Judgement By Fire (33 page)

“With the check
you got, you can do something
really
sensational,” Lucy said
contentedly.

“I, er—I gave
the creep his check back,” Lauren admitted.

“Oh, shucks,
she’ll never learn,” Jane and Lucy said in unison, rolling their eyes in
disbelief.

*
* *

He’d been
looking forward to a peaceful day off spent riding around his farm. Now the
idea rapidly lost its appeal. He watched Lauren drive away with her friends and
thought his heart would break. He’d felt the same burst of sharp grief when
he’d seen her at Stephen’s funeral, not knowing whether she was there out of
grief for his dead cousin, out of support for him, or as therapy for her own
shattered nerves.

The idea that
she might hold him responsible for Stephen’s death had taken root early,
reflecting his own sense of guilt. Just now, seeing her laughing with the young
man who’d driven his truck, Jon’s sense that she was better off, safer, without
him, was confirmed.

Patiently, he
took the Palomino back to his stable, undid the tack, and brushed the beautiful
beast down. Then he went into the house, showered, changed into a business
suit, and was at the door with his briefcase when Mary caught him.

“You’re not
going to work, are you?” she asked.

“Yes, there are
a few things I need to see to at the office.”

“And quite a few
things you need to see to outside the office,” she told him bluntly.

“Don’t start,
Mary,” he replied tightly, closing the door firmly behind him.

Mary listened to
the sound of his vehicle hum down the driveway, then looking down at the ‘twin’
Labrador pups at her feet, she muttered, “We’ll see about that.”

Purposefully,
the dogs hopping at her heels, she strode through the house to the study and
seated herself at Jon’s desk. Her eyes fell on his daybook diary and the small
stack of invitations clipped to the following week’s page. Dragging the phone
towards her and ignoring the papers she scattered around, she pulled a business
card from her skirt pocket and began to dial.

*
* *

Lucy was taking
a nap in the hotel room she was sharing with Lauren when the  phone in her jacket
pocket jingled its merry little tune. As soon as she recognized the caller, she
lowered her voice.

“That’s very
interesting, yes, indeed,” she said in answer. “I think we can do that. You say
Jane Rollands is also on the board? That’s quite a coincidence, because we’re
having dinner with her tonight. Oh, yes, leave that to me. I quite agree…”

Thoughtfully,
she closed the instrument down and lay back on the bed. Lauren, toweling her
hair as she stepped into the room from the shower, said, “Has anyone ever told
you what a silly tune your mobile plays when it rings?”

“Yes, you, just
now.” Lucy said, laughing. “That was just…er, Paul, wanting to know if I could
get him flannelette pajamas.”

Lauren laughed.
“Okay, don’t tell me. Is everything all right?”

“Oh, yes, I think
it’s going to be just fine.”

Later that
evening at dinner, Lucy waited for Lauren to excuse herself to visit the powder
room, then spoke rapidly to Jane. The other woman’s face lit up mischievously
as Lucy finished her piece.

“Oh, yes, I’m
quite sure between us, we can do this.” Then her face clouded over. “But are
you really sure we should? She’s been through so much, and what if the creep
cuts her dead?”

“You know the
man. Do you think he’s the type to do that?” Lucy asked urgently.

“No, but then I wouldn’t
have said he’d be a coward, either, and obviously, I’m wrong. The guy’s
behaving like a Class A Yellow Jerk.”

“Well, I think
maybe he has reasons that we don’t know about.”

“Who’s behaving
like a Class A Yellow Jerk, and what don’t we know about?” Lauren asked
suspiciously, returning to the table.

“I was just
telling Lucy about this client of mine. Seems he can’t get to grips with
reality,” Jane said smoothly, flashing a warning glance at Lucy, who changed
the subject to a request for the dessert cart.

“Oh, lordy, no,
I couldn’t. Not when I’m shopping for the kind of dress that’ll take the edge
off the way the rest of me looks. I certainly don’t need ten extra pounds of
chocolate cake on my hips to add to my other troubles,” Lauren moaned.

