by Anne Mather
Alex didn't really want to discuss it, but he realised any reluctance on his part could be construed as prejudice. And the last thing he wanted Penny to think was that he had any personal reason to deny her request.
'Um—well, she's a bit like you,' he replied at last, and as he did so, he realised how true that was. The two girls were alike, although if he was honest, he would have to admit that Penny was only a pale reflection of her alter ego. Isabel's hair was richly coloured; Penny's was amber; Isabel's eyes were a greenish grey; Penny's irises were hazel; Isabel's mouth was wide and provocative; Penny's lips were unremarkable . . .
'Like me?' Penny said, looking at him archly. 'How intriguing! Tell me more.'
'There's nothing more to tell.' Except that Isabel was taller, and slimmer; and he resented the suggestion that he had made any connection.
'You don't like her, do you?' Penny ventured now, sliding her hand across the table and caressing his wrist. She had sensed his irritation, and she was eager to restore his humour. 'If it makes you angry, we won't talk about it any more. But do you think she's worth the sacrifice of being at odds with your uncle?'
Alex's nostrils flared. 'I don't think the two things are mutually compatible. My opinion of Isabel has nothing to do with my argument with my uncle. Let's leave it at that, shall we? I dare say Uncle Robert and I will sort out our differences eventually.'
'But not before this weekend,' bemoaned Penny ruefully. 'Damn Isabel Ashley! And damn your grandmother, too.'
Alex made no comment. He was grateful for the opportunity to change the subject, and for a while their conversation turned to less controversial matters. But then, after the meal, when they were waiting for a liqueur to round off the evening. Penny suddenly said, 'What does she do?' and Alex's feeling of tranquillity fled.
'What does who do?' he asked. But he knew. It was as if the subject fascinated Penny. Hearing that they looked alike had evidently aroused her interest, and although she knew he wouldn't like it, she had to take the chance.
'Isabel Ashley,' she said at once, giving him a pleading look. 'Don't be mad. I'm curious, that's all. Maybe she doesn't work for her living. I just wondered if she did.'
'She's a photographic model,' said Alex flatly. 'She does layouts for catalogues and things, and occasionally she appears in TV commercials. Does that satisfy you?'
Penny's eyes widened. 'Would I know her face if I saw it?'
'I doubt it.' Alex was impatient. 'She's no Marie Helvin. There are dozens of girls, just like her. Few of them ever make it big.'
'I suppose not.' Penny was thoughtful. 'All the same . . . ' She shrugged. 'She did meet your cousin.'
'Yes, she did that,' agreed Alex sardonically, and when his brandy came, he swallowed it in two gulps. 'Right. Shall we go? Before I begin to wonder if Chris is the reason you so desperately wanted to spend the weekend at Nazeby.'
'As if that was a possibility!' Penny exclaimed later, hugging his arm as they walked the short distance to where Alex had left his car. 'I have met him, you know. He came to your apartment that Sunday, wanting to borrow some cash because all the banks were closed.' She grimaced. 'He's not my type at all. He has such a weak face, don't you think?'
Alex regarded her tolerantly as he unlocked the Ferrari. 'Well, that's my grandmother and my cousin you've insulted. Anyone else?'
Penny coloured. 'I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to even think I was interested in Chris. No, I was just curious about his ex-wife, that's all. I don't believe you ever told me why they split up.'
'Some other time,' said Alex briefly, swinging open his door. 'I've got some work to do after I've taken you home.'
Penny's face dropped. 'You're not coming in?'
'Not tonight,' said Alex, reaching for the ignition. 'I've got to have a report ready for tomorrow morning, and right now, it's only half written.'
Penny gave him a sulky look. 'You should have said. I could have easily got a Chinese take-away, and washed my hair instead.'
Alex glanced her way. 'Who's complaining?'
'I am.' She hunched her shoulders. 'First of all, our weekend's been blown out of the water by this silly disagreement you've had with your uncle, and now you don't have time to go to bed with me because you've got some stupid report to write! What did you expect?'
'All right, all right. We'll go to bed together then,' said Alex expressionlessly. 'But I shall have to leave straight after------'
'No, you won't!'
