To Murder Matt (18 page)

“I will always be here for you, no matter what.” His jaw clenched and she saw his pain and sadness in his eyes clouding the love he felt for her. He released her and turned and walked away, every step away from her ripping her heart into millions of shreds.

She turned and looked towards the lake. What had she done? What on earth had she been thinking, to marry a man she didn’t love, didn’t really love? Why didn’t she realize it before now?

Standing in the almost dark, she shivered. Up at the main house, the outside lights were being switched on, causing the trees to suddenly take form in the glow of the lights. Servants were going from one torch to another, and slowly, one by one flaming fire torches lighted up the lake. She heard a twig snap, and turned to the sound, fully expecting to see Dean again. Instead, she found Matt sneering at her.

“Well, that was a pretty little scene. I can’t leave you alone for a minute without you throw yourself at the first man in sight.” His eyes glinted dangerously. She stepped backwards,away from him, whilst trying to think of what she could say. He grabbed her forcefully and pulled her to him. Holding her tightly against his hard body. He kissed her hard on the lips. There was no passion. Nothing. Just a territorial placing of his lips upon hers. He held her arms, his fingers gripping her maliciously. “There! That will remove any memory of him. You are my wife and don’t you ever forget it.” He spat to the side in disgust. She tried to pull away. “Oh no you don’t. One more thing.” He paused, making sure she saw the anger in his eyes, and heard the malice in his voice. “If I ever see you with him again, I will kill him.” He released her in disgust, and she stepped to the side to get out of his arms reach. She picked up her skirts, and walked away, back towards the house briskly. Nearer to the marquee, where she could feel safe. She turned back to see if he was behind her, but he wasn’t, and she saw him silhouetted against the reflection of the lake. He was looking at the lake and appeared to be lost in his thoughts.

She brushed off the newly mown grass, which had caught on her dress as she had walked back, and quickly went up the stairs, and back into the marquee.  Her mother rushed up to her.

“Darling, where have you been?” The guests have been asking for you.”

“Matt and I went for a walk by the lake,” she stammered.

“Oh darling, there will be plenty of time for that later!” She laughed happily. “You have the rest of your lives together.” She took her arm, and together they walked towards her guests.

Seated at the head table, Ellen took her champagne and drank it in one long gulp. Her hand was trembling so much that she had to put the glass down. She looked along the table for another glass. As if on cue, a butler appeared behind her and refilled her glass. She drank it quickly and held her glass out to be refilled again. Then she took the bottle off him and shooed him away to get another. As she was finishing her fourth glass, a woman sat down next to her. It was the dark haired companion of Dean’s.

“I hope I am not disturbing you?”

“No, not at all.” Ellen’s voice was distant and slurred. She didn’t know why, but already this woman annoyed her.  She was well dressed, beautiful, had a very sexy French accent and worse still, she was seeing Dean. No, she had no reason at all to take an instant dislike to her.

“I’m Priscilla Harrison. You don’t know me. I work with Dean”

“Mmm yes.” Ellen held up her glass in a mock toast.

“I know this isn’t the time to talk but can we meet? It’s very important.”

“I am sure my husband and I would be delighted, I am sure.”

“No, that is not possible. Just you and I. It is
about
your husband.”

“Oh that should be
really
interesting. I bet you are an ex-girlfriend. Got any tips?” Ellen could hardly contain her disdain and sarcasm.

“No, I am not a girlfriend. I am serious.” Veronique looked around. “I have to go. I will call you when you get back from your honeymoon. Please remember me.” Veronique stood up and started to walk away hurriedly.

“Oh don’t you worry.” Ellen shouted in a semi-slur and a semi call. “I’ll remember you all right.” Ellen finished another drink and stood up, her body slightly swaying to her own music. She grabbed a man passing the table.

“Dance with the bride?” She smiled at him drunkenly. He smiled at her tipsiness, and then politely, and carefully escorted her to the dance floor. He gently held her up, and guided her faltering steps, and she chattered incoherently.  Occasionally, she rested her head on his shoulder, messing her hairstyle as she did so. When that dance finished, another man replaced the last, and Ellen remembered dancing so many dances with a blur of men throughout the evening.  After a few dances too many, the room began to spin by itself.

