Master of Comus

by Charlotte Lamb

  'Is that what everyone thinks?'

  'I imagine so. Paul has been a bachelor gay for years. He was generally reckoned to be marriage- proof. His rapid marriage to the only other heir to all that money could have only one explanation.' Jake studied her curiously. 'Were you in love with him before you married him? Or did that happen afterwards?'

  Leonie gave him a slight smile. 'Do you really expect me to answer that?'

  Jake laughed. 'Perhaps not. There's only one other question I would like to know the answer to ... do you and Paul sleep together?'

  Hot colour flooded her face. 'Honestly, you have the cheek of the devil!'

  Jake watched her face intently. 'My guess is ...no.'

  Her lids fluttered, and a slight smile touched her mouth.

  Jake drew in his breath sharply. 'On the other hand, maybe I'm wrong...' She looked up in surprise, and he met her eyes soberly. 'Paul takes no chances, does he? Under that playboy exterior the Caprel blood tells. He bolted the stable door before the horse could escape.'

  'You really shouldn't say such things to me,' she protested quickly, her cheeks flaming.

  'I'm only talking to myself,' he said lightly. 'I wonder if I'm right, though. When we first met at the flat Paul's violent reaction towards me left me slightly puzzled. After I'd thought about it for a while, though, it occurred to me that if the marriage was, as we all suspected, an arranged one, Paul might well feel nervous about any other man taking an interest in you. If you were not sleeping together there would be no problem if one of you wanted to dissolve the marriage. Naturally, in those circumstances, Paul was on edge, so he lost no time in altering the situation. In his place I'd have done the same.'

  'You make it sound very cold-blooded,' she said faintly, her lips trembling. Wasn't that exactly what it had been? A cold-blooded decision by Paul to ensure her own fidelity?

  Jake drew up outside the flat, switched off the engine and turned to look gently at her. 'Only you know the truth. I was merely speculating. I'm flying back to England today. If ever you need a disinterested friend get in touch.' He met her eyes quietly. 'I mean just that—a friend. No strings, no consequences.'

  She was touched. 'Thank you.'

  'You have an integrity I find very attractive,' he said in an offhanded way. 'A word of advice? If you want Paul, forget the rules. Play to win.'

  Leonie laughed. 'I'll have to see. I'm not sure I would want to win that way.'

  Jake's face tightened. He took one of her hands, lifted it to his lips and kissed the back with bent head for a moment.

  Pulling her hand away, Leonie hurriedly got out of the car and almost ran into the building, her pulses beating fast. Just for that second, something inside herself had reacted instinctively towards Jake, and she was alarmed. She began to see why Paul had been afraid when Jake showed an interest in her. Jake was dangerous.

  She found her key, fitted it into the lock and was turning it when the door was flung open and she found herself confronting Paul; Paul in a mood she did not recognise, with tightened lips and blazing eyes. The air crackled with menace as they faced each other.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  'I WAS watching from the window,' he said between tight teeth. Very touching, the way Jake kissed your hand. He wasn't here all night, I suppose?'

  'What a foul accusation!' She stiffened with rage. 'I'm not one of your promiscuous, bed-hopping lady-friends!'

  He pulled her through the door, slammed it behind them and leaned over her, his tall figure looming threateningly, his glittering eyes pinning her like a butterfly to the wall.

  'I seem to remember I had no trouble getting you into bed,' he snarled.

  Her hand shot up, slapped him hard across his smiling face. The sound seemed to echo between them endlessly.

  Paul put up a hand slowly to his cheek. 'You little vixen!'

  'You deserved it,' she said huskily.

  After a moment of silence, while their eyes warred, he asked, 'How long have you been with Jake?'

  'A few hours. He asked me out for a drink. I was bored and lonely. You hadn't rung, I had no idea where you were, or what you were doing.' Her eyes lifted, accusing him silently. T only knew you were with Diane all night.'

  'Whose husband is dangerously ill,' he pointed out icily.

  'Whose husband may die leaving her free to marry again,' she shot back angrily.

  'My God, women can be cold-blooded at times!' he said bitterly.

