Promises After Dark (After Dark Book 3)

by Sadie Matthews

  There’s an awful pause while this hangs in the air between us. Andrei’s face is rock hard. Then he speaks.

  ‘So that is what Dominic intends to accuse me of.’

  ‘He knows. I know. You used Mark as a conduit. You took advantage of his trusting nature and then you were prepared to destroy him.’ I shake my head in disbelief. ‘I think it’s time you dropped your man of compassion act. You’re a nothing but a selfish crook.’

  Andrei leans back in the small iron chair and folds his gloved hands across his stomach. ‘You believe this then.’

  ‘Of course. We have a pretty unassailable witness and I’m sure the proof will all be there in Mark’s files.’

  ‘And the price, I assume, for silence on this matter is that you and Stone are left in peace.’

  I nod. ‘It was going to be for Mark too – but it’s too late for him now.’

  ‘I have ways of ensuring your silence. And Dominic’s. And Anna’s – I assume she is the witness you spoke of.’

  ‘Yes, you could dispose of us, I assume that’s what you mean. But we’ve all made witnessed statements to be passed to the police in the event of our deaths.’ This is a bluff but I hope it sounds plausible.

  He stares at me again, his expression unreadable. Then he says at last in tones of finality, ‘I see.’ He leans towards me, his eyes suddenly urgent. ‘It’s not too late, Beth. You can still leave him and come away with me. I promise you a life you will never have with Stone.’

  ‘I know.’ I smile coolly at him. ‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’

  We hold one another’s gaze for a long time and then Andrei sighs.

  ‘I understand everything now. Dominic has it in his power to destroy me and I’m sure he’s enjoying it. I do not need him to tell me this to my face and it will give me just a little pleasure to deny him that. You may tell him that the field is clear. I will not stand in his way, in business or in personal matters. You’ve made your choice of your own free will and I will respect it. I will leave it up to you what you do with the power in your hands.’ He gets up. ‘I wish it could have been different.’

  I can’t help feeling a strange tenderness for this man, despite everything. We have been through a lot together. ‘Perhaps it could have been, once,’ I say. ‘But in the end, you made sure that it could never be, as soon as you tried to force me to do what you wanted.’

  He gives a light laugh. ‘The tyrant’s fatal flaw. I wish you well, Beth. Will you wish me the same?’

  ‘Of course. I wish you everything you truly want in life. I wish you love.’

  He looks very sad suddenly, his blue eyes a well of grief. ‘And you have already found it. You’re lucky. I’ve spent over half a lifetime looking for it and never come near it yet.’

  I stand up too and hold out my hand. ‘Goodbye, Andrei. Good luck.’

  He looks at my outstretched hand for a moment and then takes it. He smiles. ‘Good luck to you. And goodbye, Beth. I don’t know if we will meet again. I suspect not.’

  I say nothing more. We have said all we need to. I watch as he turns his back on me and strides away across the park. I wonder what he intends to do now. Then I realise that it’s not my problem any more. My heart is suddenly light. I pull out my phone. Still nothing from Dominic. No doubt the lawyers are enjoying wasting his time, making him prepare for a meeting that will never happen.

  Call me as soon as you are out.

  I send the message off and sit back in my chair, waiting for a reply as I gaze out over the wintery park.

  ‘So Andrei was intending to see you all the time?’

  Dominic is striding about Georgie’s sitting room, his face both confused and furious. ‘I spent hours in his fucking boardroom being made to read papers and sign affidavits! And all the time, he wasn’t even in the goddamned building!’

  Georgie gives me a sideways look, shrugs her shoulders and turns her eyes to heaven. I smile back. I like Georgie a lot.

  Dominic stops pacing and turns to face me. ‘How the hell did he know where you are?’

  ‘He seems to be rather good at tracking me down,’ I say simply. ‘But having someone watching your sister’s house is probably not beyond him.’

  Dominic shakes his head and then laughs. ‘I’ve got to hand it to him. He knows how to wrong-foot me. I was so looking forward to rubbing his nose in it. I should have guessed that he wouldn’t let that happen.’

  He makes me go through every part of my interview with Andrei again and together we analyse it.

