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  'When I rang at six,' Nigel put in triumphantly, gazing at Julia, not concealing the fact that he adored her.

  Sandra and Matt began teasing them unmercifully, but Lee restrained herself to an interested smile. She was happy for Nigel, but if Julia's feelings for him were still fragile, she didn't want to put any strain on them and risk spoiling anything.

  She felt her attitude might be right when after a minute Julia said to Sandra rather sharply, 'We're going on holiday, not a honeymoon. We both have two weeks to take and we fancied the same place, so it seemed silly not to go together.'

  'Where are you going?' Sandra asked quickly, sensitive enough to realise she might have been a bit tactless.

  'Venice!' breathed Julia, her sweet face composed again. 'You've never wanted to go there, but I always have, and it's not a place I should enjoy on my own. I mean,' she smiled at Lee, 'imagine visiting the Doges' Palace or seeing all the palaces lining the Grand Canal and having no one to marvel with. It might just about kill me!'

  Matt glanced lazily at Lee, putting out a hand to touch her auburn hair as she sat beside him. 'You haven't had a holiday this year, Lee.'

  Apprehensive that he was ,about to suggest they should go off together, as well, without wondering why she had no wish to holiday with him, she said quickly, 'I shan't bother this year—maybe next.'

  'That will be your honeymoon, surely?' grinned Nigel, despite Julia's discouraging frown.

  'It will be.' Lee laid a quick hand on Matt's arm, immediately thinking of Slade. Whatever happened he wasn't going to interfere with her plans! She loved Matt, and if Slade didn't consider she was good enough for him, surely that was for Matt to decide?

  Sleep didn't come to Lee any easier that night than it had done the night before. She was tired, but it was her mind, not her body that wouldn't let her rest. It was full of thoughts of Slade which she couldn't get rid of. Even when Matt had kissed her goodnight, she had felt his presence, as if he had actually been there, standing beside them.

  This evening, when Slade hadn't turned up and she had begun to believe his threats had been idle ones, she had managed to relax, until Nigel had told them Slade was opening up the house and his mother was with him. Then her tension had returned, worse than ever. Slade never did anything without a purpose. He had new experiments going all over the world; there had to be a specific reason why he should choose to take a special interest in the one at Reading. The old family home might be here, but she couldn't feel convinced that he had developed a sudden nostalgia for it after not bothering with it for years. She had assumed he would be staying at the flat he kept for convenience when he was working late, above the offices at the works. Now to hear that he might be here to stay for several weeks filled her with the kind of dread she had no wish to analyse.

  With weary eyes, she lay staring into the darkness, letting a mind that seemed always too eager to dwell on the past have its way at last. Being the only child of a successful Hollywood actress hadn't been easy. Until a few months before her mother died, she had been shuttled back and forth between boarding schools and the equally strict care of a martinet of a housekeeper in Los Angeles. She had been over eighteen before she was allowed to leave school and, even then, her mother had been unhappy about it. She had been frightened of the influence of the film industry on her daughter. 'I don't want you to have anything to do with acting,' she had repeated nearly every day, and threatened to send Lee to live with her grandfather almost as regularly.

  Lee had no desire to be a star, but neither had she wanted to leave America to live with her grandfather. After years of having her every movement supervised either by school or her mother's staff, all she could think about was having a little freedom. Reluctantly Liz had given it to her, and Lee had to admit it had gone to her head a little. It had been exciting to discover how her youth and looks attracted men. For a while she had enjoyed playing idle if innocent games with them, enjoying the sense of power which a beautiful face and body gave her, without in any way committing herself. Looking back, she often felt surprised that she hadn't got herself into some kind of trouble. It seemed ironical, when America was so much bigger than England, and the dangers, by comparison, so much greater, that it had been in England where she had finally come to grief.

  It had been several years since she had last seen her grandfather, but he and Lee's mother had been in no way estranged. Indeed Ralph Peterson had been proud of his daughter, it was just that their individual work had kept them tied to different parts of the world.

