Mistress at a Price (33 page)

The production company had finally offered her one last chance to appear in the Mary Fitton role, and when she
’
d refused had torn up her contract. In turn, Sharine had flounced back to California, threatening law suits and confidently expecting David to follow.

But he had not pursued her. As in the play, so in real life. The theatre had won in the end. There was no way her father was going to give up a part as good as this, especially when people were talking about awards.

But the Sharine affair had taken its toll on him, she thought. Since her departure his unhappiness had been palpable, and he spent more and more time in his dressing room alone.

He didn
’
t even want to talk about it, which was uncharacteristic of her father, who liked to wring as much emotion out of his personal dramas as he did from the stage variety.

‘
I let her go,
’
he said to Cat over lunch one day, when she
’
d asked him diffidently how things were going.
‘
I let her go, and now I
’
ve lost her. Every hope I ever had is gone.
’
For a moment he stared into space, his face harsh.
‘
How could I have been such a fool?
’

‘
Dad.
’
She put her hand gently on his, feeling his pain as acutely as she did her own, but he rallied instantly, changing the subject with a kind of dogged determination.

Cat thought privately that David had been lucky to escape, but she couldn
’
t tell him that. It would have been far too cruel. He seemed to have visibly aged, and, whatever her opinion of Sharine, Cat wasn
’
t used to seeing him so despondent. She hated it
—
although it occurred to her, when she returned to the theatre alone one night, to watch the play in full, that his unhappiness had added a greater depth to his performance.

Vanessa, on the other hand, was as near achieving serenity as Cat had ever seen her. She seemed to be floating on air, while Cat suffered accordingly.

Vanessa had exclaimed reproachfully over her failure to attend the party.
‘
But I
’
m going to hold a little private celebration of my own in a week or two,
’
she confided.
‘
And you
’
re certainly coming to that. In fact, I won
’
t take no for an answer.
’

But she might have to, thought Cat. Especially if the purpose of the occasion was to announce that she and Liam were getting married.

I can
’
t bear it, she told herself, wrapping her arms across her wincing body. I
won
’
t
bear it.

To that end, she
’
d been making preliminary private enquiries about the prospect of living and working abroad. She didn
’
t want to go, but to stay
—
to see Liam and Vanessa together and pretend indifference
—
would be impossible for her. An unendurable thorn in her shrinking flesh.

So Anscote Manor might well be her last project for her present company, and an unwelcome one at that. And she couldn
’
t even sweeten the pill by paying Aunt Susan a visit, because the house was now on the market and she was staying in a villa in Tuscany, with a group of other single women, apparently having a whale of a time.

Building a new life, Cat thought forlornly, from the ashes of her old one. And maybe, one day, I shall have to ask her how it
’
s done.

It was a grey day with rain in the air when Cat eventually drove down to Anscote Manor for the second time. In a way, she was glad of the chill, damp weather. If the sun had been shining it would have been yet another unhappy reminder of times past.

She
’
d been told to report to a Miss Trevor, who was some kind of executive manager in the Durant hierarchy, and had travelled down specially to discuss the possible changes Cat might propose.

Perhaps it will be good for me psychologically, she thought as she parked her car. If I alter the place enough it won
’
t be part of this dangerous romantic dream of mine any longer. A first step, maybe, in my emotional rehabilitation. And long overdue.

She knew that she had to forget Liam. That she must put him out of her mind entirely. And she wanted to do this. She longed to be able to do it, because she didn
’
t need the searing wretchedness she woke to each morning or the lonely expanse of emptiness in her bed at night.

But everything seemed to conspire against her.

His relationship with her mother put him inevitably at the forefront of her consciousness, and there was no escape from that because Vanessa mentioned him constantly.

It was only a matter of time, surely, before the press got on to this intriguing new affair for Vanessa Carlton, leading to daily bulletins on its progress, complete with photographs. And leading eventually, she assumed, to the announcement of their engagement.

A bitter pill for her father to swallow too, under the circumstances, she thought wryly. He
’
d always seemed the more resilient of the two, but there was no sign of his taking an interest in another lady since Sharine
’
s departure.

After every performance he went straight home.

And his only real social life is having lunch with me, Cat thought wryly. How are the mighty fallen.

And, in the meantime, she had plenty of troubles of her own…

She squared her shoulders, took a deep, painful breath, then marched resolutely into the hotel. There was a new receptionist behind the desk, an older woman she hadn
’
t seen before. She was welcoming and pleasant, but almost certainly a much tougher proposition than the other girls, and therefore not easily susceptible to the blandishments of male guests, however attractive.

