Memories of The Past (Presents Plus)

by Carole Mortimer

  ‘When Graham and Susan made that condition they hardly thought the two of them would be dead within a year,’ Enid Carter snapped. ‘It’s only natural for them to have assumed that Henry and I would either be already dead or at least far too old to take on the care of a child if the situation had arisen that both of them would be dead. That only left them with the one choice, unsuitable as that one is,’ she added coldly.

  Helen heard Cal’s angry intake of breath, wishing herself anywhere but in the midst of this very private conversation. She waited anxiously for Cal’s explosion, eyeing him nervously.

  ‘Enid, I’ve done everything within my power to make a stable life for Sam,’ Cal finally said quietly, his own anger firmly under control, although it hadn’t been easy for him to achieve, by the impatient fury in his eyes. ‘No one, not even you,’ he assured the older woman firmly, ‘could have done more for him than I have.’ He looked at her challengingly, although the stress of the last few hours was starting to show in the strain about his eyes and mouth and the slight pallor to his skin.

  ‘Money can achieve a lot,’ Enid Carter acknowledged bitterly. ‘But then you and your brother have always been aware of that!’

  Cal’s mouth tightened. ‘I don’t think bringing the past into this is going to help the situation in the—’

  ‘Help the situation?’ the middle-aged woman echoed shrilly. ‘If your brother hadn’t dazzled my daughter with his wealth and charm none of this would have happened in the first place, because Susan would never have been married to him!’ she said accusingly. ‘Susan was engaged to a nice young man when your brother forced his way into her life—’

  ‘Susan and Graham loved each other very much,’ Cal began with careful deliberation, as if controlling his anger with extreme difficulty now.

  As, indeed, Helen could quite believe he was! Enid Carter obviously had a lot of old bitterness that still pained her deeply, and although some of the accusations she was levelling at Cal, the ones about money in particular, weren’t so different from what Helen herself had been saying, she still wished herself anywhere but witnessing this highly personal conversation.

  ‘Susan was overwhelmed by the attentions of a rich and experienced man,’ her mother said with contempt for the man who had become her son-in-law.

  ‘Enid,’ her husband began reasoningly.

  ‘You and your brother believe you can buy anything.’ She completely ignored the interruption. ‘Even women.’ She looked accusingly at Helen now.

  Helen’s eyes widened at this fresh attack on her, more personal this time.

  ‘Enid, I believe that’s enough,’ Cal told her with quiet intensity. ‘Attacks on me are one thing, but I won’t have Helen involved in this.’

  The older woman’s mouth twisted disdainfully. ‘I would say she is already very much involved,’ she snapped. ‘The two of you are—friends, didn’t you say?’ She looked challengingly at Helen.

  Hot colour flooded her cheeks. ‘Yes, I did, But—’

  ‘Good friends, I would say,’ the other woman scorned.

  ‘Enid!’ Cal rasped harshly. ‘Our relationship isn’t in the least like the one you are implying!’

  Enid Carter recoiled as if he had struck her. ‘You don’t mean the two of you are getting married?’ she gasped. ‘Don’t you believe that is going a little too far in your bid for respectability?’ she added accusingly.

  Now it was Helen’s turn to gasp; she had gone from offering, recklessly, to help Cal out with Sam for the afternoon, to bluntly being accused of marrying Cal for his money. Marrying the man? The idea was ludicrous. Ridiculous. Laughable. Although nothing about this conversation was really funny.

  ‘Enid,’ Cal spoke softly, but the cold fury was there none the less, ‘Helen is a friend who has very kindly helped me out today. I will not have her insulted, by you or anyone else.’

  Helen looked at him. After the things she had accused him of, he could still champion her in this way? Although, she had to admit, their own difference of opinion had nothing to do with this situation.

  ‘If she marries you she will have my pity, not my insults,’ Enid Carter scorned. ‘Come along, Henry,’ she instructed arrogantly. ‘I don’t think there is anything to be gained by continuing this conversation.’ She walked out of the room without waiting to see if her husband complied with her order, seeming to know that he would do so without her having to repeat it a second time.