  'We aren't the only ones!' Leonie thought of him making love to her simply to make sure she did not encourage Jake. How dare he call her cold-blooded!

  'I told you never to go out with Jake,' he snapped.

  'You don't own me! I'm free to do as I please. What did you expect? That I should sit here like a Victorian wife waiting for my lord and master to deign to come home? Why didn't you ring me?

  'I meant to,' he said, restlessly. 'I just never had the time. Diane was in such a state, I hardly dared to leave her for a moment.'

  'You managed to ring Carl and give him the news!'

  He flushed. 'Yes. Diane asked me to ring Carl because George had an appointment with him today and Carl had to be told why George wouldn't keep it.'

  'But she wouldn't let you ring me, of course,

  Leonie said flatly.

  Their eyes met. Paul flushed. 'She-was distraught. I couldn't do anything which would upset her any more...'

  'I didn't matter, anyway, did I? Only Diane mattered.'

  He caught her shoulders. 'It wasn't like that.'

  'What was it like? Tell me. I'm sure you can think up a very plausible excuse if you try.'

  'Oh, for God's Sake,' he said, turning away. 'George is so ill, I had to humour her.'

  'How did you manage to get away now? I'm surprised she let you go.'

  'Her sister arrived from Nice and took charge. She made Diane take a sleeping pill and go to bed.'

  'I'm sure you could have managed to get Diane to bed without the aid of sleeping pills,' she flung.

  'Don't talk like that!'

  'You accused me of spending the night with Jake on far more slender evidence,' she reminded him.

  He looked at her, frowning. 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I know it was a ridiculous suggestion ...'

  'Oh, I don't know,' she retorted. 'As you said, Jake is very attractive.'

  Paul came softly towards her, menace in every line. He took her chin in his hand and lifted her face towards him, his blue eyes as bright and cold as sapphires. 'Don't torment me, Leonie. I'm not the man to stand for it.'

  She remembered Jake's advice to play to win. Excitement made her whole body shiver. Softly, she said, 'Do I torment you, Paul?'

  'Leonie...' Her name was sighed out so faintly she barely heard it. He released her and turned away. Standing with his back to her, he said, 'It must wait.'

  She watched him. 'What must?'

  He shrugged. 'I have to get back to the hospital in an hour. George has recovered consciousness and is asking for his solicitor. He was in the process of changing his will, it seems, and he wants to sign the new one. He has named me one of the executors and he wants me present when he signs.

  'Oh.' she sighed. 'George isn't going to die, is he?'

  'I hope not. He's lived through the first twenty- four hours after the attack and that's a good sign, apparently. With care he should pull through, but he'll never be able to run his business as he used to—he'll have to take it easy in future. God knows how he'll take that news. He's never been able to delegate. He's always overworked. I don't know if George knows how to rest.' 'Poor George!'

  'Yes, poor George,' Paul agreed. 'I think I'll take a shower and then have a meal. Is there anything to eat?'

  'I'll fix you something. What would you like? I could make an omelette.'

  'That sounds perfect,' he said gratefully, moving towards the bathroom.

  Leonie went into the kitchen and began to prepare the eggs. She found some cheese and some tomatoes, buttered some
croissants and made a pot of coffee.

  When Paul reappeared ten minutes later, immaculately dressed in a dark suit and blue shirt, the table was laid. 'Sit down,' she urged, and quickly placed the cheese and tomato omelette before him. While she poured him coffee, he began to eat.

  'This is delicious,' he said. 'You're a good cook.'

  She set his cup on the table. 'If you're still hungry, there's plenty of fruit.'

  'Any grapes?' he asked, sipping the coffee.

  She lifted a stalk of purple grapes on to a plate and offered it to him. Paul leaned back in his chair, popping the fruit into his mouth in a leisurely fashion. 'What about you?' he asked. 'Or did Jake feed you?'

  'We had a drink, that's all,' she said quickly. 'I'll eat later.'

  Paul shot her a narrow-eyed look. 'With Jake?'

  'Of course not!

  'You forget, I saw him kiss your hand just now. Once Jake is on the trail he never gives up. He'll be back.'

  'He flies to England today,' she said.

