Penmort Castle (41 page)

“Oh, my dear,
not at all. We’re just glad Cash is all right,” Nicola said,
smiling kindly back and forth between Abby and Cash, both her face
and
body showing visible signs of relief.

“Now I
really
need a G&T,” Cassandra muttered to Honor and
Honor grinned, straight-out, no guard up, not only at Cassandra but
also at Cash and Abby.

“I hope dinner
isn’t ruined!” Fenella fretted somewhat loudly.

“We’ll throw
together an omelette or something if it is,” Nicola suggested,
turning everyone around by ordering in the kind of voice only a
mother could pull off, “Everyone, back to the car.”

They all moved
away but not until after Abby showed Jenny the key to Cash’s house
on her key ring (all the while avoiding her searching eyes) and
Mrs. Truman gave Cash one last glare.

As Abby’s BMW
disappeared from sight, Abby turned to Cash and looked up at
him.

“I feel like an
idiot,” she told him, because she did.

“Don’t,” he
commanded, voice steely.

His hands
coming to her neck and he brought her forward several inches, his
head bending so his forehead rested on hers. She could see his
black eyes, intense with some feeling she couldn’t read but
whatever-it-was made her heart skip several beats.

“Don’t,” he
repeated, this time softly, his fingers flexing at her neck.

Abby was trying
to avoid the look in his eyes and how it was making her feel but he
was so close, she couldn’t escape it.

“I hope Moira’s
going to be all right,” she whispered.

“She will,”
Cash replied.

Abby’s eyes
moved to the side away from his but something happened to her.

It was like she
no longer had control over her actions, like something deep in her
that she didn’t know was there surfaced and took command.

Her eyes closed
and she heard her voice say so quietly there was nearly no sound,
“I’m glad it wasn’t you.”

She felt his
mouth on hers and before giving her a soft kiss, he said there, “I
know, darling.”

Then her body,
still not under her control, moved into him, closer, closer, until
her head went under his chin, her hips connected with his, her
hands curled into the lapels of his suit jacket, her cheek rested
on his chest and his arms slid around her waist.

In her ear, she
could hear his heart beat and against the skin of her cheek, she
could feel it and all she could smell was the scent of him.

She let go of
her breath and, also against her control, she felt for the first
time in six years, at peace.

Two Important
Things Happen to Cash

Cash sat in the
dark of his study on the ground floor, the moonlight streaming in
through the windows he’d swivelled his chair to face.

His eyes were
on the shadowy, bare branches of the trees he could see in his
garden. His mind was on Abby, asleep upstairs in his bed, as well
as on her foolish best friend who he was trying to find one good
reason not to murder.

He didn’t want
to murder her because she was foolish, he wanted to shake her for
that).

No, he wanted
to murder her because she’d pointed out something to Cash that
evening that he’d not considered.

And something
he couldn’t ignore.

After its
dramatic start, the evening had progressed relatively well. The
food had not been ruined and Abby recovered from her upset to be a
gracious and amusing hostess. This was aided by Nicola and even, to
Cash’s surprise, a far more relaxed, friendly and interesting
Fenella and Honor. Mrs. Truman maintained her normal surly but
hilarious behaviour and Cassandra was an unusual but amusing dinner
guest.

Jenny, however,
was quiet most of the evening, her face thoughtful, her eyes, Cash
found, were nearly always watching Abby, Cash or the both of them
together.

When Abby made
tactful excuses for Cash to go to his study to work, he’d done so,
gratefully, leaving the women to their conversation which had taken
an alarming turn to some preposterous-sounding American television
show about two “hot” brothers who hunted ghosts.

He was not in
his study for long when there was a soft knock on the door.

He hoped it was
Abby.

Why he hoped
this, he didn’t know. So they could have a moment alone to talk
about their dinner guests or to share a bit of quiet. Or, better
yet, so he could put his hands on her, touch his mouth to hers,
show her nonverbally how much it meant to him that she’d come
rushing to the hospital in a panic at the thought he might be
hurt.

However, it
wasn’t Abby.

It was
Jenny.

At his call,
she put her head around the door and asked, “Can I have a quiet
word?”

At this
unforeseen turn of events, he went on guard but nodded.

Then Jenny came
in, sat across from his desk and had her quiet word.

