Forever (55 page)

'I am coming to that.' Zarah folded her
hands in her lap again, for a moment glancing down, as though
studying her fingernails. When she raised her head and looked at
Stephanie, her expression was taut. 'You may find this difficult to
accept, Ms Williams, but you must believe me. To know Eduardo is
not necessarily to love him.'

'I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you've lost me
completely.'

Zarah sighed. 'I will explain, though
frankly, I would have preferred to spare us both this . . . this
embarrassing unpleasantness. However, Eduardo's impulsive offer,
and your determination to accept it, leave me with little choice. I
feel duty-bound to warn you of what you should expect - before
discovering it for yourself in a strange country thousands of miles
from family or friends!'

'Warn me? About what?'

'Ms Williams, I am going to be candid with
you. And please, make no mistake. I am not belittling my son. How
could I? Eduardo is everything a man should be, and then more - a
shark in the corporate world and a Casanova in the bedroom . . .
why do you look at me like that?' She trilled a bar of amused
laughter. 'I know of his libido! It is his single shortcoming, you
see, the one flaw which makes him less than perfect.' Her eyes
narrowed. 'But he should not have to shoulder the blame for that
himself; it should be shared by the women who are drawn to him as
moths are drawn to the flame!' She stared hard at Stephanie and
added in a murmur, 'One would think the poor insects would learn,
but do they? No. As soon as one of them is burned, there is always
another to take its place, and then another, and another . . . just
as there is always another woman waiting to replace the one with
whom Eduardo has become bored.'

Stephanie's face went ashen. 'What are you
trying to do?'

'I am merely giving you some good advice to
save you much grief.' Zarah paused and reached for her juice and
took a sip and put it back down. Then she sat back and stared at
Stephanie through distant, shrouded eyes. 'Surely, Ms Williams, you
cannot imagine you are more than the flavour of the month? If so,
you flatter yourself and have much to learn!'

'You are mistaken,' Stephanie retorted with
tight dignity. 'Eduardo and I are . . . very fond of one
another.'

'Then listen to me and listen well!' Zarah
hissed. 'Eduardo is not like most men, and there is nothing anyone
can do to change him!'

'Why would I want to change him? I like him
as he is.'

'Oh, how convenient.' Zarah trilled a gale
of sarcastic laughter. 'Then I suppose you will also like the way
he indulges his carnal appetites, with one affair after another
after another!' She shrugged. 'Perhaps it is part of your nature to
tolerate . . . even fall for the playboy type. Some women are that
way, you know.'

Stephanie stared at her. She couldn't
believe what she was hearing and she cringed, not from the cruel
words themselves, but from the gut-wrenching pain they
intentionally brought on. She sat absolutely still now, as if the
slightest movement might cause her to shatter like delicate glass,
thinking, Lies! That's what they are! She's a hateful, possessive
mother trying to poison me against her son.

She said shakily, 'Are you suggesting that
I'm just one link in a long chain?'

Zarah waved a hand imperiously. 'Infer what
you will.'

'Well, I know one thing. Eduardo would never
string me along just to hurt me.' And thinking: I can't believe he
would ever do that to anyone. He's not some brutal sadist. He's
tender and loving and sensitive and caring.

'I know what is going through your head.'
Zarah's face was without expression. 'If it is any comfort to you,
I do not think Eduardo ever consciously intends to hurt anyone. But
that, Ms Williams, is unfortunately how it always turns out. A
month . . . six weeks at most . . . and then he is invariably
attracted to someone new.'

Stephanie's chin went up. 'I don't believe
you!' she declared with more starch than she felt.

Zarah smiled slightly. 'And that is your
prerogative, is it not? However, you might be well advised to ask
Eduardo about Celeste Stahl.' The American television actress, all
golden hair and capped teeth. 'Or you could mention Melina
Lalaounis.' The Greek tycoon's granddaughter and sole heiress. 'Or
even Lady Susan Campton.' Cousin of the queen and owner of castles,
race horses, and two million prime acres. 'Ask him about them, why
don't you!' Zarah's voice had taken on a stagy resonance, evil and
compelling. 'And while you are at it, Ms Williams, why not ask him
about the French sex kitten, and the Italian industrialist's young
ex-wife, and the Spanish flamenco dancer, and all the others, too
numerous to mention . . .?'

