Miss Prim and the Billionaire

by Lucy Gordon

  He’d advised his father to soften his stance, not out of kindness, but because subtlety offered a better chance of a profit. It was only a different road to the same money-filled destination.

  Suddenly she was glad that she hadn’t opened her heart to him that morning.

  Amos Falcon was exactly as Cassie remembered him from their brief earlier meeting—in his seventies, heavily built with a harsh face and piercing eyes. He smiled a lot and his words were often cordial, but his eyes were cold.

  He greeted her politely at dinner that evening and indicated a chair next to himself. Since the table was oblong, this effectively separated them from Marcel and Freya, sitting on the other side.

  As so often these days, her appearance was a subtle combination of the two women who seemed to inhabit her. Amos regarded her with admiration.

  ‘I’m going to enjoy talking to you this evening. Marcel, you entertain Freya. I want to get to know Mrs Henshaw.’

  He proceeded to give Cassie all his attention, asking about her career, her abilities, the recent trip to England.

  ‘Don’t know why problems are cropping up now,’ he growled. ‘Those damned banks!’

  ‘Well, I suppose they—’ Cassie began.

  She continued in this way for a while, talking generally without giving away any information about Marcel’s dealings. Amos listened, nodding sometimes, and in this way the meal passed.

  Over coffee things changed. Marcel joined in and the talk became all business. Amos mentioned the man who’d been there earlier, refusing to hand over money.

  ‘He’ll see sense,’ he said. ‘I’ll make sure of that. He thinks he can defy me and get away with it. The best way—’

  The two women met each other’s eyes.

  ‘You two don’t need us for this kind of talk,’ Freya said. ‘Shall we—?’

  ‘Yes, let’s,’ Cassie said, rising and following her. ‘Goodnight, gentlemen.’

  They said goodnight and returned at once to their discussion.

  ‘They hardly noticed us go,’ Freya said as they went up in the elevator, and Cassie nodded.

  Upstairs in Cassie’s rooms, Freya threw herself into an armchair with a sigh of relief. ‘Oh, thank heavens!’ she said. ‘I’d had as much as I could stand.’ She gave a laugh. ‘Of course you probably find it interesting. Sorry, I forgot about that.’

  ‘No, I was just as glad to get away,’ Cassie said. ‘I don’t like it when it gets brutal.’

  ‘Me too. I much prefer a good TV show and a handsome man. Hey, look at him!’

  She’d flicked on the set, and suddenly the screen was filled with a staggeringly handsome young man.

  ‘Know who that is?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, it’s Marcel’s half-brother, Travis,’ Cassie said. ‘They started showing The Man From Heaven a few weeks ago, and I’ve been watching it because of Marcel. Who was his mother? Another of Amos’s wives?’

  ‘No, she was an American girl he met while he was over there on business.’

  ‘So if he can’t marry you to Darius or Marcel, Travis is the next in line?’ Cassie asked, amused.

  ‘Either him or Leonid, who lives in Russia, and who nobody seems to meet. Or Jackson, the naturalist. I’d have to be crazy to marry any of them, but especially Travis. His wife would never have a moment’s peace he’s so handsome. Mind you, it would be much the same with Marcel, who’s also very handsome.’

  ‘Is he?’ Cassie asked indifferently.

  ‘Well, some women think so. Is that tea? Thank you, I could do with it. Sometimes I think Amos insists on champagne all the time as a kind of status symbol, just to underline how far he’s come from his days of poverty, when actually I’m dying for a cuppa.’

  They sipped their tea in deep contentment.

  ‘Why do you put up with it?’ Cassie asked. ‘Can’t you escape him?’

  ‘Yes, soon, hopefully. I’d like to go back to working as a nurse. The high life doesn’t really suit me. I suppose I shouldn’t complain. He’s decent to my mother, and good to me. He wants me in the family.’

  ‘I suppose that’s nice of him.’

  ‘Ye-es,’ Freya said, unconvinced. ‘It’s only because he’s never had a daughter and he sees a chance of “completing the set”. A sharp businessman covers every angle.’

  ‘That’s true.’