Or, more
specifically, she had several of them.

And as she
spoke, Cash’s hands itched to cup her shoulders and give her a good
shake.

For, he found,
she had overheard a conversation he had with James at a party some
time ago, a conversation Cash remembered perfectly. She had not
heard all of it, thankfully, but she’d heard enough of it for
her
, Jenny, to get the spectacularly asinine idea to pimp
out her best friend.

Therefore she
knew about Cash and Abby’s initial arrangement because she’d been
the person who’d orchestrated it.

He also
discovered Abby’s final secret, the reason why Abby sold her body
and not her family’s possessions.

Jenny informed
him about the enormity of loss Abby had endured the past six years
(something he already knew). She also described Abby’s inability to
cope with this as each blow landed one after the other (something
he also had figured out). Further, she told him about the debt in
which Abby had unexpectedly found herself (again, he’d already
discovered this fact).

Finally, she
explained how Abby had centred her attention on her house as the
sole, remaining entity that represented her grandmother, mother,
father and, lastly, and most especially, Jenny stressed, Abby’s
dead husband, the dear, funny, caring, attentive, beloved,
faultless Ben.

Then Jenny told
Cash he had to back off, that Abby was clearly becoming confused.
She explained to him, carefully, that whatever his agenda was, it
was lost on Abby. Whereas he had some final purpose from which he’d
move on without Abby, Abby was getting muddled and, cautiously,
Jenny shared that she feared Abby’s heart was getting involved.

Therefore,
Jenny told him, he had to have a talk with Abby to get her back on
track or preferably wind up their agreement and let Abby get back
to her “real” life. And, so Abby wouldn’t feel any harm from this,
Jenny was perfectly willing to settle any debt that Abby might owe
Cash or provide, through Cash, any further payment he might owe
Abby.

Cash had been
silent throughout her speech and when Jenny stopped talking, she
swallowed and stared at him, obviously waiting for his answer.

“Are you
finished?” Cash asked, his voice cool and controlled, his thoughts
lethal.

“I think so,”
Jenny answered.

“Obviously,
Abby hasn’t had time to speak with you,” Cash told her.

Jenny’s
expression turned confused. “Speak with me about what?”

“If she hasn’t
spoken with you, then it’s not my place to explain,” Cash
returned.

Jenny squared
her shoulders. “If it’s about Abby, then you should tell me.
Sometimes she gets –”

Cash cut her
off by saying sharply, “Stop.”

Jenny’s mouth
snapped shut and her eyes got wide. This was likely because Cash
was angry and he’d been hiding it but he had decided it was time to
let it show. She’d said enough, he wasn’t going to sit and listen
to her belittle her best friend even if it was with the “best
intentions”.

He didn’t know
what he looked like but from her expression she read his rather
severe displeasure.

He spoke again,
his voice deceptively quiet but clearly unhappy. “I hope you’ve
realised your mistake at encouraging your vulnerable friend to
embark on such a,” Cash paused, searching for an appropriate word
then found it, “questionable venture.”

“I –” she
started but Cash cut her off.

“Luckily for
you, Abby isn’t good at being a cold-hearted prostitute.” He
watched Jenny blanch and carried on. “From practically the minute I
met her, I knew she wasn’t what she said she was. I investigated
her, discovered the truth and we’ve moved on from that. I’ll let
Abby explain what that means when she’s ready.”

“But –” Jenny
started but Cash talked over her.

“As for backing
off, that’s not going to happen. Patience and understanding don’t
work with Abby. Backing off means Abby retreating and I’m not going
to allow her to do that.”

Jenny leaned
forward and put her hand on his desk. “You don’t understand, she’s
–” but Cash ruthlessly persevered.

“I do
understand. I know she’s lost her parents, her grandmother and her
husband. I know how. I know when. I know she hasn’t recovered, not
from any of it and especially from Ben. I know she’s terrified of
living her life and letting anyone in for fear of losing someone
else. Even if I didn’t know it, the events of this evening would
have demonstrated that fact rather forcefully.”

Jenny closed
her eyes and he saw her knuckles get white as she clutched the edge
of his desk.

