A Masterful Man

by Lindsay Armstrong

  'No.'

  'Then how did you work it all out?'

  'Loretta told me.'

  'Ah.' He said no more.

  'What does that mean?' Davina asked reluctantly.

  'Loretta's no fool,' he answered almost absently. 'What else did she tell you?'

  Davina blinked. 'Nothing much. Well, she asked me to advertise some clothes for her but we were able to sort out that it wasn't practical or indeed possible-I feel,' she said, with a sudden tremor in her voice, 'a bit like Alice in Wonderland. Yes, as if I've fallen down a hole.' And she put her hands to her face suddenly.

  Steve Warwick made a slight movement but stilled it. 'Perhaps you ought to go to bed,' he said rather drily then. 'Come, I'll walk you back.' And he stood up and held his hand out to her.

  Davina dropped her hands and looked up at him but his expression was unfathomable. Then she looked at his hand, but instead of putting hers into it, stood up unaided. 'Sorry,' she said very quietly as they turned and started to walk towards the house. 'I'm not usually this… whatever it is.'

  'I should imagine there's one thing that's not helping,' he said, and his voice was dry again.

  'What?' she asked uncertainly.

  'When two people know they could find-solace and a release in each other's arms, to have to cope with denying that as well…' He shrugged.

  'You…you promised,' Davina said huskily and stumbled so that this time he just took her hand with an impatient sound. They weren't far from the bottom of his driveway.

  'I'm not doing anything,' he said roughly. 'Merely commenting.'

  'If you had any… if you were any sort of a-'

  'Gentleman?' he supplied.

  'Yes. You wouldn't even comment-'

  'I don't know that being honest is not being gentlemanly,' he said irritably. 'Do women honestly prefer the latter to the former?'

  She took a breath and decided to ignore this. 'What makes you so sure about the release and solace and not, for example, all sorts of turmoil and trauma?' she queried starkly.

  He stopped walking and turned her to face him. 'Can I tell you some things about yourself, Davina?' He didn't wait as she opened her mouth to protest. 'You're twenty-five, you were never made to sleep alone all your life- OK, so you have some cause to be bitter and wary, but I can picture you before it all happened. I can picture you as being warm and generous and full of life as well as intelligent and spirited. Do you know what's left? A beautiful face and figure-and an overburdened spirit that's often caustic and sometimes downright sour. And all because you're heaping the sins of one man on all of us. Do you know the only times when the old you shines through? When you're photographing or talking about it, and when you're with Candice,' he said significantly. 'You're like a different person.'

  She stared up into his hooded eyes for a long moment. Then she said, 'Damn you, Steve Warwick. You've got no idea what it's like to be virtually raped on your wedding night, so don't preach to me.'

  'You shouldn't have married him, Davina.'

  'There's one little detail I forgot to mention,' she said curtly. 'Not only was my father likely to go bankrupt, there was a strong possibility he could go to gaol for misrepresentation to his shareholders-could you have stood by and seen that happen to your father if you'd had the means at hand to prevent it?'

  He closed his eyes briefly and sighed. 'Davina, I'm sorry. But, look, even if it's not to be me, don't wear it like a thorny crown for the rest of your life.' And, in another surprising gesture, he raised her hand and kissed her knuckles. 'You'd better go to bed now.' And he turned away abruptly and disappeared into the darkness, away from the house.

  She put her knuckles uncertainly to her lips, then turned herself and stumbled up the drive.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Was he right?

  The thought crossed Davina's mind time and time again over the next couple of days. And she realised that perhaps what had shaken her most was how Steve Warwick had so accurately captured her 'before' and 'after' image. But the other thing that she had at the back of her mind all the time was the feeling that he'd really washed his hands of her this time-and the little shaft of pain the thought of that brought.

  There were certainly no further demonstrations of any interest on his part, not that she saw a great deal of him. But when they did cross paths, he treated her perfectly normally, which was to say, as usual, that depended entirely on his mood. He was certainly not an easy man to live with, although his grandmother and his stepmother would be enough to try the patience of a saint, she caught herself thinking once with a curious mixture of humour and wryness, and caught her breath as she wondered if there wasn't a little streak of tenderness in her thoughts as well.