  ‘A few months ago Amos had a scare with his heart. He’s too stubborn to admit that it might be serious so my mother asked me to come and stay with them for a while. This way he always has a nurse on hand, but he can pretend I’m just visiting.

  ‘All his sons came to see him, just in case it was the last time. From things he said, I know he wanted to take a good look at them and decide which one was really his true heir. Whichever one he decides on will get an extra share of his fortune. And whichever one marries me will get an extra dose of money too, as a reward for “doing what Daddy wants”.’

  ‘Oh, heavens!’ Cassie exclaimed in horror. ‘How do you put up with it?’

  ‘Because basically I’m free. I can walk out and get a job elsewhere any time I want. He got me on this trip by staging a dizzy spell at the last moment, so I came with him to keep my mother happy. But that’s it! From now on I’m going to reclaim my life.’

  A sense of mischief made Cassie say, ‘Amos is a man very used to getting his own way. You might yet end up as his daughter-in-law.’

  ‘I suppose anything’s possible, however unlikely. But it won’t be Darius because I think he’s going to make it work with Harriet, the young woman he brought to the wedding in London. And it won’t be Marcel. He wouldn’t suit me at all.’

  ‘You sound very sure,’ Cassie said, not looking at her. ‘Why is that?’

  ‘He just sees things in black and white all the time. Where brains are concerned he’s as sharp as they come. But emotionally I think he imagines things are more straightforward than they ever really are. Maybe that’s because he doesn’t seem to have much emotional life.’

  ‘Doesn’t he? Let me pour you some more tea.’

  ‘I don’t think so. Women galore but no real involvement. And if that’s what satisfies him, he’s not for me. And he won’t marry for Amos’s money because he doesn’t need it. Sometimes I think he’s just that little bit too much like Amos.’

  ‘Or maybe he just likes to believe that things can work out simply and straightforwardly,’ Cassie mused.

  ‘True. Actually, I think a lot of men are like that—just not geared up to see how complicated life can be.’

  ‘Yes,’ Cassie said quietly. ‘That’s it.’

  ‘Oh well, let them get on with it.’

  Freya gave a theatrical shudder and glanced back at the screen where the drama series was still showing. Travis’s face was still there.

  ‘Why is this show called The Man From Heaven?’ she queried.

  ‘I think he’s supposed to be at least partly an angel,’ Cassie said.

  ‘No guy as good-looking as that was ever an angel. But hey, don’t you dare tell Amos I said that. I’d get no peace afterwards.’

  Cassie chuckled and they continued the evening in perfect accord. She was beginning to feel that Freya was exactly the kind of person she would like to have as a close friend.

  But she couldn’t guess the astonishing way in which that would one day become true.

  It was a couple of weeks later that she opened Marcel’s door, stopped on the threshold, then prepared to back off, saying, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had someone here.’

  ‘Come in, Mrs Henshaw,’ Marcel called cheerfully. ‘This is my brother, Darius.’

  She’d recognised him from her research of the Falcon family, and knew part of his history. Eldest son of Amos Falcon and a skilled entrepreneur in his own right. Like many others, he’d been hit by the credit crunch and was now the owner of Herringdean, an island that a debtor had dumped on him by way of repayment.

  ‘Darius has just invited me to his wedding,’ Marcel explained no
w. ‘He’s finally persuaded Harriet to put up with him.’

  ‘It wasn’t easy.’ Darius grinned. ‘She’s part of the lifeboat crew on Herringdean and she saved me from drowning in the first few days. Now I never feel safe if she’s not around.’ He thumped Marcel’s shoulder. ‘You’ve got to come. The other lads are all going to be there.’

  ‘Yes, you have brothers all over the world,’ Cassie said. ‘I remember Freya telling me.’

  ‘That’s right, Jackson’s going to get a few days off from interviewing animals. I had to twist his arm for that because he finds ferrets more interesting than people. Leonid’s going to drop whatever he’s doing in Russia and come on over, and the man from heaven has promised to put in an appearance.’

  ‘Ah, yes, I’ve been watching that on television,’ she said, smiling.

  ‘So Travis will be there for the wedding, and so will Marcel. Come on Marcel, say you will.’

