A Pearl for Love (5 page)

‘
I
’
ll keep an open mind,
’
nodded Catherine.

‘
Then we
’
ll have first break for a cup of tea, then John and Elizabeth can go. We never leave the shop unattended.
’

‘
I can understand
that
.
’

Uncle James escorted her through to a neat office at the back of the shop. It was scantily but nicely furnished, and a tray had been set out with tea and biscuits by
Mrs.
Neal. Catherine was surprised to find that she needed that cup of tea, and they wasted no time lingering over it, even though Uncle James assured her, ruefully, that the shop was never terribly busy early in the morning.

As they went back to relieve John and Elizabeth, Catherine
’
s eye was caught by a ring of emeralds and diamonds in a very unusual design, and she paused to look at it more closely, and very admiringly. It was delicate and dainty rather than ostentatious.

‘
Lovely, isn
’
t it, Miss Catherine?
’
asked a voice behind her, and she jumped a little, while
Mrs.
Neal apologised for startling her.

‘
I didn
’
t hear you come in.
’

‘
It
’
s the thick carpet.
’

‘
I was so interested in the ring.
’

M
rs.
Neal nodded.
‘
It was a very special one, that,
’
she confided,
‘
and I
’
m glad to see it out on show again, dear. It was
Mr.
John
’
s engagement ring, you see, only she gave it back to him.
’

‘Oh!’

Catherine felt taken aback. Somehow it had never occurred to her that John, too, might have been engaged. She wanted to ask all sorts of questions, and a look at
Mrs.
Neal told her that she would be given all the answers, too. But she felt distaste for that kind of gossip.

‘
It
’
s lovely,
’
she said evenly, and walked on to her own side of the shop.

‘
He
’
s got over it now, I
’
ll bet,
’
said
Mrs.
Neal, determined to have the last word.
‘
He
’
ll be over it when he
’
s put the ring up for sale. He designed it himself, and had it made up. But I bet she
’
d rather have had the pick of the diamonds, and I expect that
’
s why he took it back. He would be just the kind to ask her to keep it otherwise.
’

Who was the girl? wondered Catherine. But Uncle James was now walking towards them, and
Mrs.
Neal had finished the last of the cleaning. Then John and Elizabeth returned, and the first customer of the day arrived, with a watch to be mended, and soon is was Catherine
’
s turn to deal with a charming elderly woman who was buying pearl earrings for her granddaughter
’
s twenty-first birthday.

Catherine enjoyed selling the earrings, and thought how delighted the girl was going to be. She herself had a beautiful brooch in freshwater pearls for her twenty-first birthday, the last gift from her father before he died. She treasured it above anything she possessed, and she decided to ask Elizabeth if she could wear it pinned to her plain dark blue dress.

But she forgot all about asking Elizabeth. That afternoon the shop door clanged, and a tall, very dark young man strode in purposefully. Catherine looked up and her startled eyes met his, so that for a moment it seemed as though everything stood still.

Then she heard Elizabeth
’
s glad voice.

‘
Michael! So you
’
re back earlier than you expected.
’

He nodded, his eye
s still on Catherine, then he tur
ned to smile at Elizabeth.

‘
Got through it all quite quickly. How is everything
...
and everyone?
’

He glanced again at Catherine, and Elizabeth quickly introduced them.

‘
You remember, Father told you about Catherine before you left.
’

‘
Of course. How do you do? I hope you
’
ll be happy here.
’

Catherine could only nod and smile. She thought that Elizabeth
’
s
fiancé
was one of the handsomest men she had ever met, and he had that peculiar magnetic quality which both attracted and repelled her.

Then she looked at Elizabeth whose unusual features were suddenly radiant, and she changed her mind about Elizabeth
’
s looks. Now she was beautiful.

That evening Catherine felt very tired as she crawled into bed, though for a long time sleep eluded her. It had been an exciting day. She had enjoyed working at Sheridan and Rodgers, and she could see again some of the lovely pieces of jewellery displayed for sale, pieces which she had examined quite closely as they were put in the safe for the night.

She thought again about the pretty ring which John had packed away with the others. Had his hand trembled a little when he picked it up, and had she only imagined Michael Rodgers
’
slightly raised eyebrows, and Elizabeth
’
s warning frown when he caught sight of it. What had his
fiancée
been like, and why had she returned the ring? Questions chased themselves round in Catherine
’
s head as she tossed and turned. John had seemed quieter and older in the atmosphere of the large shop, and she wondered how well he and Michael Rodgers got on together.

Catherine closed her eyes again, aware that almost for the first time in weeks her last thoughts weren
’
t of her mother and Philip, and the usual familiar throb of pain whenever she thought about them was considerably dulled. Perhaps, soon, she would be able to think about them with love, in the same way as she remembered her father.

