An Affair to Forget (14 page)

The
next hour dragged by. Vicki looked like the cat who had stolen all the cream, and Sam, after that first hurt look at her, kept well away from Morrin, not even glancing in her direction. Cass, who had pulled Gareth down to sit on the arm of her chair, talked on and on about their shared childhood and their teens, the games of hide and seek, swimming in the local river, playing tennis and attending the village dances near his grandmother’s home in Wales. Gareth added the occasional comment, but left it to her to paint the picture of idyllic youth and a relationship that was too strong to break.

At
any other time Morrin would have been fascinated to hear the girl talking about Gareth’s grandmother, who had helped her husband to create and build up the family business, and who still ruled over her family. But she was too aware of Sam’s hurt silence to concentrate on a word the girl said.

Once
Gareth glanced at her swiftly, raising one eyebrow slightly, perhaps in apology, perhaps asking what she planned to do next. Realising that Vicki was watching them both closely, she rose and left the room.

In
the small shower-room leading off her bedroom she splashed cold water on her flushed face and combed her hair. She would have given anything to be free to stay in the room, but she knew that sooner or later someone – Sam, perhaps, or Vicki – would come looking for her. With a deep sigh, she went back into the hall, and almost bumped into Cass on her way out of the lounge.

“
Oh, hullo. I was looking for the bathroom.”

“
It’s just through that archway, on the left.”

“
Thanks,” Cass said then, as Morrin made to walk past her, “I’m glad I’ve finally met you. Now I can put a face to the name.” She leaned back against the wall. “You’ve been a bit of a mystery to us all.”

“
I don’t see why.”

“
Don’t you?” Cass’s brown eyes, so warm when she looked at Gareth, were hard and cold. “Funny,” she went on, “you look as though butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth. It just shows that appearances can be very deceiving.”

“
I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“
Don’t let’s beat around the bush, shall we? You know very well what I – ” Cass began, then as Vicki appeared in the hall she stopped abruptly.

“
Something wrong?” Vicki asked, her eyes still bright with malice as she looked from one to the other.

“
I was just telling Morrin that we should get to know each other better, since we have so much in common.”

“
Apparently so. I tell you what, why don’t we all go to the Epiphany procession on Friday night? I’ve booked a table for four, but I’m sure that I could change it. It would be such fun,” Vicki purred.

“
Yes, it would, but unfortunately I’m due on board the cruise ship that afternoon, so I don’t have much time.” Although Cass was speaking to Vicki, her eyes were fixed on Morrin.

“
Cancel the cruise and stay here. I’m sure that Gareth would like that.”

“
Perhaps I will,” Cass said slowly. “If you’ll excuse me…” She slid past Vicki on her way to the rear of the house.

“
You’re a dark horse, aren’t you?” Vicki put a beautifully manicured hand on Morrin’s arm as she, too, was about to escape. “I get the impression that poor Sam didn’t even know that you’d once worked for Gareth.” Her eyes were greedy for information. “So what happened to make you turn so secretive about it?”

“
Nothing,” Morrin said. “Nothing at all,” and she blundered away from the other woman, back into the lounge.

It
was a relief when Vicki finally announced that she wanted to take everyone to her favourite nightclub. As the others bustled about, fetching jackets and bags, deciding who should go in which car, Morrin found it easy enough to plead exhaustion and bow out of the excursion.

To
her surprise, Cass said at once, “But you must come, mustn’t she, Gareth? Tell her!”

“
It’s up to Morrin, surely,” Sam told her.

“
But I haven’t had time to talk to her yet,” Cass protested, then to Morrin, her voice honeyed, “We should get to know each other, since we have so much in common.”

“
You have nothing in common,” Gareth said firmly, and swept her out with the others.

“
Sam.” Morrin managed to delay him as he was following the others out. “I’ll explain everything in the morning.”

“
Will you, Morrin? Can you?” Sam asked, his eyes as hard and cold as grey slate.

