Generations of Love

by Wendy Pulford

  Catherine looked up at Alex, her face wreathed in smiles. ‘We seem to have set a trend.’

  ‘This is all marvellous news,’ agreed Alex. ‘You must be so pleased.’

  ‘The one nuisance is that it will be farther to travel from Kensington,’ said Jerry. ‘Sarah’s parents will be back in the UK some time next year, so we’ll have to think about finding somewhere else to live. I’ve put a lawyer friend of mine on notice that we’ll need his services. With an eye to business, he’s even suggested that when we’re married we should make Wills, of all things!’

  Catherine looked up at Alex. ‘It sounds a little morbid, but is it something we should think about?’

  ‘It might be. Is your friend good, Jerry?’

  ‘I’d trust him, without a doubt. He was at med school with me and then dropped out to do law. He always has a dig at me that he’ll make more money than I will.’

  ‘He’s right, if he drums up business like this. All the same, it’s not a bad idea, something to keep in mind. We’ll give it some thought.’

  CHAPTER 2

  Alex and Dougie were into their second hour of a review of the lines of enquiry they had set up, to search for information which might be useful. They had come to a consensus of opinion that there was still merit in trawling through newspapers to pick up any reports of manufacturing glitches or industrial unrest.

  There were already occasions which, when followed up, appeared to fall into their suspected pattern. Dougie looked up an old acquaintance in one of the unions who promised to keep his ear to the ground. They also began to check on what cases Judge Franklin had presided over, and made notes of the people involved. One particular case, about two years ago, provided some interesting information regarding one of the defendants, and they were making some further enquiries.

  The telephone ringing interrupted their train of thought, and answering it, Alex’s voice showed his irritation. ‘Yes!’

  However, once he realised who was on the other end he modified his tone somewhat. ‘Yes, of course. No, it’s quite alright.’ He listened for a while. ‘So, tonight, you say.’ After a moment’s thought, he said, ‘Can you book me in? A table for two, say seven-thirty?… Fine. Thanks a lot for that.’

  He put down the phone, but then Dougie watched him pick up the receiver again and dial a number.

  ‘Hello, my sweet.’ Dougie made to leave the room, but Alex waved him back. ‘What do you say to going out tonight for a meal?… Mmm, I thought you might. Can you be ready for seven o’clock? Dress up, we’re going somewhere posh… Yes, that’s what I said. See you later my love.’

  Putting the phone down with a sigh, he glanced up at his companion. ‘I hate getting Catherine involved, but I can’t think of an alternative. I’ve just been told that Johnny Clarke has booked into La Gioconda tonight for an important business meeting. It seems too good an opportunity to miss. It would be interesting to see who he’s meeting.’

  Johnny Clarke was still high on their list of priorities, attention-wise. Alex would love to be able to nail him on some misdemeanour. He remained certain that Clarke was behind what had happened to Lucille Prentice; and although he never raised the matter again with Dougie, he had a notion that Joe Fenton had also been on the receiving end of his particular warped sense of violence.

  ‘I’d like to join you, and save Catherine the trouble,’ Dougie chuckled, ‘but I don’t look good enough in drag, that’s the problem.’

  Laughing together at the idea, they turned back to their deliberations.

  *

  Catherine decided she would take her time getting ready for tonight. It might be an opportunity to practice a few more feminine wiles, and with that in mind she took out a garment from its protective wrapper. It was, at first appearance, just a plain sleeveless dress, but it was the material which had caught her eye when she had first seen it. The silky fabric appeared bronze, but changed its colour to gold as it moved. She had tried it on once at Richmond but thought the styling of the dress moulded too much to her body, and made her nervous of wearing it in public. Now she had more confidence – and a husband to impress!

  She had bathed and was drying her hair when Alex arrived home. He had a quick shower and then dressed in his best charcoal grey suit. He kissed her on one bare shoulder and looked at her in the mirror.

  ‘In case we’re caught up in traffic, I’d like to get away on time. Is that alright with you?’

  Catherine smiled at him. ‘That’s fine. I’ll be about ten minutes.’

  As Alex took in her state of undress, she could tell from his expression that he thought it unachievable, but he said nothing and left the room with a smile.

  Feeling better at having to face a tight deadline, Catherine didn’t have any time to worry or become nervous. As her hair had grown over these last weeks she was able to draw it back and curl it into a chignon at the nape of her neck, then she added small gold earrings and her favourite gold chain. Zipping up the gown, she noticed that the material still moulded itself to her figure and accentuated her curves, but that’s what it was supposed to do, after all, she told herself. Looking in the mirror, she felt quite daring. She had never viewed herself like this in the past, but that was before… Alex!

  With no time to change her mind, she put on high-heeled shoes, picked up her cream shawl and small bag, and left the room with as much bravado as she could muster.

  Alex was standing in the lounge, fastening his watch strap. He glanced up at her, returned his attention to the buckle, but then in slow motion looked up at her again, and Catherine was delighted at the look of complete shock registering on his face.

  She sailed past him out into the hall. ‘Well, come along then, if you’re ready. We don’t want to be late!’

