‘I hated the separation. We’ll never be separated again,’ he declared vehemently. ‘We’ll give each other all we’ve missed out on in the lives we’ve had up until now. We’ll make the best of all possible futures together, Chloe.’

And he sealed that promise to her in a kiss that made her believe it, the whole indomitable power of the man pouring through her-filling her heart, her mind, her body and soul with absolute trust in him, making her certain that they did belong with each other and always would.

They would have a wonderful future together.

When Maximilian Hart set out to make something happen, he made it happen.

EPILOGUE

VERY shortly after Chloe had accepted Max’s proposal of marriage, he informed her that her mother had moved to Los Angeles and would undoubtedly contrive to set up as an actors’ agent there. The ruthless gleam in his dark eyes told her the master player had been at work, ensuring that the woman he loved would not be stressed by Stephanie Rollins ever again. Chloe didn’t question him about it, simply accepting with huge relief that her mother had been cut completely out of her life and would never re-enter it.

She learnt from her lawyer that Tony had also moved away from Sydney, setting himself up at Byron Bay on the far north coast of New South Wales where there was a community of writers. Apparently he fancied the idea of writing a book. Chloe thought it more likely that was an image he would use to pass himself off as someone worth knowing while he bummed around on her money.

Not that she cared. It was worth the divorce settlement to have him out of sight and out of mind. She wondered if Max had forcefully suggested the move to him but he only muttered, ‘Good riddance!’ when she passed on the news. The divorce went through without any further meeting with Tony and that, also, was a relief.

Chloe did not worry about being confronted by Laura Farrell again. Her ex-P.A. would have known her fraud would be uncovered as soon as Tony was contacted about child support, making it certain there was no profit in making another approach. She was, in fact, arrested some months later, for trying to blackmail a prominent businessman, and Chloe was glad that someone had put an end to her evil mischief.

She and Max were married as soon as it was legally possible.

Gerry Anderson became a permanent fixture in their lives, accompanying Chloe whenever Max could not be at her side, and watching out for their children’s safety as the years went on.

Max moved on to producing movies, which always starred his wife and were invariably box-office successes because he never chose to bring anything but satisfying stories to the big screen. The two of them became legends in the movie world, renowned not only for having the golden touch, but for being a golden couple, their obvious love for each other never losing its shine.

They had four children, two boys and two girls, all of whom travelled with them wherever they went. They had residences in New York and London, villas in France and Italy, but these were only places for their family to live when work demanded they be in other countries. Hill House was always home to them.

The children loved having their own little house to play in and it was kept for their exclusive use. Guests were housed in the mansion. The three E’s stayed on, keeping everything as it should be for the rest of their lives, training and supervising their replacements as they grew too old to carry on their roles themselves. They were like grandparents, enjoying and taking a caring interest in the children, minding Luther when the family was away.

Luther lived to the grand old age of eighteen. He was buried beside the children’s house with a gravestone that read Here lies Luther, the best guard dog in the world, and much loved pet of the Hart family.

The question Max had once asked of himself-would he be good for Chloe Rollins in the long run?-lost all significance in the future they made together. He took immense pleasure in watching her face show everything she felt and those feelings invariably lifted his own heart. He was not only good for her, she was good for him.

He didn’t know that in her eyes he was her wonderful white knight.

Not one bit dark.

He’d banished all the darkness for her, just as she had for him.

In their private life they became known as Max and Mary to all those close to them.

Emma Darcy

EMMA DARCY was born in Australia, and currently lives on a beautiful country property in New South Wales, she has moved from country to city to towns and back to country, sporadically indulging her love of tropical islands with numerous vacations.

Her ambition to be an actress was partly satisfied when she played in amateur theater productions, but ultimately fulfilled when she became a writer. Initially a teacher of French and English, she changed her career to computer programming before marriage and motherhood settled her into community life. Her creative urges were channeled into oil painting, pottery, and designing and overseeing the construction and decorating of two homes, all in the midst of keeping up with three lively sons and the very busy social life of her businessman husband.

A voracious reader, the step to writing her own books seemed a natural progression to Emma, and the challenge of creating wonderful stories was soon highly addictive. With her strong interest in people and relationships, Emma found the world of romance fiction a happy one.

Currently she has broadened her horizons and begun to write mainstream women’s fiction. Other new directions include her most recent adventures of blissfully breezing around the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Louisiana in a red convertible, and risking the perils of the tortuous road along the magnificent Amalfi Coast in Italy.

Her conviction that we must make all we can out of the life we are given keeps her striving to know more, be more and give more, and this is reflected in all her books.