Breaking the Rules (8 page)

H
e walked towards her.

The crowd had thinned out and the living room was half empty, and she stood waiting, watching
him
now, just as moments ago he had been watching her. Their eyes were locked on each other.

It seemed to M that no one else existed in this room except for him. Her stomach was in knots, and her heart suddenly lurched when he finally stood there in front of her.

His face was immobile, without expression, but his eyes were intense. They were a very deep blue, the colour of cornflowers, echoing the colour of the shirt he was wearing. She knew at once that they saw only her.

At last he spoke. ‘My name is—’

‘I know who you are,’ she cut in.

‘And I know who you are,’ he answered, smiling at her.

Genuinely shocked by this announcement, M took a deep breath to steady herself. ‘You
do
?’

He reached out, took hold of her hand and held it in his. ‘Yes, I do. You’re the elusive woman I’ve been searching for all of my life.’

Relief flooded through her, and she felt herself relax. Normally she would have thought: Oh, what a good line
that
is, and her cynicism would have kicked in, risen to the surface and brought a swift, dismissive comment to her lips. But she didn’t think that at all. Not now. Not with him. She believed him, believed what he said.

He leaned into her. ‘Though I must admit, I don’t know your name.’

‘It’s Marie Marsden, but everyone calls me M.’

‘Not M and M?’ His blue eyes were suddenly twinkling mischievously.

‘No,’ she laughed, staring into his face, a face that had been engraved on her heart since she was a little girl. ‘Just M is fine.’

‘How old are you?’

‘Old enough,’ she shot back swiftly, an eyebrow lifting. ‘And that was a rather rude question to ask me.’

‘Yes, you would think that, especially with your upbringing,’ he remarked. A small, amused smile lurked around his mouth.

Ignoring his comment, she said, ‘I know how old
you
are…you’re thirty-five, which actually makes you twelve years older than I am. But numbers don’t matter to me.’

‘Nor to me.’

‘Actually, I know a great deal about you.’

‘Not too
much,
I sincerely hope,’ he exclaimed, and threw her a look of mock dismay.

‘Enough.’

‘And why do you know so much about
me
?’ he asked, a dark brow lifting quizzically.

‘I saw you in
Hamlet
and got an instant crush on you. So I needed to know all about you.’

‘I’m so glad!’ He eyed her appraisingly.

‘When I was ten years old,’ she went on quickly, wanting to clarify, but leaning closer to him, she added, ‘I was dreamy-eyed about you.’

‘Are you still?’

‘Of course not! I’m a grown woman now.’

‘What a pity you don’t feel the same way.’

‘I’m older,’ M answered, smiling at him enigmatically.

‘Are you here with anyone?’

‘No. Well, that’s not strictly true. I came with my friend Geo. She’s over there somewhere. Oh, there she is, near the fireplace.’

He followed the direction of her gaze, and murmured, ‘The pretty blonde, right?’

M nodded.

He asked, ‘And why are you both here? Do you know Iris?’

‘No, neither of us does. We’re friends of Dax, the guest of honour.’

‘Oh, yes, Iris’s new protégé. The story is he’s a good actor. Is he?’

‘I don’t know. Does that matter these days?’

He heard the pithiness in her voice, and laughed. ‘And what about you, Miss M? Are you an actress?’

‘No, I’m a model.’

He stood away from her slightly, looking at her steadily, not speaking.

She gazed back at him boldly.

They were suddenly lost for words, lost in each other. The chatter swirled around, people moved past them, and they were unaware of everything except themselves. Her hand was still in his and he pressed it against his chest.

Finally he broke the silence when he said, very softly, ‘You’re the woman…the woman I want to run away with…Let’s do that, shall we?’

‘Now?’

‘Yes, of course now. If not
now,
when? Let’s find a desert island and set up camp…’

She noticed the amused twinkle in his eyes again, heard the laughter in his mellifluous voice. ‘But I can’t leave Geo stranded here,’ she protested.

‘We can’t take her with us!’ Then he warned: ‘You know two’s company, three’s none. Let’s move out into the foyer, it seems quieter there…we can make our plans.’

He led her across the room, and once in the foyer he leaned against a wall and drew her even closer to him so that her body rested against his.

M began to tremble, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe, to be in such close proximity to this man with whom she had been infatuated as a child. Over the ensuing years he had remained her ideal, and she had always measured other men against him.