Lucy and Jane
both looked at her in disgust, mouthing the same epithet and earning startled
glances from the waiter who was just passing.

“Er, is anything
wrong, ladies?” he asked, trepidation making his handsome young face serious.

“No, not at all.
We’d just like three servings of your chocolate raspberry cheesecake, with
whipped cream,” Lucy ordered, ignoring the groans of the other two. The waiter
smiled, promising to bring their orders immediately.

“You shouldn’t
have done that, not the whipped cream,” Jane moaned, smoothing her skirt over
her rounded hips. “That was vicious.”

“Well, I had to
do something to take our minds off how attractive the waiters in the place are.
I didn’t want us disgracing ourselves in public,” Lucy answered, reducing her
companions to giggles with a lascivious look.

*
* *

“Look, Jon, I
know it’s very soon after…after Stephen’s death, but you can’t keep hiding from
everyone. Especially in view of the circumstances,” Jane Rollands said, well
aware that the man on the other end of the line was bristling defensively.

 Crossing her
fingers behind her back, she added, “You are on the board in your mother’s
place, and the more of us show up, the better. You’d be doing me an enormous
favor, too. It’s a dinner dance and I seem to find myself embarrassingly
without a convenient partner right now.”

Reluctantly, Jon
agreed. He’d go to the dinner dance with Jane, but make his excuses early and
leave. The last thing he wanted to do was risk meeting Lauren Stephens there,
for both their sakes. Mary had told him she’d spoken briefly to Lucy – seems
his housekeeper never missed a chance to bring up Lauren’s name - to inquire
how Lauren was coping and had been told that she was resting and getting her
strength back.

So it wasn’t
likely she’d show up to something as hectic as an arts committee dance.
Besides, he liked Jane, had found her good company at the events they’d both
attended in the past. With her openness and straightforward approach, she even
reminded him a little of Lauren. And in her astute way, she was right.  He did
need to get out and about a little to take the edge of the scandalous gossip
that had mushroomed around Stephen’s death.

He massaged
aching temples with long fingers and dragged his concentration back to the
papers on his desk. He needed to get through these soon, if he was going to
have time to change into something suitable for the evening…

*
* *

The telephone in
the hotel room buzzed discreetly as Lucy and Lauren were dressing for the
evening and Lauren moved to answer it.

She smiled as
she recognized the caller and putting down the receiver told Lucy, “That was
Jane. It seems she’s going to be a bit late and she said she’d meet us as the
reception. Apparently, the sly old thing has a hot date she wants to show off and
she’s picking him up on the way over tonight.”

Lucy bent close
to the mirror to fiddle with her mascara, hoping Lauren wouldn’t see the guilty
look that flashed across her face.

“That’s good,”
she said indulgently. “Jane’s a nice girl; she should find someone interesting
and settle down.”

Lauren was
silent for a moment, thinking longingly of how she’d thought for a few blissful
days, that she’d found someone for herself. Even now she was startled to
remember how easily she’d accepted the idea of having Jon as a permanent
fixture in her life, and thought achingly of the hopes and dreams that had been
so much a part of that acceptance.

But it was all
in the past and she had to get on with her life, however desperately lonely a
prospect that might seem now. 

“Well, I’m glad
for her and must say, I’m relieved, too. For a little while there, with you and
Jane always muttering at each other, I thought maybe you were cooking up
something I wouldn’t like.”

“Come on,
Lauren, such as what?” Lucy asked, wide-eyed.

“That’s just it,”
Lauren replied thoughtfully. “I was damned if I could figure it out…and don’t
you know that wide-eyed innocent look doesn’t suit you at all?  Anyway, Jane’s
news solves that puzzle. How do you think this dress looks? Truthfully?”

Lauren pivoted
slowly, examining herself in the mirror as she smoothed the soft silken fabric
of the emerald green dress over her waist and hips.