  Fortunately, just as Loretta had predicted, Lavinia did get herself into party mode and decided to kick off the proceedings with a cocktail party for thirty people, a combination of island residents and some very interesting people she'd met, she said.

  Does she waylay them on the beach? Davina wondered. Loretta answered that on another occasion. Apparently, Lavinia consulted the register of the Warwick guest-house for likely candidates. All the same, the preparations for the party gave Davina little time for much else. And little time to notice that Loretta was acting in a slightly mysterious manner-that was to say, she didn't notice at all that Loretta had commandeered the sewing-machine from a laundry cupboard because she'd been unaware of its existence, and was unaware that a lot of the time she supposedly was taking a siesta, Loretta was actually doing something quite different.

  In fact, the mystery didn't reveal itself until the afternoon of the party. Davina had wondered if Lavinia would insist she attend and had geared herself to refuse quite categorically but the subject hadn't come up- perhaps Lavinia had assumed it was a fait accompli?

  Then Loretta came downstairs and into the kitchen at about three o'clock with a pile of violet material in her arms that she held up dramatically to reveal as a dress.

  'Oh, that's lovely,' Davina said, as she polished glasses. 'Should suit you beautifully.' And noticed Candice, who was helping her, glance at her strangely. Lavinia was also in the kitchen filling crystal and silver bowls with nuts.

  'Not me, you!' Loretta said triumphantly.

  Davina put down her tea-towel. 'What do you mean?'

  'I've altered this dress for you to wear tonight. I've never worn it myself and, contrary to what you believe, my dear Davina, this colour will suit you much better than it would suit me because it matches your eyes almost exactly.'

  Davina counted to five then said steadily, 'But I'm not coming to the party, Loretta.'

  'Of course you are!' Lavinia intervened. 'Apart from anything else, Loretta has spent so much time making you a dress!'

  Davina narrowed her eyes. 'You-don't tell me you two have been in cahoots over this?'

  Loretta gurgled. 'Strange, indeed impossible as that sounds, nevertheless it's true.'

  Davina rose and said stiffly, 'Well, I'm sorry to have to break up this entente cordiale but I'm not coming as a guest, and that's that. For heaven's sake, there's enough to do as it is!' she added feelingly.

  'Such as what?' Lavinia enquired. 'The cold snacks are made-so are the hot ones. The chicken wings, savoury pastries and those lovely little sausage rolls you made only need heating up at the right time. Between us, we can cope with that. And Steven is a very good barman!'

  'I can help him there,' Candice chimed in. 'He showed me how to pour champagne once.'

  'No.'

  'Davina!' all three entreated.

  'Look,' a different voice said, 'just leave her be.'

  They all swung round to see Steve leaning his shoulders against the doorframe and regarding them impatiently.

  'Thank you,' Davina murmured.

  'But why?' Loretta said fervently.

  'It's got nothing to do with you, Loretta,' he replied curtly. 'If Davina prefers to be a recluse, that's her affair. As for all this partying,' he turned to his grandmother
irritably, 'just don't get carried away, Lavinia, because it's not particularly how I enjoy spending my rather precious time on this island.'

  Lavinia snorted. 'You're in some danger of becoming a recluse yourself these days, Steven Warwick!' she retorted.

  'Then, beloved, that is entirely my affair, too. Just don't push it, Lavinia,' he warned.

  Lavinia sighed frustratedly. 'I had so hoped you'd be in a good mood this evening,' she said mournfully.

  'I will be, so long as there's no more of this nonsense.' And he turned to Candice and said lightly, 'What do you intend to wear, pumpkin?' Which was an occasional endearment he used that appeared not to faze his prickly half-sister at all. Indeed, she looked gratified and told him that Davina had starched and pressed one of her dresses and promised to blow-dry her hair so that she could wear it loose.

  'What would we all do without Davina?' was his only comment, although it was loaded with irony and accompanied by a curiously mocking little look at Davina, not lost on any of them, as he strolled out again. 'He can be so difficult sometimes!' his grandmother bemoaned.

  'He can also be a right bastard sometimes,' his stepmother reflected.