'The report won't write itself.'
'That's not what I meant.' She sniffed. 'If you think I'd just let you use me------'
'I understood we used each other,' Alex overrode her coldly. 'I thought we agreed our work would always come first. I don't object when you fly off to Cairo or Bahrain, or some European capital at a moment's notice. Why should you complain when I tell you I have commitments, too?'
'Because I've just come back from the Middle East,' she exclaimed indignantly. 'We haven't been together for over a week! I need you, Alex.'
'I'm sorry.'
'No, you're not.' She flung herself away from him. 'And I can't help wondering why it isn't the same for you as it is for me. How do I know what you get up to while I'm out of the country? You could have another woman. I'd never get to know.'
Alex expelled a heavy breath. 'This is ridiculous!'
'Is it? Is it?' Penny slumped in the seat. 'I wish I could believe you.'
Alex slowed to accommodate a pedestrian crossing. 'Does it matter?' he queried wearily. 'I don't put any conditions on you.'
'No, you don't, do you?' she countered bitterly. 'So what am I supposed to glean from that? Is there someone else?'
Alex's face was set. 'I don't think that's part of our agreement.'
'So there is,' she cried tearfully.
'I didn't say that.' Alex swung the car into the forecourt of the apartment block where Penny lived, and brought the car to a standstill. 'But would you believe that I was telling you the truth if I denied it?'
Penny gulped. 'If—if we could trust one another------'
'Trust is for kids, Penny. And for those rare beings who find a lasting relationship. It's not for us. We each professed to want our independence.'
Penny's lip quivered. 'And if I've changed my mind?'
'I haven't,' said Alex callously and, getting out of the car, he walked round to open her door for her.
'Good night, Penny. Sleep well.'
He was getting into the car again when she seemed to come to her senses. 'When will I see you again?'
'I'll give you a ring,' he promised glibly, and then, before she could put any further restraints upon him, he set the wheels in motion with a spinning of the tyres.
Kerry was still up when he got back to Eaton Mews and his bushy brows arched enquiringly when his employer walked in.
'Sure, and you're an early bird,' he exclaimed, switching off his television and following Alex into the kitchen. 'Now what can I get you? Some coffee? A cup of tea? Or would you rather have something stronger? There's that bottle of fire-water your uncle brought you back from Brazil.'
'Coke will do,' Alex assured him flatly, extracting a can from the door of the fridge. 'And I don't want anything to eat either. I've just had dinner, and I've got some work to do.'
'Ah.'
Kerry nodded, and Alex drank half the can before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and regarding the smaller man dourly. 'Ah what?' he demanded.
Kerry shifted a little awkwardly now. 'Ah—that's why you're back so soon,' he volunteered defensively. 'Because you've got some work to do. I assumed you'd be spending------'
'You should never assume anything, Kerry,' said Alex, brushing past him on the way to his study. Shrugging off his jacket with one arm, he drained the can with the other. 'I don't want to be disturbed, understand? I'll see you in the morning.'
'Yes, sir.'
Kerry watched his employer disappear through the door that led into his private sanctum and pulle
d a wry face. If he was any judge, it wasn't just the weight of work that was bugging the man tonight. Mr Seton had something else on his mind, or he was a leprechaun's uncle!
In all honesty, Alex was admitting much the same thing to himself. Flinging himself into the chair at his desk, he acknowledged that the excuse he had given Penny wouldn't quite hold water. Oh, he had a report to write, but there was no specific urgency for it. He had actually told his client it might take several days to compile, and he had only used that as an excuse to get out of an unwelcome situation. But why? Why hadn't he wanted to go to bed with Penny tonight, when for the past six months they had had a more than satisfactory relationship?
One solution to his dilemma was totally unacceptable to him. The idea that his recent encounter with Isabel Ashley should in some way have influenced his decision tonight was almost laughable, only he wasn't entertained. Apprehensive, perhaps; angry, certainly; but not in any way amused.