“I think you
look like a million dollars, which is probably as well, considering that that
dress cost a fortune!” Lucy declared. Her heart ached as she took in her
friend’s tired face, the echoes of sadness shadowing her green eyes.

“Don’t remind
me! Lord, I’ll be living on baked beans for years just to pay for this, to say
nothing of where am I going to get the money to rent another place? You know, I
think maybe I’ll find an apartment, perhaps even travel for a while. I’ve
always wanted to go to Europe again.”

Lucy turned a
shocked face towards her. “You’re not thinking of leaving Haverford Castle, are
you?”

Lauren answered
slowly. “I don’t see I’ve much choice, do you? Not only do I have to come to
terms with these memories, but I doubt there’ll be a studio coming vacant in
the next little while, even if the new owners allow things to carry on until
they make a definite decision about the redevelopment. Besides, I thought maybe
I’d look for a new line of work.”

“Lauren, what
are you talking about? You know you’ve a God-given talent for what you do. You
have vision, for heaven’s sake! To take a career break at this point would be
madness, after all the work you’ve put in. Surely you remember how hard you had
to fight for the freedom to follow your talent—even down to ditching your
husband!” Lucy’s eyes narrowed with suppressed fury. “This is because of that
creep Jon Rush, isn’t it? He’s broken your heart, and now you’re going to let
him steal your life as well!”

Lauren sat on
the edge of her bed, fiddling with the clasp of her evening bag and refusing to
meet Lucy’s eyes.

“I don’t know.
Maybe you’re right. It’s just that, ever since that day in the woods, I’ve lost
that—that vision, as you call it. There’s nothing there anymore, Lucy. So I
need to move on. But you know what’s ironic? I don’t think I’ll ever find a
place I’ll love as well as Haverford Castle.”

Lucy’s eyes
filled with tears, and she crossed the room to put her arms around her friend.
She couldn’t think of anything to say that would comfort the other woman and
was relieved when Lauren said lightly, “There is some good news, though!”

“Thank goodness,
tell me right away!” Lucy demanded, stepping back to the mirror to examine her
tear-damaged make-up, still sad at the thought of Lauren moving away.

“The color of
this dress exactly matches the bruises on my cheeks!” Lauren grinned, and
ducked as Lucy threw the hairbrush as her.    

*
* *

Jon entered the
big banquet room with Jane by his side, greeting a few friends and
acquaintances and marveling at how normal everything seemed. In this rich and
cocooned ambience, it was almost possible to imagine that the cataclysmic events
that had torn his life apart had never happened.

Even with a
beautiful woman by his side, it was impossible to almost forget the beautiful
woman who haunted his dreams and left him sleepless and drained.

So it came like
a sucker punch to the gut when the woman herself appeared like a vision, seated
at the table Jane was steadfastly leading them towards. He had only a moment to
think how much he had loved her, then she turned those extraordinary green eyes
his way and his chest began to pound. With a mighty effort, he retained his
composure, speaking quietly to Lucy and pulling out a chair for Jane.  As she
seated herself, he whispered in her ear, “You set this up deliberately, didn’t
you?”

Jane, startled
by the emotion in his voice, glanced at him anxiously and nodded.

“Well, it won’t
work,” Jon ground out moving to his own seat.

However, Lucy,
watching the exchange, noted that the man’s eyes had never moved from Lauren’s
face, and his look betrayed the depth of feeling he still held for her. Whether
he would find the strength to do anything about it was the question. She and
Jane had done all they could. It was up to Jon and Lauren now.

 Lauren had
thought she was coping with the evening amazingly well, parrying the discreet
queries about her recovery from that ‘terrible ordeal’ without falling into the
trap of giving the inquirers the lurid details they were fishing for.

In fact, she was
actually starting to relax when her internal antenna warned her of Jon’s
nearness. Looking up, the smile froze on her face as she saw him walking
towards their table, Jane on his arm.  A jealous pang flashed through her, then
logic took over.