Impetuous Masquerade

‘No, I know I don’t,’ he conceded, starting the engine. ‘But I’d hate you to think I was trying to impress you. That wasn’t my intention at all.’

‘I’m sure it wasn’t.’ Rhia spoke hotly, then endeavoured to restrain her temper. It wasn’t Jared Frazer’s fault that Valentina had disappeared, and she could hardly blame him for her sister’s part in the proceedings.

‘Valentina was driving Glyn’s car, wasn’t she?’ he said now, as they joined the stream of traffic in the Cromwell Road. ‘She told you, didn’t she? That’s why you were so damn scared when I suggested she’d been with him when the accident happened.’

Rhia took a deep breath. ‘Why—why should you think that?’

‘Why?’ He made a sound of impatience. ‘Miss Mallory—oh, what the hell—Rhia! I can’t go on calling you Miss Mallory—no way could Glyn’s injuries have been sustained behind the wheel of that car. To begin with, there would have been some chest damage, bruising, at least, and there isn’t. His injuries are consistent with those of a passenger, a passenger who, on the moment of impact, was impelled through the windshield.’

Rhia trembled. ‘Did the police tell you this?’

‘Not yet, but they will. It was Glyn’s doctor who expressed his opinion, and I have to say, I agree with him.’

Rhia expelled her breath wearily. ‘And—and is Glyn going to be all right? I mean, now that he’s recovered consciousness.’

Jared shrugged. ‘Let’s hope so.’

‘Was—was the injury to his head all that was wrong?’

‘His face is pretty badly cut about, but I’m told the lacerations will heal. There doesn’t seem to be anything else wrong with him. Apart from his suspected concussion—and the interference with his sight.’

‘His eyes—of course.’ Rhia shivered. ‘What if he doesn’t accept that I’m Val? What if he finds out I’m lying?’

‘Why should he?’ Jared’s mouth was hard. ‘Your sister—Valentina, that is—told me yesterday that she’d never met my nephew. Have you?’

Rhia shook her head. ‘No.’

‘So.’ Her companion breathed more easily. ‘Glyn has nothing to base his suspicions on.’

Rhia gazed anxiously out of the car window, hardly seeing the crowds of Saturday shoppers, the hectic jam of traffic heading towards the river. She was wondering where Valentina was, wondering how long she could last without any obvious means of support, wondering how much longer she, Rhia, could evade Jared Frazer’s searching questions.

It took more than an hour to reach the hospital where Glyn was a patient, and it was after one o’clock when they walked the rubber-tiled corridor to the intensive care unit. There was an air of quiet competence about the place, a reassuring sense of skill and efficiency, that made Rhia believe that if anyone could help Glyn, these people could. She hoped so, she hoped so desperately. Not only for his sake, but for her sister’s.

The Sister in charge of the ward greeted Jared Frazer cordially. Evidently he was already a familiar visitor, and his introduction of Rhia was brief and to the point. Happily, Sister Harris was content with the information that this was the girl Glyn had been asking for, and Rhia did not have to make any explanations before being shown into the side-ward.

Glyn Frazer was lying on a narrow hospital bed, his skin almost as white as the pillow behind his head. He was very still, and Rhia caught her breath at the mass of small cuts and scratches that etched his pale face. There was a bandage round his head, and there were tubes attached to his nose and his wrist; and Rhia’s compassion was deeply stirred by the realisation of how helpless he was.

Glancing at Jared right behind her, she made an involuntary gesture, but Sister Harris had moved past them and was crisply dismissing the young nurse seated by the bedside. Then, bending close to her patient, she said: ‘Mr Frazer! Mr Frazer, are you awake? You’ve got a visitor.’

‘Val!’

Animation gave life to those mutilated features, and Rhia caught her breath as Glyn’s eyes flickered open. They were not dark eyes like his uncle’s, but blue, a clear transparent shade of blue, and when they turned in her direction, Rhia almost lost her nerve.

