Betrayal

by Margaret Bingley

  'I saw them!' insisted Rebekah, her voice muffled by the dessert. 'I know I did. It wasn't a dream. They were big and furry, real tarantulas.'

  'Shut up!' Ruth's tone wasn't unkind but Lisa could see how furious Rebekah was at everyone's continuing disbelief of her story.

  'Did your mother hate spiders, Ruth?'

  'God, yes. Even a money spider sent her into a screaming fit. When I was really young I remember Daddy putting one in her iced soup at lunch time. It was titchy and couldn't possibly have hurt her but she went berserk. We laughed at first, but when she kept screaming we realised it wasn't funny at all.'

  'Your father should have known that.'

  'I expect he did but I don't suppose he felt guilty about laughing. He's always believed in making people face up to their fears. Like you and horse riding,' she added.

  'That was horrid of him!' exclaimed Rebekah. 'I could see you shaking. That lovely Italian man looked ready to bop Daddy on the nose, he was so cross!'

  'Fortunately the doctor's forbidden me to ride again now my arm's been broken twice. Even your father doesn't want a wife with a deformed arm, however satisfying he might find his treatment of my phobia.'

  'I'm stuffed!' remarked Rebekah inelegantly, and Lisa could see that the girl's eyes were half closed.

  'Time to go,' she responded, signing the bill automatically without even checking it.

  'Is Mike taking us home? I like him,' said Rebekah sleepily.

  'It's Steve,' said Ruth flatly. 'Anyway, you can't have Mike, he's in love with someone else.'

  'Who?' demanded Rebekah, suddenly wide awake. 'Is it you?' Ruth glanced at her stepmother and then away again. 'No, it's not me, although I agree he's nice. It isn't anyone you know,' she added. Lisa, still pondering Rebekah's insistence of the reality of the tarantulas, didn't hear the conversation. She would have been amazed at her stepdaughter's intuition, and worried as well considering the risks she and the chauffeur were about to take. Fortunately it didn't matter. In both Ruth and Rebekah she had staunch allies.

  Meanwhile, in the Scilly Isles, Louise—abruptly initiated into Bishop's true sexual tastes—lay weeping silently beside him, wishing with all her heart that she'd listened to her sister, her mother or even her stepmother before committing herself entirely to this man. A man who not only knew how to cause her pain but had also made clear his total contempt for her and all she represented.

  Tonight he'd laughed at her tears before telling her exactly why he'd married her and how he intended to benefit from their union. As for the child she carried, she knew now that if she managed to carry it full term it wouldn't be because of Bishop. As far as he was concerned the growing fetus had served its purpose and with any luck would be miscarried. Unlike his father-in-law he had no desire for heirs. He was only interested in himself.

  While his oldest daughter wept, Neal lay beside the auburn-haired socialite and wondered whether it would be safe to take her to the next film gala or if people might start to talk. Perhaps he should wait until he'd made Lisa pregnant, then there would be an excellent reason for her absence and the sight of a mature woman in her early forties at his side wouldn't arouse any controversy.

  He rather regretted the fact that she was older, but he now knew that young flesh wasn't necessarily the most sensual and it was satisfying to feel a woman respond to his touch again. Yet deep down he wished that it was his wife beside him, sleeping soundly with the look of a woman who's well loved. Being a realist he also knew his wish could never come true. Not now. The time for that was past.

  Jessica smiled broadly as her mother attempted to play pat-a-cake with her, their hands becoming hopelessly entangled every time. She was enjoying the game, actually accepting physical contact with pleasure, and Lisa felt that this could be the start of a big break-through. Finally she glanced at her watch. 'I have to go now,' she explained.

  'I have to go now,' repeated Jessica, moving off in acknowledgement that the game was over.

  'I'll be back soon.'

  'Back soon… ' The echo sounded almost wistful. Tears pricked behind Lisa's eyelids but only when she was safely outside did she wipe her eyes and take a deep calming breath. She knew very well that it wasn't just Jessica's words that had upset her. It was the day's tension heightening every emotion, for today she was to meet Renato Bellini at Brown's.

