by Nancy Warren
“Don’t marry him.” The words haunted Kate as she settled into the back of a cab and stared out the window as the car motored toward her apartment. The cab smelled of something unpleasantly sweet, perhaps some disinfectant or a previous occupant’s cologne.
A news program in a language she couldn’t identify played softly. It didn't matter. She couldn’t concentrate on anything but her own thoughts. Or, the words of a man she’d only known for a couple of hours. Before he’d begged her not to marry Ted, he’d also said, “You should talk to him.”
And, of course, the man who’d eaten her fiancé’s roast beef and drunk his wine was perfectly right. He could see what she couldn’t. Or didn’t want to see.
She loved Ted. They had all the makings of a wonderful future, but right now she felt unappreciated, not listened to, pushed aside in favor of his work. Confused about everything from the dress to the prenup to the honeymoon. Had anyone really consulted her about any of this? How had she ended up with a dress she didn’t like, a honeymoon she didn’t especially want, and a marriage where you had to sign a prenup before you could sign a marriage license?
Perhaps she didn’t need to challenge Ted. All she really needed was to talk to him. About anything. How had his meeting gone? Was the problem resolved? She twisted her ring around on her finger. He’d seemed distant tonight, testy. What if he was so busy at work that he wanted to postpone the wedding?
Maybe what they both needed was a little more time?
Or maybe all she needed was to spend the night with him. They’d fallen away from each other with the pressure of family expectation and wedding plans. When had it stopped being about the two of them planning a future together?
She leaned forward impulsively, “I’ve changed my mind.” And instead of her apartment, she gave the address of Ted’s family complex in Malibu. He was staying in the pool house until after the wedding when they’d go on honeymoon. When they returned, they’d live in her apartment and start house hunting.
The cab dropped her off outside the compound and she used her key to open the smaller man-sized gate set into the imposing wrought iron gates. A path led around the edge of the property and wound around to the pool house. It was a convenient way to avoid exposure to the main house and she’d come this way to visit Ted a few times, though more often he stayed at her apartment so they felt less like teenagers sneaking around.
As she approached the familiar dwelling, with the pool lit up like a blue topaz against the darker greenery, she began to relax. Ted would wrap his strong arms around her, they’d talk quietly for a while, maybe laugh about how he’d dumped her in the restaurant. She’d make him promise never to do anything like that again.
Perhaps she’d tell him about the stranger who ate his prime rib. But even as the thought appeared she knew she wouldn’t tell Ted about Nick. What was the point? She wasn’t trying to make him feel guilty for leaving her, or to make him jealous. Even less did she want to hear that the future Mrs. Carnarvon should have given the guy a pointed heave ho.
No. Nothing had happened. She’d keep her mouth shut.
As she crept closer, she heard voices and paused. The TV? But Ted only watched the news and business reports. This was more like a conversation. Several voices.
She paused. It was nearly eleven. Had the meeting gone badly? Was a strategy session still going on?
She didn’t want to interrupt Ted if he had business colleagues over, but she also didn’t want to face another expensive and long cab ride if she could avoid it. She crept around to the front of the pool house, where a large picture window offered great views of the pool from the inside of the pool house, and a great view inside the lit living quarters from outside.
She knew she couldn’t be seen out here. Not if she stayed to the side where the privet hedge had been recently barbered for the wedding.
To her surprise, she saw Ted’s parents were sitting in the living area of the pool house, both dressed as though they’d been out for the evening and had recently returned. They were holding crystal tumblers of what looked like scotch. Ted stood behind the bar and poured more scotch into another glass.
She only had a view of half of the room, but Ted kept the louvered windows overhead open most of the time to let in fresh air. She discovered it also let out the conversation very clearly.
“Thank you. With a little water, please,” a female voice said.
With a lurch in her stomach she recognized her mother’s voice. What on earth was her mother doing at Ted’s place at this time of night? And with his parents? Without ever breathing a word to Kate?
The privet hedge scratched at her legs as she pushed closer to the window.
To receive even a bigger shock.
She blinked to make sure she was seeing straight.
A third man walked from behind the bar and into the main room like an actor walking on stage. It was Nick. Nick, the man she’d eaten dinner with tonight. The man who’d claimed to be a stranger and encouraged her to spill her secrets.
He’d removed his jacket and she saw his shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal powerful forearms. He hadn’t stopped to shave or comb his hair so he still had that slightly disreputable look to him. Also a somewhat grim expression on his face.
Ted delivered her mother’s drink and then picked up his own and went to stand by Nick. He held onto his glass with a rigid clasp. “Okay, let’s have your report,” he said curtly.
Report?
She felt the energy in the room shift as every eye turned to Nick standing center stage.
For a tiny moment everything was still. Nick turned to look at the pool, though for a moment it felt as though he were staring at her. Tension filled the room and she felt its echo in her stomach.
She began to tremble as a sense of betrayal infused her. She gripped her hands together and the big diamond pressed into her fingers, hurting her. She’d believed when she’d arrived here that the day which had gone from bad to worse was about to end. But she had a very bad feeling that she hadn’t even plumbed the depths of ‘worse’ yet.
