Unknown (17 page)

'You've
what?'
he roared.

'You heard me,' she said airily. 'While you were away I had a more honourable proposition from an old friend, involving considerably more money for my services, and I've accepted.'

Matt paled. His mouth opened and closed and it was several seconds before he could speak. 'Is this old friend going to marry you?'

Caroline shrugged, determined not to lie. She had carefully phrased her words so that he could interpret them as he wished, and had hoped that the shock of her impending departure would make him realise he loved her too much to let her go. But it had acted in the opposite way. The warm, tender man she had grown to love had become an ice-cold machine.

'So you've decided to sell yourself to the highest bidder,' he grated, 'and if it includes a band of gold, so much the better. Well, it's fool's gold as far as I'm concerned!'

'There's nothing foolish about marriage.'

'From your point of view, no,' he agreed. 'It's the best way you can ensure a permanent meal ticket. Wasn't my meal rich enough for you?'

'I'm leaving you, Matt. Does that give you your answer?'

'It sure does. You never loved me. You just wanted to find yourself a rich husband.'

'Why are you so angry?' she asked. 'You can easily find yourself another girl-friend.'

'I wanted
you.
You!' he shouted, his temper growing. 'And I got you, didn't I? For all your pretended morality, I got you to live with me!'

It was on the tip of her tongue to hurl his words back into his face, but by an enormous effort of will she refrained. Matt was bitterly hurt and might possibly regret what he was saying. Because of that, she still wanted to give him the chance of telling her exactly how he had bought her.

'Yes, Matt, you got me,' she agreed. 'And you should be very pleased with yourself.'

'I'm pleased I didn't let you talk me into marriage!'

Silently she placed his ring on the bed, then took the cheque he had given her yesterday out of her handbag. Slowly she tore it into pieces, letting them fall in a small heap on to the carpet before she walked out and closed the door quietly behind her.

To Caroline, returning to her own flat—small and unpretentious though it was—was like returning to the womb. Here she was safe, could be herself; had no need to hide the love she felt for Matt.

Matt. The sound of his name was suddenly unbearable. Running into her bedroom, she flung herself on the bed and burst into tears, deep, shattering sobs that she had held in check—or so it seemed to her—from that first dreadful moment when Tom had told her of the conversation he had overheard on the yacht.

At last she wiped her eyes and shakily went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of strong black coffee.

Sipping the hot brew, feet curled under her on the settee, she resolutely tried to relax, willing herself to think of nothing. The telephone rang and she jumped, violently, almost dropping her cup in her haste to answer it. But it was not Matt with an apology.

'Carrie?' Tom's voice sounded relieved. 'I called you at Matt's to let you know I'd given Mark the cheque, and Matt told me you'd gone. I hadn't realised you were putting him to the test this afternoon or I'd have rushed back to welcome you.'

'You can do it now,' she said. 'I'll cook us a special dinner.'

'Great! I can do with some home cooking.'

With something to do, Caroline was able to pass the rest of the afternoon replenishing the larder and refrigerator—housekeeping was not Tom's forte—and then make a lamb and pineapple casserole.

By the time Tom came in, she looked more like her normal self, though she did not feel it, and trying to hide her emotional state, she recounted her last scene with Matt.

'So he didn't have the decency to tell the truth?' Tom muttered. 'I had an idea he wouldn't.'

'Did Mark ask you any questions?'

'Yes. But when he saw he wasn't going to get any answers, he stopped.' Tom looked at his sister's ravaged face. 'My advice to you is to forget about Matt Bishop. Go out with any half decent chap who asks you.'

'I wish it were as easy as that. But right now I don't care if I never see another man again. You excluded, of course!' She managed a smile. 'I think it would be a good idea if you stayed here with me for a while. I promise I'll be very discreet if you want to entertain here!'

He laughed. 'I'll stay till you're feeling better.'

Together they cleared away the supper things and, after idly watching the TV news, Caroline had a warm bath and went to bed. Another day was ending and a new one was beginning. She must forget Matt and concentrate on the future.