  Lee wondered now if her mother's death hadn't affected her grandfather more than she'd thought, but at just nineteen she had been more interested in her own reactions to a new environment than her grandfather's feelings. Once she had stopped grieving for her mother she soon made friends in the. neighbourhood, and the sort of country-club restaurant which Ralph ran interested her a lot. While she never had any ambition to take over when he retired, she did enjoy helping out occasionally when he was short-staffed.

  That was what she was doing when she had met Slade for the first time. She had been standing in for one of their receptionists when he had walked in with his mother, and, in the temporary absence of the head waiter, she had shown them to their table.

  Lee had never forgotten her first impression of him, yet it hadn't been one she liked. He had been tall and dark and too overpowering. She had resented the way his eyes had glittered over her slight figure, her long graceful neck and beautiful little head. He had asked abruptly who she was.

  When she had reluctantly revealed her identity, his mother had insisted that she sat with them for a few minutes. Apparently Mrs Western had known her mother, and she had talked to Lee sympathetically while her black-browed son had looked on, his cool green eyes seldom leaving Lee's face.

  Lee had picked up enough sophistication in Los Angeles to be able to hide the rather startling awareness she felt for him. She even agreed, after refusing to join his mother and him for dinner, to have a drink with him later, while his mother had coffee in the lounge. But although the Westerns were acquainted with her family, she had no intention of having anything more to do with him.

  Slade Western, however, had other ideas. He soon made no secret of the fact that Lee attracted him, and, contrarily, because he possessed the mysterious ability to make her heart race uncomfortably fast, the more he pursued her, the more she had flirted with other men. She didn't realise she was playing with fire until she allowed herself to be persuaded to go to London with his mother.

  Before this she had visited his magnificent home along the river several times, though she only accepted invitations from Mrs Western. She enjoyed the parties Mrs Western gave and, if she could avoid Slade, found nothing to complain about. If she did find herself alone with him she was careful to keep her distance. Instinctively she had guessed she was too young to be able to cope with a man of Slade's calibre, and she confined herself to idle flirtations. It wasn't until weeks later that she discovered painfully that Slade had believed her dates with other men to be far from innocent.

  On her bed, Lee stirred restlessly, wishing she hadn't thought of that. Living with her grandfather had eventually began to pall. She was fond of him, but found the country boring. When Mrs Western suggested she should accompany her to London and combine a holiday with being her part-time secretary, she hadn't been able to resist. Her mother, who had always lived above her income, hadn't left any money, and while Lee had never resented this, she realised she might not have the means to visit London on her own for a long time.

  Once in the capital she really began having a good time. At first she had thought Slade might have had something to do with her being there, but he had soon disabused her of that notion when he had caught her, one evening, in the arms of one of his friends. The man had actually grabbed her and kissed her against her will, but Slade, when he had got rid of him, refused to believe this. He had been furious.

  'I told Lydia,'—his mother—'what would happen
if she brought you here. She should have left you at River Bend. You can't resist flirting with any man who spares you a second glance, can you?'

  Lee had refused to defend herself against such an outrageous attack, but she had been indignant when he went on to imply that she was just out for what she could get.

  'I do help your mother, Slade, and I've every intention of finding myself a proper job soon. If I can't find one I'll go back to my grandfather.'

  'You don't have to work,' he had said thickly, his eyes suddenly hot with desire. 'Live with me.'

  Even if he had offered marriage she would have refused, though she might not have done so afterwards. Instead she had felt highly insulted and told him she wouldn't live with him if he was the last person on earth. But only a few days later she had been forced, through no fault of her own, at least no deliberate fault of her own, to change her mind.

  Mrs Western was not a very demanding employer, and Lee's duties were far from arduous. Mostly they consisted of writing letters and making phone calls accepting and issuing invitations and making appointments. And acting in a kind of liaison capacity between Mrs Western and her cook-housekeeper. Her mother's housekeeper had been strict, but though Lee had always rebelled against authority, they had been good friends. A month was amply long enough for someone of Lee's outgoing nature to get to know Ann Bowie well. She was a nice woman and Lee felt sorry for her.

