Mistress at a Price (14 page)

‘
And you don
’
t understand,
’
Cat returned.
‘
I haven
’
t paid it.
’

‘
Well.
’
The smile faltered for a moment, then redoubled its efforts.
‘
Maybe someone
’
s treated you to it. After all, you were here with yesterday
’
s wedding party.
’

‘
Yes,
’
Cat agreed slowly.
‘
That must be it.
’

She was nearly at the door when the girl called to her.
‘
Miss Adamson, I
’
ve just found this note in your pigeonhole. It must have been left while I was on my break.
’

Hotel stationery, Cat thought as she took it. And her name in one angry slash on the envelope.

Woodenly, she tore it open and extracted the single sheet.

The message was brief.
‘
I don
’
t usually pay for sex,
’
it read.
‘
But last night was exceptional.
’
And Liam
’
s initial.

She restrained an impulse to crumple it into a ball in her hand, or tear it, screaming, into a million pieces.

‘
Are you all right, Miss Adamson? You look very pale. Not bad news, I hope.
’

Cat started, and began to hastily reassemble the rags of her composure.
‘
No,
’
she said.
‘
No, not at all,
’
she said, thrusting the note into her bag.

You need to leave with your head high, she told herself. And you can do it. You have to.

She looked back at the receptionist, whose smile must surely be making her mouth ache by this time.

‘
I
’
m fine.
’
Her voice was clear and strong.
‘
And thank you
—
for everything.
’

And she walked out into the sunshine, to her waiting car.

Cat was thankful to find herself back in the office on Monday morning.

All things considered, it had been a hell of a weekend, and it would be good to put her personal problems on hold and deal with issues she had some chance of solving.

She had driven back to London without even stopping for lunch
—
in Richmond or anywhere else. Traffic had been heavy for a Sunday, and by the time she
’
d reached her flat she
’
d had a splitting headache, not improved by finding imperious messages from both her parents on her answer-machine, demanding she contact them without delay.

Later, Cat had thought, pressing the
‘
delete
’
button. When I
’
m feeling stronger.

She
’
d taken a couple of painkillers, then undressed and had a bath, washing herself from head to foot with almost minute care. When she was dry again she had got into the ancient velour robe which was her equivalent of a comfort blanket then she moulded some kitchen foil into a container and burned Liam
’
s note, washing the ashes down the sink.

One lot of memories dealt with, she had told herself. Although the remainder might not be so easily erased.

She had found a can of vegetable soup in one of the kitchen cupboards, and some cold chicken in the fridge, and put together a scratch meal which she
’
d eaten doggedly, without any pretence at enjoyment.

After that she had gone to bed, falling almost immediately into a heavy but restless sleep, fragmented by brief, disturbing dreams.

‘
Still hung over?
’
Andrew, her boss, enquired, brows lifted in amusement when she arrived for the morning conference.
‘
Must have been a good wedding.
’

She smiled back calmly.
‘
We don
’
t do things by halves in our family.
’

It was a typical Monday, with decorators going sick, solemn promises on delivery dates for furniture and fittings blithely abandoned, and recently ordered fabrics and carpets suddenly becoming discontinued.

Cat spent most of the day alternately arguing and cajoling with workmen and suppliers on the phone and by e-mail.

But her tender to redesign the workspace in an elderly office block on the edge of the City had been successful, and there was a string of enquiries from potential clients to be fielded too.

By the end of the day she felt sufficiently ahead of the game to return her parents
’
calls.

‘
So lovely to have seen you, darling,
’
Vanessa purred.
‘
Let
’
s get together, shall we, for a lovely long chat
—
girlfriend stuff?
’

That indicated that Gil would not be present, which was one blessing, Cat thought wryly. She said,
‘
I had the impression we were mother and daughter.
’

‘
Don
’
t get technical, my sweet.
’
Vanessa
’
s tone was waspish.
‘
Gil says there
’
s no way I look old enough to have a grown-up daughter.
’
She paused.
‘
Shall we say Wednesday evening at eight
—
my treat?
’

Cat sighed silently, but agreed. Presumably the idea of becoming a grandmother had lost its popularity, she thought as she put the phone down. But that, too, was all to the good, she told herself defiantly, fighting the sudden rawness in the pit of her stomach.

