Kitabı oku: «Their Scandalous Affair», sayfa 3

CHAPTER THREE

AFTER the longest sleep she’d had in years Avery felt a lot better by the time her workforce arrived, raring to go with whatever was demanded of them. Helen and Louise started work at once on the most urgent jobs, with the stock of thread kept in the house, while Avery drove to town with Frances to see what could be salvaged from the shop.

Frances exclaimed in horror when they arrived in Stow Street. The betting shop stood out like a blackened stump in a row of perfect teeth. The other shopkeepers, out in force to view the damage, greeted Avery with sympathy. But to her relief she found that by daylight the damage to her own premises was less extensive than expected.

‘It looked so awful by torchlight I was ready to abandon the place and find somewhere else,’ Avery said, as she investigated. ‘I’m not sure about the electricity yet, so we’d better not try it.’

‘It’s just the one wall that looks so bad, but with a thorough cleaning and some fresh paint the place can soon be sorted,’ said Frances firmly, and went into the storeroom to check on supplies of cotton and thread. She emerged triumphant. ‘It’s all fine.’

Avery breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Let’s get as much as possible back to the ranch, then.’ She stuck a typed notice in a prominent place in the window—to inform her usual customers, and any new ones, that business would carry on as usual at 14 Gresham Road until repairs were made in Stow Street—and went outside to study the effect.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Frances. ‘The others will keep a lookout for stray customers. We shouldn’t lose too much business.’

‘I hope you’re right,’ said Avery. ‘A Mercom representative is arriving some time today in person to sort things out.’

Frances shot her a glance as she got in the car. ‘Is that who I think it is?’

Avery nodded. ‘Jonas Mercer in person.’

‘Well, well—so it’s not all bad news, then! Make sure you grovel.’

It was a hectic morning. After Avery’s consultation with her insurance company constant phone calls came in, with messages of sympathy from friends and regular customers. Expecting every call to be from Jonas, she grew edgier by the minute as the morning wore on—a fact commented on when the owner of the smartest dress shop in town arrived to commiserate.

‘You look a bit stressed, darling,’ said Christine Porter. ‘I volunteered to bring the weekly delivery so I could check on you. Here you are, girls.’ She handed over two garment bags of clothes. ‘We did good trade on Saturday. I’ve promised most of the shortening jobs by Friday, as usual. But there’s a jacket to alter for you, Frances, and an evening gown and a very pricey knitted coat in need of your particular magic touch, Avery. No sweat; the customer is willing to wait. Charge what you like.’

Avery sighed. ‘I may have to if it takes time. Want some coffee?’

Christine declined regretfully. ‘Must go back now I know you’re all fine. I’m glad there wasn’t too much damage to your shop,’ she added, and gave a little shiver. ‘Thank heavens the little devils didn’t fire a rocket through my place.’

Avery took the garments up to the dress rail she kept in her sewing room, and groaned as she hung up a bead-encrusted evening gown with layers of chiffon skirt and a white knitted coat—both of which would take hours of work to shorten by hand. She went to her bedroom to renew the lipstick she’d chewed off during the morning, and spun round in alarm when Frances burst into her room without knocking.

‘Come down quickly. He’s here!’ she hissed, pulling Avery from the room.

‘Who’s here?’

‘Mr Mercer, the representative from Mercom, has just arrived,’ said Frances, in tones meant to carry to the man standing in the hall below. She gave Avery a dig in the ribs and whispered, ‘Grovel!’

Avery strolled downstairs, smiling brightly as Jonas moved forward to meet her, immaculate and imposing in a suit which fitted so perfectly it was obviously custom-made. ‘Good morning.’

‘Good morning, Miss Crawford,’ he said briskly. ‘I hoped you could spare an hour for a working lunch.’

‘Now?’

His lips twitched as the long-case clock beside him chimed the half-hour after noon. ‘As good a time as any.’

‘Of course,’ she said politely. ‘Will you hold the fort, Frances?’

‘With pleasure,’ said her friend promptly.

Avery walked out of the house telling herself that she was twenty-eight—well, twenty-nine—years old, and it was utterly stupid to behave like such a girl because Jonas Mercer had turned up out of the blue to surprise her instead of ringing to make an appointment. She wasn’t a dentist.

‘How are you, Avery?’ he asked, as he handed her into a sleek, dangerous-looking piece of machinery very different from the modest estate car she’d bought to accommodate dress rails full of garments.

‘I’m fine now. It’s surprising what a good night’s sleep will do. I had very little on Saturday night.’

‘I can well believe it.’

‘I’m glad of this opportunity to thank you,’ she told Jonas later, as they turned into the cobbled courtyard of the Fleece. ‘Your plans for Stow Street, I mean. I apologise for jumping to the wrong conclusion last time we met.’

