James Cardigan led the way down the hall, followed by Geo; M was at the rear as they edged slowly past the guests who were assembled there. As they made it through into the large living room, M’s eyes swept the gathering.
She spotted Dax immediately. He was standing near the white marble fireplace, and looking much better than he had when he left New York. He had obviously been enjoying the California sun, and boasted a perfect tan. His blond hair was much blonder than before, and he had a confident air about him.
Dax saw her with Geo and waved, instantly excusing himself to the man he was talking to. He manoeuvred his way as best he could through the crowd, intent on reaching them.
M propelled Geo towards him and stepped aside, so that the two of them could greet each other and hug. A moment later he was kissing M’s cheek and enveloping her in a bear hug. Then he held her away from him, stepped back to stare at her.
A wide smile broke across his face. ‘So this is the new look you told me about? The Audrey Hepburn look…’
‘Only half an Audrey,’ M corrected him, grinning. ‘It’s just the hairstyle really, and slightly thicker eyebrows.’
‘So I see, and I approve, definitely and absolutely approve. Let’s find a corner and catch up.’ His gaze took in James, who was standing with them. Stretching out his hand, he said, ‘Hi, I’m Dax.’
‘James Cardigan. Pleased to meet you.’
‘Come on, let’s go over there to the window, it seems quieter.’ Dax went on: ‘Come with us, James, the girls and I have no secrets.’
They pushed through the crowd; Dax grabbed a glass of champagne from a waiter passing with a tray of drinks and handed it to Geo. James did the same, taking two flutes of champagne, one for M and the other for himself.
Grouping themselves in the window area, Dax lifted his glass. ‘Cheers! You two are certainly a welcome sight. I’ve missed you both.’
‘So did we, miss you,’ Geo exclaimed, smiling warmly.
M simply nodded, then said swiftly, ‘Congratulations again, Dax. I think it’s wonderful that you have this part. Miraculous, I’d say, since you got it on the Coast. One never knows what’s going to happen in life.’
Dax laughed, his happiness apparent, his eyes sparkling when he said, ‘You can say that again. It was like…well, meant to be, I guess.’ He then told them the story of how he had met Iris Ingersoll at a dinner party in Bel-Air, had been taken to it by the English actor, Colin Burke, a new friend, and how Iris had thought he would be perfect for the play she was producing on Broadway. Second lead, no less.
M was listening, but her eyes were all over the room. Much to her relief she could not see anyone present who might know her family, and she relaxed. She was also growing aware that James Cardigan was as alert and as curious about everyone as she herself was, perhaps even more so.
His eyes were everywhere, and it seemed to her that there was nothing and no one he missed. She had taken an instant liking to this rather attractive, wiry Englishman, slight of build and slender, with his dark auburn hair and hazel eyes. She decided he was in his forties and worldly wise. He had a sense of humour, and there was a naturalness, an easiness about him. It was obvious to her that he was successful, if his clothes were anything to go by. Although he was as informally dressed as the other men present, without a tie, wearing a white, open-necked shirt and grey trousers with a dark sports jacket, she had noticed the excellent quality of the fabric and the cut of the jacket. She wondered what he did. Banker? Broker? Business executive? Real-estate tycoon? Instantly she dismissed all these professions, and unexpectedly thought, no, not James. He’s a cop. Where this thought came from, she had no idea, and it so startled her that she took a quick sip of the champagne and stared at him, frowning.
At this exact moment James moved closer to her, and said, ‘Are you in the theatre too, M? Are you an actress?’
She shook her head. ‘No, I’m a model. And what do you do, James?’
‘I have my own company—’
‘What kind of company?’ she asked swiftly, cutting across him.
‘It’s a Security and Investigation company, but on an extremely high level. I can provide someone with a bodyguard or minder, pull up a detailed dossier on almost anybody in the world, find a missing person, or missing valuables. You name it, we can do it. We offer a unique service and work with absolute discretion. And this is all within certain boundaries, of course.’
‘You are a cop!’ she cried, staring at him harder, her eyes twinkling. ‘That’s exactly what I thought you were, a moment ago.’
