Love in Spring BoxSet

by Jenny Lane

  Miriam, who was obviously still in a state of dazed surprised, absently confirmed that they hadn’t, and Tamara wondered who on earth Melissa was and if she ought to know.

  The colonel drew on his pipe. ‘Anyway, Richard managed to get his application in on time apparently, and has been called for interview tomorrow morning.’

  ‘I can still hardly believe he’s here in England,’ Miriam said. ‘Oh it will be lovely to see him after all this time, won’t it, Arnold?’

  The man on the train had been going for an interview at a hospital near Falmouth too. He had mentioned it to Tamara. How extraordinary if he and Richard Cassell-Boyd were competing against each other for the same job. Perhaps Richard would mention Tamara’s travelling companion tomorrow. How strange if the man on the train should get the job instead of Richard. It was a small world when one came to think of it.

  ‘D’you know, I think I’ll turn in early,’ said the colonel. ‘After all, we must be up early to prepare the fatted calf... Tomorrow my son is returning home…’

  Miriam got to her feet. ‘To hear you talk you’d think it was Oliver coming home... You always seem to regard him as the prodigal son.’ Her remark puzzled Tamara.

  Later, as Tamara prepared for bed, she wondered why Richard and Oliver didn’t get on and if Cassie really was aware of the situation. Tamara hoped Richard Cassell-Boyd wouldn’t ask too many awkward questions about America and make life uncomfortable for her. She wondered if he would make demands on her time when she wanted to be alone. Oh, what had she let herself in for? She had been involved in Cassie’s schemes before but none had been so complex as this. She plumped up her pillows and tried to get some sleep.

  *

  Tamara awoke to glorious sunshine. Breakfast at Rosemullion House was obviously an informal affair, for the colonel had already eaten and gone out. ‘He’s a great golf enthusiast, dear,’ said Miriam. ‘I waited to eat with you. I thought you might like to come shopping with me this morning – just down to the village... I want to get one or two extras for Richard. Rose comes at nine so we can leave the dishes for her – she’s a treasure. I like to do most of my own cooking, but she lends a hand when need be.’

  Before they set off, Miriam went to prime Rose Tregar about Richard’s room. He already seemed to be having quite an effect on the household Tamara noticed, with some misgiving.

  The village of Tregarth was not attractive, but it was interesting and Tamara was impressed by the friendliness of the Cornish folk. Miriam whirled her round at such a pace when she would have loved to have lingered. She promised herself a return visit alone.

  Miriam seemed to have something on her mind and at last she blurted out, ‘Cassie, I mentioned last night that Oliver and Richard don’t get on very well, but I’m afraid that was an understatement. They had rather a bitter quarrel, you see, and things have never been the same between them since. I’m sorry, my dear – so unfortunate when you’re staying with us, but it’s best you should know... Of course I realise Oliver may have already put you in the picture himself.’

  ‘No, as a matter of fact he hasn’t, but I shouldn’t let it worry you. After all, it hardly concerns me.’ Tamara was rather taken aback. Surely a disagreement between Oliver and Richard did not automatically put Cassie in a bad light with her brother-in-law? Poor Cassie. What an embarrassing situation. On an impulse Tamara turned to Miriam.

  ‘Miriam, in the circumstances would you rather I returned to London? I wouldn’t like to make you feel uncomfortable.’

  Miriam looked upset and patted Tamara’s arm.

  ‘Oh, my dear, don’t misunderstand me. It’s lovely having you here. It’s just that –well, Richard is a bit like his father where Oliver’s concerned. He doesn’t really understand him, but I do and you do, so that’s all that matters, isn’t it?’

  Tamara smiled sweetly, inwardly seething. ‘Yes of course it is, Miriam.’

  ‘You know, on reflection, it might be fun for you, dear. The house will be full of Richard’s friends and we’ll no doubt have some parties. Perhaps Richard will take you out sightseeing. Maybe you can heal the breach between my boys... You see, it’s no doubt turned out for the best after all... Good gracious, is that the time! We must get back for lunch.’

  ‘Someone’s waving to you over there,’ Tamara said, looking at the young woman who had just got out of the blue Marina. She was quite lovely, tall and slim with long honey-blonde hair and a golden tan that enhanced her white sun-dress.

