Hostile engagement (21 page)

didn't think you would come as his partner unless I asked you personally.'

He was right there. Nothing would get her up to the Hall with or without a personal invitation, much as she yearned for the sight of him.

`I don't know that I shall be free,' she said lightly with the air of someone whose engagement book was full to overflowing, and received one of Jud's icy looks for her trouble.

`Despite all efforts to the contrary,' Jud told her coldly, `word is circulating that your brother had been ...' he paused, then inserted, 'for the want of a better phrase—letting the side down.' He continued to look at her in that hard way, saw from the way she had grown pale that his words were sinking in, then grated harshly, 'Make sure you are free on Friday,' then pressed his foot on the accelerator and moved forward.

Lucy set her own car in motion without realising she had as it came to her with a sinking feeling that gossip in the village, as in any small community, would be rife with the fact that Rupert had been hitting the high spots in company with Archie Proctor.
Word was probably out too, no
doubt originating from Archie Proctor, that Rupert had been gambling away money he couldn't afford to lose. And while it wouldn't bother Jud one bit what anybody thought of him—the Careys had always had a high standing in the community, and if Rupert was to prove that he was still socially acceptable, then the best way for him to do it was for him to attend Jud's dinner party on Friday night.

But why was it necessary for her to attend as well? The way Jud had issued his invitation had made her think she was the last person he wanted to invite. She was still trembling from her encounter with Jud when she arrived at Brook House and forced herself to drink a steadying cup of tea while she tried to think up every imaginable excuse for not going.

The only trouble was, with half of her wanting to attend the other half of her was sure it was the last thing she wanted, and as one half argued against the other, she could think up no excuse that Jud wouldn't see through, and since he was so determined she should be there she wouldn't put it past him to leave the Hall and come and get her if she didn't show up with Rupert. That very thought made her tremble again, for both their tempers were likely to flare if that happened and she didn't trust herself not to give herself away with some unthinking remark made in the heat of the moment, and Jud was too shrewd not to take apart anything she might let slip—her heart turned over just thinking of Jud finding out that she loved him.

Rupert mentioned the invitation when he came home that night. He seemed unaware that there was any special reason why the Carey brother and sister need attend, but it was obvious that he was quite looking forward to going, and it came to Lucy then that Jud would have had a dinner party anyway—that it hadn't been laid on specially for her brother's sake-she had been so het up after seeing Jud she hadn't been thinking straight, though what Jud had said about Rupert 'letting the side down' and everyone knowing about it did ring true.

When Rupert said, 'You needn't come if you don't want to,' he looked down at her ringless left hand, and for all Lucy hadn't discussed the matter with him, he seemed to be aware that she was still sensitive about it. 'I mean,' Rupert went on, 'if it's going to be an embarrassment to you, I'll tell Jud you're not feeling well or something.' Lucy knew then that she would be going. If any of Jud's guests were ill-mannered enough to look down their noses at her brother, she would be there to give him support.

`I'm looking forward to going, Rupert,' she told him, `and I won't feel in the slightest embarrassed.'

As she sat before her dressing table mirror putting the finishing touches to her make-up on Friday night, she

hoped that lie would see her through the evening; her stomach was already churning over like a cement mixer and she doubted she would be able to eat a thing.

It had been difficult deciding what to wear. She had more than enough dresses in her wardrobe to choose from, but discarded one after the other until in the end she put a stop to her dithering, telling herself it was only dinner up at the Hall for goodness' sake—she'd dined there scores.of times before Jud Hemming had bought it, and once since, she recalled, but that didn't make her choice any easier.

When she joined her brother downstairs, she was dressed in a flame-coloured dress of a fine material, that had at one time been a shade too tight, but money being no object in those days she had purchased it just the same, thinking to diet her already slender frame down for a week before she wore it. Tonight it fitted her perfectly, being low at the back, hugging her curves at the front and nipping in to her tiny waist to fit over her hips and fall away in a slight flare at the hem. With it went a matching gauzy stole that did little in the way of keeping her warm, but gave the whole effect a touch of class when draped loosely over her shoulders.