  She changed into a fuchsia pink, linen suit with a crisp white cotton blouse whose high collar hid the marks of Neal's aggressive lovemaking the previous night.

  'Where are you going?' asked Louise, coming silently up the stairs. 'To town, I've got a dress to pick up.'

  'I thought I might come with you. None of my clothes fit me now and there isn't a decent maternity shop for miles around.'

  Lisa's heart thumped against her ribs. Although Louise's voice was innocent enough there was a look of challenge in her eyes, almost as though she knew her stepmother wouldn't want anyone going with her, which was ridiculous. Only Lisa, Mike and Bellini himself knew of the arrangement , and none of them would have told Louise. But of course there was Bishop. It was always impossible to be sure how much he knew.

  'You'll have to take another car,' she said coolly. 'I'm hoping to call on Carol while I'm there and I might join some of the Red Cross Committee for tea later. I can't wait around for you all the time.'

  All at once an expression of regret passed over Louise's features, to be quickly replaced by her more usual sullen pout. 'I'll go another day then,' she said indifferently. 'It isn't much fun shopping on my own. Actually, I wanted to use Daddy's charge cards.'

  'Don't tell me your husband's keeping you short of money!'

  'He doesn't understand about clothes. He seems to think I look all right in the ones I've got.'

  'I never thought he was good husband material. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go.'

  'Try not to bump into Daddy,' said Louise spitefully. 'It might be embarrassing for you if you found him and his new woman having an intimate lunch.'

  'What new woman?'

  'I don't know her name, but I don't think you can complain. After all, he did the same to Mummy.'

  'You're just a troublemaker,' retorted Lisa, but she thought that Louise had probably been speaking the truth. It made sense. Neal was in London a lot these days and rarely took her with him. He also behaved like a man with something on his conscience. No doubt it was a passing fancy. Only if Neal himself told her, or took the girl—she assumed it was a girl—to a public function would Lisa make a fuss.

  'You're late,' remarked Mike with a frown.

  'I was held up by Louise.' 'What did she want?'

  'Firstly she wanted to come with us this morning.' 'Tricky!'

  'And when I managed to wriggle out of that she told me that her father had a new girlfriend. Did you know about that?'

  'No.'

  'At least he's being discreet. God, I feel so nervous about this meeting.'

  As well she might, thought Mike to himself. If her husband found out he wouldn't hesitate to have Mike killed and his wife would probably end up wishing he'd done the same to her. 'As long as we're careful, you've nothing to worry about,' he said casually, but his eyes constantly checked the driving mirror and he made sure that he dropped her off a long way from Brown's. 'Here's a sketch of the back streets you can walk through to get to the hotel. It should make life pretty difficult for anyone trying to follow you.'

  Lisa took the piece of paper and then gasped as a tall, slim woman wearing a pink suit appeared from a shop doorway and climbed into the back of the car.

  'Your double. I phoned on ahead with a description of the clothes.' 'You mean it's necessary to drive round London with someone impersonating me?'

  'It's what's known in the trade as a sensible precaution. I'll get a call when you're to be picked up. You'd better go, he's waiting.'

  When she realised how many steps were being taken to protect her, Lisa started to appreciate the enormity of what she was doing. Nervously she approached t
he receptionist at the hotel and took the key that was handed to her. She'd only just found his room when the door opened and Bellini was standing in front of her. Dressed in a dark silk suit with a brilliant white shirt and black and red silk tie he seemed more business-like than normal and her heart sank. This wasn't the man she'd imagined confiding in. This was a stranger. A man who belonged in her husband's world but not hers. Then he smiled and for a moment she felt better.

  'I was worried for you.' 'I got held up at home.'

  'You would like coffee?' he asked, ushering her in.

  'I don't know. I… ' She felt sick with nerves and wasn't too sure if strong coffee was quite what her stomach needed.