Stephanie sat there in excruciating pain,
each word slicing into her heart. She was unable to speak and her
every breath was forced, as though invisible hands were choking
her. The revolving lounge seemed totally airless now. She wondered
where all the oxygen had gone. Why every breath that she took
tasted like poison.

'Please, you must not take this personally,
Ms Williams.' Zarah's perfect features were flushed with victory,
and she eyed Stephanie with an expression of shrewd hauteur that
added to her aura of imperial command. 'None of this has anything
to do with you per se: She paused and added, 'You really needn't
look at me that way, you know.'

Stephanie supposed her expression of stunned
outrage showed, but she didn't care. She had had enough. Leaning
forward, she slapped the arm of the throne. 'Stop it!' she demanded
in a raw whisper, and took, a deep, shaking breath. 'I can't bear
to hear any more of these lies!'

'Lies?' Zarah's thin smile vanished. 'Lies?
Is that what you think they are?' She clucked her tongue chidingly.
'Really, Ms Williams. And here I was, trying to do you a
favour.'

'Favour!'

'Yes, a favour,' said Zarah smoothly. 'How
does the saying go? "Forewarned is forearmed"?'

Stephanie glared at her. 'My God!' she
exclaimed softly.

Zarah shrugged dismissively. 'Think what you
will. It is as I told you earlier: I only have my son's very best
interests at heart.'

'Do you?' Stephanie returned bitterly, and
she shook her head slowly. 'No, I don't think so. In fact,' she
said softly, 'I think Eduardo really doesn't come into this at all!
It's you. You're trying to scare me off, because you don't want me
to come to Brazil!'

'Ms Williams, Ms Williams. When will you
understand that it is not a matter of what I want, but a matter of
helping both Eduardo and yourself avoid an unpleasant scene in the
very near future?'

Despite herself, Stephanie felt a
fascination for Zarah's evil guile. The woman really was without
scruples, and it made her wonder what other tricks Zarah had up her
sleeve. If turning me against Eduardo doesn't work, Stephanie
thought, it's a cinch she'll try it the other way around, see if
she can turn him against me. But I could be wrong. Maybe she knows
better than to attempt something that obvious.

'And if I don't heed your warning,'
Stephanie asked quietly. 'And I go to Brazil anyway?' Her eyes
didn't waver. 'What happens then?'

'What happens?' Zarah shrugged. 'You would
be making a terrible mistake, that is all.'

'Well, I'm willing to take that chance,'
Stephanie declared, raising her chin.

'Very well.' Zarah sighed and her voice
turned brisk and businesslike. 'I see that I must offer you what I
have offered the others. Now then, Ms Williams.' Raising her chin,
she arched her eyebrows questioningly. 'How much is it you
want?'

Stephanie looked at her narrowly. 'I beg
your pardon?'

'Ms Williams, please. I am a woman of the
world, and you are not unsophisticated. As such, we both know what
it is you are after.' Zarah smiled, confident now, and there was a
piercing satisfaction in her gaze. 'To be quite honest, we have
tried to investigate you, but other than a birth certificate and a
passport, you do not seem to exist. Eduardo may choose to give you
the benefit of the doubt, but to me it is obvious that you
deliberately staged your "accident" with the speedboat to get on
board this yacht.'

'You really believe I deliberately risked my
life to be here?'

'Why not?' Zarah held her gaze. 'You would
not believe the creative methods women have used to try to reach
Eduardo. Why should you be any different?'

'Perhaps. . . because I am.'

'Are you now?' Zarah appraised her anew, and
then her lips curved into a smirk. 'Well, we shall see, will we
not? Time will tell. It always does, you know.'

Stephanie sat perfectly still. 'You're wrong
if you think I'm a gold-digger,' she said with a quiet intensity.
'And you're wrong if you believe I can be bought off. I can't, you
know.'

Zarah glared at her and Stephanie glared
back. For a moment, neither spoke. The very air thrummed with
malevolent vibrations. And then the automatic door slid open and
Eduardo called out, 'There you are, Monica!' And that defused the
tension instantly. Both women turned around.

'I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long,'
he added as he strode towards them.

'Not at all,' Stephanie said. 'You timed
your arrival perfectly. I was just leaving.'