‘Well, well, well, did you really? But I wasn’t a cop, not exactly—something similar, though. However, I do have a lot of former law enforcement officers working for me.’
‘Where were you not-exactly-a-cop? In London?’
He leaned into her, and said, sotto voce, ‘I was with MI6, and obviously operating abroad, as MI6 agents always do. Only MI5 agents can work in the UK.’
‘Oh, my God! A spy! A proper Walsingham, eh?’
He burst out laughing. ‘Aren’t you the one, M! You’re certainly up on your English history.’
‘Especially when it comes to the men who worked for Elizabeth Tudor. Anyway, why did you get out? Did you get bored?’ she probed, riddled with curiosity.
‘Not at all, I like danger. But I decided it would be a good idea to make some money, and so I completed the assignment I was working on and resigned. Or rather, I retired from the agency. I started my company in London five years ago, then decided I wanted to be in New York, so here I am, running this end of the operation.’
Before M could respond, Dax and Geo, who had been talking quietly, now came closer and Dax said, ‘I think I ought to go and find Iris, our hostess, to introduce you both. You must meet her. Don’t go away. Stay right here, I’ll be back in a minute.’
Geo watched Dax rush away, turned to M and said, ‘I’m thrilled he’s going to be in A Streetcar Named Desire. I’ve never seen him so happy; he’s like a different person. Don’t you think so, M?’
‘Yes, I do, but it’s natural, isn’t it? He’s wanted to be an actor for so long, and now he has his chance, his first decent break. Oh, here he is coming back with Iris.’
Dax came to a standstill and said, ‘Iris, I would like you to meet my friends, Georgiana Carlson, called Geo, and Marie Marsden, who’s known as M. And this is Iris Ingersoll.’
Fashionably dressed and elegant, Iris Ingersoll was a tall, imposing woman with silver hair and a rather lovely face. She looked much younger than her sixty-odd years. She shook Geo’s hand and then M’s. ‘I’m so glad you could come, Dax has told me how you both encouraged him to pursue his acting career, and have been so supportive.’
Now turning to James, Iris gave him one of her most dazzling smiles. ‘And how very nice to see you, James, thanks so much for coming. You’re such an asset at a party.’
‘It’s my pleasure to be here, Iris. It always is, actually.’
Iris inclined her head, then turned to Dax. She continued, ‘I’d like you to come and meet a few other people who might be important to you one day. Anyway, the more people you know in this business, the better off you’ll be.’
Dax gave M and Geo a funny grin, raised his eyebrows and followed Iris.
M laughed and so did James, who then looked from M to Geo and asked, ‘How about freshening up your bubbly, ladies?’
‘Not for me, thank you,’ M murmured, and put her glass down.
Geo said, ‘I think I will, and thanks, James.’ She handed him the empty flute.
Once they were alone, Geo said, ‘I’m glad I took your advice and wore this black lace outfit, M. The women are quite dressy tonight, don’t you think?’
‘They are, and they’re most definitely New Yorkers,’ M answered.
‘Because they’re dressed in black!’ Geo grinned, eyeing M, admiring her dress once more. ‘Aren’t you pleased you wore this? You were hesitant about it.’
‘Yes. Anyway
, it is my favourite frock. But I don’t often have the chance to wear it.’ M looked down at the skirt, smoothed her hand over it, smiling to herself. The dress was made of black taffeta and was cut in the simplest style, with a straight neckline that stretched from shoulder to shoulder. It had short sleeves, a plain front and a bell-shaped skirt that dropped just below the knee.
Geo now told her, ‘You know, M, I thought that skirt was a bit too long at first, but it works well on you, and it does give the dress balance.’ She threw M a questioning look, and asked, ‘Where did you buy it?’
‘I thought I told you: my mother bought it for me. I think she found it in a little boutique in London.’
‘It looks as if it comes from Paris to me,’ Geo muttered, her head on one side, her eyes thoughtful. ‘Paris couture, maybe?’
M began to laugh and looked away. And caught her breath.