Finally, Nick spoke. “It’s a short report. She’s untouchable.”
Her mother tripped into the frame, still wearing the green Chanel suit and beaming. “I told you so, didn’t I?”
Ted’s father rose, ignored her mother and said, “How hard did you try? I’m not paying for shoddy work.”
“How hard did I try to seduce Ted’s fiancée?” Nick seemed to think about it. “I joined her for dinner, was as charming as I know how to—“
“So, she didn’t prevent you from joining her?” Mr. Carnarvon senior interrupted.
“Duncan, please. Let him finish,” Ted’s mother pleaded.
It was insane, like finding herself in the middle of a nightmare and trying to wake up, but the dream kept going on. One of those bad dreams where some awful thing was behind her and even as she tried to scream, nothing came out of her mouth. That’s how she felt now. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, she could only watch this nightmare play out before her.
Nick continued, “She tried to leave, but I can be very persuasive.” He turned to Ted. “Your prime rib arrived as she started to get out of her chair. I think she was too polite to leave me alone to eat your dinner.”
“Hmm.”
“That seems reasonable, dear. She’s a very polite girl,” Ted’s mother said. And thanks for that, Millicent.
“Then what happened?”
“I gave her plenty of opportunity to trash talk her groom. I thought she might be irked enough at being left alone in a busy restaurant that she’d vent.”
“And did she?”
“No. She didn’t have anything but good to say about Ted. I, then, did my best to seduce her. She stormed out of the restaurant. I followed and attempted one last time to get her at least to see me again. She wasn’t interested.”
Not exactly how it had gone down. She wondered why he was lying to make her look a hell of a lot more saintly than she’d acted?
> “Maybe she simply wasn’t interested in you,” Ted’s dad said.
Ted laughed. “Nick? He’s legendary with women. That’s why he was the perfect choice. If Nick can’t seduce my future wife, I’d say no one can.”
Everyone in the room nodded, after a moment, even Ted’s father made a brisk up and down motion with his head. He reached into his pocket and handed Nick a check. She saw the man she’d eaten dinner with glance at the amount and then stuff the check into his pocket.
“You’ve got a faithful woman there, buddy. Congratulations,” Nick said, and held out his hand.
“Thanks. It’s a relief, I can tell you,” Ted said, giving the hand a hearty shake. “You sure I can’t talk you into staying for the wedding?”
“Might be a little difficult to explain to your bride that the man you pretended you didn’t know in the restaurant tonight is your old buddy from college.”
“I’m sure we could—“
“No. Thanks. I’ve got to get back to Seattle. I’ve got a big case.”
“Well, thanks again. Look, at least have a drink for old times.”
But Nick was collecting his jacket. “Some other time. Good luck.” And he left.
She flattened herself against the wall of the pool house but Nick strode up the path without so much as a glance her way. He seemed like a man in a hurry.
She let a moment pass as shock turned into the most blinding anger she’d ever experienced in her life.
The man she’d planned to marry had set her up. Deliberately made her vulnerable and then sent in a practiced womanizer to try and seduce her.
What kind of a person would do such a thing?
Not any kind of man she wanted to marry. Where was the loyalty? The trust? How could you claim to love someone and—
It was as though a volcano burst somewhere inside her and she could not stop the explosion. In truth, she didn’t even try.
She stalked to the door leading into the pool house and wrenched it open. As she stormed into the middle of the room, pretty much where Nick had stood, she was treated to four varying expressions of surprise and shock.
“Kate,” Ted said, recovering first. “What a great surprise. We were just—“
“I know what you were doing. I heard you.” She wanted to throw the expensively golden bottle of scotch at the big picture window, wanted to hear the crash and see the explosion, but she stuck to yelling instead.
“You set me up. Who was that guy? An actor?”
“A private detective,” Duncan Carnarvon said, looking down his nose at her as though angry women were distasteful to him. “You have to understand that marrying into this family is a heavy responsibility. Ted’s wife must be discreet as well as loyal. You did very well.” He sounded like he was trying to give her a compliment. Like this was normal.
“How dare you?” she yelled, turning once more to Ted. “I am not a business venture to be tested and judged. I am the woman who loves you. The woman you were going to marry.”
As she shrieked, she tried to pull the ring off her finger but it was being stubborn.
“I am going to marry you,” Ted said, soothingly.
“The Hell you are,” she screamed. Finally, the ring came off. Maybe she’d never be a major league pitcher, but she had so much anger in her that she launched that ring like a sparkly rocket. It flew through the air, tossing out rays of VVS1 until it hit Ted in the face.
“Ow!” he howled, putting a hand to his cheek.
“This wedding is off. I never, ever want to see you again.”
As she turned away, she heard a commotion, four voices all talking at once.
“Ted, you’re hurt,” his mother cried.
“Kate, wait,” her mother cried.
“You get back here young lady,” his father cried,
“I love you,” Ted himself cried.
As for Kate, she just cried. But she kept on walking.
Chapter Four