‘Val?’ Glyn said again. ‘Val, where are you? Sister, you said I had a visitor—’

‘Don’t upset yourself, Mr Frazer.’ The uniformed Sister beckoned Rhia forward. ‘Miss Mallory’s here, right beside me. Give me your hand—there,’ she reached for Rhia’s frozen fingers and entwined the two together. ‘Now do you believe me?’

‘Oh, Val—’

Glyn’s voice cracked, and Rhia, acting under the silent instructions Jared’s eyes were giving her, sank down into the chair the nurse had vacated, and moistened her dry lips. ‘He—hello, Glyn,’ she got out jerkily, as he pulled her fingers to his lips. ‘How—how are you feeling?’

‘I’m okay,’ he exclaimed, and her breath escaped on a shaky gasp when she realised he had apparently accepted her identity. ‘How are you? You’re not hurt, are you? When—when you weren’t here when I woke up, I—I thought you might be—dead!’

Rhia glanced helplessly round at Jared Frazer then, and as if realising she needed his assistance, he moved forward. ‘You’ve been unconscious for more than twenty-four hours, old buddy,’ he remarked, his tone light and deliberately cheerful. ‘You couldn’t expect—Val—to sit with you all that time. She had to sleep, too.’

‘I know.’ Glyn acknowledged this, his eyes turning again in Rhia’s direction, evidently more interested in her than his uncle right now. Rhia, watching those light eyes, felt the hot colour surging into her cheeks. It didn’t seem possible that he could look at her without seeing her.

‘You’re sure you’re okay?’ he insisted, holding on to her fingers. ‘How—how do I look? Did they tell you about my eyes? I’m having some difficulty focussing.’

‘You—you look fine,’ Rhia assured him huskily. ‘And—and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before your eyesight is back to normal.’

‘I don’t look like a freak, then?’ Glyn persisted, his voice growing a little breathy as his strength drained away.

‘No!’ Rhia was swift to answer him. ‘No, of course not.’

‘Then why don’t you kiss me?’ he demanded, gazing up at her sightlessly, and Rhia could only do as he asked with Jared Frazer and Sister Harris looking on.

Glyn’s lips opened beneath her tentative caress, creating an intimacy she had not expected. She half drew back in protest, and then, her startled eyes meeting his uncle’s dominant gaze, she gave in and returned his kiss.

‘You can do better than that,’ Glyn whispered, when she would have returned to her seat, but to Rhia’s relief, Sister Harris intervened.

‘Not now, Mr Frazer,’ she declared firmly. ‘I think you should get some rest. Miss Mallory can come back later, if she wants to, but for the present, I think she should leave.’

‘Oh, no …’

Glyn protested now, but Sister Harris was insistent, and Jared assured his nephew that ‘Val’ wouldn’t be far away. ‘Give the girl a break, eh, Glyn. And yourself, too. We don’t want you overdoing things, do we?’

Glyn twisted a little restlessly beneath the thin sheet. ‘You won’t go away, will you, Val? I mean—you won’t leave the hospital.’

‘I—’ Rhia looked up at his uncle. ‘I—no. No, I won’t go away. You—you get some sleep now. I’ll see you later.’

Outside in the corridor again, Rhia faced Jared with only mildly concealed resentment. ‘You knew that would happen, didn’t you?’ she exclaimed. ‘You knew Glyn would react the way he did. How can I stay at the hospital? I have commitments of my own.’

‘Then I suggest you try and work out where your sister might have gone,’ Jared responded dryly, falling into step beside her as they walked back towards the lifts. ‘But for now, I suggest you let me buy you lunch. There’s a bar right across the road where they serve a passable hamburger.’

Rhia pressed her lips together frustratedly as the huge lift glided smoothly down to the ground floor. He was right, of course, Val would have to be found; and when she was, she would have to be made to face up to her responsibilities.

Installed in the pub, with a glass of lime and lemonade beside her, and a sesame seed roll filled with hamburger and cheese in her hand, Rhia regarded her companion with slightly less hostility.