‘
You seemed a little out of sorts on Saturday,
’
was her father
’
s greeting.

‘
It was hardly the event of the year,
’
Cat pointed out drily.

‘
No.
’
David paused.
‘
There
’
s been a development,
’
he added heavily.
‘
It seems your uncle has moved out of the house and gone to live with his secretary.
’

‘
Oh, God.
’
Cat felt slightly sick.
‘
Poor Aunt Susan.
’

‘
He must be out of his mind,
’
said her father shortly.
‘
Ditching an incredible woman like that.
’

‘
You feel you have any place to criticise?
’
Cat asked, her voice hardening.

‘
There
’
s no comparison between the two situations,
’
he defended.
‘
Your mother
’
s temperament was a nightmare. For heaven
’
s sake, girl, you were there.
’
His tone was injured.
‘
You saw what went on.
’

‘
Yes,
’
Cat said curtly.
‘
I also know it was a long time ago, and maybe you should stop apportioning blame and move on.
’
She hesitated.
‘
Have you talked to Aunt Susan?
’

‘
Briefly,
’
he said.
‘
To be candid, I found it a little awkward. She didn
’
t say a great deal, although I did offer to go down there, of course.
’

‘
Did you plan to take Sharine with you, by any chance?
’
Cat played restively with a pen on her desk.

‘
Well, naturally. I can hardly leave her in London by herself.
’
He paused.
‘
I gather from your silence that you think it
’
s a bad idea?
’

‘
I
’
ve seen the secretary,
’
Cat mentioned drily.
‘
Another young blonde.
’

‘
Ah,
’
David said quietly.
‘
I see. In that case, this could be something you might tackle.
’

‘
And I think she might need time and space to deal with it, initially,
’
Cat said.
‘
Without being inundated by her husband
’
s relations, however well-meaning.
’

‘
That
’
s rather harsh,
’
he protested.
‘
I
’
ve always been devoted to Susan, and she knows it.
’

‘
Of course,
’
Cat returned.
‘
And you should think well of her. After all, she brought up your only daughter.
’

There was another longer silence, then he said grimly,
‘
Thank you for reminding me, Cathy,
’
and put the phone down.

Cat disconnected more slowly. I did not, she thought, intend to say that. And maybe I
’
m the one who needs to move on.

It only served to demonstrate how on edge she felt, and how insecure, and she wasn
’
t used to that. Didn
’
t know how to handle it.

Next I
’
ll be snapping at the clients, she thought wryly as she closed down her computer. I need to be careful. And to keep my mind on my work. This is the life I
’
ve chosen, after all, so I should nurture it.

Dorita from Accounting appeared in her doorway.
‘
We
’
re off to the wine bar. Coming with us?
’

Cat pulled a face.
‘
I
’
m still a little whacked from the weekend.
’

‘
Then what you need,
’
Dorita told her cheerfully,
‘
is some of the hair of the dog that took your leg off. Cindy and Megs are in a champagne mood.
’

‘
And why shouldn
’
t they be?
’
Cat slipped her arms into the jacket of her dark work suit.
‘
Sounds good to me. What are we celebrating?
’

Dorita shrugged.
‘
The start of another working week. The fact that Megs has met a fella and thinks he
’
s the one. Just pick a number.
’
She fluttered her fingers and vanished.

Cat didn
’
t feel like a heavy after-work session, but the prospect of going home to an empty flat to brood had no great appeal either.

I need, she thought, a suitable distraction. And this could be it. Besides, as one of the firm
’
s directors, it was a good thing for her to stay in touch with her junior colleagues. They were a talented and hard-working bunch, and immensely loyal in a marketplace where every contract had to be fought for.

With the shadow of recession never far away, people were reluctant to invest enormous sums in upgrading their working environments, and ImageMakers were maintaining their position by offering sensible, workable designs, using quality sub-contractors, and keeping each project strictly within budget.

Their reputation was high, but it was still a struggle, and it was impossible to relax, even for a moment
—
except, of course, when work was over for the day.

Or over for some, Cat amended ruefully, looking at the bulging briefcase that was accompanying her home.