  Without a word, Alex followed her down to the car and maintained his silence during the drive, although she could feel him giving her one or two sideways glances.

  When they arrived at their destination, it was her turn to glance at her husband. ‘La Gioconda! Alex, it’s very expensive!’

  ‘Just the right setting for my beautiful wife.’

  By this remark she had her confirmation that he liked her appearance.

  Catherine soon found herself being fussed over by the head waiter, and a second waiter summoned to answer her every whim, much to the amused resignation of her husband. She thought she heard Alex refer to this second waiter by his name, as if he knew him, which made her wonder if Alex had been here before.

  It was a coincidence that when they had ordered their meal and wine, he asked her, ‘Have you been here before, Catherine?’

  ‘Yes, once, some time ago. I came with my uncle for a business meal. There was his lawyer friend, another man, and their wives. In actual fact it wasn’t too bad an evening.’

  They had just been served their starters when two other diners entered. Catherine made a small sound which Alex heard, and he glanced at her. Her face registered consternation.

  ‘What’s wrong, my love?’ He placed his hand over hers.

  ‘One of the men who has just come in, Alex. He’s Geoffrey Villiers, the lawyer friend of my uncle and one of my trustees. I don’t like him very much. I hope he doesn’t recognise me.’

  CHAPTER 3

  There was no chance that any man could miss the sight of a beautiful woman, and it was only a moment or two before the man in question saw her. His dark face registered total surprise – almost alarm. Then, much to her horror, he spoke to his companion, stood up and came their way.

  ‘Alex, he’s coming over!’

  ‘Don’t worry my love. It’s no problem,’ said Alex, his voice soft and soothing.

  The man stopped beside their table and surveyed them both.

  ‘Good evening Catherine. This is quite a surprise to see you here. I gather you are no longer with your uncle. Would you care to introduce me…’ His vo
ice tailed off as his gaze transferred to Catherine’s fingers around the stem of her wine glass. Her rings were shining in the low table light.

  In a sharp tone he questioned her. ‘Catherine?’

  For a moment she was tongue-tied and then found her voice, ‘Geoffrey Villiers, this is Alex…’

  Alex, displaying good manners, stood up at this point and finished for her. ‘Alex Hartman, Catherine’s husband.’

  For a moment Villiers looked astounded.

  Then, with a slight sneer on his face, he commented, ‘Hartman? You were the policeman keeping watch over Lionel Franklin at Richmond. Keeping a watch on other things too, it seems!’

  The veiled insult behind the remark and its delivery was obvious. Catherine looked up at Alex. He appeared unmoved and just regarded the other man with a steady gaze.

  Villiers was enjoying himself now. ‘This place is a little above the expenses budget, I would have thought? Still, you have married into money, so perhaps that is no problem.’

  The inference was obvious and Catherine was about to interrupt this rude man in her husband’s defence, but some instinct warned her to remain silent.

  In a quiet, level tone Alex replied, ‘As we have two reasons for celebrating, Villiers, we thought it would be nice to do it in style. If you will excuse us, our meal is spoiling, and as you have pointed out, it is expensive!’

  He sat down again and began to eat. He appeared quite relaxed and composed, but Catherine sensed the tension in him. Villiers turned on his heel and rejoined his companion, who appeared to be very interested in the exchange.

  Catherine felt as though her throat had closed up. Alex glanced at her.

  ‘Eat your food, Catherine, before it spoils. Don’t worry about anything. It’s quite alright.’

  She knew it was anything but! Her intuition told her that Alex was wound up like a coiled spring, but one coated in velvet. It was obvious that he had been insulted. However, he had not risen to the bait and had held his temper; in deference to her and the public situation, she was sure. If the exchange had been in more private circumstances she was not certain how it would have ended.

  However, she owed it to her husband to do her part in normalising the evening, so she began to talk about the first thing she could think of, and described to him some of the jokes Sarah had perpetrated at their school. He appeared to enter into the humour, but Catherine knew it was just on the surface.

  When what would have been a superb meal ended, and Alex asked for the bill, Catherine excused herself for a moment and hoped that in her absence no further problem would arise. To her relief, when she returned moments later everything appeared to be normal. She noticed Alex watch her come towards him across the room, and with a loving smile he wrapped the shawl around her shoulders and with his hand at her elbow they left the restaurant, not before having made a promise to the head waiter that his restaurant would indeed be graced again by ‘such a beautiful lady’.

  Outside, the night air was still warm.

  ‘Can you walk at all in those ridiculous heels?’

  The remark took Catherine by surprise, and she answered with an immediate retort. ‘Of course I can!’

  ‘I wondered if you would like a walk by the river before we went home.’

  Sensing that Alex still hadn’t yet regained his full composure and needed a breathing space, she couldn’t refuse him. Stifling a groan as best she could, she pasted on a false smile. ‘That would be nice. I’d like that.’

  They managed to park the Porsche and started to walk. Neither of them said a word for some time, but Catherine judged that the tension was easing. She put her hand in his and Alex brought it up to his lips and kissed it. She knew it was in silent thanks for her sensitivity.

