by Anne Mather
Olivia’s lips parted. ‘So—so Adam knew all along—’
‘—that I wasn’t Alex Gantry? Right.’
‘That was why he tried to persuade me to wait before—before making any decision.’
‘About appointing me chairman?’ asked Leon wryly. ‘Yes, he told me about that. I felt pretty sick, believe me.’
‘But why?’
‘Oh, Liv—when I came to England, I had some crazy idea of forcing you to acknowledge Sacha as Henry’s grandchild. I hadn’t the first idea how I was going to achieve that, so I improvised, all along the line. Oh, I admit, I did intend that you should think I was Alex, at least to begin with. I knew our appearance was sufficiently similar for it not to arouse any immediate suspicion, and pretending to be Alex enabled me to ask questions I couldn’t have done as Leon Graham. Once I was installed in the house, it seemed a simple matter to introduce Lilian—and Sacha.’
‘But how did you get in?’
‘When Alex’s effects were returned from Johannesburg, his keys were amongst them, and his passport. It wasn’t too difficult to be accepted as Alex Gantry, particularly if one appeared confident.’
‘You were certainly that,’ commented Olivia wryly, and he smiled.
‘Believe me, I was shaking in my shoes! But you made it so easy. You said—Alex? And I knew you believed I was who you said I was. If someone believes something, you’re halfway there.’
Olivia sighed. ‘I can hardly believe this.’
‘Why? Because you want to—or you don’t want to?’
Olivia’s cheeks flamed in the darkness. ‘Because I want to,’ she said simply. ‘Oh, Alex—Leon! whatever your name is—I’m so glad we’re not related.’
‘Yes. Yes, so am I,’ said Leon quietly, and Olivia’s palms moistened in anticipation of what this meant.
But to her dismay, he said nothing more. Instead, he went on to tell her that Alex’s uncle had been a reluctant party to the deception, and that Sean had given him the information pertaining to her mother’s involvement with Alex’s father.
‘It seems he was suspicious at the time,’ he explained, while Olivia forced herself to concentrate on what he was saying. ‘But it was Cosgrove who told me of Henry’s doubts about your parentage, and gave me the lever I needed.’
Olivia fidgeted with her safety belt. ‘I thought you hated me, you know,’ she said, hoping to inspire some expression of affection, but Leon only shook his head.
‘I did,’ he admitted. ‘Until I got to know you. Then I had the hardest time of all, trying to hold on to my original intentions.’
‘You did?’
Once again Olivia waited for him to go on, but they were already running through the outskirts of Chalcott, and he said little more before they turned into Virginia Drive.
Mrs Winters was waiting on the steps for them. She had evidently heard the car, and she opened Olivia’s door before Leon could walk round and do it for her.
‘Mrs Gantry!’ she exclaimed, with some concern, as Olivia got out of the car. ‘My dear, you look worn out! Come along inside. I’ve got a nice supper waiting for you.’
Olivia wanted to protest that food was the last thing she needed, but she held her tongue as Mrs Winters had evidently gone to a lot of trouble. But the flight back from Tsaba had been frequently punctuated by the serving of meals, and in any case, her appetite had dwindled in the last few minutes.
They ate in the dining room, served by Mrs Winters herself, and the housekeeper’s presence precluded any private conversation. She was too eager to impart the news of Sacha’s latest antics, and it was obvious from her behaviour that she still had not learned the truth. Not that Olivia thought that would present any problems. She might be a little hurt at the deliberate deception, but when she learned why Leon had done it, she could not fail to feel admiration.
When the meal was over, Olivia excused herself to go to her room, but although Leon stood as a mark of politeness as she departed, he evidently had no intention of following her. On the contrary, now that he was back at the house he seemed brooding and morose, and the weariness that etched his features was as pronounced as her own.
A bath worked wonders, however, and by the time Mary had appeared and expressed her curiosity over her mistress’s unexpected trip, Olivia felt wide awake again. She had put the girl off with some story about accompanying Francis on a business trip, and although Mary seemed a little sceptical, she had been forced to accept it. But when the girl had left her, Olivia viewed her reflection rather wretchedly, realising as she did so that her story had not been so far from the truth. For some reason, Leon had chosen not to pursue his reasons for following her, and she wondered with a pang, whether he regretted making that confession. Perhaps it had been said in the heat of the moment; perhaps it had not really been true. Whatever the truth, she had to accept it, and wait for him to make the next move.
