Robert? You didn’t want to marry me.’
Robert was mystified. ‘Am I missing something here? I am marrying you. At least—’
‘At least you had to in the end.’
‘Don’t you turn this on me.’
‘Because my father was pressuring you into it.’ Elisabeth refused to back down. She turned to Bernstein. ‘Right?’
Bernstein shook his head, mute. ‘What have I done?’ he whispered.
‘Exactly,’ said Elisabeth. ‘You both thought you could play me however the hell you wanted, didn’t you? With your little fucking secrets, your plans for me. Always hiding something, weren’t you, Robert? Well, I got sick of it. I got sick of being the pawn in whatever game you and him’–she threw a look at Bernstein–’were playing.’
Robert came in. ‘Elisabeth, that’s not true.’
‘It is. You switched off from me like a light going out. At first I was confused, I was hurt, but then I realised what your problem was. Your problem, Robert, was that you couldn’t quite make me your wife. And it was obvious to me why. It still is.’
‘Elisabeth—’
‘So that’s where you came in.’ She looked at Bernstein. ‘Better get your trophy daughter down the aisle quick, make sure she gets locked into the business. Am I right? You’re a great team. The two of you ought to marry each other.’
Bernstein’s mouth was hanging open. ‘Hold up a second.’ He staggered to his feet, face sweating, lips cracked. A haunted look crouched in his eyes. ‘This can’t be happening—’
‘The only person I could talk to through all this is standing right here.’
The spotlight fell on Alberto. Sensing he was expected to speak, he began, ‘Well, I …’
‘So what did you expect, either of you?’ She shook her head. ‘You wanted me to marry a man who didn’t love me just so I could get swallowed up by some goddamn hotel empire? You’re forgetting something. I am not a Bernstein–I’m a Sabell.’
Bernstein reached out. ‘You’re neither,’ he choked.
‘Ha! That’ll be right. I’ve never felt I belonged and that’s probably just the way you wanted it. Far easier that way, isn’t it? It’d be funny if it weren’t so tragic.’
Bernstein’s eyes rolled across to Alberto, whose craggy face was aglow with unconcealed adoration. His breath became strangled.
‘Elisabeth, you can’t be serious about this.’
‘I’m more serious than I’ve ever been. You can’t control me any more. I’ve got my own life and I’m sick to death of you interfering.’
‘Please, both of you …’
She turned on Robert. ‘And you,’ she said, her voice shaking, ‘you want to know why I did this? I’ll tell you. The first day we met I fell in love with you. You went along with it because it was easy, and comfortable, and because we were worth more as two than we were by ourselves …’ She held up a hand. ‘And I know you loved me, in your way. But your way wasn’t enough, Robert. There was always something missing, wasn’t there?’ A pause. ‘If I’m honest with myself, I knew it from the start. I always loved you more than you loved me.’
Robert shook his head. ‘I never wanted to hurt you. I didn’t realise I’d made you feel this way. I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t apologise,’ she said. ‘Everyone expected us to stay together, to be in love, to get married. Forget my father, I’m talking the whole of the city. And I was always the other half–the smaller, slightly more pathetic half.’
‘That’s not true.’
‘I know it’s not. But that’s how it felt.’
‘I can’t say sorry for that.’
‘You don’t have to. But you can say sorry for the way you treated me over Lana Falcon.’
‘It was complicated.’
‘Maybe.’ She looked at him sadly. ‘But your silence pushed me away.’ Her voice shook. ‘Do you remember what we used to be like?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘You made me feel like I was chasing something I could never catch up with, Robert, however fast I ran. And then I’d be thinking, Why do I have to put up with this? I’m Elisabeth Sabell, I’m strong–how can I be made to feel this damn awful by the man I’m supposed to be in love with?’ She laughed drily. ‘And then I saw how you responded to Lana, a woman who, back then, I thought you’d never even met.’ She looked away. ‘I never inspired that kind of feeling in you, and it was then I knew I couldn’t compete.’
It was Alberto’s turn to speak. ‘What has Lana Falcon got to do with it?’
‘They already know each other,’ explained Elisabeth.
‘It’s a long story,’ said