`Wow!' Rupert exclaimed when he saw her, giving her ego the boost it needed. 'I never noticed before, but I've just realised I've got a beautiful sister.'

`You're not so bad yourself,' Lucy replied, hoping he wouldn't perceive how nervous she was about the evening in front of them. 'You should wear a dinner jacket more often.'

Rupert preened himself vainly and made her laugh, then said, 'Well, if the mutual admiration society has finished, let's get going—I'm starving!'

Every light at the Hall seemed to be ablaze as Lucy and Rupert parked behind several other cars on the drive; fortunately Rupert had thought to put the top on his sports

car so Lucy's hair was not blown about as it would otherwise have been.

On going through the imposing front door of the Hall, the first person Lucy saw was Jud. He was guiding some of his guests into one of the main reception rooms, but he saw her and Rupert and excused himself to come over and greet them, adding to Lucy, 'You know where the cloakrooms are if you want to titivate.' Lucy couldn't get away fast enough.

She left her brother in conversation with Jud, trying to control her trembling limbs, she went without apparent haste to the downstairs cloakroom and stayed there for as long as she dared. When she came out her brother and Jud had moved on to where she had seen him shepherding his other guests, but had stayed in conversation with Rupert waiting for her. Jud looked superb in his dinner jacket, and she knew his eyes were on her as she approached.

`Glad you could make it, Lucy,' he said sauvely, making it sound to Rupert, who was listening, the sort of polite remark any host would make, but Lucy knew it wasn't, and it needled her sufficiently to make her lift her head proudly as a small burst of annoyance gripped her that Jud Hemming thought he had only to, snap his fingers and everyone would come running.

`I wouldn't have missed it,' she replied with quiet politeness, and as grey-green, flint-hard eyes met sparking velvet brown eyes, she knew they were both aware that a private battle was going on between them. Then with an easy charm Jud was escorting them to join his other guests.

`I think you know everyone here,' he said, and Lucy glanced around the dozen or so people there.

At first they were just a mixed-up jumble of people dressed up in their best, preparing to enjoy a pleasant social evening, then when Jud excused himself and went to greet another couple who had just come in, Lucy saw that indeed they did know everyone. Charles Arbuthnot and his wife

were there listening to Joyce Appleby holding forth. Joyce,, she saw, was accompanied by Gordon Berkeley, so he must be her latest. A waiter hovered with a tray of drinks and Lucy, knowing she would need all her senses about her to get her through tonight, had just smiled a refusal when a gentle voice at her side said, 'Lucy, I'm so glad you could come,' and this time the words weren't said with sarcasm held just at bay, but in a tone that said they were sincerely meant.

Lucy turned her head quickly as she recognised Mrs Hemming's voice. 'Mrs Hemming,' she said, stunned, and couldn't think of another thing to say. She hadn't dreamt Jud's mother would be here tonight. He should have warned her, she thought, an anger against him growing within her. Then the good manners of her upbringing came quickly to her aid and she turned to introduce her brother to Mrs Hemming.

`Rupert and I met earlier today,' Mrs Hemming revealed, causing Lucy to wish Rupert had mentioned it to her, for she certainly wouldn't have attended had she known Jud's mother was here.

She had no idea what Jud had said to his mother about their engagement, but knew she just wasn't up to playing the part of his fiancee tonight-the other people in the room didn't matter—but with the frost between her and Jud only just beneath the surface, Mrs Hemming wasn't going to be fooled by any act she put on. And looking at the warmth in her eyes, so different from the arctic conditions of her son's eyes, Lucy knew she no longer wanted any part in deceiving this woman. Rupert had seen an acquaintance of his who unfairly appeared to have two attractive young ladies to himself, and with a charm that would be quite devastating when he had matured a little, he asked Mrs Hemming if they would mind if he left them.

