Emma’s Secret (18 page)
Authors: Barbara Taylor Bradford
Her mobile began to ring, and she fished around for it in her handbag, brought it to her ear. ‘Hello?’
‘Evan, it’s me, Gideon.’
‘Hi.’
‘Where are you?’
‘Just coming down the Mall. I’m almost at Trafalgar Square.’
‘That’s good. I’ve finished here at the paper earlier than I expected. Tell the cabbie to take you to the Savoy. I’ll meet you in the bar.’
‘I’ll see you in a few minutes,’ she answered, and put the mobile back in her bag.
They sat together in a quiet corner of the bar, sipping their glasses of white wine and talking. At least Gideon was talking, about his work mostly, and Evan was listening attentively. Finally he fell silent. As he had been speaking his eyes had remained on her face, and they were still on her.
She returned his fixed scrutiny steadily, without blinking. His light green eyes looked as if they were flecked with gold in the dim light of the bar, and it seemed to her that he was trying to convey his innermost feelings to her. She realized they were the same as hers: identical, in fact.
After a moment, Gideon said, ‘I have a confession to make…’
‘Yes?’ she asked quietly, staring into his face, which was now full of yearning.
‘I’ve never felt like this before…the way I feel about you.’
‘Neither have I.’
A small smile settled on his mouth.
‘I think we both share the same feelings for each other,’ Evan said.
‘I hope so.’ His face filled with sudden happiness. ‘I’m not playing around with you. I’m very serious about you, so tell me if you don’t feel the same…If this is just a
passing thing
for you, then say so now.’
She shook her head vehemently. ‘It’s not a passing thing. I’m not in the habit of playing around. But we still have a long way to go. We have to get to know each other better, don’t you think? We need to spend more time together.’
He nodded his understanding, took hold of her hand again, brought it to his mouth, kissed the back of it. ‘There’s one way I want to get to know you much better. And tonight. Will you come home with me later…so that we can be together at last?’
She nodded.
‘I booked a table at Rules for dinner.’
‘Oh, you did!’
‘You told me you went there with your grandparents when you were twelve. But you don’t sound very enthusiastic’
‘I’m not hungry.’
‘I know what you mean. Neither am I.’ His eyes held hers. ‘I want to be with you more than anything in the whole world. Would you like to leave now?’
‘Yes, I would,’ she whispered.
Gideon Harte paid the bill and they left the bar.
He escorted her through the lobby, his hand under her elbow, solicitous as he always was with her, and they stepped out into the courtyard of the hotel.
A moment later his driver was pulling up alongside them; as they got into the car, Gideon said, ‘You can drop us off at home, Harry, thanks.’
Once they were settled on the back seat and the car edged out of the yard, his arms went around her and she brought her face up to his. He kissed her deeply and continued to kiss her for a few minutes longer, and then he moved his face away from hers. Sitting up a little straighter, he still held her tightly in his arms; against the cloud of her dark hair, he murmured, ‘I’ve got to stop this. I can’t stand it. I think I’m going to explode.’
‘I know, I know.’
E
van had been to Gideon’s flat once before with Linnet and Julian: they had gone for drinks before the four of them went out to dinner. That night she had been struck by its inherent good taste, but now she saw, at a quick glance, that it also had great charm and comfort. The whole was a mingling of greys and soft blues, accented with white, and there were some very good paintings on the walls.
After taking her coat, he led her from the entrance hall into the sitting room, where he turned on more lamps. But they did not linger there. In his usual take-charge manner he ushered her across the room in the direction of his bedroom. ‘Let’s go in here now, darling. Let’s not be coy. All right?’
‘Yes,’ she answered softly.
Evan knew that she would have been slightly startled if this somewhat cut-and-dried comment had come from anyone else. But not from Gideon; he was so kind and sincere he had meant it in the best possible way. Anyway, she liked his directness. They had come here to make love. Why pretend otherwise?
