Outsider

He was silent too as she showed him the block Grantham had built a few years before, with its big kitchen and recreation area on the ground floor, leading up to small, economically fitted single bedrooms upstairs.

‘Each room has a handbasin, but there’s a communal shower block at the end,’ Natalie told him, niggled that he wasn’t more openly impressed.

‘Just showers?’ he asked. ‘No bathrooms?’

‘Yes, there are two, leading off the shower room.’

‘Do they lock?’

Natalie shrugged. ‘I suppose so. Is it important?’

‘I think privacy can be very important. The bedrooms all have locks, I see.’

‘Yes, and they can be opened from the outside by a master key in case someone’s taken ill.’ Natalie stared at him. ‘Why this obsession with locks and bolts?’

‘I’m thinking of offering someone a job,’ he said shortly. ‘So I want to make sure certain standards are observed.’

‘My God!’ she exclaimed derisively, ‘What are they used to—the Hilton? Let me tell you my father spent a fortune on this block, and it’s regarded as a model.’

‘Oh, I’ve no real criticism to make. All too often lads are allowed to shift as best they can while the horses get the five-star treatment.’

‘You don’t approve of that either?’ she demanded tartly.

‘I think there’s reason in all things,’ he returned.

She glanced at her watch. ‘Perhaps we should move on. The lads usually go down to the snooker club in the village this afternoon, and they’ll be back shortly. With your passion for privacy, you’ll understand they may not care to find us snooping round their sleeping quarters.’

His mouth twisted slightly. ‘Then let’s go on with the tour.’

‘You mean you’re actually going to let me tell you about the horses?’ she marvelled. ‘I’m honoured!’ She paused, a small frown puckering her brow. ‘But I don’t usually go into the yard empty-handed.’

‘We won’t today,’ he said. ‘I begged some carrots from your stepmother. I left them in the tack room.’

As they walked back under the arch, Natalie was bitterly conscious of Eliot’s presence beside her, looming over her, a shadow in her personal sun. He must have gone very hungry a lot of the time to keep his weight to a reasonable level for his height, she thought vindictively.

She hated the way he looked around him as they walked along. It was—proprietorial, as if he’d already taken charge.

Well, he could be in for a shock. He was only the junior partner, and he would find, unless she missed her guess, that Grantham had every intention of remaining firmly in the saddle.

Eliot said, as if he’d broken in somehow on her thoughts, ‘Your father has made quite a name for himself in schooling difficult horses.’

‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘He’s fantastic with them.’

‘I’m sure he is,’ he said. ‘What a pity one can’t apply the same techniques to difficult women.’

He opened the tack room door and motioned her ahead of him with a faintly mocking gesture. He was smiling.

But not for long, she thought.

‘Tell me, Mr Lang,’ she said, poisonously sweet, ‘are those teeth your own?’

‘Indeed they are, Mrs Drummond,’ he said gravely. ‘Would you like me to prove it by biting you?’

She saw the bag of carrots on a shelf, and was glad of an excuse to move away from him. ‘No, I wouldn’t.’

‘What a pity,’ he said. ‘Because it’s time someone made a mark on you, sweetheart.’ He’d followed her, and as she reached for the carrots, he took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him, picking up her slim, ring-less left hand and studying it, brows raised. ‘Because the unfortunate Tony doesn’t seem to have left much of an impression, in any way.’

Outraged, Natalie tried to pull away from his grasp. ‘Let go of me!’

‘Why?’ he jeered. ‘Because you’ll die if I touch you?’ He mimicked a falsetto, and smiled cynically as her lips parted in a soundless gasp. ‘Well, let’s risk it and see.’

She tried to say ‘No’, but her protest was stifled as his mouth descended on hers. He was thorough, and not particularly gentle. All the antagonism between them was there in the kiss, but charged, explosive with some other element she could neither recognise nor analyse.

When at last Eliot released her, flushed and breathless, she took a step backwards, leaning against a cupboard, aware that her legs were trembling so much she was in real danger of collapsing on the floor.

Eliot’s hand reached out, half cupping her breast, his fingers seeking the place where her heart hammered unevenly against her ribs.

‘You see?’ he said drily. ‘You survived, after all.’

Was this survival, Natalie thought dazedly, this crippling confusion of mind and body? This strange quivering ache deep inside that she had never known before? And all this for a kiss that hadn’t been a kiss at all, but some kind of punishment.

Mutely she stared up at him, seeing the mockery fade suddenly from the hazel eyes, watching them grow curiously intent as his hand moved with new purpose on the swell of her breast, his fingers seeking the tumescent nipple through the thin dark blue cotton of her dress.

