by Janet Woods
The BMW standing in the driveway was a shining dark blue - its personalized number plate read. Darcie 1.
Bleeping open the door she sat in the driving seat with Wee Georgie beside her, and, placing her hands on the steering wheel she stared at the array of buttons and dials. Everything was shiny and bright and smelled of new leather. She couldn’t wait to drive it.
‘Oh God,’ she whispered to Wee Georgie, absolutely stunned by Leon’s generosity. ‘This is some surprise, we don’t deserve it.’
Leon laughed when she called to thank him. ‘Now you won’t have to walk or use a taxi all the time.’
‘There’s just one thing ... ’ She bit her lip as she imagined a pained expression crossing his face. ‘I haven’t got a driving license.’
‘Ah ... I should have thought to ask.’ He gave a resigned sort of sigh. ‘You haven’t been banned from driving, or anything?’
‘Oh no, nothing like that,’ she assured him. ‘I just haven’t had much luck in passing my test. I could never afford a car anyway, so I didn’t really need a license.’
‘How many times did you fail the test?’
She’d been hoping he wasn’t going to ask her that. ‘Does it matter? I’ll go to one of those driving schools this time.’
‘How many, Darcie?’
‘Three,’ she whispered, turning the word into a husky cough. ‘Excuse me, I seem to have something caught in my throat.’
There was a moment’s silence, then a chuckle. ‘Did you say nine?’
‘Certainly not! I said three ... or was it four?’ A grin crept across her face when he chuckled. ‘Actually, it might have been twice now I come to think of it.’
‘So, what happened?’
‘My cousin Colin taught me. He shouted so much that I lost confidence and was always a bag of nerves when I took the test.’
‘Would you like me to give you a couple of lessons at the weekend?’
‘That would be wonderful. I’ll get a permit today whilst I’m out.’ With Leon being so good-humored and patient, she knew she’d soon gain enough confidence to pass the test. She blew him a kiss before hanging up.
* * * *
‘What’s Darcie’s cousin, Colin, like?’ Leon said to Gary when they lingered over lunch later that day. ‘He comes across as a bit of a cold fish, but in actual fact he’s a good friend to have - has a dry sense of humor and is as straight as an arrow.’
‘Not the type of person to cheat Darcie out of her father’s money, then.’
‘God, no!’ Gary sounded surprised as he looked at him. ‘Darcie surely doesn’t believe... ?’ A grin inched across his mouth. ‘If she accused him of that she must be feeling as mad as hell with him.’ He gave a short bark of laughter. ‘Actually, the pair of them are chalk and cheese, always have been.’
‘Tell me about him.’
Gary leaned back in his chair. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘Everything.’
‘Okay ... Colin and Darcie’s fathers were twins. His parents were missionaries who disappeared in Cambodia. Colin was in boarding school in England at the time, and came out to Australia to join his uncle’s family. Darcie was about six then. Colin said she was furious when he moved in. She didn’t speak to him for weeks.’
‘Why?’
‘Jealousy. Having lost her mother she clung to her father, and Colin diverted some of the attention away from her. Darcie was always a funny, contrary little thing ...’ Gary said with a smile. ‘Shy for most of the time, but when she was pushed into a corner she always came out with her claws at the ready. Colin used to tease the hell out of her just to make her mad ... like a brother would. When she grew older and twigged on, she turned the tables on him. She had him tearing his hair out when he insisted the driving school was a waste of money and he’d teach her to drive himself.’
Leon grinned. ‘About the father, what was he like?’
‘He was one of those vague intellectual types who prided himself on his rhetoric and thrived on worship from the less gifted. He was well-liked and made grand plans and generous gestures, but he seemed self-centered to me. Everything Colin and Darcie did for him he took for granted - but if he did something for them he always managed to make it sound like a grand sacrifice, so they were left feeling guilty.’
Leon remembered the letter Darcie had received from her father. ‘He did it for me,’ she’d said. Her father had even made her feel responsible for his death.
‘Was Darcie neglected?’
