Act of Betrayal (24 page)

from Caswells when there was no need.'

'Then do it for me.' The wretched expression in his eyes shocked

her. 'Laura, my dear, you don't realise how very important this

is for me. For us all.' Laura sat back on her heels. She said,

'Why is it so important? What haven't you told me? What's

happened?' He said heavily, 'Your ex-husband insists that

adequate financial provision is made for you. That's the

condition on which the Tristan contract rests. He spoke to me

privately first thing this morning, told me unless I agreed, the

negotiations would stop. Warned me that until it was officially

arranged, cleared with you, that he wouldn't proceed.' Laura got

to her feet. She was shaking now. She said, 'He has no right. No

right at all. Uncle Martin you aren't going to submit to this

blackmail. I won't allow it. He can't interfere like this. I

don't want the money.' Her voice rose. Her uncle looked up at

her, his face drawn. 'But it's yours, my dear.' 'On Jason's say

so?' She laughed scornfully. 'No way.' He shook his head. He

looked old and weary. 'By the terms of your father's will. He

made provision for you from his half of the business, but left it

in trust, so that you would receive extra income when you

married, and the remainder as a lump sum when you gave birth to

your first child.' It was a warm day. The office was filled with

sunshine, but suddenly Laura felt cold. She said slowly, 'This is

the first I've heard of it.' Martin Caswell went on half to

himself, ' I was the trustee with old Harrington, but he died two

years later. You were only a child, too young to understand about

such things, so I never explained it to you in full. I promised

myself that I would when you were older. There seemed no hurry,

and in the meantime the money was there to be used for Caswells.

Only things started to go wrong. There was a recession. Money was

tight. We could keep our heads above water, but only just or so I

told myself. That was why when you got married so suddenly I

didn't say anything. I … I persuaded myself that the company

couldn't afford to pay you any more. I thought your husband was

just a fly-by-night artist with no head for business. It never

occurred to me that he would look up your father's will.' She

looked down at him, her heart thudding painfully. She said, 'You

told me once that Jason had been to you asking for money. You

made it sound as i f he'd been sponging from you. Was it … '

'Yes,' he said. 'He'd discovered the truth and came to confront

me with it. I…I begged him not to tell you, and he agreed. He

said it would only hurt you to find I'd been cheating you, and he

didn't want that. But I didn't believe him. I thought he would

tell you, and I couldn't bear it. You'd been like my own child

for so long. I didn't want anything to change that…to change your

regard for me. I promised myself that whatever happened I would

make it up to you in other ways. It was not long after that my

enquiry agent found the Marshall woman and her child. They were

exactly what I needed.' It hurt to breathe. 'You broke up my

marriage for money?' He winced. 'Laura you have to understand how

it was. The company was in difficulties. To have been forced to

pay out that kind of sum would have caused a crisis. I was at my

wit's end.' 'You could have told me,' she said. ' I would have

understood. Caswells was my father's company too. I wouldn't have

agreed to anything which might damage its prospects. Didn't you

know that?' He shook his head slowly. ' I felt I couldn't take

that risk.'

She shivered. 'And my baby? I suppose it was quite a relief when

I lost it.' He gave her an agonised look. 'Oh, my dear no…

never...' 'But it wouldn't have been very convenient for you my

being pregnant,' she said consideringly. 'And you certainly

wouldn't have wanted it to happen again. If I stopped being

married it would settle both problems. And providing me with a

home would make me grateful for small mercies. It did too. Kindly

Uncle Martin,' she ended on a little shaken laugh. 'Laura don't!'

He looked and sounded appalled. 'Would you have ever told me the

truth? I suppose not. It must have been an unpleasant shock when

Jason returned and in a position to dictate terms.' She shook her

head. 'He said he'd make you pay but I didn't understand.' He

said, 'I've paid every day since he returned. I couldn't even

forbid him the house as I wanted, couldn't warn Celia. That was

his price for remaining silent. And then today everything

changed. He was angry …talked about you planning to become a

household drudge said that he'd do anything he could to prevent

it. And then he delivered his ultimatum either I paid over all

the money I owed you enabled you to become independent or there

would be no contract. I had to agree. We've gambled heavily on

Fibrona borrowed to put it into production. The cancellation

would be a disaster we couldn't pull through.' Laura looked at

him, her lip curling slightly. 'Oh, you'd find some way out,

Uncle Martin. You're very resourceful, as I'm just beginning to

realise.' She paused. 'Open an account in my name and pay the

money into it, if that's what it takes. I shall never touch it.

Tomorrow I shall be gone and I'm never coming back.'

She turned and walked out of the room. Her head was high, but her

eyes were unseeing with pain. As she reached the corridor, she

stumbled slightly, and immediately Jason's arm was round her,

steadying her. He said abruptly, 'Come in here.' A door opened.

