Читать книгу A Passionate Affair - Anne Mather, Anne Mather - Страница 8

TWO days later the weather changed. It had been cold and damp, but not frosty, however, when Cassandra awakened on Friday morning, it was to find the roofs of the flats opposite were white with snow. It was very picturesque, if less so in the street below. The movement of cars and milk-floats, and the constant tramp of feet, had left a slushy mess that was anything but attractive, and she turned away from the window, wishing it was Saturday.

It had seemed an unusually long week, and she could only put it down to the poor nights she was having. Since Wednesday, and her abortive outing with Jay Ravek, she had been unable to relax, and she had been looking forward to the weekend and the chance to get out of London.

She was hoping to go up to Derbyshire, to stay with some friends of Mike’s, but the forecast was not encouraging. There had been heavy falls of snow outside the London area and Derbyshire had been mentioned, so she prepared her breakfast resignedly, realising her trip might well have to be cancelled.

Her doorbell rang as she was eating a slice of toast, and going to answer it she found Mike’s mother on the threshold. An attractive woman in her late forties, Thea Roland kissed her daughter-in-law warmly, and at her invitation entered the flat, accepting the offer of a cup of coffee.

‘I came to see whether you’re still planning to drive up to Matlock, darling,’ she said, draping herself elegantly over the arm of the sofa. ‘Have you heard the weather forecast? It’s not good.’

‘I know.’ Cassandra poured her mother-in-law’s coffee. ‘I was just wondering what I should do.’

‘Don’t go,’ declared Mrs Roland at once, accepting the cup Cassandra proffered. ‘Darling, it would be madness to drive all that way! Besides, with the roads so bad, it wouldn’t be worth it. You’d hardly get there before you had to come home.’

‘Yes.’ Cassandra bit her lip indecisively. ‘And I was so hoping to get away.’

‘Were you?’ Mrs Roland regarded her speculatively for a moment. ‘I thought you were looking a little tense last evening. Is anything wrong? Paul didn’t turn his thumbs down or anything, did he?’

‘Paul? Oh, you mean the accountant.’ Cassandra shook her head. ‘No. No, actually, he was rather optimistic.’

‘I told you so!’ Mrs Roland looked delighted. ‘What did you think of him? I meant to ask you.’

‘Well, I didn’t meet him, as it happens,’ Cassandra sighed. ‘I had to go to Windsor. Chris handled it.’

‘Did he? What a shame!’ Mrs Roland’s eyes twinkled. ‘I rather hoped you’d approve of that young man.’

Cassandra gave a rueful smile. ‘Oh, Thea! Not matchmaking again!’

‘Why not?’ Thea Roland was unabashed. ‘Darling, you’re so young. You mustn’t let Mike’s death influence you. You have plenty of time to marry again, and give me some grandchildren. Oh, yes,’ this as Cassandra would have interrupted her, ‘I shall consider your children my grandchildren. Just as I consider you the daughter I never had.’

Cassandra bent to hug the older woman. ‘Thea, that’s very sweet of you, but—–’

‘I know. You don’t want to get married again.’

‘Right.’

‘You will.’ Thea sounded confident. ‘Oh, and by the way, did you ever get in touch with that man who rang on Tuesday evening? You remember—Jay Ravek?’

Cassandra took a deep breath. ‘He—as a matter of fact he came to the studio on Wednesday.’

‘Did he?’ Thea looked intrigued.

‘Yes.’ Cassandra spoke offhandedly. ‘Unfortunately I—we were unable to help him.’

‘What a pity!’ Thea was irrepressible. ‘He sounded nice. Even if he does have quite a reputation.’

Cassandra turned away to clear the table of her dirty cup and plate. ‘Well, I don’t want to rush you, Thea, but—–’

‘I know—you have to go.’ Thea got up obediently, and carried her cup through to the tiny kitchen. ‘But you will reconsider going to Derbyshire, won’t you, Cass? I shall worry terribly if you insist on taking the car.’

Cassandra hugged her again. ‘I promise I’ll give the matter careful consideration,’ she said. ‘I suppose I could always use the train.’

