An Introduction to the Pink Collection by Barbara Cartland Page B

you’re after, you grasping little doxy?”
    Before she could answer this insult he said something that took her breath away.
    â€œVery well, you can have it. I’ll set you up in a fine house in Park Lane. You can have jewels, servants, cash, a box at the opera, all the clothes you want. And you’ll belong to me, any hour of the day or night that it pleases me.”
    He meant it, she thought, her mind reeling. She had a wild desire to laugh. A moment ago she had felt insulted, but this was too monstrous for that.
    And then came the wicked thought –
    â€œI must share this joke with John. How we’ll laugh together!”
    She pulled herself together. Her own reprehensible amusement was surely the most shocking thing of all.
    â€œThere is no point in discussing this further,” she said. “I’m going now.”
    â€œYou’ll discuss it as long as I want,” he shouted, tightening his hand on her arm.
    â€œThere is nothing to say,” she shouted back. “You do not appeal to me, sir. Is that plain enough for you?”
    â€œDon’t tell me my money doesn’t appeal to you. What’ll happen if you stay here? A drudge all your life, ending up destitute? You don’t think he’ll marry you, do you?”
    She froze, meeting his eyes in horrified self-discovery.
    How had this cruel demon put his finger on a secret buried so deep that she hadn’t even seen it herself until now?
    â€œAll this fancy talk about love,” Wyngate sneered. “Weaving pretty dreams for yourself, aren’t you? Dreams and nothing else. His mistress is all you’ll ever be. He needs money and you don’t have it.
    â€œWell, if you can be his mistress, you can be mine, and I’ll give you a better time than he could. I know how to treat a woman, you see – in bed and out of it.”
    â€œUntil you throw her out and she’s just as destitute as before,” Rena snapped.
    â€œThen you’ll have to keep me happy so that I don’t, won’t you? By God, I’m going to enjoy owning you! What a fight of it we’ll have, my lady. I’ll enjoy that. I’ll overcome you in the end, but it’ll be a pleasure showing you who’s the master. You’re a worthy opponent, you see, and I haven’t had one of those for a long time.”
    Disgust had silenced her, but now she found her tongue.
    â€œLet go of me at once,” she said breathlessly. “I will not be your mistress, now or ever. I will not accept your money on any pretext, and I will not be driven out.”
    â€œThen we will be enemies,” he said coldly. “People who make an enemy of me always regret it. For your own sake, don’t be my enemy, Miss Colwell.”
    She met his eyes, refusing to back down.
    â€œI have been your enemy since the moment I saw you,” she said with calm deliberation, “and I shall be your enemy until the moment of my death.”
    â€œWhich may be sooner than you think, if you continue to be so unwise.”
    â€œDon’t try to frighten me – ” she began.
    And then she screamed.
    For she had seen two of him.
    Another Wyngate had appeared behind him, standing quietly, watching them.
    In her overwrought state the sight terrified her as nothing else could have done.
    â€œShut up, damn you!” Wyngate raged.
    For answer she pointed over his shoulder, screaming again and again. Wyngate turned to follow her finger, and then he grew very still, and his grasp on her relaxed enough for her to escape.
    She ran for her life. The terrible sight seemed to have drained all the strength from her body, so that each step was an effort, but she kept going.
    A turn in the road gave her the chance to look back, and what she saw increased her horror.
    The two Wyngate s were walking towards each other.
    She knew now what was going to happen. When these demons met they would merge into one. And if she saw it happen she