  And who could blame the poor man? Helen mentally sympathised; Enid Carter in full flow was a force to be reckoned with. Although she had to admit that Cal had more than held his own against the other woman.

  Henry Carter made a move towards the door, and hesitated, before turning back to the two of them. ‘I really am sorry about this.’ He shook his head worriedly. ‘I know you’re only doing what you think is best, Cal.’ He gave a helpless shrug.

  Cal gave a wry grimace. ‘Try and convince Enid of that, will you?’

  The other man sighed. ‘Susan was our only child,’ he answered, as if that explained everything.

  And perhaps it did. Sam was all this couple had left of their daughter. Although Helen didn’t think Cal had much family to talk of either, so perhaps the same was true for him about his brother. It really was a difficult situation, for all concerned.

  But at the end of the day it was really Sam’s welfare they all had to think of, and, much as Helen found it hard to admit, if she were truthful, and from what she had seen today, Cal Jones was the right person to bring Sam up. Sadly, she was sure Henry Carter knew that too, although his loyalty obviously had to remain with his wife. Perhaps even Enid Carter knew the truth of that too, and that was why her reaction against it was so strong. After all, the other woman was in her sixties, and the responsibility of taking on a child of Sam’s age at this stage in her life would be a great one. Guilt could be as much of an incentive to anger as anything else.

  And Helen should know. It was her own guilt at not being with her father enough over the last seven months to know what was going on in his life that had made her so angry with herself the last couple of weeks.

  But whatever the reason for Enid Carter’s fury it was very real none the less, and could have serious consequences for all concerned.

  ‘I know.’ Cal squeezed the other man’s arm reassuringly. ‘But we all want what’s best for Sam, don’t we?’

  The older man sighed at the truth of that. ‘I’ll try and talk Enid into seeing sense,’ he offered, but his weary expression didn’t hold out much hope of his doing that. He turned to Helen. ‘I’m sorry you had to get caught up in this, Miss Foster.’ He shook his head at the hopelessness of the situation.

  ‘That’s all right.’ Helen gave him a reassuring smile, knowing her involvement had been purely incidental; anyone walking in on that fraught situation would have been likely to have been drawn into it, no matter how much they might have wished they wouldn’t be.

  He turned back to Cal once more. ‘I really am sorry.’ His expression became even more worried as he followed his wife out of the room.

  Cal let out a deep sigh in an effort to relieve some of his tension, his hand shaking slightly as he ran it through his already tousled hair, as if it was far from the first time he had made the action this afternoon.

  Helen could only guess at the tension of the conversation before she had come back, although if it had been anything like what she had heard it was enough to make Cal want to pull his hair out, not just tousle it!

  ‘I can see now why you wanted Sam away from the house this afternoon,’ she said ruefully, giving a quick glance out into the entrance hall to check that he was still playing with his toys. The events of the last half-hour had completely gone over his tiny little head as he concentrated on putting out imaginary fires in the cars.

  Cal shook his head wearily. ‘This battle has been going on for months now, and quite honestly I’m coming to the end of my patience.’

  ‘It can’t be good for Sam,’ she
sympathised softly.

  He sighed. ‘For the main part I’ve tried to keep him away from it, but children his age are quick to pick up tension, and that’s the least of my emotions when Enid chooses to descend on us at the weekends!’

  If they had this battle every weekend she wasn’t surprised. No wonder he felt the need to escape from his own home on Friday evenings to enjoy the lull of those few hours spent in relaxation with her father before the storm of the weekend began!

  ‘I’m sorry you were drawn into it the way you were.’ He looked at her anxiously.

  ‘It wasn’t your fault,’ she shrugged, although her cheeks burnt from the accusations the other woman had made concerning the two of them.

  And how would she have felt about the conversation if she really were a special friend of Cal’s? It would have been devastating to have such remarks made about their relationship.

