No Gentle Possession Read online

  TO say Karen was shocked would have been an understatement. She was amazed, astounded, incredulous!

  She stared into those cool amber eyes and for a few moments she could say nothing. Then, shaking her head in a slightly bemused fashion, she broke the silence which had fallen. ‘You can’t be serious!’

  ‘Why not?’ As always he challenged her.

  ‘Well, putting aside the fact that I have no desire to spend a week-end alone with you – why should you need to ask me?’

  ‘Did I say we were to be alone?’

  ‘No, but – but naturally—’

  ‘Yes, naturally, you’ve fallen into a trap of your own making.’ A faint smile twisted his mouth. ‘Don’t jump to conclusions, Karen. Not until you know all the facts.’

  She bent her head, her hair falling in a curtain about her cheeks. ‘Whatever the facts are, I’m not interested,’ she said, her voice slightly muffled.

  ‘I see.’ He lifted his liqueur and tasted it experimentally. ‘Not even if I tell you that if you don’t agree to do as I ask you run the risk of our relationship being made public knowledge?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Her head jerked back.

  ‘Be patient, and I’ll explain.’ He finished his liqueur and drew out a case of cigars. ‘Do you mind?’ He indicated the cigars.

  ‘Of course not.’ Karen clenched her fists uneasily. What was he hatching out now?

  Exhaling smoke into the air above their heads, Alexis regarded her calmly. ‘My father and his wife celebrate their seventh wedding anniversary next week-end, at Falcons, my father’s house near Maidenhead. I’ve been invited to join the festivities.’

  Karen digested this. ‘And you want me to accompany you?’

  Alexis studied the glowing tip of his cigar. ‘Let me put it this way: Michelle will not have told my father about you. How could she? So far as he is concerned, she hasn’t seen me since I last visited London. But she knows, and it is, shall we say, unfortunate, that these celebrations come so soon after – a certain incident. Were I to arrive at Falcons without my fiancée, I guarantee within a few days your parents would know of our association—’

  ‘But why?’ Karen interrupted him. ‘Why?’

  Alexis sighed. ‘Michelle has a malicious streak. She won’t have forgotten that you were present – that you were a party to her humiliation. But only you and I know exactly how much mischief she could cause.’

  ‘But you can’t mean to tell me that she would actually contact my mother and father—’

  ‘Oh, no. Nothing so simple, or condemning, as that. The information would be given to the local press, to use as they choose. It’s a common enough angle. She would be gambling, of course. You might not care that your name is being linked with mine in such circumstances, but I’m pretty sure she’s aware of the confined atmosphere of a place like Wakeley and the chances of your appreciating such publicity are slim.’

  ‘But – but why should you care – about me?’

  ‘I don’t,’ he responded chillingly. ‘But I do care about the mill, and I’ve no wish to antagonize your father into doing something we might both regret.’

  ‘I – I see.’ Karen rested her elbows on the table, her palms cupping her face. ‘What a mess!’

  ‘Do you want that liqueur now?’

  Karen blinked. ‘A liqueur?’ she echoed absently. ‘Oh – oh, no.’ She shook her head, and then caught a glimpse of her watch. It was nearly ten minutes to two. ‘Gosh, I’ve got to go. I’m going to be late!’

  ‘Don’t panic!’ Alexis rose to his feet, summoning the waiter. He signed the cheque, added a tip, and disregarding the waiter’s thanks helped Karen up. ‘Come along. We can talk later.’

  The traffic in the town centre occupied Alexis’s attention to the exclusion of everything else, and Karen sat in frozen silence wondering how on earth she was going to find reasons to go away for a week-end at the end of March.

  When they reached the school and she was about to get out, Alexis said: ‘We’ve got to get this settled sooner or later.’ He frowned. ‘I’ve got a dinner party this evening, and my uncle and his wife are coming for the week-end. It will have to be one day next week. How about Monday?’

  Karen drew a shaking breath. ‘I – I’ll ring you,’ she said. ‘That’s the best arrangement.’

  ‘When – and where?’

  ‘At – at your house. I know the number. Say – Monday evening.’

  Alexis’s eyes softened. ‘Don’t look so worried! It’s not the end of the world, you know. You might even enjoy it – the week-end, I mean.’