`He's going to break a few hearts before he's very much older, I'm afraid,' Mrs Hemming opined as they both

watched Rupert make the trio a quartet and saw the smiles of the two girls turn on to him in the easy acceptance of their age group. 'Now; my dear,' Mrs Hemming went on, turning her attention to Lucy, `Jud has given me strict instructions not to overdo things tonight, for all I'm perfectly well,' she added as a small look of anxiety crossed
Lucy's features. B
ut knowing I shall get told off if I don't obey orders, I wonder if you would come and sit with me so we can chat?'

Lucy was torn between wanting to stay with Mrs Hemming and wanting to make a bolt for it as panic gripped her—she knew the subject of her engagement could not be ignored. Then Mrs Hemming beamed at her with a mischievous smile that made them conspirators somehow, a smile that told Lucy Jud's mother wasn't too worried about the possibility of being told off by her son. Lucy joined forces and went to sit with her.

She was sitting on a settee beside Mrs Hemming when Jud came back into the room. He was instantly waylaid by someone, but she noticed his eyes had gone first to where she and his mother were sitting before he gave the person who had buttonholed him his attention.

To her surprise the engagement was not mentioned by Mrs Hemming, causing Lucy to wonder again what if anything Jud had told his mother. She expected at any minute that Mrs Hemming would notice her ringless finger and to comment on it, but she didn't, but carried on talking as though they were almost mother and daughter, answering Lucy's enquiry as to Lottie's health without the restraint Lucy would have thought would have been there if she had known she was now talking to her son's ex-fiancée.

'Louie is very well—she asked to be remembered to you —she quite took to you the weekend you were with us,' Mrs Hemming told her. Then Jud was standing over them, saying dinner was ready and assisting his mother off the settee. Lucy stood up too and for a brief moment her eyes

met his over the top of his mother's head. Lucy felt sick at the lack of warmth in his look and turned her head away, her eyes going frantically in search of her brother.

Dinner was not the ordeal she had thought it would be. The huge table, ornamented as it was with an exquisite centre floral decoration of small flowers, was round, so there was no head to the table. But Lucy was startled to find Jud had placed her to one side of him and his mother at the other. She tried not to see any significance in this but knew Jud left little to chance, and felt quite flustered for a moment until it dawned on her that since no official announcement of their engagement had been made—or broken for that matter—while there were other people present—her eye was caught by Mrs Arbuthnot and they exchanged pleasant smiles—since her and Rupert's presence here was to show anyone who thought otherwise that Rupert was socially acceptable it wasn't likely, she reasoned, that Jud would have Rupert's sister very far away from him, affianced to him or not.

Her reasoning wasn't very brilliant, but it was the best she could do, she thought as she struggled to get through her first course while trying not to be so totally aware of Jud sitting beside her. She wondered if she was going to have to sit through the whole meal without addressing one word to him. Now wasn't the time to apologise for hitting him, and quite honestly she rather thought she had left it too late to bring the matter up. But some time during the evening she ought to be able to bring herself to thank him for all the help he had been to Rupert—she shuddered to think what would have become of her brother if Jud hadn't been there.

`You seem to be struggling.' That was Jud's voice; he had been talking to someone else but turned to her now, his voice sounding quiet in her ears amid the buzz of general conversation. Her eyes flew to his to see what he meant by that remark-he did have an uncanny knack of

reading her mind. There was a faint smile on his face, she saw—well, he could hardly scowl at her in front of his other guests, could he? she thought, trying not to see anything specially for her in his smile. She saw his eyes drop to her plate. 'No appetite?' he queried in clarification.

`I ... I never was a big eater,' she returned, finding her voice with difficulty.

`We're still on the first course,' he said, reminding her that small appetite or no, she should be making a better job of it than the was doing. Deliberately she placed a forkful of the delicious salmon into her mouth. 'Delightful as you look, Lucy, I shouldn't advise you to lose any more weight.' Her eyes met his—so he thought she looked delightful? His mouth was smiling and at last she observed a slight thawing of the ice in his eyes. 'Perhaps delightful isn't the right word,' he added, and as he watched a faint pink came over her cheeks, purely she realised because she now had his sole attention, and it was so good to see the ice melt. 'I should have said you look stunning.'