A man was standing in the doorway of the living room and he was watching her. Staring hard, in fact. She stared back at him boldly, and discovered she couldn’t tear her eyes away. He held her gaze. Mesmerized by him, she felt a sudden weakness in her legs, wished she had a chair to sit down in or lean against.
He began to walk towards her, his blue eyes never leaving her face. She knew who he was. Suddenly she was nervous and just a little bit afraid. Not of him, but of herself and what she might do.
TEN
He walked towards her.
The crowd had thinned out and the living room was half empty, and she stood waiting, watching him now, just as moments ago he had been watching her. Their eyes were locked on each other.
It seemed to M that no one else existed in this room except for him. Her stomach was in knots, and her heart suddenly lurched when he finally stood there in front of her.
His face was immobile, without expression, but his eyes were intense. They were a very deep blue, the colour of cornflowers, echoing the colour of the shirt he was wearing. She knew at once that they saw only her.
At last he spoke. ‘My name is—’
‘I know who you are,’ she cut in.
‘And I know who you are,’ he answered, smiling at her.
Genuinely shocked by this announcement, M took a deep breath to steady herself. ‘You do?’
He reached out, took hold of her hand and held it in his. ‘Yes, I do. You’re the elusive woman I’ve been searching for all of my life.’
Relief flooded through her, and she felt herself relax. Normally she would have thought: Oh, what a good line that is, and her cynicism would have kicked in, risen to the surface and brought a swift, dismissive comment to her lips. But she didn’t think that at all. Not now. Not with him. She believed him, believed what he said.
He leaned into her. ‘Though I must admit, I don’t know your name.’
‘It’s Marie Marsden, but everyone calls me M.’
‘Not M and M?’ His blue eyes were suddenly twinkling mischievously.
‘No,’ she laughed, staring into his face, a face that had been engraved on her heart since she was a little girl. ‘Just M is fine.’
‘How old are you?’
‘Old enough,’ she shot back swiftly, an eyebrow lifting. ‘And that was a rather rude question to ask me.’
‘Yes, you would think that, especially with your upbringing,’ he remarked. A small, amused smile lurked around his mouth.
Ignoring his comment, she said, ‘I know how old you are…you’re thirty-five, which actually makes you twelve years older than I am. But numbers don’t matter to me.’
‘Nor to me.’
‘Actually, I know a great deal about you.’
‘Not too much, I sincerely hope,’ he exclaimed, and threw her a look of mock dismay.
‘Enough.’
‘And why do you know so much about me?’ he asked, a dark brow lifting quizzically.
‘I saw you in Hamlet and got an instant crush on you. So I needed to know all about you.’
‘I’m so glad!’ He eyed her appraisingly.
‘When I was ten years old,’ she went on quickly, wanting to clarify, but leaning closer to him, she added, ‘I was dreamy-eyed about you.’
‘Are you still?’
‘Of course not! I’m a grown woman now.’
‘What a pity you don’t feel the same way.’
‘I’m older,’ M answered, smiling at him enigmatically.
‘Are you here with anyone?’
‘No. Well, that’s not strictly true. I came with my friend Geo. She’s over there somewhere. Oh, there she is, near the fireplace.’
He followed the direction of her gaze, and murmured, ‘The pretty blonde, right?’
M nodded.
He asked, ‘And why are you both here? Do you know Iris?’
‘No, neither of us does. We’re friends of Dax, the guest of honour.’
‘Oh, yes, Iris’s new protégé. The story is he’s a good actor. Is he?’
‘I don’t know. Does that matter these days?’
He heard the pithiness in her voice, and laughed. ‘And what about you, Miss M? Are you an actress?’
‘No, I’m a model.’
He stood away from her slightly, looking at her steadily, not speaking.
She gazed back at him boldly.
They were suddenly lost for words, lost in each other. The chatter swirled around, people moved past them, and they were unaware of everything except themselves. Her hand was still in his and he pressed it against his chest.
Finally he broke the silence when he said, very softly, ‘You’re the woman…the woman I want to run away with…Let’s do that, shall we?’