  Ann, middle-aged, had worked for the Westerns for fifteen years. She had a twenty-year-old son and no husband. Slade, Lee soon discovered, had no time for Ray Bowie, who had been in scrapes with the police ever since he left school. The last time he had threatened to ban him from the house. Ann could go too, Lee had overheard Slade telling his mother, if there was any more trouble.

  Ann had told Lee a little about her past, but she made no secret of the fact that Mrs Western had taken her in when Ray was only five and this house was the only real home she had ever known. Lee was aware that she worried a lot over Ray, who was wild rather than bad and lived with friends in another part of the city. Unfortunately he was unemployed and always short of money. His mother helped him all she could, delving deeply, Lee suspected, into her savings, but he was forever in the house, complaining that he couldn't manage.

  Lee believed the situation would resolve itself in time, but suddenly, to her horror, the whole thing had reached a terrifying climax, exploding devastatingly in her own face with repercussions which were to haunt her for years.

  CHAPTER THREE

  It happened one evening when Mrs Western sent her to the kitchen with a message for Ann. Lee found Ray there with his mother. The daily help had gone, as dinner was over, but Ann didn't seem too happy. She had obviously been lecturing Ray about something, because his usually care-free face was sullen and angry.

  'It's okay, Mom,' Lee heard him muttering, 'haven't I just told you? I know I'm not welcome here any more and I won't be back.'

  He had his hands stuck in the pockets of the old jacket he was wearing and he jerked one out impatiently to deal with a lock of hair that refused to stay out of his eyes. To the dismay of both women, as he did so, a diamond necklace came out of his pocket with it, caught on a button on his sleeve.

  While Ann gasped and collapsed, looking ready to faint, Lee's eyes widened in stunned dismay. 'Wherever did you get that, Ray?' she had gasped.

  'It—it belongs to Mrs Western!' Ann whispered before he could reply. 'Oh, Ray,' her worn face crumpled, 'how could you? That's what you must have been doing when you were supposed to be in my room!'

  'She won't miss it,' he retorted defiantly, though Lee saw he had gone very pale. 'She has loads of the stuff,' he added, thrusting the necklace in his pocket again.

  'Don't do that! Give it to me,' Ann, shaking and sobbing, was suddenly at his side, taking it from him. 'You must be mad!' she cried. 'Madam might be prepared to forgive you, but I happen to know that if Mr Slade discovers what you've done, he won't hesitate to send us both packing!'

  They seemed to have forgotten Lee was there and she gazed from one to the other apprehensively, trying to find something to say. 'Why did you take it, Ray?' she asked at last.

  He shot her another sullen glance, but she could see he was beginning to shake as badly as his mother. 'I only wanted a bit of extra cash,' he swallowed hard. 'You don't know what it's like existing on next to nothing every day.'

  'I can guess,' she said gently, realising, from the state he was in, that she didn't have to emphasise the seriousness of the situation. 'But this is no way to solve your problems. You'll have to put it back.'

  'Yes,' gasped Ann, tears running pathetically down her cheeks as she agreed with Lee. 'Madam will know immediately if something is missing. You'll have to return it straight away, but you'll have to be careful.'

  'I can't go back up there, Mom,' he muttered, clearly very frightened. 'I'd never make it a second time.'

  Lee had seen the terrible despair on their faces. They looked like two people facing a firing squad or a future without hope. And that they appeared to trust her completely might also have had something to do with the impulsive offer she'd made. 'Look, Ann,' she had said quickly, without really pausing to think, 'give the necklace to me. I can pretend I'm going to my room. It will only take a minute to step into Mrs Western's and replace it in her jewel case. I know exactly where she keeps it, and Slade's in the study.'

