Love's Only Deception

by Carole Mortimer

‘Yes. My mother was the maid…?’ Callie prompted.

  ‘Oh yes. I’m sorry, my dear, my mind’s not as active as it used to be. But I remember your mother well. She was a lot like you to look at, and always full of life and happiness. You may have realised that Jeffrey, Charles, and myself had a rather strict upbringing, with not too much love. Your mother brought sunshine into Jeffrey’s life. He loved her from the first moment, and she loved him too.’

  ‘What went wrong?’

  ‘My father interfered,’ Cicely sighed. ‘We weren’t so quick to defy our parents in those days, and Jeffrey was very young.’

  ‘So he gave my mother up under family pressure,’ Callie said disgustedly.

  ‘It wasn’t as simple as that.’

  ‘But he did give her up?’

  ‘Yes. You see, my father threatened him with disinheritance, with social ruin. A boy of twenty doesn’t quite have his priorities sorted out properly. Your mother left my father’s employ, and we never saw her again.’

  ‘And Jeff?’

  ‘He knew almost straight away that he’d made a mistake, but by that time your mother had disappeared.’

  ‘Disgusted, I should think,’ Callie derided bitterly. The whole thing sounded like some Victorian melodrama!

  ‘She has hurt, very hurt, so hurt that she married the first man who showed her kindness and love.’

  ‘I thought you said you never heard from her again?’ Callie frowned.

  ‘We didn’t, but Jeffrey finally traced her. By that time she was married to Norman Day, and was expecting his child. She admitted to still loving Jeffrey, but her loyalty was to her husband and the child she was to give him. This time Jeffrey was the one to leave, swearing he would never trouble her life again. He made a life for himself, a lonely life, and he never forgot your mother.’

  ‘It was all so cruel!’ Callie choked.

  Cicely Carrington sighed. ‘My father was never a kind man. He pushed us all too hard, expected too much of us. Charles and I accepted it, Jeffrey never did. He was always the rebellious one. That night, after realising he had lost Caroline for good, he came back to the house, packed all his things and left. Our father swore he would disinherit him anyway. He was in such a temper because Jeffrey had thwarted him that he had a heart attack and died before he could change his will.’

  Callie gave a cry of pain. ‘Two people loving each, other caused all that suffering?’

  The other woman nodded emotionally. ‘Jeffrey never accepted a penny of the money or his shares in the family business. He wanted nothing to do with us.’

  ‘Can you blame him?’

  ‘No. But I missed him.’ Her voice trembled. ‘Were they still very much in love?’ She patted delicately at her cheeks with a silky handkerchief.

  Callie could see how much her answer meant to the elderly woman, and she answered truthfully. ‘Very much.’ Her voice was husky.

  So much was explained now—the way Jeff had come into their lives almost a year to the day after her father had died, claiming to be an old friend of his. Her mother hadn’t wanted him in their home at first, but after a few weeks she had come to rely on the couple of evenings she allowed him to spend with her each week. Her mother had been happy with her father, she never doubted that, but with Jeff it had always been something special, with him her mother seemed to light up if he just entered a room. And it also explained the reason her mother had lived four and a half years when the doctors had given her a year at the most. Loving Jeff, finally being with him, had given her a reason to live.

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ she choked, the tears falling unheeded.

  ‘I think so,’ the other woman nodded. ‘I thought you would like to share in their lifelong love, to let me tell you their story from the beginning.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Will you give my son the same chance to talk to you?’ she asked gently.

  ‘Logan?’ Callie stiffened.

  ‘It would be a pity to let history repeat itself.’

  ‘I’m not a maid, to be browbeaten and discarded, and Logan certainly isn’t an obedient young man of twenty!’

  ‘He certainly isn’t,’ Cicely chuckled. ‘And he wasn’t. Logan has always had a mind of his own, it’s the way we wanted him to be. He would never have given up your mother—as he doesn’t want to lose you now.’

  ‘We both agreed we should part, Mrs Carrington,’ Callie said tautly. ‘And nothing has happened to change my mind about that.’

  ‘Logan wants you, no matter what he believes you to have done.’