‘You were one angry lady,’ he said wryly, and casually reversed the car into a space Avery would never have attempted. ‘I’ve booked a room here this time.’

So he was here for one night, at least. ‘I’ve heard that it’s very comfortable.’

‘It’s bound to have one disadvantage,’ he said blandly. ‘I doubt that a beautiful woman will ask to share my table tonight.’

Not this one, anyway, thought Avery with regret. ‘You never know your luck.’

Jonas reached into the back of the car for a newspaper, and brandished it at her as they crossed the cobbles. ‘I left the crossword for you. Or have you solved it already?’

Avery eyed him with scorn. ‘With the kind of day I’m having?’

He glanced down at her. ‘You’re wound up pretty tight, Ms Crawford.’

‘With good reason,’ she reminded him as they reached the bar.

‘Red wine?’ asked Jonas.

‘Not during a working day. Mineral water and a ham sandwich, please. I’d better grab that table over there. I can’t stay too long.’

From her seat by the window Avery watched him chatting to the barman, amused when she realised that her grey pinstriped trouser suit was almost the twin of the one worn by Jonas. For once fate had been kind enough to let her look well groomed before he arrived, if not in the best of tempers. Waiting for his phone call had put her in a bad mood.

Frances’s order to grovel had been timely. Avery gave a mental shrug. Her apology had not been exactly impassioned, but she’d made it. And now, with time to view Jonas Mercer objectively, she felt the same irresistible tug of attraction. His tan had faded, and his hair was darkening to what was probably its winter shade of tawny brown. It was thick and glossy, and had been expertly cut since she last saw him. Unlike hers, it curled only at the tips. Also he was taller than any other man in sight, which was a huge point in his favour on a day when she’d chosen to wear boots with four-inch heels.

‘Is it difficult today?’ asked Jonas, eyeing the blank crossword as he sat down beside her.

‘I’m not in the mood.’

‘You’re still angry with me,’ he observed.

‘Not still. Again,’ she corrected.

‘Because I didn’t ring before I arrived?’

‘In the circumstances, yes,’ she said, and drank some of the water he’d poured for her.

‘I tried. You were on the phone. I left a message,’ he informed her succinctly. ‘Did you check?’

Avery flushed guiltily.

‘You’ve obviously had a busy, stressful morning,’ he said kindly, like a parent to a fractious child.

‘Which doesn’t excuse my bad manners. Sorry!’ She gave him a rueful smile. ‘Have you inspected the damage to Stow Street yet?’

‘No. I came straight to you. You can walk me through the repairs you need before I drive you back.’

‘Right.’ She sighed. ‘I know I’m lucky to have a business I can run from home, but I’ll be glad to have the house to myself again.’

‘Has the fire affected trade?’

‘Not yet. We get a regular supply of work from the dress shop, and the main department store, and I travel to private homes for fittings—so that side of things shouldn’t suffer. But I’ll miss out on the jobs people pop in on their way into town from the car park.’

They were interrupted several times during lunch, by people sympathising about the fire, and Avery introduced Jonas each time, purposely omitting any qualifying description.

‘I wasn’t sure you’d want your official capacity broadcast to all and sundry,’ she said in an undertone.

‘It’s not a problem,’ he assured her, and gave her a look which brought her antennae erect. ‘I don’t mind who knows I represent Mercom—or the conclusions your friends jump to about our relationship, either. Just for the record,’ he added, ‘is there someone likely to resent me as a possible usurper?’

‘No,’ she said flatly, pouring coffee with a steady hand. ‘I told you that early on in our brief acquaintance.’

‘It still surprises me.’

‘Why?’

Jonas leaned nearer, a look in his eyes which caused her considerable unrest. ‘Because, Avery Crawford, I was attracted to you the first time I laid eyes on you—even in no-nonsense clothes with your hair scraped back.’

‘And despite the fact that I was trying to pick you up?’ she said, her voice tart to hide her pleasure.

‘That too,’ he admitted with a grin. ‘But one look at you the following night, with that glorious hair loose and those lips painted red as sin, and I thought of gypsy violins—and sex.’

Avery put down her coffee cup with a bang and stood up. ‘Time to go,’ she said tersely.

Jonas got to his feet, smiling down at her. ‘You look like Business Woman of the Year today, but my reaction’s just the same.’

Avery waved at an acquaintance as they left the bar, then stalked across the courtyard with as much speed and dignity as her heels and the cobbles allowed. She was annoyed because secretly—she hoped it was secretly—his remarks had done serious damage to her self-possession.

They were on their way into town when he took his hand from the wheel for an instant to touch hers. ‘Would you like to come down off your high horse and listen to Mercom’s plans for the land I’ve purchased?’

