HIGH TIDE AT MIDNIGHT (23 page)

heard Karen's voice outside in the hall. She hesitated for a moment,

uncertain whether to go or stay and hope that she remained undisturbed, then

pushed the door open and stepped out into the hall.

Karen was there and she was with Dominic. They were standing very close

together, as if he had been just about to take her in his arms or had just

released her from his embrace. Morwenna could not be sure, and she wished

with aH her heart that she had stayed in the sitting room behind the closed

door and not been an unwilling witness of this intimate moment.

Dominic looked across the hall and their glances met and locked.

'Hello, Morwenna,' he greeted her evenly, without embarrassment. 'I'm

going to find Inez and ask her to produce some coffee for us. Do you want

some?'

'No, thank you.' She made a slight gesture towards the room she had just left.

'I'm just clearing up, and then I'll be out of your way.'

His lips tightened slightly. 'I wasn't aware that you were in my way,' he said

tautly, and disappeared in the direction of the kitchen.

'What have you got there?' Karen gave the box of leftover tinsel and other

baubles a disdainful look.

'Christmas decorations," Morwenna returned. 'It is Christmas Eve

tomorrow, you know.'

'I hadn't forgotten.' Karen smiled suddenly, a wide self-satisfied smile, like a

cat who had got hold of the cream. Indeed, Morwenna thought judiciously,

she was rather like a cat, with her small well-shaped head and her lean grace.

A cat with sharp claws and little compunction about using them.

Karen walked past her, brushing her rudely out of the way—something she

would not have done, Morwenna realised detachedly, if Dominic had been

present to observe her.

'Oh, my God,' she said in tones of utter disgust. 'Whose idea was this vulgar

display?"

Morwenna held on to her temper with an effort. 'Mine. Don't you like

Christmas trees?'

'In their place,' Karen conceded. 'In town squares and hotel foyers. I don't

think there's any place for one in a house like this. To me this room's always

had a certain ambience—a quiet dignity. Whatever possessed you to cover it

in tinsel and pine needles? I'm sure Inez won't thank you.'

'Inez was very much in favour.' Morwenna suppressed an involuntary smile

remembering how Inez had nagged and chivvied a very reluctant Zack into

finding a suitable receptacle in which to plant the tree.

'I see." Karen smiled again, thinly. 'But then Inez has always been a

little—arbitrary in her likes and dislikes. I wouldn't like any small successes

you may have had with her to go to your head. She is only the housekeeper

here— an employee like yourself, whatever delusions dear Nick may choose

to foster in you both.' Her glance went derisively to the tree once more. 'And

what prompted this? A desire to pander to poor Nick's second childhood?'

Morwenna said with commendable restraint, 'I should be careful, if I were

you. I wouldn't allow Dominic to hear me talk about his uncle like that.'

'Oh,
I
'm sure you wouldn't—but then our positions are somewhat different.

This is not going to be your permanent home, and you're not going to be the

mistress here.'

'And you are?" Morwenna forced out of a dry throat. The fact that a blow

was expected did not lessen its impact, she discovered. She felt sick at heart,

and conscious of an unholy desire to smack the mocking triumph off the

lovely face confronting her.

'Yes.' There was a wealth of quiet satisfaction in the monosyllable. 'And of

course Dominic appreciates that I shall want some changes made. After all, a

newly married couple will hardly want to share their home with a number of

other people. And Inez, of course, is devoted to Nick. I can hardly imagine

she'll want to stay on here when he leaves.'

Morwenna shook her head disbelievingly. 'You'd turn Nick out of his home?

You couldn't do such a thing! He's an elderly man. He's been ill.'

Karen's lips twisted. 'He's made practically a complete recovery. He could

live for years,' she said coldly. 'I don't intend to begin my married life in his

shadow. He still likes to pretend he's master here, and it's a situation I'm not

prepared to tolerate.'

'And—and Dominic agrees with you.'

'Dominic is in love with me,' Karen stated with finality. 'He won't deny me

anything I ask for.' She gave a brief complacent smile, then her eyes swept

coldly over Morwenna. "And I'm afraid you'll have to look for a new

sanctuary, Miss Kerslake, and a new sinecure. Your days here are

numbered, believe me.'

'I'm already well aware of that.' The words were costing her pain, but they

had to be said. 'I intend to leave anyway —in the New Year.'

'And go where?' Karen's eyes narrowed. 'Or do you propose to hang about

locally and hope that Nick will take pity on you again when he moves to his

new home?'

'No,' Morwenna said levelly. 'I shall go to London and work until the spring.

Then I hope to go to Carcassonne to join a private painting class.'

'A private class?'

Morwenna nodded. 'With Lennox Christie.'

'My word!' Karen looked at her with suddenly sharpened interest. 'We are

flying high. And how do you propose to find the fees for this little

expedition? Out of your earnings as a working girl, or were you planning to

inveigle Nick into unfastening the family purse strings for you?' She

laughed. 'Good God, I do believe that's it! Well, you're wasting your time,

my dear. Every penny they possess is invested in that decrepit boatyard.

Can't you see that from the st^e of this house? It hasn't had anything spent on

it in years, not since Dominic's parents died. There are no rich pickings for

you here, I'm afraid, however much a nuisance you make of yourself. No

one in this family can afford to buy you off.'

Morwenna's hands itched to throw the box she was holding in Karen's

insulting face.

She said very quietly, 'Please don't lose any sleep over it, Miss Inglis.

There's an old saying—where there's a will, there's a way. I'll make out, I

promise.'

She walked along the hall and went up the stairs, without looking back. Her

heart was thudding, and she felt slightly sick. Did Dominic know, she

wondered, the depth of malice in his future wife, or was he so enthralled by

her attractive exterior that nothing else mattered? The thought caused her

physical pain.