* * *
By two o’clock in the morning, Olivia was desperate. Sleep had eluded her, not a pleasant thing when she was as exhausted as her body had to be after more than twenty-four hours without rest. But her brain simply would not allow her to relax, and she decided to go down to the kitchen and make herself a warm drink.
Pulling a silk robe over the matching cream silk of her nightgown, she opened her bedroom door and trod softly along the corridor. The house was dark, but she was not afraid. With her thoughts for company, she did not even feel alone.
Nevertheless, she did give a start when another door opened farther along the corridor, and she fell back in surprise when Leon’s tall figure appeared. Unlike her, he was still dressed, and she hung back in the shadows, praying he would not notice her. Where was he going? she wondered anxiously, half afraid even now he might have been lying, and that he and Lilian were more than just friends. But Leon moved in the direction of the stairs, and she tiptoed after him, holding her breath.
It was the leg of a console table that did it. As Leon was about to start downstairs Olivia, keeping out of sight, stubbed her toe on the leg of the table, and her sob of protest was blatantly audible.
‘What the hell—’
Leon swung round and saw her at once, her cream robe visible even in the shadows. ‘Liv!’ he muttered impatiently, coming back along the corridor to where she was standing, rubbing her toe against her other foot. ‘What on earth are you doing at this time of night?’
‘I—I couldn’t sleep.’ Olivia looked up at him anxiously, her face pale in the dim light. ‘When—when I saw you, I didn’t want you to think I was following you.’
‘But you were?’
‘Only indirectly. I—I was going to go down to the kitchen to get a drink.’
‘Isn’t it a little late to be wanting a drink?’
‘I thought it might help me to sleep,’ she explained, intensely conscious of him, of his nearness, of the knowledge of the night they had spent together. ‘Oh—Leon!’ Her control snapped abruptly. ‘Didn’t you mean what you said when you said you loved me?’
Leon’s face darkened, and then, with an abrupt movement, he took hold of her arm and urged her across the corridor and into the suite of rooms he had occupied since he came to Chalcott.
‘Love you?’ he grated, as the door closed behind them, and they were alone in the lamplighted room. ‘Of course I love you! But you know as well as I do that Henry Gantry’s widow is far beyond my reach!’
Olivia’s lips parted, and as if he couldn’t bear to be near her without touching her, he put the space of the room between them. Then, raking back his hair with an unsteady hand, he said savagely:
‘Look, I guess this is all my fault. I—I should never have followed you out to Gstango. And I certainly should never have—taken advantage of you as I did. You said you’d never forgive me—’
‘But that was before!’ Olivia’s voice was imploring. ‘Leon, that was before I knew who you were. I—I thought you were Alex. Don’t you see?’
‘Okay.’ He expelled his breath wearily.
‘Okay, I’ll accept that we both spoke in the heat of the moment—’
‘Is that all it was?’ Olivia took a few uncertain steps towards him. ‘Leon, I—I don’t believe you. I can’t believe you. And please, stop behaving as if I was some kind of leper!’
‘Leper!’ Leon groaned. ‘Oh, Liv, I’m the leper, can’t you see that?’
‘Why? Because you made love to me?’ Olivia was rapidly decreasing the space between them. ‘Leon, I wanted you to do it. I—I’ve not exactly kept you at arm’s length, have I?’
‘If only it were that simple,’ he muttered, turning away.
‘It is that simple,’ Olivia insisted, reaching him and impulsively sliding her arms around his waist from behind. ‘Oh, Leon,’ she breathed, pressing her face against the thin cotton of his shirt, pressing herself against him. ‘Leon, I love you. Isn’t that enough?’
She could feel his body trembling, but still he didn’t turn, and only when her fingers slid lower, over the flatness of his stomach, did his hands move to still hers.
‘Liv!’ he groaned. ‘Oh, Liv, don’t do this!’
‘Why not?’ Her voice was breathy, but it had gained a little confidence from his evident reaction. ‘Leon, I want you to love me. Then we might both get some rest.’
