Nadia Knows Best (31 page)

“I'll pick you up at seven thirty,” said Charles.

Everyone was looking at Miriam, waiting for her to tell him to sod off.

But it wasn't that simple.

“Right.” Miriam met his steady gaze, remarkably unchanged after all these years. “Seven thirty.”

“That's blackmail,” Laurie muttered.

Charles smiled broadly as he turned to leave. “Maybe. But under the circumstances I think it's fair enough, don't you?”

Leonie showed Charles out of the house. Moments later she called across the lawn, “It's OK, he's gone.”

Miriam began to tremble. Unable to face her family, she said, “We need more gin,” and headed for the kitchen.

Leonie was there already, switching on the kettle.

“Well, this is a turn-up. How did it feel, seeing him again?”

“Stupid question.” Miriam's tone was curt, belying the swirl of emotions she was actually experiencing.

“Who'd have thought it?” Leonie's bright eyes danced. “You of all people, a bigamist. And a thief!”

“Leonie, please don't.”

“Not to mention the other business. Poor old Edward, still not having the faintest idea why you won't marry him. Oh God, and did you see the way he pressed his hand to his chest as he stood up? For a second there I thought it was going to happen all over again. I mean, ironic or what?”

Close to despair, Miriam snapped, “Will you keep your voice down?”

“Fine, fine. I'm just saying it would have been a hell of a coincidence, that's all.” With a naughty grin, Leonie mimicked clutching her chest. “I mean, first Josephine, then Edward. To lose one member of the Welch family is bad luck, but to lose two is downright suspicious.”

“Leonie, shut up.”

“Oh, come on, relax. I can't believe you've never told Edward. I mean, it's not as if you did it on purpose. And when you think about it, he was just as much to blame as you.”

The kitchen door swung open. In the doorway stood Laurie and Nadia. All the color had drained from Nadia's face.

Evenly, Laurie said to Miriam, “She can't believe you've never told Edward what?”

Nadia had to sit down. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Aided and abetted by Leonie—and also because she no longer had a lot of choice—Miriam was spilling out the whole story. It was no secret, of course, that Laurie's parents hadn't had the happiest of marriages, but none of them had realized the extent of Josephine's destructive ways. Her only enjoyment in life had come from making Edward miserable, whilst all the time she had reveled in her status as the wife of an eminent neuropsychiatrist. Determined to keep up appearances, she had flatly refused to even contemplate divorce. Edward, at the end of his tether, had turned to Miriam for support. Predictably, their friendship had deepened. Within months they had fallen in love and embarked on a discreet affair.

“But not discreet enough,” Miriam admitted resignedly. “She found out, of course.” (To her eternal shame, thanks to an emerald earring Josephine had found in Edward's bed, but Miriam couldn't bring herself to say this now.) “That was when Josephine called me over to the house while Edward was at work. We were out in the garden and she confronted me. It was awful, she was screaming at me, getting redder and redder in the face, yelling that I was destroying her marriage and calling me terrible names. And because I knew I deserved it, I didn't retaliate, but that only made Josephine more furious. Then… oh God, and then all of a sudden she made this gasping noise and clutched her chest. For about a second, maybe less. Then she just slumped to the ground and that was it.” Miriam's dark eyes filled with tears. “She was dead. I checked. There was nothing I could do.” She paused, unable to meet Laurie's narrowed gaze. “And then Leonie was there. She'd been visiting, waiting for Tilly to come home from school. When she heard Josephine shouting and came over to see what was going on, she heard everything else too. We rang 999 and I made her promise never to tell anyone about the argument. I didn't want Edward to feel any worse than I knew he already would. I told the ambulance men that Josephine had invited me over to admire her garden… well, at the time I thought that was why she
had
invited me over…”

Nadia was in shock. Laurie's face was utterly expressionless. First James, then Tilly and Clare had by this time joined them in the kitchen and were listening with equal disbelief.

Miriam finally summoned the courage to look at Laurie. “I'm sorry.”

Laurie didn't speak. Nadia felt her nails digging into her palms. The silence in the kitchen was excruciating.

Leaping into the breach, Leonie said brightly, “But it's not as if it was deliberate! A heart attack like that can happen at any moment. And Miriam's felt so guilty all these years—that's why she hasn't married Edward, which
I
think is completely ridiculous—”

“I used to respect you,” Laurie told Miriam. He shook his head in disgust. “What a difference a day makes.”