‘You could go next weekend,’ Thea declared, walking towards the door. ‘But anyway, I’ll probably see you this evening. You can tell me your decision then.’

‘I will.’

Cassandra accompanied her to the door, and after she had gone, she ran a hasty comb through her hair and checked her make-up. Did she look pale? Did her disturbed nights show? She hated the idea that Jay Ravek could affect her in this way, when obviously she had no such reaction on him.

Liz rang in the middle of the morning, and Cassandra, apologising for not having rung her, wondered what Liz would say if she told her of that disastrous lunch with Jay Ravek. Of course, Liz would only say ‘I told you so’, but somehow, in spite of his insolence, Cassandra knew a curious reluctance to discuss Jay with her friend.

‘I’m calling to see if you’d like to come to a party this evening,’ Liz went on, after the preliminaries were over. ‘I know you said you were going up to Matlock this weekend, but what with the snow and so on, I thought you might be staying at home.’

‘I am considering it,’ Cassandra admitted, glancing towards the windows, where a swirling snowstorm was whitening the panes.

‘I thought it was possible,’ Liz agreed. ‘I guessed you wouldn’t want to come if you were planning to leave early tomorrow morning, but if you’re not . . .’

‘Where is the party?’ Cassandra was hesitant. ‘Who’s giving it?’

‘I am,’ Liz retorted with a laugh. ‘Everyone seems to be staying in town this weekend, and I thought it was a good idea.’

‘Hmm.’ Cassandra was doubtful. Right now, the idea of going to one of Liz’s parties and meeting some of the bright young men she usually had in tow was not appealing. She had had enough of men for the time being, but she could hardly say that to Liz without running into awkward explanations. Besides, perhaps some innocuous company was exactly what she needed to restore her confidence.

‘Come on, Cass.’ Liz was persuasive. ‘Isn’t your mother-in-law always telling you you should get out more?’

‘Yes,’ Cassandra sighed. ‘All right. Why not? What time?’

Later that evening, however, preparing to go out to the party, she wished she had not been so malleable. It was a bitterly cold evening, and the snow that had fallen earlier had frozen, making the roads icy and dangerous.

Deciding what to wear was a problem, too. Liz’s parties were always informal, but the girls she invited generally showed up in very sophisticated gear. Cassandra’s casual clothes were not sophisticated, and her eventual choice was a jumpsuit of olive-green velvet, which would help to keep her warm, as well as looking attractive.

Liz’s flat was in Knightsbridge, a rather select area, where the rents were far out of Cassandra’s price range. But Liz had a very good job, as well as having a private income from her parents, and money had never been a problem with her.

The Alfasud’s wheels spun on the slippery road as Cassandra drove across town. Any sudden acceleration caused the tyres to lose purchase, and by the time she reached Carlton Square her arms were aching. There were already a number of cars parked around the snow-covered stretch of turf from which the cul-de-sac got its name, but she managed to squeeze the Alfa between an M.G. and a Mercedes. With a feeling of relief she got out of the car, locked it, and crunched across the frozen ridges of snow to the lighted entrance of Dower Court.

Liz’s flat was on the first floor of the house. Built in Victorian times, Dower Court had once been a family house, but latterly it had been converted into four flats, each occupying one of the three floors and the basement. In consequence, the flats were large and spacious, and throwing a party in the huge living room was no problem at all.

Bettina, Liz’s housemaid, opened the door to her ring, and entering the flat Cassandra was surprised anyone had heard her above the din that was going on. A tape deck was vibrating the ceiling, and the constant sound of voices swelled above the throbbing beat of electric guitars. Cassandra had once asked Liz whether her neighbours didn’t object to the noise, but Liz’s airy retort had been that she invited all the neighbours for that very reason, and in consequence no one could reasonably complain.

Bettina took Cassandra’s coat and handed her a glass of champagne, before leaving her to make her own way into the throng. It was impossible to perform formal introductions when people gathered together in groups, and besides, those nearest the door had turned to see who it was, and Cassandra thankfully recognised a familiar face.