  Karen made a helpless little gesture and slid out of the car. How could he joke about it? Not when she was feeling so totally out of her depth.

  She watched the car draw smoothly away, and then ran down the drive and into the school. She just had a moment to shed her outdoor things before joining her class for a literature session.

  There were no breaks in the afternoon, and as Ray had choir practice immediately after the last period she had no chance to speak to him and explain why she had been out at lunchtime. She half expected he might appear that evening and demand an explanation, but he didn’t, and she went to bed feeling utterly miserable.

  On Saturday afternoon, they had arranged to go into Leeds. Karen wanted to get a few things and then they were going to have a meal before going to see a film they had both wanted to see. Karen was changing into her navy blue trouser suit in her bedroom when she heard Ray arrive and her father take him into the living-room where he was watching the sports programmes on television. He and Ray both supported Leeds United football club, and were constantly discussing tactics and why or why not they should have won their last game.

  Karen came downstairs almost reluctantly. She was dreading the moment when she would have to invent a reason for being absent the previous afternoon.

  Ray greeted her amiably enough, however, and after a few more words with her father they left. It was a glorious spring afternoon, the air warming imperceptibly, and everywhere trees were burgeoning with life. They got into Ray’s car, he started the engine, and they drove away.

  ‘I’m sorry I missed you yesterday,’ remarked Karen, deciding the best method of defence was attack.

  ‘When? At lunch time?’ Ray was casual.

  ‘Yes. I went out.’

  ‘I know.’ Ray glanced her way. ‘I saw you.’

  Karen felt the hot colour flood up into her cheeks. ‘You – saw – me?’

  ‘Yes. And Whitney.’ Ray sounded resigned. ‘So don’t bother to think up some elaborate excuse.’

  Karen’s fingers tightened round her handbag. ‘All right, I won’t.’ Her voice was tight and only slightly shaky.

  Ray clicked his tongue impatiently and looked at her again. ‘Well, what do you expect me to say? That I’m pleased you’re going out with him behind my back?’

  ‘I – I’m not going out with him behind your back,’ she protested indignantly.

  ‘But you weren’t going to tell me you’d had lunch with him yesterday, were you?’

  Karen sighed. ‘No.’

  ‘There you are, then.’

  ‘You don’t understand. There were – things – we had to discuss.’

  ‘What – things?’

  Karen lifted her shoulders. ‘I can’t explain.’

  ‘You see!’ Ray was accusing.

  ‘Oh, Ray, I’m sorry. I – I’d like to tell you, really I would. But – but you wouldn’t understand.’

  ‘Try me!’

  ‘I can’t.’ Karen looked at him unhappily. ‘Oh, I know how it must sound but – well, I can’t help it.’

  ‘Are you in love with him?’ Ray was abrupt.

  ‘In love? With Alexis Whitney? Of course not.’

  ‘Why of course not? He seems to find you more than attractive.’

  ‘That means absolutely nothing,’ Karen exclaimed impatiently. ‘Alexis thinks women are easy game. Just because I won’t—’ She halted abruptly
, realizing exactly what she had been about to confess to.

  But Ray wouldn’t let it rest there. ‘Just because you won’t what?’ he asked curiously. ‘Come on! You’ve got so far, say it all!’

  ‘It’s nothing. I meant nothing.’

  ‘Just how well do you know this chap?’ asked Ray angrily. ‘Apart from seeing him at your house and that night he picked you up from work, how many more times have you been out with him?’

  ‘I haven’t – that is – oh, Ray, if you must know, I knew him years ago. Before I left school. When he was at university.’

  ‘I see.’ Ray absorbed this with obvious distaste. ‘So how well did you know him then?’

  Karen shrugged. ‘Quite well.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘It means – quite well.’ Karen played with the strap of her shoulder bag. ‘Ray, I haven’t been to bed with him, if that’s what you’re driving at!’

  ‘I should jolly well hope not.’ Ray was flushed now as though such topics embarrassed him. Then he frowned. ‘But I suppose that’s what you were about to say, isn’t it? That’s why he finds you – different. Because you don’t sleep around.’