In the bedroom he snapped on a small lamp in a corner, and then turned to her, kissed her lightly on the mouth and began to unbutton the neckline of her black wool dress. But suddenly he stopped, drew her to him and held her very close. He said, after a moment, ‘I can’t begin to tell you what this means to me, Evan, having you here with me. And I do want to please you so much…’ He let the words slide away, held her tighter.
‘You do,’ she whispered.
Later that night she was to remember how tender and loving he was when they undressed, recall how she realized he was being so true to his nature…gentle and thoughtful, concerned for her.
Gideon held her in his arms, kissing her, touching her lightly; and she responded to him ardently. He was as tall as she was, and they fitted well together as they lay alongside each other on the bed. Eventually he began to stroke her, exploring her body, kissing her all over, and then he covered her with his long, lean body, and her arms went around him. Her fingers crept into the hair on the nape of his neck, and then she slid her hands down over his shoulders and onto the small of his back.
He was very still, quiet, hardly speaking at all, except for a few gently murmured endearments. And she was silent, too, enjoying this intense communion without words, enjoying his hands all over her. His touching, so experienced and knowing, was erotic, sensual.
Bracing himself on his hands on either side of her, he looked down into her face, his eyes on hers. The expression in them was so intense, so penetrating, she felt as if he were seeing into her very soul, and she into his. Unexpectedly his face contorted slightly, and his eyes widened, as if in surprise, as he took her to him finally, sinking deeply into her.
An involuntary moan escaped her as he thrust harder, deeper, and he instantly covered her mouth with his, tasting her. Almost at once they fell into their own fluid rhythm, moving together as one.
Evan, her arms and legs wrapped around him, felt the heat rushing through her. It was rising from the core of her. She was red hot with desire, her face flaming under his touch as he stroked it roughly, then brought his hand down onto her breast, cupping it. The heat flowing through her suddenly seemed to intensify; she knew she was on the verge of climaxing and her body began to tremble under his. She whispered,
‘Gideon.
Oh Gideon. Please don’t stop.’
He raised himself again, looked down into her face, his eyes piercing, overflowing with desire. ‘I won’t,’ he said, his voice still hoarse, rasping with his own pent-up emotions. ‘Come to me, Evan, come to me, darling. Be mine, as I am yours.’ Gideon could no longer control himself. Shudders racked through him, convulsed him, and he gripped her body hard, pulled it tighter to him. And they crested together on wave upon wave of pure, unadulterated joy.
They lay together in a mass of tangled sheets, not moving, not speaking. Eventually, Gideon moved closer, half covered Evan with his body and moved strands of hair away from her face. Staring into her luminous grey eyes, he said softly, ‘Before, you said I pleased you. I hope I please you even
more
now?’
She smiled up at him, her eyes crinkling at the corners. ‘Yes, you do. Very much.’
He nodded, still looking at her intently, and then he let his hand wander down from her breasts, over her stomach towards the vee of black hair at the top of her legs. He caressed her with tenderness, kissed her passionately, slowly found her core and began to make love to her with great concentration. Almost immediately her legs began to quiver, and her whole body stiffened, and she cried out as waves of ecstasy convulsed her.
Eventually she calmed, and he wrapped his arms around her, held her close to him, and said in a low voice, ‘I want you to be mine and only mine, Evan.’
‘I am, Gideon,’ she whispered, and reached up to touch his face.
Evan awakened suddenly, snapping open her eyes, glancing about. Disoriented for a moment, she glanced around the dimly lit room, and then she realized she was at Gideon’s flat in Belgravia.
Turning, she reached for him, only to discover that his side of the bed was empty. She got up, found the terrycloth robe he had given her last night, and put it on. Padding across the carpet in her bare feet, she found Gideon in the sitting room. Wrapped in a dark blue silk dressing gown, wearing his tortoiseshell glasses, he was seated at his desk, his head down, staring at papers, his briefcase open on the floor.
He must have sensed her presence. He glanced up and instantly smiled at her. ‘Darling! It’s the middle of the night. Go back to bed.’