  ‘Well, at least he understands exactly what we have on him,’ says Dominic. ‘And good thinking about that signed witnessed statement. We should all do that, just to be on the safe side, though I don’t really believe we have anything to fear from Andrei now. He knows there’s too much evidence stacked up against him. If he gets taken down he’ll risk his criminal networks, and those are people he really won’t want to piss off, believe me.’

  ‘Then we’re free?’ I ask, hardly able to believe it.

  ‘Free.’ Dominic smiles at me.

  ‘Are we duty-bound to tell the police?’ I ask, frowning. ‘I mean, he’s laundering money. He’s helping gangs and supporting their activities. Aren’t we guilty as well if we let him carry on?’

  Georgie says, ‘Beth’s right, Dom. You don’t really have a choice about this. Andrei’s been laundering money all over the place.’

  Dominic fixes me with a serious look. ‘Of course that’s the right thing to do. But it means Mark’s name will certainly be dragged through the mud. And Anna and I – and even you – will have to stand up in court and bear witness against Andrei and his underworld friends. That could be dangerous. You need to think hard about that.’

  ‘I will,’ I say slowly. ‘I will think about it. I’ll think about what Mark would have wanted and what I think is best.’

  ‘Okay,’ Dominic says. He smiles at me. ‘But let’s take our time before we make any heavy decisions. The day after tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. We’ve got a party to go to. It’s time to see out the old year and welcome the new.’

  I smile back. This year has been the most incredible of my life. And I have a feeling that the year to come will be even more amazing.

  The scene before me is like something in a fairy story. In a huge marbled ballroom beneath a many-tiered chandelier, a mass of people is whirling, skirts flying, polished shoes glinting, as they dance to the orchestra that plays from the stage. It’s a beautiful spectacle and I’m entranced by it as I stand watching from the balcony. I’m also breathless, as a few moments ago it was me down there on the dance floor, my emerald silk dress floating round me as Dominic spun me around in his arms, humming along to the waltz as we went.

  He comes up and hands me a glass of champagne. ‘Here you are,’ he says with a smile. ‘Your refreshment. Are you having a good time?’

  ‘Amazing,’ I say. ‘It’s so lovely to look at.’

  ‘The old-fashioned New Year’s Eve ball. You know what, it’s nearly midnight. Come with me.’ He leads me away from the balcony and opens a door to small terrace with a view over the city. We step out into the night air. ‘I thought you’d like one last look at the city before we go home tomorrow.’

  ‘It’s been incredible,’ I sigh. I can’t help feeling wistful. Next week is Mark’s funeral. He won’t see this new year arriving, or anything else. No matter how upsetting it would be to see his business brought down, I’m sure he’d rather have been alive.

  Dominic takes off his tailcoat and slips it over my shoulders. He places a kiss on my lips. ‘I want you to live with me, Beth. I want us to be together all the time. When we get home, I want us to find a place we both love where we can build a life together.’

  I thrill to everything he’s saying. ‘That’s what I want too,’ I say gently. ‘But not at the expense of my career and my work.’

  ‘I understand that,’ he says. ‘It might mean that we’re apart some of the time – but we’ll always know that we s
hare a home, that we’re joined in our hearts.’

  I nod. ‘Yes.’ I put my arms around him and pull him tight. ‘I’m so happy. It’s been a bumpy ride but we’ve made it.’

  Dominic puts his arms around me and we stand like that together for a while, enjoying our closeness. Then he says, ‘Hey, they’re getting ready for the countdown inside. We’d better go back in. We don’t want to miss the New Year.’

  We go back through the door into the ballroom. Below us the orchestra has stopped playing and the crowd are watching a clock on the wall as the hands inch round to midnight. As it reaches its last few seconds, everyone begins to chant: ‘Five, four, three, two . . .’

  As they yell, ‘One!’ and cheer, Dominic kisses me. When he pulls away, his eyes are shining. ‘Happy New Year, Beth.’

  ‘Happy New Year!’