  ‘And what do you believe?’ Callie stood up to pace the room. ‘Do you also believe I deliberately set out to make him fall in love with me so that together we would have control of Spencer Plastics?’

  ‘Certainly not!’

  ‘You sound very sure.’ Her mouth twisted.

  ‘I am. I liked your mother, and I like you. And no matter what Logan may have said in the heat of the moment, he does love you. I can say with all honesty that I’ve seen my son in every mood possible, but never so disillusioned and hurt as he was on Christmas Day. I’ve never seen him drunk before either,’ she grimaced. ‘He spent the entire holiday period in a drunken haze. Not very good company at all!’

  Callie had to smile at her expression of disgust. But her suspicions of Logan couldn’t be dispelled so easily, she doubted they ever would be.

  ‘It wouldn’t work out,’ she told his mother gently, knowing that Logan did still want her, but sure that the shares were a part of that want. ‘We could never trust each other.’

  ‘You’re sure?’ Cicely Carrington looked very disappointed.

  ‘Very,’ she nodded.

  ‘Oh well.’ The other woman stood up to leave. ‘I’ve done my best. I did so hope you would be my daughter-in-law,’ she said wistfully. ‘Logan tells me Jeffrey had a studio here,’ she added almost shyly. ‘Do you think I might see it?’

  ‘Of course!’ Callie’s agreement was instantaneous.

  For the next half hour she showed Jeff’s sister the extent of his skill, giving the other woman the figure of the elderly man, sure that Jeff would have wanted her to have it.

  She returned to the studio once Cicely Carrington had left, picking up the sculpture of her mother. Oh, how she and Jeff must have loved each other, a love that had lasted over twenty years despite their not seeing each other. Would her love for Logan last as long, despite his duplicity?

  CHAPTER TEN

  THE telephone rang harshly in Callie’s ear the next morning, waking her from what could only be described as a restless sleep, at worst hours of lying awake wondering what she was going to do. Once Jeff’s will was finally settled she would have to take her partnership in Spencer Plastics a lot more seriously. And with Logan and Sir Charles against her she had formidable opponents.

  She picked up the telephone, still groggy from her disturbed night.

  ‘Miss Day?’ She instantly recognised the crusty tones of James Seymour.

  ‘Yes?’ She was instantly wide awake.

  ‘Would it be possible for you to come and see me immediately?’

  She jack-knifed into a sitting position, with a feeling of foreboding. ‘Is there anything wrong?’

  ‘It’s a very—private matter. Not something I would wish to discuss over the telephone,’ he told her in his prim, unemotional voice.

  Callie was already getting out of bed. ‘What time would you like me to be there?’

  ‘As soon as possible.’

  Something was wrong, she knew it was. It usually took weeks to get an appointment with a lawyer, James Seymour wanted to see her immediately, this morning.

  It had to be something to do with Jeff’s will. Perhaps her fear had come true after all, perhaps there had been a mistake. If that were the case, would she be relieved or saddened? She had no idea how she would feel. And that might not be the reason James Seymour wanted to see her.

  She wasted no more time thinking about it, washing and dres
sing in record time, then hurrying to James Seymour’s office. When a man like him said it was urgent, then it was urgent. Callie was shown straight into his office.

  Once again she was the focus of his disapproval as he looked over his gold-rimmed glasses at her casual trousers and top, the way her hair swung loosely about her shoulders, slightly ruffled by the cold breeze outside.

  Callie ignored his critical gaze. ‘You said you wanted to see me,’ she prompted impatiently at his delay, just wanting to get this over with.

  ‘Yes. I— What I’m about to tell you is—well, it’s rather difficult for me.’

  She could tell by his evasive expression that it was something serious. ‘The shares and money aren’t mine after all,’ she said dully. ‘It’s all a mistake, it belongs to someone else.’

  His eyes widened. ‘You already knew? Really, Miss Day, I must protest at your deception—’

  ‘I didn’t deceive anyone,’ she sighed. ‘I just knew it was too good to be true. Who do they really belong to?’

  ‘Well, as Mr Spencer died intestate—’

  ‘But there was a will—I saw it,’ she frowned.