“Oh come on,” began Leonie, but Laurie quelled her with a look.

“Isn't it time you left?”

Deeply offended, Leonie held her arm out to Tilly. “Fine. Come on, darling, let's go.”

“And someone had better pay a visit to my father.” Laurie turned his cool gaze on Miriam. “It doesn't seem fair, somehow, that he should be the last to know.” Another pause. “Do you want me to tell him exactly how his wife died?”

Miriam closed her eyes and shook her head. “I'll do it myself.”

***

“Let's get out of here,” Laurie muttered when Miriam had disappeared over the road and Leonie had borne Tilly off to Brighton.

“I'll be all on my own,” Clare protested as he ushered Nadia toward the door. “Can't I come with you?”

Pretending to consider her offer for a second, Laurie said, “How can I put this?
No
.”

“Right, I'm off.” James reappeared, jangling his car keys in an agitated manner. “I'm going over to Annie's.”

“Keep your fingers crossed,” said Clare.

“Why?”

“Annie may not want you anymore when she hears your parents' marriage is null and void.” Clare shot him a mischievous smile. “That makes you illegitimate.”

Nadia clung to the passenger seat as Laurie drove at high speed, rocketing through the narrow lanes. When they pulled up outside a wisteria-clad country hotel on the outskirts of Winterbourne he said, “Sorry, I can't face going home tonight. Is this OK?”

Nadia nodded and squeezed his hand. Feeling desperately sorry for him, she could only guess at his sense of betrayal.

“Should have bought one of those houses.” Laurie sighed; he had put in an offer on the house in Clarence Gardens, but Jay was holding out for the asking price. “It's mad, having to book into a hotel just to give myself space to think. I keep picturing it, you know.” He glanced somberly at Nadia. “My mother arguing with Miriam. When someone dies, you imagine it happening, you go over and over it in your mind. Now it feels like I have to start all over again.”

“Come on.” Nadia's tone was soothing. “Let's get you booked in.”

Laurie looked distraught. “You're not going to leave me here? I'd rather you stayed. I mean, no funny business, just… you know… I could really do with the company.”

Nadia's heart went out to Laurie, who was clearly going through hell. How could she abandon him now, after a day like today? Gazing up at the honey-colored hotel basking in the early evening sunshine, she said, “D'you think they sell toothbrushes?”

“Let's just get a room.” Wearily, Laurie rubbed his hands over his face. “God, I'm shattered. To be honest, all I want to do is sleep.”

This, of course, turned out to be a big lie. What Laurie had really wanted to do was sleep with
her
.

And under the circumstances, Nadia thought some time later when it was all over, how could she have refused?

Well, he'd needed comforting. Cheering up. The reassurance of intimate bodily contact.

And celibacy wasn't easy for girls either.

She lay on her back, catching her breath, and gazed up at the beamed ceiling.

“See?” Laurie murmured against her shoulder. “I knew you could make me feel better.”

Then his mouth closed over hers once more, warm and sweetly familiar, and Nadia gave herself up to the sheer pleasure of it. Their bodies fitted together so well, just as they always had done. They knew each other's likes and dislikes. Making love with Laurie had always been magical.

“What?” said Nadia, realizing that he was gazing down at her.

“Nothing.” Laurie's green eyes sparkled. “Aren't you glad we came here now?”

Nadia looked at him. “Are you telling me you deliberately planned this? Were you only
pretending
to be upset?”

“Of course not. I didn't plan anything, I swear.” Vehemently Laurie shook his head, then broke into an unrepentant grin. “But OK, I admit it, as soon as we pulled up outside this place it did occur to me that this could be my big chance.”

Nadia smiled too, because that was the thing about Laurie; he'd always been honest.

“And I fell for it.”

“Come on, you kept me waiting long enough. I was starting to get worried, I can tell you. And now there are two things I have to say.”

“Fire away.”

“I love you.” Laurie kissed her again, his gold-blond hair flopping over his forehead. “And I'm bloody starving.”

“There's a restaurant downstairs.” Nadia squirmed helplessly as he began to nuzzle the part of her neck where he knew she was most ticklish.

“Boring. We'd have to wear clothes. And I wouldn't be allowed to ravish you between courses. I think we're probably safer having dinner up here.”

“Less likelihood of being arrested,” Nadia agreed.