  He had been, but unfortunately he had caught her with the necklace in her hands, just as she had been about to put it back. Because she had known where it was kept, having helped Mrs Western to unfasten some of the difficult catches on her jewellery before, she hadn't put on the light, and she realised she must have looked the picture of guilt.

  Slade hadn't given her a chance to think up an excuse. If she refused again to live with him, he would ring the police immediately and tell them he had caught her stealing.

  Lee had been in a quandary and panicked before Slade's relentless expression. It had been impossible to defend herself without betraying Ray and his mother, and this she hadn't been able to bring herself to do. As the memory of Ray's frightened young face and Ann's distraught one flashed through her mind, she had known she was trapped. If she had been the only one involved she might have challenged Slade to do his worst, but, apart from Ray and Ann, there was her grandfather to consider and she dared not risk it. If Slade did send her to prison he might never get over the disgrace. So, because she seemed to have no other option and his threats seemed genuine, she felt forced to do as Slade asked.

  An hour later Lee left, supposedly in answer to an urgent call from her mother's solicitors in New York. Slade had arranged everything and flown with her. He had given her no chance to escape him this time, nor had he ever stopped believing she was a thief.

  The next two days Lee was convinced were the longest she had ever spent at River Bend, but when Slade didn't turn up she suspected, as she had done in the beginning, that he had merely been amusing himself and that her fears regarding him were groundless.

  Julia and Nigel left on Friday, after a hustle of last-minute arrangements, and Sandra went off as well to attend a family wedding in the North. It hadn't been realised that all three would be away at the same time, but Lee scoffed at their concern over leaving her on her own.

  'How do you suppose I managed before you came?' she laughed. 'You can't possibly cancel your arrangements because of me, and I certainly have no intention of coming with you.'

  She did, though, think of tossing a few things in a bag and going off to London for a few days, as a certain nervousness overtook her as she contemplated the empty drive. It had taken a lot of willpower not to ask Nigel if he knew where Slade was. She had managed to restrain her rising panic, knowing how ridiculous she was being.

  The house was quiet after the others had gone, which made her conscious of the rising wind. It howled about the old roof, making it creak, and puffed in the chimneys, bringing down soot. Outside it blew through the dry, withering grass, but did not
hing to disperse the shadows gathering on the tree-shaded lawns. Lee was aware of a feeling of loneliness and hoped Matt would call. He had given her a ring after lunch, but she had forgotten to ask what his plans were.

  After lighting a fire, trying to keep a recurrent depression at bay, she was thinking of making some coffee when the doorbell rang. Her spirits lightened; that would be Matt. Though the door wasn't locked he didn't usually just walk in, and she hurried to open it. All her panic returned when she saw it wasn't Matt who stood there staring at her but Slade Western.

  Lee found herself blushing deeply as he made no immediate attempt to either move or speak. His arms were folded over the solid breadth of his chest, his eyes hooded so she couldn't tell what he was thinking as they slid slowly down the length of her body. Drawing a quick breath as his glance seemed to lance into her, she wished he would stop looking at her like this each time they met. She wished she had worn something other than a thin summer dress and little else. Long before his gaze returned to her face she was trembling.

  As he made no attempt to break the taut silence between them, she forced herself to speak. 'What do you want?' she asked abruptly.

  'What a welcome for an old—friend!' he muttered, his dark eyes gleaming with either laughter or anger, she couldn't quite make out which.

  She was aware of the familiar acceleration of her pulses and an accompanying despair that he could still arouse a multitude of emotions merely by looking at her. 'Even old friends aren't always welcome,' she replied evenly, refusing to be provoked. 'I was just going to have some supper.'

  'Then ask me to join you,' he commanded arrogantly, daring her not to. 'Have you forgotten everything I taught you?'

  Reluctantly she moved aside to let him in. 'You didn't have to teach me manners!' she flared as he closed the door she had longed to slam in his face. She frowned. He ought to know some situations were beyond ordinary politeness. 'I hope you don't intend staying long,' she said shortly, 'I have things to see to and I'm expecting Matt.'