‘Now?’
‘Yes, of course now. If not now, when? Let’s find a desert island and set up camp…’
She noticed the amused twinkle in his eyes again, heard the laughter in his mellifluous voice. ‘But I can’t leave Geo stranded here,’ she protested.
‘We can’t take her with us!’ Then he warned: ‘You know two’s company, three’s none. Let’s move out into the foyer, it seems quieter there…we can make our plans.’
He led her across the room, and once in the foyer he leaned against a wall and drew her even closer to him so that her body rested against his.
M began to tremble, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe, to be in such close proximity to this man with whom she had been infatuated as a child. Over the ensuing years he had remained her ideal, and she had always measured other men against him.
He asked gently, ‘Are you all right?’
‘I’m fine.’ Her voice sounded faint to her.
‘I don’t want to stay here. Too many folk. I want to be alone with you. Wouldn’t you prefer that?’
‘Yes,’ she whispered.
‘Then it’s a done deal. I’m going to take you somewhere quiet for supper. There’s a little place I know.’
‘All right,’ M began, and paused. Geo, walking determinedly towards them, was accompanied by James. ‘Geo’s coming this way with James Cardigan.’
‘I’ll head them off, don’t worry,’ he said in a confident tone.
For the last ten minutes or so, Geo had been fascinated by M’s behaviour, by the way she had been glued to Laurence Vaughan. She had noticed how the famous movie star had made a beeline for M when he had arrived, and they had come together like old friends. Maybe they were exactly that, Geo thought. After all, they were both English. As she and James edged towards the entrance foyer, weaving through the thinning crowd, Geo asked, ‘Do you know him, James?’
‘Only from the silver screen. And by reputation,’ James answered, ‘but I’ve got to admit, I’m a genuine fan. He’s one of the greatest actors on the English-speaking stage today. Nobody’s played Hamlet better than him, except perhaps for Christopher Plummer. And he’s a handsome son of a gun. No wonder women fall all over him.’
Including M, Geo thought and, stepping forward, she smiled. ‘You two must be old friends, the way you’ve been chatting nonstop.’
‘We are indee
d…very old friends,’ he answered, offering Geo his most engaging smile.
M jumped in swiftly, and said, ‘Geo, James, I’d like you to meet Laurence Vaughan.’
After the three of them shook hands, Larry went on in a firm voice, ‘I’m trying to persuade M to come to supper with me, but she’s worried about leaving you to fend for yourself, Geo.’
‘Oh, please don’t concern yourself about that, M,’ James answered quickly. ‘I’ll fend for her any time. Is that all right with you, Geo?’
‘Of course it is, James.’
They had taken a cab to the restaurant in the Eighties just off Lexington. In the cab he had been overwhelmed by her, had ached to take her in his arms, hold her close, kiss her passionately. He had managed to resist this impulse, had held her hand instead, just as he had been doing for the previous hour at Iris Ingersoll’s apartment.
Larry had not wished to frighten her off—not that he thought she was the kind of young woman who would be easily frightened. To him she seemed self-confident, more intrepid than most. Yes, that was it: there was a fearlessness about her that intrigued and appealed to him, caught his fancy.
Now, sitting opposite her at a corner table in Le Refuge, a favourite hideaway of his, Larry smiled inwardly, thinking of their earlier banter. She could certainly think on her feet, was fast on the draw and rather bold, and just a little bit cheeky. He especially liked that about her: it made her different, unique, unlike the other women he knew.
It suddenly struck him how lucky he had been to meet her tonight. He almost hadn’t gone to Iris’s party, had fought the idea of it all day, feeling depleted and depressed. But at the last moment he had realized he owed it to Iris to show up—it was the least he could do. And so he had shaved, showered, dressed and gone over there, and he’d spotted M the moment he walked in.
He had moved towards her at once, intent on snaring her for himself, drawn to her in the most compelling way; the feeling was so intense it startled him, and he realized he had not experienced anything like it before.
Breaking the Rules (2009) Page 7
