by Jenny Lane
“I’m just going across to the bakers’ to check that everything’s in hand for Friday.”
There was a queue and, by the time she returned, Fiona had already e-mailed Lawrence and received a reply.
“Rhia - did you hear what I said? Laurie’s accepted.”
Rhianna nodded, trying not to show how pleased she was. Her heart was thumping away - behaving like a traitor. She knew that she’d wanted him to stay over on Saturday night, but, now that she’d had time to think things through, she realised that she’d been feeling very vulnerable. She needed to be sure of his feelings for her, before their relationship developed any further.
*
The week was busy and Rhianna immersed herself in the gallery, trying to put any doubts to the back of her mind. After all, she told herself, another week or two would hardly make any difference when it came to finding out the truth about Christina Soames’ parentage.
She had spoken to Letitia briefly on the phone, but hadn’t mentioned her suspicions. Instead, she’d told her how the exhibition was progressing and about Fiona’s engagement and the planned Meet the Artists Evening on Friday.
“How I wish I could be there,” Letitia had said wistfully. “You must promise me you’ll take a lot of photographs.”
“I certainly will, but you’ll see most of the stuff when we bring it to Brookhurst for the exhibition there.”
“I’m looking forward to that. Come again, as soon as you can. You’re always welcome - you know that, don’t you, dear?”
“Of course, I do,” Rhianna assured her grandmother. “See you soon.”
*
All the members of Rhianna’s decoupage class said they would come on Friday evening. Their display of Easter cards was delightful. Fiona had produced some realistic sheep and lambs to complement it. She was excellent at paper flowers and had crafted a number of those too.
Friday was there before they could turn round. They closed the gallery mid-afternoon in order to get things ready for the evening.
“Why do I always feel nervous on these occasions?” Fiona asked.
“No idea. I’m the same,” Rhianna told her. “Now - if we’re quick - we can fly home; get a quick meal and shower and change.”
They took a last look round the gallery. Everything was ready. The displays were inspiring. Rhianna felt a thrill of excitement. It promised to be a good evening.
Rhianna had a quick supper, showered and changed into a black trouser suit with a coral blouse. She dug out an attractive bead necklace, swept back her hair and fastened it with a wooden buckle. She was just checking the effect in her wardrobe mirror, when the doorbell rang.
Lawrence was standing on the doorstep. She looked at him as if he were the last person on earth she expected to see.
“Hi - I realise I’m a bit early and the gallery was closed so thought I’d come round to yours.”
“Hi,” she returned briskly, her heart missing a beat. “Come along in. I’m nearly ready. Have you eaten? I can make you a sandwich. We’ve still got about half an hour before we need to be there.”
“Oh, it’s OK, I realised you’d be busy so I stopped en route, but I’d love a coffee.”
He followed her into the kitchen. “You’re looking better than when I last saw you.”
“Oh, I’m absolutely fine,” she assured him, a shade too quickly.
“Rhia, we need to talk.”
“Yes, but not this evening. Right now we both need to focus on the gallery.”
He caught her hands between his and forced her to look at him. His green eyes met hers in a searching gaze.
“Let’s go to Brookhurst again soon - see Letitia. There are things that need to be said, but it concerns the three of us.”
She shook herself free, trying to remain composed, even though her pulse was racing.
“Yes, I agree about that, but we’ll have to discuss it later.”
She poured him a filter coffee. “Take it into the sitting-room. I need to finish getting ready.”
He was looking at a photograph of her parents when she entered the room.
“Your mother was a very attractive woman,” he commented. “I can see where you get your looks from, Rhia.”
She smiled, pulse racing. “Right - are we ready then for this bonanza?”
*
Lawrence whistled when he saw the exhibition. “Wow! You and Fiona have done me proud. The whole place looks amazing.”
“Well, if you hadn’t provided us with the paintings, there wouldn’t have been an exhibition. Matt’s sold quite a few of his, so we had a lot of empty wall space to fill.”