  'Try it,' he urged. 'And while you drink, tell me about Jessica.' He was deliberately giving her a chance to compose herself, dismayed by her nervousness. He knew about Neal's current mistress, and knew too that the marriage was in a bad way but he hadn't expected her to be quite so tense. Aware that his own physical size probably intimidated her he tried to make himself as small as possible in the huge armchair and was relieved to see her slowly unwind.

  'Jessica's doing very well,' she said at last. 'I was playing with her this morning, really playing that is. She's learning to act out pat-a-cake, and although she can't get it right she's able to laugh instead of flying into a temper or giggling hysterically. She's talking more too, but she still can't cope with personal pronouns. Other people's raised voices upset her but not her own! On the whole I'd say she's better.' 'You should take her around more. Get her used to the outside world.'

  'Neal doesn't like people to see her.'

  'She cannot stay locked on the top floor for the rest of her life!' 'Of course not, and she does go into the garden every day, but… ' 'I understand. He is good to her, your husband?'

  She thought of Neal dangling Jessica out of the bedroom window and closed her eyes for a moment. 'No,' she said shakily. 'He's not at all nice to her.'

  'What does he do?'

  'He doesn't hit her or anything like that, I wouldn't let him . Most of the time he simply pretends she doesn't exist, but these days when he wants to get at me he does it through Jessica. She's so vulnerable that… I don't want to talk about it,' she finished quickly. 'You should talk about it. Please, tell me what he does that distresses you.'

  'I can't.'

  'I thought we were friends.'

  Lisa looked carefully at him. His eyes looked very kind. She knew that he'd have compassion for Jessica and for her, but she also knew that he was a tough businessman in a tough world that was probably little different from her husband's, and she'd had enough of men like Neal to last her a lifetime.

  'I don't have men friends any more,' she said tightly.

  Renato's eyes moved away from hers. She'd been more badly damaged than he'd anticipated and he wished he could carry her off to Italy, leaving everything behind. He wanted to give her a new start in a land where she could be healed by sun, sea and constant, non-demanding love. Naturally it was impossible. She had children and responsibilities, and at the moment she was too fragile for him even to touch her, but one day he'd take her away, he promised himself. As soon as his business here was over… providing Neal hadn't damaged her so much that she would no longer trust any man.

  'Tell me what you know of the robbery,' he said abruptly, twisting round to face her.

  'I don't… '

  'You know something, do you not?' 'I've read about it and… '

  'Was you r husband behind it?' 'I think so,' she hedged.

  'Have you asked him outright?'

  She hated his staccato questions and arrogant demands, and her temper flared. 'Yes, if you must know I did ask him and he told me I was right. Then he dragged me along to Jessica's room and made me watch him hang her out of the window and threaten to drop her thirty feet to the front garden if I ever told anyone. Is that enough for you?'

  'Yes,' he said gently. 'It is enough.'

  'I knew because I'd seen the man in charge of the security firm at our house a couple of times.'

  'The security people were themselves involved?'

  'Not those poor drivers, but their boss certainly was.'

  'I see. And you will still continue to live with your husband?' 'What choice have I got?' she demanded, her voice harsh with the effort of keeping back the tears. 'Can you imagine him letting me leave? Besides, he wants another son.'

  Renato flinched. He didn't like imagining her in the arms of Neal Gueras. He'd been pleased to learn about his mistress, imagining this meant he no longer slept with his wife.

  'You will let him give you another child?' He sounded almost contemptuous.

  'How the hell can I stop him? I am his wife, and if I don't choose to give him a son willingly he'll get one by force. I don't enjoy violence so I let him get on with it. You're disgusted, aren't you? I can see it in your face but what else can I do?'

  'I find it equally disgusting. There are times when I wonder how long I can live like this, but I chose it. Chose it of my own free will because I honestly thought that I could make him a good wife and that although I didn't love him I'd always respect him.'

  'I don't respect him any more and I certainly don't love him, but there's still Jessica. Without Neal I couldn't have afforded the therapy that's made such a difference. And you see, Jessica will always be there. Who else would take her on?'

  'I would,' he said softly.