  ‘I suppose so.’ Karen bent her head.

  ‘And is that what all this is about? Does he have some kind of hold over you?’ A spurt of inspiration hit him. ‘Of course! I bet your father doesn’t know you were once his girl-friend, does he?’

  Karen hesitated. ‘Well – no. No, he doesn’t.’

  Ray’s fists clenched round the wheel. ‘And is he threatening to tell your father—’

  ‘Oh, no, no! Nothing like that.’ Karen was horrified. The last thing she wanted was for Ray to get involved in all this.

  ‘Then why are you associating with him? Unless you want to do so, of course!’

  ‘I’ve told you. We had something to discuss.’

  ‘What?’ Ray was becoming angry now and she couldn’t altogether blame him.

  Taking a deep breath, she said: ‘Well, if I tell you, will you keep it in confidence?’

  Ray frowned. ‘Naturally.’

  ‘All right.’ Karen sighed again. ‘Do you remember a couple of weeks ago, Alexis was ill?’

  Ray accelerated to pass a slow-moving car before saying: ‘Yes, I remember. Your father was delighted because he was in charge again.’

  ‘That’s right. Well, Alexis had ‘flu.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘So I went up to his house to see how he was.’

  ‘You did what?’ Ray was horrified.

  ‘I went up to the house to see how he was.’ She paused for a moment. ‘He wasn’t at all well. He was obviously running a temperature and Blake – that’s his manservant – was away, visiting his mother down south. Alexis was there alone, and there was no one to look after him.’

  ‘Poor thing!’ Ray was sarcastic.

  ‘Yes – well, anyway, I stayed.’

  ‘You stayed!’ Ray had to drag his eyes back on to the road. ‘What do you mean? Overnight?’

  ‘Yes,’ and as Ray would have interrupted her again, she went on: ‘Please! Give me a chance to explain! Don’t go jumping to conclusions!’

  ‘What the hell else am I supposed to do?’ Ray was furious now, and Karen was doubtful whether she should go on.

  ‘Anyway,’ she said at last, ‘I slept – downstairs.’ After his attitude she couldn’t tell him anything else, even though it was ridiculous to assume that one place was less provocative than another. ‘And I was woken about midnight by a noise, and when I went to investigate I found this woman in the kitchen.’

  ‘What woman?’

  ‘If you give me a chance I’ll tell you.’

  ‘All right. Go on, then.’

  ‘It was Michelle Whitney, Alexis’s stepmother.’

  ‘So?’

  Karen sighed. This was proving more and more difficult. ‘Well, she saw me there.’

  ‘And?’ Ray was obviously finding it hard to control his temper.

  ‘That’s what we had to discuss.’

  ‘You mean today?’

  ‘Yes. You see, Alexis tried to protect my reputation by telling his stepmother that – that I was his – his fiancée—’

  ‘My God!’ Ray raised his eyes heavenward.

  ‘—and now next week-end it’s his father’s wedding anniversary. He – he lives near London. And if I don’t go along with Alexis, it’ll look – that is, they’ll think – well, it might all come out. About me staying at the house and so on.’

  Ray stood on the brakes, almost throwing her forward through the windscreen, and the small car came to an abrupt halt. ‘Do you mean to tell me all this has been concocted to lead up to the fact that next week-end you and Whitney intend to spend a sneaky couple of days together!’

  Karen was indignant. ‘Of course not. It’s the truth.’

  Ray gave a sceptical grunt. ‘You don’t say!’

  ‘But it is.’ Karen was desperate. ‘Ray, you asked me to tell you the truth, and I have. I don’t know what more I can say.’

  ‘You could begin by crediting me with a little more intelligence than you have,’ retorted Ray angrily. ‘Do you honestly expect me to swallow all that? You spend a night with Whitney, alone in his house, without anything happening between you, and just because his old lady happens to see you there—’

  ‘She’s not his old lady,’ cried Karen. ‘And exactly what are you accusing me of?’

  Ray hunched his shoulders, then he half turned away from her, slumped in his seat. ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ he muttered. ‘I don’t know.’

  Karen watched him unhappily for several minutes, and then she said: ‘Ray! Ray, please! I’m telling you the truth.’