He asked gently, ‘Are you all right?’

‘I’m fine.’ Her voice sounded faint to her.

‘I don’t want to stay here. Too many folk. I want to be alone with you. Wouldn’t you prefer that?’

‘Yes,’ she whispered.

‘Then it’s a done deal. I’m going to take you somewhere quiet for supper. There’s a little place I know.’

‘All right,’ M began, and paused. Geo, walking determinedly towards them, was accompanied by James. ‘Geo’s coming this way with James Cardigan.’

‘I’ll head them off, don’t worry,’ he said in a confident tone.

For the last ten minutes or so, Geo had been fascinated by M’s behaviour, by the way she had been glued to Laurence Vaughan. She had noticed how the famous movie star had made a beeline for M when he had arrived, and they had come together like old friends. Maybe they were exactly that, Geo thought. After all, they were both English. As she and James edged towards the entrance foyer, weaving through the thinning crowd, Geo asked, ‘Do you know him, James?’

‘Only from the silver screen. And by reputation,’ James answered, ‘but I’ve got to admit, I’m a genuine fan. He’s one of the greatest actors on the English-speaking stage today. Nobody’s played Hamlet better than him, except perhaps for Christopher
Plummer. And he’s a handsome son of a gun. No wonder women fall all over him.’

Including M, Geo thought and, stepping forward, she smiled. ‘You two must be old friends, the way you’ve been chatting nonstop.’

‘We are indeed…very old friends,’ he answered, offering Geo his most engaging smile.

M jumped in swiftly, and said, ‘Geo, James, I’d like you to meet Laurence Vaughan.’

After the three of them shook hands, Larry went on in a firm voice, ‘I’m trying to persuade M to come to supper with me, but she’s worried about leaving you to fend for yourself, Geo.’

‘Oh, please don’t concern yourself about that, M,’ James answered quickly. ‘I’ll fend for her any time. Is that all right with you, Geo?’

‘Of course it is, James.’

They had taken a cab to the restaurant in the Eighties just off Lexington. In the cab he had been overwhelmed by her, had ached to take her in his arms, hold her close, kiss her passionately. He had managed to resist this impulse, had held her hand instead, just as he had been doing for the previous hour at Iris Ingersoll’s apartment.

Larry had not wished to frighten her off—not that he thought she was the kind of young woman who would be easily frightened. To him she seemed self-confident, more intrepid than most. Yes, that was it: there was a
fearlessness
about her that intrigued and appealed to him, caught his fancy.

Now, sitting opposite her at a corner table in Le Refuge, a favourite hideaway of his, Larry smiled inwardly, thinking of their earlier banter. She could certainly think on her feet, was fast on the draw and rather bold, and just a little bit cheeky.
He especially liked
that
about her: it made her different, unique, unlike the other women he knew.

It suddenly struck him how lucky he had been to meet her tonight. He almost hadn’t gone to Iris’s party, had fought the idea of it all day, feeling depleted and depressed. But at the last moment he had realized he owed it to Iris to show up—it was the least he could do. And so he had shaved, showered, dressed and gone over there, and he’d spotted M the moment he walked in.

He had moved towards her at once, intent on snaring her for himself, drawn to her in the most compelling way; the feeling was so intense it startled him, and he realized he had not experienced anything like it before.

Funny thing, attraction. It was always the powerful physical
pull
initially, of being entranced by the way someone looked…the curve of a brow, the line of a cheek, the set of the mouth, the expression in the eyes, the colour of the hair, the overall set of the jib…that’s what captivated the heart.

Unfortunately, character did not always live up to great physical beauty, and a woman without character soon palled on him. He adored beautiful women; on the other hand, beauty had never been enough for him, did not wholly satisfy him, not in the long run. Ultimately it was…
boring.
That’s why he had always moved on, had never married any of the women in his life.

‘You’re staring at me, Larry,’ M said, looking across the table at him, putting down the menu. He had the oddest look on his face.

His thoughts were interrupted. He answered swiftly, ‘I’m sorry, love. I was just thinking how lucky I am you were there tonight, and that
I
found you.’

‘Do you really mean that?’ she asked, studying him with great interest, her head on one side.

‘Certainly. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. You feel the same way, don’t you?’