  ‘Yes, there was a will,’ James Seymour looked uncomfortable. ‘But acting on information furnished to me by Mr Carrington—’

  ‘Logan?’ she echoed sharply.

  ‘Just so,’ the lawyer nodded. ‘Mr Carrington learnt recently, two days ago to be precise, that his uncle married four years ago. I have in fact ascertained confirmation of the marriage since speaking to him.’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Mr Spencer’s will was dated five years ago.’

  ‘So?’ she frowned.

  ‘Any marriage revokes a will,’ he explained. ‘I take it you were not adopted by Mr Spencer?’

  ‘Of course not,’ she dismissed scathingly. ‘I was already eighteen when they married.’

  ‘As I thought,’ he nodded. ‘Mr Spencer should have informed me of his marriage and we could have drawn up a new will. In the circumstances—’

  ‘It all reverts back to Sir Charles and Cicely,’ she said numbly.

  ‘I’m afraid so—’ He seemed to hesitate. ‘There is one other thing I think we should clear up.’

  ‘Please do.’

  ‘Mr Carrington informed me that your mother’s name was the same as yours, Caroline Day, and so owing to Mr Spencer’s single state at the time the will was drawn up, I think it would be only natural to assume that he intended his beneficiary to be your mother.’

  It was logical, it made sense, and it was probably right. She stood up to leave: ‘Thank you, Mr Seymour. I— What else can I say?’ she gave a helpless shrug.

  ‘I’m sorry, Miss Day,’ he did sound genuinely regretful. ‘There is one thing to be grateful for.’

  ‘Oh yes?’

  The ghost of a smile lightened his features. ‘Owing to the methodical slowness of the British legal system the money hadn’t yet been awarded to you.’

  ‘That’s a bonus?’

  ‘Well, at least you hadn’t spent it!’

  Callie felt sure it was the nearest to a joke James Seymour could get, and she returned his smile. ‘There is that.’ She shook his hand. ‘Thank you for being so gentle with me.’

  She walked out into the street, no longer a part owner of a prosperous business or a rich young woman. It would have been nice to have been rich, she would be a fool to think otherwise, but strangely she felt good to just be Callie Day once again. At least now no one could exploit her—she had nothing to exploit!

  So much for Logan not wanting to lose her! He had done everything he could to make sure everything was taken away from her. Well now she would never have to see him again.

  Once again she retreated to the peace of Jeff’s studio, looking at the figure of her mother with new eyes. Jeff hadn’t just shown her mother without pain as she had always believed, he had shown her as the young girl he loved, the young girl she had always appeared to him.

  ‘Callie…’

  She turned to see Logan walking towards her, also looking down at the sculpture of her mother, very dark and attractive, making her feel startling alive.

  ‘She was very beautiful,’ he said huskily. ‘I can understand why my uncle loved her all his life, why he waited for her.’

  Callie turned away. ‘Why are you here? To gloat?’ she scorned.

  Logan’s eyes were darkly brooding as he looked at her. ‘I’m here to ask you something.’

  Her mouth twisted, her voice brittle. ‘If it’s question and answer time you want, Logan, I’m not in the mood.’

  ‘Only one question. Only one answer.’

  She sighed. ‘Well?’

  ‘Will you marry me?’

  Her head went back. ‘What did you say?’ she choked disbelievingly.

  Logan grasped her upper arms, gazing deeply into her eyes, holding her captivated. ‘Will you marry me?’

  ‘Are you serious?’ She searched the pale intensity of his face, seeing only anxiety written there.

  ‘Never more so,’ he said tautly.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I thought it wasn’t to be question and answer time,’ he mocked. ‘I’ve asked my question, I want the answer.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘Yes or no?’

  Yes, she wanted to marry him, but no, she didn’t want to be just another pawn in his game. But how could she be now, she no longer had the shares!

  ‘I saw James Seymour this morning—’

  ‘I know,’ Logan nodded impatiently.

  ‘He told you…?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And you still want to marry me?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ he said with certainty. ‘Why else do you think I had the problem of those shares removed? I knew you would never marry me while they stood between us.’ His hand tightened. ‘Now answer me, Callie.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘Yes or no?’ he repeated hardly.