She leaned against the door jamb for a second, and then glided over, stood before him at the desk. ‘It’s three o’clock. Do you always work at this hour?’
‘Frequently. But I’ve already accomplished quite a lot in an hour, so come on, let’s get a bit of sleep if we can.’
He rose, came around the desk, took hold of her hand and led her back to the bedroom. They got into bed and he turned out the lamp, took her in his arms, kissed her cheek and held her close. After a moment he said, ‘I have to go to the Isle of Man again on business. I want you to come with me. Will you, darling?’
‘Yes. If Linnet lets me have the time off.’
‘She will.’ He nuzzled the back of her neck, and they settled down. And entwined, comfortable with each other, they soon dozed.
But within the hour Evan woke up again. During sleep they had disentangled themselves from each other; Gideon was lying on his side at the edge of the bed, obviously in a very deep slumber, breathing evenly.
She curled against his back and closed her eyes, but sleep eluded her. For a while she thought about every single moment of the last few hours, relived them; she focused on their sexual attraction, their rampant desire for each other, their passionate lovemaking. It seemed to her that they were perfect together, perfect in every way, really. They had discovered, right from the beginning of their relationship, that they were completely compatible; that had been patently obvious to them both. In these last few weeks they had come to know each other well, had become friends and, in a way, allies. She was glad of that; happy that they had such a strong foundation for their relationship. There was no question that she was in love with him. She wanted him. It was apparent to her that he felt the same way.
Unexpectedly, her father’s words came back to her. The way he had fitted Gideon into some ridiculous slot in his mind was shocking. How foolish it was to characterize and categorize people. And her father wasn’t a stupid man. So perhaps it was something else which made him speak in that awful manner. Dislike of the Hartes? But he didn’t even
know
them. Or did he? She was becoming very suspicious of her father as far as Emma Harte’s offspring were concerned.
Gideon moved restlessly, made a strange, strangled noise in his throat, as if he were having a bad dream, and then almost at once he settled down again. Gently, Evan smoothed her hand across his back, not wanting to wake him, but wanting, certainly, to soothe him.
Gideon worked so hard. Sometimes when he met her for dinner it was well after nine o’clock, and he looked exhausted, his face pinched, his eyes dull and weary. It took him a while to relax, to let go of that world he occupied all day. It was a world he loved, she knew that, but it took its toll. He was trying to build the circulation of the
London Evening Post,
and he needed to entice Christian Palmer back to the paper. That’s why he had to return to the Isle of Man. Last week he had told her he was working on the contract for Christian, and that things now looked positive. She hoped Gideon would succeed.
The entire family worked hard; she had realized this right from her first day at the store. And she had told her father this earlier tonight, but he hadn’t seemed impressed. He just wanted to focus on his own view of them; but his view was skewed. She had begun to understand that the Hartes were totally dedicated to the great business empire founded by Emma Harte. ‘A legend in her own time,’ Linnet had explained the other day. ‘Imagine that, Evan. Already a legend when she was only in her early fifties. It’s amazing.’ But they were all amazing, weren’t they?
Eventually Evan fell asleep, curled up against Gideon’s back, one arm thrown over his body, one leg entwined with his. Her last thought was that this was where she wanted to be for the rest of her life. With him always.
P
aula glanced at the full-sized portrait of Emma Harte hanging over the fireplace in her office, and said to Emily, ‘Grandy would be very proud of you, Dumpling, you’ve done a wonderful job the way you’ve run Harte Enterprises.’
‘She’d be proud of all of us, actually, and I do think you’ll have to stop calling me Dumpling. It’s a most unsuitable name for a middle-aged woman. Quite embarrassing, actually.’
Paula started to laugh. ‘I agree, but I can’t help it, darling. I started calling you Dumpling when you were four or five years old, and I guess it’s a habit that’s hard to break.’
‘Try.’
‘I will’
There was a small pause, and Emily glanced around Paula’s office, suddenly exclaiming, ‘Gosh, it’s like spring in here with all your wonderful flowering plants, and the daffodils look beautiful. I wish I had your green fingers. You’ve always been able to make things grow ever since we were little.’
