Freedom to Love

by Carole Mortimer

  Katy stepped back. Not that she had any choice about it, she felt sure she would have been knocked over if she hadn’t moved.

  ‘Is he in?’ The redhead arched an eyebrow in the direction of the inner office.

  Katy had never seen anyone so exquisitely beautiful; she placed the woman’s age at about thirty-five, possibly forty. She had long slender legs shown to advantage in the high-heeled sandals she wore, her slender figure complemented by the silky black dress Katy felt sure had an exclusive label in the back of it, her hands long and slender, the nails painted the same vivid red as her lipstick.

  ‘He’s busy at the moment,’ Fiona answered calmly, apparently accustomed to such behaviour. She looked at the watch on her slender wrist. ‘He should be finished in about ten minutes—-’

  ‘Oh, I can’t wait,’ she was told petulantly. ‘I have to see Adam now, it’s very important.’ The redhead brushed past the receptionist.

  ‘But you can’t go in there!’ The girl followed her. ‘Mrs Wild, you can’t go in there!’

  ‘Don’t be silly, Fiona,’ the other woman snapped, opening the studio door. ‘Ah, Adam, I—’

  ‘What the hell do you want?’ Katy heard him rasp, recognising his voice at once. ‘I’ve told you before about interrupting my work. Whatever the problem is I don’t have time to discuss it now—can’t you see I’m busy?’

  ‘You always are,’ the woman dismissed. ‘At home and here. Now I want to talk to you about the arrangements for this dinner party I’m to give for you.’ The door closed behind her, cutting off the rest of the conversation.

  Katy felt numb. That woman, that beautiful woman, was Adam’s wife! In the ten weeks since they had parted in Canada Adam had married this woman. Not that it sounded as if it had mellowed him at all; his tone was harsh, his manner impatient.

  ‘I’m sorry about that,’ the receptionist sighed. ‘What can I do to help you? Do you have an appointment with Mr Wild?’.

  ‘No. I—That lady, she was Mrs Wild?’ Katy just had to confirm that she hadn’t misheard, that that really had been Adam’s wife.

  ‘Yes.’ The girl held back her grimace. ‘If you want to see Mr Wild I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for a while.’

  ‘No, I—I think I’ll leave it,’ Katy gave her a bright smile. ‘Thank you, anyway.’

  ‘But—your name!’ the girl called after her. ‘Can I have your name so that I can tell Mr Wild—’

  ‘It isn’t important,’ Katy told her lightly, making good her escape.

  Adam was married! There could be no other explanation, she knew he was an only child, so there was no possibility that the woman could be the wife of his brother. The woman had been beautiful, was perhaps a model, which was perhaps how Adam had first met her.

  She had been the sort of wife Adam would choose, a woman who knew and appreciated his life-style, a woman so sure of her own beauty she had no need to worry about the women Adam photographed.

  ‘Your day out doesn’t seem to have done you any good,’ her father frowned at her worriedly as she tidied his clinic-room for him later that evening. He was sitting at his desk writing up his notes at the end of his surgery. ‘You’re looking paler than ever.’ He gave her his full attention, sitting back to watch her nervy movements. ‘Are you sleeping, Katy?’

  ‘Sometimes,’ she told him wanly. ‘I think it must be the changes in the weather, it’s very depressing.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, Katy. You’ve been quiet and depressed since your holiday. Nothing happened over there, did it? Gemma didn’t—’

  ‘Gemma didn’t do anything, Daddy,’ she hastened to reassure him.

  ‘Surely Gerald didn’t—’

  ‘Nor Gerald either,’ Katy cut in firmly. ‘I think I had such a good time that I can’t get back into the swing of things.’

  ‘Maybe that’s it,’ he accepted. ‘Glad you went?’

  ‘Oh, very glad. Canada was—it was breathtaking. All of it.’

  ‘I’m glad,’ her father smiled.

  Katy made a concerted effort the next day to pull herself together. Adam was married and firmly out of her life, and she had to try and carry on without him now. When Andrew asked her out to dinner she agreed, and his pleasure almost made her feel guilty.

  ‘You really will?’ he asked eagerly.

  ‘I really will,’ she smiled. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’

  ‘So am—Oh no!’ he groaned, his gaze fixed out of the window. ‘Here comes Mrs Bennett. I’ll see you later,’ and he rushed into his office.