  'Well, I quite like him,' Candice said.

  And Davina said abruptly, 'I'll come-please, don't say a word, I've changed my mind, that's all.'

  'You have to admit, I'm not bad at what I do! I mean, it was all guesswork really.' Loretta stood back and admired her handiwork.

  Davina stared at herself in the mirror and could only agree. The violet dress fitted her perfectly and was perfectly stunning-a taffeta sheath with a loose, slightly fuller overdress of filmy georgette. It just skimmed her knees, had a halter-neck top, a low back and a cyclamen trim that gathered the bodice in and became the ties behind her neck. The combination of the two colours was exciting, the cut and lines were exquisite and the whole thing seemed to flow with her body.

  'What do you think?' Loretta asked.

  Davina turned to her with a faint smile, 'You're a genius, but it's a bit more revealing than-'

  'Perish the thought!' Loretta commanded. 'What's the use of having a figure like yours if you don't make use of it?'

  Davina heaved an inward sigh and once again castigated herself for allowing Steve Warwick's mocking look to goad her into trying to prove to him that she wasn't a willing recluse. But the deed was done… 'What are you wearing?'

  'Something a lot more revealing, darling,' Loretta purred. 'I mean to say, you can't even see your cleavage and a bit of back is hardly anything shocking!'

  'OK! OK-it is a lovely dress and thank you for all the work you've put into it but you shouldn't have.'

  'I enjoyed every minute of it. And there are these to go with it.' 'These' were matching suede violet pumps and pale grey tights. 'I've got the feeling we've got the same size feet.' Davina slid her foot into one shoe and nodded. 'So-take half an hour off, relax a bit, and come out looking wonderful,' Loretta commanded. 'Candy has given me permission to do her hair and Lavinia is already in her war-paint and revelling in being temporarily in command of the kitchen-I'll leave you to it!' And she waltzed out of the chalet joyfully.

  Davina sighed again then slipped out of the dress and went to wash her hair.

  An hour later she was ready.

  She'd put her hair up loosely and put on a pair of drop pearl earrings, her only jewellery. She'd also used more make-up than she normally wore, some shimmering grey eyeshadow and mascara as well as a film of foundation, but she'd done it all with the lightest touch so that although it was barely perceptible, she felt finished.

  Outwardly, that is, she mused as she stared at her reflection in the lovely dress. Inwardly, I feel about as much in a party mood as if I were going to the guillotine in a tumbril-damn! This is ridiculous. Why did I let myself in for it?

  Because you wanted to show Steve Warwick something, she answered herself ruefully, and squared her shoulders suddenly and added, so do it.

  Lavinia was in the kitchen when Davina returned to the house about twenty minutes before the guests were due to arrive. And, as Loretta had mentioned, she was dressed and ready and looking marvellously regal in black lace with her short cap of silver hair elegantly styled and with a strand of the most exquisite pearls Davina had seen around her neck. Causing her to say, genuinely, 'You look wonderful, Mrs Warwick!'

  'Thank you, child,' Lavinia responded and looked down complacently at her lace dress. 'I may not patronise Loretta C, but I didn't get to eighty-two without knowing a thing or two about clothes myself.'

  'Eighty-two!' Davina said before she could stop herself.

  Lavinia positively glowed. 'Surprised you there, didn't I? I surprise most people-it all comes from healthy living and having a mind of your own. You look very nice yourself, I must say, although-well, no-'

  'Say it, Lavinia.' Steve walked into the kitchen and came to stand in front of Davina with his eyebrows raised expressively as he looked her up and down and murmured, 'A change of heart, Mrs Hastings? One could almost say you've gone from the ridiculous to the sublime in that dress.'

  Davina knew she was blushing and knew there was not a thing she could do about it, as his gaze moved upwards from the slim length of her legs clad in filmy grey to come to rest briefly on the almost bare skin of her shoulders then clash with her own gaze.

  'Well, I was going to say that Loretta sometimes undresses people rather than dresses them-heaven alone knows what she will be wearing herself!' Lavinia soldiered on. 'But Davina seems to be able to carry it with dignity, don't you agree, Steven?'

  He turned away at last and smiled with genuine amusement at his grandmother. 'Oh, she does.'