Nick's door was open as she passed and he glanced up from his desk and

hailed her. 'Did I hear Karen arrive just now?'

'Yes, she's staying for coffee.'

'Then I'm staying here,' Nick growled. 'Shut the door and come here. I've

something to show you.'

He opened the desk drawer and produced a sheet of paper. 'This came this

morning while you were out,' he said with obvious satisfaction. 'Read it.'

It was from Alan Hewitt-Smyth, and it was an invitation to Nick to submit

his design for the
Lady Morwenna
to the trustees of the sponsorship fund

who were backing him.

'They are already more than interested in what I've been able to tell them,'

the letter ran. 'Perhaps we can arrange a meeting early in the New Year to

put the project on a firm footing.' It ended with cordial good wishes to the

other members of the family and was signed 'Alan'.

'Oh, Nick!' She hugged him impulsively. 'That's great news.'

He tried not to look to delighted. 'Well, it isn't finally settled. There's a great

deal to discuss, and a lot of work to be done first. But if it all works

out—child, it could be the start of a new era for Trevennon Marine. Because

the
Lady Morwenna
is-going to be only the first. Where Hewitt- Smyth goes,

others will follow. We have the know-how and the craftsmanship right here.

Now all we need is the opportunity.'

Morwenna gave him an affectionate smile. 'If the decision was mine, Nick,

you'd have the contract now. You're a good salesman."

He shook his head. 'That's Dominic's job, and one he's going to relish.' He

threw back his head. 'God, but it feefs good to have something hopeful to tell

the boy. He can take over the negotiations from now on, and leave me free to

work on the design and supervise the building.' He picked up the letter and

replaced it in the drawer. 'I feel as if someone had given me a new lease of

life.' He looked at her sharply. 'What's the matter, girl?'

'Nothing,' she lied, burdened by her knowledge of Karen's callousness.

'I—I'm just happy for you.'

'No, there's something else. Is it young Mark?'

'No!' Her denial was almost explosive and he relaxed with a faintly sheepish

grin.

'Well, thank heavens for that. Then what is it?'

She bent her head. 'It's time I was moving on, Nick,' she said in a subdued

voice. 'You've got your boatbuilding now. You won't want to continue with

the family history under the circumstances. I only agreed to stay as long as I

could help. Well, my help isn't needed any longer, and I need to get away

from here—make some sort of life for myself."

He was silent for a few minutes. Then he said gruffly, 'I thought you had a

life here, my dear. I thought you were happy."

'Oh, I was. I am." She was thankful that he believed this, and had never

guessed at the truth which tortured her. 'But I can't stay here for ever. That

wasn't part of the arrangement.'

He smiled rather grimly. 'I wasn't aware there had been an arrangement. I'd

always assumed, selfishly, that you'd stay here as long as I needed you. And

lately I'd thought that you would at least see the
Lady Morwenna
launched.'

Her hands tightened round each other, and she stared down at them blindly.

'Nick, I can't. Please don't ask it of me."

There was another silence, then he said, 'And what of Barbie? That situation

hasn't been resolved yet.'

'No. But if I go, she'll soon come round again. Everything will just return to

normal."

That would be the answer in some ways, she thought. Karen installed here in

sole sway, and Nick moving to the square Georgian house on the hill

overlooking Port Vennor which Mark had pointed out to her as the Inglis

house.

'No,' he shook his head decisively. 'I gambled on her reactions to various

moves of mine, and failed. Things will never be the same again, and I

wouldn't want them to be."

Moswenna smiled with an effort. 'Still hoping for her total capitulation,

Nick?"

He sighed. 'I'm hoping for damned little these days, my girl. We'll see. If she

comes to dinner on Christmas Eve, I'll know there's some hope left.'

'Christmas Eve?' She gave him a swift enquiring look, and he nodded.

'It's almost become a tradition. She's dined here each Christmas without fail

for the past twenty years. And Karen with her, of course, once she was old

enough.'

'And you think she won't come this time—because I'm here.'

'I don't know, child. And I doubt if she even knows herself.' He sounded

tired and defeated suddenly, all the optimism that the news about
Lady

Morwenna
had engendered now missing from his voice. He had been lonely,

she thought, before she came, and he would be lonely again. And he might

have some idea of Karen's plans for the future.

On her way to her own room, she encountered Mark.

'I'm going over to St Enna after dinner,' he greeted her without preamble. 'Do

you fancy coming? From what I can gather, the lovely Karen is staying to

dinner and giving us the pleasure of her company afterwards, and that's

something I can well do without.'

She nodded. 'I'd like that. And it's Christmas Eve the day after tomorrow, so

we should make the most of what time we have. It'll be difficult for you to

get out to see Biddy over the next few days. They—they will rather expect

us to be here, won't they?'

He shrugged. 'I can't say that Dominic has ever displayed a great deal of

interest as to where I've spent my time, and how, in other years. But perhaps

with romance on his own mind this year, he'll be keeping a closer eye on

me.'

'Perhaps,' she said. Then, 'What makes you think he has romance on his

mind particularly?'

Mark shrugged. 'Just the way he's been behaving lately. And, of course, the

ring.'

'Ring?'

'Mother's engagement ring. One of the few family heirlooms we have left.

Apparently, according to Inez, he's had it to the jewellers in Penzance to be

cleaned and made smaller.' He gave a short sigh. 'So it looks as if there's

going to be a big announcement at the Christmas Eve dinner. No doubt

they're using that as a lever to persuade Barbie to come out of her seclusion

as well. From what I can gather, there's been a message to say we're not to

expect her, but if there's going to be an engagement party as well…'

'Yes,' she said numbly. 'Something to celebrate as a family."