by Jane Corrie
She kept her mind running on this line of thought; it was safer than wondering just what was happening in the study, and fearing a sudden call for her appearance. She knew she would be expected to be on hand when the guests left, but she had no intention of budging from her room. She could always excuse herself afterwards by saying she had a headache—and this was not so very far from the truth, for her heart was palpitating at an alarming rate.
Although Cassy had gone to bed by the time the meeting broke up, she could not attempt to sleep until she knew Justin was off the premises, and waited until she heard the sound of motor car engines starting up outside the house. Only then did she feel that she could
relax, for the time being anyway, but dreaded the following morning and the ensuing events of the meeting.
Coward-like, she kept out of her uncle's way the next morning, since as it was Saturday he would not be leaving for his office and would spend the day at home.
Cassy did not know what she would have done if she hadn't been able to escape to the kennels, and she made certain that she was there long before her uncle put in his appearance for breakfast, even though he was an early riser.
As she exercised the dogs that morning, Cassy found that though she could keep herself busy, she could not stop the events of the previous evening from dominating her thoughts. She badly wanted to know the outcome of the talks; if they had agreed to amalgamate, and would that mean that Justin would make spasmodic visits to Oaklands. What about the hotel business? Did he intend to sell up and settle in the U.K.? At this thought Cassy's small white teeth bit into her soft lower lip; she would far rather he stayed in the Bahamas. She didn't want to see him again, she wanted to forget his very existence, but he didn't appear to be exactly co-operative in granting her this wish.
There was one other thought at the back of her mind that kept recurring with depressing regularity; what if Justin was set on revenge? He'd said something about strangling her if it was the man in the pin-striped suit, and it had been! Was he just being facetious at her expense? All reason pointed to that explanation, yet she could not rid herself of a feeling that there was a little more to it than that. Why had he bothered to put in an
appearance, to come all that way just to clinch a deal, unless he had an ulterior motive? It was this ulterior motive that worried Cassy.
After all the dogs were exercised, Cassy left Hilda to it, saying that she would be back later to help with the feeding. The bulk of the work had been done by then, and she could leave with a clear conscience, since now that she was a partner in the business she was under an obligation to give a helping hand.
Normally Cassy would have stayed all morning at the kennels, finding work to do, for there was always something that needed attention, if not taking bookings, collecting the dogs from the pens when their owners called for them, particularly the latter at the weekends. Today, however, the kennels took second place in her thoughts; she had to know the outcome of yesterday's meeting, and couldn't bear the suspense any longer.
It was eleven o'clock by the time she arrived back at Oaldands, and expecting to find her uncle in the study, she made her way there as soon as she entered the house.
The sound of voices did not deter her from opening the door and going in. Her uncle usually had a session with a man from the village who pottered about in the garden during the week, and Cassy was sure of the identity of her uncle's visitor.
A second later she was backing out of the study with flushed cheeks, for Justin Pride and her uncle were having what could only be described as a business conference.
'Don't go,' drawled Justin, his eyes lingering on her bright cheeks. 'We've settled our business, and I think
we've both had enough for one day.' He glanced at George Mellar with a lifted eyebrow, seeking confirmation on this point.
Her uncle nodded his head. 'Most satisfactory,' he said in a pleased tone. 'And now,' he added as he got up and looked at Cassy, 'I must go and collect Christine. You didn't tell me you'd met Mr Pride in Nassau,' he accused her lightly, 'and I must say I was surprised to find that you'd gone off to those kennels this morning, particularly as Mr Pride is staying for the weekend.' He cleared his throat importantly. 'Still, you can make up for your absence by entertaining him for the rest of the day. I don't suppose we shall be back before six.'
Indignantly Cassy looked at her uncle; he hadn't told her that Justin Pride was a house guest, although she would have known, she thought guiltily, if she hadn't bolted up to her room and stayed there. She knew Justin was watching her closely and that made things worse for her. 'I'm not sure Mr Pride would welcome my company for the rest of the day,' she said crossly, not liking the way her uncle had foistered his company on her.
`I'm very much looking forward to it,' commented Justin in a firm voice that told her that she wasn't going to get out of this obligation.
`Well, that's settled then,' commented her uncle before Cassy could add her sentiments on the matter, and strode out of the room. A few seconds later the sound of a car starting up and wheels crunching down the drive told Cassy she was on her own, and there was a hint of panic in her eyes as she met Justin's amused ones.
`I'm glad you're amused,' she said coldly. 'And I
can't think,' she added furiously, 'how we're expected to fill in the rest of the day.' Her eyes fell on the pile of papers on the desk. 'Why don't you have another business conference with your colleagues? You must want to get everything straight before you go back,' she snapped.
`You are in a prickly mood, aren't you?' replied Justin softly. 'I think perhaps I can do something about that. Come here, Cassandra,' he ordered autocratically.
Cassy's heart turned over. He was so sure of himself, wasn't he? In a day or two's time he would be off to the other side of the world, leaving her to pick up the pieces. Well, there weren't going to be any pieces. She wasn't going to get caught like that. 'Would you like to see the garden?' she asked, ignoring his command.
His quick drawn-in breath told her that he hadn't liked the change of conversation, if one could call it that, and his voice left her in no doubt. 'Later, perhaps,' he answered abruptly. 'When we've got a few things straightened out.'
Cassy looked at him, her lovely blue eyes echoing her thoughts as she said clearly, 'We've nothing to straighten out. Sylvia lied to you, and I had to back her up.' Her voice was bitter as she added, 'I don't blame you for not believing her when she tried to tell you the truth. It must be difficult for someone like you to understand that there are other motives for such actions, apart from monetary ones.'
