Romance of a Lifetime (11 page)

'You look wonderful, darling,' her mother assured at her nervousness as they went down to the car, looking very attractive herself in a red sheath of a dress that complemented the tan she had acquired on her travels.

'Ready to take on anything?' Beth derided ruefully.

'You don't have to face him alone,' her mother told her grimly. 'It would give me great pleasure to reduce him to the worm that he is.'

'People like him and Charles bounce back stronger than ever,' Beth sighed, resting back in her car seat with her eyes closed on the drive to the Trents' home.

She had no sooner got in the door to the house, given her jacket to the butler, engaged in polite conversation with Barbara about some trivial matter—although she would guess that her hostess would much rather have questioned her about the divorce and Martin's new engagement —when she saw Marcus across the elegant lounge in conversation with their host!

His devastating good looks in the black dinner suit and snowy white shirt, his air of quiet authority, would have drawn attention to him no matter where he might be, and Beth could see several of the women in the room eye him speculatively, their interest obvious.

But Beth knew she would have seen him instantly anyway, her own attraction towards him undeniable.

'What the hell are you doing here?'

Beth had been so intent on Marcus that she hadn't even noticed Martin's approach until he rasped those angry words in her ear, turning to him with as much control as she could muster given the circumstances. 'Good evening, Martin,' she greeted coolly, looking up at his too-handsome face with the over-charming smile, his body elegantly slender rather than powerful. She couldn't help wondering, after looking so recently at Marqus, how she could have fallen for Martin in the first place!

There were several years' difference in the two men's ages, Martin thirty to Marcus's mid-thirties, and yet it owed nothing to this difference in ages that in comparison with the other man Martin looked weak and affected. Beth knew to her cost that Martin
was
weak where money was in question.

'I asked what you're doing here?' he bit out forcefully, fury glittering in his blue eyes.

‘I———‘

'Well, hello, Martin.' Katherine joined them, her eyes hard with warning as she looked at him.

Martin never had been quite sure how to behave with Katherine. After all, she was still Charles's wife, even if the older couple had been separated for years. And as usual he obviously felt caught between what he would really like to say to her and what he felt he could in the circumstances. 'Katherine,' he nodded an abrupt greeting.

Green eyes glittered Katherine's contempt for him; she was well aware of his discomfort, and pleased by the situation he found himself in. 'I believe congratulations are in order for you,' she drawled contemptuously. 'And condolences for Brenda, of course,' she added hardly.

'I believe one extends felicitations for the future bride,' Martin ground out tautly.

'Really?' Katherine seemed to consider the suggestion for a few moments, and then she shook her head. 'No, I believe I was right the first time,' she said coldly, giving him a slow scathing look. 'Where is the poor unfortunate girl?'

'Powdering her nose,' he grated. 'But I don't want you—- '

'Don't try your little threatening games with me, Martin,' she warned him in a dangerously soft voice. 'I've been dealing with an expert for years, and you aren't in his league!'

'Yet,' he challenged, in no doubt whom she alluded to.

Katherine looked him over slowly, and Beth could only stand back and admire her mother's control; caught off guard as she had been, after seeing Marcus so unexpectedly, she hadn't been ready for Martin's appearance. Her mother had sensed her disconcertion, although she couldn't guess the reason for it, and had taken over the conversation—very successfully, Beth acknowledged with amusement.

'Ever,' Katherine told him tauntingly. 'Oh, I'll admit you're well on your way to being a first-class bastard like he is, but you simply don't have what it takes to really be able to step into Charles's shoes.
Your
success depends on too many other people; Charles succeeded
in spite
of other people!'

'Martin, I… Oh!'

Quite what Martin's reply would have been to her mother's baiting Beth wasn't sure, joined at that moment as they were by Brenda Carlisle, a petite brunette who looked even tinier as she came to stand at Martin's side.

Beth knew the other girl slightly, but she had been away at school when Beth had first joined her father in London, had then gone on to finishing school for a year, and so the two of them had never really had a chance to become friends. And now they never would! At best Brenda would dislike her for trying to interfere, at worst the other girl would hate her for ultimately proving to be correct about Martin.