  The orchestra bursts into ‘Auld Lang Syne’ but we don’t sing along. We’re too engrossed in our own private world, lost in the pleasure of our kiss.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Mark’s funeral is very well attended. In the Chelsea church, the pews are full and the mourners are a particularly elegant crowd, the men very well turned out in dark suits and waistcoats, and the women in black, their jackets given a touch of richness with diamond brooches and pearl necklaces. Some are wearing hats, others a small spray of black feathers or soft wool berets in deference to the cold weather.

  Caroline greets me as I come in. She looks awful, not at all like her usual pink-faced self, but she is composed and happy to see me. She directs me to one of the sidesmen for a services sheet and I realise that the tall man in the gold-rimmed spectacles is James.

  ‘Hello, dear girl,’ he says quietly as I come up. ‘I was hoping to see you today. How are you?’

  ‘All right,’ I say, managing a smile. The sight of Mark’s polished coffin at the top of the aisle surrounded by flowers is like a stab to my innards. I’m feeling shaky and grief-stricken all over again.

  ‘Bear up, old thing,’ he say sympathetically and puts a steadying hand on my arm. ‘It’s a bad business. Poor Mark. He went much more quickly than any of us expected.’

  ‘Do you think it was bound to happen?’ I ask, staring up at him beseechingly.

  ‘From what I understand, the cancer was much further advanced than they suspected at first. He would have had a miserable time undergoing radiotherapy and goodness knows what else, and the result would have been much the same. Perhaps it was kinder to go quickly without enduring all of that.’

  ‘But wouldn’t he have wanted more time?’

  James looks grave. ‘You know Mark. He loved elegance and beauty. He wouldn’t have liked what he was reduced to at all. Not one bit.’

  ‘Perhaps you’re right.’

  James pats my arm comfortingly and then hands me an order of service. ‘Here you are. Sit anywhere you like. Is Dominic with you?’

  I nod. ‘He’s taking a call outside. He’ll be here in a minute.’

  ‘He never stops. I’ll come and find you afterwards at the wake. I want to talk to you when I’ve got all this out of the way.’

  ‘Of course.’ I make my way to an empty pew and take my place. I hope I look as elegant as Mark would have wanted. I’m wearing a black suit, high heels and a small cloche hat with a diamond arrow pinned on it. I think Mark would have liked the arrow in particular. While I’m waiting for Dominic, I read over the order of service. It’s a lovely, old-fashioned service and I know all the hymns.

  The choir is about to come in when Dominic slips into the pew beside me. ‘Sorry,’ he murmurs. ‘That was Tom. I had to take it. Amazingly enough, several obstacles in the way of my purchase of the Siberian iron ore mine have disappeared.’ He shoots me an amused look. ‘Funny that.’

  ‘Shhh,’ I say, frowning. Then the organ strikes up and the choir enters as the congregation rises to its feet and begins to sing.

  It’s a beautiful service. When the choir sings ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’ I feel the hot sting of tears in my eyes, but mostly it’s a celebration of Mark’s life and work. His friends stand up to give a joint address that is funny and poignant at the same time. Caroline gives a short speech about Mark’s life and how much she is going to miss him. There are prayers and then another hymn. After the blessing and dismissal, we watch the coffin being taken back down the aisle to the hearse that’s waiting outside. The family goes with it to the crematorium and the rest of us walk a short distance to the wake, which is held in a small but beautiful and polished pub, as only pubs in Chelsea can be.

  ‘That was a very moving service,’ Dominic says as we follow the rest of the congregation along the road, our black clothes and hats drawing looks from passers-by. ‘Dear old Mark. I’m glad he had a send-off like that.’

  ‘It’s a testament to a person that so many people wanted to be there and say such nice things,’ I reply. ‘I was lucky to know Mark.’

  ‘He was a big fan of yours,’ says Dominic. ‘And with good cause.’

  At the pub, Bloody Marys and Bull Shots are being offered to the guests along with wine or soft drinks. I take a Bloody Mary and sip at its spicy warmth as I look around for James. I spot him over by the fireplace chatting to Erland, and when he sees me, he beckons me over. I leave Dominic talking to a fellow guest and make my way across the room to him.

  ‘Well, hello there,’ he says. ‘I’m glad I’ve got you to myself at last. Erland, go and get me another drink, there’s a love.’

