Betrayal

by Margaret Bingley

  'Frankly, I'm both astounded and displeased.'

  'Don't get annoyed; just give them time.' Before he could answer, Louise drifted into the room. Lisa thought she was a very pretty girl but with a regrettably sulky mouth.

  'Where the hell have you been?' snapped Neal.

  Louise's eyes were innocent. 'Doing homework. You're always complaining I don't work hard enough at school. I thought you'd be pleased.'

  'Not when I've brought Lisa down to meet you all.'

  'Hi!' said Louise indifferently, her gaze fixed on Lisa's stomach, which mercifully was still amazingly flat. 'Rebekah says you've got a daughter of your own. I suppose she's been dumped with relatives while you're here?'

  'No, she's stayed with her nurse.' 'Do you mean a nanny?'

  'I mean a nurse. You see, Jessica's… '

  'Right,' Neal interrupted, 'I think it would be nice to show Lisa round the grounds before it gets dark. We'll meet up by the stables in fifteen minutes. Does that give you enough time to freshen up, darling?'

  'If someone would show me where my bedroom is?'

  'I'm sure Daddy can do that!' Louise smirked, and despite herself, Lisa felt a blush spreading up her neck.

  'Of course I'll show you,' said Neal courteously, but he shot a threatening look at his eldest daughter.

  'How many rooms are there?' asked Lisa, relieved to find that she was on the first floor as her back was beginning to ache.

  'On this floor there are three bedroom suites and three double rooms; the top floor has staff accommodation but only Wakefield sleeps there, which leaves the left wing deserted. Downstairs there's the drawing room that you saw, a dining room, study, small drawing room, kitchen and a vast utility room that houses everything without a proper home!'

  'What's the new part of the house used for?'

  'It isn't really part of this house, although there is a connecting door from my study. It's where my security men live.'

  'Security men?'

  'I'm afraid if you've got any money these days you have to protect your property very thoroughly. They're good men and well trained. One of them's an ex-SAS officer.'

  'Simon never took precautions like that! Are you afraid of being burgled?'

  'Not really, it's a more personal form of danger I'm afraid of. There's always kidnapping; the girls are targets for that, and there've been one or two threats against me.'

  'If you were royalty or a pop star I could understand it, but… ' 'I assure you it's necessary.'

  'Obviously you think so but I can't imagine… '

  'Bishop uses it as a base as well,' added Neal, knowing that any mention of his name would divert Lisa's attention.

  'He doesn't come into the house, does he? Even the sight of him turns me cold.'

  'He joins us occasionally. Louise has quite a crush on him. Not that I'd allow her to get involved but it's amazing to watch her flirt when he's around!'

  'What does Bishop think of that?'

  'He probably sees her as his entrance ticket into the family! Seriously, I haven't a clue what he thinks. He isn't one to give anything away. I'll meet you downstairs in ten minutes.'

  Alone, Lisa looked carefully round her. The room was certainly blue, the shades varying from the very palest ice-blue of the curtains to the deep cobalt of the wool carpet. The bed had stunning light-blue parachute silk draped over the four posts, the white duvet and pillows trimmed with the same colour. Bluey-grey tapestries covered three walls, while the fourth had a vast walk-in wardrobe in light oak. The ceiling was covered mainly with white tiles but an occasional blue rose continued the colour theme. A vase of peacock feathers stood on a glass table by the window while the door to the stark, ice-blue bathroom had an overhead canopy and drapes matching those over the bed.

  Once in the bathroom, she shivered. The large mirror over the basin showed her looking deathly white and she wondered who'd chosen such a cold theme. It wasn't friendly and was decidedly unflattering. She was relieved that she wouldn't be staying for long.

  Her clothes had already been unpacked and she quickly took out a pair of rust-coloured slacks and matching jersey, then pulled on a multi-coloured mohair jacket that reached to just above her knees. It was one of Carol's own designs that helped disguise the small amount of weight she now carried. She was downstairs before Neal but Ruth was already waiting, dressed in scruffy jeans and what looked like a man's parka. 'Don't you ride?' she asked.

  'To tell the truth I'm rather afraid of horses.'

  'I adore them. I need a new horse but Daddy keeps cancelling every time we're due to go and look at one. We've got some good bloodstock here. It's a hobby for Daddy, but like everything he does it makes money as well.'

