His assumption annoyed her. “What makes you think I wouldn’t accept?”
“You are far too sensible. And you and I both know that you would be better off with someone of your own age.”
“Rubbish!” Chrissy exclaimed. “Boys my age are prats or worse!”
“But are there none that you might love?”
For some reason, Scott’s face came into her mind again. Why was that?
“None that I could trust,” she said quickly, but her tone and her expression gave her away.
Adam pounced instantly. “Ah! So there is someone?”
Chrissy hated herself for being so transparent. She shook her head in annoyance. “No there isn’t. Not really.”
“Who is he?”
“It doesn’t matter, I tell you!”
Adam wouldn’t give up. “It does matter! I can see it in your eyes! Tell me, Chrissy!”
“He’s the brother of the boy who killed Jo!” Chrissy blurted out. “The brother of Jo’s boyfriend! Okay now? Satisfied?”
Adam looked stunned. He nodded slowly. “Ah, I see your dilemma. So young Jo got her wish after all. But does this boy know his brother is the one?”
“Of course he knows!” Chrissy snapped. “And he’s lying through his teeth to protect him!”
“And you despise him for this?”
“Wouldn’t you?”
Adam didn’t answer at first. He looked thoughtful, and then finally, he shook his head. “No, I would not despise him; I would feel sorry for him.”
Chrissy was astounded. “Sorry for him? But why? He’s protecting a murderer! A murderer who killed my friend!”
“Do you remember the picture of my mother?”
Chrissy was suddenly side-tracked. “Yes,” she said in confusion. “But why mention that now?”
“Because of the car.”
“The car?”
“Yes. My father bought my mother the lotus on her birthday because she wanted a car to give her more independence. He had spent much time and effort choosing it. He had even ordered the colour and interior upholstery according to my mother’s tastes. She loved it and drove it with passion. My father was delighted. It brought them both great joy. She in driving the car and him in watching and sharing her enjoyment.
“My mother used to love driving the car round the many winding and narrow country lanes in the hills and on the moors. She was killed when she lost control of the car on one of those lanes and it overturned. She died instantly, but the car was remarkably undamaged.
“The lotus was the instrument of my mother’s death, but long after she died, it sat in the garage at home, fully restored and resplendent in red. Another man might have taken an axe and destroyed it, but my father did not. He could never part with it, either. And why? Because he knew that part of my mother’s spirit still lived in that car. Each week he would roll it out and wash it and polish it. Its engine would be tuned and then it would be returned to the garage.”
“Do you do the same?” Chrissy asked him.
“No, I do not. As soon as my father died I had it taken away and crushed.”
Chrissy was appalled. “Oh, Adam, you didn’t?”
He nodded sadly. “It was one of the greatest mistakes of my life. I did it in a fit of pique, and I have regretted it ever since. You see, I didn’t understand until too late. My father washed and polished the car because it brought him back to a happier time, it made him feel close to my mother. I only saw the lotus as a murderer, while he saw it as a link with the past. Too late I realised the truth, and now restoring it is just another one of those unattainable dreams.”
They sat in silence for a moment, and then Chrissy asked, “Why are you telling me this?”
“Don’t crush him until you are sure of his motives,” Adam replied suggestively. “He is protecting his brother, which is understandable. You may hate him for it now, but do not condemn him until you know all the facts. There may be reasons for his actions, and he may not be as evil as you think.”
Chrissy was amazed at Adam’s defence of Scott. “Why do you stick up for him like that? You don’t even know him.”
“True, but I would hate to see you make a mistake that you could regret for the rest of your life.”
Chrissy was even more amazed. She put her hands on her hips and exclaimed, “Anyone would think you wanted me to fall in love with him!”
“Only if he loves you as dearly as I.”
Adam’s expression was so earnest that Chrissy forgot all about Scott in an instant. Her heart had already been softened, and now, along with her resolve, it melted to sludge.
