Alex groaned. ‘Don’t you understand? You’ve made Wes wary now. He’ll have his people on the look out for strangers and weird comings and goings. That’s exactly what we don’t want. I told you that we weren’t supposed to arouse anyone’s suspicions or attract any attention, for Christ’s sake, that’s why we came here and why you have to keep out of the way. No one would question my staying at the Hall – it’s still my home after all – but you being there for several weeks would seem odd when you don’t normally stay that long.’
‘I have a right to visit my daughter.’
‘Yes, but you don’t, do you? When was the last time you spent more than a day with her? Never, that’s when.’
‘That’s not to say I can’t.’
‘Well, bloody well do it in daylight, instead of creeping around the house wrecking stuff.’
Caroline opened a bedside drawer and took out a packet of pills. She extracted one and swallowed it down with angry movements.
‘And that’s not helping.’ Alex nodded at the pills and scowled at her. ‘You promised, no drugs while we’re doing this job.’
‘It’s just diazepam, they calm me down. And it’s no wonder I need them, with you storming in here in such a foul mood, shouting at me.’
Alex ground his teeth together, trying to keep his frustration bottled up. He took a deep breath before continuing in what he hoped was a more reasonable tone of voice. ‘Look, all I’m saying is that you have to be a bit more circumspect. There’s no point you hiding out here if you’re going to do stupid things up at the Hall. Wes will smell a rat for sure.’
‘The little bitch needed to be taught a lesson. She’s living in my room and probably using all my things, so what does she need her own for? Nell told me she borrowed my swimsuit, can you believe it? The nerve.’ Caroline’s features, normally as lovely as any model’s, took on an ugly expression.
‘So you have seen Nell?’
‘Yes. I popped in to say goodnight to her, as is my right. And don’t worry, it’s our little secret. I made her promise not to tell Wes.’ Alex rolled his eyes, but she ignored him. ‘Anyway, that’s beside the point. That woman is trying to take my place, I just know it, ensnaring Wes and worming her way into Nell’s affection. Nell does nothing but talk about her all the time and I’m sick to death of it. I’m the one who should be there, not living in this, this … well, look at it, for heaven’s sake. I mean, I ask you – pink nylon sheets? It’s disgusting. It’s not what I’m used to, I can tell you.’
Alex sat down and sighed. He put his head in his hands. ‘I thought you hated Wes, so what do you care whether he likes Kayla or not?’ He ignored the rest of her outburst. Some things weren’t worth fighting over. ‘You said you were in love with me.’ In his heart he had known all along that Caroline didn’t really love him, but he hadn’t cared. He just wanted her because she’d been Wes’s and he’d known it would annoy his brother no end.
She was an incredibly attractive woman, with her lithe body and seductive ways, so being with her wasn’t exactly a hardship. He had also thought they were kindred spirits as they both loved life in the fast lane and living in luxury without actually having to do much work in order to achieve this. Of late, however, the relationship had begun to pall on him. For that matter, so had the jet-set lifestyle and the things he had to do to stay afloat. He knew he was in too deep and he wanted out. But Caro had insisted they do this one last job together and he’d agreed. Then he’d finish with her.
She was right about one thing though. She did look incongruous sitting on the faded floral chintz bedspread, dressed only in a flimsy silk kimono. Like an exotic bird who had somehow ended up in the shabby nest of a sparrow. Caroline was the kind of woman who should be staying at The Ritz, or whatever the local equivalent was, and walk around wearing designer clothes and dripping with jewellery. But here she was, brought low by her own weaknesses. She was hooked on prescription drugs and alcohol. Just like he was. The only difference was that he admitted as much and wanted to do something about it. She didn’t.
‘Of course I don’t love Wes,’ she sneered in answer to his question. ‘How could I, after what he’s done to me? He’s a complete bastard. But I wanted to be Lady Marcombe. He had no right to take that away from me. I’d earned it, providing him with a child and everything. Now I’m back to being a plain Ms. How boring is that?’
‘You brought it all on yourself,’ he muttered, but she pretended not to hear him.
