waiting in the Range Rover,' she said gently. 'You'll
have to leave your car here and collect it another time, I'm afraid; I
only just managed to get through with the four-wheel drive.'
Merlyn had no intention of
ever
returning to this house, for any reason. It was a hire-car, she would
pay the extra for the hire company to come and pick it up. She
certainly couldn't see Rand Carmichael again, for any reason. 'I won't
be long,' she assured the other woman.
'An actress!' Rand scorned as soon as they were alone.
'You should be given an award for your performance last night and this
morning.' He paced the room, glaring at her. 'A damned actress!' he
repeated disgustedly, his contempt obvious.
'I'm not a "damned" anything,' she snapped. 'And actress
isn't a dirty word!'
'You're the latest of Christopher Drake's offerings,
aren't you?' he accused, ignoring her anger. 'Did you go to bed with
him, too, to get even this far?'
In the circumstances it was an accusation which could have
been expected, but that didn't make it any more acceptable. She may
have been stupid last night, even more impetuous than she had ever been
before in her life, but one thing she was not was promiscuous!
'What a stupid question,' Rand derided himself. 'Of course
you've slept with him!'
'You were the one who wanted me last night,' she reminded
him chokingly.
'Yes,' he confirmed. 'I wanted you. Do you have any idea
why?'
She frowned at the violence of his aggression. 'You seemed
upset—'
'Upset!' he repeated with derisive mockery. 'A man kneels
before you sobbing like a baby and you think he was just upset!'
Merlyn moistened her lips. 'You didn't seem to want to
explain—'
'And you didn't want to ask!' he scorned hardly. 'You just
walked naked into my arms!'
She drew in a ragged breath, knowing she deserved his
accusations; she hadn't
wanted
to probe into why
he had been crying, she had just wanted to be with him. 'You didn't
seem in the mood to talk—'
'No—I'm as susceptible to the beauty of a
woman's naked body as the next man!' He looked at her with dislike.
'And when a wanton throws herself at you like that you don't stop to
ask questions, you just take!'
'It wasn't like that!' She shook her head protestingly. 'I
only wanted—'
'What you wanted you got,' he rasped. 'And you enjoyed
every moment of it! But there was something you overlooked in all your
greedy little plans—yesterday was the second anniversary of
Suzie's death!'
The room swam dizzily before Merlyn's eyes for several
seconds. The second anniversary of his wife's death! Anne had started
to tell her something on the telephone yesterday just before the line
went down, and she knew it had to have been this. If only she had
realised. But these last few weeks she had been so intent on
researching the living Suzie that the actual date of her death hadn't
registered as being yesterday. But if she had known would she really
have acted any differently when she found Rand sobbing so brokenly last
night?
'Unless of course you did realise,' that silky voice cut
in, dangerously soft, 'and decided I would be malleable on a day when
Suzie's death was so vivid to me!'
'You know that isn't true,' Merlyn gasped, shaking her
head in denial. 'I wouldn't do a thing like that. You—'
'I don't know a damn thing about you—except that
you can drive a man wild enough in your arms for him to forget
everything else for a short time!' His eyes were narrowed ominously. 'I
don't need to know any more than that about you. The answer is no,
Merlyn. N.O.—No! Even if I were ever to agree to this
travesty being made I wouldn't let a woman like you defile Suzie's
memory!'
Merlyn would take his other insults, but not that one.
Suzie Forrester had been a beautiful and lovely woman, but Merlyn
wouldn't accept being told she wasn't fit to portray her! All she had
done wrong was to want this man, and she wasn't even sure that had been
so wrong. She had gone to him when he needed someone, and at the
have to leave your car here and collect it another time, I'm afraid; I
only just managed to get through with the four-wheel drive.'
Merlyn had no intention of
ever
returning to this house, for any reason. It was a hire-car, she would
pay the extra for the hire company to come and pick it up. She
certainly couldn't see Rand Carmichael again, for any reason. 'I won't
be long,' she assured the other woman.
'An actress!' Rand scorned as soon as they were alone.
'You should be given an award for your performance last night and this
morning.' He paced the room, glaring at her. 'A damned actress!' he
repeated disgustedly, his contempt obvious.
'I'm not a "damned" anything,' she snapped. 'And actress
isn't a dirty word!'
'You're the latest of Christopher Drake's offerings,
aren't you?' he accused, ignoring her anger. 'Did you go to bed with
him, too, to get even this far?'
In the circumstances it was an accusation which could have
been expected, but that didn't make it any more acceptable. She may
have been stupid last night, even more impetuous than she had ever been
before in her life, but one thing she was not was promiscuous!
'What a stupid question,' Rand derided himself. 'Of course
you've slept with him!'
'You were the one who wanted me last night,' she reminded
him chokingly.
'Yes,' he confirmed. 'I wanted you. Do you have any idea
why?'
She frowned at the violence of his aggression. 'You seemed
upset—'
'Upset!' he repeated with derisive mockery. 'A man kneels
before you sobbing like a baby and you think he was just upset!'
Merlyn moistened her lips. 'You didn't seem to want to
explain—'
'And you didn't want to ask!' he scorned hardly. 'You just
walked naked into my arms!'
She drew in a ragged breath, knowing she deserved his
accusations; she hadn't
wanted
to probe into why
he had been crying, she had just wanted to be with him. 'You didn't
seem in the mood to talk—'
'No—I'm as susceptible to the beauty of a
woman's naked body as the next man!' He looked at her with dislike.
'And when a wanton throws herself at you like that you don't stop to
ask questions, you just take!'
'It wasn't like that!' She shook her head protestingly. 'I
only wanted—'
'What you wanted you got,' he rasped. 'And you enjoyed
every moment of it! But there was something you overlooked in all your
greedy little plans—yesterday was the second anniversary of
Suzie's death!'
The room swam dizzily before Merlyn's eyes for several
seconds. The second anniversary of his wife's death! Anne had started
to tell her something on the telephone yesterday just before the line
went down, and she knew it had to have been this. If only she had
realised. But these last few weeks she had been so intent on
researching the living Suzie that the actual date of her death hadn't
registered as being yesterday. But if she had known would she really
have acted any differently when she found Rand sobbing so brokenly last
night?
'Unless of course you did realise,' that silky voice cut
in, dangerously soft, 'and decided I would be malleable on a day when
Suzie's death was so vivid to me!'
'You know that isn't true,' Merlyn gasped, shaking her
head in denial. 'I wouldn't do a thing like that. You—'
'I don't know a damn thing about you—except that
you can drive a man wild enough in your arms for him to forget
everything else for a short time!' His eyes were narrowed ominously. 'I
don't need to know any more than that about you. The answer is no,
Merlyn. N.O.—No! Even if I were ever to agree to this
travesty being made I wouldn't let a woman like you defile Suzie's
memory!'
Merlyn would take his other insults, but not that one.
Suzie Forrester had been a beautiful and lovely woman, but Merlyn
wouldn't accept being told she wasn't fit to portray her! All she had
done wrong was to want this man, and she wasn't even sure that had been
so wrong. She had gone to him when he needed someone, and at the
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