She threw him an exasperated look. ‘Of course I would.’

‘The project’s been brewing for a while, but until my recent visit I had never been here myself. I left the opening moves to others, while I was occupied with far bigger fish than providing a small market town with a cinema complex.’

Avery stared at him, eyes wide. ‘A cinema? I thought you were building a warehouse.’

‘It was the original intention. But after I’d had a look at the place myself I had a word with my father, then spoke to the local council and suggested something of use to the community.’ Jonas turned into Stow Street and made for the car park. ‘The necessary parking space is right here, and the nearest cinema is fifteen miles away.’

She smiled warmly. ‘That’s such a brilliant idea!’

‘One I intended to share with you over dinner at the Walnut Tree that night. But circumstances conspired against me, one way and another,’ he said wryly, and killed the engine.

Avery stared at him in remorse. ‘I can’t believe I forgot to ask. What happened about the accident?’

Jonas shrugged. ‘It was messy, and put paid to one of our vehicles, but the driver escaped with a couple of fractures— one of them to his jaw. The culprit was a van which shot a red light, but by some miracle no one was killed.’ His eyes met hers. ‘I thought about ringing later that night, but in the end decided against it.’

Avery nodded morosely. ‘I don’t blame you. I was a total shrew.’

His lips twitched. ‘You were very scary. So was that room. It reminded me of a painful interview in my headmaster’s study after I was caught climbing into the wrong dormitory.’

‘Was that such a hanging offence, then?’

‘Pretty much. The dormitory was in the local girls’ school.’

Avery gave a snort of laughter.

Jonas grinned. ‘It wouldn’t have been so bad if I’d been caught climbing out, but as it was I got all the flak and none of the fun. Rather like that last evening with you,’ he added.

‘I refuse to do any more apologising,’ she said flatly as they walked towards her shop. ‘Grovelling doesn’t come easy to me.’

‘I can tell! Just for the record, I would have liked to outline Mercom’s plans that night at the Fleece, but at that stage certain people still had a few dotted lines to sign on.’ He shot her a sidelong glance. ‘You seemed angry out of all proportion to the circumstances. Why?’

Avery unlocked the shop, ushered him inside, and closed the door before she answered. ‘When I was told Mercom had bought the land, and might demolish the shops in Stow Street for all I knew, I was hurt because you hadn’t been straight with me. I met a lot of devious men in my time in the City.’ She looked at him squarely. ‘I thought you were different.’

Jonas held her eyes. ‘I didn’t ring you the moment I received confirmation because I wanted to hand you the letter in person and bask in your gratitude. It’s a long time since that boy climbed up to a window to impress a girl, but it was the same motivation, Avery. So shall we start again?’

Start what? ‘By all means,’ she said lightly. ‘It wouldn’t do for me to upset my landlord.’

‘True. I rather like the idea of having a hold over you,’ he said with satisfaction, and then sobered abruptly as he inspected the shop and its half-gutted neighbour. ‘A good thing there’s an alley between this and the flower shop.’

‘When I saw it my first reaction was to find new premises,’ Avery admitted. ‘The shop has always been too small for the services we offer, but the rent is reasonable and its location is good, so I’d rather stay if possible. What do you think of the damage to my place?’

‘It looks superficial, but I’ll have my people check it out right away. You’ll probably want to use local tradesmen to redecorate, but Mercom will foot the bill. Get someone to do a rush job for you.’

Avery introduced Jonas to her fellow leaseholders, and looked on in amusement as the new landlord chatted easily with each one in turn.

He thanked her as they walked back to his car. ‘Once I’ve driven you home I’ve got meetings with various people this afternoon, to tie up a few loose ends. I leave again first thing tomorrow, so have dinner with me tonight to celebrate the deal.’

Instead of jumping at the invitation Avery gave it some thought. In some ways it was good to live in a small town, where she was known to everyone, but in others—as in this instance—it was a drawback. Jonas Mercer’s identity and his firm’s plans for the land he’d bought would soon be common knowledge after his tour of inspection this afternoon. The jungle drums would go into overdrive if she was seen socialising with the head of Mercom for the second time in one day.

‘A plain, honest-to-God no will do,’ said Jonas dryly as he drove off.

She shook her head. ‘I was about to say yes, but only if I cook something at home. I like to keep a low social profile.’

‘You’re ashamed to be seen out with me,’ he accused.

She shot him a kindling look. ‘Do you want dinner at my place or not?’

‘You know damn well I do. Order in and I’ll foot the bill. There must be a Chinese or Indian in town?’

‘Good idea. You’re not just a pretty face after all,’ she said in approval.

