Mistress at a Price (29 page)

‘
Who is Patric?
’
Cat queried in bewilderment.

‘
Gil
’
s boyfriend, darling, an antique dealer in Santa Barbara, who loaned him to me,
’
Vanessa told her airily.
‘
After all, I was between relationships, and I could hardly come back here alone when your father was being seen everywhere with his bimbette.
’
She paused.
‘
You know, darling, I really can
’
t do without a man to escort me, and I must say Gil did play the part of my devoted lover awfully well. Even your father was fooled. I
’
ve told Gil he should consider acting as an alternative to photography.
’

She paused.
‘
Darling, are you still there?
’

‘
Yes,
’
Cat said faintly.
‘
I think so. It
’
s just that you take my breath away sometimes. How
—
how are you going to manage without Gil to cover for you?
’

She could hear the smile in her mother
’
s voice.
‘
Don
’
t worry about that, darling. I
’
d never have let him leave if I didn
’
t have other fish to fry.
’
Her giggle was soft and overtly sexy.
‘
So make sure you keep breathing, because you
’
ve seen nothing yet
—
believe me.
’
She became suddenly businesslike.
‘
And now I must go. My masseuse will be here at any minute.
’

Cat
’
s head was whirling as she disconnected.
Other fish to fry
. So the
Clarion
reporter had not lied, and Vanessa was involved with someone. What was more, she sounded almost gloating about it.

Suddenly, and for no particular reason, she felt afraid.

That evening, she phoned her father.

‘
Good God,
’
he said.
‘
To what do I owe this honour?
’

‘
I thought maybe we could meet for a meal,
’
she suggested guiltily.
‘
Catch up on a few things. How about lunch tomorrow?
’

‘
Dinner would be better. We
’
re having to fit in extra rehearsals during the day.
’
There was a heavy note in his voice.
‘
Either that or delay the opening.
’
He paused.
‘
I
’
ll get a table at Le Bonnet Rouge for eight. It will just be the two of us. Sharine will be learning her lines for act three.
’

Ouch, thought Cat as she rang off. That didn
’
t bode well for the production. But it was ideal for her own purposes. She
’
d met Sharine over dinner at her father
’
s flat only once, and it had been an uphill struggle all the way. Sharine became bored easily, and showed it, and resented any conversation of which she was not the subject. Cat was wryly relieved that she would not have to spend another evening battling to be civil.

She despised herself for what she was doing, but the fear was growing inside her like a block of ice in her midriff, and there was no other way of finding out what she had to know.

She dressed carefully for the occasion, in a simple black crêpe dress, high-necked and long-sleeved, and did clever things with concealer and blusher to make it look as if she hadn
’
t a care in the world and slept like a baby every night.

David was already waiting at the table when she arrived. He stood up and gave her an expansive hug, while the people who
’
d recognised him murmured to each other,
‘
That
’
s his daughter.
’

‘
You look terrific, my sweet,
’
he told her.

‘
So do you.
’
And she wasn
’
t telling the truth either.

He sighed.
‘
Anno domini
, I
’
m afraid, my love.
’
He lowered his voice.
‘
I tried to grow my own beard for the part, and it was iron-grey. Quite a shock, I
’
ll tell you.
’

She sipped the dry martini he
’
d ordered for her and studied the menu. She said,
‘
Yet my mother doesn
’
t seem to get any older
—
or change at all.
’

His mouth tightened, but he said lightly,
‘
She must have a picture in the attic, like Dorian Gray.
’

When they
’
d chosen the food she asked him about the play, and saw a shadow cross his face.

‘
We
’
re at a tricky stage, but it
’
s all going to be fine. Sharine
’
s coming along really well now. She still has trouble with the accent, but thanks to your mother
’
s ill-timed remarks she won
’
t have a voice coach.
’
He sighed.
‘
She says if Gwyneth Paltrow can get away with it, so can she.
’

‘
But she
’
s not Gwyneth Paltrow,
’
Cat said drily.