  Paul stared at her. 'Did he say that?'

  'Yes.'

  'Hmm ... I wonder.'

  'I'm sure he meant it,' she said.

  Paul relaxed. 'Well, he couldn't afford to spend much more time here. Business is pretty brisk over there.' He gave her another sharp look. 'Sorry he's going?'

  'I barely know the man.'

  Paul's mouth twisted. 'Tell me the truth, Leonie. You do find him attractive, don't you? I knew that right from the first day—I saw it between the two of you when I came into the kitchen. Sexual attraction shows, you know.'

  She flushed. 'Jake is attractive, yes.' Then she added quickly, 'But so are a lot of other men. It takes a lot more than that to make anything happen between two people. Physical attraction is only part of the story.'

  'How fascinating,' he drawled mockingly. 'Do tell me more. What other ingredients are necessary?'

  'Don't make fun of me—I'm serious. Respect is necessary, so is friendship. I would need to like and respect any man I fell in love with.'

  'And did you like and respect the chap in England?' he asked sardonically.

  'That was what taught me the need for both,' she returned. 'I was blinded by physical attraction that time. In future I shall want to know much more about any man.'

  'What do you know about me?' he asked, staring at her.

  She flushed. 'I know you're spoilt and self- centred,' she flung at him.

  Paul grimaced. 'And that puts me out of the running, does it? Prince Charming would never be either.'

  She did not reply. There was nothing she could say without betraying herself.

  Insistently, he asked her, 'Well, Leonie?'

  She stared at the floor. 'You altered everything between us when you insisted on making love to me.'

  There was silence. 'You'll never forgive me for that, will you?' Paul asked thickly. 'I knew it next morning. You wouldn't even look at me. I've bitterly regretted it ever since. I lost my head, but that's no excuse. I can only apologise.' He stood up, his chair falling with a crash. 'I think you'd better do as you suggested, fly to Comus and stay with Argon. You and I would be better apart for the moment.'

  Leonie stared at him, her breath hurting in her lungs. He was sending her away from him, packing her back to Comus like an unwanted kitten. Diane took precedence now. Diane, soon to be free to marry. Would Paul write in a few months and suggest a quiet divorce? No wonder he now regretted that night of love. Had he not been so precipitate he might have been able to have the marriage annulled without trouble, but now they could not claim that they had never consummated their marriage.

  Had it been for Diane's sake that Paul had never married before? All those girls, those beautiful actresses and models with whom he had been seen around, had they been a cover for his real love? Had they been a smoke-screen designed to disguise from George what was going on between Paul and his wife?

  Paul moved quickly out of the room, and Leonie listened as the front door slammed.

  He had gone. The sound seemed to echo in the flat, and inside her head. She closed her eyes as tears forced their way between her lids and trickled down her cheeks.

  After a moment she got up and began to clear the kitchen, wash up the utensils she had used and restore the room to order. That done, she went through to the sitting-room and lifted the telephone.

  Later, she packed her clothes in a suitcase, took a last look around the flat and put her front door key down on the kitchen table. There was no need to leave a note. Paul would know where she had gone.

  In the taxi she fought a bitter Struggle with her love, but her pride won. Paul had told her to go. She would do just that. Their marriage had been a bitter experience, and she had had enough of pain, humiliation and misery.

  She spent that night in a noisy little hotel in Athens. A taverna across the street throbbed with the beat of a bouzouki. Cars hooted and raced their engines up and down the road. Somewhere a dog was howling.

  Leonie could not sleep; it was too hot. She sat by the window, peering through the slats of the blind at the bright lights of the city.

  Along the coast road she could see the lights of cars moving like fireflies. Aircraft flew low over the Aegean as they came to land at the airport. Planes seemed to arrive every few moments.

  Dawn came slowly, bringing a temporary coolness. She washed, dressed, stared at herself disparagingly in the mirror. She was pale and stiff- lipped. Argon would know as soon as he set eyes on her that something was wrong. She forced a smile and the pale lips moved quiveringly apart. Somehow she had to keep up a pretence of being perfectly happy.