He was silent for a moment or so, then said quietly, `I suppose I asked for that, but I didn't come halfway across the world simply to find out the truth.'
Cassy's hands clenched into small fists. No, he hadn't been able to resist dragging the saga on. 'Of
course you didn't,' she replied tightly. 'You came to put your signature on the dotted line, if Mellar's were willing to play ball—which apparently they were,' she added viciously, and glared at him. 'I also suspect that you couldn't resist taking a look at the man you thought I'd turned you down for. I'm right, aren't I?' she demanded furiously.
`Partially,' he said casually. 'Not wholly.' He thrust his hands in his pockets and turned to look out of the study window and across the lawn. 'I did want to see the man you appeared to want to sell yourself to, but it was more than that. I had to make sure that Sylvia had told me the truth this time, and if not,' he looked back at Cassy, 'I intended to break Mellar.'
Cassy's eyes opened to full capacity. 'You're not serious ! ' she cried, imagining her uncle in a broken heap on the floor.
Justin's eyes travelled slowly over her face before he answered quietly, 'That too, probably, the way I felt. In reality, however, I mean financially. And I could have done it, too; we've enough shares in the Company to swing things our way. As it happened it wasn't necessary—we've amalgamated.'
Gasping, Cassy was about to fall back on her favourite,
if well worn phrase, that she was apt to use when utterly confused, 'Bully ...' was as far as she got, for the next moment she was in Justin's arms and being kissed in no uncertain fashion.
When he lifted his lips from hers a moment later, he murmured softly, 'If you say, "Bully for you," to me once more I shall thrash you,' he threatened her lovingly.
There was no need for her to ask him if he loved her,
it was there in his eyes, in the possessive way he held her as if frightened to let her go, and he said so. 'You're not doing the disappearing act on me again, my girl,' he I muttered as his lips roamed her forehead. 'When phoned the hotel the next day and found that you'd left for home, I was desolate; I knew then without a doubt that I loved you to distraction, and the thought of you winging your way back to a man old enough to be your father tortured me. I cursed myself for not handling things better. That day I came to your hotel room, for example, I ought to have made my intentions quite clear to you. I ought to have proposed to you—in a way I was proposing, but you failed to see it that way.'
He kissed a wayward curl that had strayed across her forehead. 'When I'd calmed down and gone over that scene in my mind, I realised what a mess I'd made of the whole affair.' He looked down at her now pliant in his arms. 'You were right, my love, when you said it was difficult for someone in my position to understand any other motive but a mercenary one. I learnt a long time ago how to distinguish friends from hangers-on, and there were always 'plenty of those. I also learnt never to take anyone at face value, but to make my own judgments.' He sighed. 'And this I did with you; no matter how I tried I simply could not see you as a grasping siren. I think I must have fallen in love with you straight away, although I hadn't realised it. I only knew I wanted to be with you, but you kept turning me away.'
Cassy's arms went up around his neck as he said this, and she clung tightly to him. I thought you were only playing with me,' she whispered against his lapel.
Not at first,' he said softly, 'but afterwards, I must confess some such ploy did enter my mind, particularly as you'd made it clear that you were only interested in money, and that you thought you'd be wasting your time with me.' He gave her a little shake. 'Beachcomber, indeed!' he said scoldingly. 'I'd never given it a thought,' he went on musingly, 'that anyone could be ignorant of my affluence, and I must admit that Sylvia's confession came right on cue, as it were. It seemed obvious to me that you'd made a few enquiries about me, and must have received a shock. I reasoned that you would attempt to repair the damage, and that's precisely what I thought Sylvia's disclosure was in aid of. When you arrived that night looking like a wood nymph in that floating amber thing, I wanted to strangle you. You looked so lovely that I wanted to hurt you as much as you were hurting me.'
His lips twitched as a thought struck him. 'I suppose I ruined it, didn't I? I suppose if Sylvia and Greg hadn't made their appearance right then, I would have torn it from your back, I was so beside myself.'
Cassy looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes. `The zip's a bit askew,' she said softly, 'but it can be repaired, I think.'
`I'll buy you another,' he replied gently. 'Several, in fact. I like you in that colour.'
Later as they walked through the garden hand in hand, Cassy realised there were still a lot of things she didn't understand, such as the fact that Justin owned Danielsson's.
`My father's business, actually,' he explained, after she had put the question to him. 'I inherited it after his death two years ago. My interests lay in other direc-
tions, and I was quite happy to leave the firm in the hands of the management that had run it in my father's time. Of course,' he said on a note of amusement, 'I was informed of any big decisions, and asked to provide my comments, but by and large I never interfered
—except on this one occasion.' He squeezed her hand.
`Ironical, wasn't it, that they should have had their sights set on your uncle's business. International Trucking didn't mean a thing to me, that was the name that came through with their communications with me. It was only when I made a few enquiries about the Mellar business that I realised that International
Trucking was his business, so I told them to hold
everything and wait for me to join them.'
Cassy was silent for a while, then she asked, 'Would
you really have ruined poor Uncle George?'
He swung her round to face him. 'What do you think?' he said softly. 'If you wanted a rich man, then you'd get a rich man, but it was going to be me. This time I wasn't going to take no for an answer.'
Seeing the determination in those grey eyes of his, Cassy's eyes misted over. 'I love you,' she said softly. 'I loved you as a beachcomber, too,' she added, and would have said more, but his fiercely possessive arms closed about her, and his hard demanding lips, effectively curtailed the rest of the sentence.