‘
No,
’
David said, with a slight snap.
‘
She is not.
’
He paused.
‘
She doesn
’
t like her costume either
—
finds the farthingale cumbersome. She actually put in some designs of her own
—
the sort of thing Sophie Marceau wore in
Braveheart
—
and we had to explain that Shakespeare came three hundred years later than that. But she
’
s still not convinced.
’

Cat put up a hand to hide her quivering lips.
‘
Oh, Dad, I
’
m sorry.
’

‘
And it doesn
’
t help that she has this really terrific understudy,
’
he went on angrily.
‘
Your mother
’
s suggestion, naturally. Sharine feels really undermined by it all.
’

Cat picked up her fork and attacked her
coquilles Jacques
. She said in a low voice,
‘
Maybe she feels a bit undermined herself
—
with Gil going back to the States.
’

‘
Well, I can
’
t imagine why,
’
her father said tartly.
‘
The guy
’
s gay. And she
’
s been seeing someone else on and off for weeks, anyway.
’

‘
Has she?
’
Cat tasted the white wine the waiter had poured for her. She made her voice casual.
‘
What
’
s he like?
’

‘
Younger than her, of course. Dark, with money. I haven
’
t taken that much notice. Why do you ask?
’

She shrugged.
‘
Just in case he
’
s my next stepfather, of course.
’
She paused.
‘
The bouquet at Belinda
’
s wedding. She caught it, remember? And that means she
’
s going to be married.
’

He snorted.
‘
A ridiculous superstition.
’

‘
Maybe,
’
she said.
‘
Maybe not.
’
There was mineral water on the table too, and she drank some because her mouth was so dry.
‘
I suppose he
’
s good-looking?
’

David was looking past her, his eyes narrowed, his mouth a taut line. He said,
‘
Well, you can judge for yourself, my sweet. He and your mother have just walked in. We can have a nice family party.
’
He grated out the words.

Cat found herself putting her glass down very carefully. There
’
d been a queen called Cat once, she thought. One of Henry
’
s wives, back in the sixteenth century
—
Cat Howard, who
’
d been executed. And twenty-first-century Cat suddenly knew exactly what it must have been like to put your head on the block and wait for the axe to fall.

‘
David.
’
Vanessa appeared beside them, smiling.
‘
And my lovely Cathy. What a wonderful surprise.
’
She turned to the man beside her.
‘
Darling, you remember my daughter, don
’
t you? And this, of course, is David, who used to be my favourite leading man.
’
She gave her enchanting gurgle of laughter.
‘
David
—
meet Liam Hargrave.
’

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CAT was frozen. All her worst fears had been suddenly
—
terribly
—
justified, and the ice inside her had reached her throat
—
her face. She was afraid if she tried to speak
—
to move her lips
—
nothing would happen.

She looked up into Liam
’
s cool, expressionless face. No embarrassment, she realised, and no regret. And no desire in his eyes, either, or longing that had to be sated. Just a faint wariness.

He thinks I might scream, she thought, or faint. Make some kind of dreadful scene. Throw wine. Fall on my knife…

He said,
‘
Good evening, Miss Adamson. We seem to keep meeting in restaurants.
’

Three times, she thought dazedly. We
’
ve met this way three times before. Third time lucky
—
isn
’
t that what they say? And now she could have screamed. Could feel it welling up inside her, heartbroken and almost uncontrollable. Almost, but not quite.

She said,
‘
Don
’
t worry, Mr Hargrave. I can guarantee it won
’
t happen again.
’
And turned away.

She watched him shake hands with her father, their eyes meeting like duellists before a fight to the death.

Only she was the one who was dying.

I did this, she thought. Because I was scared, and I had to know why. Had to find out. So I tried to use my own father, and I
’
ve been punished for it. Dear God, have I been punished.

‘
Maybe we could all sit together?
’
Vanessa was looking round.
‘
Shall we ask them to arrange it?
’

Oh
,
God
,
no
.
Please
—
no
.

‘
We
’
re in the middle of our meal, Van,
’
David said quietly.
‘
Another time, perhaps.
’

‘
Well,
’
she said.
‘
You
’
re probably right.
’
She looked up at Liam, sliding her arm through his.
‘
Darling, we
’
d better go to our table.
’