Underbelly (46 page)

“
I don’t know, you’re right. I think he was ready to end it then.”

“
If he was truly ready then nothing that you said could have talked him down.”

Grey shrugged and said, “We’ll never know.”

Conrad invited Grey to his estate in Vermont for the weekend to have a fly out in his plane. Grey declined initially simply because he didn’t want to leave his wife and accepted when Conrad extended the offer to include her too. Conrad told Grey that he could ask Dora to come too if he wanted, thinking that she could be a companion for Germaine while he showed Grey his plane and took him out on the family yacht. Grey wrongly thought that Conrad was interested in Dora, and while he did still invite her, he invited her flatmate Lotus Lewis too, both women accepting instantly (they were both between shows and even if they hadn’t been they would have thought up an excuse). Grey thought that Dora was a sweet, very pretty girl whereas Lotus was less attractive yet was more sexually charged, more suitable for Conrad. Grey liked Conrad immensely but he knew what he was, a lothario who had charm, good looks and was extremely rich, a man who never used force but used everything else to get a woman into bed, not averse to deception to get his own way. He told Grey that he’d never raped a woman and never would but he admitted that he’d pestered women who’d refused him and had not left them alone until they had given in to his repeated advances, badgering them until they acquiesced. Even if Dora hadn’t been George’s daughter Grey would have been against her sleeping with Conrad.

Grey told Conrad before the weekend that he was good friends with Dora’s father, giving minimal details, enough to make the situation clear, and he asked him not to have relations with her. Conrad wouldn’t promise, but he did promise that he wouldn’t fuck her head up (Grey knew how callously Conrad had treated some of his girlfriends), which Grey accepted.

The Overton mansion was exactly what Grey had expected, a practically royal residence. All of the rest of the family were away leaving just the five of them and around twenty servants. Conrad took Grey for a flight in the afternoon, showing off a little more than Grey would have liked, Conrad seeming to enjoy scaring him, playing up to him and the women watching below. Dora and Lotus begged Conrad to take them up when he landed, while Grey was satisfied with just one flight and sat out their slightly more sedate flight. Germaine was content to watch at the sidelines and even if she had not been pregnant she would have still kept her feet on the ground. One of her father’s cousins had perished in a plane crash before she was born, the story of his wartime death having quite an impact on her when she was younger. If necessary she knew she could fly, but she would not fly as a recreational activity, especially not with a pilot like Conrad.

After tea was served the party went outside to the large swimming pool where Conrad played with Dora and Lotus, pushing them into the water and soaking them with cold water from a hosepipe. Dora squealed girlishly as he doused her, while Lotus fought back, managing to get her hands on the hosepipe and giving him a taste of his own medicine. Grey and Germaine stayed out of it, swimming closely together, Grey more active than Germaine as he needed the exercise more. His feet and legs were getting better, and he felt the exercise and massage were helping. With Conrad, Dora and Lotus messing about out of the pool and Germaine perched with her legs over the side Grey started swimming laps, telling Germaine to call him Lastoor after he’d been swimming fast laps for over ten minutes.

Germaine whisked her feet out of the water, playing along with him as she said, “I’d better be careful by the water then.”

“
That’s right. If I was him I’d choose you for my companion, but I think the fact that swimming that little bit there has exhausted me proves I’m not him,” he said as he swam to the side next to her.

“
I’m glad you’re not,” she said, stroking his wet hair.

“
So am I. He had Slene whereas I have you.” In complimenting Germaine he realised he was also criticising Slene, comparing her unfavourably to another woman like her husband did (if the bigamous marriage could be considered lawful), and while he didn’t withdraw the statement he wouldn’t say anything similar again.

“
And you have me willingly,” Germaine pointed out, feeling there was a huge difference between the two relationships.

Dora persuaded Germaine to join in with her and Lotus to provide the evening’s entertainment, one of the servants roped into playing the piano as they performed to Grey and Conrad while they drank and smoked. Germaine only joined in with two of the songs, not versed with the majority of the numbers that the two showgirls knew off by heart, and she improvised her dance moves, unfamiliar with their routines. Germaine was no wallflower and had no qualms about dancing in public, but even she found the performance embarrassing and misjudged. It was Dora’s idea to perform to them, an attempt to impress Conrad, a novelty that went on for too long, and while Grey was still feigning interest after forty minutes, Conrad’s eyes glazed over and he kept looking at his watch, eventually suggesting to Grey that they venture into town. The offer was not extended to the women, to Dora and Lotus’ visible disappointment, Conrad taking them to one side and telling them that if they wanted something to do to amuse themselves then they could work out some burlesque performances which he would happily sit through once the Greys had retired to bed.

“
I think that was for your benefit,” Grey said to Conrad as they were driven into town.

“
I got that, but ‘treats’ like that I can live without. I’m sympathetic to theatre directors now because there’s no way I could sit through that every day.”

“
It was a nice gesture still,” Grey said, feeling Conrad was being unnecessarily harsh. While Lotus could take it, Dora could not.

“
Before you start lecturing me on how to treat people again, I bit my tongue there. Once I would have said, ‘Stop fucking about, get your clothes off or get out of my house’. I repressed that.”

“
I’m glad you did. It would have upset them, and I don’t think you want to do that.” Grey accepted that the darker elements of Conrad’s past, including two maltreated ex-girlfriends committing suicide and implicating him in their suicide notes, were down to insensitivity rather than cruelty, and while he didn’t judge him he did try and suggest that he changed some of his attitudes. Conrad was prepared to listen to him, though he remained averse to change, even if it would cause him less grief.