  ‘Oh, no. I’m avoiding Amos at the moment. Now he can’t marry you to Freya I’m in danger.’

  ‘Dad probably won’t be there. He’s that mad at me for marrying Harriet that he’s snubbing our wedding.’

  ‘Yes and, knowing him, he’ll drop in at the last minute,’ Marcel observed.

  ‘Coward,’ Darius said amiably.

  ‘No, I’ll be there, but I want some protection. Mrs Henshaw must come with me and if Dad starts any funny business she’ll deal with it.’

  ‘That’s the spirit,’ Darius said. ‘Mrs Henshaw, are you up to the job?’

  ‘I think so,’ she said cheerfully. ‘If Mr Falcon tries to speak to Marcel I just tell him he must make an appointment through me first.’

  ‘Hey, she’s good.’ Darius grinned. ‘I’ll leave you in safe hands. The wedding is next week. I know it’s short notice but I can’t risk Harriet changing her mind. Besides, she’s got this dog—lovely fellow called Phantom. He did a lot to bring us together but he’s very old and we want to marry while he’s alive to see it.’

  ‘It’s not like you to be sentimental,’ Marcel said.

  ‘It’s not like me to do a lot of things I’m doing these days. But Harriet…well… I don’t know how to describe her…she’s “the one”…no, that’s not it. Well, yes, it is, but it’s much more…at least…’

  ‘You’re stammering,’ Marcel observed.

  Darius gave an awkward laugh. ‘I guess I am. It’s the effect she has on me. She kept her distance for a while because she thought I only wanted to marry her for the sake of the children. I had to…persuade her otherwise.’

  ‘Now you’re blushing,’ Marcel accused him. ‘You, the man I’ve always admired because he could make everyone scramble to please him, you’re scrambling to please Harriet.’

  ‘Yes, I am,’ Darius said with a touch of belligerence. ‘I’ve finally got my priorities right, and she’s what matters. I know you think I’m making a fool of myself, but I don’t care what anyone else thinks. When you find the one, grab her, or you’ll regret it all your life.’

  ‘But that’s assuming that you find the one in the first place,’ Mrs Henshaw pointed out with a friendly smile.

  ‘True. Marcel will probably never find her. Too busy playing the field. Never could commit himself. Probably never will now. Right, I must be off. Here’s the details.’ He gave her a sheet of paper. ‘Get him there on time, see that he behaves.’

  ‘That won’t be easy,’ she joked. ‘But I’ll do my best.’

  When Darius had gone Marcel said, ‘We need to go to London for a few more days to sort out some final details. Then we’ll go on to Herringdean in time for the wedding.’ He added significantly, ‘I’m looking forward to that.’

  In the atmosphere of a wedding anything might happen. Answers could be found, love might flower. His eyes told her that he was thinking the same thing.

  He began to reach for her, but suddenly her cellphone rang. She answered it, then tensed, growing so still and silent that Marcel was alarmed.

  ‘Don’t hang up,’ said a man’s voice at the other end. ‘You know who this is.’

  Without replying, she ended the call.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Marcel asked, concerned. ‘Why are you looking like that? Who was it?’

  ‘Jake,’ she said. ‘I don’t know how he got my number. He must be out of prison. How dare he contact me again!’

  ‘Don’t worry; I’ll keep you safe,’ he promised. ‘I won’t let him get to you again.’

  She longed to believe him, but Jake could always get to her because he never really left her. That was the cruel truth that poisoned her life. Even now he must have been keeping tabs on her to have discovered her new phone number.

  It rang again. She answered, saying sharply, ‘I’m shutting this down—’

  ‘I’m dying,’ Jake said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’ve only got a few days left. I want to see you, Cassie—one last time.’

  ‘No!’

  ‘I’m not in prison any more. They let me out to die in hospital. You know the place—’

  He gave her the name, while she clenched her free hand, whispering, ‘No…no…no…’

  ‘Please—I beg you—’

  ‘No. Understand me, Jake, I don’t care if you are dying. I don’t want to see you again, ever.’

  ‘Dying?’ Marcel echoed.

  ‘He wants me to go and see him.’