And was as suddenly removed. He said, ‘I think we have company.’

In a disconnected part of her mind, Natalie heard the sound of voices, the crunch of boots on gravel. Wes, she thought, and the others coming back for evening stables.

Eliot reached past her and retrieved the bag of carrots. His arm brushed against her, and her body went rigid. He was aware of the reaction, and smiled sardonically down into her white face.

‘A piece of advice, Mrs Drummond,’ he said lightly. ‘In future when you want to slag me off, keep your voice down—unless you want to suffer the consequences.’

He walked away, leaving her still leaning against the cupboard as if she had neither the strength nor the will to move.

CHAPTER THREE

AS SOON AS she had pulled herself together, Natalie went up to the house and straight to her room, bypassing Beattie who could be heard humming happily to herself in the kitchen.

And in her room she stayed, until a couple of hours later Andrew’s Jaguar pulled away, with his passenger safely on board.

When she ventured downstairs, Beattie was alone in the drawing-room, sipping a sherry, and putting a few stitches in a piece of embroidery with an air of satisfaction that was almost tangible.

‘I’ve persuaded your father to have a rest before dinner,’ she told Natalie happily. ‘I asked Andrew and Eliot to stay, but they had to get back.’ Her eyes twinkled, and she lowered her voice conspiratorially. ‘Andrew told me that Eliot didn’t travel up here alone. Apparently he has a lady companion, booked into the International Hotel.’ She pursed her lips with mock primness. ‘Blonde hair, apparently, and a figure like a Page Three girl. I think Andrew was quite envious, poor old thing!’

Natalie forced a smile, as she poured herself a drink. ‘I suppose voluptuous blondes are going to become part of the scenery from now on.’ She tried to speak lightly, but the words sounded stilted, but fortunately Beattie seemed unaware.

‘One thing’s certain,’ she said. ‘Nothing will ever be the same round here.’

To Natalie, the words sounded like a prophecy of doom.

That night, as she was brushing her hair, she found she was studying herself in the mirror, almost clinically. Her face, naturally pale under the cloud of copper hair, was like a small cat’s with its green eyes and high cheekbones. Not the face of a woman at peace with herself, but there was little wonder about that. For the rest of her—medium height with a figure on the thin side of slender.

About as far removed from a Page Three girl as it was possible to get, she told herself in bitter self-derision. And as that was where Eliot’s tastes lay, that would seem to guarantee her immunity in the future as long as she behaved herself.

He had things to settle in Lambourn, so he wouldn’t be returning to Yorkshire immediately, which would give her a breathing space to come to terms with the change at Wintersgarth.

He had commissioned Beattie to engage a local decorating firm to repaint the flat, and would be sending up a list of the exact colours he wanted on the walls. The quiet neutrals she had chosen were being banished for ever, it seemed.

Over dinner, listening to Grantham and Beattie discussing their immediate plans, Natalie had broken in abruptly.

‘Did you know he might be bringing some extra staff with him?’

‘He mentioned it, yes,’ Grantham nodded.

‘You didn’t mention we were up to strength?’

He smiled broadly, ‘At the moment, lass, maybe. But an extra pair of hands won’t hurt—and there’ll be more horses to see to.’

‘Oh, of course,’ she said, heavily sarcastic. ‘We’re going to be deluged with owners wanting us to take their horses now that the great Eliot Lang is coming amongst us. No doubt he told you so himself.’

‘He’s had a couple of approaches from people he’s ridden for,’ Grantham said mildly. ‘What’s odd about that?’

She bit her lip. ‘Approaches are one thing, firm offers are another.’ She looked at him anxiously. ‘Dad, don’t go overboard, will you?’

He shook his head. ‘I had a heart attack, my girl, not a brain seizure!’

Natalie wasn’t particularly reassured. She said, ‘If—and I mean if—these extra horses come, where the hell are we going to put them?’

‘In the new extension.’

‘But that’s only at the outline planning stage,’ she protested.

‘Not any more.’ He poured himself some more coffee. ‘I set the architect on preparing detailed drawings last week. Permission’ll be a formality.’

‘And financing?’ she asked huskily. ‘We’re still paying off the accommodation block and …’

‘And I’ve got a partner now. A partner with money.’ He gave her a genial wink. ‘This is going to be his pigeon, not mine, so stop panicking.’

The conversation had only served to bring home to Natalie with increasing emphasis how potent a force Eliot Lang was going to be at Wintersgarth.

Oh God, she thought savagely as she got into bed, why can’t there be some sort of time slip? Why can’t we go back to the time before Grantham had his heart attack, when everything was normal—and safe?

