When the Devil Drives

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'There's no need.' His hand gently stroked the sudden rigidity of hershoulder and arm. 'Whatever you did, I was largely responsible for,and God knows I'm not proud of that.''No.' She laid a finger on his lips, silencing him. 'I've got to tell you.It's worse than you know.' She took a swift, painful breath. 'That wasno accident. I—I killed Martin.'There was a silence. Cal's brows lifted. 'Literally?' he asked in amatter-of-fact tone. 'What did you do to him—saw through the brakeson the car?''Of course not!' She was horrified. 'But I might as well have done.'There was another silence. She moistened dry lips with the tip of hertongue. 'You say you want to marry me, but I don't think that's evergoing to be possible.''I agree it may not be easy at first. But both sides are going to have tolearn to accept it. I'm damned if we're going to drag this feud intoanother generation.''It has nothing to do with the feud,' Joanna interrupted swiftly. 'It hasto do with me—with the kind of person I am. I ruined Martin's lifewhen I married him. I destroyed him.' Her hands twisted together, theknuckles white. 'I meant it all for the best. I wanted to be a good wifeto him. Instead, I made him so wretched that he didn't want to live anymore.''Who the hell told you that?''He did. And his aunt confirmed it.' She swallowed. 'I can't risk doingthat to another human being. You must see that.'Cal stared at her, his face suddenly grim. 'There's no danger of that.'
'You can't know that. I didn't know it when I married Martin. Ithought I'd be able to make him happy—to make our marriage work,but I never could. And it was all my fault. I couldn't love him in theway that he wanted.' She hesitated. 'In—that way.''Are you trying to tell me you don't love me in that way either?' Hespoke gently, but there was an agonised fierceness in his eyes.'I don't know,' she said. 'I—just don't know. With Martin, I washopeless—useless. Nothing I tried to do made any difference. I didn'tknow how to help him—how to reassure him. I felt so guilty anyway,knowing I'd married him without being properly in love. I'd thought Icould pretend, at first anyway, but he guessed immediately. Heaccused me...' Tears rose hot and thick in her throat. 'It wasdreadful—a nightmare that went on and on. And I couldn't make itstop.' Her voice died away.Cal was gazing at her, horrified understanding dawning on his face.He said quietly, 'Joanna—are you saying that you and Martinnever...? That you're still a virgin?'She nodded convulsively. 'Night after night, I tried, but nothing wasany good. He knew I didn't love him properly, and it—affectedhim—his manhood.''And that's the burden you've been carrying all this time? All thatguilt—all that blame?' Cal shook his head. 'Oh, my sweet—my poorlittle love.''It was -my fault,' she said intensely. 'When he went out that night, Iknew he was in a desperate state. I should have stopped him.''I doubt whether you could have done.' Cal's face was grave.'But I should have tried,' she insisted. 'I was just using him, and heknew it. The least I could have done was attempt to save him.'
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WHEN THE DEVILDRIVESSara Craven
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CHAPTER ONE'SIMON, you don't—you
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Because Cal Blackstone wasn't inter
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Joanna bit her lip hard. It was Phi
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ack in his face, for God's sake.' H
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'Here?' Joanna stared at him, appal
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Know your enemy, had been one of Jo
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By the time she'd fetched the jack,
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Joanna sniffed delicately, grimacin
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Cal Blackstone threw back his head
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'Ah, but it will,' he said softly.
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CHAPTER TWOTHE mist swirled thickly
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'After all,' Fiona had often pouted
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As she heard the doorbell peal, she
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held together by an elastic band. H
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She didn't want to hear any more. H
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'And so it will be soon,' he said s
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'I don't need twenty-four seconds,'
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Why the hell was she worrying about
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'Not yours to that extent. Simon, a
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'And having my private affairs chew
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CHAPTER THREEDOWN by the reservoir,
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She started violently. She'd been s
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'Isn't that what all men want?'He s
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Joanna's watch said eight o'clock p
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the wedding ceremony, even in the n
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'I wouldn't blame it,' he said dril
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She sat rigidly on the edge of the
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'It's all right, sweetie,' her fath
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'You don't need to make excuses for
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His hand slid under her hair, lifti
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CHAPTER FOURJOANNA awoke from sleep
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'You were clearly in a highly nervo
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'You intend to go on with this—ob
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The living-room, she found, had alr
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Her smile was civil but totally dis
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'No one would ever regard your gran
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on your wedding night? Did you keep
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line of her throat to his mouth. He
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He moved out of the doorway, allowi
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Because she knew now, quite unequiv
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action would be to hire a business
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of some way by now to keep him off
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CHAPTER FIVEJOANNA felt better afte
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'How very good of you.' Joanna's fa
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And the trouble is it could all be
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with you to show you a cottage at N
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lavish arrangement of dried flowers
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There was a sudden burning ache in
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'Where do you think you're going?'
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thought about us. She assumed that
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She slid into the driving seat and
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Somehow, against all logic and all
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else around. She could not have bor
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Joanna had accepted his occasional
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Joanna had felt nauseated, close to
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She drew a deep, quivering sigh, an
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There was a moment of silence, tota
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'I found out while you were in Amer
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She shivered as she remembered the
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CHAPTER SEVENJOANNA spent the follo
Page 126 and 127: Callum Blackstone had wanted Joanna
Page 128 and 129: How marvellous to be able to map ou
Page 130 and 131: The envelope was lying on the carpe
Page 132 and 133: using for the kitchen units. We've
Page 134 and 135: 'Maybe we should.' Cal's eyes dwell
Page 136 and 137: 'That's our business.' Joanna wonde
Page 138 and 139: 'He never will.' She was hurting so
Page 140 and 141: She could taste blood in her mouth,
Page 142 and 143: At the same time, Joanna was sane e
Page 144 and 145: 'That woman has got to go,' Mrs Dri
Page 146 and 147: Once I would simply have blamed the
Page 148 and 149: Anthony Chalfont stirred in his une
Page 150 and 151: traumatic thing. You were his nanny
Page 152 and 153: from then on.' She sighed. 'He'd ha
Page 154 and 155: 'Oh, we've been in touch with Mr Dr
Page 156 and 157: CHAPTER NINETHERE was darkness all
Page 158 and 159: Cal carried Joanna out into the hal
Page 160 and 161: A moment later the front door bange
Page 162 and 163: Needless to say, her father had bee
Page 164 and 165: 'Perhaps,' Joanna said evenly. 'But
Page 166 and 167: It was the same receptionist at the
Page 168 and 169: She stared at him. 'Why—everythin
Page 170 and 171: When she was alone, she glanced rou
Page 172 and 173: een sheer hell for them both. He pr
Page 174 and 175: In between kisses, they spoke the f
Page 178 and 179: 'No, my darling.' Cal looked at her
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When the Devil Drives

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