He went on.
“Now I’ll explain something
you
don’t understand.” He
watched her eyes open and his gaze locked on hers. “You don’t know
me and I don’t appreciate you making assumptions about me or my
behaviour or my intent, especially in regards to Abby. I know
you’re her friend but it’s none of your fucking business until Abby
makes it so. Do you get my meaning?”

She sat back
and he saw her teeth clench before she hissed, “Now you’re making
assumptions about me.”

“I’m not the
one who sat there and calmly described my efforts to pimp out my
best friend,” he returned.

“I didn’t pimp
her out!” Jenny snapped.

“No?” Cash
replied.

She was
shifting in her chair, not with discomfort but with anger. “You’ve
known her, what? Two weeks? You’ve no idea what she’s gone through,
what she was going through. Completely no idea.”

“No, Jenny. I
have every idea,” Cash responded evenly.

“You can’t,
I’ve known her for decades. I lived through all of this with
her!”

“It wasn’t you
she threw her arms around tonight,” Cash retorted.

“No, Cash,” she
snapped, “it was me who stood behind her when she sat by her
mother’s bed, her head on her mother’s hand, when Mom Deux took her
last breath. It was me Ben called when Abby lost it when her Dad
died. It was me Abby called after the police left when they gave
Abby the news that Ben had been crushed to death in his own fucking
car. It was me who had to phone Abby when her grandmother died. And
it’ll be
me
who picks up the pieces after
you’re
through with her.”

Cash sat back
and took in a breath through his nose, trying to find patience then
he said, “All right, Jenny, then you’ve earned the right to know
that, now, it’s me who’s restoring her treasured family home. It’s
me who’s going to sort her latest financial disaster. And, for the
foreseeable future, it’ll be my house you come to if you want to
see your friend. Further, it’ll be me who gives Abby the life she
deserves and it’ll be me who makes certain she carries on with that
life even if I’m not in it. To make certain I’m clear, there will
be no pieces to pick up. I’ll take care of her while she’s in my
life and I’ll be certain she’s taken care of when she’s no longer
in it.”

Her eyes
narrowed. “I haven’t gotten through to you at all, have I?”

“No, what’s
gotten through is you’re intent on enabling the fear that’s keeping
Abby from living her life,” Cash answered.

“Right,” she
stood and glared down at him, “and I should encourage her to fall
head over heels for some guy who’d pay for sex and who calmly sits
there and tells me he’s going to keep doing it but in a
nicer
way, of course.”

Rage shot
through him at her words but with some effort Cash remained seated
and held her angry gaze. “Actually, what I’m telling you is that
you shouldn’t stand in my way.”

“Is that a
threat?” she snapped.

“No,” Cash
replied truthfully and it wasn’t. Cash didn’t believe in threats.
He felt strongly that you never threatened anything you had no
intention of doing.

The truth was,
if Jenny stood in his way with Abby, best friend or not, he’d show
no remorse in getting what he wanted or in this case keeping what
he had.

Jenny stared at
him, her chest rising and falling quickly with her breathing.

Cash stared
back coolly but he was still very angry.

Finally, she
clipped, “Fine,” then she walked to the door but turned to him and
declared, “I’d prefer Abby didn’t know we had this little
chat.”

“I’ll not lie
to Abby,” he told her, watched as she pulled her lips between her
teeth and relented, “However, I also won’t tell her unless she
asks.”

She nodded
jerkily and put her hand on the doorknob and something Cash
couldn’t control or explain made him ask, “Why don’t you want her
to be happy?”

Jenny turned
back to him, her face the picture of stunned, hurt surprise, and
she whispered, “Of course I want her to be happy.”

Cash’s voice
gentled when he assured her, “Jenny, I can make her happy.”

Jenny’s
expression melted to one of thoughtful concern. “Yes, Cash. You
already are” Cash felt her words hit him like strangely pleasant,
velvet-gloved blows, but she went on. “But for how long? You want
to give her the life she deserves? That isn’t a life filled with
cashmere robes and diamond bracelets. That’s a life filled with
happiness. If you take a part of her life, she might be missing out
on someone who doesn’t start his relationship with her talking
about when he’ll no longer be in it. And, that also means, however
long you two last, somewhere along the line she has to start
again.” Her voice pitched lower as her verbal blows became far less
pleasant, in fact, they felt like jabbing knifepoints piercing his
skin. “She’s had to start again enough, Cash. Don’t you think?”