Pulling his tie away from his collar, he tore the knot free and tossed it impatiently across his desk. For once, the elegantly appointed room gave him no pleasure, and the lamplight glinting over polished mahogany and Moroccan leather was just a means of illuminating his unease. He didn't feel like working. He didn't feel like doing anything. But he was sensible enough to realise where too much introspection might lead and, gritting his teeth, he reached for the pile of documents arranged neatly in a metal tray. He had always been able to find peace of mind in his work, and when Kerry risked poking his head round the door before going to bed, he found his employer firmly engrossed in a complicated financial analysis.
Robert Seton rang Alex the next morning.
'Do you want to speak to him?' asked Diana, mindful of her employer's mood the previous day after his cousin had departed. 'You have an appointment at eleven.'
Alex hesitated. Then, 'Why not?' he conceded, after a moment. 'OK, Diana. Put him through.'
His uncle was evidently delighted at his success. 'Does this mean you've forgiven me, Alex?' he exclaimed, causing the younger man no small feeling of self-derision. 'Chris told me that he's spoken to you. I don't usually approve of his interference, as you know, but in this instance, I'm inclined to reserve judgement.'
Alex caught his lower lip between his teeth for a moment before replying. He was not unaware that his decision to speak to his uncle was due in no small measure to the restless night he had just spent, rather than to any persuasion his cousin had exerted. But why shouldn't Chris take the credit? he mused wearily. He had no intention of telling Robert that Isabel Ashley had disturbed his sleep.
'What do you want, Uncle?' he inquired now, leaning back in his chair and resting the ankle of one leg across the knee of the other. 'I have an appointment in exactly four minutes. I'm not being rude, but I really don't have a lot of time.'
'I know what a busy man you are.' Robert Seton was conciliatory. 'And what I have to say won't take more than a couple of minutes. I just wanted to tell you that I'm still expecting you at Nazeby this weekend. And your charming friend of course. Chris is looking forward to seeing her again. He tells me she's a lovely girl.'
Alex sighed. 'I'm afraid I won't be able to make it this weekend after all, Uncle. Something has----come up. I'm sorry.'
Robert sighed, too. 'So you haven't forgiven me.'
'My decision has nothing to do with the affair over Isabel,' declared Alex shortly. 'It's simply that------'
'How can I believe you?' His uncle sounded desperate. 'Alex, the last time we met, face to face, you said some pretty scathing things about me, and about my business methods. All right. Maybe I did behave badly. Maybe I did send you to see that woman with some crazy idea that you might succeed where I failed. She always had a soft spot for you, you know that. Was it so unscrupulous to try and exploit the fact?'
'Yes.' Alex was adamant.
'Well—so be it. If you say so. But we're family, Alex. We can't allow that woman to be the cause of any more unpleasantness between us. Please, say you'll forget what I did. I really do want to see you.'
'Why?'
Robert gasped. 'Why do you think?'
Alex considered. 'The board meeting next week, perhaps.'
There was a pause, and the silence that ensued was heavy with frustration. A home run, reflected Alex shrewdly. Robert must be more distraught than he thought. He had evidently overlooked the fact that, as financial consultant to the company, his nephew received regular bulletins about all company matters. He already knew there was a meeting on Thursday.
'So,' Robert's voice was flat now, 'I could invite you in your business capacity.'
'In business hours.' Alex conceded the point.
'Oh, come on.' There was an edge to his uncle's voice. 'Not all your dealings are conducted in business hours. Can't you spare me one weekend? I really do need to talk to you.'
Alex paused. 'What about?'
'I thought you said you had a client pending.'
'I do.'
Robert grunted. 'Well, this may take longer than a few minutes. Have dinner with me this evening. We can talk about it then.'
'I'm afraid I have a dinner engagement,' said Alex flatly. 'If you could come here tomorrow------'
'Lunch, then,' said his uncle harshly. 'Or are you booked for lunch, too? What are you trying to do to me, Alex? Don't you think you owe me a few minutes of your time?'
Alex could have said he couldn't make it, but the affection he had always had for his uncle won out. At half-past twelve, he walked through the doors of the select Soho restaurant Robert had suggested, and joined his waiting relative in the adjacent bar.