  ‘It’s Melissa – I must tell her about Richard. I won’t be a moment... Melissa my dear, you’re just the very person I wanted to see... Richard’s coming home today.’

  ‘Yes, I know, he phoned me up – isn’t it super? I can’t wait to see him.’ She looked at Tamara curiously, her hazel eyes taking in every detail of the other girl’s appearance.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced you – Melissa, this is Oliver’s wife... Cassie, this is Melissa Blenkinsop, who runs the craft shop I pointed out to you earlier.’

  For a split second a startled expression flitted across Melissa’s face. ‘Well, hallo – is Oliver home too?’

  ‘How do you do? No Oliver’s abroad on business. He’s doing some research in the Amazon jungle.’

  Melissa laughed softly. ‘Lucky Oliver... Didn’t you want to go with him, or isn’t it quite your scene?’

  Something about the girl’s manner needled Tamara. ‘No, I took the opportunity of meeting Miriam and the colonel.’

  They exchanged one or two more platitudes. Tamara got the distinct impression that Melissa was not altogether sincere.

  At last Miriam picked up her shopping-basket. ‘Come over dear, whenever you like.’

  ‘Thank you, I will. I expect Richard and I will be seeing a lot of each other if he gets the job near Falmouth.’

  ‘Oh, so you know about that, then?’

  Melissa laughed. ‘Of course... I pointed it out to him. I would have thought he stood a good chance, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘One can never tell,’ Miriam said. ‘Life is full of surprises. Well, goodbye then, Melissa. We’ll look forward to seeing you again soon.’

  As they walked back to Rosemullion House Miriam turned to Tamara.

  ‘Such a lovely girl, don’t you think? I’m hoping that perhaps she and Richard might marry one day. Anyway, we’ll just have to wait and see.’

  Tamara was amused and wondered if perhaps Miriam had had someone in mind for Oliver before he had met Cassie.

  As the afternoon wore on, Miriam seemed to be getting more and more hot and bothered, and so there was mutual relief when Tamara suggested going for a walk. She promised to return by teatime as that was when Richard was due to arrive.

  As she walked down the drive she found herself thinking about Richard Cassell-Boyd. Cassie had no idea of the complications her sister was running into on her behalf. It looked as if Tamara was going to be carted about against her will by this wretched brother-in-law and, to top it all, she was still not completely sure whether Cassie was supposed to have met him or not.

  ‘What happens if your in-laws discover the truth?’ Tamara had asked her sister.

  ‘They won’t so stop worrying. It’ll be at least another eighteen months before I come to England again and, by that time, their memory of you will have dimmed – people change.’

  ‘But what if they do find out?’ Tamara had persisted.

  ‘Then we’ll just have to lay our cards on the table... According to Oliver, his parents have a marvellous sense of humour and so they’d probably think the whole thing a huge joke, especially when they learnt how I’ve foiled Oliver... It serves him right! You can’t imagine how boring it is for me to have to sit at home and twiddle my thumbs all day.’

  Tamara sympathised to a certain extent, for Cassie was a very active person. Oh, well, so far so good! Tamara wondered if she ought to ring Cassie to tell her of Richard’s arrival in England, but it would be difficult to phone from the house and the only ca
ll box she had spotted was in the village – besides, Cassie would be at rehearsal now most probably. No, she would just have to hope for the best.

  Tamara realised that she was beginning to enjoy herself in spite of everything. Reaching the gateway she paused to look back at Rosemullion House. It was a splendid greystone building which spoke of history. She felt a thrill of pleasure to be staying in such a place. She caught sight of an old man whistling to himself as he weeded one of the flowerbeds, and waved to him.

  Tamara turned in the direction of the beach. The lane was edged on either side by grassy banks covered with a profusion of wild flowers, like sequins on green velvet. Brightly hued butterflies darted in and out. To Tamara, after London, this was sheer paradise. Cassie didn’t know what she was missing, but she wouldn’t have appreciated it. She was like a fish out of water in the country, preferring the hustle and bustle of the city, which was why she adored London and New York.

  Here and there in the fields Tamara noticed scattered farm buildings with rusting tin roofs. Presently the lane narrowed to a path across a rich green meadow; an ancient finger-post proclaimed Tregarth Cove – footpath only.