‘Not exactly, but she had to fight for his attention. He’d give his last dollar to charity without bothering to check if she needed a pair of shoes or a coat first. Colin practically assumed the role of father when she was growing up, and Darcie resented it. Yet when he went to university she ended up being little more than her father’s housekeeper. She did everything for him ... except manage the finances. Colin took those in hand as best he could, and managed to keep their heads above water.
‘I’m surprised her father made a move to better his career. He was the type who relished being a big fish in a small pond. I’m even more surprised Darcie didn’t know about it, though her father didn’t place much value on the opinion of women. Darcie worshipped him unconditionally, which is all his ego would allow. I imagine that’s one of the reasons his wife left him.’
‘The career move didn’t do him much good.’
‘Darcie must be cut up about his death; not that she’d show it. She’s always got her guard up. I’ve never seen that girl cry about anything.’
‘She cried,’ Leon said softly, then turned towards the door when his former secretary came in. ‘Yes, Frances?’ He smiled when her glance went in uncertainty to Gary. ‘Sorry, your call, Gary. I keep forgetting.’
‘Yes, Frances?’ Gary said, chuckling as he mimicked Leon’s voice.
Frances smiled at him. ‘Philip Gregory just called. He said he’s running late. He’ll be about two hours behind for the meeting this afternoon.’
‘He’ll be playing golf with Martin, I should imagine,’ Leon said softly.
‘Are his supplies essential to us?’
‘His product is no better or worse than that of other suppliers ... who, I might add, are just as competitive. Martin contracted this one through the old boy network.’
‘Get Gregory on the phone please, Frances. Put the call through to me.’
‘Gregory, where are you?’ he barked a couple of minutes later, then, ‘I’m not rescheduling all my appointments to accommodate a game of golf. Get your arse in here pronto if you want my business, or I’ll use another supplier.’
Gary banged down the receiver, stood up and stretched. ‘Right, let’s pick up the architect and the building engineer, then go and inspect the site for the shopping center complex.’
‘And Gregory?’ Leon said, his grin letting Gary know he liked his style. It seemed the company he’d worked so hard to build up was now in good hands.
Gary grinned. ‘He can damned well wait here until I’m ready to see him. If he doesn’t, he’s gone.’
* * * *
Ricardo’s seemed to be the place for ladies to lunch on Thursdays. The place was crowded with women and the air twittered with gossip, as if it were a perfumed aviary. They’d been unexpectedly joined by two other women over coffee. They’d kissed the air at either side of her cheek, and chatted about people Darcie didn’t know before flitting off to another table to recount it all over again.
Jennifer seemed to know everyone, and there were frequent comings and goings. The food was good, the service bad with a long wait between courses because the waiters, all young men, chatted with the customers in too familiar a manner.
Darcie learned that someone called Philly was getting a divorce, and that Amanda Swift was having an affair with Paul.
Someone asked Jennifer if it were true Leon Price had got married on the rebound - and had she met his wife?
‘I’ve heard she’s a little nobody from the country, but rumor h
as it she’s a friend of that millionaire, Gary Morgan.’
‘Rumor is right,’ Darcie said coldly.
Jennifer slipped her an apologetic smile and hastily introduced her. ‘This is Darcie Price, Joanne.’
‘Whoops! I’m most sorry, darling, you must bring Darcie over for lunch so I can get to know her.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Darcie said sotto voce as the woman walked away.
‘I’d forgotten Thursday was ladies day. I hope you can forgive me, Darcie.’
Darcie’s smile said she would, but she was dying of boredom and resolved never to come to Ricardo’s for lunch again as she glanced at her watch. It had lasted nearly three hours.
Rising to her feet she murmured, ‘I’d better ring for a cab. I promised Leon a steak and kidney pie for dinner and it takes time to prepare.’
Jennifer called for the bill. ‘I’d drive you home myself but I’ve got to collect Laura from school and take her to a dental appointment.’ Outside the restaurant she took Darcie’s hands in hers and smiled. ‘Look, my dear, I hope you won’t hold what happened with Joanne against me. She’s not a bad sort. The day has been an absolute disaster and I can’t apologize enough.’
