The Vow (18 page)

‘
Oh don’t be so dramatic!’ she shouted at him feeling the ground slipping from under her.

Alex shook his head sadly.
‘If you really can’t see how wrong this is then you are not the person I thought you were.’

She had watched him walk away not knowing how to stop him.

Out in the hall Lucy was chatting with Ellen.

‘
I’m sorry, sweetie, I know I said we’d meet up this week but something’s come up. It’s rather exciting actually. There’s a chance I shall be the face of a huge new range of beauty products for the over thirties woman. Not something I like to be reminded of, of course, but it is a terribly valuable contract. My people are meeting with their people and I really need to be there too. But I’ve got a definite week off after that and I’ve told my agent to keep it that way. Come to the flat then and I’ll cook for us.’

Despite appearances to the contrary Ellen was an accomplished cook and Lucy loved the exotic things she came up with.

‘That sounds great,’ she told her. ‘But Ellen, I hope Culver’s comments won’t jeopardise this contract.’

Laughing, Ellen told her,
‘Darling Lucy, I really can’t imagine these people sitting in Paris have ever heard of his paper let alone him! And anyway, it wasn’t anything serious. I would need to be seen with a face covered in zits or snorting coke for it to matter.’

‘
That’s alright then. By the way, how did it go with Simon? Another notch on your bed post?’

‘
On his, and several notches actually,’ replied Ellen, shameless as ever.

‘
Will you be seeing him again?’

‘
Oh yes, I think so. He’s really rather nice and certainly knows his way around a girl’s erogenous zones!’

Returning to find the sitting room empty Lucy went out into the garden where she found Amy watering the container plants.

‘I’m glad I chose all geraniums this year, they really love this weather.’

Lucy could tell she didn’t want to return to the conversation about Alex so she picked up another watering can and started to help. In the three years Amy and Alex had been together, Lucy had never known an argument that had resulted in their not speaking. She had often envied them their close, steady relationship; they seemed made for each other. If this was a serious rift it proved there were really no guarantees with love.

~

Just as she arrived at work the following morning her mobile rang and she was surprised, to say the least, to find it was Alicia.

‘Lucy, I rather feel we got off on the wrong foot at the weekend. I thought it might be nice if we got together, just the two of us, to get to know each other a bit better. Would you like to come over for a drink, perhaps tomorrow evening after you’ve finished work, if you are free?’

This call, so unexpected, served to finally make up Lucy’s mind. She dialled, for only the second time ever, the number of Marcus’s private line. He seemed pleased to hear from her and laughed when she asked,
‘Would you like to come for tea with my grandmother?’

‘
I should be delighted. When were you thinking of?’

‘
Friday afternoon if that’s okay with you. She’s in Chelsea so it’s not too far.’

‘
Friday’s fine. I look forward to it.’ He paused before going on, ‘Lucy, the Featherstones have invited us to a dinner party Saturday night. I’ve been stalling Diana. What should I tell her?’

‘
That we would love to come,’ said Lucy promptly. ‘And guess what? Your sister has just invited me for a drink tomorrow evening when I finish here. She feels we got off on the wrong foot and it would be nice to have a chat and get to know each other.’

‘
I know, she called me for your number. Are you going?’

‘
Of course, but I don’t know where she thinks I work, it’s a bit of a hike from here to Belgravia.’

‘
Take a cab, Lucy, I told you before to use the account whenever you want.’

‘
I will then, it will be so much easier.’

There was a pause and then he asked,
‘Lucy, does all of this mean…?’

‘
It means you should be going ahead with the arrangements you talked about.’

~

The house was the height of elegance. Highly polished antique furniture stood on immense Persian silk rugs, cabinets displayed priceless china, the sofas and chairs were upholstered in satin and large crystal vases held flowers arranged to perfection. Elegant, Lucy thought, but not very homely. The two women sat opposite one another in the drawing room sipping their drinks.

‘
So, have you had a busy day, Lucy?’ asked Alicia pleasantly.

‘
Yes, I seem to be snowed under with work at the moment,’ Lucy told her.

‘
So lovely to be creative, I envy you. Tell me more about the sort of things you make.’

Lucy explained about her jewellery and range of decorated and engraved silverware. Alicia listened with interest, asking the occasional question such as how she sourced her materials and where her inspiration came from.

‘Well, it all sounds very original. I’m sure I have friends who would be interested. Do you have a card?’

As Lucy reached inside her bag Alicia commented,
‘What a useful handbag, all those handy zip up compartments.’

Laughing, Lucy told her,
‘It’s fine as long as you remember where you’ve put everything, and it’s got a couple that are too small to be any good for anything.’

A little while later Lucy asked if she could use the cloakroom and Alicia saw her opportunity.

‘I’m afraid there’s a problem with the downstairs one, I’m waiting for the plumber. Pop upstairs, it’s the second door on the left.’

As soon as she heard Lucy’s feet on the stairs, Alicia took the diamond bracelet from her pocket and zipped it into one of the tiny unused compartments of the bag.

~

There was an instant rapport between Elizabeth and Marcus. They had each other weighed up in ten minutes and both liked what they found. Marcus was exactly the kind of man
Elizabeth had been drawn to all her life, handsome, cultured, charming and dangerous. He made her wish she were still young enough to give love and passion one more whirl. Marcus saw straight through the sweet-faced old lady exterior to the real woman. The one who had laughed and danced her way through a life devoted to pleasure and excitement, never afraid to reach out and take what she wanted. It entertained him to think the same blood ran through the veins of the buttoned up Amelia and the sweet, rather naive Lucy. He was quick to realise the influence she carried with her granddaughter, another good reason to exert his charm.