She merely nodded, her gaze focused on him. His eyes were a very deep blue in the soft light of the bistro, and most beguiling. Just as he himself was beguiling. But then he had always been that, hadn’t he? Even when she was a child she had been spellbound by him when she saw him on a stage or in a movie.

‘I realize we haven’t actually
met
before tonight,’ Larry now said, ‘but I have this extraordinary feeling I
do
know you, M. You seem so very familiar to me.’

‘Perhaps that’s because I’m half an Audrey.’

‘What on earth does that mean?’ He sounded puzzled.

‘Some people think I have a look of Audrey Hepburn. But I’m only half like her.’

His amused smile of earlier flickered again. ‘Come to think of it, there is a resemblance. But it’s not
that
…I have a sense of
knowing you.
’

‘Perhaps we met in another life,’ she suggested, her voice teasing.

‘Maybe we did.’ He glanced away, looking off into the distance, and then focused on her again, frowning.

‘Honestly, we haven’t met before, Larry,’ she murmured.

‘If we had, you wouldn’t have escaped, I can assure you of that.’

M shook her head, laughter mingled with happiness in her large dark eyes. ‘That’s a rash thing to say, isn’t it?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I might take you seriously.’ She responded so quietly she was hardly audible.

‘I hope you will.’ Larry gave her a thoughtful look. Her hand was resting on the table; he reached for it, held it in his. ‘I hope this is the beginning…and of something special, M, I really mean that. I’ve said quite a few things to you tonight, things that may have sounded odd to you, but I promise I’ve never said them to any other woman. You have to trust me on that.’

Squeezing his hand, continuing to hold it tightly in hers,
she said in the same low voice, ‘I do trust you, and not just about the things you’ve said to me.’ A faint smile touched her mouth, and she added, ‘I’d trust you with my life, Laurence Vaughan, and I mean what I say.’

‘I’ll always keep you safe and sound.
Promise.
’

Leaning across the table, M studied him for a moment; she knew he meant it. In a confiding tone she told him, ‘When I was ten I used to dream about you, Larry. Every night.’

‘Do you still?’ he asked.

‘No, of course not! That was long ago, when you were my dashing Hamlet. Oh, I had such a crush on you, I couldn’t see straight.’

‘And what kind of dreams did you have about me?’ he asked, going along with her, enjoying this light-hearted mood, thinking how refreshing she was.

‘Oh, you know, little-girl-with-a-crush dreams…
all mushy.
’

‘Do you think I might one day infiltrate the big-grown-up-girl’s dreams?’

‘You never know,’ she answered lightly. ‘I hope so.’

‘And you can bet that I hope so too.’

Finally releasing her hand, Larry sat back and announced, ‘I have a feeling that everyone you meet thinks you’re special.’

‘Oh, I don’t know about that…’ She allowed her voice to drift off, took a sip of wine, eventually muttered, ‘I’m just an ordinary sort of girl.’

‘Like hell you are!’ Larry picked up the menu. ‘I think we ought to order, don’t you? Do you know what you want, M?’

‘Yes. I was thinking of having grilled sole.’

‘Fish, eh? You grew up on an island?’

‘Yep. In the North Sea. Just like you did,’ she retorted and winked.

He inclined his head, amused by her, and motioned for the waiter, ordered grilled sole for two and a bottle of Montrachet. Once the waiter had hurried off, Larry changed the mood slightly when he asked, ‘How long have you been living in New York?’

‘A few months. I’ve tried to find modelling work, but without much luck. It was Geo who arranged for me to meet the fashion photographer, Frank Farantino. That worked out rather well. We did a shoot. He’s the one who decided I looked like Audrey Hepburn, and said it should be played up. His stylists did a make-over on me.’

‘You hardly needed that! Surely not? Anyway,
did
he help you?’

‘Frankie has gone to Morocco on a magazine fashion shoot, but once he’s back he’s going to launch my career,’ M explained, then told him how talented Frankie was, and that he was reliable and trustworthy.

Larry leaned back in the chair, let her continue talking. He was listening to her attentively, found her voice pleasant, soothing. And he was genuinely enjoying being with her. This young woman was having quite an effect on him, and in innumerable ways. As the evening progressed he began to realize that being with her lifted his spirits, gave him a sense of genuine happiness, a feeling that had long been absent in his life. He wondered how to keep her with him…permanently.