Authors: Katrina Britt
The lost race and Tricia? Were they both included in his lament? Nora quivered.
In lacklustre tones, she whispered,
‘
And tomorrow?
’
‘
Tomorrow is another day, isn
’
t it?
’
His laugh was brief, cynica
l
.
‘
You might have upset the boat, but life is never dull. Did I tell you that Richard Garrant is going to the mainland tomorrow to spend a few days with his wife before they return? That should give us time to get things settled.
’
Nora paused.
‘
About the ring—all expenses will come out of my inheritance, of course.
’
She was unprepared for his violent reaction. He gripped her arms painfully to stare down at her with a smouldering anger.
‘
One more crack like that and I
’
ll show you what you
’
re really missing in life! Now go to bed while I
’
m dwelling on what you
’
ve done for us this evening. Goodnight.
’
He released her so suddenly that she fell back against her chair. The next moment she had slipped away like a shadow to her room.
For most of the night Nora was weighed down by a sense of helplessness. She had been buffeted about by fate. None of the happenings of the day had been of her own seeking. Neither had the mock marriage to Juan. She was not forced to go with him to carry it through. After all, nothing could stop her going
back home and forgetting all about Jed Kelly and his will.
But what about Juan? He had interests here and his livelihood could depend on his integrity, which would take a bashing if she walked out on him now. He was right; they had gone too far to turn back. What a mess
!
CHAPTER
NINE
Nora a
woke on her wedding morning filled with misgivings. As he had promised, Juan had seen to everything and the legalities had been dealt with smoothly. Juan seemed to have the knack of turning everything to his advantage, even to the garden party at Government House to which h
e
was taking her in the afternoon. They were meeting Finn after lunch.
The garden party meant that Nora could attend her wedding in a pretty dress and hat and no one would be any the wiser about their marriage. Her dress, a
filmy long-sleeved, uncrushable, washable, white chiffon, mocked her as it hung outside her wardrobe. On a chair nearby was the matching wide-brimmed white lace hat, picot-edged to match the edge of the skirt of her dress.
Well, at least she would look like a bride, sh
e
thought, even though she had never felt less like one. The morning had begun on a dull note with low cloud and no sun. It was as gloomy as her thoughts and she would have given anything to be able to talk to someone, to have reassurance that what she was about to do was for the best.
The only bright thought was that it should be as easy to untie the knot of matrimony as it seemed to be to tie it. Was Juan thinking
along those lines? He was probably regarding it as just another business deal. And he had done it thoroughly, even to buying her a diamond brooch in the shape of the three legs
of Man. She was ready when Juan arrived. For a long moment he stared at her. A gleam came into his dark eyes and was dismissed by a cool smile.
‘
How are you feeling?
’
he queried as he handed her into the car.
‘
You look very garden party-ish. Very nice.
’
‘
As long as I don
’
t look as though I
’
m going to a wedding,
’
she answered, borrowing his coolness.
It had not escaped her that he was looking
v
ery conservative in a well-cut suit of pale grey with immaculate white silk shirt and sober tie.
He gestured with a well-shaped dark head to the back seat of the car before he started the engine.
‘
There
’
s a buttonhole there for me and a posy of flowers for you. I thought it safer for us to put them on in the office. Your posy can be left behind to brighten up the room.
’
Nora nodded. She was to have no souvenir unless she took one of the flowers from the posy. It was all suddenly very depressing.
She said with a thread of irony,
‘
There aren
’
t many girls who can regard their first marriage ceremony as a refresher course. Just think, I shall sail through the real thing without a qualm! They were turning off the promenade to make for the mountain road and there was a short silence.
‘
That
’
s one way of looking at it,
’
answered Juan, putting on speed.
‘
I
’
m glad you
’
re not going all coy.
’
‘
Coy?
’
she cried indignantly.
‘
I feel just too terrible for words! After all, we are going in for something that
’
s legally binding.
’
He said reasonably,
‘
We aren
’
t actually going in for anything. The situation was forced upon us. My mother used to say
,
when you enter a bad patch only stay long enough to pick the good out of it. And there
’
s always a bit of good in the worst patches.
’
This philosophy did nothing to lift Nora from her gloom.
‘
And what would you say was the little bit of good in it for you, since you refuse to consider any payment moneywise?
’
she asked dryly.
He smiled as though at his own thoughts.
‘
I
’
ll let you know when we
’
ve waded through it. The important thing is that you can settle what you came for and go back home.
’
‘
And the annulment?
’
‘
That can come later. By the way, I have my case in the trunk of the car, my belongings from the Armitage.
Aimée
was upset because she couldn
’
t go to the garden party.
’
‘
Is Tricia going?
’
‘
No, just Finn and
Mr.
and
Mr
s
.
Cregeen.
’
Juan slanted her a grin as she looked at him vacantly for a moment.
‘
Oh, you mean us?
’
Nora cried.
‘
How silly of me!
’
‘
You
’
ll have to get used to it, you know, and quickly.
’
She said stiffly,
‘
I won
’
t let you down.
’
‘
Over your dead body,
’
he growled.