  ‘The really sad part of all this is that Enid knows how much Graham loved Susan, he just wasn’t her idea of a son-in-law,’ he added ruefully. ‘That “nice” young man Enid referred to whom Susan was going to marry was the type that Enid would have been able to dominate, and so not really lose her influence over Susan.’ He shook his head. ‘Marrying Graham against her mother’s wishes was the one and only open act of defiance that Susan ever committed. And Enid never let her forget it,’ he said grimly.

  Or her dislike of the man her daughter had married, if her comments a few minutes ago were anything to go by! It was far from the ideal way to begin a marriage.

  ‘I say “open” act of defiance because if Enid only knew…’ Cal gave a pained groan.

  ‘Yes?’ Helen couldn’t help prompting, felt as if she had just read a book only to get to the last page and find it was missing. As indeed she now felt it was. And it was in Cal’s possession.

  He drew in a ragged breath, visibly shaken now by the scene that had just transpired. ‘I wish Enid would just let up on the pressure, because one of these days I’m not going to be able to restrain myself… And if that happens I’m going to do something unforgivable.’ He shook his head again.

  She could see his anguish at the very idea of it, could only guess at the effort it cost him to restrain himself from dealing with Enid Carter once and for all.

  Cal looked at her with pained eyes. ‘I’m not a deliberately cruel man.’ His mouth twisted ruefully. ‘No matter what you might think to the contrary…’

  If she was honest she didn’t really know what she thought any more. She hated it when the so-called heroines of television programmes came out with that hackneyed old line ‘I’m so confused’, but at this moment that was exactly what she was! Cal’s dealings with her father over Cherry Trees seemed underhand to her, and yet his control with Enid Carter, gentleness almost, in the face of constant insults, spoke of a completely different sort of man from the one she had imagined him to be.

  She put her hand on his arm, her eyes widening in alarm when he turned to her with a groan, gathering her into his arms to bury his face against her throat.

  Her alarm turned to panic as she realised how right it felt to be held against him like this, Enid Carter and the previous tension forgotten as she raised her face to Cal’s.

  Dark blue eyes devoured the paleness of her face before he slowly lowered his head and claimed her lips with his own. Liquid warmth flowed through her veins as his mouth moved sensuously against hers, his hands cupping her face now as he held her lips up for the slow, searching kiss that made her legs tremble and her body shake. His shoulders felt muscled beneath her supporting hands, his body hard against hers, as the kiss went on and on, searching and tormenting at the same time, Helen’s whole body on fire for a deepening of the caress.

  ‘Sam kiss.’

  Helen pulled back in horror to look down at the little boy pulling on her skirt for attention. He needn’t worry, he had her full attention—she dared not even look at Cal!

  CHAPTER SIX

  ‘CAL’S on the phone. For you,’ her father added softly.

  Helen’s pulse jumped tensely at the mention of the other man’s name, but she could feel it beating a nervous tattoo at her temple when her father told her the call from him was for her.

  She stood up disjointedly, unable to stand her father’s knowing gaze a moment longer. ‘He probably just wants to thank me again for taking Sam out for him yesterday afternoon,’ she said sharply, smoothing her skirt agitatedly.

  Her father watched the movement with an amused twist to his lips. ‘Yes, you’re probably right,’ he replied without sincerity, his eyes twinkling with merry humour.

  Not that Helen could altogether blame him. By the time she had arrived home yesterday evening her nerves hadn’t settled down at all after that unexpected kiss from Cal and its abrupt, and embarrassing, ending, and she had walked in to find her father had got home before her. Her flushed cheeks and over-bright eyes could have been attributed to anger or inner turmoil, and she had known within a few minutes that her father had drawn the right conclusion. He had been eyeing her with that knowing amusement ever since!

  It had been embarrassing enough to have Sam witness that kiss between his uncle and herself. She had hastily pulled out of Cal’s arms, keeping her face averted from his searching gaze as she’d bent down to talk to the little boy. By the time she had stood up again she had been slightly more under control, although her gaze still hadn’t quite been able to meet Cal’s as she’d made her excuses to leave.

