Sighing, she switched off the light and got into bed, and lay for a long time staring into a darkness that scared her by its loneliness.
'Lady Tempest?' Mrs Thurston's quiet voice brought Cally back to the present with a start. She spun round to see the other woman standing a few feet away. Clearly she'd been too lost in her painful memories to hear her approach. 'I'm sorry if I startled you, but I wanted to say that I've taken the tea into the drawing room.'
'Yes—yes, of course.' Cally mustered her thoughts and managed a smile. 'I was just trying to get my bearings—remember where I stayed when I first came here.'#p#分页标题#e#
Mrs Thurston looked puzzled. 'Excuse me, your ladyship, but I thought you lived in our flat'
'That was later.' Cally led the way downstairs. 'When it became clear that my grandfather wasn't coming out of hospital.' She paused. 'I hope you find it as comfortable as I did.'
The other woman's face lit up. 'We couldn't be happier, your ladyship.' She paused awkwardly. 'But of course this has been a bachelor establishment up to now. You'll naturally be wanting to make changes.'
'Not for the foreseeable future,' Cally said, and smiled at her.
When she entered the drawing room, she discovered Adele was sitting alone, flicking through a magazine with undisguised boredom.
Cally checked in dismay. She didn't want to deal with the other woman alone. 'Where's Nick?'
'He decided not to be entertaining after all. He went off to take some phone call in his study and hasn't come back.' Adele's tone was short. 'He seems out of temper, Caroline dear. Perhaps he's finding this persistent virginity of yours a tad trying.'
Don't rise to the bait, Cally adjured herself, inspecting the tea table instead. There were tiny cucumber sandwiches, cut into triangles, plus a plate of scones, accompanied by dishes of jam and cream, and a side stand bearing a rich fruit cake, a Victoria sponge, and some shortbread.
Mrs Thurston seemed to be a treasure indeed, she thought gratefully.
She poured Adele's tea, with a slice of the requested lemon, and added milk to her own cup, then sat back taking an appraising look around her.
It was all entirely different. The heavy wallpaper had been replaced by a creamy paint, and large comfortable sofas, their linen covers the colour of sand, had superseded the old-fashioned dark leather suite. Pale drapes hung at the long windows, and instead of the dreary carpet there were stripped and polished floorboards and Persian rugs. It was as if there'd been an explosion of light.
'Counting all the changes?' Adele asked, taking a sandwich. 'It'll take a long time.'
Cally shook her head almost wonderingly. 'The room seems to have doubled in size.'
'Well, at the Dower House I feel as if I'm living in a shoe-box,' Adele said shortly. 'And I've had to fight tooth and nail for the place to be made even habitable. In fact, that's one of the reasons I came up this afternoon—-to ask Nick to send a carpenter round. Some of the upstairs window catches still don't fit properly.'
'I'll tell him about it.' Cally watched her. 'So, what was the other reason for your visit?'
Adele shrugged. 'Vulgar curiosity, my pet. I simply couldn't believe you'd swallowed your dubious pride and returned to Nick's eager arms after all. Proof, if proof were needed, that money always talks. You look a little careworn,' she continued. 'So I suppose the long-delayed consummation is scheduled for tonight.'
Her smile was cat-like. 'But I wouldn't worry too much. Your husband's an incredibly successful businessman, sweetie. I'm sure he's equally adept with women—especially nervous novices. You're the kind of challenge he'll enjoy—for a while. So I recommend you make the most of it,' she added with bite.
'Why, Adele—' Cally managed a laugh '—I do believe you wanted Nick yourself.'
But the older woman was unfazed. 'It would have been— convenient. God knows, Ranald left me hardly anything to live on. It was all tied up in trusts and entails. Too boring for words.' She shrugged again. 'But I simply wasn't prepared to ruin my figure providing Nicholas with the heir and the spare#p#分页标题#e#
he clearly wanted. I'd already been through all that with Ranald. So he was forced to look around, and there you were.'
'Yes,' Cally said slowly. 'So I was.'
Adele gave a slight yawn. 'You can hardly blame him, after all the money he had to shell out to pay off your grandfather's creditors. He's no doubt made it plain to you where your duty lies. He wants a return on his investment, and pretty damned soon. I'd really make sure he gets it. Because he can be pretty ruthless when he tries.'
She drank the rest of the tea and put her cup on the table. 'And now I really mustn't intrude on this romantic idyll any longer.'
She rose and strolled towards the French windows. Then turned.