Crimson (54 page)

“And I doubt she’ll dare turn up tonight. She’ll obviously stay with that bastard.” He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

“I’ll phone you in the morning. As soon as I got hold of Annabel, we’re going straight back to New York.” .

“There are a couple of gossip writers downstairs. I don’t want people to start wondering what’s happening to me.

r-,4 better go down and attend to my party.” Miranda was Slad to have some mechanical role to perform; she would smile brightly, move around, check that everyone was hapIPily occupied, sing “Auld Lang Sync’.

Usually the last guests lingered until around five in the morning, and usually Miranda longed for that moment, but tonight she dreaded it. Because afterwards, she would not be able to avoid thinking. Firmly she pushed away memories of Adam’s touch, Adam’s smell, Adam’s whispered erotic suggestions and the faintly detached way in which he put them into practice.

THURSDAY, 2 JANUARY 1969

Scott telephoned Miranda to tell her that Annabel, after a thirty-six-hour absence, had turned up at the Ritz in a white fox coat and not much else. If Miranda wanted to knock some sense into her sister’s head, she’d better get around fast because Annabel was packing. He was heading for the bar.

“What are you doing here?” Annabel yelled when Miranda walked into her bedroom. She hurled a pile of peach lace into the already crowded suitcase that lay on the bed.

“You might as well get out of here, if you think I’m going to listen to one of your lectures!”

“Don’t you dare tell me what to do! Miranda barked.

“I’ll do as I please.”

“How long has it pleased you to screw Adam?”

“None of your business!”

“Yes it is,” Miranda hissed.

“Adam and I have been lovers for over three years.” 7 don’t believe youP Annabel shrieked. She faced her sister.

“The last time we made love was three nights ago.”

“I don’t believe he loves you! He couldn’t love you!” Annabel’s certainty returned as she fleetingly remembered the last blissful thirty-six hours, most of which had been spent in Adam’s bed.

“I don’t believe he loves you!” Miranda shouted.

“If anything, you’re a one-night stand for Adam. Has he given you all the trimming sT “What the hell do you mean by th at?” Miranda looked coldly at her sister.

“Does he tickle your nipples with a feather? Does he slowly lick between your toes? Does he run his lips over your entire body, so lightly that there seems to be only a warm space between your skin and his mouth? Does he”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I don’t want to hear any more!” But Annabel longed to know more as uncertainty swept over her again. She stood staring at Miranda.

“Don’t you dare start crying,” Miranda said coldly.

“There’s no reason why Adam and I shouldn’t have an affair. But you’ve deceived your husband as well as your sister!”

“Scott had it coming to him! And I never meant to deceive you. I never knew about you!”

“Well, now you do. So take your clammy hands off my man!”

“But he’s not your man!” Annabel wailed.

“If Adam really loved you, would he make love to meT Triumphantly she added, “If he really loves you, then why have you both kept it a secret?” None of your damned business,” Miranda said with frost io’ her heart. What a fool she had been to think that Adam loved her enough to marry her: he hadn’t even loved her enough to be faithful.

“Yes it is! Adam loves me! We’re going to be married!”

“Has he actually asked you to marry him?” Miranda spat.

Annabel hesitated, then spoke the be with conviction. Yes.” “Then why doesn’t-A dam tell me?”

“He said the sensible thing was to wait for the fuss to die down., Icily Miranda said, “Perhaps we should both see Adam together and let him clarify his intentions. Where is he?” “None of your damned business.”

“Oh, do stop saying that! If Scott finds Adam and it shouldn’t be difficult he’ll tear him apart.”

“Scott won’t find Adam,” Annabel said. -“Scott has to catch the New York plane tonight if he doesn’t want to miss a broadcast.”

“If Adam is hiding from Scott which I doubt, by the way then let’s boih see Adam tomorrow.” Miranda looked more casual than she felt.

“Where is he?” she asked again.

“I honestly don’t know,” Annabel lied with equal casualness.

“Perhaps he’s still at the Savoy. That’s where we’ve been staying.”

At the back of Miranda’s analytical mind, a half-formed thought almost surfaced: Adam would have had to book well in advance to get a room for New Year’s Eve at the Savoy.