“
Of course I can. Don’t you trust me?”

“
I used to,” he began.

Then
Gareth said from the steps, “Sorry, just popped back to collect Cass’s bag. Oh, there it is.” He picked it up then turned to survey the two of them. “Am I interrupting something?”

“
Nothing at all,” Sam said, and ushered him out.

Once
in bed Morrin lay staring at the ceiling. It had been the most wonderful day of her life, and at the same time it had been the worst. She had danced in Gareth’s arms, kissed him at the beach… and betrayed her true feelings to him. She groaned aloud at that recollection.

And
all the time she was kissing him, being kissed, promising to spend the night with him, Cass had been nearby, unknown to them both. Or was it unknown to him? Had he changed his mind about staying on because he knew Cass was coming?

Of
course he couldn’t have known, she thought feverishly. If he had, he would never have asked Morrin to go to him that night. Or would he? Was that his idea of a joke?

Just
then knuckles rapped softly on the door and she sat upright in bed, her heart thumping wildly.

Fourteen

“Morrin? It’s me. I have to talk to you,” Sam said, low-voiced.

“
Tomorrow. Go to bed, Sam.”

“
Tonight,” he insisted.

“
All right, just give me a minute.” Even as Morrin scrambled out of bed, snatching up her dressing-gown and pulling it on over her short nightgown, the door handle turned and he walked into the room, his face drawn and his normally neat hair tousled.

“
I didn’t expect you back so soon.” She tied the belt of the dressing-gown with shaking fingers. She hadn’t had time to prepare for this.

“
Only me.” He shut the door and leaned back against it. “The others are still at the club, having a good time.” His voice slurred slightly over some of the words. She had never known Sam to have more than one drink in an evening, but on thinking back she recalled that he had already had two or possibly three before leaving for the nightclub with the others. “I came back because I want to know what the hell’s going on between you and Sinclair.”

“
Sit down, Sam. I know I’ve treated you badly, but – ”

“
Is it true? Did you once work for him?”

“
Yes, it is true.”

“
When?”

“
Before I came to London to work for you.” She smoothed the skirt of the dressing-gown nervously.

“
And you didn’t tell me? What were you trying to hide from me, Morrin?”

“
Nothing.”

He
gave a short laugh. “You worked for the man, you knew him well – ”

“
Not all that well.”

“
You were hardly strangers, were you? Yet when you knew that I wanted to meet him, to persuade him to turn his book into a play, you said nothing. Even when you met at the première in London the two of you behaved as though you’d never set eyes on each other before. And you still expect me to believe that you aren’t sharing any secrets?” He paused, then, when she said nothing, “You had an affair with him, didn’t you?”

“
No!”

“
What else can it be?”

“
Just because I worked for him, it doesn’t meant that we were lovers!” she argued. It was like a bad dream… first Gareth accusing her of taking Sam as her lover, then Sam making the same suggestion about Gareth.

“
No? The man’s a real playboy, isn’t he? Morrin, if you won’t tell me what’s going on then I’ll have to ask him.”

“
No, please!” She sat down on the bed, running her hands through her hair. “When we met in London I was the one who made the decision to behave as though we didn’t know each other. Gareth went along with it, that’s all.”

“
But why, dammit?”

“
Because if you’d known you’d have wanted me to persuade him to write that play for you.” Even to her own ears the excuse sounded feeble.

For
a long moment Sam stared at her, silent, then he said, “That man you once mentioned… the man who hurt you so badly before we met… it was Sinclair, wasn’t it?”

“
Me and Gareth Sinclair?” Morrin gave a short, shaky laugh. “Oh, come on! I’m hardly his type, you must have noticed that.”

“
You’re not his type, you don’t like him, and yet this morning you went off with him for the entire day. You didn’t leave a message; I had no idea where you were.”

“
I thought we would be back much earlier than we were. Maria must have known,” she offered. “She loaned me a pair of boots for the snow on Teide.”