  'You sound as though you think that's wrong.'

  'I didn't mean to. You'd better not wear those shoes,' she added, looking at Lisa's flat Charles Jourdan pumps. 'Didn't you bring any wellies?'

  'No.'

  'We keep some spare ones in the utility room. There might be some your size. Go to the end of the hall, then turn right through the swing doors and along the little passageway.'

  Lisa hurried down the hall and through the doors but stopped at the entrance to the kitchen as she heard her name mentioned.

  '… young enough to be his daughter,' Wakefield was saying. 'Bold as brass too. You'd think she'd feel guilty coming here so soon after Mrs Gueras passed away.'

  'Mind what you say,' cautioned a woman. 'If he was to hear, you'd be out without a reference.'

  'If I got out at all.' Wakefield sounded suddenly gloomy. Despite herself, Lisa couldn't stop listening.

  'It's only natural,' continued the woman. 'They say she's pregnant which doesn't give him long to get her introduced to the family and safely married. Besides, Mrs Gueras wasn't a proper wife to him as you very well know.'

  'She doesn't look pregnant to me.' Wakefield's antagonism towards Lisa wouldn't be appeased. 'She's rather thin and hasn't got a scrap of makeup on her face. Her hair's all over the place too.'

  'It's the Masters' woman I miss,' confided the woman. 'When I think… '

  Her heart thumping against her ribs, Lisa forced herself on to the utility room where she grabbed the first pair of boots that looked suitable and almost ran back to the hall. She'd expected the girls to be against her, but not the staff.

  'We thought you'd got lost,' said Louise, fiddling with her small Cartier watch. 'Daddy was just about to come and find you.'

  'I… '

  'What size are those?' interrupted Neal. 'About a six, I think.'

  He turned them upside down. 'They're an eight! Really, darling!'

  'If we don't hurry up it will be too dark even to see a horse, let alone the grounds,' said Ruth anxiously.

  In fact the horses were less frightening than Lisa had expected, and Neal didn't attempt to get her to touch any of them, accepting her fear with tolerance.

  'I don't like horses either,' said Rebekah, moving closer to Lisa's side as they watched Ruth feeding an enormous mare some sugar lumps. 'I'm afraid of horses, storms and spiders. Are you afraid of spiders?'

  'A bit. I don't mind small ones but I wouldn't fancy dealing with one of those enormous foreign ones that come over in banana crates!'

  'Are they big and furry with yellowy stripes?' Rebekah seemed curiously troubled.

  'Yes, they're called tarantulas.' Rebekah stared blankly into the distance. 'They don't live here,' Lisa said reassuringly, realising that the little girl was trembling.

  Rebekah's head turned slowly towards her. 'Don't they? I thought… '

  'What?'

  'I don't know.' She sounded confused. 'I thought I'd seen some once, but I can't remember when. It must have been a dream, I suppose. I do get bad dreams and I walk in my sleep.'

  'Who puts you back to bed?'

  'Nanny does if she finds me, but I often go back myself. It's only in the morning when I find my slippers in the wrong place or something like that, that I know I've done it.'

&
nbsp; 'She's loopy!' jeered Louise. 'Completely round the twist. Tarantulas indeed!'

  'Shut up!' shouted Rebekah. 'I said it was a dream. Besides, you're frightened of things too.'

  'I am not.'

  'Yes you are. You're frightened Daddy won't let you marry that disgusting Bishop!'

  With a scream of fury, Louise grabbed Rebekah's long hair and tugged viciously at it. 'Shut up, pest! Why can't you go away to boarding school like Mummy wanted, then we wouldn't have to put up with your spying on us all the time. You're vile!'

  Surprised by the noise, Neal swung round and saw the girls fighting. He grabbed Louise by the shoulders and pulled her away. 'Leave the child alone, Louise. Aren't you a little too old for playground scraps?'

  Louise went scarlet with humiliation but kept silent, her look daring Lisa to repeat what she'd heard. 'Come on,' continued Neal wearily. 'We'll go down to the parkland.'