‘He—he seems all right, doesn’t he?’ she ventured, as Jared spread his legs to accommodate hers, as they sat together on stools over a small circular table. ‘I mean, at least there hasn’t been any brain damage.’

‘No.’ Jared conceded the point, taking a generous mouthful of his own roll before adding: ‘Your sister can thank her lucky stars. That’s one charge she won’t have to face.’

Rhia sighed. ‘You really believe she was driving, don’t you?’

‘Don’t you?’ The dark, almost black, eyes narrowed.

‘Will—will Val be arrested?’ she ventured, avoiding a direct answer, and Jared Frazer frowned.

‘That depends.’

‘Depends on what?’

‘Whether a charge is brought against her.’

‘But won’t the police—’

‘The police? You seem obsessed with the police.’ He shook his head. ‘I guess they could act independently, but unless Glyn chooses to implicate your sister, it might not come to that.’

‘But he will, surely he will!’ exclaimed Rhia fiercely. ‘I mean—when he finds out she left him—’

‘How will he find out? Right now, I have no intention of hindering his recovery by telling him something like that.’

Rhia gazed at him. ‘You mean—you mean you still approve of—of his relationship with—with my sister?’

‘No!’ Jared was adamant about that, his dark eyes sparkling with a sudden violence. ‘No, I do not—approve of his relationship with your sister. The way she’s behaved is nothing short of criminal, and she deserves everything that’s coming to her! But—and it’s a big but—until Glyn is strong enough to be told the truth, until he’s fully recovered, I intend to do everything I can to avoid unnecessary publicity.’

Rhia nibbled at her sandwich. That was all very well, she thought uneasily, but what if Valentina didn’t turn up? What if Glyn didn’t regain his sight? Surely Jared Frazer couldn’t expect her to go on acting the part of her sister indefinitely.

‘At least the first hurdle is over,’ Jared remarked now, finishing his hamburger and swallowing half the lager in his glass. ‘Glyn accepts you as Val. He’s not going to fret over why she hasn’t come to the hospital to see him. That’s quite a relief.’

‘But I can’t go on pretending to be Val,’ Rhia protested. She glanced at her watch and then gasped. ‘It’s half past two already. I’m supposed to be meeting Simon at three!’

‘Well, you can’t.’ Jared was infuriatingly matter-of-fact. ‘You’d better ring him and tell him you’ll speak to him later. If he doesn’t understand, blame your sister.’

Rhia caught her breath. ‘You—swine! You don’t care a damn about me, do you?’

Jared studied her resentful expression for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. ‘Should I?’

Rhia’s face suffused with colour. ‘You know what I mean.’

‘I only know that my sister-in-law, Glyn’s mother, is waiting desperately for word of her son. He’s all she’s got. And I’ll do anything I can to ensure she isn’t disappointed.’

Rhia held up her head. ‘Including destroying anyone who stands in your way!’

Jared grimaced impatiently. ‘I’m not destroying you, Rhia. Believe me, I’m being very patient. But don’t push your luck, or you may not like the consequences.’

Rhia put down the remains of her roll. ‘Are you threatening me, Mr Frazer?’

‘Threatening you?’ His gaze moved over her anxious face in narrow-eyed appraisal. ‘I doubt you know the meaning of the words. And my name is Jared. Use it. Somehow I can’t believe Valentina would be so formal.’

Nor could Rhia, in all honesty. In fact, she had the distinct suspicion that in her place, Val would have found Glyn’s uncle infinitely more interesting than his nephew. She wondered how he would have handled that, then thrust the thought aside. Somehow she had the feeling that any complication of that kind would only stiffen Jared Frazer’s resolve to bend her to his will. He might not be old enough to be Glyn’s father, but he was certainly more experienced, and Rhia wondered for the first time what his wife thought of his evident attachment to his brother’s widow.