A change for the better already, Cat thought drily as she made her way, as directed, to the Conference Suite. The double doors were open, and a woman was standing there, tall, slim and young, and tapping her foot impatiently, as if Cat was late, which she wasn
’
t.

She switched on her professional smile.
‘
Miss Trevor
—
I
’
m Catherine Adamson.
’
And faltered into silence as she realised that she
’
d seen the foot-tapper before somewhere.

My God, she thought. It
’
s the brunette with the legs. The one who was dining with Liam at Mignonette when I was there with poor Tony. I
’
d know her anywhere.

And the room felt suddenly colder.

But if Miss Trevor recognised Cat in turn, she wasn
’
t letting on. She merely shook hands in a perfunctory way, gave Cat
’
s workaday pinstripe suit a disdainful look, and twitched the lapel of her own designer jacket.

‘
I
’
m doing the initial briefing,
’
she announced.
‘
But you
’
ll actually be dealing directly with our chairman. He
’
s very interested in this particular project, and he will naturally make any final decision about the awarding of contracts.
’

Cat murmured something and seated herself in the chair indicated, opening her briefcase with a growing sense of foreboding. She ought to respond with some polite and positive remark, and she knew it, but her brain seemed to have stopped working. Because, unless she
’
d descended into total paranoia, she knew exactly who would be walking into the conference room next. And suddenly her hands were clammy, her entire senses vibrating nervously.

‘
Apparently your firm comes highly recommended.
’
Miss Trevor sounded dubious.
‘
But the Durant chain has very exacting standards.
’

‘
I know that,
’
Cat said, hanging on to her professional calm by a thread.
‘
I spent the night here once.
’
She paused.
‘
On the whole, my impressions were good.
’

From behind her, Liam said,
‘
Only on the whole? In what respect did you feel we let you down, Miss Adamson?
’

She did not look round. Every vertebra in her spine seemed locked in sudden tension as her worst fear was confirmed.

‘
It was human error,
’
she returned.
‘
Rather than the ambience of the hotel itself. Computer systems crashing with a resulting breakdown in data security
—
that kind of thing.
’

‘
The computer system has been changed,
’
he said softly.
‘
I hope you find that reassuring.
’

‘
I
’
m here as a design consultant,
’
she said.
‘
Not a guest. And my remit does not include your software.
’

Miss Trevor gave a slight indrawn breath. She clearly thought this an inappropriate exchange.
‘
Shall I take Miss Adamson on a tour of the principal rooms?
’
she suggested.
‘
Explain the board
’
s vision to her?
’

‘
I think Miss Adamson already knows what
’
s involved,
’
Liam drawled.
‘
And as I
’
m here, Sandra, I may as well take over. Perhaps you could arrange some coffee for us?
’

‘
Nothing for me, thanks,
’
Cat denied curtly. She got up slowly and faced Liam, her body taut in challenge.
‘
Are you quite sure about the need for this refurbishment programme, Mr Hargrave? I had the idea the hotel had been redecorated quite recently anyway.
’

‘
The name is Durant,
’
Liam said softly.
‘
Hargrave is my middle name.
’

‘
I
’
m sorry,
’
she said huskily.
‘
Clearly I
’
ve been
—
misinformed.
’

‘
Don
’
t worry about it,
’
he said.
‘
These mistakes happen.
’
He paused.
‘
As to the décor, in spite of what may have been done, I feel there are a number of rooms in the hotel that are not quite up to standard. Shall we go and take a look?
’

He turned to Miss Trevor.
‘
Sandra, maybe you should come with us and make notes so there are no further misapprehensions,
’
he suggested gently.
‘
I thought we
’
d start with the restaurant, and then move on to a typical bedroom.
’
He paused.
‘
Room Ten, perhaps.
’

Cat reached numbly for her briefcase, realising too late it was open and watching the papers inside cascade over the floor. But at least the effort of bending to retrieve them explained the heated flush in her face. Or she hoped it might.

Somehow she had to regain some ground, although any possibility of obtaining the Durant contract was history and she knew it. But what could have prompted him to set up this farcical situation in the first place? She ached inside from the cruelty of it.

‘
You have a reason for choosing that particular room?
’
she asked, with a coolness she was far from feeling, as they ascended the stairs and walked along the corridor.

‘
I want to ensure that all our guests leave here with wonderful memories.
’
His brief smile did not reach his eyes.
‘
I
’
m not certain that Room Ten fulfils that for everyone.
’