‘It’s just luck really. Well,
Emily,
let’s go over the guest lists for Winston’s and Shane’s birthday party. I see you have pretty much included everyone I put on my list, so we’re in agreement there. I don’t think there’s anyone to add.’
‘I think there is. One person is missing, Paula,’ Emily remarked, settling back in the chair on the other side of Paula’s partners’ desk, which had once belonged to Emma, as had this office.
With a small frown, Paula asked, ‘Who did I miss?’
‘Evan Hughes.’
‘But she’s not family,’ Paula began and stopped abruptly. ‘Of course! Gideon’s been taking her out, so Linnet tells me, and obviously you think he’ll want to bring her with him. But will it last until June? It’s only March now. Or is this serious?’
‘Yes, it’s the first time he’s ever been serious about a woman in his life. You know the story…how he found her looking for the executive offices in January. Well, he’s been seeing her ever since. And I think the initial friendship has blossomed into a love affair.’
‘Oh! How do you know?’
‘Winston told me, and he got it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.’
‘What did Gideon say to Winston?’
‘A few weeks ago, that night Winston spotted Jonathan Ainsley and Sarah Lowther in the Dorchester Grill Room, the two of them had a talk about Gideon’s love life. Winston point blank asked him if there was anyone serious, and Gideon said he’d just met someone he thought
could
be, but it was too soon really to say. Well, a couple of days ago, he told his father he did have serious intentions about Evan.’
‘And what about Evan? Did he say how she felt?’
‘That she was very involved with him, but being sensible and cautious she thought they should get to know each other properly before making a long-term commitment to each other.’
‘That sounds like her. Linnet says she’s very down-to-earth and practical. And a workaholic, which Linnet loves because she’s such a slave driver. But I will add this, Emily, India is crazy about her as well. She can’t speak highly enough about her. Evan seems to be rather popular all around.’
‘So I hear. Amanda thought she had a look of you.’
‘I didn’t know Amanda had met her.’
‘The other day, before she flew to New York, she came to the store to see Linnet–to bring a couple of gowns for the retrospective, actually–and Linnet introduced them.’
‘Do
you
think she looks like me, Em?’
‘No, I don’t, to be honest. Oh yes, she’s the same type as you–tall, slender, dark-haired, exotic looking–but that’s all it is, really. She doesn’t have your widow’s peak, and her eyes are grey not violet.’
‘That’s what Linnet says, but oddly enough, Shane did a double-take the other day when
he
met her.’
Emily shook her head. ‘I just don’t see it. On the other hand, she tends to dress like you, in very tailored clothes, which adds to the impression, perhaps. But who cares, she’s obviously not a relative. On the couple of occasions I met her I liked her, Paula.’ Emily leaned forward slightly, and gave her cousin a long hard stare. ‘I trust my son, he’s a good judge of character, and his happiness is all that matters for me. If he wants to marry Evan, then it’s all right by me, and by Winston. But you know he’s anxious to have grandchildren. He’s banking on Gideon to deliver the goods, because he’s certain Adrianna will do her best not to get pregnant by Toby.’
‘I tend to agree with that. Well then, let’s add Evan Hughes to the list. I see you didn’t,’ Paula murmured.
‘I wouldn’t, not until I’d spoken to you. By the way, Mummy’s really excited about coming, seeing the family.’ Emily started to laugh. ‘She’s so excited, in fact, I do believe she’s thinking about having another face job before she faces the entire family.’
Paula laughed with her. ‘Poor Aunt Elizabeth, you do malign her, Em, and I’m sure she’s not going to have a face job. She looks half her age and perfectly wonderful.’
‘You’re right. But she is hightailing it to Paris. To Balmain on the rue Francois Premier to be exact. She wants Oscar de la Renta to make her a fabulous evening gown. And she told me she’s getting her ill-gotten gains out of the bank.’
‘Ill-gotten gains?’
‘All the diamonds her husbands and lovers have given her over the years.’