As Laurie reached across her for the hotel phone, his warm skin sliding over hers, not having to get dressed seemed infinitely preferable.

When he'd finished ordering dinner, Laurie gazed soberly at the phone in his hand. “I should call Dad, find out how he's doing. But I just can't. Not tonight.”

“Don't then.” Whisking the phone from him, Nadia rapidly punched out her own home number. “They're all adults, let them sort out their own mess—hi, it's me. Anyone shot anyone else yet? OK, that's good. Yes, Laurie's fine too. We're staying at Hutton Hall. He just needed to get away for a bit. We'll be back tomorrow, OK? Call me if anything drastic comes up.”

Reaching for the phone, Laurie added, “But only if it's really drastic. All in all, we'd prefer not to be disturbed.”

At the other end of the line, Clare let out a squeal of delight. “You sleazebag! You're naked, aren't you? I can tell by the sound of your voice!”

“You may think that.” Laurie kept a straight face. “I couldn't possibly divulge that information.”

“You finally did it,” whooped Clare. “About bloody time too.”

Laurie grinned. “I know. Luckily, I was worth waiting for.”

Worth waiting for, worth waiting for, oh crikey…

“Hey,” said Laurie as Nadia attempted to slide out of bed. “Where are you going?”

His arms closed round her waist before she could escape. It had just occurred to Nadia that her mobile was in her bag on the dressing table, and that Jay had said he'd call. If he was back in time, they'd arranged to meet for dinner. After everything that had happened this afternoon it had gone clean out of her mind.

“Just wanted to check my mobile, see if there are any messages.” As she said it, Nadia realized there wouldn't be. Her phone was switched on and her bag was less than six feet away. If Jay had called, she would definitely have heard it ringing.

As Laurie rolled her over, he said playfully, “Who were you expecting to hear from?”

“No one.” Actually, it was just as well Jay hadn't rung; she'd only have had to turn him down. Leaping out of bed with one man to rush off with another probably wasn't considered good etiquette.

“Did you sleep with him?”

“Who?” Honestly, how did he do that? Nadia looked mystified.

“Come on, you know who I'm talking about. Your boss. The one I suggested you sleep with.”

Nadia shook her head; with Laurie's eyes upon her, it was nice not to have to flounder, debating whether or not to lie.

“No.”

“Good.” Laurie ran his fingers gently through her tangled curls, pushing them back from her face and kissing her forehead. “I'm glad.”

Catching sight of his watch, Nadia said, “Miriam's with Charles Burgess now. I wonder how it's going.”

Pushing her back down amongst the pillows, Laurie murmured, “Let's not worry about other people now. I'd rather concentrate on us.”

***

Nadia's phone wasn't in her bag. Wandering out into the garden to clear away the debris of the afternoon's drinks party, Clare had begun desultorily collecting up plates and glasses when she heard the familiar chirpy ringtone and spotted the mobile lying in the grass under the table.

Since anything was better than playing at being a waitress—particularly when there was no one else around to shower you with praise—Clare abandoned the glasses, retrieved the small silver phone and answered it.

“Hello?”

“At last. I've been leaving messages for the last hour. Why didn't you call me back?”

Recognizing the voice, Clare said jauntily, “Because this isn't Nadia. You're lucky enough to be talking to her beautiful, far more talented sister. Not that you deserve to be,” she went on, “seeing as you still haven't bought a single one of my dazzling masterpieces, but that's just the kind of generous, forgiving person I am.”

“Actually, I was thinking about that earlier today. We may be able to come to an arrangement.” Jay was certainly sounding cheerful. “Can I have a word with Nadia?”

“She's not here. All kinds of weird stuff has been happening today, you wouldn't believe it. Anyway, Nadia's gone off with Laurie, to stay in some posh country house hotel. She rang not long ago from their room, and let me tell you, they weren't reading the Gideon Bible. Now, what kind of an arrangement?”

There was a pause. Then Jay said, “What?”

“You said we could come to an arrangement. So tell me all about it,” Clare prompted. “We're talking about some kind of commission, right?”

“Yes, but—”

“Brilliant! I knew you had good taste. Look, I'm not doing anything this evening, so why not come round and we'll have a chat about it, find out exactly what you have in mind?”

“Well, er…”

“Oh, go on,” Clare wheedled. “Everyone else is out and I just hate being here on my own.” Innocently she added, “And if you're really good, I'll tell you all about Miriam being a bigamist.”