“If you asked me now, I’d say yes,” she said softly.
Adam smiled. He took her hand in his. “Do you know what a Marquis is?”
“It’s a big tent, isn’t it?” Chrissy replied instantly and more brightly.
“That’s a marquee –are you mocking me?”
“When have I ever done that?”
Adam nodded knowingly. “Charles told you. I will have to think up a suitable penalty. I knew that you couldn’t have failed to have noticed the coat of arms on the silverware and crockery. Your restraint is commendable, but I will exact my revenge later. But to resume. If I proposed and you agreed, you would become the next Marchioness. Would you be happy with this title?”
Chrissy looked thoughtful. “I don’t think I can see myself as a Marchioness. It makes me think of maiden aunts with grey hair and posh accents.”
“Exactly! You are far too young and beautiful to be lumbered with such a stale image. Better that we stay unmarried, that way you will be forever youthful and desirable.”
Chrissy was sure that it was him that was mocking her. She snatched her hand away. “Cad!” she remarked. “You just don’t want to risk asking me even after I’ve told you that I’d say yes! Coward! Don’t you trust me?”
When Adam answered her, there was no sign of mockery in his voice, so he was either serious, or he hid it well.
“I trust you, and I believe you. And part of me wants to take advantage of your honesty. But I know that you don’t really mean what you say, even though you may believe it yourself.”
“I do mean it!” Chrissy insisted.
“You are only nineteen, Chrissy, far too young to be committing yourself to marriage just yet. You have your whole life ahead of you, with many experiences and decisions to make. There will be time enough for marriage later, but for now, play.” He smiled at last, and added, “Wear that red dress for me on Saturday, make me a happy old Marquis!”
Chrissy stuck her tongue out at him. “Go suck! You only want me for my body. Well, it’s marriage first, sex later. You had your chance, now you’ve blown it!” She folded her arms and turned her back on him.
Adam clutched at his heart. “Oh, the agony!”
Chrissy spun round and poked him in the ribs. Adam grabbed her and they fell back on the sofa laughing. They kissed again. Adam slipped his hand under her jumper at the back, and when their lips parted he murmured, “I see the bandages are back on.”
She pulled his hand from under her jumper. “I got mum to do it on Sunday night.”
“Good.”
They stared intently into one another’s eyes, then Chrissy said, “Thank you, Adam.”
“There is no need for thanks.”
“You took my mind off things. I would have been really morbid if you hadn’t come. You’ve made me laugh. I didn’t think I could laugh today.”
Adam caressed her neck and the side of her face, his fingers running through her hair. “I came here for myself as well as for you,” he told her. “I needed to see you and hold you. I love you greatly, and if our ages were nearer –Ah! The unattainable dream again!”
“It’s not unattainable,” she told him, and meant it. “I know you mean well with your advice, and I know my mum would kick up a fuss, but it’s me that has to make the decision about my future. And I know that if I married you, it wouldn’t be a mistake.”
His reply was blunt, but it sank home. Chrissy sat up. She looked annoyed. “Do you really think I would marry you just for your money?”
“Not knowingly, no. But you are aware of it, and no matter what you might think and say, it does have an influence on your view of me.”
“That’s horrible!”
“Am I more handsome than this boy you mention?”
Adam had fired the question at her, and Chrissy was instantly confused.
“No–Yes–Oh, I don’t know!” She shook her head. “I haven’t even thought of you both in that way!”
“But you must have!” Adam insisted. “You are only human, so even if it was only sub-consciously, you must have compared us. He is younger, I am older. He is poorer, I am richer. All these things will have gone through your mind, and in the end you must choose. But you are free to choose one, or neither of us. We only are the losers, him and I. Tonight you said you would choose me, but this boy may not be as guilty as you think, and in a few months time you may feel differently, you may even have found someone else.”
Chrissy glared at him. “I hate it when you’re right!” she snapped. “Mum’s right, too! You are too old! Know it all!”
