Deception (15 page)

She felt suddenly too
miserable to cross words with him about that. Let him believe what he liked to
believe!

'Another thing, Miss
Andrews,' he went on curdy, 'I overheard you asking Martha why I should want to
buy Drumlarig.'

Her face flushing
scarlet, Thea exclaimed, 'It's surely no crime to ask a little thing like that!'

'I bought Drumlarig
because I wanted it. Now are you satisfied?'

Silently, Thea nodded,
not trusting herself to speak. It was a mistake, as she glared at him, to
wonder where he had got the money from. Tighdy she kept her mouth closed.

'That's right,' he
mocked her approvingly. 'You're never too old to learn a litde self-control. I
didn't return here, you know, until I was thirty-two. In that time a man can accumulate
quite a lot, if he likes to speculate and use his brains.'

Still she refused to
comment, even while he appeared quite able to guess what she was thinking. Her
voice trembled slightly when eventually she asked, 'Will that be all, Mr
Murray?'

'Not quite. My mother
and brother will be coming to spend Christmas and the New Year with us.' He frowned,
looking at Thea steadily. 'After they've gone, I'm not sure that I'll continue
to employ you, but there's no time now to make other arrangements.'

Unconsciously
clenching her hands until the knuckles shone white, Thea tried to pretend she
hadn't heard his last sentence. 'When will they be arriving?'

'Probably a day or two
before Christmas. My mother has been living in Edinburgh since she left
Drumlarig.'

Rather anxiously Thea
gazed at him, wondering if she were capable of arranging a proper family Christmas.
'Do you have turkey for Christmas lunch, Mr Murray?'

'I expect so,' he
sounded terse. 'Do what you like, as
long as
you don't bother me. This time you have my per
mission.'

Within
what limits? Warily, she watched him. 'Jamie
would like a tree,
and so would I.' This last was true, but
she really tacked it on
so he wouldn't think she would find
it a nuisance.

Having
half expected an abrupt refusal, she was sur
prised when he
merely shrugged. She could have sworn
there was even a slight
smile on his lips. Tve already told
you to do what you like,
more or less. Now, I've work to
do.'

He
turned to his desk and, gratified, Thea left him. He hadn't refused"to
have a tree in the house. He'd just dis
missed it, along with
everything else, which she supposed
he imagined a good
housekeeper should be able to take
care of. Well, he needn't worry that she might
be short
of initiative. Already so many
plans were beginning to formulate in her mind, she didn't know which to concen
trate on first. With a small click of triumph,
she closed the
door.

 
CHAPTER
SIX

Thea
laid her
plans carefully. That evening, after Logan had gone out and Jamie and Martha
had gone to bed, she rang her solicitor. As he was an old family friend she had
his home number and knew he wouldn't mind her ringing him there. He had, in
fact, begged her to keep in touch, to ring him anytime. He was happy to know
she was well and occupying herself in exploring Scotland. Yes, he would be
delighted to transfer some money to a nearby bank for her. She could almost
feel his relief that she didn't mention giving it away again.

About that, Thea now
had other ideas, although she wasn't sure yet how she was to put them into
practice. Her mind, still confused on some issues, warned her she would be
wiser to proceed with caution. From hating Logan Murray and despising his
meanness, her feelings were rapidly changing to ones of great sympathy.

Now she wanted to help
him—and Jamie, using the money she had recendy scorned for this purpose.
Hourly new dreams were born and grew, beginning with the house, with which she
was most f
amili
ar, She saw it refurnished from top to bottom, deep
carpets everywhere. Strangely, she wasn't at all concerned about such things
for
herself, but Jamie's bedroom was so
cold, it's floor boasting only one small bare rug. She could get all sorts of
things for
him. Cupboards in which he could put his books—books to
put in them. A new transistor, which he longed for, even a new pony, a livelier
one than the one he rode at present. Old Dusty could easily be pensioned off.

But it was on Logan
that her dreams centred. Out on the farm he was badly in need of new machinery.
What he
had seemed mostly old and worn out.
The horse he rode
was a huge,
wild-looking creature with a fearful temper. _
Thea, who prided herself on being able to ride almost any
thing, could never see herself up on that. That
could be
replaced, along with all
the rest. She didn't want Duncan
finding
Logan thrown, or trampled to death. The very
thought of it made her grow cold, strengthening her re
solutions.

There
seemed no end to what she could do. She didn't
come into the bulk
of her money until she was twenty-five,
but what she had would do
more good here than lying idle in the bank. The snag was Logan; he would never
agree.
Thea liked to think he would, even while every instinct
warned
her he would not. He had so much pride. Far too
much, she found
herself saying aloud, and fiercely, when she couldn't think of a way of getting
around it.

After
days of solid thinking, which was making her
absentminded to a
noticeable degree, she decided she must
wait and see. With
renewed optimism she felt certain
something would turn up.
There was always a way, Gran
used to say, if one waited long enough.

Meanwhile,
Thea secretly went on doing what she could.
She went to Fort William,
borrowing Logan's car as he
said the Land Rover wasn't suitable.
Like a lot of other
things at Drumlarig, it was old and might
break down, and it might be hours before she could get in touch with him, if
it did.

'I've
checked the car over,' a slight smile relaxed the
corners
of his mouth. 'Are you sure you can manage on
your own?'