  ‘Then tell him you’ll go.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’ll take you. You won’t be alone.’

  ‘Are you mad?’

  ‘No, I want you to find closure, and this may be the only way you can do it. See him, Cassie. Tie up the ends. Then tell him from both of us to go to hell.’

  She stared at him, mesmerised by something fierce and desperate in his voice. This mattered to Marcel. It was there in the tension of his body and the sharp edge of his voice.

  ‘Tell him,’ he said. ‘Say you’ll do it. Say it!’

  ‘Marcel—’

  ‘Say it!’

  ‘Jake,’ she said slowly, ‘I’m on my way.’

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  THIS time they took the plane to London. On the flight Marcel held her hand in his. She gave him a brief wan smile, but mostly she stared out of the window.

  To see Jake again. To be forced back into his company. This was the stuff of nightmares, yet the road was taking her inexorably there and she had no chance of escape.

  At last she turned to Marcel, trying to read his expression.

  ‘Why are you doing this?’ she murmured. ‘It’s not just for me, is it?’

  ‘No,’ he conceded. ‘I need to see him myself. Can you understand that?’

  ‘Yes, I suppose I can understand, but I’m afraid, Marcel.’

  ‘Don’t be. I’m here.’

  The thought, Not afraid of him—afraid of you, winged its way through her mind and vanished into the distance. She didn’t really know what she meant by it, and there was no way she could have told him, even if she had known.

  She realised that Marcel was pursuing some goal of his own, and she was only part of it. He was like a man who’d travelled on an epic journey and who saw the end in sight.

  ‘I heard you ask how he got your number,’ he said. ‘Do you think he’s been keeping tabs on you?’

  ‘He must have been. Even in prison he’s had people on the outside taking his orders. When we were together he had a horrible obsession with me. All he saw was that I was his property. We’d go out to dinner and he’d flaunt me—that’s the only word for it. And I’d have to smile and look proud, knowing that as soon as we got home he’d grab me and—’

  ‘Don’t!’ Marcel said with soft violence. ‘Don’t.’

  He threw himself back in his seat, his eyes closed.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said at last. ‘I can’t bear to hear it, but you had to live through it. You must despise me. I don’t blame you.’

  ‘We’re past that,’ she said gently. ‘Neither of us knows wh
at it was really like for the other. Let’s take it carefully.’

  He nodded and they held each other for a few moments.

  ‘Talk to me,’ he said at last. ‘Tell me anything you like. I want to be part of your life, even that stage of it.’

  She sighed. ‘There was one moment when I hoped life might not be completely wretched. I was pregnant.’

  ‘You’ve had a child?’ he asked, startled.

  ‘No, I miscarried. That was when Jake went sleeping around. I didn’t mind. The less I saw of him, the better. And it gave me a way of divorcing him. He fought me but I had one big weapon.’

  ‘Yes, you must have known a lot of his dark secrets by then.’

  ‘I did, but that wasn’t it. The real weapon was the fact that I didn’t care about anything. He defeated people by scaring them, and when he knew I couldn’t be scared he was left floundering.

  ‘The last thing he said to me was, “You think you’ve got away from me, but you haven’t really.” And he was right. Once I’d escaped him all the feelings he’d killed began to come back, and I started caring again. He was always there in my nightmares, and I haven’t been able to banish him.’

  ‘But things are different now,’ Marcel said firmly. ‘We’ll defeat him together.’ Seeing the confused look in her eyes, he put his hands on either side of her face. ‘We will. I promise you.’

  ‘Will we?’ she mused. ‘Perhaps.’

  ‘You don’t believe me, do you? Do you?’

  ‘I want to,’ she said desperately. ‘You don’t know how much I want to believe that all the problems could be swept away so simply, but oh, my darling, it’s more complicated than that, more worrying, more frightening.’

  ‘But we’re together now. How can we be frightened, either of us, while we have each other? We’re going to defeat Jake, I promise you.’

  She longed to believe him. She didn’t have the words to tell him how confused and bewildering was the universe in which they lived now. He’d always seen things in simple black and white, she remembered. And sometimes he’d been right. If only he could be right now. But she was full of apprehension.