The club that Conrad took Grey to was so exclusive that even he couldn’t wangle membership for him, eventually settling for signing Grey in as a guest. Conrad knew most of the gentlemen in attendance and after making a few introductions he left Grey to his own devices as he mingled gregariously. At first Grey wished he’d stayed in with the ladies, even if he had been as bored by the show as Conrad, before he discovered the games room. As he played billiards his opponents asked him what he did and Grey answered honestly and without shame that he was a medium who supplemented his income by working as a kitchen hand. One elderly businessman was very perplexed by this, Grey’s expensive suit not looking the sort of clothes a kitchen hand would wear, and he probed further as they played. Grey was open with him, as the questions were harmless; he was bemused and fascinated, not snooty.

A hirsute man in his early 30s, who stood apart from the grouped men, challenged Grey to a game and asked him more questions about his shows as a medium, wanting to know his income. He took Grey’s answer to be modest self-deprecation, doubting anyone would perform for such a meagre sum. He took great pride in being a self-made man, and claimed that he made his fortune through unusual ideas that banks and his associates laughed at. Grey felt that he was considering him as a potential business venture, though his interest clearly waned when he learned of Grey’s low audience numbers, but he gave Grey his business card and told him that he could contact him in the future once he was pulling in over 500.

Conrad came across to Grey and told him that all of his drinks would be on his tab, encouragement enough for Grey to leave the billiards table and order a bottle of wine that he hadn’t drunk since his time at Laura’s farmhouse in France. He ended up drinking more than he intended and needed Conrad’s help to find the right bedroom when they arrived back at the Overton mansion.

Grey woke up the next morning to the sound of tears, as Germaine consoled Dora who was upset because she had either heard or seen Conrad and Lotus in bed together. Grey approved of Germaine’s stance; she was supportive and sympathetic to Dora without resorting to criticism of Conrad or Lotus to make her feel better. Grey didn’t like to see her so upset but she had no claim on Conrad, who for once was not responsible for the tears of a woman. Ever since he had lined up a part for her after her trouble with the casting director she had been in love with him, and Lotus knew that and their betrayal stung.

Grey pretended to be asleep until Dora left the room, Germaine helping her regain her composure. Conrad had expressed an interest in Dora prior to his chat with Grey where he asked him to leave her be, advice which he seemed to be following. He told Germaine that he had sabotaged Dora’s chances with Conrad, seeking her advice, wondering if he should give Conrad his approval to pursue Dora who clearly wanted him. Despite liking Conrad (initially she had only liked him as their benefactor and gradually his personality grew on her), Germaine was convinced that Grey’s initial instinct to protect Dora was correct and she advised him not to withdraw the veto. He admitted that she was probably right, sighing as he spoke.

“
Don’t look so glum,” Germaine said as she sat down next to him on the bed, smiling at him and stroking his back supportively. “It’s not like you’ve separated Romeo and Juliet. Conrad’s girlfriends need to have thicker skin than Dora has.”

“
You’re right, I just feel a bit mean standing in the way of a possible romance, like some old and prudish chaperone.”

“
Or a kind man looking out for a fragile girl, a friend’s daughter,” Germaine said softly.

“
I’m glad I’ve talked this over with you. Your perspective helps,” Grey said, kissing her appreciatively.

Conrad intended to only take Grey out on his yacht until Grey insisted upon the others accompanying them, reminding Conrad that they did a lot of things together back in New York and that the holiday was for all five of them, not just the men. Grey’s idea backfired as Lotus was extremely clingy with Conrad on the yacht, to his irritation as her playful flirting hampered him in controlling the boat. Germaine felt fine for the first hour before turning violently ill when they had travelled far out, unable to stand without Grey’s assistance. Dora proved to be a better actress than any of her directors gave her credit for, acting cheerful and excited by the excursion while hating every second of it. Grey had enjoyed it but admitted to Conrad privately that he was right and that next time he’d sooner go out on the yacht alone with him. Lotus had persisted in mischievously teasing the ‘captain’ and interfering with his equipment for a reaction, which she got when they returned to the mansion. She hinted that she deserved a spanking, which Conrad duly delivered as they withdrew from the others, Lotus determined to make an impression on him just as Dora had planned and failed.

By Monday morning they were all ready to return to New York, some happier than others. The trip had been an unmitigated disaster for Dora, while it had been spiritually uplifting for Germaine, mainly because she hadn’t enjoyed it as much as she thought she would. If she were really the materialistic bitch that she felt she was unintentionally becoming she would have adored her stay at the Overton complex. The estate left her cold, the size of the mansion making it cold and remote, not something she would ever want to aspire to own, and realising that her ambitions had limits was satisfying to her soul. A house the size of her farm and with the same amount of land was preferable to huge soulless estates, and very attainable – while she could not live at her own farm (the thought of Inge returning and all of the bad memories made that impossible) she could sell her property to purchase another. Even the vanity and pride in her body that had troubled her months previously was subsiding though was replaced with fresh insecurities – James could say as often as he wanted that there was nothing more beautiful than the woman he loved carrying his child but the mirror said differently, lacking love’s blinkered view. James had his physique, good looks, a noble spirit, courage and his power; all she had was her beauty, which was u at the ripe old age of 16!

Dora needed cheering up when they returned and Grey told her he was going to put on another show before she started her new musical so that she could finally decide for herself if he was genuine. Of 160 tickets he managed to sell 141, and this show proved to be his most successful – the more people in attendance the higher the chances of him being able to contact spirits connected with members of the audience and the show overran to three and a half hours. This was too long for some sceptical spectators, but the majority of people stayed until the end and he received a standing ovation for only the second time (and the first standing ovation comprised of one person). His adrenaline was pumping almost as much as his sweat flowed, Grey feeling on a high again, just like he always did when midway through his show after his nerves had gone and he found his way, the high usually lasting all night. It wasn’t a job: it was a calling. It took him another hour to finish talking to people at the end, conveying several private messages that seemed to grant closure to both parties.