  ‘Yes. But—’

  ‘No buts, Callie,’ he groaned, his arms tightly about her as he pulled her fully into his arms. ‘No ifs or maybes either. I love you, I want to marry you—I’m going to marry you.’

  ‘But it was all a trick on your part—’

  ‘On the part of fate,’ he corrected. ‘I can see that now. I mocked my uncle with a remark that was never meant to be taken seriously, a remark I’d forgotten two minutes after saying it, and on Christmas Day it backfired on me. I taunted Charles with the idea that Donald should marry the woman Jeffrey had lived with if he wanted to keep the shares in the family. I’ve never had time for Spencer Plastics, only took control of my mother’s shares to prevent Charles hounding her. As you may have gathered, Jeffrey kept pretty well out of any decisions concerning the business too.’

  ‘Except when it came to expansion,’ she reminded him.

  ‘Yes,’ he smiled. ‘Charles will be able to go ahead with that now. And knowing his damned luck he’ll make a success of it too! God, how he panicked at the thought of what he thought would be a money-grasping older woman coming into the business. He must have thanked his guardian angel when you turned up. Hell, I didn’t even know the name of the woman he was so up in arms about, I simply wasn’t interested enough to find out. I was shocked out of my mind on Christmas Day when I found you were that woman.’

  ‘But I wasn’t, my mother was married to Jeff.’ Callie was snuggled in his arms, loving each wonderful word of his explanation.

  ‘How could we know that, Jeffrey certainly never told anyone. If James Seymour could make that mistake, how could us lesser mortals know any better?’ he taunted.

  She giggled. ‘Mr Seymour doesn’t like you either.’

  ‘I know,’ he chuckled. ‘We were meant to meet,’ he said earnestly. ‘Can’t you see that, Callie? We were meant to meet and fall in love.’

  ‘Oh yes!’ She could only believe him now, knew that she had nothing but herself that he might want. His love hadn’t been a deception at all, but a wonderful reality, a rea
lity that had almost been destroyed because of their distrust of each other.

  ‘I have another piece of news that might interest you,’ he murmured after kissing her thoroughly.

  ‘Yes?’ she said dreamily.

  ‘Donald has eloped, with Lena McDonnell!’

  ‘Donald…? My goodness,’ she couldn’t help laughing. ‘Lena…?’ she said slowly. ‘Don’t I know that name?’

  ‘Let’s go through to the drawing-room and make ourselves comfortable, then I’ll tell you everything.’ He settled her into the curve of his arm as they sat side by side on the sofa. ‘Lena is—was, Charles’s secretary.’

  A memory of the busty blonde with hard blue eyes came to mind. ‘Oh dear! Poor Donald!’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Logan lightly kissed her temple.

  ‘Don’t you indeed?’ Jealousy ripped through her. How could she have possibly thought she could go through life without this man?

  ‘Not in that way, darling,’ his arms tightened about her. ‘I meant that Lena will be able to stand up to Charles and Susan, something Donald could never do on his own. Lena is made of sterner stuff.’

  ‘But won’t your uncle disinherit him?’

  ‘And risk it all coming to me?’ he taunted. ‘Oh no, he’ll forgive Donald. He’ll even accept Lena as his wife, especially when the grandchildren come along.’

  Callie giggled. ‘I can’t imagine Donald as a father!’

  ‘How about me?’

  ‘Oh yes. I—’ she broke off, blushing. ‘Well—’

  ‘It’s all over, Callie, the whole nightmare.’ Logan kissed her fiercely on the mouth. ‘And it has been a nightmare.’

  ‘Your mother said you’ve been drinking.’

  ‘Mm,’ he grimaced. ‘I couldn’t believe the woman I loved, the woman you were, could do something like that. And yet on the evidence I had, it appeared there could be no other explanation.’

  ‘For me too.’

  ‘When you told me two days ago that Jeffrey had been your stepfather, and that your mother’s name had been the same as yours, I began to hope. I put my idea to Seymour, knowing it was my last chance with you. Thank God it paid off!’ he shuddered

  ‘And if it hadn’t?’

  ‘I would have kept trying anyway. Once I got over the initial shock I still wanted to marry you.’