  After about half an hour, they leant against the stone wall looking out over the water. Alex pulled her close against him.

  Catherine knew that she had to talk about tonight. ‘You know he will tell my uncle now, don’t you.’

  ‘Yes, I know, my dear. It had to happen sooner or later. We might as well get it over with now.’

  He was quiet again. Catherine wanted to comment on the insulting remarks but didn’t feel brave enough.

  ‘What did you mean, Alex, when you said we were celebrating two events?’

  He turned to her, his face transformed with a huge grin. ‘You don’t look at the calendar, do you? It’s two months – well… over since we were married.’

  Catherine thought about it for a moment, and was amazed at how he had remembered. ‘You’re very clever, you know, Inspector.’ He chuckled, but then she gave him a playful prod on the arm. ‘What was the second reason, then?’

  He looked down into the water for a moment, then said, ‘It’s my birthday.’

  Catherine was frozen in horror for a split second. ‘Alex, why didn’t you tell me this morning? When I’ve asked, you’ve always said you don’t celebrate your birthday, and you would never even tell me a date. Oh, my dear, I’m so sorry, and the day’s almost over!’

  She wriggled into his arms and placed her mouth on his. ‘Happy birthday, my dear, dear Alex.’

  ‘Mmm… that was nice.’ Alex held her close and placed his own lips against her hair. ‘Perhaps we ought to go home. There’s still time for my birthday present.’

  Catherine drew back from him, puzzled at his words, until his soft smile made her realise their meaning.

  ‘Oh, I see!’ She put on her most innocent face. ‘I suppose something could be arranged, although it’s very short notice.’

  ‘That’s kind of you, my dear. Of course, I’d hate to put you to any trouble.’

  The laughter was bubbling up in him now, and Catherine knew that she must keep things as perfect as she could for him.

  ‘Let’s go home, Alex.’

  She reached up and kissed him again with all the promise she could instil. She felt his arms tighten around her and a tremor ran through his body.

  Later that night they lay in each other’s arms, sleepy, but not yet ready to let go of the emotion generated between them earlier. There had been a fierceness about his love-making tonight that Catherine had never known. It was as if he was reaffirming his ownership of her. She knew it was in part due to the events of the evening. She had to be honest with herself, however, and admit that she enjoyed the wild and free sensation.

  Alex spoke, his lips against her skin. ‘I’m sorry. I was rough with you tonight. You didn’t deserve that. I had too much emotion bottled up inside me. I’ve wanted to make love to you since I saw you dressed up tonight. For the first time, you’ve acted as a woman who was aware of her charms and wasn’t afraid to show them off. Everyone else tonight, as well as me, got the message! Do you realise how many people looked at you? Most of the men were envious that you were with me. I was so proud that you were mine, and I was the one who would take you to my bed and have the pleasure of your body.’

  Catherine heard the pride in his voice and realised that her being with him tonight had meant a great deal to him and his self-esteem. She hadn’t realised that her appearance, a definite departure from her normal style, had aroused so much attention. As a woman, this made her feel elated. It also gave her the confidence to run her hands over the body of this man who lay almost asleep in her arms, staking her own form of ownership.

  ‘Please don’t stop, Catherine.’

  The sleepy tones had gone and she heard the urgency now in his voice. His mouth touched her breast and emotion took over again for them both.

  CHAPTER 4

  ‘Is Clarke sure about this, Geoffrey?’ Franklin’s tone was harsh and cold.

  ‘Oh, he was sure. He quizzed me about Catherine first, seemed to be quite taken with her. I must admit she looked a little different to when I last saw her. Very grown up and sophisticated. Married life must suit her!

  ‘When I got back t
o our table and explained the situation, Clarke took a longer look at Hartman and confirmed that he was the person in the photographs going in and out of Fenton’s gym. And his special operator, who has also seen the photographs, says that he was the person with that Prentice girl. He was sure at the time that he was police.’

  ‘So it’s probable that Hartman did have something to do with the Ellison thing as well? It seems he’s getting quite involved with our affairs.’

  ‘I’m getting worried about the same thing, Lionel. Clarke’s not impressed, and wants to get even.’

  Franklin almost screamed down the phone. ‘Keep that stupid bugger away from him! Hartman’s mine! Oh, yes, he’s mine alright!’ Then he went on in calmer tones. ‘I hadn’t expected Hartman would go so far as marriage, but it might just work even better.’

  *

  Catherine smiled to herself as she sipped her coffee. Alex had just left for work. They had both overslept. The look in his eyes when he kissed her goodbye told her that he remembered with pleasure, as did she, the events of last night.

  She stood and moved over to the calendar on the wall, picked up a pen and marked in Alex’s birthday. Then she counted up the weeks. Yes, he was right, they had been married over two months already. Then a thought struck her. She counted up the days again.

  No, she hadn’t made a mistake. Was it just possible…? What would Alex say? She tried to calm herself. It might be best to wait a little longer. It could be just one of those things, after all.

  The phone started to ring. She went to answer it, her mind still busy with her new discovery.