Adam laughed. “I will give you no more advice than this: Choose with your heart, Chrissy, and not with your head. Because your head is both the home of practicality and the home of your dreams. Everyone tells you to use your head, but in the matter of love, this is wrong. Your head will choose the path that is practical, or the path to your dream. But your heart will always choose the path to your love.”
Adam got up and held out his hand to her. “Now I think I have stayed long enough. It is late, come, walk me to the door.”
Reluctantly, Chrissy stood up and did as he asked. When they were at the front door, Adam turned to her.
“Wait here a moment.”
He hurried to the car, opened the back door, and pulled out a large and faded white box. As soon as Chrissy saw it, she knew what it was.
“Oh, no, Adam!” she called to him. “I told you I didn’t want it! Please, Adam!”
It was no use. Adam closed the car door and came back up the path. He held the box out to her.
“I want you to have it,” he said.
Chrissy shook her head. “I can’t!”
Adam was insistent. “You can, and you must. You never know, it maybe me who stands next to you when you wear it. And you must wear it. Because the greatest crime would be not to wear it.” He held the box out to her. “Please, Chrissy, give the dress a second chance, give it another day in the sun.”
Chrissy gave in. She reached out and took the box from him. Adam smiled. Chrissy smiled back at him.
“You should have asked me, you know,” she told him.
He nodded. “I may yet do so.”
He turned to leave and Chrissy took a step forward. “Take me to the pictures tomorrow!” she said quickly.
Adam paused. He nodded slowly. “Alright. I’ll be here at seven.”
Chrissy was delighted. “Good! I’ll see you tomorrow, then!”
“Yes, I will see you tomorrow.”
Adam turned and walked down the drive. Chrissy watched as he got into his car, waved and drove off. Chrissy waved back, and she watched as his car turned on to Chester Road and disappeared. As soon as Adam was gone, Chrissy went back inside the house, closed the front door, and bounded upstairs.
Veronica went upstairs a short time later. She had heard Adam leave, and she wanted to talk to her daughter about him. There were one or two things she wanted to say. But when she got upstairs it was to find the door to Chrissy’s bedroom wide open, and Chrissy standing in front of the mirror wearing a full length white wedding dress.
The dress was quite figure hugging until knee level, then it flared out and there was a long train. The bodice was decorated in pearls. It was strapless with a low neckline, leaving Chrissy’s shoulders and arms bare. On her head Chrissy was wearing a white silk veil that she had found in the box.
Veronica staggered back and had to lean on the door. “Oh, my baby!” she exclaimed, a hand to her mouth.
Chrissy looked up. “It fits, mum,” she said in wonder. “It fits perfectly. Isn’t that strange?”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Short Cut
“Where did you learn to cut hair?” Victoria asked Rosanna. She was sitting on a chair in the bathroom with a towel round her neck and shoulders. Rosanna was cutting her hair and Louise was standing close by, watching.
“I used to work in a hairdressers once,” Rosanna replied as she combed out another length of Victoria’s hair and clipped away. “Oh, it was ages ago now. But you never forget. I’ve trimmed Louise’s hair before, but I’ve never cut hair as long as yours. Shame, really.”
“I know. I’m such a–”
“Don’t say it!” Louise interrupted quickly.
Victoria glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, grinned, and said, “–prat.”
Louise sighed, and Rosanna said, “It’ll grow back. It’ll take a long time, but it will. Anyway, it’s sometimes good for the hair to have it cut back.”
“You’ll be telling me to stick it in a pot with compost and sit it on the windowsill next.”
Rosanna poked her in the back. “Shut up cheeky!” She was secretly pleased to find both Louise and Victoria in happier spirits after the earlier events of the day. She suspected why that might be, but she didn’t pry.
As Rosanna clipped away some more, Victoria twisted around to try and see herself in the bathroom mirror. But it was too far to her left for her to see properly.