Smiling, he took her hand, raised it to his
lips, and kissed her fingertips, his dark liquid eyes reaching deep
into hers. 'Hello, Mother,' he said and bent down as Zarah held up
her cheek for a kiss.

'Querido,
' she returned
affectionately, is business under control?'

He laughed. 'After all the work it took, it
had better be.' Then, glancing quickly from her to Stephanie, he
asked, 'Am I interrupting something?'

'Of course not,' his mother said at once, as
though such a thing were utterly inconceivable. 'Ms Williams and I
were taking the opportunity to get better acquainted.' She smiled
up at Stephanie, her eyes daring contradiction.

is that not right, Ms Williams?'

Stephanie was tempted to snap that. No, it
was not right, but some instinct told her that forcing Zarah to
reveal her true colours would be useless; the woman was too clever
and too devious. Besides, pitting son against mother would in all
likelihood eventually make both of them turn on her. Far wiser for
her to keep up a civilised pretence.

So Stephanie smiled a smile which made her
mouth ache and said politely, 'Yes, we had a very nice girl
talk.'

A lizard-like flicker of grudging approval
showed in Zarah's eyes.

Stephanie smiled at her. 'Thank you for your
hospitality. The vegetable juice was delicious.'

Zarah inclined her head. 'I am glad you
liked it.'

Eduardo said, 'Well, we are off to swim and
take the sun.' He pulled Stephanie by the hand and led her to the
door. Before they crossed the threshold, he turned his head. 'We
will see you at lunch, Mother.' he called back over his
shoulder.

Zarah waved abstractedly from across the
lounge.

As soon as they were outside and sliding
doors had shut, Eduardo looked at Stephanie closely, is everything
all right?' he enquired with concern. 'You look a little
piqued.'

Stephanie feigned surprise. 'Really?' she
said. 'That's funny. I feel fine.' But Stephanie knew better than
to feel triumph for having passed one minor test in what she was
certain would be an ongoing series of close examinations. I'll have
to keep on my toes, she thought, not let my guard down for a
minute.

Corsica

This had been the island of brigands and
buccaneers, of legendary adventurers and fierce clannish feuds.

All day long, the
Chrysalis
cruised
sedately around its rocky, primitive coastline. The beauty of the
colossal rugged cliffs and scrub trees was breathtaking, and the
offshore crags and pinnacles looked like weathered temples of
Priapus from some half-remembered, pornographic dream.

The sky was aquamarine, the wind still, the
heat intense. No one took any shore excursions during the day.

At last the evening came, the
Chrysalis
nosed into a sheltered, deep-water cove on the
southwestern coast of the island, and dropped anchor.

At last, the sun set with its usual
pyrotechnics, and the day's heat burned off and a cool evening
breeze sprang up.

And at long, long last, dinner was served
high up on the sundeck, the table lit by moonlight and candles
glowing inside crystal photophores.

As soon as it was polite, Stephanie and
Eduardo excused themselves. Neither had shown much appetite, and
like co-conspirators, they made their way aft to the wet berth,
where they inflated a Zodiac dinghy which they launched and climbed
into and Eduardo rowed quietly to shore.

Stephanie, seated facing him on the
varnished slat of a wooden seat, delighted in the expert way he
handled the oars, felt a tingling sexual kind of excitement at the
way his shoulder, chest,and arm muscles rippled in the platinum
moonlight. There was, she thought deliciously, feasting her eyes on
him, something gloriously provocative, hopelessly romantic, and
yes, illicitly thrilling about their stealthy departure.

For a moment, she allowed her imagination to
drift, pretended they were eloping and the oars were muffled and
they had left windows open behind them, curtains billowing in the
breeze . . .

The Zodiac scraped sandy bottom. They were
ashore.

Jumping out into calf-deep water, they
tugged the inflatable up onto the tiny crescent of beach and left
it there.

Wordlessly Eduardo took her hand in his, and
with fingers intertwined, down they climbed to a hidden cleft in
the rocks. No signs of civilisation from this sanctuary; the yacht
had disappeared into another realm entirely. And in front of them,
a slice of pure silver sea; all around them on three sides, rocks;
under their feet, soft powdery sand; and above, the winking
brilliant stars, so deceptively near she felt she could reach up
and grab a handful and toss them into the air like a fistful of
glittery confetti.