding where she wanted her life to go from here. Not for one moment had she thought that she would end up like this, shut out of the villa by Rafe Clarendon, who clearly believed that possession was nine-tenths of the law.

  The front door opened again, and Rafe reappeared. 'Well?' demanded Kate. 'Are you prepared to behave like a rational human being this time?'

  'I'm always rational. And reasonable,' Rafe informed her. Then he handed her a sheet of paper.

  'What's this?' she said suspiciously.

  'The name and address of one of the best hotels in Nice. I've reserved you a room with a balcony and a sea view. You can stay there for as long as you like, and at my expense.'

  Kate screwed up the sheet of paper into a ball, and then tossed it away.

  'If I'd wanted to stay in a hotel, I'd have made the booking myself!' she told him hotly.

  Rafe merely shrugged. 'At least I gave you the choice. What you do now is entirely up to you. Goodbye, Kate.'

  And with that, he stepped back and closed the door.

  Kate couldn't quite believe that this was happening. She did know one thing, though. That door wasn't going to open again, not even if she spent the rest of the afternoon thumping on it, or screaming at Rafe through it. Boiling inside with anger, she went back to her car and flung herself down on the front seat. What now? she muttered to herself darkly. Just give up, and find some hotel to stay in? Come to think of it, was there any alternative?

  She sat there and brooded about the infuriating situation for a long while. It was hunger that finally prompted her into action. It seemed hours since she had last eaten, and she always thought better on a full stomach.

  She headed back to the main road, and kept driving until she reached a small cafe. After demolishing a hug
e salad that was a delicious mix of tuna and peppers, tomatoes, olives, anchovies, and celery, she ate several chunks of crisp new bread, and finally finished with some fresh fruit.

  'Healthy and nutritious,' she told herself drily. 'But now it's time to get back to the main question. What to do about Cousin Rafe?'

  In the end, she decided that she really only had two choices. She could go slinking off to some hotel, and be thoroughly fed up for the next couple of weeks; or she could make another effort to get into the Villa des Anges.

  Kate's mouth curved into a slightly devilish grin that, although she wasn't aware of it, gave her face an uncanny similarity to Rafe's.

  'No contest,' she murmured to herself. 'All I've got to do now is figure out how to go about it.'

  She had a couple more cups of coffee, and by the time she finally left the cafe and headed back towards the villa it was almost dusk. When she reached the gates she found them standing wide open. Since she had closed them when she had left, that could only mean one thing. Rafe had gone out for the evening, which meant that the villa was empty.

  Kate had counted on that. Since she had thought it highly unlikely that Rafe would spend his evenings on his own when all the attractions of the Cote d'Azur—blondes, brunettes and redheads—were on offer just down the road, she had based her plans around the assumption that he wouldn't be there.

  It was dark now, but a rising moon gave enough silvery light for her to see by as she made her way round to the back of the villa. A little anxiously, she glanced up at the windows, and then gave a sigh of relief as she saw that they were unshuttered. A nervous tingle fluttered its way down her spine, and she decided that she had better go ahead with her plan right now, before her nerve began to crack.

  She scrabbled around in a nearby flower-bed, and soon found what she wanted. Kate suddenly smiled. She was beginning to look forward to this.