  Katy laughed to herself, as she sorted the lab reports into some order. She could hear Mrs Bennett’s wheezy breath even before she had got through the door.

  ‘Thank you, young man,’ she said breathlessly. ‘It’s nice to know there are still some manners left in the younger generation.’

  ‘Thank you—for placing me in the younger generation,’ drawled a deeply familiar voice.

  Katy looked up to see Adam holding the door open for Mrs Bennett to enter the waiting-room. Her face paled and the lab reports crumpled in her hand. Adam here! It seemed unbelievable, especially as only yesterday she had gone to see him. Surely it had to be a coincidence?

  ‘Would you like to go first, young man?’ Mrs Bennett offered. ‘I usually take a while to get my breath back.’ She eased herself down into her usual chair.

  He gave his most charming smile. ‘I’m only here to see Katy, so you go ahead.’

  ‘Here to see Katy, are you?’ Mrs Bennett said eagerly. ‘Are you her young man?’

  ‘Well, I—’

  ‘You’re a wicked old lady,’ Katy scolded teasingly, speaking for the first time, her voice shaky. ‘Mr Wild has just come to visit me.’

  ‘Shame! He seems nice, Katy. You could certainly do worse.’

  Colour flooded Katy’s cheeks. ‘Mr Wild is just a friend, Mrs Bennett.’

  ‘Oh well,’ she struggled to her feet, ‘I suppose you want to talk in private.’ She took the prescription Katy held out to her. ‘I asked May about the new people at Carstairs Manor,’ she said conspiratorially. ‘She says they’re moving in this week.’

  ‘Oh yes?’ Katy was too conscious of Adam to encourage the elderly lady in her usual chatter.

  The brief glance she had dared to dart in Adam’s direction had shown her that he had changed little; he was still lithe and attractive, the denims and sweater still as casual. Why was he here? How had he found her? The latter was the first question she asked him.

  He shrugged. ‘There are only three Doctor Harrises in the book for this area. I eliminated the other two and—well, here I am.’

  ‘Why?’

  His eyes narrowed, revealing fine lines beside his nose and eyes. He looked leaner too on closer inspection. ‘You came to see me yesterday.’

  Katy’s startled gaze clashed with the calmness of his. ‘How do you know that?’

  He grinned, and was once again the old Adam, the Adam who made her heart ache. ‘I only know one girl with caramel-coloured hair and grey eyes.’

  She flushed. ‘Your receptionist told you!’

  ‘She did.’ He took out the wallet she had bought him in Canada, producing a photograph of Katy from inside it. ‘Showing her this confirmed it.’ He sat on the edge of her desk.

  His sudden nearness unnerved her. She hadn’t even been aware of him taking that photograph. It was one of her standing beside Maligne Canyon—before she had fallen over and twisted her ankle. And Adam still had the wallet, he hadn’t discarded it at all.

  She looked down at her hands. ‘And that sent you down here?’

  ‘Fiona said you left in a hurry.’

  She gave a forced light laugh. ‘I was in a hurry, I had a train to catch. I only called in on the offchance. I was shopping in London.’

  ‘Did you buy anything?’ He picked up the paperweight from her desk and studied it.

  ‘Buy any—? I—er—yes, I bought a—a new dress.’ Trust him to, ask a question like that!


  ‘Good.’ He stood up. ‘You can wear it tonight.’

  ‘Tonight?’ Katy echoed dazedly.

  ‘Mm, when I take you out to dinner.’

  ‘Dinner? I’m not going to dinner with you!’

  ‘Is that any way to act when I took the trouble to come here? Surely dinner isn’t too much to ask?’

  ‘You have no right to ask me out,’ she told him resentfully. ‘Anyway, I already have a date for tonight.’

  Once again his eyes narrowed. ‘With Andrew?’

  Katy was surprised he had remembered the other man’s name. ‘Yes,’ she said abruptly.

  ‘Are you going to marry him?’

  ‘I might. My grandmother thinks I should.’

  ‘Family approval,’ Adam mused. ‘But I have Mrs Bennett’s approval, doesn’t that count for anything?’

  She flushed. ‘Mrs Bennett doesn’t know the first thing about you,’ but she did, knew much more about him than he realised.

  ‘Katy—’ Andrew came out of his office at that moment, his bag in his hand. ‘Sorry,’ he smiled at Adam, ‘I didn’t realise you were busy. I’m just off on my rounds, Katy.’