She switched off her light and settled herself for sleep, but it proved elusive. She found she was being tormented by vivid mental images of Eliot Lang locked together with his voluptuous blonde in some Harrogate hotel room.

When she did at last fall asleep, for the first time in many months she dreamed of Tony, and woke in the morning to find tears on her face.

The internal phone in the office rang and Natalie answered it, her mind still fixed on the farrier’s bill in front of her. ‘Yes, Beattie?’

‘The removal van’s arrived,’ her stepmother announced triumphantly. ‘Do you want to join me in a good pry?’

Natalie stifled a sigh. ‘I—I haven’t really got time.’

‘Well, never mind.’ Beattie sounded disappointed but cheerful. ‘He’s going to ask us to dinner when he’s sorted himself out a bit, so we can see everything then.’

Hurrah, Natalie thought bleakly, as she replaced her receiver. The date on the calendar had been circled in red for quite some time now. There was no way she could forget that today was the day Eliot finally moved into Wintersgarth.

He’d been up several times in the intervening period, staying at the pub in the village. He had attended the planning hearing when permission for the stabling extension had been given, without problems as Grantham had predicted. He had checked on the progress of the decorators, and the firm he’d employed to install a new kitchen.

‘I’ve seen the drawings,’ Beattie had disclosed, awed. ‘It looks more like the deck of a space ship than a kitchen!’ She’d given the Aga an affectionate pat. ‘I’d be afraid of pressing the wrong button!’

Natalie wasn’t the world’s greatest cook, and the culinary arrangements at the flat had been basic to say the least, but it still galled her that he was making such sweeping changes. But then everything he did seemed to find some raw spot, she thought ruefully, particularly as so far he hadn’t seemed to put a foot wrong. She was ashamed to acknowledge that she’d harboured a secret hope that Wes and the lads would resent him, had looked forward to seeing him cut down to size in some subtle way. But it hadn’t happened. He seemed to have hit the right note with them, as with everyone. Except herself.

She went back to the farrier’s bill, but she couldn’t concentrate. All she could think of was that the flying visits were over. Eliot was moving in, for good. And she would have to start thinking seriously about moving out.

She had dreaded having to face him again, after those few searing minutes in the tack room. She’d expected some pointed reminder, a look, a drawled remark. She’d been on edge waiting for it. But it hadn’t happened—yet.

Perhaps Eliot had also had time to come to terms with a few things too. His attitude to her was polite, but briskly businesslike. He still, to her father’s amusement, addressed her as Mrs Drummond.

‘You’re very formal, the pair of you,’ he’d chided jovially. But it hadn’t changed a thing. Natalie was as much a thorn in his flesh as he was in hers. But she wasn’t driving him out of the only home he’d ever known, she thought bitterly.

At half past twelve, she closed the office and started up towards the house for lunch. The furniture van had gone, she saw, and Eliot’s Porsche was parked outside the flat.

As she approached, a girl got out of the passenger seat and stood obviously waiting to speak to her. A mass of curling blonde hair hung to her shoulders, framing a full-lipped smiling face. She wore a ribbed wool dress, tightly cinched at the waist with a leather belt, thus drawing attention to well-shaped breasts and rounded hips. Her long legs were encased in high-heeled patent leather boots.

‘Hello,’ she said. ‘I’m Sharon Endicott. Do you think you could show me where my things are to go? Eliot was going to, but he went up to the house to speak to Mr Slater, and he hasn’t come back.’

Natalie swallowed. She said feebly, ‘How do you do. I’m Natalie Drummond.’

The other girl nodded. ‘I thought you would be.’ She looked around. ‘It’s nice here.’

‘Thank you,’ Natalie managed feebly. She still couldn’t assimilate that Eliot had actually brought his mistress with him. It seemed so—so blatant, somehow. And it would go down like a lead balloon with the locals, who were a pretty staid lot.

‘Can you show me, then?’ asked Sharon. ‘I’d like to get unpacked, before everything creases.’

‘Yes, of course. But wouldn’t you prefer to wait for Mr—er—Lang?’

‘It doesn’t matter.’ The girl shrugged shapely shoulders, grimacing slightly. ‘He’s probably forgotten all about me,’ she confided without rancour. ‘I wasn’t supposed to be coming with him today, but I was free, so I thought I might as well, and save on the train fare later. I suppose I’m a bit of a surprise.’

You can say that again, Natalie muttered under her breath. Aloud she said, ‘Have you just the one case? Then you go up here.’

Making no attempt to conceal her reluctance, she led the way up to the flat. It was like stepping into a different world from the one she remembered.