  For a moment Lavinia looked perplexed-but only for a moment. 'I had thought you might wear something more formal, Steven,' she started, but he cut her off with another smile.

  'Now, you didn't really, did you, Lavinia?' he mocked. 'When have I ever dressed up for one of your cocktail parties?'

  His grandmother regarded his plain white fine lawn open-necked shirt and khaki trousers-all of which had been ironed to perfection by Maeve-his tamed tawny hair and the look of irony in his eyes and said frustratedly, 'Well, what do you think, Davina?'

  Davina blinked and was conscious that, quite unfairly, Steve Warwick privately took her breath away a little whatever he wore… 'Er…'

  'Yes, Davina, what do you think?' he drawled, turning back to her, his eyes alight with sheer devilry.

  She bit her lip, and said stiffly, 'It's got nothing to do with me.'

  'I thought you might say that,' he replied sweetly. 'There you are, dear Grandmama, it's no good appealing to Davina, she-er-refuses to involve herself with me. So you'll either have to be a lot cleverer or more subtle about whatever you have in mind-do I hear someone arriving?'

  Lavinia, who had been looking from Davina to Steve, and particularly at the way Steve hadn't taken his eyes off Davina, with something like dawning comprehension in her own eyes, came to with a start and bustled out of the kitchen so far as anyone as regal as she could ever be said to bustle.

  Leaving the two of them alone, and leaving Davina feeling like a mouse in a trap, and hating it. 'Why did you do that?' she hissed, her eyes dark and angry. 'That was as good as telling her… telling her-'

  'Telling her the true state of affairs between us, Davina?' he queried softly and moved his shoulders slightly. 'To tell the truth, I don't entirely know why I did it either, but it might have had something to do with you in that dress.' His eyes lingered all the way down her body then came back to hers. 'Be that as it may, do you really think you can hide from them? Loretta and Lavinia? I have to say I doubt it-why do you think they jockeyed you into this position in the first place? So we might as well have it out in the open and be done with all the innuendoes et cetera. That's what I think,' he said placidly.

  'Think what?' Loretta flowed into the kitchen all in silver and, surprisingly, the dress covered her from her neck to her wrists to below her knees, pleated, tis
suey, billowing and with not a square inch of exposed bust or back to be seen. And she had a large silver bow binding her black hair.

  'I thought you said you were wearing something similar to this-' Davina broke off abruptly and frowned.

  'Changed my mind,' Loretta replied laconically. 'There are some things you can't fight, and outshining you in certain respects tonight is one of 'em, apart from defeating the purpose-er-' She broke off, looked fleetingly chagrined with herself then turned nonchalantly to Steve and repeated, 'Think what?'

  But he was laughing silently at Davina's slightly murderous expression, and it was a moment before he said, 'See what I mean? Loretta,' he added to his stepmother with absolutely false and suddenly assumed gravity, 'you're quite right, Davina and I are going through a bit of hell because we took one look at each other and were wildly intrigued, but to Davina's mind there's absolutely no future in it. So there's no need for any further probing little forays to be indulged in between you and Lavinia, not to mention presenting Davina to me rather like a bait on a hook-that is how things stand. Why, pumpkin-' his hazel gaze came to rest beyond Loretta where Candice stood rather shyly in the doorway '-now you do look like Alice in Wonderland. Can I take you to the party?' And he crossed the room, took Candice's hand in his and led her out, much to her obvious joy.

  'Bastard,' Loretta muttered as she looked around, plucked a bottle of champagne from a silver cooler, popped the cork with a minimum of fuss and poured a glass of it. 'Here, drink this. Sit down-don't look like that, he's only a man but they can be absolute hell sometimes, talking of those things!'

  'I…' Davina tried to steady her trembling lips as she did sit down rather suddenly. 'He… how could he?'

  'I know,' Loretta said soothingly. 'Come on, have a sip. The thing is,' she went on after Davina had had several sips of champagne, 'you don't have to take anything lying down from him.' She grimaced ruefully and said, 'I didn't mean that literally, but just give him as good as you get! If I were you, I'd give him a right royal run for his money-that's the way to handle them.'