by Margaret Way
Olivia dragged herself up onto the porch thinking what a terrible end to a brilliant evening. She had a powerful urge to jump in the car and drive over to Jason’s place. She wanted him so much but it had been her own decision to send him away, that cut to the heart. Tears glinted in her eyes. She could still feel the imprint of his mouth on hers, the scent of him was on her skin. All around her was confusion and pain. Above all a frustrated physical yearning that had her stomach cramping. She knew she would be unable to sleep.
I love you, Jason, she said aloud. She had been starved of him for years yet she had sent him away. What mysteries there were at the heart of love.
She was crying openly now.
CHAPTER EIGHT
ROBYN’S KITCHEN was like a picturesque doll’s house sitting on the corner of the town’s main street. The entire façade was given over to a large bay window displaying a whole range of delectable food stuffs, a narrow glass paned door with a fancy brass door handle for entry. A luxuriant ficus in a glazed pot stood to one side. The area beneath the picture window was made eye catching with a half dozen spectacular bromeliads with dense spikes of scarlet flowers. The whole effect was delightful.
Olivia hesitated a moment longer, admiring, before she pushed open the door, savouring the cold blast of air that greeted her from the air-conditioning. It was a sizzlingly hot day, the humidity high. Robyn in a relaxed-style white uniform with a blue and white gingham apron tied around her waist was busy serving a customer. Olivia overheard an order of miniature quiches, phyllo triangles, a huge aioli platter beautifully arranged, a couple of roulades, some very fancy finger food, obviously there was a party planned—but Robyn gave Olivia a quick welcoming smile as did Robyn’s aides, the same women who had come to the house for the Christmas party.
“What about a cup of coffee while you’re waiting?” Robyn took a moment out to ask. “Won’t be long.”
“Lovely.” Olivia found herself a high stool in front of a curved niche with a selection of gourmet magazines spread out over it.
Within moments one of Robyn’s helpers brought her a cappuccino with a thick crema and the shape of a little fish dusted onto the top. It was accompanied by a tiny home-made pecan pie. Olivia thanked her. They exchanged a few remarks about the weather, the possibility of a late afternoon storm, then Olivia was left alone to enjoy her coffee.
She looked around. Robyn’s Kitchen though obviously too small for what appeared to be a burgeoning business had a very pleasant ambience. She had already asked Robyn if she’d trained to be a chef but Robyn had told her she hadn’t. Rather she came from a family of good cooks whose interest in food extended well beyond the average. Finding herself in the position of working mother with not a lot of qualifications, she had decided to come north and open a small shop offering home-made provisions using fresh high quality ingredients.
Robyn was to be congratulated on her success, Olivia thought. As Jason had remarked, she was a gutsy lady but Olivia thought she still didn’t know the full extent of Robyn’s courage and drive.
Ten minutes later Robyn joined her. “How lovely to see you, Olivia. Welcome to my little shop. In a way my haven.”
“And you’ve made something delightful of it.” Olivia smiled. “I remember this shop, a Miss Inness ran it for many years. She used to make beautiful little outfits for babies and small children. Lovely work. You used to have to take your shoes off before you came in. One would have thought she had a fancy white carpet that would soil easily, but the floor was tiled just as it is today.” Olivia glanced down at the terra cotta tiles. “I think it was all about cleanliness. It seems to me looking around you could do with bigger premises, Robyn?”
Robyn nodded, her expression bright with satisfaction. “I never expected to extend my horizons so quickly. As I told you, business was very slow when I first came here. The town mostly supported their own. Marco and the like. Not that they’re not very good, but I felt there was room for competition.”
“Fortunately Jason was in a position to help you to spread the word.”
“Yes, Jason!” A flush of colour burned through Robyn’s skin. “He’s an extraordinarily attractive man. People take notice of what he says. He’s so kind.”
“He can be,” Olivia said, finishing the last delicious morsel of the tiny pecan pie.