  It was a well-worn track, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. Suddenly she caught a glimpse of the cove nestling among the rocks like a golden nugget. It was a steep climb down, as Miriam had warned her, and glancing at her watch, she decided she hadn’t the time now. If it hadn’t been for Richard Cassell-Boyd, she could have spent a lazy afternoon soaking up the sun. She felt a tinge of annoyance as she thought of Cassie’s brother-in-law. Why had he had to choose this particular moment to turn up out of the blue, just when everything appeared to be going so smoothly? She sighed and began to retrace her steps.

  There was no car parked outside Rosemullion House, and nothing to tell Tamara whether in fact Richard Cassell-Boyd had arrived. She slipped in through a side entrance, and managed to reach her room undetected. She had a few moments’ grace to tidy herself and become the elegant Cassie again.

  After a quick shower she slipped into a beautifully cut oatmeal-coloured dress belonging to her sister, and then she brushed the tangles out of her unruly chestnut hair.

  ‘Keep your hair up, Tam,’ Cassie had advised. ‘You never could control it and you don’t want to look like a scarecrow.’ Not the very soul of discretion, my sister, Tamara thought grimly as she pinned her locks into what she hoped was a fairly modern style. She used only the slightest touch of make-up, dabbed Cassie’s expensive perfume behind her ears and on her wrists and then, taking a deep breath, went downstairs ready to meet Oliver’s brother.

  As it was, she got there before him. Miriam and the colonel looked up as she came into the sitting-room.

  ‘Hallo, dear, did you enjoy your walk?’ And without waiting for her to reply, Miriam continued, ‘Richard only got here just a matter of minutes ago. He’s talking to Rose and then he’s going upstairs to change so I said we’d wait tea for a bit.’

  Tamara described her walk, but Miriam was only half listening; her mind was obviously on her son.

  ‘I’m dying to hear about the interview. Richard hasn’t even told us how he got on yet – said he’d keep all his news until tea.’

  Tamara dreaded to think how disappointed Miriam would be if Richard hadn’t got the job. They lapsed into silence. The colonel emerged suddenly from behind his newspaper and looked pointedly at the clock.

  ‘When is that boy coming down? I’m ravenous!’ Footsteps sounded across the hall, the door opened and there stood Tamara’s man from the train.

  TWO

  Richard Cassell-Boyd looked amused as he took Tamara’s hand.

  ‘We’ve met before, Mother. As a matter of fact, we travelled down on the same train together yesterday.’

  ‘And you didn’t tell her who you were, you rogue,’ boomed his father, noticing the look of incredulity on Tamara’s face. ‘Your sense of humour escapes me sometimes.’

  ‘To be fair, she didn’t say who she was until she was just about to get off the train, and so I decided my introductions could wait.’ He grinned at Tamara.

  ‘Well, never mind all that now,’ Miriam said impatiently. ‘Come and sit by me, Dick, and tell me your news. Did you get the job?’

  ‘Yes, I did actually... Just as well after dragging me all the way down here.’

  Miriam’s face lit up with pleasure.

  ‘Oh, Richard, I’m so glad – congratulations.’

  Tamara’s mind was in a complete turmoil. Why hadn’t he told her who he was before? Did he perhaps suspect or even know for a fact that she wasn’t Cassie? She recalled the way he had stared at her in the station buffet. Should she talk to him at the earliest opportunity, or wait to see how things progressed?

  It was evident Richard was the adored son; his mother’s eyes gave that away. The colonel disregarded his newspaper, shot a few pertinent questions at him and then sat and listened. Tamara listened too, stunned by the turn of events.

  During tea, Richard was courteous to Tamara, but not so friendly as he had been on the train. She wondered why. He turned to her now, proffering a plate of cakes. ‘Why are you called, Cassie? Is it short for Cassell-Boyd?’

  ‘Oh, Richard, I told you at the time,’ admonished his mother.

  ‘It’s short for Cassandra – a family name that I hate,’ Tamara explained. ‘I’ve been known as Cassie ever since I was old enough to express an opinion.’

  ‘Well, I think it’s pretty,’ declared Miriam. ‘Hardly anyone likes their own name – any more tea, dear?’ Tamara declined.

  ‘How long is this trip of Oliver’s likely to take?’ asked Richard.

  ‘I’m not quite certain – around two months, I think.’

