A Bad Enemy

‘I’ll have to answer that before the Petersons do.’

Dry-mouthed, Lisle said, ‘Their room is in another wing. They won’t hear. …’

He drew a finger over her lips, silencing her. ‘You realise that it might be the hospital,’ he said quietly, and was gone.

She put her hands over her eyes, wanting to die of shame. No, she thought, it hadn’t occurred to her, because she’d been lost to all sense of reality, aware only of the devastation of this physical arousal he had created in her.

She sat up shivering, feeling bleak and cold, reaching for her crumpled nightdress and dragging it over her head, guilt and shame warring inside her.

How could she have behaved like this? she wondered desperately. In a matter of hours after their first meeting, Jake had made her act like the slut he believed her to be, and she would never forgive herself. Grandfather could be dying, and she had let a man she didn’t even like strip and touch her and kiss her, without lifting a finger to stop him.

She huddled on her robe, and sat hugging her knees, staring with empty eyes at the charred logs in the wide grate as she waited for Jake to come back.

He said from the doorway, ‘It’s Gerard. Returning the call you made to him earlier.’

Lisle got up stiffly, not daring to look at him, and fled to the library.

‘What’s he doing there?’ Gerard demanded instantly, without even the preamble of a greeting.

‘Taking over the company, unless you can stop him. What do you think?’ Lisle retorted.

He cursed viciously. ‘I’ll get the next plane out. Thank God Carla gave me your message, although it was touch and go,’ he added on a unmistakable note of satisfaction. ‘I don’t think she altogether believed you’re my sister. She was actually jealous!’

Lisle felt a little sick. ‘I’m not really interested in the emotional games you and your women friends play,’ she said tautly. ‘Aren’t you going to ask about Grandfather?’

‘Just how sick is he?’ he asked sharply. ‘What guarantee is there that I’m going to be in time?’

‘None at all,’ Lisle’s voice was crisp. ‘Thanks for caring.’

He sighed. ‘Oh, I didn’t mean it like that, sweetie. I’m just in a bit of a state, that’s all. I wasn’t expecting this—any of it.’

‘Nor was I.’ Lisle’s tone was still short. ‘Can I tell Grandfather that you’re on your way when we go and see him tomorrow—today?’ she corrected herself hurriedly.

‘Of course,’ Gerard said slowly. ‘Lisle—when you said “we” …’

‘That’s exactly what I meant.’ She was aware that Jake was standing in the doorway watching her, buttoning his shirt and stuffing it into the waistband of his slacks as he did so.

‘You keep that bastard away from Grandfather, do you hear!’ Gerard snapped with angry emphasis.

Lisle smiled bitterly. ‘If only it was as simple as that. Just get here as soon as you can.’ She put the receiver back on the rest and turned to face Jake with spurious calm.

He looked back at her with an angry disgust he did not bother to conceal. ‘I’d fogotten the telephone was in the library,’ he said half to himself. ‘That’s why you were in there, of course, summoning the cavalry to come galloping to the rescue.’ His mouth curled. ‘But you picked up the cue I gave you quite brilliantly, darling. When the world of public relations has nothing more to offer you, which should be soon, you might try the stage. A certain class of production, of course. All that romantic trembling, the modestly averted eyes as you take your clothes off, would be a riot with the dirty raincoat brigade.’

She shrugged elaborately, not daring to meet his hostile gaze directly. ‘It left you cold, naturally.’

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