An Affair to Forget (15 page)

Vicki
blew out a lazy cloud of cigarette smoke. “I hope that’s all there is to it. It’s never wise to go out of one’s depth, if you know what I mean.”

“
No, Vicki, I don’t know what you mean. Perhaps you could explain it to me.”

“
What I mean is, I’ve seen better acts than yours in third-rate theatres.” Now that they were alone, with no onlookers around, Vicki allowed her full mouth to take on an ugly square look, while her eyes glittered spitefully. “Sam might fall for it, but I don’t. You want him, and you’ve been making it embarrassingly obvious.”

With
her red-lipsticked mouth, she looked like a malicious pillar box, Morrin thought, and had to bite back a hysterical giggle at the mental picture she had conjured up. Instead she took a deep breath and managed to say levelly, “You’re quite wrong.”

“
I’m glad to hear it, because let me tell you right now, I’ve no intention of standing by and watching him being snapped up by a little gold-digger.”

“
Are you telling me that you want him?”

“
I’m telling you that if at any time I do, I have more claim to him than you have. So back off!”

“
I’m sure that if he could hear you… and see you… right now he would find this little scene very interesting.”

“
Not as interesting as the scene we all saw earlier tonight, when we found out about you and Gareth,” the actress drawled. She tasted her coffee, made a face, and got up to toss the contents of the cup into the sink. “You’ve put sugar in this!”

“
I thought,” Morrin said through gritted teeth, “that you could do with some sweetening.” Then, head high, she stalked to the door without a backward glance at her tormentor. Once out in the hall, she fled to the safety of her room.

She
should have known better than to court disaster for a second time, Morrin thought as she got back into bed. She should have been honest with Sam from the beginning, and refused to see Gareth again. She should certainly never have allowed her hunger for him to throw her back into his arms. She should have had the sense to know that as far as Gareth Sinclair was concerned she could only be hurt again. And the second hurt was more painful than the first.

Yes,
it served her right; but that didn’t stop the tears of self-pity that slid from beneath her closed lids as she lay alone in the darkness.

*

“You didn’t come to the guest house last night,” Gareth said

Morrin
stared at him, completely taken aback, and dismayed to find him breakfasting on his own out on the patio. He must have come straight from the pool, for his blue swimming briefs were still dark with water and his wet hair gleamed in the sunlight.

“
I assumed that you had made other arrangements.” She stopped short as Maria appeared from the house, carrying a tray of fresh coffee and rolls. When she returned to the house Gareth asked, “What other arrangements?”

“
With Cass. I understand that you left the nightclub together last night.”

“
Checking up on me, were you? I don’t go back on my word, Morrin. You’re the one who changed your mind.”

She
stared at him. “I did what?”

“
When you called Sam back, as we were all leaving. It didn’t take much to guess what you were saying. He couldn’t wait to leave us and rush back here. Tell me, what story did you come up with? I should know, so that our stories tally.”

“
I did not ask Sam to come back here last night.”

“
But he did, didn’t he?”

“
Yes, but – ”

“
The important thing is that we had an agreement and as far as I’m concerned it still stands.”

“
Gareth, last night we weren’t being serious.”

He
raised a lazy eyebrow. “Weren’t we? You’ve walked out on me twice, Morrin, and I don’t let women do that a second – ”

Voices
from the lounge warned them that Sam and Maria were close by. Gareth tore open a crisp roll and began to butter it as Sam came on to the patio.

“
Good morning,” Gareth greeted him blandly. “I was just telling Morrin that with any luck we’ll finish the rough draft of the first act today.”

“
Don’t you want to spend the day with Cass?” she asked, the name like a stone in her mouth.

“
She’d already made other plans, not knowing that I was on the island. We’re having dinner together tonight. And tomorrow I’m taking her to visit Teide before she has to go on board the boat.”

“
Twice in one week?” Morrin asked sweetly, and he smiled down at her.

“
I’ll see it through different eyes this time.”

An
hour later she waited in the guest house, fingers on the keys, for him to start dictating. Instead, he moved to where he could lean against the wall in her line of vision, arms folded.

“
Now, where were we… and I don’t mean in the play, Morrin. I was right about Sam, wasn’t I? He’s not a white knight ready to die to protect your honour, he’s a man like any other man. That’s why he asked you to go away with him. He wanted you and last night he got you.”