At ten o'clock the next morning, heavy-eyed but determined, she was in Penny's office looking for work.

'Well, well,' Penny exclaimed, 'don't tell me Matt Bishop's agreed to let you become a working girl again?'

'I don't need his agreement,' Caroline said tersely. 'We're no longer engaged.'

'Are you serious?'

'It's hardly something I'd joke about.'

Penny frowned. 'Was it another woman?'

'No. It's rather complicated, actually. I'll tell you about it one day, but I'm too upset at the moment.'

'Like that, eh? Then work's your best panacea. Are you able to start right away?'

'This minute. I know it won't be easy to fix me up quickly, but '

'For you, anything. Leave it with me. I'll switch you with someone else, if necessary.'

True to her word, Penny telephoned her in the afternoon with a job. It was modelling a wholesale collection for foreign buyers in the showroom of a small fashion firm—something Caroline had given up doing a long time ago—but at least it would keep her occupied until Penny found her more suitable work.

At tea-time Matt's chauffeur, Frank, arrived with a package. The sight of it, small and square, told her at once what it was and with shaking fingers she undid it, desperately hoping there was a note inside. But there was nothing; only the ring. She rushed to the window and flung it open in time to see Frank opening the car door. She called his name and waved violently, relieved when he guessed correctly and re-entered the apartment block.

'Please return this to Mr Bishop,' she said. 'There's no message.'

*

In the ensuing weeks Caroline settled down to an orgy of work. She did not refuse any job that came her way and Penny assured her there would be no difficulty in filling in her time until July, when their diet commercials began.

Though her days were fully occupied, it was more difficult to fill in her evenings and weekends, for she couldn't face the prospect of going out with another man. Occasionally she drove down to see her aunt and uncle and also attended Jane's wedding. Her friend made a radiant bride, and Caroline found it hard to contain a pang of envy at Jane's happiness.

The bridegroom was far nicer than she had been led to believe, and though not handsome, he was ruggedly masculine, with unruly red hair and strong features.

'I'm very lucky,' Jane said with a sigh of contentment, when she and Caroline managed to be alone for a short while. 'I only hope you'll soon meet the right man.' She looked closely at her friend, elegant as always in a burnt orange Dior suit. 'You've lost weight since I last saw you. It can't be because of your broken engagement.'

'What makes you so sure?'

'Because no man in his right mind would send you away from him.'

'Then Matt must have been in his wrong mind,' Caroline said jauntily.

Jane was astounded. 'You mean he stopped loving you?'

'Oh no. In his way he loves me. But he doesn't want to be tied down.' Caroline was not sure why she was being so forthcoming; perhaps the sight of Jane as a bride had made her maudlin. 'But don't let's talk about me. This is
your
day and I don't want to make it miserable for you.'

'We'll get together when I come back from my honeymoon,' Jane said forthrightly. 'Bruce has loads of eligible friends and '

'Don't you dare!' Caroline flung up her hands in mock terror. 'Now I've got Matt out of my system I intend to become a confirmed bachelor girl.'

Aware that Jane did not believe her, and seeing the matchmaking glint in her friend's eyes as they roamed the crowded room in search of one of her bridegroom's 'eligibles', Caroline beat an early retreat back to her aunt and uncle, with whom she was spending the weekend.

'We've booked a table for dinner at a local restaurant,' Aunt Joan said. 'We thought you'd need cheering up. Other people's weddings often have that effect!' She hesitated. 'We've also asked David Marshall to join us. He's recently become a partner of Mr Hallam, our solicitor.'

Caroline was bored by the prospect of having to talk with a country lawyer, and her aunt, recognising what she was thinking, looked reproving.

'David's a charming young man, darling. He's extremely well connected, and his father has a successful London practice.'

'From one matchmaker to another,' Caroline groaned. 'I should have stayed at the wedding!'

In the event, David turned out to be very interesting. Though not conventionally good-looking, he was attractively craggy, with heavy-browed deep blue eyes that made no secret that they found her intensely attractive.

He was a good conversationalist as well as an attentive listener, and she found that the evening passed quickly. To begin with she had to make an effort not to compare him with Matt, but by the time they left the restaurant she was able to concentrate upon him with all her mind.

