Beaumont Brides Collection (21 page)

It was a defence mechanism. Automatic.

Australia. The word had an ominous ring to it and as Fizz began to read the press cutting she realised that she had been right to expect the worst. The cold that ran through her veins had nothing whatever to do with the ambient temperature of her office.

“After her triumphant portrayal of Portia to her father’s Shylock,” the reporter had written, “I went backstage to talk to Claudia Beaumont and was immediately struck by her likeness to our own sweet Melanie Brett, a point I mentioned to the actress. Miss Beaumont seemed amused by this and remarked that it would always be possible to tell the two of them apart. Melanie was the one who played in soaps while she was the one who could act. Miss Beaumont is certainly a fine actress, but her likeness to Melanie is, after all, illusory.”

‘Your sister may look like an angel, but she has a tongue that could cut skin at twenty paces,’ Jim said, when Fizz remained silent.

‘Possibly, but she isn’t stupid enough to make a remark like that. At least not to a newspaper man.’

‘On a high after the performance she may just have been careless.’

‘Or he may just have made the whole thing up.’ She stared at the fuzzy pictures. They hadn’t been great to begin with and photocopying hadn’t helped. ‘Are they alike?’ she asked, after a while. ‘I hadn’t noticed any particular resemblance. It’s hard to see much from this.’

Jim considered. ‘Not really, but Claudia had her hair dyed blonde for Portia, remember.’ He took the clipping from her and studied it. ‘There’s a superficial likeness I suppose. Something about the mouth perhaps. I suppose this guy spotted it and thought it would make a good story. It wasn’t likely that Claudia would ever see it.’ He glanced at her, frowning deeply at the photographs. ‘Does it matter? The likeness?’

‘How can it possibly matter?’ she asked, firmly ignoring the prickle of apprehension that shimmied down her spine. The tightening of Julian’s famous gut-reaction. ‘And since there is absolutely nothing we can do about it you might as well go ahead and put out the news bulletin.’

Jim rose heavily to his feet. ‘You’re the boss.’

‘Right now that isn’t a comfort, Jim, but thanks for bringing this to me. Forewarned is forearmed.’

‘And weapons will be fingernails at point blank range. Perhaps you should sell ringside seats for the first recording session,’ he said, trying to raise a smile from her.

But Fizz barely noticed. ‘You won’t have to wait that long. I’ve a feeling the bout has been arranged for Saturday night and everyone’s invited.’

But by eight o’clock on Saturday evening, her sister had not arrived in Broomhill. She had her own, self-contained apartment in their father’s home that she used when she was in Broomhill. Fizz had called there in the afternoon hoping to see her, talk to her before the party, warn her what to expect. But if she wasn’t home by Saturday afternoon she must have a date in London and it was unlikely that she would be home until sometime on Sunday, if then. A reprieve.

She dropped in again just after eight, to pick up her father, who couldn’t see the point in going to a party and not having a drink. But he wasn’t ready.

‘You go on, darling. I shan’t be staying long and it’ll be easier if I get a taxi.’

‘I can wait.’ She wasn’t in any hurry to arrive at Winterbourne Manor.

He glanced at his watch. ‘No. You get off and have some fun.’ Fun! She anticipated it being about as much fun as a visit to the dentist, but she didn’t say anything. If her father had decided to take a taxi, nothing on earth would move him. ‘Fizz,’ he said, as she turned for the door.

‘Yes?’

‘I like your dress. It’s a treat to see you looking so thoroughly grownup.’

‘I am twenty-five, Dad.’

‘I know. But you always seem so unsophisticated compared to Claudia. Sometimes, because you didn’t become one of us I think perhaps we’ve undervalued your talent. But you’ve done a great job at the radio station. I’m really very proud of you.’

‘I couldn’t have done it without you.’

‘Oh, I know that.’

‘You needn’t be quite so quick to agree with me,’ she laughed.