“
What did you say?”

“
You asked him to come back early and he did… to spend the night with you.”

“
You don’t know what you’re talking about! You weren’t even here last night, you were with Cass.”

“
You’re wrong there. I took Cass home and came back before Vicki did. I heard you and Sam talking in your room.”

“
Talking, not – ” She bit her lip, then said, staring down at her hands on the keyboard, “If you must know, Sam came back to ask me why I hadn’t told him the truth about you. He’d had too much to drink and he was – he tried to…” She stopped, unable to put it into words, then as Gareth said nothing, she ended lamely, “But he stopped when he realised that he was frightening me.”

There
was a long silence, during which she kept looking at her hands, then Gareth said, “So now you want me to feel sorry for you because I was right about Sam. When are you going to grow up, Morrin?”

The
contempt in his voice stung, and she looked up and into his eyes. “You weren’t right! I told you, he’d had too much to drink. He’s not good with drink, Vicki told me. Do you have to bring everything down to your level?”

He
grinned maddeningly. “My level’s real and yours is romantic make-believe. If you want Sam go after him. If you don’t want him then let Vicki have him. They suit each other.”

“
You’re so arrogant!”

“
And you’re pig-headed and stubborn.” He picked up his copy of
Charlotte
Dreaming
. “You’re just like my grandmother… obstinate and determined to get your own way.”

“
So you don’t like her very much either.”

He
stared, his brows knotted. “What makes you think that? And what has my family life to do with you? We were talking about Sam and that childish fantasy you have about him. What do I have to do, Morrin” – he leaned across the table, his face close to hers, his eyes a blaze of emerald fury – “to prove to you that Sam’s only after one thing where you’re concerned?”

She
started to stand up. “You can mind your own business!”

A
large, strong hand landed on her shoulder, and forced her back into her seat. “We’re here,” said Gareth coldly, “to work. So let’s get this charade over and done with, shall we?”

*

Today, Gareth did not need any help. He dictated crisply, swiftly, with only one or two corrections. It was all Morrin could do to follow him, let alone read the words flashing on to the screen before her. It was like old times, when he came to each day’s work with the words and scenes already clear in his mind.

Maria
brought lunch on a tray, and they worked while they ate, continuing without a break until Gareth said abruptly, “End of scene, end of Act One, and that’s it. The first draft of the first act should keep Sam happy for at least a week. And now you’re free, Morrin. Free to go your own way.”

He
tossed the book down on the table she was using as a desk and ran his fingers through his hair, then unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it on to the bed as he went into the bathroom. A few minutes later the shower was turned on.

Fifteen

Morrin started the printer and got up, only then realising that her entire body was stiff after hours of concentrated work. She felt dazed and disorientated. Outside, she saw as she went to the window, the sky had clouded over, hiding the sun, and a breeze had sprung up.

When
the printer fell silent she began to stack the pages together neatly, ready for Sam, then gave an irritated sigh as they slipped from her fingers and scattered over the floor. Kneeling to gather them together again she stopped as her eye caught a few words on one of the pages.

“
Still here?” Gareth asked when he emerged from the bathroom some time later, bare-chested, his hair filled with drops of water from the shower. He was fastening a pair of light grey trousers. “I thought you’d have rushed back to Sam by now.”

“
Gareth…” Morrin, now sitting on the floor, held up a handful of papers. “This isn’t
Charlotte
Dreaming
.”

“
It’s what Sam and Vicki want.”

“
But it’s… it’s distorted!” She flipped through the pages, numb with disbelief. The strength that had made the woman in his book real had been subtly changed to an ability to manipulate. The integrity had changed to a sexual power, the clarity that was Charlotte had given way to someone that was almost unlikeable.

She
scrambled to her feet. “It’s… you can’t do this to Charlotte.”

Gareth
was unmoved. “Your boss wants a play that Vicki can do. I told you that Vicki wasn’t Charlotte, but that didn’t satisfy any of you. So… I’ve turned Charlotte into the sort of woman Vicki Queen can play.”

“
But this belittles your Charlotte.”

He
raised an eyebrow. “I think Sam and Vicki will be quite happy with it.”

“
What about you? Are you happy with it?”

“
It doesn’t make much difference to me. As you so sensibly pointed out the other day, the real Charlotte is in my book and the stage Charlotte doesn’t matter to me. She’ll belong to Sam and to Vicki. That will make Sam happy and that, in turn, will make you happy.”