'I'm
a modern girl, remember.' For one heart-stopping
moment Thea
thought he was about to offer to accompany
her. Some part of her
considered an outing with Logan
Murray wistfully, but
today she had too many private
things to do.

'That's just it,' she
was surprised to hear him retort rather grimly, 'I don't believe you are, not
completely.'

Swiftly she turned her
head so he wouldn't see the colour tinting her cheeks. Somehow he made it sound
like a compliment, and she wasn't used to any real kindness from him.

'Will you be all
right, Thea?'

He even sounded
anxious. 'There's no reason why I shouldn't be.' Because her heart was suddenly
pounding it was an effort to smile casually. Then her smile faded as she met
his eyes pleadingly. 'You won't forget to fetch Jamie, will you?'

'If I can manage it,
but don't spend your day worrying about us.' He seemed as if he had something
more to say, but instead he changed his mind and left her.

Warmed by his concern
and the intent look he bent on her as he turned away, Thea spent quite a
satisfactory day. The massive flanks of Ben Nevis stood out clear through the
retreating morning mist as she drove towards Fort William, making her think of
other lonely if beautiful places, such as Rannocb Moor and Glencoe, that famous
part of Scotland where the Macdonalds had been put to death by fire and the
sword in 1692.

Until she came to live
here, this had only been something learnt about at school, during long,
often boring lessons. Now that she felt part of it a new appreciation-was
creeping into her very bones. No one, she thought, could live here, or even
visit, without becoming aware of the incredible beauty and majesty of their
surroundings, but there was more to it than that. It was a land steeped in
history, a lot of it tragic, but the fundamental, courageous spirit of the
people still prevailed. Didn't she feel it everywhere—something
which had triumphantly survived the cruel centuries.

On her second visit to
Fort William, set in the centre of
wild,
magnificent country, she found she liked it even better
than her first.
Even in winter it had its appeal. The High Street at this time of the year was
uncrowded, the shops well stocked by any standards, and gay.

The money she had
asked for had come through and, after establishing her identity, she was"
able to draw what she required. For almost the first time since receiving her
legacy, Thea enjoyed spending it. This was, she suddenly realised, because she
was spending it on people she really liked.

Almost, she thought,
loved. She did love Jamie and suspected she was well on the way towards
loving his father; useless to try and hide it from herself any longer. Logan
might be ill-tempered and arrogant and determined to keep her firmly in her
place, but it was impossible to deny his growing attraction for her. Twice he
had kissed her, both times unintentionally and in a manner that had scarcely
been complimentary, yet she seemed to crave to be in his arms again. Why was
it, she wondered unhappily, that she was either longing for him or hating him?
How did a girl decide which of the two emotions was real?

Since Gran and she had
had to leave their lovely home in the country, after Thea's cousin had taken it
over, after their grandfather's death, she had never felt able to settle
anywhere else. At Drumlarig, huge, old and cold as it was, she felt happier
than she had ever been before. Wistfully, she thought she could live at Drumlarig
for the rest of her life, given a little encouragement. If she didn't get that,
and her time here was limited, then she must just be grateful for each day.

For Jamie's Christmas
present she found a small radio and an electric train set, to which he could
add. There were plenty of empty rooms at Drumlarig to accommodate the latter.
Then some books. Knowing his taste, having read a lot to him and with him, she
knew exactly what he liked and enjoyed. She would have bought him more, but
dared not, having no wish to arouse Logan's animosity or suspicions.
 
     

She
did buy Jamie several articles of clothing which he
was
badly in need of, and which she could smuggle into
his wardrobe without
his father knowing.

For
Logan she bought socks, astonished at herself for
the
trouble she took over choosing them. Never having
bought
socks for a man before, she had no idea there were
so
many kinds and colours. It wasn't until she told a helpful
saleslady
that the man she was buying them for usually wore a kilt that she managed to
get what she wanted. As
the woman wrapped them up, Thea sighed,
wishing she
could have found him something more out of
the ordinary.
But at least he couldn't object to such a
sober and uninter
esting present.

She
got Martha a warm shawl for her shoulders, hoping
she
didn't know the difference between cashmere and
something
cheaper, and added a pair of furry slippers. For Logan's mother and brother she
purchased large boxes of
chocolates, feeling sure they would share
them with the
rest of the family.

Again
with the intention of smuggling it into the house secretly, she spent quite a
lot on Christmassy items, which
included food and
decorations. The floor of the drawing
room might look bare,
but the room would be vastly improved with the help of a few streamers and
other things
which she had found upstairs.

At
last there only remained some clothes to buy for her
self.
She had plenty in her flat in London, but this didn't
solve
her immediate problem. There was no one she could
really
trust to pack them up and send them to her. To do
that
she would have to give an address and for the time being she didn't want anyone
to know where she was. It
was too easy to imagine Jerry
arriving, a smear of triumph
on his lips, on the doorstep!

Keeping
a wary eye on the darkening sky, Thea quickly
visited several
good dress shops. Because she had left herself
with little time,
if she wanted to get home before dark, she didn't take too much time over what
she was buying. Not
until it came to a dress for Christmas Day. For
this she
wanted something special and eventually decided on a
soft,
rose-coloured gown which she saw, as soon as she tried it
on, was very flattering. With her hair freshly washed
and
shining, and a little pink lipstick on her nicely shaped
mouth,
even Logan Murray might look twice.