He returned to the cottage with them for a nightcap, after which her aunt and uncle discreetly disappeared, leaving them on their own.

'When are you coming down here again?' David asked.

'Not for several weeks. My brother and I are filming some commercials in Venice and Spain.'

'Will you come out with me if I come up to Town on Saturday?' he asked.

'I'd like that very much,' she replied, surprised that she had agreed so unhesitatingly.

'I'll call for you at seven, then.'

Caroline gave him her address, and there was a smirk of satisfaction on her aunt's face as she came back into the room and saw him writing it down.

'I'm so glad you're going out with him,' she said, after he had left.

'Don't read anything into it,' Caroline warned. 'I need to start going out again, and he seems a safe enough escort.'

'I'm sure he's more your type than ...' Aunt Joan stopped and looked embarrassed. 'I'm sorry, my dear. I didn't meet your fiancé and I've no right to criticise him.'

'I wasn't engaged long enough for you to meet him,' said Caroline, feeling as embarrassed as her aunt looked. She knew she had behaved badly by not introducing Matt to these two people whom she loved so dearly, but the circumstances of her engagement had made it impossible.

'You'd have liked Matt,' she said huskily. 'He was self-made and there was no nonsense about him, but he had charm and was extremely bright.'

'Not so bright if he couldn't make
you
happy.'

'One can't blame him for that. Engagements aren't marriage, aunt of mine. They're trial balloons—and this one didn't rise very far!'

'I'm sure you'll enjoy going out with David,' came the reply. It was not the non sequitur it seemed and showed Caroline exactly where her aunt's thoughts lay.

She remembered it again when she saw David on Saturday, and found his company sufficiently enjoyable to agree to see him when she returned to London.

'I wish I could come to Venice with you,' he said. 'If you say the word '

'No!'

He laughed. 'That was quick enough. But I'll pursue you when you're home again!'

Venice was not as glamorous as she had anticipated, but the crew and director were friendly and efficient, and they all worked well as a team. The diet drink —tasting rather like Martini—suited Caroline's palate, so that it needed little acting ability to show her enjoyment of it as she lazily sipped it, dressed in a Bill Gibb chiffon dinner dress in the bar of the hotel, or when they moved on to the terrace of the Hotel Cipriani, where they were staying.

From Venice, they flew directly to Marbella. The Marbella Club was set in extensive grounds with small bungalows, each with its own private pool, so that there were never many people around to interfere with the work of the film crew around the main pool near the hotel.

It was considerably hotter here than in Venice, and Caroline was glad to be given part of one afternoon off while Tom filmed a location shot on his own. Relaxing by the pool in the late afternoon sun, she chatted idly to Jack Morgan, an elderly American who was holidaying there with his wife. They had both watched the filming the previous day and had invited all the crew to join them for supper. He was a plump and beaming extrovert, with a thatch of thick grey hair and a quick line in repartee.

He was talking now, nineteen to the dozen, while his wife had gone to have her hair set, and Caroline was wondering how to tactfully say she wanted to have a sleep in the sun, when she glanced up and saw Matt directly in her line of vision. Her pulses gave a leap of pure joy, subsiding the instant she saw the petite redhead by his side. The girl's face was vaguely familiar and Caroline supposed her to be one of the starlets with whom he had frequently been associated before she herself had come on the scene. It seemed he was now reverting to his old ways.

'Friends of yours?' Jack Morgan queried, seeing the way her face had changed colour.

She nodded, unable to speak, and he rose lithely. 'Then I won't intrude on you any longer, little lady. I'll see you later in the bar.'

He padded off and Caroline lay back on her mattress, her pulse leaping again as she saw Matt say something to his companion and then stroll over in her direction.

'So we meet again,' he said without expression. 'You're looking well.'

'So are you.' She studied his tanned face. 'Are you staying in the hotel?'

'No. Maggie and I are on the yacht.'

As he spoke the girl's name, Caroline realised she was an actress whom she had recently seen in a TV play.