  Ray remained where he was for a little while longer and then he looked back at her. ‘If I’d told you that I’d spent a night alone with some female, how would you feel?’

  Karen stared down at her folded hands. Her answer was clear. She ought to say that she would not have liked it, that she would feel as suspicious as Ray was feeling. But if she was honest with herself she would admit that if Ray had told her something like that she would have accepted it, simply because Ray was not the type to indulge in any kind of promiscuity. She sometimes wondered if he ever had, or whether he was as inexperienced as she was herself.

  But now she nodded and said: ‘I take your point. Nevertheless, it happened, and there’s nothing I can do about it.’

  ‘No.’ Ray was grudgingly aware of this. ‘But this week-end,’ he went on. ‘You can’t expect me to condone it.’

  ‘No.’ Karen accepted this.

  ‘So,’ Ray wound down his window and produced cigarettes, offering one to her which she refused. After lighting his own, he went on: ‘You’ll have to refuse, I suppose, unless …’

  ‘Unless what?’ She looked up.

  ‘Unless he’s agreeable that I should come with you.’

  Karen’s lips parted. ‘That you should come with us?’ she echoed faintly.

  ‘That’s right. Why not? You’re going for these wedding celebrations, aren’t you? Why shouldn’t he invite more than one guest?’

  Karen couldn’t answer him. His suggestion buzzed around in her head like an angry insect. Ray – come to London with them? It was ludicrous!

  And yet was it? Wasn’t it exactly the sort of suggestion she should jump at? She professed not to want to go with Alexis. She argued that she was only going to protect her parents. If Ray was there as well, there was nothing to worry about. And in addition she had a built-in reason for being away. Her parents would not raise any opposition to her spending another week-end in the Lake District with the man they expected her to marry. And as Ray had said, there were bound to be a lot of guests at this party. One more or less wouldn’t make that much difference. But what would Alexis say?

  ‘Well?’ Ray had been watching the play of emotions across her face. ‘Don’t you think he’ll agree?’

  Karen wet her dry lips. ‘I don’t kno
w. I’d have to ask him first.’

  ‘And will you?’

  ‘If that’s what you want.’

  Ray uttered an exclamation. ‘It should be what you want, too.’

  Karen shrugged. ‘I – it is!’ She tried to calm her shaking nerves. ‘I – I’ll ring him on Monday.’

  ‘Good.’ Ray threw away his half-smoked cigarette. ‘And now I suppose we can go to Leeds.’

  ‘If you like.’ Karen managed a faint smile, and Ray started the engine without mentioning it again.

  Throughout that day and the day that followed, Karen tried to behave normally, but it was terribly difficult. She couldn’t begin to imagine what Alexis’s reaction to Ray’s suggestion might be, and she wondered what Ray would do if Alexis said no.

  Ray, on the surface at least, seemed just as usual. They didn’t mention the following week-end, and although from time to time she found him watching her rather closely, in the main nothing appeared to have changed.

  Monday dragged by, and when Ray drove her home in the evening, he said: ‘When are you going to speak to Whitney?’

  Karen frowned. ‘I suppose I could do it now, if you like.’

  ‘Fine. There’s a kiosk just along here. I’ll wait outside.’

  She supposed this was a concession. After all, he could have come into the box with her.

  But although she allowed it to ring and ring, no one lifted the receiver and she emerged from the kiosk feeling rather apprehensive.

  Ray gave her a strange look when she told him. ‘Are you sure you rang the right number?’

  ‘Of course I’m sure.’ Karen sighed. ‘Don’t you believe-me?’

  Ray shrugged. ‘I guess so. But it’s after five. I’d have thought he’d be home by now.’

  ‘Perhaps he’s still at the mill.’

  ‘Why didn’t you try there, then?’

  ‘And have Peggy at the exchange recognize my voice? No, thanks.’

  ‘What a tangled web,’ quoted Ray mockingly, starting the car again and she hunched her shoulders and wouldn’t look at him.

  When he left her at her gate, he said: ‘I’ll come round later. If you’ve had no success, we can ring then.’

  ‘All right,’ Karen nodded, and after allowing him to kiss her swiftly on the mouth she got out of the car.