  She barely noticed the rest of the journey; the flight to Comus passed like a dream, the drive from the landing strip to the villa followed in the same vague haze.

  Only when she met Clyte at the terrace door did anything penetrate the cloak in which she had wrapped herself, and she gave the old woman a bright, stiff smile.

  Clyte looked at her with concern. 'You look ill? What is Wrong? Why are you here alone? We tried to ring Paul, but there was no reply at the flat.'

  'I'm just tired, not ill. Don't worry. Paul's best friend has collapsed with a heart attack and he's very busy taking care of things for him. We thought I would be better off here with Argon for the moment. Paul is too busy to spend much time with me and I hardly know a soul in Paris.'

  Clyte's dark eyes searched hers. 'Is that true?'

  Leonie smiled again, that stiff unreal smile. 'Of course. It was my idea at first—I was worried about Argon. Paul agreed after he had realised how little free time he would have at present.'

  'Come up to Argon,' Clyte said seriously, still not convinced. 'Tell him.'

  Leonie followed her up the stairs, feeling nervous. Would Argon press questions on her? She was terrified of breaking down in front of him. She must not let him guess how bad things were between her and Paul.

  Argon was waiting for her, sitting up against his piled pillows with a frown creasing his forehead. Leonie ran to him and bent to kiss his cheek. He put up a hand to touch her hair gently, and over her bent head his eyes met Clyte's; The two old people ex- changed looks of mutual understanding, then Clyte softly left the room.

  'So,' Argon said, pushing Leonie slightly away so that he could see her face. 'You have come back to Comus.'

  'Yes,' she said hastily, and told him about George's heart attack and the need for Paul to take charge of affairs while George was out of action.

  'This man is not one of the family, Argon said. 'He should not take precedence over a bride. He shrugged. 'However, I will not say any more. You look too tired. You will go to bed now and rest.

  'Oh, but.. ' she began.

  'No arguments,' Argon dictated. 'How long is it since you slept?'

  She thought of the long, hot sleepless night in Athens, and made a face. 'It was so hot in my hotel last night

  'You see? You need sleep. No wonder you look like a wraith from Hades!'

  Clyte returned.
'Your room is ready,' she said gently. T have put a tray in the room. If you are hungry you can eat a meal before you sleep, just a simple little meal of bread and cold lamb and fruit.

  'It is sleep she needs, not food,' Argon grunted. 'You women think too much of the stomach, not enough of the soul. Sleep heals many things.

  Clyte retorted, 'Lie down and sleep then, old man, and let foolish women manage things without you.

  Leonie laughed, and Clyte gave her an approving smile. 'That is better! You begin to look human. Come.. .'

  She ate some of the food Clyte had prepared, not wishing to offend her after her kindness, then undressed and slid into bed. The room lay in cool shadow. The blinds were down, and a sea breeze rustled through the room. She watched the blue- black shadows moving on the bedroom wall and slowly felt herself slide into sleep.

  In the morning she was able to face Argon without any of the dread she had felt on the previous day. She was relieved, all the same, when he asked no questions. She sat with him for an hour, reading the English newspapers to him, then when he fell asleep she went down and helped Clyte with preparing the lunch. Clyte talked to her in English, but began to teach her a little more Greek at her request.

  One day I would like to be able to speak it fluently. After all, it is my language as much as English is.,.'

  Clyte nodded vigorously. 'Good, that is good! Greek is a very beautiful language. So, you did not like Paris?'

  The question took Leonie off guard, and she started and flushed. 'Paris? Why, yes, I did like it, very much. It's a lovely city.'

  'Yet you left it very quickly,' Clyte pointed out.

  'I felt useless in that empty flat,' Leonie said defensively. 'Paul has a cleaning woman who comes in every day, and there was nothing for me to do. I'm not used to doing nothing all day. I was bored.' 'Bored? On your honeymoon?'

  Oh, Clyte,' Leonie broke out. 'You know perfectly well that my marriage was arranged, it wasn't a love match. Don't pretend to believe that I was a happy bride.'

  Clyte looked at her anxiously. 'What went wrong, Leonie? Was Paul unkind to you? I could have sworn that.. .' Her voice tailed off into silence.