“Excuse me, I need some air.” She pushed the man away and turned, rushing towards the patio door that, only a few hours earlier, she had walked through in style.

She stumbled down the steps and staggered towards the lake. She was aware of her legs moving under her long skirt and remembered to pick it up at the front so that she could move freely. She didn’t stop until she reached a wooden bench by the lake. Behind her she heard raised voices, heated in the midst of an argument.

“NO!  You let me go!”

“After it’s taken me all this time to find you? You must be joking.”

“Get your hands off me, or I will scream!” She heard his laughter.

“You think anyone will hear from here? Really? Besides I am the master here now.”

Ellen followed the voices to the family picnic area. She was astonished to see Matt struggling with the dark haired woman called Priscilla. Neither of them was aware of her presence. Ellen took a step back, and ducked rather gracelessly behind a large conifer tree. Her mind was screaming. ‘
What is going on?’
It took her only a few seconds to sober up. The voices continued. Matt was shouting.

“What are you calling yourself now? Huh? Where are you living? Are you fucking that Dean guy? Are you? Are you?”  He slapped her face hard, so hard that the sound of the slap echoed around the grounds.

“I won’t tell you.” She glared at him defiantly, “You have no right to know.”

“No right? Don’t you give me that.” He pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the mouth. She struggled against him, squirming and trying to get out of his strong grip. She kicked him and he still held her fast. She leaned back and spat at him, her saliva hitting him square in the face.

“You fucking ungrateful bitch!” He threw her backwards and she fell to the floor.

“You bastard I hate you.” She got up. “I would kill you given the chance.”

“What’s happening here?” Dean appeared from the other side of the picnic area. Veronique crossed the short distance between them and threw herself into his arms.

“Oh how sweet,” Matt sneered. “You came to save her.”

“Are you alright, Priscilla?”  He held her close to him protectively.

“Priscilla?  Priscilla? How pretty. There is a name I will never forget.”

Veronique turned to face him, feeling Dean standing behind her, his hands on her upper arms, gave her a strength she didn’t know she had before.

“You don’t frighten me anymore, Matt. I am a different person to the one you knew.” She lied bravely. Matt threw back his head, and laughed.

“You, you could never change.” Veronique bristled at his words, and pulled herself up to her full height.

“You think you married into money? A good family? I could soon put her right, ruin this sweet little deal you have got yourself.”

Dean watched the exchange between them, whilst he didn’t know what Veronique was talking about; he could see the obvious effect her words were having on Matt.

“You fucking little schemer. You’re trying to blackmail me, me of all people.”

“No, that is where you are wrong. I want you to leave her, and me, alone. I feel sorry for your wife. She has no idea about you. Who you really are. What you are really like. I do.”

“You are a jealous little bitch, that’s all.” Matt was aware that Dean was listening, and tried to turn her words on her. “You just want me back. You can’t have me, so you want to ruin it for her.” Matt stepped forward, murder in his eyes. “Don’t you dare fucking threaten me.”  He raised his hand to hit Veronique, but Dean stepped around Veronique to position himself before Matt and between them.

“Look, I don’t know what is going on here, but it has to stop. You want a fight, you fight me Matt. Not a woman!” Veronique grabbed his arm.

“No, Dean. It’s not necessary. I have said my piece.”  She tugged at him to follow her. He walked with her, glaring at Matt as he passed him. Veronique turned back, “And if you ever come near me again Matt, I will not be held responsible for my actions.”

They left together. Behind the conifer tree, Ellen’s heart was pounding so loudly she was afraid to move. The air was suddenly so quiet around them that she thought if she moved a muscle, he would hear her. She remained frozen to the spot, praying he wouldn’t see her. Whilst she had heard and seen everything, none of it made any sense to her. Obviously, there was something, or had been something, between Priscilla and Matt. Matt had never mentioned her at all, but from his reactions this evening, his emotions were very charged, and his eyes told her that whatever it was with Priscilla, it wasn’t over yet.