‘Tell me,’ he said suddenly, arousing her from her reverie, and Rhia was glad he could not read her thoughts, ‘are you going to marry Simon Travis? Is that why you’re so anxious to appease him?’

‘I—don’t know.’ Rhia answered unwillingly, startled by this unexpected invasion of her personal affairs. ‘I don’t think it’s any concern of yours, Mr Frazer. How I choose to handle my life is not your problem.’

‘Jared,’ he inserted flatly, and then: ‘I guess that means you’re not sure about him. I can’t believe he hasn’t asked you.’

‘Mr Frazer—’

‘Jared. For Glyn’s sake, hmm?’

‘Oh, all right—Jared.’ Rhia coloured anew. ‘I don’t see what my relationship with Simon has to do with you. I haven’t asked you any personal questions. So why should you ask me?’

Jared finished his lager and regarded her with the faintest trace of humour in his eyes now. ‘Fire away,’ he commented laconically. ‘I’ve got nothing to hide.’

‘I’ve got nothing to hide either,’ exclaimed Rhia, stung by his sardonic amusement. ‘I just don’t think it’s relevant.’

‘It might be.’ Jared shrugged. ‘But okay—if you’d rather not talk about yourself, tell me about Travis. What does he do? Is he a government employee? What is it you call them? Civil servants? Yes, I’d guess that was what he was.’

‘Well, you’d be wrong.’ Rhia was vehement. ‘He—he’s a teacher. And you shouldn’t judge people by appearances.’

‘That’s for sure,’ he conceded lazily. ‘With your hair loose like that, I’d say you were the younger sister—if I didn’t know better, of course.’

Rhia put up an involuntary hand to her hair, and then realising what she was doing, let it fall. ‘You’re playing for time, aren’t you, Mr Frazer? So long as I’m sitting here, you know where I am.’

‘That’s a discerning conclusion,’ Jared agreed dryly, and Rhia sighed frustratedly.

‘I’ve got to go.’

‘Not yet.’ Jared’s hand on her arm restrained her. ‘Have another drink. I’ll explain the situation to your fiancé.’

‘He’s not my fiancé,’ declared Rhia impatiently, and then wished she hadn’t sounded so vehement. ‘And what makes you think he’ll take it from you, any better than from me?’

‘Because I can be more persuasive,’ retorted Jared mockingly. ‘What’s his number? Or shall I find it in the book?’

Rhia hesitated, but realising there was no way she could reach Simon’s home in Kensal Green before three o’clock, she knew the call would have to be made. ‘I’ll ring him,’ she said firmly, getting to her feet. ‘I shall tell him I’ll see him this evening. I trust you have no objections to that?’

Jared moved his shoulders in an indifferent gesture, and Rhia left him before he could say anything else to dissuade her. But all the same, she had the unwilling feeling that if Glyn needed her, she would have to comply.

As expected, Simon resented very much the idea that Rhia should be made a scapegoat for her sister’s shortcomings. ‘We were going to the Hohenmeister exhibition this afternoon, in case you’ve forgotten,’ he exclaimed peevishly. ‘What am I supposed to do now? Go on my own?’

Rhia sighed. ‘It was only a tentative arrangement, Simon,’ she protested. ‘As a matter of fact, I ought to be buying some food for the weekend. There’s nothing in the flat, and if Val comes back—’

‘Val!’ Simon’s use of her sister’s name was vituperative. ‘Just wait until I see that young lady. I’d like to give her a jolly good shaking!’

‘Wouldn’t we all?’ murmured a sardonic voice, near Rhia’s ear, and she jerked round in alarm to find Jared Frazer lounging on the wall beside the pay-phone. He gave an apologetic grimace as her expression mirrored her indignation at this invasion of her privacy, but then Simon spoke again, and she had to give him her attention.

‘Anyway,’ he was going on, ‘I don’t like you associating with that man Frazer. The elder, I mean, of course. I think the best thing I can do is come round there and wait with you. At least then I’ll know what’s going on.’

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