“
You mustn’t do this!”

He
turned from the wardrobe, tossed the dark green shirt he’d just selected on to a chair. “I can do whatever the hell I like. Sam begged me for a play, and I don’t even intend to see the damned thing when he turns it into a smash hit… as he probably will. Stop nagging, will you? Just be grateful for the fact that you’ve finally converted me.”

“
Converted you?”

“
That’s right.” His voice was tight with anger. “I accept that women like Charlotte don’t exist any more. They’ve been replaced by empty-headed, self-centred sex symbols who’ll do and say anything to get what they want. That makes life a lot easier for all of us, doesn’t it? Now we know where we stand!”

“
How can you say such a thing?”

“
How can you deny it?” he countered. “Aren’t you guilty yourself? The way you hid our relationship from Sam, the way you’re swinging from one extreme to the other, teasing one minute and withdrawing the next… wanting Sam and yet not really knowing what you want…”

Papers
fanned again to the floor as he strode forward and caught her up into a fierce embrace that threatened to crush her as though her body was made of glass. His mouth swooped cruelly down on hers in a kiss that seemed to reach into the centre of her being and liquidise every part of her. When he let her go she swayed back. He made no attempt to steady her, but turned away.

“
Go away, Morrin,” he ordered, and she obeyed, her feet carrying her to the door, through it, and down the steps to the house. Then she was in her room with the door closed, her entire body trembling with reaction.

He
was going away tomorrow, she reminded herself again and again. Going back to Alison and Cass and all the other women. And they were all welcome to him.

She
herself would never meet up with him again. She would make sure of that.

She
paced the room, concentrating her mind on Sam. He cared about her and she cared for him. She and Sam could be happy together for the rest of their lives.

*

Gareth went out with Cass that evening. He was not back when Morrin went to bed, and when she met Sam at breakfast the next morning she discovered that Gareth had already eaten and left the house.

“
I believe his girlfriend sails away this afternoon, so he wants to spend time with her. Pretty, isn’t she? Did you know her well when…” – Sam stopped, then said casually, “…when you worked for Sinclair?”

“
I didn’t know her at all. She lives in Wales, near his grandmother’s house.”

“
And you were never there.”

“
Of course not. I was his secretary, not a friend.”

“
Good,” he said, then, “I’ve been up half the night reading and re-reading the script. It’s good, but it needs changes. Sinclair knows that himself; he says that I can make the necessary alterations since he’s new to writing drama.”

“
Since we’ve finished working on the play, let’s go out today, Sam, just you and me.” She needed to get away from the house, needed to be alone with him and to be reassured that everything was going to go back to the way it had been before.

“
Sounds great, but I thought that the three of us could work on the play this morning.”

“
But the first draft’s finished and Gareth has gone out with Cass.”

“
I’m talking about you and me and Vicki, love. After all, she’s going to play Charlotte.”

“
Oh, of course.” She had forgotten that in Sam’s eyes the writer tended to fade into the background once a play became more than a collection of words on paper. “Later, perhaps.”

“
Tomorrow. Tonight we’re going to Puerto de la Cruz to see the Epiphany procession, but tomorrow will be all ours.”

“
Epiphany?” Morrin remembered that Vicki had mentioned the procession the night Cass turned up.

“
The twelfth day of Christmas. That’s the equivalent of Christmas Day on this island. They have a wonderful parade, well worth seeing. The atmosphere’s terrific, you’ll love it,” Sam assured her.

*

They spent all morning working through the play line by line, speech by speech, page by page. Vicki, in a contrary mood, criticised every single word and action and Morrin, her hand aching from taking pages of notes, marvelled at Sam’s patience as he explained, coaxed, cajoled, and compromised.

It
became very clear to her after the first hour that Gareth had been correct when he said again and again that Vicki was not the right person to play Charlotte, even the watered-down version he had created especially for her. There was no doubt about her ability as an actress – when Sam persuaded her to go through one of the longer speeches from start to finish without a pause she did it perfectly – but just when it seemed that she had settled into the character, she found fault with something else and reverted to her favourite pesona: Vicki Queen the actress, a shallow and self-centred woman who was nothing like Gareth’s Charlotte.