  ‘This is Adam Wild, Andrew,’ Katy had perforce to introduce the two men. ‘Adam, Andrew Maddox.’

  ‘Nice to meet you.’ Andrew shook hands. ‘I’m afraid I have to run. I’ll be back about two, Katy. Goodbye,’ he nodded to the other man before leaving.

  ‘So that’s Andrew,’ Adam said thoughtfully.

  ‘Yes.’ Katy glared at him, expecting criticism.

  ‘Nice man,’ he surprised her by saying. ‘So you aren’t free for dinner tonight?’

  ‘No,’ she said tightly, knowing that if he had come to her a week ago, even two days ago, she would have dropped any plans she had that didn’t include him. But not now, not now that she had seen his wife.

  ‘Tomorrow?’

  ‘Afraid not,’ she shook her head. ‘I’m visiting my grandmother,’ she told him at his questioning look.

  ‘I’ll go with you. Then we’ll see how your grandmother feels about me.’ He walked to the door. ‘What time shall I call for you?’

  ‘Adam, you can’t—’

  ‘What time?’ he repeated curtly.

  ‘I don’t—’

  ‘I’ll be here at seven o’clock.’ He closed the door firmly behind him.

  Once again he had just walked in and taken over her life, overriding her objections and simply telling her what she should do. And she had let him!

  ‘Adam Wild,’ Andrew remarked thoughtfully to Katy later that evening. ‘Is he the man who did the supplement on the children starving—’

  ‘Yes,’ she confirmed tautly, vividly remembering the sleepless nights it had given him. After seeing the photographs she hadn’t been surprised; they were horrific. No doubt his wife had now taken care of his sleeplessness. Katy almost groaned with the agony of imagining Adam in the other woman’s arms.

  Andrew stirred sugar into the late-night coffee she had prepared him. ‘How did you meet him?’

  Katy explained the meeting on the plane, omitting the rest of it. Andrew just wouldn’t understand.

  ‘Interesting chap?’

  ‘Very,’ she acknowledged awkwardly.

  ‘Mm,’ Andrew looked down at his cup. ‘Is he working in the area?’

  Katy shrugged. ‘I don’t know. He—er—he said he just thought he’d call in.’

  Andrew looked up. ‘He’s the one, isn’t he, Katy? The man you love.’

  ‘I—’

  ‘Don’t deny it,’ he gently touched her hand. ‘I could see it in your eyes. And he obviously hasn’t forgotten you.’

  ‘No,’ she agreed dully.

  By seven o’clock the next evening she was beginning to wish he had. Married or not, she just couldn’t say no to Adam.

  She had hoped to be able to open the door to him herself and make good her escape without having to introduce him to her parents, but at the last minute there was an emergency in the surgery, so she was delayed getting ready.

  Adam was in the lounge talking to her parents when she came down at seven-fifteen, an Adam she had never seen before, the light grey suit and black shirt fitting him as if they were tailored on him. He looked handsome and distinguished, and it was obvious from the first that he had charmed her parents.

  ‘Ready?’ He stood up on her entrance, the look in his eyes showing his approval of the plum-coloured dress she wore.

  ‘Yes, we should be on our way,’ she agreed. ‘Grandmother will be getting worried if we’re late.’

  ‘Watch out for her, son,’ Katy’s father warned Adam. ‘My mother doesn’t mince her words. She’s blunt to the point of embarrassment.’

  Adam’s glance mocked Katy. ‘So that’s where you got it from,’ he taunted her. ‘I love your mother already,’ he told James. ‘Her honesty is one of Katy’s most endearing qualities.’

  After that Katy couldn’t get him out of the house fast enough, her face bright red with embarrassment. Adam had implied that not only did he love her grandmother but that he loved her too. And she knew that wasn’t true.

  ‘Adam—’

  ‘Direct me to your grandmother’s, Katy.’ He put the car into gear and accelerated out of the driveway.

  The next few minutes were taken up with directions, the powerful sports car eating up the miles to her grandmother’s. Her grandmother clung to her independence with a fiendish obstinacy, resisting all efforts to get her to move in with her son and his family, living in her tiny cottage surrounded by the knick-knacks she had collected through her long life.

  Katy bit her lip as she stood waiting for Adam to lock the car. ‘My grandmother—’

  ‘Sounds like a woman I’m going to like,’ he finished for her, taking her elbow and leading her to the cottage door. ‘Do we go straight in?’