But it was Michael Rodgers
’
striking good
’
looks which dominated her thoughts when she finally fell asleep. He had gazed at her searchingly, as though weighing her up, then he had almost ignored her entirely. He and Uncle James had disappeared into the office, no doubt while Michael told him all about the new designs in clocks and watches he recommended for purchase.

Or did Michael do his own purchasing? Catherine had no idea, and as her eyes grew heavy, it did not seem to be important.

CHAPTER III

Catherine began to settle down to a new routine, and very soon she could price any particular string of pearls, and only needed to examine the ticket to confirm that price.

Uncle James was a bo
rn
teacher, and began to tell her about gold and platinum, then on to the precious stones such as emeralds, diamonds, rubies and sapphires, teaching her the relative hardness of each stone compared to the diamond which is the hardest of all known stones, and how to test for specific gravity and refractive index, or the angle at which a ray of light is bent when it hits the surface of a stone.

She learned how to distinguish between the various cuts of stones, the brilliant cut from the rose, the step cut from the marquise. She learned, too, that sometimes emeralds, sapphires and rubies were more beautiful in a polished form, cabochon cut, than the brilliant cut.

‘
Look at these stones,
’
Uncle James told her, spreading out one or two diamonds big enough to take Catherine
’
s breath away.
‘
How much would you give me for that one?
’

‘
Oh, Uncle James, I couldn
’
t guess. It
’
s fabulous
!

‘
Look again, my dear,
’
he said quietly, and Catherine took another look. Wasn
’
t it just a little too brilliant, too perfect? she wondered, and frowned.

‘
Is
...
is it
really
a diamond?
’

‘
Why do you ask?
’

‘
It
...
well, it seems brighter, somehow.
’

He smiled broadly, well pleased.

‘
It
’
s a new form of simulated diamond, the closest ever to the diamond which man has produced himself. In a smaller stone, I guess even I would have to look twice and then look again.
’

‘
Then isn
’
t it just as good? I mean wouldn
’
t a ring set with that stone be just as wonderful, and a lot less costly than a diamond ring
?’

‘
Perhaps. But then it wouldn
’
t be a diamond, would it? It would always just have simulated diamond value. Do you prefer the cultured pearls to the ones your father found?
’

She shook her head, smiling.

‘Why
not?
’

‘
Oh, I don
’
t know. They
’
re different somehow, even though cultured pearls are still made by the oyster.
’

Uncle James was smiling again.

‘
Yes, my dear, they
’
re different. Now take these books home. I
’
ll find out about classes for you, in order that you can learn how to use such things as a refractometer. John can help us there. I
’
d like you to stick at it, if you can, Catherine. It
’
s what your father would have wished, I
’
m sure. Oh, by the way, now that your flat has been let, and all your personal items gathered together, would you like the rest of them brought here? Do you feel settled enough to stay, Catherine?
’

She nodded. Her life still seemed rather strange to her, and oddly unreal, but she was more settled here, with something interesting to do, than s
he would have been in Perth. Uncl
e James had quickly arranged the storage of her best furniture, and she herself had already packed away all her own personal possessions, and had a box full of private papers and other small items belonging to her parents.

Soon, when she felt able to tackle the job, she would have to go through everything. All bills had been paid, and she had also been to see the family solicitor and bank manager, feeling grateful that there was a small amount of money, but not enough to allow her to forget about the future.

Sometimes it stretched before her like a great void, and she would feel sudden panic if her head ached again, as it often did since the accident. What would happen to her in the case of illness? Suppose she couldn
’
t look after herself properly? Her small nest
-
egg would seem very small indeed, and she would feel frightened and insecure.

It was then that she often wished that her mother had been willing to discuss their true financial position with her, but ever since her father had died so suddenly, her mother had taken all responsibility
o
n to her own shoulders, and had managed their affairs herself. Even when she was on holiday, eve
r
ything had been organised for Catherine in her absence.

Catherine
’
s heart contracted a little when she thought, too, of her father. He had been older than Alison by fifteen years, and she remembered her mother
’
s anxiety after they had paid a visit to a heart specialist in Edinburgh just a few months before he died.

David Lyall had been poor at following his doctor
’
s advice, and he had continued to lead a rich, full life. A few days before he died, he had hurried off to London on business, and had called in to see the Sheridans on his way back home. Catherine had taken a telephone call from Newcastle, and her father had sounded well and strong, and full of his usual enthusiasm for life. But the excitement of that trip must have cost him his life, because the following morning he had fallen as soon as he got out of bed, and Alison had shouted for Catherine to ring the doctor.

It was too late. David Lyall died suddenly, and after Alison
’
s grief had subsided, she was glad it happened that way.