‘It’s not your fault. Joanne was right. I am a little nobody from the country. I don’t fit into this scene, and if I didn’t happen to be married to Leon I don’t suppose I’d even bother to try.’
Jennifer gave her a brief hug. ‘No wonder Leon snapped you up so fast. You’re like a breath of fresh air.’ For as long as the marriage lasted.
Darcie thought about it as the taxi bore her home. She and Leon were virtual strangers. She knew nothing about his background, except what he’d let slip - that he’d been brought up in one foster home after another.
It was obvious he was talented. He’d built up a successful business from scratch and had become wealthy in the process. Yet he was able to hand over the reins once he’d achieved what he’d set out to do, so he wasn’t driven by greed.
Now his goal was marriage and children. He wanted to build something he’d never had for himself - an ideal family. She’d fallen neatly into the spot Helen had vacated. He’d discovered her weakness and taken advantage of it.
Their relationship was based on a sexual attraction that was hot and wild, and seemed to feed off itself. How could a relationship survive such a furnace of sensuality long term?
Leon was generous to a fault, but the suspicion was there that he was drawing her inexorably into his web, getting her used to having the luxuries of life, so eventually she wouldn’t be able to live without them.
One year, he’d said. He’d given himself one year to buy her love. What then? Two children with himself as the devoted father. He’d be a wonderful father, she had no doubt about that. But what would happen to her once her usefulness was over? Divorce, with a generous settlement for services rendered?
She gazed at the expensive car he bought her as she paid off the cab. Would that be part of the settlement, an exchange for the children she’d given him? She hadn’t even read the prenuptial settlement before she’d thrown it - unsigned-into a drawer.
She wished she hadn’t married him as she let herself inside the house. She’d accepted his terms, and now he’d regard her as a gold-digger. He’d never believe she’d actually fallen in love with him.
Anna had cleaned the house whilst she was out. It smelled of polish, and everything was set neatly in its place. This was a beautiful house, stylishly furnished and decorated - but it wasn’t a home.
There was no way she was going to emulate those women she’d seen at Ricardo’s today and she was almost tempted to take seriously Leon’s suggestion to redecorate the place. But what was the point? She wouldn’t be in it long enough to enjoy it.
She shuffled through the letters on the hall table. There was a couple of bills, a gilded invitation to a wedding, and a postcard from England. It wasn’t her mother’s handwriting. Arriving on the 30th. Ring me ASAP for details. Much love, Sarah.
Much Love? Darcie frowned as she slipped the postcard between the bills and headed towards the kitchen to change. Was it another woman from Leon’s past? It would be interesting to see if he mentioned the postcard when he came in.
He didn’t. He took the mail through to his study, and then checked his messages. It was his habit to return his calls straight away, and she heard the rumble of his voice on the phone. With a pang of jealousy, she wondered if he was talking to Sarah.
He was all smiles when he came back into the kitchen. Nuzzling his nose into her hair, he whispered. ‘Something smells good.’
She pulled away from his embrace, busying herself by taking knives and forks from the drawer in the dresser. ‘Steak and kidney pie.’
He turned her round to face him, holding her at arm’s length. ‘Is something wrong?’
The concern in his eyes made her feel guilty about what she was about to say. ‘Yes, and I wish I’d spoken to you before you’d bought that car. I don’t feel easy about all the gifts you’re giving me, Leon.’
`‘I see.’ The instant flare of hurt in his eyes was replaced by an amused cynicism as he drawled. ‘This morning, you were delighted.’
‘I know.’ She had to look away from him. ‘It’s just that I’ve been thinking things through. I feel as if you’re trying to buy me.’
‘Bought. Past tense.’ He gripped her chin and pulled her face round to his. ‘I consider that I got a bargain. You’re wonderful in bed, look good, and can even cook. That was a bonus I didn’t expect.’