To say the younger girl was disconcerted at seeing Beth and her mother talking to Martin would be an understatement; she looked absolutely stunned. And Beth could only guess at the stories Martin had related to her about their marriage.

'Brenda,' she greeted smoothly. 'What a beautiful dress,' she said with sincerity.

'Thank you.' Brenda eyed her suspiciously, obviously wary of her motive for being so friendly. 'It's the same colour as—it's one of my favourite colours,' she hastily amended, her cheeks red.

Beth guessed the young girl had chosen to wear the figure-hugging green gown because it matched the colour of the emerald in her engagement ring. She had noticed the engagement ring almost within-seconds of the younger girl joining them; her own engagement ring had also had an emerald as its central stone.

Martin couldn't even be original in that, had probably told Brenda that the green of the emerald matched the flecks of green in her brown eyes! He had told Beth the emerald in
her
ring matched the colour of her eyes too…

Her mouth tightened as she turned to Martin. 'I was about to ask you how Chloe is.' She met his furious gaze challengingly.

'But of course it's rude of me to talk of people Brenda doesn't know. Or have you met Chloe?' She looked innocently at the younger girl.

Brenda looked puzzled. 'No, I—um—I don't think so.' She looked completely blank at the mention of the other woman's name.

Beth didn't doubt that she hadn't!

She gave Martin a saccharin-sweet smile. 'You must ask Martin to introduce the two of you,'

she told Brenda. 'Or perhaps I could—- '

'Brenda, I think we should go and say hello to the Daniels,' Martin cut in forcefully, his gaze glacial as it swept over Beth. 'I trust you'll excuse us?'

'Never,' Katherine answered him hardly. 'But do go and say hello to the Daniels, by all means,' she added dismissively, her expression contemptuous.

'Who is.Chloe?' Brenda could be heard asking in a whisper as the other couple moved away.

'I would love to hear his answer,' Beth remarked drily to her mother, taking the opportunity now they were alone to look around the room for Marcus.

He was now in conversation with Barbara, although he was looking straight at Beth!

She nodded acknowledgement of himt her cheeks becoming flushed as he excused himself to cross the room towards her.

'So would I—— '

'Mummy, someone is coming to join us,' she hastily cut into her mother's reply. 'Whatever you do, don't talk about Martin!'

Her mother looked surprised. 'But:—'

'Hello, Marcus,' Beth greeted softly as he stood in front of her. This is something of a surprise.' That had to be the biggest understatement…!

'Next week seemed too far away,' he answered softly, his gaze resting briefly on her lips.

But it was enough to make her feel as if his lips had gently touched hers! She couldn't believe the effect this man had on her.

'You said a party,' he continued huskily. 'So I made it my business to find out which party. I took a chance on your coming alone,' he added with a curious look at her mother.

Beth had given up wondering how this man attained the information that he did; just learning to accept that he did was easier than fighting against him!

'This is my mother, {Catherine Palmer. Mummy, Marcus Craven.' She didn't add any more about him because she didn't know any more. Only that he kept following her, and she wasn't going to tell her mother
that't
The two shook hands. 'Of Craven Properties?' Katherine said curiously.

It wasn't surprising to Beth that her mother should have at least heard of him and she hadn't; it was her mother's world, and she was very knowledgeable about it. 'Palmer Industries?' Marcus returned brittly.

'No,' Katherine smiled, not in the least perturbed that he should have made such a mistake; she was used to it. 'You're talking of my husband there. I'm in the clothing business.'

That was a huge understatement of the successful business her mother ran!

'You and your husband aren't in business together?' Marcus had turned on all of his charm now, his teeth very white against the darkness of his skin as he smiled down at Beth's mother.

'Don't tell me you're the old-fashioned type of man who doesn't believe in a woman having a business of her own?' Katherine taunted, not at all insulted by his assumption.

Marcus shrugged. 'Charles Palmer is a well-known businessman.'

Katherine smiled. I'm quite well-known myself in my own field. The last thing in the world I would want is to be successful because of who I'm married to.'

'And how about you, Beth?' Marcus turned to her with a speed that took her slightly off guard. 'Have you found success because of who your parents are?'

