His Wedding-Night Heir (27 page)

House?'

His brows lifted. 'Well—yes. But how did you know?'

'I've had a visit from Adele,' she said. 'She came to tell me she

was leaving. She even made it sound as if you'd paid her off.'

'Really?' He sounded politely interested. 'Then for once she

was actually telling the truth.'

Cally gasped. 'You mean you—bribed her into going?'

'I bought her an apartment in the South of France and agreed

to pay her removal expenses on condition that she takes that

old witch of a housekeeper with her and that neither of them

return.'

She said faintly, 'My God.'

'You disapprove?' He shrugged a shoulder. 'Now, I felt it was

money well spent.'

'Of course,' she said. 'Especially as it frees up the Dower

House.' She threw back her head. 'You don't have much

mercy, do you, Nick? Can't you imagine what it will be like

for me—what it will do to me—living so near—seeing you all

the time? Seeing you with her. The word seemed to explode

out of her as her voice rose. 'Is she going to be moving into

the Hall with you-—part of the "working relationship" you

mentioned? Is that the cosy plan?'

She shook her head. 'Just—don't ask her to do any interior

design work for the Dower House, that's all. In fact, don't let

her take one step over the threshold. Because I really couldn't

stand that—not again. This time I'm choosing my own

colours, my own decor. And your mistress will not—not—be

involved.'

Out of the corner of her eye she was aware of movement— a

shadow falling across the carpet.

She looked round and to her horror saw Cecily Tempest

standing at the French windows. Saw her face frozen in shock,

and realised she must have heard everything as she crossed

the terrace.

'My mistress? Cally—what the hell are you talking about?'

Nick said hoarsely.

'Oh, I forgot,' she flung back at him. 'I wasn't supposed to let

the cat out of the bag, of course.' She got unsteadily to her

feet. 'I'm sorry, Cecily. I apologise for breaking the taboo. For

mentioning her in your presence. For once speaking the terri-

ble, unsayable truth.'

She took a choking breath. 'But you see I can't go on pre-

tending. Not any more. I can't go on letting people think that

everything's all right when I'm dying—bloody dying inside.'

'Cally, my poor girl.' Her mother-in-law's voice was warmly

compassionate. 'You're surely not talking about Vanessa

Layton?'

Cally squared her shoulders. Yes, but I truly didn’t mean you

to hear,' she said quietly. 'I—I suppose I forgot that Nick and I

weren't alone in the house. I—I'm so sorry.'

Dr Tempest turned to her son. 'Nick—what on earth is this?'

He spread his hands almost helplessly. 'I swear I haven't the

faintest idea. She—Cally—can't have thought such a thing.'

Cally rounded on him. 'How can you say that?' she demanded,

her voice hoarse. 'When I saw you with her—on our wedding

day. Adele told me where you were—what you were doing—

so I went there—I went to the cottage. I saw you holding her

in your arms—heard what you were saying—what you

promised. Everything.' She swallowed convulsively. 'Then

you took her up to the bedroom and I watched you at the

window— drawing the curtains so that you could be with her

just hours after you married me. And that—that's when I ran

away.'

There was a silence, then Nick said, 'Oh, dear God,' as hor-

rified comprehension dawned in his face. 'Adele told you that’

'The Dowager Lady Tempest seems to have a great deal to

answer for,' Cecily Tempest said grimly. 'But at least, my dear

Nick, you have dealt with that particular problem. After to-

morrow she'll be out of your lives, and incapable of doing any

more harm. As for this beloved girl of yours,' she went on.

'The time has come for total honesty, I think, and I feel very

strongly that the truth should come from me.'

She walked across to Cally and took her cold hands in hers,

urging her to sit down again. 'My dear child, Vanessa Layton

is not and never could be Nick's mistress. But a relationship

does exist which Nick, out of consideration for my feelings,

has always tried to keep hidden from me.'

She took a deep breath. 'You see, Cally, Vanessa is Nick's

half-sister. My late husband's illegitimate child by the woman

who was once his secretary.'

Cally stared at her. 'His—lister?' Her voice was barely a

whisper.

Nick said roughly, 'Cally—1 tried to tell you, but you refused

to discuss it. You said you already knew about it—from

Adele.' He banged his clenched fist into the palm of his other

hand. I should have realised that if that arch-bitch had really

known the truth she'd have seen it as a golden opportunity for

blackmail.' He looked at his mother. 'But you—you knew?

And said nothing to me all this time?'

'Yes,' Dr Tempest said firmly. 'I've always known about

Vanessa. But my ridiculous pride would never let me admit it

before. I was even content to let you go on sheltering me in

my supposed ignorance. But in the light of all this sadness—

these terrible misunderstandings—all that no longer matters.

It's time we all stopped pretending.'

Nick's tone was strained. 'Mother, I—I can't believe this. How

did you find out?'

'In the usual sordid way,' his mother said ruefully. ‘I used a

private detective. Oh, I was accustomed to your father's end-

less philandering—all the one-night stands that he assured me

weren't important to him, even though they mattered to me,

hurt me very deeply.'

She shook her head. 'But somehow I knew instinctively that

the relationship with Barbara Miller was different. And I told

myself that I deserved to discover the truth.' Her smile was

sad. 'Perhaps I even believed it. I certainly wasn't expecting

details of a full-blown liaison that had been going on for

months, ever since her husband had gone abroad on some ac-

ademic exchange scheme. Because, frankly, that wasn't how it

worked with Graham. It was invariably a brief fling, then back

to me to play the repentant model husband. But not this time.

