Dark Summer Dawn (14 page)

On the face of it, the conversion seemed to be a good one. The ground floor had been used for garaging, a reception area and a cloakroom, and then a pine staircase ascended to a large studio sitting room with stunning views of the dale. The kitchen was big enough to eat in, and as well as the small bathroom there were two reasonably sized bedrooms.

There was little doubt that the flat would be ready for Tony and Julie to move into as soon as they were married, Lisa thought, looking round. Most of the current work was in the kitchen where a range of luxury units, including a built-in oven and ceramic hob, were being installed. Lisa had expected Julie to linger, but she only gave them a cursory glance before wandering back into the sitting room.

'I suppose these are the tiles she means,' she said, glancing at a large cardboard box on the floor. 'What do you think of them, Lisa?'

'I think you should look at them and make up your own mind,' Lisa said roundly. 'You're going to have to live with them, after all.'

'Yes, I am,' Julie muttered almost savagely. 'With all of them.' She went across to the big picture window and stared out. Lisa noticed that the first golden promise of the morning had faded, and that dark slate-coloured clouds were gathering.

She joined Julie at the window. 'It looks like snow,' she commented neutrally. 'What a terrific view.'

'Isn't it just?' Julie agreed with a little laugh. 'And the views from the other windows are even better. Look!' She crossed the room and stuck out a hand with a dramatic gesture.

'It's the main house,' Lisa said after a pause. The note in Julie's voice worried her.

'Yes, the main house,' Julie said. 'Here we are, quite separate, quite self-contained, as Mama Bainbridge is so fond of pointing out, and yet we're never out of sight. '
Thou, God, seest me
.' She gave an uneven giggle. 'What a prospect!'

'Oh, come on,' Lisa urged. 'You're a good distance from the house—much farther in fact than you'd be from your neighbours on a new estate.'

'She watches,' Julie said. 'Every time I've been here, she's watched. She's even waved to me once or twice. Can you imagine what it will be like when I'm actually living here?'

'Oh, Julie!' Lisa sighed ruefully. 'She's probably-anxious. She wants to help, to make sure that everything's perfect for you. Tony's her only son, after all.'

'Don't I know it,' Julie said mutinously.

'Julie.' Lisa put her hands on her stepsister's shoulders and looked worried at her. 'If this is how you feel, don't you think you should postpone the wedding for a while— give yourself time to be sure?'

Julie shook off her grasp almost pettishly. 'What are you talking about? I am sure, and I'm marrying Tony as arranged. It's just that his mother gets me down rather.'

'Then is it impossible for you to find somewhere else to live?' Lisa urged gently. 'If you really feel you'll be living in Mrs Bainbridge's pocket…'

'It's all right, I tell you. I'll get used to it.' Julie walked across to the box of tiles and pulled some of them out. 'I should think these would do for the kitchen, wouldn't you? And these gold patterned ones for the bathroom. I'll give them to the foreman, and then we can get off to Leeds.'

Lisa sighed. 'Do you really think that's such a good idea? Dane clearly didn't want us to go.'

Julie waved an airy hand. 'Oh, it does Dane good to be thwarted occasionally. Besides, I want to go to Leeds. It would be a good opportunity to look for a wedding dress.'

'I thought you were going to some boutique in Skipton,' Lisa said rather wearily.

'Well, perhaps I shall. But we can look in Leeds first.' Julie put a placatory hand on Lisa's arm. 'Oh, darling, am I a terrible problem to you?'

'As always.' Lisa smiled at her wryly.

'We'll go back to the house and change,' Julie planned happily. 'You can wear something that will knock Dane's eye out. It's time you two buried the hatchet, whatever you quarrelled about, I'm sure he fancies you secretly. He didn't like it when I was teasing you about James.'

'I don't care for it myself,' said Lisa. 'But please don't let that vivid imagination loose on Dane and me.' She added in a constrained voice, 'We're really quite happy with our mutual antipathy.'

'But you shouldn't be,' Julie said petulantly. 'You're gorgeous, Lisa. All those magazine pictures were dazzling. And Dane's incredibly sexy—even I can see that.'

Lisa moistened her lips. 'Julie, whatever equation you're working out in your head, forget it.' She gave a little nervous laugh. 'You can't just add people together and come up with the desired result, you know. And the fact is that Dane and I have never—liked each other.'