  When Erland has gone, James says, ‘Has Caroline had a word with you?’

  I shake my head. ‘Not yet. I’ve been to the office since I got back but she said she didn’t want anything done until after the funeral. I suppose that we’ll be starting work again on Monday. Has she spoken to you?’

  James nods. ‘She has. Mark has appointed her and me as executors of his will and he’s left instructions that we are to continue running the business as we see fit in the event of his death.’

  ‘Oh,’ I say, puzzled. ‘So what does that mean?’

  ‘Well, we’ve still got to thrash it out but Caroline has indicated that she wants to keep the business going, and she wants me to help do that.’

  ‘Can you do that? On top of running the gallery?’

  He fixes me with a beady gaze. ‘If you help me, I can. Caroline showed me your notes of what you did in New York. It looks as though you did an excellent job of networking and finding pieces of interest. The finances are in a very healthy state too – Mark was certainly good at buying cheap and selling high. I think that between us, we can make a decent fist of keeping Mark’s legacy going. And if Caroline wants to in the future, she’ll have a healthy business to sell. But . . .’ James looks solemn. ‘There’s a catch. Mark always spent a good deal of time in New York, and the American side of things was very important to him. I can’t do all that, I have to be here where I can keep an eye on the gallery. Can’t go jaunting off all the time. So you’ll need to be prepared to spend a bit of time Stateside. Can you do that?’

  I stare at him, my eyes lighting up as the implications sink in. ‘I’d love to do that!’

  James smiles. ‘Good.’

  My own smile fades a little as I remember what Dominic and I still have to decide – whether or not we are going to turn Andrei over to the police. If we do, that means my rosy future running Mark’s business with James may not come to pass after all.

  ‘Everything all right?’ asks James.

  ‘Yes, fine,’ I say. Now is not the time to start going into all that with James. Erland comes back clutching two glasses of champagne and hands one to James.

  ‘Hello, Beth,’ he says in his lilting Norwegian accent. ‘How are you? Wasn’t the service lovely?’

  ‘It was. Really lovely.’ I smile at him. ‘It’s exactly what Mark would have wanted.’

  Erland’s eyes suddenly move towards the door. ‘Wow,’ he mutters. ‘Who’s that? I didn’t notice her at the church!’

  I turn to look. There is Anna
, stunning in a clinging black dress and a hat with a veil that covers her face to the nose, drawing attention to her bright red lips. She’s looking around for someone and when she spots Dominic, she begins to walk over to him.

  ‘Excuse me,’ I say, and leave James and Erland as I go over to intercept her. ‘Hello, Anna.’

  She gazes at me with a look of sardonic amusement. ‘Ah, Beth. How nice to see you. If you don’t mind, I need to speak to Dominic.’

  ‘Of course. Let’s find him together.’

  As soon as Dominic sees us approaching, he moves away from the man he’s talking to and leads us into a small room off the main bar.

  ‘Hello, Anna,’ he says politely. ‘You’ve decided to join us.’

  ‘Yes. I wanted to raise a glass to Mark, a man who was always most civil to me. But I also wanted to let you know something rather important. According to my contacts, Andrei is in the process of winding up his presence both here and in America.’

  ‘What?’ Dominic stares at her, astonished.

  Anna nods her head, her dark veil bobbing and her eyes glittering underneath it. ‘That’s right. For some reason, he appears to be retrenching, and removing himself from this country, and from the States.’

  ‘I see,’ mutters Dominic. He shoots me a look. ‘Clever of him. He’s getting out of the way so that even if we go to the police, there’s nothing they can do about it.’

  ‘You mean, he’s leaving?’

  ‘Exactly. He’ll have people cleaning up after him right now.’ Dominic frowns. ‘Thanks for letting us know, Anna. This changes quite a few things. If you’ll excuse me, ladies, I’ve just got to go outside and make a call.’

  He strides out, reaching for his phone and leaving Anna and me together. She watches him go and then turns to me, a smile playing around her red lips.

  ‘It looks as though you two are very happy together,’ she says.

  ‘Yes, we are – thank you,’ I say, sounding stiff even though I don’t want to.