  Although it was nearly dark, Lisa had time to take in the extent of the grounds. All the lawns were immaculate, the park and woods large enough for exercising horses. There was a beautiful rose garden with a wooden pergola that would be glorious in mid-summer, and a covered swimming pool by the large patio, situated in the best place to trap the sun. Unfortunately, Lisa realised that anyone in the annexe had a good view of people in the pool, and she didn't care for the thought of Bishop watching her swim. But then she probably wasn't going to be living here anyway.

  For dinner she changed into a dark blue empire-line St Laurent dress that hung in soft pleats to mid-calf length, studded with diamante inserts across the bodice and round the wrists. After carefully doing her face and putting a heated brush through her hair she went down to the dining-room, hoping that Neal would be pleased with the way she looked.

  She hesitated at the door. The girls' voices were raised in argument and all at once she didn't want to go in. She felt ridiculously afraid of facing them, especially without Neal. The sudden touch of his hand on her arm made her jump. 'Sorry, darling, I didn't mean to creep up on you. How about a drink before dinner? It isn't quite 'eight o'clock.'

  'Perhaps we should join the girls? The weekend is for me to get to know them.'

  'I wanted you to meet them but I've no intention of letting them monopolise you. I saw how Rebekah clung to your hand while we were outside.'

  'Weren't you pleased? I thought it was nice that she wanted to be friendly, and it's obvious that with a little more attention she'd… ' 'She's got a perfectly adequate nanny. I'm the one who needs your attention!' Although he smiled, Lisa knew he meant what he said.

  Her heart sank. If he was jealous of his own daughters, what on earth would he be like with Jessica?

  'In that case, a small dry sherry please.'

  Taking hold of her elbow he guided her into his study. 'We won't be disturbed here. No one comes in without an invitation.'

  'You make it sound like a Royal Garden Party!'

  He took her in his arms and began to kiss her. 'I'll be glad when it's time to go to bed. Oh, Lisa, if only you knew how much you meant to me.' And his kisses deepened, his tongue thrusting into her mouth as his hands began fondling her breasts.

  Horribly aware of the proximity of the girls, she tried to relax against him, feeling his hardness pressing against her body. Then he started to lower her to the small sofa, and this time she managed to wriggle free, laughing nervously. 'Not now! I thought we came in for a drink?'

  'I'm afraid I got carried away. Perhaps you should carry an addiction warning!'

  'Louise isn't very enamored of me. I'm surprised I haven't already dropped dead from one of her looks! Was she very close to Naomi?'

  'No, she's just trying to annoy me. Louise resents the fact that I've spent so much of her childhood away from home. She doesn't seem to appreciate that money has to be earned.'

  'Maybe she isn't obsessed with money.'

  'She's certainly good at spending it. The man who marries her is in for a shock. She spends more in one visit to Harrods than you've spent in all the time I've known you.'

  Privately Lisa thought this was the girl's way of getting something from her father. If she couldn't have affection, and it didn't look as though she could, then she obviously used his money as a substitute, but Neal wasn't the type of man to understand her motives. To him money was the most important currency. She felt very sorry for the girls, growing up with an invalid mother and a father they scarcely saw.

  'That sounds like the gong,' said Neal, finishing his whisky in one quick swallow. 'We'd better go through. I'm afraid I've crumpled your skirt at the back.'

  'Never mind, I'll soon be sitting down so it won't show.'

  'Not nervous, are you?' he asked as she slipped a cool hand into his.

  'A little. They're so antagonistic. Not Rebekah, but… '

  'Bugger the children!' he said shortly. 'If they can't be civil they'll be sent away to boarding school. Remember, you're not on trial, darling, they are.' Horrified, Lisa's thoughts flew once again to Jessica.

  The girls were already seated when they entered the room. Ruth gave them a half-smile, Rebekah an eager glance, but Louise's gaze swept over Lisa's dress and she raised her eyebrows slightly.

  'Is something wrong, Louise?'

  'No, Daddy. I only wondered why Lisa was wearing dark blue. It doesn't really suit her.'

  There was complete silence. The young maid who was bringing in the soup stood frozen in the doorway and waited. Neal reached for a roll from the basket in front of him and broke it as though it were Louise's neck. 'Such appalling manners certainly don't suit you, Louise. I'd prefer it if you were to leave us now. I don't wish to see you again until tomorrow morning.'