'But I want you to like each other,' Julie said stubbornly. 'And Chas does too. When he heard that you were coming home and Dane was bringing you, he was delighted, and he said that the dearest wish of his heart was…'

'Julie, please!' Lisa interrupted sharply. 'I don't want to hear about it. I don't even want to discuss it any further. The whole thing is ridiculous, and if you persist, I shan't come to Leeds. In fact, I'll go back to London on the next train.'

'All right, I won't say another word,' Julie promised penitently, but she gave Lisa a puzzled glance.

To Lisa's relief, Julie kept her promise and chatted about all kinds of things on the way back to the house, and later on the journey to Leeds. But it wasn't a peaceful trip by any means. Julie's driving was erratic to say the least, and Lisa was constantly on edge. She breathed a silent sigh of thankfulness when Julie turned the car through the high wrought iron gates which led to the Riderwood works, and parked it with more panache than expertise in front of the main office block.

She walked confidently into the reception area, calling a greeting to the girls who worked there.

'Tell Mr Riderwood we're on our way up,' she threw over her shoulder as she headed for the lift.

The offices upstairs hadn't changed a great deal since the days when Chas had been there, Lisa thought, remembering nostalgically how Jennifer had used to bring her there to see him when she was a child. She could recall how he had sat her down in a swivel chair which rose miraculously, the faster he turned it, and how Miss Palmer, his elderly secretary, had given her peppermints from a tin in her desk drawer, and let her type her name very slowly and importantly at the big, glossy electric typewriter.

There were still the tall filing cabinets, the expanse of plain moss green carpet, and the dark oak solid desks with the gleaming brass handles.

But no Miss Palmer, of course, and Lisa doubted whether the slim chic blonde who sat behind the very latest model in electric typewriters would have anything as plebeian as peppermints in her desk drawers. Turkish Delight, perhaps, she thought, and a spare bottle of Chanel Number Five.

Dane was on the phone, so they had to wait for a few minutes: Julie began to chat to the secretary in her ebulway, while Lisa wandered over to the window and stood looking out! There was a hint of snow in the air. A few flakes drifted past the glass as she watched, and she hoped that it would not amount to much. Julie's performance on reasonably dry roads was bad enough. What she would be like in icy conditions didn't bear thinking about.

The door at the other side of the room opened, and Dane said brusquely, 'I've booked a table at the Wharfe Court for one, so we'd better hurry. Are you ready?'

Lisa turned hastily, flurried by his sudden appearance and by the impatience in his voice, and her hand caught a pile of folders on the edge of the desk, sending them flying to the ground.

'Oh!' she exclaimed distressfully and knelt to retrieve them. There were sheets and sheets, all covered in figures, and Dane said, 'Leave them. Miss Cartwright will see to them.'

She got slowly to her feet, aware that she had flushed a dull red.

She said, 'I wasn't prying.'

'Of course not. Just taking a healthy interest in the family business. Well, you can reassure yourself and all other interested parties that Riderwoods are not suffering particularly from the present recession,' he said caustically. 'In case that was what was worrying you.'

'It wasn't,' she said. 'It really isn't any of my business.'

'Except that it pays the allowance my father gives you,' he said. 'And there's no need to look embarrassed—Miss Cartwright knows all about that. She's the person who arranges for the transfer of the money each month.'

'Then I can save her at least one irksome task,' Lisa said. She was trembling with anger. 'Please cancel the allowance, as of now. I don't need your money.'

'1 don't suppose you do.' His eyes slid cynically over her, taking in the elegance of the dark green velvet suit with its bloused jacket and the matching high-necked sweater. 'But no- doubt you'll find a use for it just the same. Besides, it's my father's wish that it should be paid, not mine, so if you want to make any alteration in the arrangements you'll have to talk to him.'

Lisa was almost numb with outrage as she followed him out of the office and to the lift. Even Julie shot her a sympathetic glance.

When they reached the car, Julie objected to sitting in the front as Lisa wanted.

'Lisa should sit there,' she protested. 'After all, she's really the guest today. I'm only your sister.'

