intimately
over him. It was not difficult to guess their relationship, she thought, What
had he said? That he didn't take sweets from babies. Well, Moira Dane was
certainly a very grown-up lady, and if Jason was availing himself of any
sweets that were going, it was certainly nothing to do with her.
But now, with a start, she recognised the fair-haired girl being introduced to
Sally. It was Jeremy's fiancee whom she had glimpsed so briefly but so
drastically at the party. For a moment panic welled up inside her, then she
felt Jason's eyes on her, bleak with warning.
'And this is Miss Catriona Muir,' Moira turned to her. 'A great friend of your
future in-laws—or some of them, at least.'
Catriona put down her coffee cup with a sick feeling. She realised
fatalistically that Helen must be the cousin that Moira had spoken of earlier,
and by the malicious look the two of them had just exchanged it seemed as if
Jeremy had been more than frank with his fiancee about his relationships
before his engagement.
'It's a small world,' Jason drawled into the awkward silence. He rose and
shook hands with Helen, who was peeping rather coyly at him through
heavily mascaraed lashes. 'I'm sorry we didn't meet the other evening,
Helen, but there were such crowds around you, I thought I'd save that
pleasure for a rather more private occasion.'
His slightly raised brows and the smile he gave her implied that he did not
consider the present occasion private enough either, and Helen gave him a
conscious smile.
'Jeremy did tell me about his wicked uncle. I see what he meant,' she said
archly, and Jason laughed.
Catriona suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to escape.
'I think we'd better be going--' she began, reaching for her bag. As she did so
her sleeve caught her half-filled cup and knocked it over, spilling the
contents on to the white cloth.
'Oh dear! What a mess,' Moira said lightly, as Catriona, hot with
embarrassment, pushed her chair back and stood up.
'Oh, love, it hasn't spoiled your clothes?' Sally said sympathetically, and
Catriona shook her head, trying to regain her composure.
'What a fuss about a little accident,' Jason commented sardonically. 'Run
away if you wish, Miss Muir, but they don't hang people for spilling coffee,
you know.' He seemed to take a positive delight in making her feel gauche,
she thought furiously, and turned on him with her green eyes flashing, but
before she could speak, he laughed easily and took her arm.
'Come on, darling. I'll show you the office where I get all my inspiration.
Sally has to go to Make-up now and you'll only be in the way. Isn't that right,
Sal? Goodbye, Helen. I look forward to having you as a niece. See you later,
Moira.'
And he walked away casually, his fingers tight as bands round Catriona's
wrist.
'Don't make a scene here,' he murmured. 'My room's soundproof, and you
can let off steam in there.' He paused to sign the bill the waitress brought
him, then continued a leisurely progress to the door, answering greetings
from other diners as he went.
As they waited for the lift outside the restaurant, he produced a pack of
American cigarettes from the pocket of his shirt and lit one. Catriona stood
massaging her wrist where the marks of his fingers clearly showed and
maintained a hostile silence.
'Remind me to type out a quote for you before you leave,' he remarked as the
lift began to descend. 'It's the one about tangled webs and deception.'
'You need not bother yourself. I know it already,' Catriona said stormily.
'Then you'll agree it's apt.' He allowed her to precede him out of the lift. 'My
office is down here on the left.'
'And it can stay there!' Catriona retorted, knowing that she was being
childish but too angry to care much. 'I'm going to find Sally.'
'Not now,' he said decisively, and took her hand again. 'She has to get ready
and Hugo's tolerance of spectators is limited. I'll take you up to the studio
before the
over him. It was not difficult to guess their relationship, she thought, What
had he said? That he didn't take sweets from babies. Well, Moira Dane was
certainly a very grown-up lady, and if Jason was availing himself of any
sweets that were going, it was certainly nothing to do with her.
But now, with a start, she recognised the fair-haired girl being introduced to
Sally. It was Jeremy's fiancee whom she had glimpsed so briefly but so
drastically at the party. For a moment panic welled up inside her, then she
felt Jason's eyes on her, bleak with warning.
'And this is Miss Catriona Muir,' Moira turned to her. 'A great friend of your
future in-laws—or some of them, at least.'
Catriona put down her coffee cup with a sick feeling. She realised
fatalistically that Helen must be the cousin that Moira had spoken of earlier,
and by the malicious look the two of them had just exchanged it seemed as if
Jeremy had been more than frank with his fiancee about his relationships
before his engagement.
'It's a small world,' Jason drawled into the awkward silence. He rose and
shook hands with Helen, who was peeping rather coyly at him through
heavily mascaraed lashes. 'I'm sorry we didn't meet the other evening,
Helen, but there were such crowds around you, I thought I'd save that
pleasure for a rather more private occasion.'
His slightly raised brows and the smile he gave her implied that he did not
consider the present occasion private enough either, and Helen gave him a
conscious smile.
'Jeremy did tell me about his wicked uncle. I see what he meant,' she said
archly, and Jason laughed.
Catriona suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to escape.
'I think we'd better be going--' she began, reaching for her bag. As she did so
her sleeve caught her half-filled cup and knocked it over, spilling the
contents on to the white cloth.
'Oh dear! What a mess,' Moira said lightly, as Catriona, hot with
embarrassment, pushed her chair back and stood up.
'Oh, love, it hasn't spoiled your clothes?' Sally said sympathetically, and
Catriona shook her head, trying to regain her composure.
'What a fuss about a little accident,' Jason commented sardonically. 'Run
away if you wish, Miss Muir, but they don't hang people for spilling coffee,
you know.' He seemed to take a positive delight in making her feel gauche,
she thought furiously, and turned on him with her green eyes flashing, but
before she could speak, he laughed easily and took her arm.
'Come on, darling. I'll show you the office where I get all my inspiration.
Sally has to go to Make-up now and you'll only be in the way. Isn't that right,
Sal? Goodbye, Helen. I look forward to having you as a niece. See you later,
Moira.'
And he walked away casually, his fingers tight as bands round Catriona's
wrist.
'Don't make a scene here,' he murmured. 'My room's soundproof, and you
can let off steam in there.' He paused to sign the bill the waitress brought
him, then continued a leisurely progress to the door, answering greetings
from other diners as he went.
As they waited for the lift outside the restaurant, he produced a pack of
American cigarettes from the pocket of his shirt and lit one. Catriona stood
massaging her wrist where the marks of his fingers clearly showed and
maintained a hostile silence.
'Remind me to type out a quote for you before you leave,' he remarked as the
lift began to descend. 'It's the one about tangled webs and deception.'
'You need not bother yourself. I know it already,' Catriona said stormily.
'Then you'll agree it's apt.' He allowed her to precede him out of the lift. 'My
office is down here on the left.'
'And it can stay there!' Catriona retorted, knowing that she was being
childish but too angry to care much. 'I'm going to find Sally.'
'Not now,' he said decisively, and took her hand again. 'She has to get ready
and Hugo's tolerance of spectators is limited. I'll take you up to the studio
before the
Similar Books