She frowned at what seemed to be an unwarranted attack. 'It depends what you mean by "success",' she answered slowly,, wondering what she had said to cause that narrowing of his eyes.

But as quickly as that harshness in his manner seemed to have occurred it was brushed off again, Marcus once more his charming self as he smiled at them. 'Of course,' he dismissed. 'I should have realised who you are immediately.' He was talking to her mother again now. 'The similarity between the two of you is unmistakable.'

Katherine glowed at the compliment. 'I don't know how the two of you know each other, but I'm glad you do,' she grinned, 'My ego can stand: hours of this!'

Marcus raised dark brows. 'Beth and I met in Italy.'

Katherine turned to her, her expression clearly saying,
This
was the 'interesting man' she had met in Italy?

Beth gave a barely perceptible shrug of her shoulders. What could she possibly have told her mother about a man like Marcus Craven without her mother jumping to all the wrong conclusions?

As she was probably going to do now!

And she knew her mother well enough to realise that she wouldn't rest now until she was told everything that had happened in Italy.

'Verona?' her mother queried lightly—too lightly!

'And Venice,' Marcus nodded.

Katherine gave Beth a wide-eyed accusing stare before turning back to Marcus. 'What a coincidence that your schedules should have crossed in that way, not once, but twice,' she mocked.

'Not at all,' Marcus drawled smoothly. 'I don't believe in that type of coincidence.'

He was virtually admitting to her mother that he had followed her round Italy; didn't he realise the assumptions her mother would make from that?

'Or coincidences like tonight,' Katherine teased.

'I've already explained that's the last thing tonight is. Now, can I get you two ladies a drink?' he offered politely—just as if he hadn't given her mother enough information to have her questioning Beth half the night!

'I think I need one,' Katherine said drily.

'Beth?'

'Just wine for me, thank you,' she accepted heavily, knowing by the sardonic twist to his lips that he was well aware of what he had just done; weren't mothers the same the whole world over?

'Beth—'

'Not now, Mummy,' she quickly fended her off once Marcus had gone to get their drinks. 'I'm not here to discuss Marcus,' she reminded grimly.

'Why not?' Her mother gave a dreamy smile. 'He's the most interesting man I've met in years.'

'I told you he was,' Beth replied vaguely, searching the room once again for Martin and Brenda. At least they hadn't left while she and her mother had been talking to Marcus; they were among a group of people on the far side of the room, although Brenda kept giving her surreptitious glances. Poor Brenda, she obviously sensed Beth was a danger, in some way, to the happiness she had so recently attained.

Beth's mother waved her hand about dismissively.

'But you didn't tell me all the other things about him,' she sighed reproachfully. 'The man is a walking—well, he's damned attractive,' she amended impatiently.

'That's all too obvious.' Beth still watched Martin and Brenda. For all that Martin looked his usual controlled self he also kept giving her occasional glances, as if he was still worried in case she should cause a scene.

'You
think he's attractive, don't you?' her mother prompted enthusiastically.

'He's—interesting,' she conceded again. 'Mummy…' she sighed at her mother's disappointed expression. 'I have to deal with the more immediate problem of Martin before I can even start to think about—well, about anyone else.'

'Oh, damn Martin,' her mother scowled. 'It's time you started to think of yourself a little.' 'Maybe after I've helped Brenda,'

she said. 'In the meantime you're going to let a man like Marcus Craven get away!'

'Get away from what?' she repeated incredulously. 'I hardly know the man, Mummy.' 'But he obviously wants to get to know you a lot better, and——'

'Here we are, ladies.' Marcus handed them their glasses of wine, and Beth shot him a sharp look, wondering how much of their conversation he had heard. Not too much, she hoped! 'To a brighter future,' he toasted, his gaze fixed steadily on Beth.

Her mother looked very pleased by this turn of events, smug even, and Beth knew she was going to have trouble with her after this evening. If not before…

'Would you both excuse me for a moment?' She was going to have to run the risk of leaving her mother alone with Marcus for a few minutes while she attempted to talk to Martin and Brenda again. 'There's someone I have to see,' she explained, ignoring her mother's impatient glare, making her way over to where the other couple stood. 'Martin,' she drawled, feeling no satisfaction when Brenda visibly tensed at his side.