‘That’s you, Avery Crawford, not me.’ He smiled. ‘I’ll be back here at eight. Sort out a decorator, and anything else you need, and let me know the details over dinner.’

Avery felt a lot more pleased with life as she went into her house to report that the new landlord was footing the bill to refurbish the premises in Stow Street and that cleaning up and painting could start right away. There were relieved smiles all round.

Once Helen and Louise had left for the day Frances demanded a detailed report on the working lunch with Jonas Mercer.

‘I told him that when I saw the damage on Saturday night my first thought was new premises. Which is true enough. We could do with space for a proper fitting room.’

‘But that would mean higher rent and a far less appealing landlord!’

Avery grinned. ‘An inescapable truth, which decided me to stick with Stow Street.’

‘So are relations more cordial now between you and Jonas?’ asked Frances.

‘Yes. We still have things to discuss, so I’ve asked him to dinner here tonight.’

‘Have you, indeed? What’s on the menu?’

‘He suggested ordering in.’

Frances shook her head. ‘Impress him with some home cooking. Men find that sexy.’

Avery’s eyebrows rose. ‘Was that your reaction when Philip cooked lunch for you yesterday?’

‘Yes,’ said her friend candidly. ‘It’s the first time a man has ever made a meal for me, and I loved it. Grill our new landlord a steak, or whatever, and he’ll probably say yes to whatever you want,’ she added, batting her eyelashes.

‘In that case I’d better nip down to the shops as soon as we finish for the day.’

When she got back from her shopping trip Avery was touched to find Frances had stayed on to work magic with a duster and a vacuum cleaner.

‘I’ve only done downstairs,’ she warned.

‘You shouldn’t have done any of it. And downstairs is quite enough. He’s only coming to dinner, Frances! But thanks a lot. You’re an angel. Now I can get on with the meal. Not that there’s much cooking involved. What do you think of rib-eye steak, green salad and roast potatoes?’

‘Perfect. Straight to any man’s heart. I might try it on Philip tomorrow.’

‘You mean you’re not seeing him tonight?’

‘He wanted to.’ Frances pulled on her coat, smiling wryly. ‘But these days caution’s my middle name, so I held out for Tuesday.’

Shortly before Jonas was due to arrive the roasting potatoes were scenting the air, the steaks were ready to grill, and the salad greens lacked only a splash of dressing.

Thanks to the hot steam in her shower, and more during her cooking, Avery’s hair curled in wild profusion on her shoulders. She’d deliberately painted her lips the exact shade of her clinging crimson sweater, and for good measure she’d hung big gypsy hoops in her ears. But to make it clear that it was just a casual kitchen supper she wore jeans, and hadn’t bothered with candles or one of her mother’s tablecloths.

Jonas arrived a minute before the clock struck eight, and stood transfixed when Avery opened the door to him.

‘Hi. You’re on time,’ she said, smiling.

‘And you’re a vision!’ He handed her a bottle of wine and a great sheaf of tulips. ‘Perfect. If I were an artist I’d paint you—just as you are right now.’

‘Why, thank you. What gorgeous flowers. Come through to the kitchen so I can put them in water.’

Jonas followed her along the hall, sniffing the air. ‘The food’s here already? It was supposed to be my treat.’

‘I thought I’d cook.’ Avery put the flowers in the kitchen sink and bent to search in a cupboard for a vase, taking her time over it to let him enjoy her back view. She flipped her hair back as she straightened, and met a look in Jonas’s eyes which brought heat to her face. ‘What would you like to drink? I’ve got some red wine opened ready, or you can have a beer. Do sit down,’ she added.

‘Wine would be good,’ he said. ‘Can I pour one for you?’

‘Yes, please.’ She switched on the grill. ‘How do you like your steak?’

‘Medium rare.’ Jonas filled two glasses and hooked out a chair, taking undisguised pleasure in watching her. ‘This is a very good way to spend an evening,’ he said, with such lazy satisfaction that Avery couldn’t help smiling at him as she arranged the tulips in a fat blue jug. ‘I had a chat with the manager of the hotel about the fire earlier on,’ he went on. ‘Apparently no one knows who was responsible.’

‘Except me. I can identify one of the culprits.’ Avery put the steaks to grill. She turned to face him. ‘He stumbled under a streetlight as he ran after his chums. I saw his face clearly.’

‘Did you, indeed?’ Jonas’s eyes narrowed. ‘Are you going to do anything about it?’

‘Are you asking as head of Mercom, or merely from curiosity?’

‘Nothing you tell me will go any further, if that’s the way you want to play it.’

‘I do.’ Avery eyed him in silence for a moment. ‘For your ears only, his name is Daniel Morrell—son of George, our friendly local property developer.’