Instinct told her that Leon was simply hiding his hurt behind sarcasm. ‘Don’t do this, Leon,’ she murmured. ‘I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings.’
His eyes had a flat gray look to them, like a film of ice over water. ‘What are you trying to do?’
Trying to buffer herself from anguish. Trying to fall out of love with him. She didn’t know what she was trying to do. She was all mixed up.
‘You’re spending a fortune on me, Leon. I’m not used to it.’
His expression softened a fraction. ‘Can’t you get used to it?’
‘I don’t want to.’
A smile flitted across his mouth. ‘You’re running scared. You’re like a cornered rabbit, but you don’t know where to run.’
She glared at him. ‘You don’t scare me.’
‘I know. It’s yourself you’re scared of. You came back from overseas and were forced to rely on your own resources. In the process you learned things about yourself that make you uncomfortable.’
She stared at him, wide-eyed. ‘Such as?’
‘Such as, you’re not somebody’s child any more, you’re a desirable woman. Being my wife makes you an equal partner in my book, and you don’t quite know how to handle the responsibility.’
‘That’s not true.’
‘I haven’t finished.’ His lips brushed against hers as he whispered. ‘You’ve discovered you’re a highly sensual woman who is capable of using her body to satisfy her own needs - and to attain her own ends. You didn’t have to marry me, Darcie. Your biological clock started ticking as soon as our eyes met and you realized that you needed a mate.’
‘I could have just gone to bed with you,’ she whispered.
‘And would have eventually. You preferred the security of marriage. You wanted me, and my money. You found me comfortable to be with.’
‘Wrong,’ she said faintly, because he was feathering miniature kisses along her jaw-line and everything inside her was beginning to go haywire. ‘I only married you because I felt sorry for you. I don’t want your money, you can go and paper the hen-house with it as far as I’m concerned. As for finding you comfortable ... ’ She was quivering against him like an over-strung bow and found herself growling, ‘You’re entirely uncomfortable at this moment.’
His breath shivered crazily against her eardrum.’ How long before the steak and kidney pudding is cooked?’
Her fingers groped towards the stove, found the knob an
d turned the flame down under the pan. She slid her arms up around his neck and met the desire in his eyes head on. ‘Long enough ...’
Later, she was annoyed with herself for allowing him to demonstrate her weakness by exploiting it. Only when she admitted to herself that her anger stemmed from the fact that Leon hadn’t seen fit to mention the mysterious Sarah, did she find herself in a calmer mood. She was jealous when she really had no right to be. Leon had never promised to love her.
Her driving lessons with Leon didn’t go too well the following weekend. She was nervous, even though he didn’t shout, and took her to a quiet track to become familiar with the car. Everything he said seemed to go in one ear and out the other. Finally, she leaned her head on the steering wheel and groaned out loud.
‘You can drive, but you lack confidence in yourself,’ he said quietly. ‘You’re so used to failing that you expect to. Drive us home.’
‘What!’ she gasped, immediately beginning to tremble.’ You mean, drive on the road ... with the traffic?’
‘That’s the usual place to drive. You know all the road rules, don’t you?’
‘I can’t, Leon.’
‘Can’t, or won’t? You must have had plenty of driving lessons with your cousin if you sat the test all those times. You’re either dim-witted, or a coward. Which is it, Darcie?’
Colin had said those very same words, only he’d shouted them at her. Color rose to her cheeks. Throwing him a flaming look she ground out. ‘Make sure your seat belt is fastened.’
Leon had taken a calculated risk, and it was like waving a red rag at a bull. His knuckles gripped the edge of his seat as the car took off in a cloud of dust.
‘Slow down,’ he said in as reasonable a voice as he could muster, then tried to think of some prayers when she reached the road and skidded into a slot in the traffic.
‘Jeeze,’ he whispered, catching sight of her tense profile. ‘If you want me to take over just signal and pull on to the road verge.’
‘And prove you’re right,’ she muttered, ‘Not on your Nellie, Leon Price. You want me to drive - I’ll drive.’