Robyn looked at Olivia a shade tentatively. “I hope you don’t mind, Olivia, but the local people have told me—”
“Jason and I were to be married?” Olivia supplied, realizing Robyn didn’t know how best to approach the subject. “It didn’t work out. Smart as he is Jason was outmanoeuvred by one Megan Duffy. I’m sure you’ve heard the rest of the story.”
Robyn nodded, looking a little shaken. “He still loves you, you know. I’d give anything to have a man like Jason Corey love me,” she added with sudden intensity.
“What makes you think he still loves me,” Olivia asked, very quietly.
“I knew the moment I saw you together,” Robyn said in a slightly elegiac tone. “Now I know not to make the big mistake of trying to get him to notice me.”
“Oh, Robyn!” Olivia groaned. “Is that what you want?”
“Aren’t I crazy?” Robyn grimaced. “I see now it was just a daydream.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Olivia wanted to console Robyn, give her something positive to hold on to but she knew she couldn’t. A miracle might still happen. Jason might get around to marrying his first love.
“That’s okay.” Robyn smiled and patted Olivia’s hand. “I’ll settle for friendship. Jason is a good man. He’s a wonderful father to Tali.”
“Yes, he is.” Olivia dipped her shiny dark head. “Please stop me if you don’t want to talk about it. Your marriage, I take it, it was unhappy?”
Robyn fixed her golden-brown eyes on a point just past Olivia’s shoulder. “It was much worse than that, Olivia. It was violent, black eyes and broken bones. I stood it as long as I could, until he threatened me with a knife, cut my face.” She touched her cheek gingerly as though it still bled. “I found the courage to call the police after that. I’d told no-one about Lyle. Not my parents, my brother or what few friends I had left. I was too ashamed. I kept up the pretence our marriage was happy, a lot of people thought it was. Lyle was a different person when we were out. He changed the moment we stepped in the door. The truth was I was a real mess. I needed help.”
“How awful! I’m terribly, terribly sorry.” Olivia felt a sudden despisal of Robyn’s husband who had been cruel enough to scar her face. She thought of all the women in life who made not only wrong choices, but life-threatening ones as well. She could never imagine Jason in any circumstances raising his hand to a woman. “How did you manage to get away?” she asked gently.
“My parents took us in,” Robyn said. “I couldn’t lie or pretend anymore. It was all out in the open. My husband beat me. When my brother found out he was livid. He warned Lyle not to come near me again. It worked for a while but I decided I had to go. I couldn’t have my family living with such upset. Eight months ago I found out I no longer had to fear Lyle’s coming after me. He was killed in an on-site industrial accident. I have no husband—Stevie has no father. It’s especially sad because Steven misses his father. Lyle never directed his anger and frustration at our son.”
“Thank God for that!” Olivia shuddered. “Thank you for confiding in me, Robyn. Life hasn’t been easy for you, but I’d like to take a hand in seeing things pick up. Actually what I’m here for is to ask you to cater a dinner party I’m giving this coming Saturday. An old friend is in town with his fiancée—Carlo De Luca—his father manages the mill. I’ve had a bit of a brainwave while we’ve been sitting here. I’d like you, if you can manage it all, to sit down to dinner with us as a guest. You’d be doing me a favour making up the numbers.”
Robyn looked dubious about that, but flattered and pleased as well. She began to beam. “I think you’re being kind to me, Olivia.”
“I think
you’ll enjoy it.” Olivia had thought of someone who would get along with Robyn just fine. “If you can work out a menu and let me have it as soon as possible that would be great. What I have in mind is for you to supervise up to a point and your helpers can do the rest, dish the meal up and serve it. Grace won’t be there as she likes spending Christmas and New Year with her widowed sister in Brisbane. Does that appeal to you? Dress up. Chance to look good.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Robyn could barely contain her pleasure.
Olivia laughed. “That’s easy. Say yes.”