‘I only meant that you’d never have got the franchise. But everything else is down to you. I really think it’s time for me to step back and put out the word that Miss Felicity Beaumont is the boss. Looking like that no one could doubt your -’

‘No, Dad.’ Edward Beaumont raised a pair of well-honed eyebrows at this unseemly interruption. Having prepared his little speech, he didn’t expect to have his thunder stolen. ‘I need your name to help me through the next three months. I suspect that Mr Devlin is an old-fashioned male chauvinist. I don’t think he’d be happy handing his money over to a mere woman.’

‘But I thought you were going to tell him.’

‘Trust me, Dad. It really wasn’t a good idea.’

*****

Winterbourne Manor was ablaze with lights as Fizz edged her way down the long curve of the drive and found space to park a little way from the house. For a moment she sat there, quietly gathering herself.

She rarely went to parties unless they were business functions that couldn’t be avoided. Not because she was naturally unsociable, but because she had long ago realised that the women sought her out in the hopes that they might be introduced to her father, the men because they wanted to meet her sister, or worse, remembered her mother and wanted to reminisce about seeing her perform one of her great roles.

No one ever seemed to be aware of her as an individual. She had got used to it, but she didn’t put up with it unless she had to.

But at least tonight wasn’t going to be as bad as she had feared. She leaned back against the worn leather seat and thanked whichever kindly god watched over radio stations and younger sisters for the fact that Claudia had decided to stay in London for the weekend.

She had no illusions about who would have to persuade her glamorous sister into making some kind of public apology to Melanie, but it wouldn’t be easy. She had been trying to get hold of Claudia ever since Jim’s bombshell landed on her desk so that she could warn her, but she wasn’t at home and hadn’t bothered to switch on her answering machine.

It should have been a relief to know what to expect. Once she had seen that newspaper clipping Luke’s motive for making Melanie a part of “Holiday Bay” was all too obvious. But it was difficult to know how much had been planned and how much simply chance.

Whether the opportunity had presented itself when Devlin had taken over Harries, or whether he had taken over Harries to get at Claudia. No. That was too ridiculous for words. No one would carry a grudge to that length, that expense. It had to be chance.

But when the sponsorship question had arisen and he discovered that Claudia was involved with Pavilion Radio, the opportunity to put the two girls together in the same cast must have been irresistible. And to achieve that, he had to be sure that the station stayed on the air. He couldn’t allow it to go under. She felt like laughing.

Oh, Claudia. Bless you and your big mouth.

Another thought whirled and took hold. The whole thing might even have been Melanie’s idea. Sweet, innocent little Melanie, that most unlikely lover for Luke Devlin, was after all, an actress. Could it be that she was playing the role of her life?

The door beside her opened, letting out the respectable fug of warmth she had managed to build up and the freezing night air in. She gave a little shiver as she turned her head and found herself staring into Luke’s dark eyes.

‘I was beginning to think you were going to stand me up,’ he said, folding his long legs until he was down on the same level as her.

‘Stand you up?’ Easy to loathe him when he was out of sight. When he was so close conflicting emotions crowded in. But Fizz reined in the giddy thought that he had been watching for her arrival. More likely he had seen her headlights through the window and recognised her car, wondered why she was taking so long to leave it.

There weren’t many like it, certainly none among the mixture of solid saloon models and the more exuberant four-wheel drive vehicles of the younger guests parked along the drive. And when she hadn’t immediately appeared at his front door he had come to find her. He couldn’t wait to get on with the show.

She shivered. ‘I doubt that you’ve ever been stood up in your entire life, Luke Devlin.’

‘Could that be a compliment?’ He regarded her face gravely, then his face creased in a smile that might have reached his eyes, or might not, it was difficult to tell. The small light that had come on when he opened her car door threw his features into deep shadow. ‘No. Not a compliment,’ he said, after a moment. ‘But the night is young. And now you’ve arrived things can only get better.’