“
So I’m supposed to rely on the hired help to let me know where you are? Why on earth did you go with him in the first place?”

“
Because you told me to keep an eye on him. He said he needed time to think about the play,” she plunged on. “Would you have preferred it if I had stayed here and left him to go off on his own?”

“
He had no intention of writing the play before he met you in London,” Sam said slowly. “Did he change his mind just so that he could see you again?”

“
Of course not, it’s just the way he is… I never knew where I stood with him when I worked for him. Whatever the reason, you can be certain that it had nothing to do with me.”

“
But why did he go along with the charade and pretend that he didn’t know you?”

“
It amused him, that’s all.”

Disbelief
was written all over Sam’s face. He left the door and came across the small room to stand over her. “I’d have to be very stupid to swallow that one. You kept leaving that book around the office and around your flat so that I’d get interested in it, didn’t you? And when I opened the door tonight the two of you looked very friendly.”

“
We had an enjoyable day. Gareth can be good company when he’s in the right mood.”

“
Is that all? You looked radiant, Morrin. Radiant.” He sat down on the bed beside her and said with a sudden catch in his voice, “You still do.”

“
It’s the cold air on Teide. I’ve spent most of the day walking in the snow. Have you ever been up there, Sam? It’s like another world.”

“
I know. I’ve been looking forward to taking you, once Sinclair cleared off. I’d wanted to be the first to take you. The first – ”

There
was something about the look in his eyes that made Morrin uneasy. “What about a coffee?” she began, rising to her feet. “I know that I could do with – ”

Whether
he lost his balance or whether his next move was deliberate she didn’t know, but before she realised what was happening Sam had pulled her back down and into his arms, and was claiming her mouth with his.

“
Sam, for goodness’ sake,” she said breathlessly when he eased his hold on her.

“
Where’s the harm in a friendly kiss? We’ve done it before and you haven’t objected. I expect you and Sinclair kissed when you worked for him. No doubt he kissed you today, when the two of you were out together?” Sam’s arms tightened again, his weight against her, forcing her backwards across the bed. “Did he, Morrin?” His breath smelled strongly of drink. “And did you like it?”

“
Sam, stop it!” She struggled to get up. “You’re being ridiculous!”

“
Of course you liked it, you’re a warm-blooded female, aren’t you? You never object when I kiss you, do you? And I enjoy kissing you, Morrin, very much.” He bent his head to hers.

Morrin
began to feel fear taking hold of her as she realised that there was nobody to hear her if she called for help. Vicki and Gareth were out, Maria and Jaime were in their own cottage. Pinned helplessly to the bed with Sam covering her face with kisses, she remembered the way she had argued with Gareth when he jeered at her belief in Sam’s honourable intentions. No wonder he had found her naïve and amusing.

When
Sam tugged at her dressing-gown, dragging it back from one shoulder, she hit back at him, frightened sobs rising into her throat.

Then
the weight was lifted from her and Sam’s fingers, gentle now, took her chin, turning her to face him. “Morrin?” The drunken anger had gone and his grey eyes were clear again. “You… you’re afraid of me!” he said, and when she stayed where she was, unable to trust her voice, he got up.

“
Oh God, Morrin, I’m sorry,” he said, and blundered out, leaving her alone.

Her
first impulse was to jam a chair beneath the door and stay in her room until morning, but the anguish in Sam’s voice before he fled from the room could not be ignored. She washed her face, dressed in slacks and a sweater and went to look for him. He was in the kitchen, huddled over a cup of coffee.

“
Are you all right, Sam?”

“
Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He glanced up at her, then looked away again in shame. “I’m a complete idiot, Morrin. You know that I never take more than one drink. And now you know why. Not that I was ever an alcoholic, far from it, but I stopped after the first when I realised that I tended to behave like a fool when I’d had too many. Darling, I am so sorry.”