I’m only half living, Megan thought, flinging herself down on the unmade bed in the trailer. It’s all just too bloody much, working in a supermarket, living in a dirty run-down trailer in a caravan park. She’d have been much better off staying with Jason and the kid. Jason might never love her, might never yearn after her like Princess Bloody Olivia, but he’d tried hard to be a friend to her. In his own way he cared about her but he couldn’t love her like he loved his perfect Olivia or naughty little Natalie who so often put her in a rage. It was sad really when Tali wasn’t Jason’s kid.
All these years later she really couldn’t get over the fact Jason on the eve of marrying his precious princess had believed the trumped-up story she sold him about him being the father of her unborn child. Sometimes she felt really really sorry she had done that to Jason. Other times she laughed so hard it gave her a stitch. She knew if she’d gone to Carlo he could have told her to get lost; get an abortion, or so she thought.
Carlo De Luca was dead set on becoming a doctor. A big career move. Prestige, money. Megan being Megan didn’t think it had a lot to do with helping people. Carlo in her view surely wasn’t going to help pathetic little Megan Duffy who he’d only made love to because he needed sex and his best girl Jennifer had gone on a trip with her parents. Jason’s darling little Tali, the child he’d been so protective of, had been conceived in the back seat of Carlo De Luca’s second hand car.
Megan rolled her eyes at the memory. Carlo came so quick—two minutes—she barely had time to feel anything, let alone conceive a child, a child she never wanted. She didn’t want to take care of any kid, feed her, bathe her, clean up after the mess. She didn’t want to be turned into a child minder. She didn’t want a naughty kid that shouted and glowered at her and yelled for her daddy. Not every woman wanted kids. Why couldn’t people understand that? She swore after Tali she’d never get pregnant again.
First and foremost she had to look after herself, which was why she had to get out of this dirty trailer. She’d seen what had happened at Sean’s party, the way Gordon Cassidy had spiked Jason’s drink. Sean’s half-witted friends thought it a great joke. Sean’s gang had a hero-hate relationship going on with Jason Corey who was everything none of them could ever be. Not only that Jason was going to marry Princess Bloody Linfield and shift out of a crummy bungalow into a mansion.
It was great, great fun for them to see Jason fall under the influence of the drug though Jason was so fit and strong it took a surprising amount of time.
But she had waited. And waited. She didn’t want to do it but she knew she would. She’d had a massive crush on Jason Corey since she was twelve years old. He was so handsome, so much the gentleman, so clever, so totally bloody nice. He was the total opposite to her fool of a brother with no money, no job. Jason was only being kind coming to Sean’s party. Sean had actually been thrilled about it, but he didn’t take good care of his hero. Sean knew what was going on. He let it happen, though he was sorry about it the next day.
Too late! When Jason came to the next morning she was snuggling up naked beside him. It was wonderful just lying against him. He had the most marvellous body, so fit and toned. Yet she’d had no qualms about allowing him to believe he had made drunken love to her during the night. He was so hung over he finally concluded he must have. Not many people knew it but she was an unbelievably good actress when she was certain she was pregnant she convinced herself she didn’t have a choice. Carlo De Luca would rant and rage—Carlo’s mother would shout abuse at her, accuse her of lying—Carlo’s mother was formidable with a spectacular temper. She had a lot better chance of fooling the honourable Jason, Jason who’d actually believed she was a virgin. Not that she ever let just anyone mess with her. She chose who she got into a car with. She knew she had to be very discreet or her father would come after her with his fists.
A week ago, quite by accident, she’d picked up an old newspaper with a small snapshot of a face she knew well on the front page and underneath the caption Harry Linfield Dies, Story Page 5. Towards the back she’d found the obituary and more pictures. Harry Linfield had been a big man in North Queensland—they even knew him in the Territory. She’d ripped the page out after she’d devoured the contents. Now she dug it up again from under the thin mattress. How she hated living like this! It had been all right for a while but now she and Brucie, the guy she was shacked up with, no drop-dead dreamy hunk like Jason, were arguing all the time.