‘Anyway, that room is still mine. It was to be left intact for me to stay in whenever I visit Nell. That was the agreement, so why did he put her in there? So she could be conveniently close to his room, I bet. He’ll have unlocked the interconnecting door first chance he got.’
‘Look, the only reason she’s in your room is because all the others are being redecorated, okay?’ Alex tried to hang onto his patience, but it wasn’t easy. ‘Annie told me. And if Wes wanted to sleep with the woman, don’t you think she would be sharing his own room? This isn’t the Middle Ages.’ Caroline started to say something, but he held up a hand to stop her. ‘Enough, Caro. We have more important things to think about right now. We have to plan our next move carefully or we’ll jeopardise the whole deal. If we don’t succeed in our little venture, you’ll be spending the rest of your life in hovels like this. Is that what you want? Now are you going to be sensible and help out, or should I take you back to London and manage it by myself?’
Caroline lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply before replying. ‘Oh, very well. Let’s finish playing your little games first. I’ll deal with Wes and the bitch later.’
‘They are not games,’ he growled. ‘This is dead serious, Caro, I wish you’d get it into that pretty little head of yours. And it was your idea in the first place, remember?’
She ignored his comments yet again and with an abrupt change of mood she stubbed out the cigarette and crooked a finger at him, smiling seductively. ‘If you’ve finished being disagreeable, why don’t you come and greet me properly? Haven’t you missed me even a tiny bit, darling?’
Alex hesitated, then shook his head. For once he didn’t feel any desire for her and if he was honest with himself, it was a relief. He tried to let her down gently though. ‘Sorry, but I’ve got things to do. And I’m a bit tired. Couldn’t sleep at the Hall last night. Wes always gets to me, you know how he is.’
Caroline didn’t buy his excuses. She stared at him in disbelief before her lips tightened and fury made her eyes flash dangerously. ‘I see. Well, perhaps I’ll go and find someone else to play with then. I’m sure there are other little boys around here who wouldn’t mind.’ She flounced off towards the tiny bathroom and went inside, slamming the door behind her.
Alex sighed and cursed himself for a fool. He needed to keep Caro sweet until the deed was done. She knew too much. ‘I am not a little boy,’ he muttered, clenching his fists in frustration, ‘so why won’t anyone ever take me seriously?’ But he knew it was partly his own fault.
He gritted his teeth and went to knock diffidently on the bathroom door. ‘Caro, darling? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that I’ve had so much on my mind lately. Please, won’t you come out and I’ll make it up to you?’
He was kept waiting for a few minutes, then the door opened slowly.
‘So what do you say we take the day off to do some touristy stuff, Kayla?’
Kayla looked up from the computer and found Wes standing very close. She breathed in his aftershave, which for some reason she found extra intoxicating today. It was a mixture of subtle spices with lemony overtones that made her want to pull him close. ‘Er, sure, that would be nice.’ She cleared her throat, trying to get her wayward thoughts under control. ‘What’s brought this on?’
He nodded towards the window. ‘It’s a beautiful day, too lovely to sit inside. And I’ve decided I need to live a little. I work too hard.’ He grinned and shrugged. ‘I’m turning into a boring old man, or so Alex says.’
‘You don’t think?’ He looked at her with a strange expression on his face that confused Kayla.
‘Well, no,’ she said, then added with a smile. ‘You probably just feel that way because you’re a dad. My sister told me she aged about ten years when she had her kids because she never got to sleep.’
‘Very true. Speaking of which, I’d better go and tell Nell to get ready. You don’t mind if we bring her?’
‘No, of course not, why would I?’
Wes sent her a grateful glance and went off to round up his daughter.
An hour or so later they drove into the car park of one of Devon’s many tourist attractions.
‘“Canonteign Falls, England’s highest waterfall”,’ Kayla read out loud from the little brochure Wes had handed her. ‘Wow, sixty-seven metres, that’s quite a drop.’
‘It’s actually man-made, you know,’ he said, setting off towards the woodland trail that led to the waterfall.
‘Yes, I know, but it’s pretty impressive even so.’ Kayla and Nell followed him eagerly, happy to be out of doors on such a sunny day.