He was moody, preoccupied. Too distracted to cover his

tracks properly.

'The report from the detective explained why. Apparently,

Barbara was pregnant, and Graham, who had totally refused

to have more children after Nick was born, was jubilant.

Planning, in fact, a whole new life with this younger woman.'

Cally's heart was resounding like a triphammer, and she

couldn't look at Nick. She didn't dare in case the tight knot of

misery in her chest exploded in tears.

She said shakily, 'Cecily—please. Don't do this to yourself.

There's no need...'

Ah, but there is, her mother-in-law corrected quite gently. 'It's

something I should have spoken about a long time ago,

instead of burdening my poor Nick with all this guilty se-

crecy—and nearly wrecking his life into the bargain.'

She looked down at her hands, twisting the thin platinum

wedding ring. 'At the time, my dears, that was the very last

straw—the moment when I decided to accept that my

marriage was over and resume my own life, my career.'

Nick went on staring at her. 'But there was no divorce.'

'He never asked me,' Cecily said simply. 'Because Mrs Miller

changed her mind and decided to stay with her own husband.'

Her mouth curled slightly. 'Apparently she'd been to the States

to visit him, and would therefore be able to convince him the

baby was his. Very convenient. Later, I gather, she came to

regret her decision, and the affair was resumed. Graham even

secretly contributed to his daughter's support,' she added with

a faint grimace. 'But there was no more talk of marriage, and

by this time I was spending the greater part of my time

abroad, and wasn't around to be caused more pain.

'But I still couldn't let it go somehow. Then Barbara died, and

her husband moved away, so your father was forced to lose

touch with Vanessa. And I presumed—hoped—that would be

the end of it. That I would never again have to acknowledge

the existence of this child who wasn't mine. I hadn't allowed,

of course, for Graham confiding in Nick—making him

become involved too.' She smiled at her son. 'Wasn't that what

happened?'

Nick nodded, his face sombre. 'It was when Dad was dying.

He sent for me—made me promise that I'd find her—be a

brother to her. Make sure she wanted for nothing. But all in

the strictest confidence. Neither you nor Geoffrey Miller were

ever to find out.' His laugh was brief and harsh. 'I wasn't

happy about it, but in the end I did as he wanted. And I really

thought I'd managed it, until now.'

'I was very angry with you at first,' his mother said. 'But I

soon came to see that you were trying to behave decently in

an impossible situation. More sinned against than sinning.

Also that it had all happened a long time ago, and really didn’t

matter any more.'

She sighed. 'I only wish I'd told you so, there and then, and

saved all this heartache. We could easily have left that nice,

trusting man Geoffrey Miller in his fool's paradise. I quite saw

that he shouldn't be wounded in such an appalling way. But

I—I should have had the guts to be honest.'

She was silent for a moment, then she shook herself, as if she

was dispensing with unpleasant memories.

'And now, my darlings, you have to be honest with each

other.' Her tone was brisk. 'Nick dear, I suggest you take your

wife somewhere quiet and private, and try to set the record

straight.' She reached for the newspaper lying beside her on

the sofa and folded it at the crossword. 'I'll tell Margaret not to

wait dinner for you,' she added serenely.

Cally's breathing seemed to stop suddenly. She felt angry,

remorseful and scared, all at the same time. So she'd been

wrong—completely and terribly wrong—about Vanessa

Layton, but that changed nothing else. There was still a huge

unhappy question mark hanging over her marriage. And being

alone with Nick—as past experience had shown—was no

guarantee she would receive the answers her lonely,

frightened heart demanded.

Was it the kind of risk she could really afford? But was there

any way out?

'Cally?' Nick was standing in front of her, his expression

unfathomable, his hand held out in inflexible demand.

Without a scene in front of Cecily, who'd surely suffered

enough traumas for one day, there was little she could do. So,

with what dignity she could command, she allowed herself to

be helped to her feet and led from the room.

In the hall, she said breathlessly, 'Shall we—talk in your

study?'

'It's not very private, and rarely quiet,' he said. 'I have a better

idea.'

As they reached the stairs she tried to pull away. 'Nick— this

is silly. It’s the middle of the afternoon. People don t go to

their bedrooms at this time of day.'

'Yes, they do,' he said. 'If they want to make love.'

'But I don't.' It emerged almost as a bleat, she realised bitterly.

'Tough,’ Nick said pleasantly. Then you'll just have to lie still

and think about something else, won't you, darling? Why not

give circumstantial evidence some consideration?'

Cally bit her lip, giving him a mutinous glare. 'Everything's a

joke to you. But I had good reason to think as I did. Today

you said you'd be in Wellingford, yet I saw you with her—

with Vanessa in Clayminster High Street. I saw how you be-

haved towards each other. It—it looked like love.'

'It's a kind of love,' he said quietly, after a pause. 'We share

the same blood, and we've been through hell together. That—

engenders affection.'

He closed the bedroom door behind them. 'Tell me something,

Cally. Why blindly accept the word of a woman who's never

liked you, yet condemn me out of hand? Why didn't you just

march up the path a year ago, hammer on the door, and

demand to know what was going on?'

She walked over to the dressing table, rearranging brushes and

combs with nervous ringers. She sent him a sideways glance.

'Would you have told me?'

'Yes, of course,' he said instantly. 'Although it would have

been unfair, in some ways, to burden you with such a secret so