“Stop moving about,” Rosanna told her. “If you keep turning your head like that I’m going to cut your ear off!”
“But I want to see!” Victoria moaned. “Half my hair is already on the floor. I want to see how I look. What’s it like, Louise? I bet Rosie is getting her revenge by giving me a Mohican!”
“I am not!” Rosanna replied. “Now stop fidgeting!”
Louise smiled as she watched Rosanna and Victoria together. “It looks alright, Vikki,” she told her. “It really does. You wait and see.”
By the time Rosanna was finished, the bathroom floor was covered in clumps of blonde hair. It was sort of sad.
Victoria stood in front of the mirror as she and Louise stared at Rosanna’s handiwork.
“That’s quite good,” Victoria said in surprise as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror.
“Of course it is,” Rosanna said indignantly. She gave Victoria’s hair one last brushing.
Victoria looked quite different. Her hair now stopped just short of her shoulders. It was straight, not a bob, and she had a neat fringe. And when she shook her head it went all fluffed and floaty before falling back into place.
“What do you think?” she asked Louise, turning to face her with a grin.
Louise smiled. “I think it looks cute. Cute and cheeky.”
“Cute!” Victoria exclaimed, clutching at her chest. “Quick, Rosie! Give me a Mohican!”
“I’ll do no such thing,” Rosanna replied as she began to collect up her combs and scissors. “Mohican indeed! You look nice. And there’s nothing wrong with being cute.”
“You tell her, Rosie!” Louise added. “I like it!”
“Oh, well then!” Victoria said, folding her arms. “I suppose I’ll just have to get used to it.”
Rosanna stood with her hands on her hips. “Is that all the gratitude I get?”
Victoria laughed and quickly went over to Rosanna. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that,” she said. “I do like it really. I’m just kidding Louise. Thank you, Rosie.”
“That’s more like it.”
The two of them kissed. Louise went over to Rosanna and also kissed her.
“Thanks a lot, Rosie. For everything.”
“Oh, think nothing of it, really.” Rosanna was beginning to get embarrassed.
“Look, I better go,” she said quickly. “If I stay any longer, Dave will file for divorce!”
They walked her to the door and said their goodbyes. When she had left and the door was closed, Louise turned to Victoria and smiled.
Victoria held up her finger warningly. “If you say I look cute one more time, I’ll thump you!” she said.
After they had cleared up the bathroom, Louise and Victoria spent the rest of the evening sat on the sofa together. They chatted quietly and watched telly, doing their best not to dwell on the events of the day. But Jo was never very far from their thoughts, and it wasn’t long before they would think of the murder, and then they would cry. Louise also couldn’t stop thinking about what Victoria had told her. And every so often she would turn to Victoria with tears in her eyes and hug her tightly.
The evening passed like that. Brief spells of tears interspaced with the gentle hugs and warmth of being together. At those times Louise couldn’t stop playing with Victoria’s hair.
“You’re going to pull it all out,” Victoria complained.
“I can’t help it,” Louise replied. “It’s so different. I could stroke it and play with it all night.”
It was after ten o’clock when they went into the kitchen to make hot chocolate. They were just coming back with a mug each when the news item about Jo’s murder appeared on the television.
“That’s him!” Louise exclaimed, pointing at the photofit picture on the screen.
Victoria sat down on the sofa and leaned forward, staring at the picture. “Are you sure? I only saw his feet.”
“It’s him I tell you! Him to a T!”
Louise sat down next to Victoria on the sofa. They sat together leaning forward, both staring at the screen. And when the news was finished they both sat back.
Louise turned to Victoria. “How did they get so good a description?” she asked. “I could hardly remember anything.”
“Somebody else must have seen them together,” Victoria suggested. “Maybe a bouncer at the club?”
“Yes, that must be it.”
“Do you think he did it?”
“You heard them. They said they didn’t think so.”
The Look of Love Page 25