  ‘And he’s not contemplating paying us a visit?’

  ‘Er no – he’s got to report back to the States with the results of his research. It’s all a bit technical for me to understand.’

  ‘Same old Oliver,’ Richard remarked, stirring his tea vigorously. Miriam shot him a look and hastily changed the subject.

  ‘By the way, Dick, we saw Melissa this morning in the village. She tells me you’ve already contacted her.’ Richard brushed a crumb from his trousers. ‘Naturally I phoned her last night to thank her for forwarding the medical journals, and promised to take her out to dinner to celebrate my getting the appointment.’ He turned to Tamara. ‘Do you play tennis, Cassie?’

  ‘A little.’ Cassie played it like a professional, but Tamara had never been the sporting type.

  Miriam got to her feet. ‘Richard’s good – he’ll give you some coaching, dear – I think I’d better see to the supper now. Why don’t you two young people go out in the garden?’

  ‘Mother, we’ve only just had tea so why don’t you sit still? Rose is in the kitchen coping quite nicely, I’m sure... Actually, I could just fancy a large Cornish pasty with oodles of onion.’

  Miriam looked disappointed. ‘Oh, Richard, and I’ve got your favourite chicken in wine sauce planned for tonight!’

  ‘Darling Mother, if you only knew what I’d been existing on for the past two years – I wouldn’t care if it were cheese on toast!’ He pecked her cheek affectionately. ‘Come along, Cassie, we’ve been given our marching orders. We’ll go and look at the tennis courts, shall we? And then, I’m afraid, I have to get my official letter of acceptance written to the hospital before supper.’

  ‘Poor Cassie, she’s been left to her own devices all afternoon,’ murmured Miriam.

  ‘I don’t mind – truly. I enjoyed the walk and I ought to write some letters before supper too, unless I can help you.’

  ‘No, dear, I’m sure you must be anxious to write to Oliver, and Rose has helped me prepare the supper today... Dick, you didn’t mean that about wanting a pasty, did you?’

  Richard laughed. ‘Mother, you are totally incorrigible. Don’t you know when I’m teasing you yet?’

  Tamara followed him out into the garden, wondering if he would immediately round on her, dema
nding to know her true identity, but he said nothing so she swallowed hard and remarked, ‘I had such a surprise when I saw you standing in the doorway.’

  ‘Hadn’t it struck you before that I looked like Oliver?’

  Tamara wanted to say, ‘How could it when I’ve never met him? But you did remind me of his photograph.’ Instead, she said, ‘Well yes, it did, but they do say everyone has a double.’

  He laughed. ‘Now that I’m here we might as well make the best of it.’

  Richard took her on a tour of the garden. She was impressed by the brilliance of the flowerbeds and the size of the blooms. There were even several small palm trees. When she commented on this he said in surprise, ‘It’s the mild climate. They don’t call it the Cornish Riviera for nothing you know. A pity man had to muck it up with his rather appalling architecture. The villages round here are, almost without exception, rather ugly, in my opinion.’

  ‘Yes, I admit I wasn’t impressed by Tregarth.’

  ‘Ah, but you haven’t been to the cove yet – here’s the tennis court. I’ll invite Melissa and maybe John Penfold – an old schoolfriend of mine – to make up a foursome one day. If Oliver dumps you down here he must expect the consequences... When is he recalling you to the States did you say?’

  ‘I don’t quite know,’ Tamara replied truthfully. His eyebrows raised enquiringly. ‘I’m returning to London to stay with my sister at the end of August. I had hoped Oliver would come to England, but he says he can’t afford the time.’

  ‘You bet your sweet life he can’t, especially if he learns I’m around,’ Richard said sardonically.

  Tamara wanted to ask him the reason for his obvious animosity towards his brother, but something in his manner warned her that it would be better to bide her time.

  ‘Well, Cassie, I must away to my letters now, regretfully.’

  ‘And I to mine.’ She accompanied him back into the house. She would write to Cassie and ask her what it was that was between Oliver and his brother Richard – if, of course, Cassie knew. It seemed such a pity about his feud. She stood staring after him as he made his way upstairs. He really was an incredibly attractive man. It was strange how things had worked out. It was almost as if it had been more than mere coincidence that had led her to bump into him on the station yesterday.