Morrin
found a mug on the shelf, poured coffee for herself. “It’s over and forgotten.”

“
To behave like that to you, of all people. After what happened to you before…”

“
Sam, please, it’s all right. Let’s just forget about it.” She was terrified that he was going to start questioning her about Gareth again.

“
You’re right, of course. I’d better go to bed before I say or do anything else to embarrass us both.” He got up to put his empty mug on the draining board, brushing past her on his way there. For a moment she froze, unsure of him. But he put his mug down, paused, said, “Goodnight, Morrin. Sleep well,” and left her on her own.

Morrin
finished her coffee after Sam had gone, then rinsed the two mugs and put them on the draining board. The front door opened as she was about to leave the kitchen and she tensed, half hoping that it might be Gareth but half afraid to face him after all that had happened in the past few hours.

Vicki
slammed into the kitchen, her lovely face twisted with irritation. “Oh, it’s only you. Where’s Sam?”

“
He’s just gone to bed. I don’t think he should be disturbed,” Morrin said swiftly as the other woman turned towards the door.

“
Really?” The actress looked her up and down, her eyes blazing. “And why not?”

“
He isn’t feeling very well.”

“
He’s not – ” Vicki began, then stopped short. “He’s had too much to drink, hasn’t he?”

“
You know about that?”

“
My dear girl,” the older woman said condescendingly, dropping into the chair Sam had just vacated and taking out a cigarette case, “Sam and I go back a long way. We know everything there is to know about each other. Hasn’t he told you about us?”

“
I know that you were drama students together, that’s all.”

“
And best friends, and…” Vicki looked up at Morrin from beneath her long thick eyelashes. “Any coffee? It was me who realised that the poor love couldn’t hold his drink well, and advised him to stop after the first,” she went on as Morrin fetched a cup. “Does he still do that?”

“
Yes, usually.”

Vicki
lit her cigarette. “We always looked out for each other, Sam and me.” Her eyes softened in a way Morrin had never seen before and she gazed at the wall, obviously seeing far beyond it. “He wasn’t much of an actor and once he realised that and decided to go in for production instead, he promised that one day he would find the perfect play and make me a West End star.”

“
Did he?”

Vicki
snapped back to the present. “By the time he got around to it I was already a star, darling. And we were all grown up by then anyway. So…” Her gaze was hard again as it raked over Morrin, taking in the plain dressing-gown, the tousled hair. “You’re all on your own tonight?”

“
Yes.”

“
And having a dreary evening.”

“
I don’t mind my own company.”

“
That’s just as well,” Vicki said with silky spite, “since you probably get a lot of it.” Then, stubbing her partially smoked cigarette out viciously in the ashtray Morrin had put on the table, “I’ve had a miserable time! First Sam walks out on me, then Gareth and Cass vanish, leaving me stuck with the Hardimans and that niece of theirs.” She accepted the coffee without thanks. “I doubt if Gareth will be back tonight; Cass had quite a firm grip of his arm the last time I saw them.” Then she added with mock regret, “Oh dear, I hope that doesn’t upset you.”

“
Why should it?”

“
I was thinking about Cass’s little surprise tonight. Why keep your relationship with Gareth such a secret? It’s my guess that you fell for your boss, darling, and since he didn’t return your feelings, you threw up the job.”

“
Nothing as interesting, I’m afraid.” Morrin glanced at the kitchen clock. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll go to – ”

“
And then there was Sam. Lucky you, moving from one gorgeous man to another. I’m surprised that you let him go off to his room tonight when you had the house to yourself. Not” – her eyes swept over Morrin again – “that you’re exactly dressed to please any man. You have a lot to learn.”

“
I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“
No need to be so prim and proper, sweetie, there’s nobody else around to hear us. You fancy Sam, don’t you?”

“
I work for him, that’s all.” Why, Morrin thought wearily, did everyone seem to feel the need to link her with someone else?