'Gin and tonic?' enquired the older man, indicating his own glass, but Alex shook his head.
'Perrier water,' he insisted, sliding on to the stool beside him. 'I've got a heavy afternoon ahead of me.'
Robert grimaced, but he gave the bartender the order and then surveyed his nephew with unconcealed relief. 'I can't tell you how pleased I am to see you, Alex. And to know that we've ironed out our differences, too. We have ironed them out, haven't we?' he probed, when the younger man arched a sardonic eyebrow, and after a moment Alex inclined his head.
'I guess so,' he conceded drily, accepting the glass of iced Perrier water from the barman. 'So long as you're not about to ask me to undertake any more of your dirty work.'
Robert's mouth compressed. 'It wasn't like that, Alex. You know why I did it. Isabel—if she was going to listen to anyone, it had to be you.'
'But I had already refused that assignment,' Alex reminded him tersely, still feeling the tug of frustration in his stomach when he remembered how Robert had tricked him. 'Look, as far as Isabel Ashley is concerned, you're just going to have to live with it.'
'I can't.' Robert brought his balled fist down on the bar in silent protest. 'You don't realise what that woman's trying to do to me.'
Alex contained his impatience with an effort, looking away from his uncle to survey the discreetly lit restaurant that was visible beyond the curtained entrance to the bar. He should have known better than to believe Robert was prepared to let the situation ride. It was eating him up. That much was evident from the agitated way he kept toying with his glass, and the air of tension about him was not just a reaction to this meeting. He needed Alex, but mostly he needed someone to confide in.
Bringing his gaze back to his glass, Alex lifted it to swirl the ice around in the faintly sparkling mineral water. 'So,' he said, submitting to an unwilling stir of conscience, 'tell me. What is she doing?'
'Do you really want to know? You're not just humouring me?'
'I'm asking, aren't I?' Alex hid his resignation.
'All right.' Robert drew a steadying breath. 'All right, I'll tell you. She's blocking Denby's bid for Mattley Pharmaceuticals.'
Alex frowned now. 'Blocking your bid?' he echoed. 'How can she do that?'
'Don't you believe me?'
Robert was aggressive and, realising he was being presumptuous, Alex urged his uncl
e to go on.
'It's quite easy, really. She's voting her shares against mine. I've had prior notification from her solicitors, before the board meeting next week.'
Alex was confused. 'But Vinnie's shares only amounted to—what? Fifteen per cent, wasn't it?'
Robert groaned. 'I let her have your Aunt Ellen's shares when she died,' he admitted painfully. 'Vinnie had lost both her daughters, and I thought that by giving her Ellen's shares, it would help to keep one of them alive. I always assumed that when Vinnie died, they'd come back into the family.' He shook his head. 'And this is how she repays me!'
Alex stared at him. 'So that was why------'
'—why I was so shattered when the will was read?' Robert's lips twisted. 'Yes. It was quite a blow.'
'And you need a seventy-five per cent majority to push through the Mattley deal.'
'You've got it.'
Alex hesitated. 'So how many shares does Isabel —own?'
'Thirty per cent,' said his uncle flatly.
'Thirty!' Alex was stunned.
'Yes.' Robert shrugged. 'It's my fault, of course. If I hadn't been so stupidly sentimental, I wouldn't be in this position now. That's why I need your help, Alex. I don't expect you to get actively involved again, but perhaps you can give me some advice.'
CHAPTER FOUR
It was after one o'clock when Isabel hurried into the restaurant. She had spent the morning at the hairdressers, having the ends of her hair trimmed, and a thorough conditioning had done much to tame its unruly wildness into a manageable state. Now, it was caught up on top of her head in a loose knot, with delicious tendrils of dark red silk nudging the collar of her dark blue jacket. Underneath the jacket, a purple suede button-through dress hugged the shapely contours of her thighs, and even without the heels that added inches to her height, she would have attracted attention.
Not that Isabel enjoyed her notoriety. She was indifferent to the fact that her entrance had caused a minor stir. Her years as a model had enabled her to acquire an immunity to inquisitive eyes, and right now her mind was focused on the fact that Jason had been waiting for over half an hour.