But instead of pursuing this logical thought, she let her attention be distracted by the violent passion she felt. Within the past half hour, her love for her sister had turned to jealous hatred. Because Miranda knew that Annabel was right about one thing: if he really loved Miranda, Adam would not have made love to Annabel.

Suddenly Miranda could understand the feelings ofsomeoone who kills the person he loves. She certainly wanted to kill Adam not anonymously with poison, not suddenly with a gun, but by some slow and painful method. She wanted Adam to know that she was responsible for his death. She wanted him to suffer the torment that she felt and would continue to feel.

“I’ll find Adam he won’t be able to hide for ever.” Miranda threw a look of hatred at Annabel, then stormed out of the room.

When Scott returned later, Annabel was sitting on a suitcase that refused to close.

She looked up to find Scott standing just inside the door, looking so furious and so forlorn she wished she could tell him she was sorry she’d hurt him because she truly was.

But because of her guilt, she could not be kind to him.

“Miranda told me her side of the story,” Scott growled.

“I’d no idea that you could be such an unscrupulous, treacherous bitch!”

Coldly Annabel said, “Will you shut this damned thing, or do I have to ring for a porter?” “Ring, dammit,” said Scott. His hurt pride battled with anger and humiliation.

“How could you do it to me? How could you do it to your sis terT “I never knew that Miranda had this … this crush on Adam.” Annabel glared at Scott and thumbed the bell.

“What the hell has this man done to you both?” Scott asked.

“Hypnotized you?” “Adam doesn’t put his damned career before everything else! Before his life! Before his wife!”

Scott was suddenly deflated.

“Believe me, Annabel, I regret it.”

“Adam doesn’t take me for granted!”

“So that’s how he got to you,” Scott said quietly. Adam 46o given Annabel the attention that Sco .tt had provided they first met. Scott had underestimated Annabel’s too of selfconfidence when her career crumbled. He had briskly attempted to minimize the importance of what had happened to her. But Adam had consoled her with flattery. He had zeroed in on her insecurity, and his honeyed rcassursince had clearly repaired the rift in her self-esteem. Scott took two steps towards Annabel.

“I never realized I was WgIecting you, angel.”

“If you knew how I hate being called “angel”!”

“Then why didn’t you say soT Scott yelled.

“What does that bastard Adam call you?” Scott couldn’t believe his sense of grief, of loss, almost of mourning. He remembered feeling like this only once before at his mother’s funeral, when much too late he finally realized he had lost something irreplaceable, something that he had never known he valued so much..

Remembering his pain, Scott said, “I can’t bear to lose you, Annabel.”

“You can’t expect me to feel the same way.” Annabel glared at him again.

“I can’t believe that this is happening to us!” Scott was usually so astute and observant, yet his wife had been cheating on him for months and he hadn’t noticed.

“Why not?” Annabel glared.

“It would have been easy for me to screw around at the station. You may laugh, but I believed in absolute commitment. For me, love wasn’t just fucking.”

“There hasn’t been much of that lately.” Annabel stared impatiently out of the window. She couldn’t wait to get away.

“It takes two,” Scott said.

“Remember how often you visited poor Elinor?” He added quietly, “We’re both going back to New York together as planned, and we’re both going to forget that this ever happened.”

Annabel laughed.

Scotfs calm shattered. He said sharply, “If you don’t ni divorce you.”

“Go ahead.” Annabel laughed again. No more lies. No” more cover-ups. No more alibis. No more guilt. She would be free to marry Adam. And if that was the case, she was convinced he would marry her.

Adam wasn’t at the Savoy and of course he wouldn’t stay in his own home, where she and Scott could badger him, Miranda thought.

Where could that bastard hide, an unexpected guest, for an indefinite period over the holiday season in quiet and comfortable anonymity? Suddenly she knew where he was hiding. There was one person who would always protect Adam, no matter what he had done.

Twenty minutes later, Miranda rang the bell of the dignified cream house in Eaton Terrace.

When Mike’s butler answered the door, she said quietly, “Please tell Mr. Adam Grant that Miss O’Dare is a little early for her appointment.” Once inside the house, instead of waiting in the hall, Miranda silently followed the manservant up the carpeted stairs to the second floor.