  ‘Yes. But—’

  ‘Come on, then.’ He opened the door for her, pushing her inside.

  Katy had telephoned to warn her grandmother she would be bringing a guest with her and watched the razor-sharp grey eyes level on Adam as they came into the living-room. The old lady looked him up and down, her gaze piercing.

  ‘So you’re the young man Katy’s been pining away for,’ came her opening comment.

  Adam smiled, his most charming smile. ‘I don’t know—am I?’

  ‘Oh, I think so,’ Katy’s grandmother told him. ‘Sit down, sit down,’ she said impatiently. ‘You kept him a secret, young lady,’ she reprimanded Katy. ‘Not that I blame you. If I were forty years younger,’ she smiled almost coyly, ‘I’d be after him myself.’

  Katy blushed to the roots of her hair. ‘Grandmother!’

  ‘If you have nothing better to do than trying to silence me,’ her grandmother snapped, ‘you can go and make us all some coffee.’

  Katy stood up reluctantly, knowing the words had been in the form of an order, and no one disobeyed an order from her grandmother.

  ‘Well, go along, Katy,’ she was told impatiently. ‘I want to have a nice chat with Mr Wild.’

  ‘Go on, Katy,’ Adam endorsed her grandmother’s command. ‘I’m sure your grandmother and I can find plenty to talk about.’

  That was what she was afraid of! Heavens, her grandmother could have told Adam her life story by the time she got back. She was in such a hurry to get back that she forgot the milk and had to go back and get it.

  ‘Put her in a tiswas, you have,’ her grandmother smiled her enjoyment at Katy’s embarrassment. ‘Drink your coffee and take her away from here.’

  Adam gave a throaty laugh. ‘I knew I was going to love you.’

  ‘It’s Katy I want you to love,’ she told him sternly.

  ‘Grandmother!’

  ‘Oh, do stop nagging, Katy, you’re getting as strait-laced as your mother. If Adam is to be my grandson-in-law—’

  ‘He isn’t!’ Katy almost screamed her protest. ‘Grandmother, you can’t—’

  ‘Take her away and make love t
o her,’ the old lady said with a sigh. ‘Look at her, she’s about to start protesting again. I’m sure you have your own way of silencing her.’

  Adam grinned. ‘I do. I’ve enjoyed meeting you. Your granddaughter is very like you.’ He stood up.

  ‘She was impossible!’ Katy exploded when they finally got outside. ‘And you encouraged her,’ she accused.

  ‘I loved her,’ Adam chuckled. ‘I hope I have her strength of character at that age—I’m sure you will have.’

  Katy’s mouth set in mutinous silence, and she only spoke again when she realised they weren’t going in the direction of her home. ‘Where are you taking me?’ she asked nervously.

  ‘To my home.’

  ‘Your home…?’ she echoed. ‘But I—I can’t go there! London is miles away, and—and my parents will be worried if I’m late home.’

  ‘We aren’t going to London,’ Adam informed her calmly. ‘I no longer live in London.’

  ‘Then where—’ She broke off, realising the direction they were driving. ‘Carstairs Manor!’ she exclaimed. ‘We’re going to Carstairs Manor!’

  He nodded. ‘My home.’

  ‘You’re the new owner?’

  ‘Mm. Mrs Bennett was right, the new owner did move in this week.’

  So it wasn’t a pop star, or a film star, or a hermit millionaire, it was a famous photographer. ‘When?’ Katy squeaked.

  ‘Yesterday. But I bought the Manor weeks ago.’

  ‘Why?’

  He shrugged. ‘To live in.’

  ‘Your wife didn’t look the type to like living in the country,’ she said bitchily.

  His eyebrows rose. ‘My wife? You can explain that remark when we get inside.’ He parked the car and led her into the graciously furnished manor, taking her through to the large lounge and closing the door firmly behind her. ‘What wife?’ he frowned, standing beside the fire, the flames lighting up the room.

  ‘There’s no need to pretend, Adam. I saw her at your studio yesterday. She was very beautiful.’

  ‘My wife…?’ He still looked puzzled. ‘But I—Wait a minute! Tall, red hair, very bossy?’

  ‘Yes,’ Katy acknowledged resentfully. Let him try and deny this! ‘And I heard your receptionist call her Mrs Wild, so it’s no use denying her existence. I bet she’s upstairs right now.’