They passed a small lake and entered a wooded area where the trail began. As they neared the first tiny cascades, Kayla could smell the damp air surrounding them and felt as if she had entered a greenhouse. She breathed in huge lungfuls of the healthy atmosphere. It was wonderful and she imagined the extra bursts of oxygen fizzing through her blood. There was moisture dripping down from all sides and moss and lichen covered the wet stones near the little brook. Further up the hill they encountered the lower waterfall, which the guidebook called Clampitt Falls. The roar of the water was incredible and the majestic cascade tumbled down the hill with surprising speed and force.
They stopped for a while to admire this sight before continuing upwards, climbing the steep path past huge tree roots covered in moss and ivy. The brook bubbling past them had lovely clear water and Nell and Kayla both bent down to test it to see how cold it was.
‘That’s quite warm actually,’ Kayla said.
‘Yes. Can I take my shoes off and paddle?’ Nell asked with a hopeful look on her face.
‘Not now. Come on, let’s get to the top,’ Wes replied. ‘You haven’t seen the best one yet.’
They all looked up in awe at the giant waterfall higher up the trail. The water came rushing over a sheer cliff face and fell straight down, making a terrible racket. It reminded Kayla of a huge, silver-coloured rippling ponytail and it was a lovely sight.
‘This is beautiful!’ Kayla exclaimed. ‘Thank you for bringing us here, Wes.’
He smiled at her and sent her a teasing glance. ‘You probably won’t thank me after I make you walk to the top of the hill.’
‘The top? You mean we’re going further up?’
‘Yep. Come on, this way.’ He took Nell’s hand and led the way up a narrow path. Kayla felt as if the forest was closing in on her as they followed the trail ever higher. They discovered there was a smaller fall behind the big one, but the path continued past this and upwards. They finally reached the so called ‘Buzzard’s View’ at the top of the waterfall and stopped to look down, panting slightly from the steep climb.
‘Oh, Daddy, everyone’s really tiny down there, just like dolls.’ Nell pointed to some people way below them on the path. Kayla had to agree they did seem quite far away, but she preferred not to look down for too long. Suddenly dizzy, she turned to continue along the path, anxious to get away from the drop. Little bubbles of panic rose up inside her, although she tried her best to stop them.
‘Oh God, I can’t look at that. I’ll wait for you further down,’ she called and stumbled away without waiting for an answer. She kept to the trail, which was rather dark in places under the dense foliage, and quite steep and slippery at times as well. Kayla had to concentrate very hard so as not to fall and soon stopped to catch her breath and wait for the others. She leaned against a trunk and closed her eyes for a moment. She hadn’t realised the height would have such an effect on her.
‘There you are, Kayla.’ She opened her eyes and tried to muster a smile for Wes, who had caught up with her, but her smile turned to a frown at his next words. ‘But where’s Nell?’
‘I thought she was with you. I left you at the top. I told you I couldn’t stomach the height.’
‘Yes, but she wanted to follow you, so I told her to stay close. In fact, I’m pretty sure she was right behind you.’ Wes swore under his breath and Kayla felt her chest tightening with fear. ‘Damn, I knew I should have kept hold of her hand.’
‘Oh, no!’ Kayla felt helpless and larger tentacles of panic groped at her insides. She swallowed hard and tried to think rationally. ‘There are only two ways down from here – this way or the way we came. Let’s go down one side each and meet at the bottom. One of us is bound to come across her. She can’t have gone far.’
‘Yes, you’re right. And when I find her she’s going to get a good talking to, I can tell you. She knows not to wander off on her own. I’ve told her a hundred times at least.’ Kayla could hear the frustration and fear in his voice, but didn’t comment. She felt the same and Nell wasn’t even her child.
Wes stalked off in the direction from which they had come and Kayla continued along the trail she’d been following. The forest suddenly didn’t seem as appealing as before – she found the darkness oppressive, the humidity unbearable and the path too muddy and slippery. It also felt as if it was never-ending and Kayla gritted her teeth in frustration. Every few yards she called Nell’s name, but there was no reply. An icy lump settled in her stomach, making her feel nauseous. Where the hell could she be?