The big sitting-room was russet now, and the woodblock floor had been sanded and polished. There were no easy chairs as far as she could see, but two large sofas, deeply cushioned in cream hide. She noticed an antique writing desk, and a tall cabinet, beautifully inlaid, before she turned towards the bedroom.

The walls here were gold now, a warm shimmering colour that seemed to fill the room with sunlight, even though it was overcast outside. There was gold embroidery too on the predominantly cream quilted bedspread which had been flung over the wide bed. That, and the fact there were curtains hanging at the windows, revealed that Beattie hadn’t been able to restrain her curiosity.

Natalie said, ‘This is where you’ll—sleep.’ She despised herself for stumbling slightly over the word.

Sharon looked as if she’d been sandbagged as she gazed round her. She said slowly, ‘Bloody hell.’

Perhaps their relationship had been confined to the impersonality of hotel rooms up to now, Natalie thought. Sharon was clearly shaken to see the kind of style Eliot enjoyed at home. She was rather taken aback herself.

She said, ‘Well, make yourself at home. The kitchen’s just down the hall.’ She hesitated. ‘I’m sorry you’ve been forgotten. If I see—Mr Lang, I’ll jog his memory.’

‘Oh, don’t worry about it.’ Sharon still sounded dazed. ‘The horses come first with him, I know that.’

She didn’t sound as if she minded either, Natalie thought, as she went back downstairs and emerged into the air. She stood for a moment drawing deep gulps of it into her lungs. She felt curiously at cross purposes with herself, and told herself it was seeing the home she had created with Tony so totally changed.

If Eliot was up at the house, she would go back to the office, she decided rather feverishly.

She turned the handle and walked in, stopping dead, as Eliot got up from the edge of her desk where he’d been sitting, and walked towards her.

‘So there you are,’ he observed. ‘I thought perhaps you’d gone to lunch.’

‘No.’ Natalie lifted her chin. ‘As a matter of fact, I’ve been seeing your—friend safely bestowed.’

‘Oh.’ He looked faintly surprised. ‘Well, that was good of you. Has she settled in all right?’

‘I’d have thought that was your concern rather than mine,’ Natalie said shortly. ‘Why don’t you go and see? The bed’s made up and waiting for you.’ She saw the dark brows snap together ominously, and clapped a hand over her mouth. ‘Oh God, I’m sorry! Pretend I never said that. It’s none of my business anyway what you do.’

‘I’ll second that,’ he said coldly. ‘Perhaps you’d be good enough to tell me what the hell you’re talking about.’

‘Sharon.’ Natalie picked up a sheaf of papers and looked at them as if they were important. ‘I—found her hanging round waiting for you, so I took her up to the flat. She—er—she goes very well with the décor,’ she added desperately into an increasingly icy silence.

Eliot said, ‘You took her up—to my flat? In God’s name, why?’ He closed his eyes for a moment. ‘No, don’t tell me. Let me guess. She’s female, under fifty, no hump, no squint, therefore I must be having an affair with her. Is that how it reads?’

She felt herself beginning, hatefully, to blush, and turned away. ‘As I said, it’s really none of my business. This is the nineteen-eighties, after all …’

‘Oh, but Sharon’s very much your business,’ he said, with a kind of awful calm. ‘That’s why I was looking for you—to give you these.’ He handed her an envelope. He said savagely, ‘Sharon’s insurance card, Mrs Drummond. Her P45, and her references. Beddable though she undoubtedly is, I draw the line about sleeping with employees.’ His voice lengthened into a sarcastic drawl. ‘Sharon’s a stable lad, Mrs Drummond, and a bloody good one. She was with a trainer I rode for regularly near Newbury. The horses she looked after there, however, are coming here next week, so I offered her the chance to come with them. I made her no other kind of offer, although heaven only knows what she’s thinking now.’ He took the envelope from Natalie’s nerveless fingers and tossed it on to her desk. ‘And now I suggest you get her out of my bedroom, offering whatever explanation seems good to you, and over to the blockhouse, where she belongs. And later, you and I will have a little talk.’

Natalie pressed her hands to her burning face. ‘I’m sorry—I’m so sorry. It was just—she was there, and Andrew said you’d brought this blonde to Harrogate …’ She broke off, staring at him imploringly.

‘Then Andrew wants to be a damned sight more discreet,’ said Eliot shortly. ‘Now on you way, and let’s see if you’re as good at repairing damage as you are at causing it.’

In the end, it was easier than she could have hoped. Sharon good-naturedly accepted her stumbling excuses about ‘a mistake’ and was willingly shepherded to her rightful habitat.

‘I knew it was too good to be true,’ she said, as she put her case down on the narrow single bed with its colourful patchwork cover.

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