Finally,
throwing down the script, she announced that the play was dreadful and she had no intention of ever appearing in it. When Sam tried to placate her she told him that she was exhausted, and if she did not have a massage and get her hair done she would not be in a fit state to enjoy the Epiphany celebrations. Refusing his offer to drive her, she summoned Jaime.

“
Does she mean it?” Morrin asked when Vicki had gone.

“
No, of course not, it’s just her way. She’ll come round when she’s rested.” Sam gave her a tired smile. “Fancy going out for lunch?”

“
Yes, as long as you promise that we won’t mention
Charlotte
Dreaming
or anything to do with it.”

“
Why d’you think I want to get out of this place? We both need a break and I’m going to make sure that we get it.”

*

“Isn’t it great,” Sam said contentedly an hour later, “to be off duty?”

“
Mmm.” Morrin smiled across the table at him. “It’s wonderful.” They were seated at an outdoor table overlooking silky black sands and placid green sea. Before them lay the remains of an entire fish that, when it was first placed before them, had struck fear into Morrin with its staring eyes and gaping jaws, but had proved to be delicious. Sam had been his old self, and nothing had been said about Gareth and the part he had played in Morrin’s past.

“
This is what it will be like when we go on holiday together.”

“
And that will only happen if we can get
Charlotte
Dreaming
off the ground.” Morrin sat upright. It had been inevitable that they would return to business, so why not now rather than later? “Why does this matter so much to you?” she wanted to know. “There are other plays and other actresses too.”

“
Not like Vicki.”

“
She talked last night about the two of you.”

“
What did she say?” It was Sam’s turn to sit up.

“
That you were good friends at drama college, and that you used to promise that one day you would put her into a West End play.”

A
smile softened his face. “Those were wonderful days. No money, but a lot of dreams and plans and ambitions.”

“
But you never did a play together, did you?”

The
smile disappeared. “No, and that’s why I want
Charlotte
Dreaming
for her. To make up for everything.”

“
Make up for what?” Morrin wanted to know, but Sam was on his feet, pulling notes from his wallet, hurrying across to pay the bill.

“
It’s time we went back to get ready for tonight,” he said when she caught up with him. “Wait for me in the car, I won’t be a minute.”

“
Sam, what’s going on?”

“
Nothing. It’s personal; you wouldn’t understand.”

“
Try me.”

He
drew a deep breath. “If you must know, when I began to make my name and my first West End chance came along I broke my word to Vicki and cast another actress in the lead role.”

“
Why?”

“
Because she was better suited for that particular character.”

“
Vicki told me that by the time you were working in the West End she had already starred there.”

“
Did she?” A spasm crossed Sam’s face, almost as though he was in pain. “She did get the second lead in a fairly mediocre play and it flopped after a week. Then she married and left the profession and that was that.”

“
Not as far as you were concerned, though.”

“
No; I felt bad about what had happened. Now I’m in a position to make it up to her. And if I had known that you knew Sinclair – ”

He
stopped suddenly, and it was left to Morrin to say, “Things would have been easier for you.”

“
Not to worry.” He summoned up a grin and squeezed her arm. “We’re getting there and it’s all going to be worth it.”

*

“I just want to say that I’m sorry about last night,” he said as they drove back to the villa past banana plantations and gardens bright with blossoms.

“
I think the lunch said that for you.”

“
I feel like a prat, thinking that you and Sinclair would ever… of course you’re not his type, not one bit.”

“
Thank you.”

“
And I don’t mean that you’re not good enough for him,” Sam hurried on. “I mean that he’s not got the sense to recognise someone special when he sees her.” He reached over to pat her thigh briefly. “I’m sorry I landed you with him, but it’s almost over.”

“
Yes.” Morrin gazed out at the banana plantation they were passing. “It’s almost over.”

*

The streets of Santa Cruz were thronged that evening with families in their best holiday clothes, the children bright-eyed with excitement. When they had found somewhere to park the car Vicki tucked her hand possessively under Sam’s elbow and led him to the restaurant where she had booked the four of them in for dinner, leaving Morrin to trail behind.

To
Vicki’s annoyance Gareth’s chair remained empty throughout the entire meal.

“
He promised me that he would be here,” she pouted. “And the boat must be boarded by now.”

“
I suppose he’s stayed on board until the last minute. He’ll want to make the most of his time with Cass,” Sam suggested.