  Lisa shook her head. 'Don't say that. I can't get away from Neal and you'll only make my life more difficult if you tell me that things could be better.'

  'But they could! I wouldn't keep Jessica shut away on her own, she'd be part of the family. How can you tell yourself that she's having the best treatment when you scarcely see her? And you don't do you? He hates you even to talk about her, I can see it in his eyes. She's his weapon against you, nothing more.'

  'Stop it! I don't want to hear about all the wonderful things you'd do for her. You're not my husband, Neal is. And if I ever did get free of him, you don't honestly think I'd get involved with another man, do you?'

  'Don't let him spoil your whole life, Lisa. It is true that to leave him will not be easy, but neither will it be impossible, providing it is done carefully and with good planning. If in time you could care for me, I would spend the rest of my life showing you what a good husband is like.'

  'No you wouldn't!'

  He smiled. 'Why so sure?'

  She fiddled with her wedding ring, twisting it round and round on her finger. 'I'd be a disappointment to you.'

  'In what way?'

  'In the most important way, according to my husband.' 'You cannot cook!'

  She hesitated. 'I'm no good in bed,' she admitted flatly, certain that this would silence him.

  Renato wondered how much it had cost her to tell him that. 'That is a personal experience between two people who care for each other,' he said at last. 'There is no question of being either good or bad at it. You cannot be good on your own. It is always possible that you are not having the best of help!'

  'I wasn't much good with my first husband either,' she said defiantly, determined to alienate him.

  'There is more to married life than bed.'

  'You wouldn't think so to listen to Neal these days. You can't imagine what it's like to hear a constant litany of your faults as a bed partner.'

  'I think I can.'

  'You wouldn't be any better!' she retorted, angry at him for what he'd made her reveal. 'According to my husband you wouldn't waste five minutes of your time on me if you knew what I was really like.'

  'He tell you this?'

  'Yes. I understand you're something of an expert, so I'd certainly be a terrible disappointment. It's lucky you'll never know, isn't it?' 'Do not do this to yourself. Naturally your husband wishes you to feel a failure as a woman, this is yet another way to keep you with him. Now, listen carefully to me. As you know, he is a highly organised and efficient criminal. His entire organisation exists from the profits of cri
mes. Protection rackets, prostitution, drugs… these are the business commodities that really bring in the money. The rest is just a front.

  'He is ruthless and clever, but over the past few years he has been over-reaching himself. My family in particular are incensed by his attacks on our banks. We… '

  'You're all crooks too,' interrupted Lisa.

  He raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'In what way, crooks?'

  'You belong to some masonic lodge that goes round killing its own members.'

  'You are thinking of the Banco Ambrosiano scandal. Possibly not all P2 members are blemish free, just as not all of your masons here are beyond reproach, but that is not the same as making a living from criminal activities, and for myself I know nothing of the Roberto Calvi affair.'

  'I wouldn't expect you to admit it!'

  He sighed. She was so much on the defensive it was impossible to reach her. He also sensed that she didn't want to be reached. That she was fighting to keep her hold on sanity and any interference from him could prove too much for her.

  'Listen to me. You must naturally do what you think best for your children's safety, but should the time ever come when you need a safe place to hide then I can give you the key to such a house right now. Here, take it, the address is on the tag. Memorise it and I will tear up the tag before you go. That house will be empty day and night, and if you pick up the telephone in the hall you will immediately be put through to me, wherever I happen to be. Now, for my peace of mind, will you take it?'

  'I think you're over-dramatizing the situation, but since it seems to matter so much I suppose I should.'

  Renato stood up and Lisa rose too, not wishing to have him towering over her. Taking her right hand in his, he gently caressed it with his thumb. 'I do not wish you to go back to your husband,' he murmured, 'but as you have pointed out there is no other option open right now. However, one day it will be different and then I will be free to tell you how I feel about you.'

  She looked at his long, slender fingers and for once she didn't imagine them tightening round her wrist or twisting her arms as Neal's so frequently did. Instead she imagined them holding her safely, shutting out all the terror and deception that was her life, and without realising it she swayed towards him.