‘
Come on, let
’
s have a smile. We
’
re going to be married, not buried!
’
The ceremony went without a hitch, two of the staff acting as witnesses. It was over before Nora realised it with only the shining gold band on her finger to prove it.
‘
Not bad was it?
’
Juan said as he started the car.
‘
And now for lunch. I
’
ve ordered a table at the Palace restaurant, a corner table with a view of the sea.
’
They had champagne and Juan insisted upon addressing her as
Mrs.
Cregeen.
‘
In case you forget,
’
he explained.
The day had turned out to be warm and sunny, ideal weather for the garden party. Finn was there in grey suit and topper and congratulated Nora on her pretty dress and hat. They were leaving the grounds of Government House when Juan said casually,
‘
We
’
re going to the airport to meet a friend of mine. I
’
m going to ask him to stay the night with us it it
’
s all right with you.
’
‘
At the flat?
’
Nora gathered her wits at this unexpected announcement, then cried,
‘
What are we forming, a mutual aid society? If this is a plan to get me into bed with you...
’
‘
Calm down.
’
His voice was on ice.
‘
And don
’
t put ideas into my head. There
’
s a perfectly feasible explanation.
’
Nora
’
s voice was on ice.
‘
There
’
d better be.
’
‘
Ford Milton is my age, and a lifelong friend. He
’
s
Aimée
’s
father. It happened when he was at university—he got drunk one night and
Aimée
was the result,
’
he said tightly.
‘
He didn
’
t marry Tricia. He wasn
’
t the only one she had been with, but the baby was his. He pays for
Aimée
’s
keep, but he
’
s been worried lately because she
’
s been unhappy. Tricia has been leaving her more and more on her own or with neighbours.
’
‘
Poor
Aimée
! What has her father come for? A showdown?
’
asked Nora, softening.
‘
No. He wants to take
Aimée
back home with him for keeps. At the moment he has a contract in California which has twelve more months to run. He reckons that the California sun will do
Aimée
a lot of good.
’
‘
You think Tricia will let her go?
’
‘
I think so. She
’
s having an affair, and if she
’
s approached while it
’
s white-hot she might just let
Aimée
go and Kevin might marry her.
’
‘
You mean you wouldn
’
t mind Tricia marrying a cad, which is what this Kevin is in your eyes? That
’
s a bit heartless, isn
’
t it?
’
she blurted.
‘
Tricia is heartless, that
’
s why Ford wants to take
Aimée
away. At least, if Tricia marries she
’
ll have security for a while even if it doesn
’
t last, and she
’
s the kind who
’
ll look after herself.
’
‘
You mean regarding alimony? Charming
!’
Nora said caustically.
He said roughly,
‘
We live in a hard world and you have to be realistic.
Aimée
is the important one, with all her life before her.
’
‘
Is that why you
’
ve shown so much interest in her?
’
‘
All part of the plot,
’
he answered coolly.
‘
Ford has to be convinced that his daughter will be happy with him. She always has in the time she
’
s spent with him, but that could have been because of the treats he gave her. However,
Aimée
enjoyed my company as proxy for her father.
’
‘
Did Tricia know of your friendship with Ford?
’
‘
No. It
’
s developed through the years through business mostly.
’
‘
What exactly do you work for, Juan?
’
she asked carefully.
‘
This and that,
’
he replied carelessly.
‘
You don
’
t have to worry about me. Our business arrangement is quite sound.
’
Nora felt a lump in her throat threatening to choke her.
‘
Is that so?
’
she remarked acidly.
‘
I
’
m glad to hear it.
’
He cast her a strange look.
‘
You don
’
t trust me?
’
‘
Oh, I trust you, but I
’
m wondering what kind of man you really are.
’
‘
I
’
m still the man you met by the pier—or perhaps I
’
ve changed since then, and I
’
m not sure yet whether it
’
s a good thing or not.
’
‘
You mean you
’
re more ruthless?
’
she probed.
‘
Hell, no. In any case, this isn
’
t the time for postmortems. By the way, Ford isn
’
t married.
’
‘
Which is why you don
’
t want Finn to put him up at the Armitage, where he
’
d be at the mercy of Tricia and her wiles?
’
‘
That
’
s right,
’
he conceded.
‘
The success of the whole operation will depend on the swiftness of its being carried out. Ford is coming armed with the necessary papers and he
’
s having it made legal, so there
’
ll be no reversing the decision when once it
’
s made.
’
‘
Not exactly a compliment to me, is it?
’
Nora paused to see that they were nearing the airport.
‘
What about my feminine wiles? Besides, I
’
ve always fancied living in California.
’
She looked at him archly.
‘
I
’
m going all coy.
’
‘
Be your age,
’
he growled,
‘
and say hello to the fairies. Here comes the Fairy Bridge.
’
Nora collapsed into convulsions of merriment.
‘
Greetings, fairies, from
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Juan Cregeen,
’
she gasped.
‘
You see, I remembered. You are funny!
’
She mopped the tears of mirth from her eyes as Juan glared at her.
‘
Define funny,
’
he snapped.