She refused to dwell on what he might consider better. Instead she allowed him to help her from the car and offer her a steadying arm as she stumbled on the gravel driveway in her ridiculously high heels.

He ushered her into the warmth of the hall, his hand at her back. The house had seemed welcoming enough on her last visit, but now the bare black and white marble squares of the hall floor had been softened by a jewel-bright Persian rug, there were flowers everywhere and the hearth was ablaze with a huge log fire, the firelight glinting warmly on the polished balusters of the great oak staircase.

‘The house looks wonderful. No one would ever guess you had just moved in.’

‘I’m glad you approve. It was on your advice that I took it.’

Aware that his hand was still nestling in the small of her back, she moved quickly across to the fire and held out fingers thoroughly chilled even in the short walk from the car.

‘I think we might get the snow after all,’ she said, turning to Luke.

‘Do you?’ His eyes sparkled. ‘Well, since I’m assured that the roof is sound, perhaps you’d care to risk taking off your cloak?’

She pulled at the ties and he lifted the heavy floor length black velvet cloak from her shoulders and his look brought a blush racing to her cheeks.

‘I’m glad you’ve given up power dressing, Fizz. The role of hard business woman didn’t suit you at all.’

She made a small movement, awkward to be the object of such open admiration, and the simple lines of the long black crepe dress shimmered over her body. It wasn’t the kind of dress she would normally wear, but for this party she had needed more than a dress, she had needed a costume that would send out all the right signals.

That she was sure of herself, smart, in control of her business and her emotions. That she was the one who dealt in the adult world of figures, black and red, profit and loss, and had long ago abandoned the ephemeral fire and air of the theatre for the sham she knew it to be.

Before Luke Devlin had arrived in town it had been true.

As she caught a glimpse of herself in the heavy mirror over the fireplace, saw her sleek chestnut hair glowing in the warmth of the flames, the long gold drops, like falling leaves at her ears and throat, she knew she looked the part. Only the close observer would have noticed the uncertainty that marked her eyes.

Luke, handed on her cloak to a girl who bore it away, and resting his hands lightly on her naked shoulders stood behind her, staring at their twin reflection.

‘Allow me to tell you that you look quite stunning, Miss Beaumont.’

His hands, feather-light against her chilly shoulders, sent heat fusing through her body, flaring into her cheeks. But Luke Devlin was the kind of man who would exploit the slightest sign of weakness and despite the fact that she found him as compelling as iron filings to a magnet, she didn’t intend becoming a sideshow in his affair with Melanie.

No Beaumont had ever played a supporting role and she wasn’t about to start.

She had worked it all out when she was choosing the dress, breaking everything down to the parts they were playing. Melanie Brett was the innocent ingénue certain to have her heart broken by an older, cynical man of the world.

That was easy. She had been there, done that, got the scars to prove it.

Luke Devlin was a rich, heartless man who thought he could manipulate everyone and in the moral world of the drama he would certainly get his comeuppance sooner or later. In life, nothing was ever that simple.

And the role she had assigned herself was that of a young career woman who had her life planned down to the last detail and was far too wise to get drawn into some dark game by a man who had turned her on like a light switch the moment they had met.

So long as she remembered that the brighter the light, the quicker it burned out, she would be safe. So long as she played her part, stuck to her lines, everything would be fine.

Fizz turned and gave him a cool, appraising look. His hair, dark and thick, curled onto the collar of a dinner jacket that stretched across an acre of shoulder, his shirt was plain, the black silk tie a perfect bow.

‘You look pretty stunning, yourself, Luke,’ she told him. ‘But you could do with a haircut.’ A dangerous glint kindled in his eye but before he could retaliate, Melanie erupted into the hall in a delicate silver tissue creation that stopped about a yard short of her knees and the look softened.

‘Fizz! You’ve arrived. What on earth are you doing keeping her out here, Luke?’