Damn! if Princess Olivia hadn’t inherited all her uncle’s money and the sugar plantation, too—historic Havilah. There was a picture of her standing in front of that magnificent old colonial mansion. Olivia with the long black hair and the diamond-coloured eyes looking so beautiful and posh. It had never crossed Olivia’s saintly mind she had hated her. Taking Jason off Olivia Linfield hadn’t made her sad…there was no-one she’d rather have done it to. Quite a coup stealing the bridegroom! Teach Olivia a lesson! Why should she be rich and beautiful and happy when Megan Duffy—she’d never really thought of herself as Jason’s wife, Megan Corey—had so many needs that could never be filled. Olivia Linfield had been lucky enough to be born into wealth and privilege. Why then should she be allowed to marry her prince? No, she hadn’t felt bad about betraying her lovely, kind friend who had deigned to ask her to be bridesmaid. The privileged loved doing good deeds. Then they didn’t feel so bad about having so much more than anyone else.
Now and again Megan was seized by regret for what she had done, but only to Jason. She had really believed once they were married she could get him to love her.
It had never happened. Instead he had loved Tali who looked at her with Carlo De Luca’s eyes. Jason would do anything to keep that kid. Maybe it was time to pay him and his true love, Olivia, a visit. She’d known for some time Jason had gone back home to be with his dying mother. She knew Harry Linfield had given Jason the job of overseer on Havilah. Harry Linfield had loved the guy! It was on the cards Linfield had left Jason a little something in his will.
All in all Harry Linfield’s dying had presented a great opportunity she’d just have to take. If Jason wanted to keep custody of Tali he’d have to pay.
A lot of money!
Poor Jason! But then Princess Olivia was back on the scene to help him.
When he opened the door Jason was startled to find Olivia hand in hand with Tali, standing on the porch.
“Daddy!” Tali flung herself at him, thrilled although she was a big girl, he still picked her up like when she was little. He was so strong!
“Sweetheart, I was coming for you,” he said. “I needed a quick shower first.”
Tali snuggled up to him, “You smell nice. Your hair is all wet.” She reached up to tug at his dark red plume of hair. “Livvy drove me home. I’ve had a lovely time. Livvy let me look through lots of family photographs. There were lots of you. Lots of you and Livvy. You looked lovely, really sweet. That was before you were going to be married.”
“Are you coming in, Olivia?” Jason asked, setting Tali on her feet.
“Just for a minute.” Their estrangement had gone on for days, disturbing her more than she was prepared to admit. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Really?” Her presence affected him powerfully but he kept his voice and his expression cool. “Couldn’t it wait until I got up to the house? Or is the house out of bounds?”
“Don’t be like that, Jason,” she said quietl
y, the tiniest throb of emotion in the tone.
Tali ran ahead, while Jason stood back for Olivia to precede him. “I’m in time to watch my show!” Tali called gleefully, making a bee-line for the television.
“Watch it in your room, sweetheart, so Olivia and I can talk.”
“Sure!” Tali bestowed on them both a breezy smile. Her second tooth was coming down fast, closing the endearing gap. “Sing out when you’re going, Livvy. I’ll come and wave you off.”
“I should think so,” Olivia rejoined.
“So what do you want to talk to me about?” Jason asked, raking a hand through the thick damp hair Tali’s fingers had disturbed.
“I need to know if you’re coming to the dinner party on Saturday?”
She had left her hair loose and it was swirling around her bare shoulders. She was wearing a white flower printed dress with a halter neckline he had never seen before. She looked beautiful, cool as a lily when waves of heat were breaking over him. “Obviously you need me to make up the numbers,” he clipped off.
She shook her head. “There are any number of people I can ask as you well know.”
He half turned away from her. “Thank you for minding Tali. I hope she behaved well?”
“Better than you,” Olivia said. “You’ve gone out of your way to avoid me and I’m supposed to be your boss.”
“Well you aren’t,” he said flatly.
“I am. Believe me.” Her eyes turned stormy.
“I know.” He suddenly laughed. “But I’m having second thoughts about staying.”
She couldn’t control her shock. “You have to stay, it was Harry’s wish. Besides I need you.”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize.” He piled on the sarcasm. “Is there a dress code for this glamorous evening, or are jeans an option?”