CHAPTER ONE

      SHE’D lost. To the tune of nearly a million pounds in costs. A million pounds! Ginny sat frozen and immobile while the words roared around her head and slowly, brutally their meaning became clear. All her efforts to make herself financially independent—the self-denial, the relentless sacrifices which had begun to threaten her marriage—were to be wiped away by a judge’s decision.

      Her perfectly painted mouth trembled. The sacrifices had been too great. She’d lost almost everything because she’d decided to sue the newspaper which had printed outrageous lies about her. The court had upheld the journalist’s story and she had been ordered to pay all of the defendant’s costs.

      Yet she was innocent! Ginny all but sobbed in despair. She loved her husband—and her self-respect—too much to sleep around. It appalled her that anyone would believe she’d furthered her career by doing so.

      As the room whirled in a kaleidoscope of colour, a friendly arm came around her shoulder. ‘Ginny,’ said her bodyguard gently, ‘let’s get out of here, huh?’

      The arm steadied her. Now she focused on a sea of faces, all looking at her. She was used to scrutiny, though not for this reason. From force of habit she smoothed her face of any revealing expression and eased down her breathing till it was normal.

      ‘Sure, Chas,’ she said evenly. And she thought that few people must realise how hard she had to work to control her voice, her eyes, her limbs as she uncoiled her near-six-foot length and gracefully shrugged on a fake fur coat against the bitter cold that awaited outside. ‘Take me home,’ she said gratefully, aware that only Chas knew how badly she was shaking and how deeply the verdict had wounded her sense of decency and pride.

      She needed Leo. Her darling husband. The man she’d loved from the moment their eyes had first met. It was all she could think of—Leo’s arms around her, comforting her, cradling her and murmuring soothing words of tender love.

      The Press were already exploding flashes in her face, even in the courtroom, shouting cruel questions that made her wince. Like ‘Where’s your husband, Ginny?’ That hurt. If only he’d been by her side instead of administering an estate that had managers galore!

      She drew in her breath when she thought of Leo and how disappointed she’d felt when he hadn’t been prepared to accept her preoccupation with this case. She’d realised that he couldn’t completely abandon Castlestowe, but she’d needed him. Leo’s continued absence during the trial had been like a dagger in her heart.

      She’d been nineteen when they’d married and for four wonderful years they had loved one another with a passion that had had her floating on air. He’d been kind, gentle and cherishing. Her empty soul had flowered with his love. It was the first time in her life that she’d felt truly whole.

      He’d been eager in the old days to hurry back to their London home after his visits to the family seat in Scotland.