“My parents wanted to be here, but they’ve gone to my brother and sister-in-law’s for the week-end. I said I might bring them one day next week - if that’s OK?”
“Yes, of course, they’d be most welcome.”
Rhianna felt a little thrill of pleasure that he wanted to introduce her to his family.
“Ah here’s Fiona and Dave.”
Fiona pounced on Lawrence and introduced him to Dave. Lawrence congratulated them both and kissed Fiona warmly on the cheek. Matthew arrived shortly afterwards with his girlfriend, Leigh, and a few minutes later the gallery seemed to be buzzing with people.
“Going well, isn’t it?” Fiona said when she and Rhianna met up briefly in the kitchenette as they replenished the plates of food.
“Fantastic! It was an inspiration. Well done, Fiona!”
“Oh, I’m not just a pretty decoration, you know. I have my uses, Rhia.”
Rhianna laughed. “You certainly do and to prove it, you can grab these plates whilst I get some more wine. At this rate, we’re going to have to send out for more!”
The decoupage group were thoroughly enjoying themselves and, during the course of the evening, a number of visitors signed up for the art course after Easter.
Half an hour before the evening was due to end and people were beginning to drift away, the gallery door opened and a very striking woman in a cherry-red coat appeared in the doorway. She was tall and elegant and her blonde hair was beautifully styled. She looked about her for a moment and then made a bee-line for Lawrence. Fiona nudged Rhianna’s arm.
“Who’s that?”
But Rhianna didn’t reply. She could make an accurate guess as to who the woman was and watched as she kissed Lawrence full on the mouth.
Matthew joined them. “Who’s that woman draping herself all over Laurie?”
“Probably his girlfriend,” Rhianna said in a tight little voice.
Mathew looked at her open-mouthed. “But I thought that was…I mean I assumed it was you.”
“Not a good idea to assume Matt.” Rhianna told him rather sharply and he turned pink with embarrassment.
“I don’t remember Laurie saying he was bringing a guest,” Fiona said. “Come on Rhia let’s go and find out who this female is.”
She virtually propelled Rhianna across the room.
“Hi, Laurie, aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?”
Lawrence’s expression was unfathomable as he said, “This is Christina Soames. Tina, these two ladies own and run the gallery. Fiona Field and…” He hesitated slightly, not looking at Rhianna, “Rhianna Delroy.”
Tina’s mascaraed lashes fluttered. She extended a red-tipped hand briefly.
“So, you’re Rhianna. I’ve heard so much about you. We meet at last. When I learnt about Laurie’s little shindig, I simply had to come.”
“Yes, how exactly did you hear?” Lawrence asked coolly.
“Oh, you didn’t think you could keep it a secret, did you, darling? Tish told me, of course...Laurie’s work is quite a coup for your gallery - hope you two appreciate it.”
“Oh, we certainly know his worth,” Fiona assured her.
“Well, let’s take a look at these masterpieces of yours, darling. Have you got anything new or are they all of Brookhurst?”
Tina took his arm and he led her across to his paintings. Rhianna
stood stock-still, gazing after them, feeling a physical pain.
Fiona touched her arm. “Don’t let her get to you, Rhia. It doesn’t sound as if Laurie invited her. She just took it in her head to come.”
“I - I just can’t work out why Letitia would have told her,” Rhianna said dully; feeling as if her heart had plummeted into her shoes.
“That’s if she did - now it’s been a fantastic evening up until now - so, don’t let that woman put the kibosh on it. I’m going to get you a coffee. You’ve gone as white as a sheet - anyway, now you’ve met her. You were bound to one day, seeing as she’s still in touch with your grandmother.”
Rhianna knew Fiona was right. Looking across the gallery she could see Lawrence standing with Tina by his side as they chatted with a couple of last minute visitors to the gallery.
Tina had tucked her arm possessively through his. Even from that distance, Rhianna was forced to admit that she was an extremely elegant, attractive woman and could quite see why she would be appealing to men.
Rhianna sighed, knowing she had been foolish to think Lawrence could have had any feelings for her. He’d merely been toying with her affections - amusing himself until Tina resurfaced.