Matt turned to face the tree she was hiding behind, his sixth sense warning him of another presence.  Ellen froze once more, visualizing herself as part of the tree.  His eyes scanned the area, and finding nothing, he looked away, and then started up the path back towards the main house.  A few moments later, Ellen picked up her skirts, and ran in the opposite direction.  She knew a quicker route to the marquee.

Breathing heavily from the run, she straightened her hair and entered the marquee smiling. Her face was still flushed from her run when Matt found her. He believed it was from the champagne and the excitement of the wedding.  He put his arm around her and now, she felt nothing but revulsion at his touch.

“Missed me, my sweet?” His eyes were as cold as ice. He smiled. She smiled in return, her professional smile.  She stiffened as he lowered his mouth to hers to kiss her. She felt his lips upon hers, and felt a wave of nausea rise from the pit of her stomach.  She thought of his lips on Priscilla’s only moments before. He was obviously still thinking of her, the other woman, and she felt him hardening against her where his hips pressed against her thigh. He looked down at her, his eyes darkening as though storm clouds were approaching.

“Don’t you enjoy my kisses as much as pretty boy’s?” She looked up in shock and surprise.  He leant down and whispered in her ear “You are a fucking cheap whore. A slut of the worst kind.”  They were standing closely together, her veins filling with ice as he spoke.  This was her wedding day, supposedly the happiest day of her life, and now it was the worst ever. What had been a happy future full of hopes, dreams and promises had now become a future of eternal nightmares, of broken promises, dark empty nights and hatred. A deepening chasm of darkness, and complex emotions, stood between them. Matt let her go and he walked away. Again she was left standing alone. ‘
What had happened tonight and what did it have to do with Dean and Priscilla?’
 

Ellen felt a cold fear forming in her confusion, it twisted and grew within her and gnawed at her very existence.

She turned, and watched Matt walking towards the main house, a sense of foreboding filling her bones.

D
ean hadn’t enjoyed the wedding one bit. He was more perplexed than ever. There was such an odd feeling about the whole affair. Priscilla had behaved very oddly. It was as if she knew Matt, and much better than she was trying to let on.  Ellen had also been acting out of character. When he had danced with her and kissed her, he felt it had been their wedding day, not her wedding to another man.  When he had watched her drive away with Matt in the car, both off on honeymoon together, he had felt his heart sink. He didn’t like Matt at all. He had felt such rage towards him.  He saw how he had treated Priscilla, he knew of his disdain for Ellen and yet he had stood by powerless to stop him from stealing the woman he loved.  He felt insane jealousy that tonight, he would be holding Ellen, loving her. Ellen belonged to him, not Matt. He was like the usurper to the throne. When they had left, Ellen had none of the earlier radiance, none of the glow she had had when she was in
his
arms. As they had driven away, fireworks had filled the sky, announcing to the entire world that their union was official, underway.  The fireworks, timed to the song “Endless Love,” tore at him.  He was sure Ellen had made a grave mistake in her choosing of Matt over him. This Matt character was nothing but a cad, a gold digger, an international playboy and overall conman.  He had more or less admitted it to him that night at the Ritz. Even Priscilla’s behavior changed around Matt. She became like a fighting large cat, or worse a raging tiger full of anger, her claws out and sharpened, ready to pounce. Ready to kill. Matt brought the worst out in people. When he had found her arguing in the garden, he wasn’t sure whether he should interfere or not, but the moment he saw Matt strike her, he had stepped in.  He had to. No reason is a good reason for a man to strike a woman.  He wanted to ask Priscilla what it was all about, but it quite frankly was none of his business. Their relationship was purely business.  She was such a good and hard worker, already he had received glowing reports from his clients, and business had been booming since she arrived.

Dean looked across the room at her as she worked.  She had been looking really tired lately. He had only asked her to the wedding as she didn’t have any friends, or a social life, and also he didn’t want to attend alone; everyone would think it odd if he did.  Everything was going swimmingly until she had seen Matt. After then, even he had noticed she was on edge and high alert. At the time, he had wondered whether they had been lovers.

“Priscilla?”