‘
Well, first you tell me to grow up, then you tell me to talk to the fairies,
’
she chuckled.
‘
Which you did nicely for both of us. Interesting.
’
They were at the airport and Juan had taken her elbow as they entered the terminal. Fighting an urge to lean more against him, Nora drew her arm away. Close contact with him only fired her senses for more.
‘
Why exactly was my greeting to the fairies interesting?
’
she asked.
He appeared to be considering it.
‘
You replied for both of us, which was very comforting since you appeared to have my interests at heart,
’
he mocked.
‘
Don
’
t kid yourself,
’
she answered, sore at his obvious carefree attitude. Did he never take anything seriously
?
‘
As a matter of fact, I was establishing our new identity, which was only polite. Not that I think they would approve of it.
’
‘
So you don
’
t care if the fairies have it in for me?
’
‘
Poor you! I can just see you cowering behind a bush.
’
Nora craned her neck as she heard a plane landing on the runway.
‘
What time is your friend arriving?
’
Juan glanced at his watch.
‘
That could be him.
’
It was. Ford Milton was not much to look at
—
medium height, brown hair and nice grey eyes which focussed you directly behind dark-rimmed spectacles. Studious type, mused Nora, and was not sure. She certainly could not see him being seduced by Tricia. But much water had gone under the bridge since then. He was much too mild to be Tricia
’
s type, but he did look prosperous in his expensive city-going suit which he filled nicely.
His smile, however, lighted up his features very attractively. His greeting was warm, his gaze at Nora said,
‘
Wow.
’
During the drive back to the flat Juan put him right on recent events and by the time the journey was over Ford seemed to be more relaxed. Nora had bought extra supplies in case of emergency and cooked a meal for them. While it was cooking she put clean bed linen on the bed in the spare room, leaving the two men talking together in the lounge over a drink.
A telephone call from Floyd came as she was about to sit down to supper. He insisted upon knowing the date she proposed to return.
‘
Give me a ring tomorrow,
’
she answered.
‘
I
’
m busy right now.
’
She felt mean not telling Floyd about her marriage, but there would be no need to go into details if it was soon to be annulled. A great depression that had begun with her falling over Juan
’
s suitcase in her bedroom quenched her appetite.
‘
Come on, you
’
re eating nothing,
’
Juan urged.
‘
Don
’
t you like your own cooking?
’
‘
Not hungry,
’
she said with a smile at Ford
’
s concerned regard.
‘
Too much sun at the garden party this afternoon.
’
‘
Headache?
’
Juan asked.
‘
A bit muzzy, but it will pass,
’
she admitted.
He raised a dark brow.
‘
Cissy? She might be good for a sedative if she
’
s in the building.
’
‘
No, thanks,
’
she said firmly.
‘
It will pass.
’
‘
Nice little place you have here,
’
Ford commented over coffee.
‘
Nora
’
s,
’
Juan said laconically.
‘
Very nice. It
’
s kind of you, Nora, to have me here. I won
’
t inconvenience you for longer than I can help,
’
Ford told her with a smile. To Juan, he said,
‘
Are you sure this lawyer, Richard Garrant, will come tomorrow?
’
Juan nodded.
‘
He
’
s just returned from the mainland and will be here tomorrow afternoon.
’
‘
Good. Let
’
s hope Tricia comes up to expectations.
’
Ford had the look of a man watching a dark cloud on its way.
‘
You see, there
’
s this girl in California. I like her a lot, but I haven
’
t said anything to her until she sees
Aimée
.
’
Nora felt her coffee would choke her. Juan
’
s best friend, and he was deceiving him about their marriage. To be fair there was nothing Juan could do about it since it was only a business arrangement making it his own concern. All the same, she felt she had to get away from pretence, so she left them talking and went to bed.
She fell
over Juan
’
s suitcase again and gave it a
vicious kick, which didn
’
t help because she stubbed her toe most painfully. She did not need spectacles to see why he had left it in the way. It was to remind her that he had the right of access to her room even though there was no room for him to put his clothes.
With so much on her mind it was not surprising that Nora did not sleep. She lay wide-eyed waiting for them to go to bed. After what seemed years there was a low murmur of voices in the corridor, then silence. She had been lying on her back and drifting off to sleep when there was a movement beside her bed.
Turning in the dim light, she saw the powerful shoulders and broad chest of Juan bending over her. She pushed herself up on her elbow in horror, then swallowed convulsively to see that the bare manly chest tapered down into white shorts.
He was holding a cup of steaming liquid.
‘
Coffee is not good to go to sleep on, so I brought you a warm drink to send you off,
’
he whispered, then stopped short at the look on her face.
‘
What
’
s the matter?
’
‘
You
... you
... I
... I...
‘
Nora began, and could not go on.
His look of consternation turned to amusement.
He put the cup down on the bedside table.
‘
You thought I was nude, didn
’
t you
...
that I
’
d come in to get in bed with you?
’
Furiously Nora hit out at him, pushing herself up in bed to do so.
‘
You wanted me to think that, didn
’
t you?
’
she cried furiously.
‘
Having a good laugh at my expense?
’