Fiona returned with two cups of coffee. They sank thankfully onto a couple of chairs.
“And, just for the record, Rhia - Tina might have blonde hair and blue eyes - but there the resemblance ends. I don’t think she looks a bit like you.”
After Tina had taken a critical look round the gallery, she came swanning across to Rhianna. Fiona had gone off to chat with someone about her sculptures.
“Laurie’s so talented, don’t you think?” Tina asked, perching on the edge of a stool.
“He certainly is.”
“Of course, it was Reg Delroy who taught him most of what he knows - did he tell you that?” Her voice was silky smooth.
“Something like that.” Rhianna felt trapped. Tina was fixing her with a look that made her feel distinctly uncomfortable.
Tina’s ice-blue eyes narrowed. “What exactly are you hoping to gain from befriending Letitia?”
“I’m sorry, I haven’t the remotest idea of what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, but I think you do. She’s an old woman and she had this wild idea of being reunited with her grand-daughter, but now she realises her mistake… It’s best to leave the past alone, don’t you think, before too many skeletons rattle out of the cupboard.”
Rhianna suddenly knew for certain that it had been Tina who had phoned her that evening and a tiny shiver trembled down her spine. There was something about this woman that unnerved her.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” she challenged her.
Tina frowned. “I beg your pardon - what are you talking about?”
“It was you who phoned me a while back - trying to warn me off. Well, it won’t work. My grandmother and I get on very well and I’ve no intention of letting you get in the way of that.”
Tina gave a short laugh. “Indeed - I know far more about Letitia than you’re ever likely to. She looked you up on a whim. Now she’s satisfied her curiosity, but you’re clinging onto her like a leech.”
“You’re being intolerably rude,” Rhianna told her, endeavouring to keep her cool. “This is my gallery and - if it weren’t for the fact that you’re Laurie’s guest - I’d ask you to leave.”
Tina’s eyelids flickered. “That’s fine. I’m just waiting for Laurie to finish his conversation and then we’ll be off. He’s giving me a lift, as my friends have gone on elsewhere. You needn’t kid yourself that I’d have been here if it hadn’t been for Laurie - these little dos bore me stiff…Oh, and there is just one other thing. I think you’ve got something that belongs to me.”
“I think that’s highly unlikely,” Rhianna told her, taken aback.
A tiny smile hovered at the corners of Tina Soames lips. “Well, let me refresh your memory. I believe you have a portrait of my mother, Anna Soames, in your possession. It was painted by Reg Delroy and it’s called Portrait of a Woman in Blue.”
“I know the picture you’re referring to but what makes you think it belongs to you?” Rhianna asked, meeting her gaze steadily.
Just for a moment, Tina looked uncertain and then she said, “My grandmother told me. Your father took it with him when he left Wisteria Lodge, but it belonged to my mother. It was a gift from Reg Delroy. That was the main reason why Letitia got in touch with you - to ask you to return the painting.”
Rhianna decided to make no comment about that. She thought it best not to say that Letitia had been adamant that she held onto it.
Tina looked around and saw Lawrence still chatting to one or two remaining visitors. She attracted his attention by waving her hand at him and, as she did so, Rhianna caught sight of the large emerald engagement ring on her finger, flashing as the light caught it.
Lawrence was coming towards them, but he got waylaid by an elderly gentleman. Tina took the opportunity to say,
“Lovely ring, isn’t it? Laurie and I were engaged before, you know. We had a lover’s tiff, but now we’ve resolved our differences. Letitia was made up when I told her we’d got together again. Thought I’d let you know - just in case you’d misunderstood his friendship towards you. He always was a mug for blondes.”
“Well, may you both be very happy,” Rhianna told her.
There was a triumphant look on Tina’s face as she said, “I’ve absolutely no doubt of that - we were before. Our relationship was idyllic.”