‘Emily, that’s a downright lie, and you know it! Your mother bought her own jewellery. Remember what Grandy said–that your mother’s husbands all had dubious titles and
empty
wallets.’
‘Except for my father. Tony Barkstone was a true blue Englishman and so was Derek Linde, Amanda’s and Francesca’s father. Mind you, they didn’t have a bean between them but they were nice. Mummy should have never dumped either one of them. But you’re right, she did buy her own stuff, except for some rather nice pieces Grandy gave her, with the understanding they came to Amanda, Francesca, and me when she dies.’
‘You’ve told me that before. Amanda is doing a great job at Genret, don’t you think?’
‘Yes, I do, and Amanda’s getting her divorce moving forward, by the way.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. I thought it was a mistake right from the beginning,’ Paula replied and added, ‘by the way, I spoke to Aunt Edwina in Yorkshire the other day. I couldn’t believe how she sounded.’
‘Well, she
is
very old, you know. Over ninety.’
‘No, no, what I meant is that she was fantastic. Sounded as if she was about to lead the entire British army into battle.’
Emily grinned. ‘That’s Edwina. I do believe her favourite granddaughter India gets that enormous energy from her. It’s bred in the bone, I guess.’
‘I think so. Now, Em, what do we do about Uncle Robin?’
‘I think we have to invite him, Paula. He’s not responsible for his son’s treachery to the family.’
Paula nodded, picking up another sheet of paper. ‘I like your suggestion about having various food bars during drinks, but we have to settle on the actual dinner menu. How—’ Paula stopped, glanced at her private line as it buzzed, and picked up the receiver. ‘Hello?’
‘Mother, it’s me. Tessa.’
‘Yes, Tessa. What can I—’
‘I want to see you,’ Tessa cut in swiftly. ‘Immediately. I
have
to talk to you. It’s very important. And it can’t wait, so I’m going to come up to your office now.’
‘I’m in a meeting at the moment,’ Paula responded, her voice cool, contained. ‘I can’t see you for at least half an hour.’
‘Then I suppose I’m going to have to wait until then.’ Tessa banged the phone down without any further discussion.
As she replaced the receiver Paula looked across at her cousin and said in a clipped tone, ‘The Dauphine is in something of a snit, it seems.’
‘She really
does
think she’s the heir apparent, you know,’ Emily remarked. ‘She has illusions of grandeur. She certainly thinks she’s going to take over from you, Paula, sooner rather than later.’
‘Grandy often used a wonderful Yorkshire saying in such instances: “You know what Thought did? Followed a muck cart and thought it was a wedding.” Rather apt, wouldn’t you say? I’m afraid Tessa has a few lessons to learn…the first one in half an hour.’
‘What’s my problem, you ask?
Really,
Mother! You should know by now it’s Linnet and her ridiculous sibling rivalry. It can’t possibly have escaped you that she acts as if she owns this store. It boggles the mind the way she walks about, telling everyone what to do, throwing her weight around. She thinks she’s in command of everyone; certainly she bosses enough people about. Not me, of course, she wouldn’t dare, but her underlings, oh yes indeed. And now, on top of everything else, she has another assistant, as well as India. It’s preposterous. I don’t even have an assistant, merely a secretary. And do you know what she did the other day? She countermanded an order of mine, and I was—’
‘Countermanded!’
Paula exclaimed, cutting her daughter off. ‘That’s a peculiar word to use. This is not the army.’
‘You know what I mean, Mother. Don’t split hairs.’
‘And you watch your manners, young lady. Now stop it! You’re whipping yourself into a fury for no reason at all and dancing around like a whirling dervish gone mad. Calm down, Tessa, and let’s get to the bottom of all this nonsense.’
‘Yes, let’s do that!’ Tessa exclaimed, glaring at Paula. But, nonetheless, she was wise enough to flop into the chair opposite her mother on the other side of the desk.
Paula said, ‘First of all, Linnet doesn’t have one ounce of sibling rivalry in her.