The sitting room was cool and filled with the heady scent of the gardenias Marcus had brought, having thought to ask Lucy her gran’s favourite flower. As
Elizabeth poured the tea and passed the tiny, crustless, cucumber sandwiches, Lucy was mildly shocked at the way in which she flirted with Marcus and then horrified at the directness of her questions. When her grandmother asked outright how his late wife had died, Lucy held her breath. Marcus however didn’t blink, and told briefly of how a blood clot travelling straight to her brain took Helena’s life without warning as she pruned her roses one spring morning.

Nodding,
Elizabeth told him, ‘Yes, I know what a shock it is. My husband George was listening to The Archers and keeled over dead in his chair from a heart attack. Still, we have to be grateful they didn’t suffer. I hope to go in a similar manner myself.’

‘
But not just yet though, Gran,’ Lucy said, hoping to move the conversation to more general subjects. But it got worse.

‘
Not for quite some time, I hope,’ replied Elizabeth. ‘I want to see at least one of my great grandchildren. On that subject, do you intend to marry my granddaughter before or after you are knighted, Marcus?’

‘
Gran!’ cried Lucy, mortified.

‘
Lucy dear, lovely though you are, you’re not the sexpot type that mature men like to dally with. If he is attending family weddings and making visits to elderly relatives I assume Marcus has more long term plans.’

Lucy was dumbstruck, but Marcus was unperturbed.

‘Quite right, Elizabeth. And to answer your question, I would like Lucy to accompany me to the palace as my wife.’

‘
Excellent!’ exclaimed a delighted Elizabeth. ‘So can I expect an engagement announcement soon?’

Marcus looked at Lucy questioningly. Laughing, she told them,
‘Oh don’t mind me, you two sort it out between you!’

As Saule drove them away from the
Chelsea house Lucy apologised, ‘Sorry about Gran, she tends to think being old is licence to say exactly what she wants.’

Smiling, Marcus replied,
‘Well, I think that’s reasonable. She’s a remarkable woman.’

‘
Hmm, I’m only just starting to realise how remarkable. I think she probably led my grandfather a bit of a dance.’

Marcus said nothing, but didn’t believe there was any doubt of that.

‘Do you have plans for this evening?’ Lucy asked, hopeful they could spend some time together.

‘
I’m afraid so. I have to entertain an embassy contact. Boring stuff, but it helps grease the wheels of commerce. What will you do?’

‘
Try to cheer up poor old Amy. She and Alex have had a rather serious falling out, but she won’t tell me what about.’

Marcus could have told her, but it wasn’t the right time.

‘Well, I’ll see you tomorrow evening. Oh, and by the way,’ he reached into his jacket pocket for a slip of paper. ‘Your appointment at the Hayden Clinic is nine-thirty Monday morning, here are the details.’

‘
That was quick,’ Lucy sounded unenthusiastic. She wasn’t looking forward to it much.

‘
Best to get it out of the way, I thought. Would you like Saule to drive you?’

‘
No thanks, I’ll make my own way there. I don’t suppose they will notice if I get off a number nine bus,’ she joked.

~

It had fallen to Clive Yates to discover who was feeding Martin Culver with information. Saule was too well known amongst the press to be able to operate effectively and Yates had a contact in the newspaper’s offices.

‘
You were right about Amy Fardell, Mr Delacroix,’ Yates had told him the previous day. ‘I got a tap on Culver’s phone no trouble, and she rang him early last week and he called her on her mobile this Monday morning. It may not be connected, but not long after the call on Monday she had a blazing row with her boyfriend in the car park of the hospital where she works. Do you want me to keep monitoring it, or do anything else?’

‘
No, you can stop now. I just needed confirmation. I’m not ready to move yet, but Saule will take it from here.’

And God help the pair of them, thought Yates grimly as he hung up.

~

Mercedes Consuela Luenga was a flamboyant creature whose position in
her country’s embassy allowed her access to information often of value to Marcus Delacroix. In her mid-thirties, she had a mane of curling black hair, huge dark eyes and a bone structure that would ensure her good looks lasted a lifetime. The details of supposedly closed tender bids, relevant shifts of power within her government and exactly the right people to bribe were amongst the information she supplied to Marcus. He rather liked the tempestuous Latin American beauty who, for the right price, would sell anything or anyone. He paid her well for her services, but when she had called him Tuesday morning with particularly valuable news he decided she deserved a bonus.

‘
If you’re free Friday evening I should like to take you to a party, Mercedes. It’s rather special and I feel sure you would appreciate it.’

A little before ten Saule dropped them at the discreet entrance of an outwardly unexceptional house where Cherry Red hosted her quite exceptional soirées.

The door was opened by a man, the cut of whose dinner jacket served to accentuate his bulging muscles, and they stepped from a very ordinary London street into a world of lavish, hedonistic pleasure where your every desire could be gratified. The Champagne was Dom Perignon, the caviar Beluga and the girls, a mixture of ages and skin tones, the most beautiful and talented the city had to offer. Upstairs a series of Fantasy Rooms would provide the backdrop to the evening’s entertainment. Handpicked, the guest list was exclusive and the price of entrance exorbitant. No one had ever complained of not getting value for money.

Cherry was the managing director of a bona fide corporate entertainment company. Executives who brought their clients and contacts here could even claim back the VAT. Invoices from Paint The Town Red Productions Ltd appeared in the accounts of some of the foremost companies, banks and even government departments.