  Her agitation had returned in full force when he had accompanied her to the door to take her hand in his. She had been unable to do anything else but look at him then, and the tenderness in his eyes had almost been her undoing, her natural instinct being to move back into the warm security of his arms.

  But she had resisted the temptation, snatching her hand out of his as she had mumbled her goodbyes and fled out of the house into the sunshine.

  She still didn’t quite know what had happened between them yesterday. The shadows under her eyes were evidence of the sleepless night she had spent wondering how one moment she could have been talking to Cal quite sensibly and the next moment be in his arms returning his kisses. It was so completely out of character for her, and the knowledge of how desperately she had wanted the kisses to continue terrified the life out of her.

  What on earth could he want to talk to her about now?

  Maybe she was right, maybe he did just want to thank her again for taking Sam yesterday. Although somehow she doubted it; she knew he hadn’t wanted the kisses to stop yesterday either!

  ‘Yes?’ Her voice was restrained, and yet slightly breathless, a churning sensation in her stomach as she clutched the receiver in her hand.

  ‘Helen.’

  Just the sound of her name on his lips was enough to tell her that no time might have elapsed since she had been in his arms, that the distance between them didn’t exist, that the telephone was no barrier to the desire he still felt for her!

  She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, almost able to taste him there. This was madness, a mere flight of the senses, and yet it was real, so very real.

  ‘I have to see you—’

  ‘No!’ she protested sharply, taking a calming breath, knowing she was over-reacting, clearly revealing her confusion over the situation. ‘I don’t think that would be a good idea,’ she amended distantly.

  There was silence for several long seconds, and when Cal spoke again it was in a briskly businesslike tone, all huskiness gone from his voice. ‘I’d like to take you out to dinner as a thank-you for—’

  ‘I would rather not,’ she cut in abruptly. ‘I—I’m busy,’ she added shortly.

  ‘You don’t know which evening I was asking you yet,’ Cal returned a little mockingly.

  Fool, she chastised herself. What had happened to the cool-headed, sensible person she usually was? If she had been that person yesterday, none of this conversation would be taking place!

  ‘I’m here to spend time with my father,�
�� she told him tartly.

  ‘I’m sure David can spare your company for one night,’ he drawled derisively.

  She was sure he could too, if it was to spend time with Cal Jones. But she had no intention of telling her father of the invitation.

  ‘Tomorrow night will be fine,’ David Foster remarked behind her.

  Helen spun round, glaring at her father accusingly for listening in on her side of the telephone conversation, at least.

  ‘Did David say tomorrow night?’ Cal prompted with mocking humour.

  She gave her father one last glare of censure before pointedly turning her back on him. ‘What my father says really has nothing to do with it—’

  ‘But a few minutes ago you said that it did,’ Cal reminded teasingly.

  ‘I was trying to refuse you politely!’ she snapped impatiently. Really, these two were like a comedy act, and she was their ‘straight man’! She would swear Cal had put her father up to this, if she didn’t know better; her father needed no encouragement to be interfering where he thought it was for her own good. But he couldn’t possibly know how fraught with possibilities her seeing Cal Jones could be.

  ‘Try impolitely,’ Cal drawled challengingly. ‘Otherwise I might keep asking you.’

  ‘I don’t want to have dinner with you, tomorrow or any other night,’ she said irritably.

  ‘I’m sure you can do better than that, Helen,’ he mocked.

  ‘Surely I was explicit enough?’ Her impatience deepened.

  ‘Explicit, yes,’ he acknowledged. ‘But your refusal leaves a little room for doubt.’

  ‘What doubt?’ she said incredulously. ‘Surely a refusal is a refusal, no matter how it’s put?’

  ‘“You lousy swine” on the end of it might be more convincing,’ Cal teased.

  She wasn’t sure she thought of him as a ‘lousy swine’ any more. In fact, she had been trying not to think of him at all today, although it had been proving a little difficult.