Leon turned then, twisting round in her arms and putting his hands hard on her shoulders, propelling her way from him. ‘It can’t be,’ he muttered. ‘Liv, it can’t be! Okay, call it stupid, if you like, but I refuse to marry a woman who can buy and sell me a dozen times over!’
Olivia’s eyes widened. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Liv, Adam told me how it is. You might be only the custodian of Henry’s affairs, but you’re still a wealthy woman for all that. God, if you gave half of what you had to Sacha, you’d still be a millionairess several times over. I—I can’t take that. And I couldn’t ask you to give it all up.’ He sighed. ‘I’m a miner, Liv. Oh, okay, Gstango Ore is making great strides, and I don’t have to live on the site like I used to. But I do have to live in Tsaba. My home is there. And you couldn’t commute, because I wouldn’t let you.’
‘But I don’t have to.’ Olivia at last managed to halt this tirade. ‘Leon, listen to me. If I marry again, I forfeit all my rights to the corporation.’
‘You’re not serious!’
‘I am!’ Olivia’s breath bubbled with excitement. ‘Oh, darling, didn’t Adam tell you? If I marry again, I get a settlement of three hundred thousand pounds, but that’s all! After that, everything is held in trust for Henry’s grandchildren—grandchild! Sacha!’
Leon could hardly take this in. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course I’m sure. But since the only man I knew I would ever want to marry was—as I thought—forbidden to me—’
‘Oh, Liv!’ Leon’s defences crumbled, and with a groan of submission his mouth sought hers. ‘Liv, Liv,’ he muttered, pressing her so closely against him, she could feel every bone in his body, ‘I didn’t know how I was going to live without you.’
* * *
Some time later Olivia, snuggled drowsily into the curve of his arm, stirred sufficiently to say: ‘I wonder why Adam didn’t tell you about that clause?’
‘Can’t you guess?’ Leon’s hand moved possessively over her thigh, drawing her closer against him beneath the silk sheet. ‘Knowing Adam as I’ve come to know him, I’d say he kept that back deliberately. I guess he was afraid I might be prepared to marry you, to achieve my own ends.’
‘If he only knew!’ Olivia gurgled with laughter.
‘Hmm, well—he may not be all that pleased.’
‘I think he’ll be very pleased,’ declared Olivia firmly. ‘After all, he was fond of Alex. And Alex’s son will eventually take his rightful place in the organisation.’
‘Poor little devil!’ remarked Leon dryly. ‘I don’t envy him. But Lilian’s got a sensible head on her shoulders. She’ll make out.’
Olivia moistened her lips. ‘Francis will help her.’
‘Yes.’ Leon hesitated. ‘I suppose he’s another one who won’t be too pleased with our arrangements.’
‘Francis has been a real friend,’ said Olivia, nodding. Then, abruptly, she levered herself up on one elbow to look down at him. ‘Leon, could we propose Francis to act as Chairman—until Sacha is old enough to vote?’
Leon’s brows arched. ‘I don’t see why not. You do have the casting vote, at least until we’re married.’
‘Yes.’ Olivia smiled. ‘I’m sure Sean Barrett would agree.’
‘I’m sure he would.’
Olivia sighed. ‘The corporation will be safe in Francis’ hands.’
‘Which isn’t exactly what you wanted.’
‘Nothing was exactly how I expected,’ said Olivia wistfully. ‘And it was all so long ago. It’s become—clouded.’
Leon nodded. ‘Well, it’s obvious that both Alex’s father and your mother had reasons for reproaching themselves. Whether they did or not isn’t important now. What is important is Sacha—and you and me.’ He grinned. ‘Not necessarily in that order.’
Olivia looked down at him. ‘At least they brought you and me together.’
‘For which I can forgive them almost anything,’ Leon agreed softly, his eyes caressing the rounded curve of her breast. ‘Now, can we get some sleep? Or do you want me to look haggard in the morning?’
‘What do you want?’ asked Olivia, allowing herself to slide down against him, and Leon decided that he could stand a few more dark circles round his eyes.
ISBN-13: 9781460348253
SMOKESCREEN
© 1982 Anne Mather
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