‘
He hated the thought of being an invalid
,’
she told Catherine.
‘
It
’
s better this way
...
for him.
’

Now there was only Catherine, and a large box full of old papers, boxes of old-fashioned trinkets which had belonged to both grandmothers, then her mother, old precious books and small pieces of silver which Catherine wanted to keep. Some furniture had stayed in the flat, and some had gone into store against the day when she might once again have her own home. Somehow that day seemed very far away. It was a day she might dream about, though the dream was too cloudy to seem anything like reality.

In the meantime, she could only be grateful for the home which had been given to her.

It was a few days before Catherine managed to exchange more than half a dozen words with Michael Rodgers. After the first warm handshake, he had treated her very formally in the shop, though she recognised that he seemed to be kept busy with his part of the business.

New ranges of watches and clocks had been ordered, and he rearranged the window display to show off the best designs to greatest advantage. He and Elizabeth seemed to work well together, though occasionally there would be a difference of opinion, when Elizabeth
’
s eyes would flash and her chin lift a little. It seemed to be only in this particular field that she stood up to Michael. She knew her job, and although Catherine knew too little about the business
to
judge, she often felt that Elizabeth was in the right. It was then that Michael would often be the peacemaker.

‘
All right, all right, darling, don
’
t get het up. We
’
ll have it your way.
’

Then Elizabeth would bite her lip.

‘
I know I
’
m right, Michael.
’

‘
All right. I
’
ve agreed you
’
re right.
’

On Saturday
Mrs.
Sheridan asked Elizabeth if Michael would be coming home with them that evening for dinner.

‘I ...
I think so,
’
she said, a trifle doubtfully.

‘
Won
’
t you be going out together, darling?
’

‘
Michael didn
’
t mention his plans. I
’
ll see what he wants to do.
’

‘
What about you, John, and Catherine?
’

‘
I rather think Catherine will be too tired to do more than crawl home,
’
said John, with one of his teasing smiles in Catherine
’
s direction.
‘
Or do you want to dance all night, Kate?
’

‘
No, thanks,
’
she laughed.
‘
If Saturdays are as busy as you say, then I shan
’
t want to go anywhere.
’

‘
Then we
’
ll come straight home, if we may, Mother. I
’
ll take Catherine out for a drive this Sunday. She
’
s more acclimatised now, and an outing to Housesteads would do her good. She can see something of the Roman Wall.
’

‘
Oh,
but...’

‘
All you
’
ll have to do is sit in the car, and you must have a break of sorts. You
’
ll soon get your sea legs.
’

‘
Then thank you, John,
’
she accepted gratefully.
‘
It
’
s nice of you to bother about me.
’

‘
It
’
s a pleasure,
’
said John, and she saw that this time his eyes were serious, and he said it as though he meant it. He was really a nice person, she thought, studying him. In fact, she had considered him to be very good-looking until Michael Rodgers walked into the shop. Michael
’
s looks were much more flamboyant.

During the morning she heard Elizabeth ringing home and telling her mother to expect Michael for dinner. Catherine suddenly felt rather less tired. There would be six for dinner that evening. She didn
’
t know why that pleased her, but she thought it might be rather interesting. She wondered what Michael Rodgers would be like as a person away from the atmosphere of Sheridan and Rodgers.

That evening Catherine changed out of her plain everyday dress into a softly feminine one in a shade of blue which made her eyes look like the brightest sapphires. She brushed up her dark hair into curls on her small head, and clipped on her lovely pearl brooch.

She was beginning to look better, she thought, studying her own reflection in the full-length mirror in her room. There was fresh colour in her cheeks, and her eyes looked brighter now that the dull lifeless feeling was beginning to lift from her heart.

Obviously Elizabeth thought so, too, because she paused for a moment at the top of the stairs as Catherine came out of her room, and looked at the
other girl appraisingly.

‘
You must have made a special effort tonight, Catherine,
’
she said lightly, though there was a slightly jagged note in the words.

She herself was very smart in a turquoise trouser suit, which looked perfect on her slim boyish figure and contrasted with the red glow of her hair.

‘
I haven
’
t your flair, Elizabeth,
’
Catherine returned honestly, and for a moment the other girl
’
s eyes softened, and she took Catherine
’
s arm as they walked downstairs.

‘
Do you still miss your
fiancé
?
’
she asked, and felt Catherine stiffen a little. Time was healing, but now and again a jarring note would bring it all back to her.

‘
Yes, I do,
’
she said briefly, and the other girl gave her arm a small squeeze.

‘
Don
’
t let anyone catch you on the rebound,
’
she advised.
‘
One can do foolish things out of
...
loneliness, perhaps...’

‘
I hardly think there
’
s any fear of that,
’
Catherine told her, with a rueful smile.
‘
Have you and Michael been engaged long, Elizabeth? Are you being married soon?
’

This time Elizabeth became rather more withdrawn.