do with him. She would care for her baby herself, would never let it be influenced by Nicholas Andracas' cynicism and cruelty. And she had kept to that vow.
She felt even more wary of the second ring on her doorbell that morning. If it were the press after more details then she didn't want to speak to them, and if it were Nick demanding to know if it were true she didn't want to speak to him either. It was neither of these people, for either of those reasons.
Audra McDonald stood on the doorstep, her brows raised mockingly at Danielle's lack of welcome. 'I happen to have a couple of hours free this morning,' she walked past Danielle in a cloud of perfume to take up a triumphant stance in the lounge. 'And I thought I could come and sit for you.'
Danielle had to admire the other woman's audacity, even if the sight of her now made her feel nauseated. 'I won't be working today,' she said stiltedly.
'No?' auburn brows arched.
'No,' her mouth was tight.
'That's a pity,' Audra drawled, her gaze going to the crumpled newspaper that still lay on the coffee-table. She picked it up, her long nails vividly scarlet against the white-grey of the paper. She glanced over at Danielle with a self-satisfied smile. 'It's a good likeness of Nick, isn't it?' she mocked.
She shrugged. 'If you like that sort of photograph.'
'Oh I don't like it, far from it,' Audra threw the newspaper down again with barely concealed anger. 'But I knew as soon as I saw it that you and Nick are now lovers.'
Her mouth twisted. 'You know how he looks when he's aroused,' she remembered mockingly.
The other woman flushed. 'And how he looks when he's made love to someone,' she snapped.
Danielle's eyes flashed deeply green. 'And you gave that story to the newspapers just because you thought Nick and I had been to bed together?' she said disgustedly.
'I know you have,' she rasped.
'And just what did you hope to achieve by doing this to me?'
The other woman looked at her with venomous eyes. 'If I can no longer have Nick you aren't going to have him either!'
Danielle gave her a pitying glance. 'Don't you think that's a little childish?'
The other woman flushed her anger. 'If it works I don't care what it is!'
Danielle shook her head. 'You realise you won't succeed in getting Nick back this way? He'll realise, sooner or later, that you were behind this.'
'I'm hoping he does,' Audra's expression was ugly in her need for revenge. 'It's about time someone showed him that he can't control other people's lives the way he likes to.' Her eyes glittered with dislike.
Danielle could almost pity the other woman— almost. 'Did you have to involve me?' she reasoned.
'Why not?' the actress shrugged. 'I've put up with his other women, his taking me for granted, for over a year. If you hadn't come along he might eventually have married me.'
'Why would you have wanted that if he's treated you so badly?' she frowned.
'Are you mad?' Audra derided sharply. 'If I were Mrs Nick Andracas I would never have to work again, ever. Not that I mind acting, but I don't want to do it for the rest of my life. Nick will never marry me now, but at least I have the satisfaction of knowing he'll never marry you either!'
She sighed at the other woman's vehemence. 'You only had to ask me, I could have told you I'm not interested in becoming the wife of Nick Andracas.'
'I wanted to make sure he wasn't interested in marrying you,' the other woman bit out. 'And he won't be now,' she added with relish. 'One thing that has never entered into Nick's plans are children. The domesticity of that sort of family life has never appealed to him. And fathering someone else's bastard is something he would never do,' she scorned.
Danielle was very pale, wishing she could tell the other woman exactly who the father of that bastard child had been. But the brief satisfaction she would feel over such a disclosure wouldn't be worth the furore it would cause.
'It's amazing how you've managed to keep the child
She felt even more wary of the second ring on her doorbell that morning. If it were the press after more details then she didn't want to speak to them, and if it were Nick demanding to know if it were true she didn't want to speak to him either. It was neither of these people, for either of those reasons.
Audra McDonald stood on the doorstep, her brows raised mockingly at Danielle's lack of welcome. 'I happen to have a couple of hours free this morning,' she walked past Danielle in a cloud of perfume to take up a triumphant stance in the lounge. 'And I thought I could come and sit for you.'
Danielle had to admire the other woman's audacity, even if the sight of her now made her feel nauseated. 'I won't be working today,' she said stiltedly.
'No?' auburn brows arched.
'No,' her mouth was tight.
'That's a pity,' Audra drawled, her gaze going to the crumpled newspaper that still lay on the coffee-table. She picked it up, her long nails vividly scarlet against the white-grey of the paper. She glanced over at Danielle with a self-satisfied smile. 'It's a good likeness of Nick, isn't it?' she mocked.
She shrugged. 'If you like that sort of photograph.'
'Oh I don't like it, far from it,' Audra threw the newspaper down again with barely concealed anger. 'But I knew as soon as I saw it that you and Nick are now lovers.'
Her mouth twisted. 'You know how he looks when he's aroused,' she remembered mockingly.
The other woman flushed. 'And how he looks when he's made love to someone,' she snapped.
Danielle's eyes flashed deeply green. 'And you gave that story to the newspapers just because you thought Nick and I had been to bed together?' she said disgustedly.
'I know you have,' she rasped.
'And just what did you hope to achieve by doing this to me?'
The other woman looked at her with venomous eyes. 'If I can no longer have Nick you aren't going to have him either!'
Danielle gave her a pitying glance. 'Don't you think that's a little childish?'
The other woman flushed her anger. 'If it works I don't care what it is!'
Danielle shook her head. 'You realise you won't succeed in getting Nick back this way? He'll realise, sooner or later, that you were behind this.'
'I'm hoping he does,' Audra's expression was ugly in her need for revenge. 'It's about time someone showed him that he can't control other people's lives the way he likes to.' Her eyes glittered with dislike.
Danielle could almost pity the other woman— almost. 'Did you have to involve me?' she reasoned.
'Why not?' the actress shrugged. 'I've put up with his other women, his taking me for granted, for over a year. If you hadn't come along he might eventually have married me.'
'Why would you have wanted that if he's treated you so badly?' she frowned.
'Are you mad?' Audra derided sharply. 'If I were Mrs Nick Andracas I would never have to work again, ever. Not that I mind acting, but I don't want to do it for the rest of my life. Nick will never marry me now, but at least I have the satisfaction of knowing he'll never marry you either!'
She sighed at the other woman's vehemence. 'You only had to ask me, I could have told you I'm not interested in becoming the wife of Nick Andracas.'
'I wanted to make sure he wasn't interested in marrying you,' the other woman bit out. 'And he won't be now,' she added with relish. 'One thing that has never entered into Nick's plans are children. The domesticity of that sort of family life has never appealed to him. And fathering someone else's bastard is something he would never do,' she scorned.
Danielle was very pale, wishing she could tell the other woman exactly who the father of that bastard child had been. But the brief satisfaction she would feel over such a disclosure wouldn't be worth the furore it would cause.
'It's amazing how you've managed to keep the child
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