'I wasn't aware that either of you were my guests,' Dane said rather grimly. 'Perhaps if one or the other of you would like to get in the car, we can go and have lunch.'

Julie scrambled into the back, giving Lisa a victorious look, while her stepsister got reluctantly into the passenger seat. She stared rigidly ahead of her as they drove out to the village where the Wharfe Court was situated.

It was a charming spot. Lisa had to admit, as they drove in. A small country house with an adjoining coach-house which had been skilfully converted into a hotel and restaurant. And in more congenial company, she thought furiously, she could probably have looked forward to her meal very much. As it was, she barely gave the menu a glance, ordering clear soup and a grilled sole to the head waiter's obvious disappointment. Dane said briefly, 'I'll have the same,' but Julie was not to be hurried, eventually choosing melon and steak cooked in red wine and mushrooms.

The bar was already over half full as they sat sipping their aperitifs and waiting to be called to their table, and a lot of the people present were known to Dane and Julie, who were constantly acknowledging greetings. Lisa herself was the recipient of a number of sideways glances, but she ignored them. She was becoming used to this form of semi-recognition and it no longer bothered her a great deal. She was amused by the number of men who stopped by their table on one pretext or another, and whom Dane had, perforce, to introduce to her.

'Going around with Lisa is a bit like a royal progress,' Julie remarked as they went to their table in the dining room. 'Heads turn as she goes by.'

'So I notice,' Dane said coldly.

'You are grumpy today, darling,' Julie said reproachfully. 'Are you still cross with us for inviting ourselves to lunch? But you didn't have anyone else to take out. Tina's still in Bermuda, isn't she?'

He said briefly, 'Yes,' and turned to confer with the wine waiter.

'So the current lady's name is Tina,' Lisa thought, straightening a knife with mathematical precision.

She found herself imagining what this unknown Tina was like. Blonde, she supposed. Dane had always had a predilection for blondes. And from the same sort of wealthy background as himself. That was the usual pattern.

'Did you go to see the flat?' Dane was addressing her, his tone cool and formal, as if she were some stranger to whom he was forced to show politeness.

'Why, yes. I think it will be charming,' Lisa returned with equal studied courtesy.

He shrugged. 'If it's what Julie wants.'

But is it? Lisa wanted to say. Why don't we all lay our cards on the table and find out just what it is that Julie wants? You're her brother, after all. Why doesn't she confide in you, even if she doesn't want to worry Chas?

But they were bringing the first course, and she had perforce to remain silent.

It was a difficult meal. Dane was taciturn, joining in Julie's bright babble of conversation with an obvious effort. For Lisa the whole thing was taking on a curious air of unreality. All of us are playing parts, she thought. Not one of us is saying what we're really thinking.

She had hardly tasted a mouthful of the delicious food placed in front of her, and when the sweet trolley made its appearance, she chose a small portion of fresh fruit salad, without cream.

'Watching your figure again, love?' Julie laughed. 'You really needn't, you know.'

'That's what you think,' Lisa retorted. 'The people who hire me have an eagle eye for an extra pound!'

'Including this Jos?' said Dane, selecting some cheese from the board in front of him.

'Among others.' His tone nettled her, and she spoke more shortly than she had intended.

His eyes were as cold and forbidding as the skies outthe window. 'He's married, I take it.'

'He is.' Lisa spooned up some of the pineapple and grapes in her salad with every appearance of enjoyment. She smiled. 'But of course I don't allow that to make any difference.'

That was perfectly true, she thought judiciously. All she'd done was alter the emphasis a little. In fact, ironically, Jos had always been like an older brother to her, filling the place that Dane had scorned. And yet was brotherhood the role she really wanted him to play in her life? she thought painfully.

She was behaving stupidly and she knew it, but what did it matter? Dane despised her. He always had and always would, so nothing she said or did would make very much difference.

Julie leaned forward. 'What's this? Has poor James got a rival?' She clapped her hand over her mouth, her dancing eyes both mischievous and penitent. 'Oh, Lisa, I'm sorry. I know you told me not to talk about him…'

'That isn't quite what I meant,' Lisa said, wondering rather bitterly how she could have forgotten Julie's propensity for mischief.

Dane said acidly, 'I gather he has a number of rivals,' and signalled to the waiter to bring their coffee.