The butler paused at a bedroom door. Before he could knock, she had twisted the brass handle, ducked under his arm, and burst into the room.

Seated before the mustard brocade curtains of the bedroom window, Adam was studying a page of figures.

He looked up in surprise.

“What are you doing here, Miranda?” As he spoke, Adam slipped the sheet of paper between the cushion and the side of the chair so that it was hidden.

“I might ask the same of you!” Miranda said hotly.

“Thank you, Forbes.” Adam waited until the door had “Ooed. Then, with apparent sincerity, he said, “I’m sorry you had to find out this way, Miranda. I’m truly sorry I’ve made such a mess of things for you.” I As painfully as if she had just stepped barefoot on a hedgehog, Miranda again felt the destructive spikes of jealousy. Tormented and miserable to the point of frenzy, she burst out, “Why did you do it this way, Adam? That’s what I don’t understand. Do you love Annabel?”

“I am not going to discuss my feelings for Annabel with you or anyone else,” Adam said. He stood up and looked coldly at Miranda.

Her jealousy flared. She flow across the room and lashed out at him with her fists.

Adam easily caught her wrists. Miranda found herself powerless to shake them free. She kicked at his ankle and hit his shinbone. When he winced from the pain, she tried to bite his hands. Adam swiftly shifted his grip so that he held Miranda’s face against his chest while firmly grasping her wrists behind her.

She found it difficult to move. Her check was pressed against him. Hatred, burning rage, and pain consumed her.

“Let me go, you bastarff She twisted upward and managed to clamp her teeth on his chin.

Adam jerked his head back. With satisfaction, Miranda saw blood run from his chin.

Barely concealing the fury in his voice, Adam said, “I’ll let you go when I feel like it. You’re about to find out who’s in control, you careless, stupid little bitch.”

“I’d remind you that I’m in control of the company! I’m your boss!”

“I shouldn’t be too sure,” Adam spat.

“Why should you have so large a part of the company that I’ve done so much to build upP “You got a quarter of a million pounds” worth of shares for that! And you get a damned good salary! Let me go!”

Adam tightened his grip.

“I’m sorry to tell you that I not only wished to have more of the business but I also wished you to have less.”

“L—t me go!” Miranda desperately tried to pull free of him: her wrists were burning now and tears of pain sprang to her eyes.

“By God, I’ll fire you, Adam!”

“No. You can’tfire me, Miranda.”

“I don’t know what the hell you mean, Adam, but as soon as I get out of here, I’m going to telephone my solicitors and find out just how quickly I can terminate your contract.”

“In that case, Miranda, please remember to tell your solicitors that you no longer have a controlling interest in the company.”

“What the hell do you meanT “Remembering your extensive knowledge of company law, I’m sure you know that the biggest shareholder virtually controls a company.”

“Yes, and that’s me.”

“You are mistaken, Miranda. I now control the biggest shareholding in SUPPLY KITS Forty-six per cent! And you can’t do a thing about it! You have a choice, of course: you can either leave the company or you can work your ass off to provide me with a splendid income for the rest of my life.” In fact, Adam now planned to sell all his shares before leaving for Rio.

“You must be mad,” Miranda gasped, still trying to free herself from Adam’s grip. She managed to kick him again, and he winced.

“No,” he said between gritted teeth, “I’m telling you the truth, my darling. You and your bloody family are about to be wiped out.”

Adam quickly twisted Miranda so that her back was against his chest. He then moved backwards, towards the door of the room, dragging her with him. She fought “wodly against his grip and heard her coat rip as they wuggled.

Miranda panted, “You can’t do anything to my family.” She wished she’d thought of kneeing Adam in the groin while she was facing him. She waited until he had to use one hand to open the door, then gave a vicious kick backwards and once more hit his leg bone. He grunted with pain but did not release her. I “You’ll find I can do something to your family, “Adam said, gritting his teeth again as he tightened his hold on Miranda.

“What do you mean.21 But Adam had already said more than he intended. Still gripping Miranda’s wrists painfully, he frog marched her down the wide, maroon-carpeted stairway.

The butler appeared in the hall. He quickly concealed his astonishment and, at Adam’s curt request, politely opened the door.

Adam shoved Miranda out, between the elegant Doric columns that guarded the steps to the street.