  'I thought I was supposed to be getting to know Lisa.' Louise was nervous but apparently hell-bent on destruction.

  'No, Lisa is here to get to know you. I imagine she now has your measure and your presence is therefore superfluous. We will see you at breakfast. Goodnight.'

  Ruth and Rebekah had their heads bent. Rebekah was having difficulty in restraining her tears while Ruth's head shook spasmodically in a nervous tic.

  'I hate you!' shouted Louise, all pretense at composure gone. 'How can you bring that thing here when Mummy's only just died? Don't you realise how horrible it is for us having to look at her, sitting in Mummy's seat, trying to be nice to us all when… '

  'I don't imagine she'll bother with you any more. Now get out!' He was no longer calm and his face was filled with such contempt that Louise burst into tears.

  'I hope you know what he's like!' she shouted, turning to Lisa and almost spitting out the words. 'He can't love anyone except himself. Mummy could have told you that, or Kay . But they're both dead now. Isn't that jolly lucky for you!'

  Before anyone could reply she'd rushed from the room, banging the door behind her so that the family portraits hanging round the room swung slightly on their hooks.

  'Better than Dallas,' murmured Neal lightly, and Lisa gave him a watery smile. She was acutely shocked both by Louise's distress and also by the force of her dislike. Ruth and Rebekah seemed as though they'd respond to normal kindness but Louise was plainly going to be an enemy should Lisa ever consent to marry her father. And Louise was in love with Bishop. Lisa shuddered at the thought of their combined hatred.

  'You may serve the soup now, Ann,' instructed Neal. Looking at the wide-eyed maid Lisa wondered what Wakefield would say when he heard about the scene.

  The rest of the meal passed off quite well. When they'd finished they all went into the small drawing-room and played bridge on a beautiful mahogany Pembroke table with an inlaid satinwood board. At nine, Rebekah was collected by her nanny, an elderly, hard-faced woman, and an hour later Ruth made her excuses and went to bed. Only when they'd finally gone did Lisa realise how tense she'd been. She slumped back in her chair with a small sigh.

  'Tired?' Neal gave her a sympathetic smile. 'It's been rather a baptism of fire! Still, we're alone at last. How about a nightcap?' 'I don't think
the baby likes alcohol!'

  'You don't mind if I do?'

  'Carry on.' She watched as he opened the drinks cabinet and took out the Napoleon brandy. He was so much more at home here than in his London flat. He suited the large house, the stables and the estate. His air of authority and power was still very obvious but even more attractive, and she knew that there must be a lot of women who envied her. Sitting with him now, she too was attracted yet knew that once they began making love the attraction would vanish and he'd seem like a stranger touching her.

  'I've asked some friends round for drinks tomorrow morning. Only one or two neighbours. I thought you might like to meet them.'

  'Did they know Naomi well?'

  'Scarcely at all. I suppose she was round once or twice when we first came here. After that she took to staying in her room when we had company.'

  'It must have made things very difficult for you.'

  'A little. Lisa, have you thought any more about marrying me?' She didn't answer him. 'I realise I took you by surprise the other night but you've had plenty of time to consider it since then and quite honestly, darling, I don't want to wait any longer than necessary. I promise I'll do everything in my power to make you happy.'

  'Perhaps I will have a drink,' she murmured, and then wrapped her hands round the glass. 'I'll be absolutely honest. I have thought about marriage and I appreciate how much you love me, but it simply wouldn't be fair to you if I accepted.'

  'Why?'

  'Because I don't love you. I like you and enjoy being with you but I don't love you. I don't think I've ever loved anyone. Perhaps there's something wrong with me and I can't, but what I feel for you isn't enough.'

  'Enough for whom?' he asked quietly. 'For you!'

  'Is it enough for you? I appreciate that in some respects our relationship isn't perfect but we can talk to each other. We share several interests and I want you as my wife even if you don't love me. If it's enough for you then don't hesitate to accept, but it isn't enough, is it?'

  She thought of Renato Bellini in the park. Remembered his hand grasping hers and pictured the smile on his face as he played with his small son. She knew instinctively that if he were asking her to marry him she'd feel quite differently about the question, and because she was honest she regretfully shook her head. 'No, I don't think it is.'