Visions of small bodies floating in water or lying lifeless at the bottom of a long hill started to torment her and she hurried on. She tripped over a tree root and hurt her ankle, but kept going all the same. There was no time to lose.
With a sigh of relief she finally emerged into the sunlight at the bottom of the hill, only to be met by a despondent-looking Wes. He shook his head at her unspoken question.
‘Oh, Wes, what are we going to do?’ She took his hand to comfort him and he squeezed it gratefully.
‘I don’t know. I suppose we’ll have to alert the staff so they can organise a search party. Like you said, she can’t have gone far. She’s got to be here somewhere. Let’s go over to the office.’
They headed for the buildings, which housed a café and gift shop, at a half-run, hoping to find the staff office nearby. In the courtyard next to the play area, however, Wes came to such an abrupt halt that Kayla bumped into him.
‘Wes, what’s the matter?’ she said uncertainly.
‘Nell!’ he exclaimed and rushed forward. ‘Nell, you’re all right.’
Kayla stared in surprise as he ran over to hug his daughter who was sitting at a table eating ice cream next to an elegant woman with short, honey-coloured hair. ‘God, you gave me such a fright. Where have you been?’
‘Well, I was—’ Nell started to say, but was cut short by the woman who fixed them all with an icy glare.
‘Really, Wes, you should look after our daughter better. I found her wandering around all by herself in the forest without supervision. Honestly, it’s enough to make me want to go back to court. I’m sure the judge would be interested in this little tale.’ She smiled smugly and Kayla had a sudden urge to slap the woman’s face. So this was Caroline, she thought.
Kayla put her hands in the pockets of her faded jeans and studied Wes’s ex-wife. She had to admit the woman was beautiful, in the manner of a sleek, but lethal, cat. She had the most incredible complexion and enormous, almond-shaped brown eyes. Kayla thought Caroline looked completely out of place, however, since she was wearing a pale designer outfit, sandals and lots of chunky jewellery. Nearly everyone around them wore shorts or jeans and T-shirts, not to mention sensible walking shoes.
Wes scowled at Caroline and a muscle jumped in his cheek, making Kayla realise he was holding
his temper in check, but only just. ‘Well, what a coincidence that you should “happen” to walk by in the forest,’ he retorted. ‘That’s got to be a first. I don’t recall you ever wanting to trek through the woods before. I hope you didn’t get your fancy clothes dirty or your shoes stuck in the mud.’ He threw a scornful glance at her footwear, which on closer inspection did look rather muddy.
‘Yes, isn’t it a coincidence? I really felt I ought to take in a few of the tourist sights before I leave on my next trip. One can’t possibly have lived in Devon without at least visiting Canonteign Falls, or so I’ve been told.’
Wes ignored his ex-wife and hugged Nell again, burying his face in her hair. ‘I’m so glad you’re safe, sweetie. It was lucky you found Mummy, eh?’ Kayla admired the way he kept his tone even. It must have taken a lot of self-control.
‘Yes, but—’ Nell was cut short by her mother for a second time. Caroline didn’t seem to want to hear her daughter’s views on anything.
‘Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new, er, friend?’ Caroline purred while looking Kayla up and down as if she were some kind of vermin. Kayla stared back defiantly. Caroline had no right to look so superior.
‘This is Kayla Sinclair, my secretary. Kayla this is Caroline, Nell’s mother.’ Wes was very obviously reluctant to perform the introductions, as he did so in a wooden tone of voice. ‘I think we’d better be going now though. It’s getting late. If you’ll excuse us, Caroline?’
‘I suppose so, since I don’t seem to have any rights any more.’ Caroline glared at Wes a final time before standing up. She was almost as tall as her ex-husband and with a very slender figure. Kayla clenched her fists inside her pockets. The woman must be at least a head taller than herself and so elegant. It made her feel small and insignificant. Not to mention overweight, even though she knew well enough that she wasn’t. In short, Caroline made her want to gnash her teeth. And she still had an urge to slap her.
The Secret Kiss of Darkness Page 18