That
exists simply in
your
imagination, and yet you are using the idea of it to come in here and make trouble.’
‘That’s not true!’ Tessa cried, leaping to her feet. Her voice had risen and she looked angry.
‘Sit down! And shut up!’ Paula admonished sharply. ‘I won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour. Now, you listen to me, and listen very, very carefully, because I’m only going to say this once. Linnet does none of the things you suggest. Nor does she throw her weight around or boss people about. She gets on with her work and confines herself to that work. If you have the need for an assistant, or even
two
assistants, do some hiring. I have never ever prevented you from employing the help you need to do your job efficiently. Do you understand me?’
‘Yes, Mother. I’ll start looking for an assistant tomorrow,’ Tessa announced coldly, but at least her voice was lower.
‘Let us get to the core of the matter, to the reason you demanded to see me,’ Paula said, staring at her eldest daughter steadily and very intently.
Tessa squirmed slightly under this unwavering stare, but made no comment. She shifted in the chair, and clasped her hands tightly in her lap, trying not to show her nervousness.
Paula continued: ‘Your agitation springs from your need to know about the succession…who will one day have my job.’
‘No, Mother, it’s not—’
‘Do not deny it, Tessa. Lying doesn’t become you. I know that you’ve been talking about it to members of the family—’
‘Toby!’ Tessa exclaimed. ‘I was talking to Toby, my dearest friend in the family, and no doubt his father told you. It was Winston! Don’t pretend otherwise.’
‘I wasn’t going to do that, and you might as well know that under no circumstances will I designate a successor. I have no intention of abdicating! I would be in dereliction of my duty if I did, and I would be breaking a promise I made to Emma Harte over thirty years ago. When Grandy retired on the evening of her eightieth birthday, at her party, in fact, she charged me to hold her dream. I promised I would. And the next day when we had lunch together she asked me to promise her something else, and I did. And it was this: that I would not retire from my job as head of the Harte stores unless I was desperately ill and no longer able to execute my duties properly and with due diligence. And so, because I am only fifty-six, and in excellent health both mentally and physically, I fully intend to remain as head of Harte Stores. Since I’m a Harte I will more than likely have Grandy’s great health for many years, and I’ll probably retire when I am eighty, as she did, and not before. So you can shelve any ideas you might harbour about taking over from me.’
Tessa was so taken aback she was speechless, and she simply sat staring at her mother, unable to think of a suitable comment to make. But she was boiling inside.
‘I hope you really do understand, Tessa, that I will not name a successor for the future. I will not name you and I will not name Linnet. I will only announce who’s taking over from me on the day that I actually do retire.’
‘But why, Mother?’
‘Because I don’t know who it’s going to be.’
‘But surely you have some idea—’
‘I certainly do not,’ Paula cut in peremptorily in a stern voice. ‘You both have a lot to learn; much more experience to gain. Anyway, it might not be either of you. It could well be somebody else in the family.’
‘But who?
Surely you’re not thinking of silly little Emsie. She’s dopey and only interested in horses.’
‘Emsie is not silly, and she’s your loving sister, so please refrain from bad-mouthing her. But for your information, no, I’m not thinking of Emsie. I’m actually not thinking of anyone. I just told you that. Stop trying to pin me down, it’s not going to work. I’m a young woman, and I fully intend to keep my promise to Emma Harte for as many years as I can.’
‘What about Pennistone Royal? Who’s going to inherit that?’
Paula gaped at her daughter, flabbergasted. ‘Good God, Tessa, not only do you want my job, you apparently want my home. I’m not dead yet, and I will not discuss my will, or my intentions, with you or anyone else. You’ve gone too far today. I’m appalled at your behaviour. How dare you broach the subject of Pennistone Royal?’
Tessa stared at her mother, her lip quivering, and then she burst into tears, suddenly sobbing into her hands.
Instantly Paula leapt to her feet, went around her desk, bent over her daughter, and put her arms around her. Tessa flinched slightly, then recoiled. Aware of this at once, Paula drew away, and looked down into Tessa’s tearful face.