“What a pity it didn’t stay that way,” Rhianna said tartly and moved smartly out of the way as Lawrence made to join them. She didn’t want to face him, so she busied herself collecting up the empty glasses and took them into the kitchenette. When she returned to the gallery he’d gone.
“Where did you shoot off to?” Fiona asked. “Everyone’s gone now.”
“Good - I hope Laurie’s taken that woman with him.”
“He was looking for you to say, goodbye. He thought it was a marvellous evening.”
Rhianna sniffed. “I’m sure he did. Well, he’s just lost my vote, bringing that dreadful woman here.”
“Yes, that was unfortunate, but I honestly don’t think it was planned.”
“She’s flaunting a large emerald ring and says she’s back with Laurie again.”
Fiona raised her eyebrows. “You’ve only got her word for that, Rhia. She was probably trying to wind you up.”
“Well, she’s certainly succeeded. I was enjoying myself until she turned up,” Rhianna said bitterly.
“Perhaps you should let Laurie explain.”
Rhianna wrung out the dish cloth viciously. “You know what, Fi? At this moment, I don’t care if I never set eyes on him again.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate because I’ve invited him to my engagement party tomorrow and I can hardly uninvite him, can I?”
Chapter Twelve
Rhianna had a restless night and, in the end, decided to get up early and make a start on clearing up at the gallery. Fiona wasn’t coming in until later that morning, as she needed to sort out things for the party.
Rhianna began washing the stack of glasses which she needed to return to the off-licence. After that, she swept the floor, wiped the surfaces and restored the gallery to its usual pristine condition. Her heart was heavy but, for Fiona’s sake, she knew she had to make an effort.
When she could bring herself to do so, she would ring Letitia and tell her how the evening had gone.
Halfway through the morning, the gallery phone rang and Letitia’s voice said, “Oh, good, I was hoping you’d be there. How was the evening? I know you said you’d ring, but I couldn’t wait to find out how it had gone.”
Rhianna told her briefly - not wanting to go into any detail.
“The thing is, Rhianna, I think I might have put my foot in it. You see Tina rang me again and I let it slip about Laurie’s exhibition.”
“Yes, I know - she turned up last night.”
Letitia gasped audibly. “She did? I wondered if she might take a look, but quite thought she’d come another time…How did you - was it all right?”
“Not really. It seems she and Laurie are back together again - did you know?”
There was a long pause.
“Are you sure, dear? Only I’ve already spoken with Laurie this morning and I certainly didn’t get that impression from him.”
“Perhaps he didn’t want to tell you right away. Tina was wearing her engagement ring last night, so I don’t think there was any mistake.”
There was silence at the other end of the phone and then Letitia said, “Describe it to me, Rhianna.”
“Emeralds and diamonds. She made a point of telling me she and Laurie had been engaged before, but, of course, I knew that already.”
“Yes, but that wasn’t the ring Laurie bought for her. The ring that she was wearing belonged to her mother.”
“Really?” A glimmer of hope shot through Rhianna, to be dashed almost immediately as she remembered something. “Then why was she wearing it on her engagement finger?”
Letitia sighed. “Oh, I don’t know, but trust me, Rhianna. Last night was the first time Laurie had set eyes on her in over two years. I’m so sorry if I caused you any problem. It just sort of slipped out about Laurie’s exhibition.”
“Oh, not to worry. Tina could easily have found out by looking on the internet… Is she intending to visit you?” Rhianna asked casually.
“She hasn’t said so. Tina is very unpredictable. Laurie doesn’t even know where she’s staying.”
“That’s odd. I thought he gave her a lift home last night.”
Letitia laughed. “Is that what she told you? He gave her a lift to the station in St Alban’s - went out of his way to do so.”
“Oh, perhaps, I misunderstood,” Rhianna said, feeling slightly more hopeful again.
“Letitia - Tina asked me about the picture of Anna Soames. Said it belonged to her mother and that my father had taken it when he left Brookhurst.”
“I’m afraid Tina believes that to be true, because it’s probably what her grandmother told her. Oh, my dear, I’m so sorry you’re being faced with all this.”