She looked round dazedly, and found they were in the deserted

board room. Jason closed the door and leaned against it, his eyes

searching her face. He said, 'So he told you. I didn't think he

would.' She folded her arms, wrapping them round her body. 'He

had very little choice. I told him I wouldn't take the money. So

he had to explain why I should.' Her eyes met his. 'But it makes

no difference. I still won't accept a penny.' He said quietly,

'The money's yours, Laura. He cheated you out of it, and all

under the guise of loving concern. He deserves to be dragged

through the courts.' She moved restively, 'No I couldn't. But I

can't take the money either. I want nothing from him. I just want

to get away.' 'Then the money would help.' 'No.' Laura shook her

head violently. 'It wouldn't. It would mean I was still connected

still dependent and I don't want that. I'm going to be

interviewed for a residential post tomorrow, and if it's offered,

I shall take it.' Jason's face darkened. 'I'm damned if you will.

Haven't you been a drudge for long enough? I won't allow it.'

'It's none of your concern.' Her voice shook a little. 'You can

stand there and say that,' he said slowly. 'For God's sake,

Laura, you can't pretend last night meant nothing to you. I want

you back. Why else do you think I've been haunting your uncle's

bloody house for weeks, except to catch the occasional glimpse of

you to try and convince myself that in spite of everything you

still cared about me.' She said, 'But Celia. You're going to

marry her. She said "she thought...' 'To hell with Celia and what

she says and thinks. I don't give a damn about her, or anyone but

you. I never have. What do I have to do to convince you?' 'You

have no right to say that.' The words were like stones in her

throat. 'You have other responsibilities other priorities. Do you

expect me to simply forget that?' She flung back her head. 'No,'

he said. 'But you don't understand my duty to Clare. You never

have.' 'What is there to understand?' She moved her hands

helplessly. ' I won't share. If that's a fault in me, then I

admit it. Even if I have to be alone for the rest of my life, I

can't make room for another woman in our relationship. I can't

live in that house see her every day see her children.' She bit

her lip. 'Tell me something. If I asked you to send her away

would you?' He said, I can't. Laura I asked you once to trust

me...' She shook her head. I don't think I have any trust left

you and Uncle Martin between you, you've used it all up.' She

gave a small, unhappy smile. 'I'm not very lucky with the men in

my life, it seems.' He said expressionlessly. 'No. Goodbye,

Laura. I wish you better fortune in the future.' He stood away

from the door, opening it for her with a kind of remote courtesy

that somehow hurt more than anger or bitterness would have done.

The corridor outside seemed full of people, all of them trying to

conceal their curiosity and in most cases, failing miserably. She

saw Bill Hurst, the company secretary, looking puzzled and

concerned. He pushed his way to her side. 'Laura what's going on?

You look like a ghost and Martin's on the point of collapse.' She

gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. 'Everything's

fine, Bill, honestly. My uncle's been under a lot of strain

recently. Perhaps when all the business of the negotiations is

over, you can persuade him to have a complete medical check up.'

He frowned, 'But surely, he would listen to you . . . ' ' I

shan't be here. I've got a job in Warwickshire.' She crossed her

fingers in the folds of her skirt, hoping that it was true. ' I

see.' Clearly he didn't, but was too polite to say so. 'Well we

will miss you.' 'Thank you.' Behind her, she heard Jason say

calmly, 'I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, gentlemen. Perhaps

we could resume our meeting. After all we have a contract to

sign.' She saw the concern in Bill's face change to relief as his

attention was dramatically diverted. No-one gave her a second

glance as she walked away down the corridor. Behind her, she

heard the hum of voices die away as the board room door closed,

shutting her out. She didn't look back but went on walking

steadily down the corridor, away from everything she wanted most

in the world, towards a future which had never seemed more empty.

IT was raining when Laura got to Warwick. The long hot spell was

over, it seemed, and in some strange way the change in the

weather signalled the dramatic alteration in her own

circumstances. She'd made good time, so she enjoyed a leisurely

drive round Warwick, promising herself that she would come back

and tour the castle when she had time. And, of course, if she got

this job, she reminded herself hastily. She'd burned her bridges

fairly thoroughly, and if Mrs Chesterfield turned her down she

wasn't sure what she would do instead. Maybe she would stay in

the area anyway, find herself a room, and live on her savings for

a time while she looked for alternative employment. There seemed

to be plenty of restaurants around maybe one of them would need

experienced help in the kitchen. She tried to think

optimistically, but it was difficult when her heart was breaking

inside. It might be a cliche, but she could think of no better

way of describing this tearing pain which made her every waking

moment wretched, and even pursued her through her sleeping hours.

She was pale, and she had shadows under her eyes, and Mrs

Chesterfield might well feel she didn't look nearly robust enough

to take on a cook-housekeeper post. Well, she would deal with

that problem as and when it arose. She was here now, and here she

would stay, and gradually the memories would fade, until

eventually she might even be able to forget that the two men she

had most loved had both callously betrayed her.

She found the house without difficulty. It was solid and

dignified, made of red brick and set back from the road at the

top of a tree-lined drive. Laura parked decorously on the neatly

raked gravelled forecourt and drew a deep breath as she mounted

the two shallow steps which led to the front door. Her ring at

the bell was answered almost at once, as if they'd been waiting

for her, watching for her arrival. Were they that desperate for a

cook, she wondered wrily. 'I'm Wanda Bishop.' The voice on the

telephone belonged to a tall woman with a calm face. Her