Impetuous Masquerade

Rhia sighed. ‘You really believe she was driving, don’t you?’

‘Don’t you?’ The dark, almost black, eyes narrowed.

‘Will—will Val be arrested?’ she ventured, avoiding a direct answer, and Jared Frazer frowned.

‘That depends.’

‘Depends on what?’

‘Whether a charge is brought against her.’

‘But won’t the police—’

‘The police? You seem obsessed with the police.’ He shook his head. ‘I guess they could act independently, but unless Glyn chooses to implicate your sister, it might not come to that.’

‘But he will, surely he will!’ exclaimed Rhia fiercely. ‘I mean—when he finds out she left him—’

‘How will he find out? Right now, I have no intention of hindering his recovery by telling him something like that.’

Rhia gazed at him. ‘You mean—you mean you still approve of—of his relationship with—with my sister?’

‘No!’ Jared was adamant about that, his dark eyes sparkling with a sudden violence. ‘No, I do not—approve of his relationship with your sister. The way she’s behaved is nothing short of criminal, and she deserves everything that’s coming to her! But—and it’s a big but—until Glyn is strong enough to be told the truth, until he’s fully recovered, I intend to do everything I can to avoid unnecessary publicity.’

Rhia nibbled at her sandwich. That was all very well, she thought uneasily, but what if Valentina didn’t turn up? What if Glyn didn’t regain his sight? Surely Jared Frazer couldn’t expect her to go on acting the part of her sister indefinitely.

‘At least the first hurdle is over,’ Jared remarked now, finishing his hamburger and swallowing half the lager in his glass. ‘Glyn accepts you as Val. He’s not going to fret over why she hasn’t come to the hospital to see him. That’s quite a relief.’

‘But I can’t go on pretending to be Val,’ Rhia protested. She glanced at her watch and then gasped. ‘It’s half past two already. I’m supposed to be meeting Simon at three!’

‘Well, you can’t.’ Jared was infuriatingly matter-of-fact. ‘You’d better ring him and tell him you’ll speak to him later. If he doesn’t understand, blame your sister.’

Rhia caught her breath. ‘You—swine! You don’t care a damn about me, do you?’

Jared studied her resentful expression for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. ‘Should I?’

Rhia’s face suffused with colour. ‘You know what I mean.’

‘I only know that my sister-in-law, Glyn’s mother, is waiting desperately for word of her son. He’s all she’s got. And I’ll do anything I can to ensure she isn’t disappointed.’

Rhia held up her head. ‘Including destroying anyone who stands in your way!’

Jared grimaced impatiently. ‘I’m not destroying you, Rhia. Believe me, I’m being very patient. But don’t push your luck, or you may not like the consequences.’

Rhia put down the remains of her roll. ‘Are you threatening me, Mr Frazer?’

‘Threatening you?’ His gaze moved over her anxious face in narrow-eyed appraisal. ‘I doubt you know the meaning of the words. And my name is Jared. Use it. Somehow I can’t believe Valentina would be so formal.’

Nor could Rhia, in all honesty. In fact, she had the distinct suspicion that in her place, Val would have found Glyn’s uncle infinitely more interesting than his nephew. She wondered how he would have handled that, then thrust the thought aside. Somehow she had the feeling that any complication of that kind would only stiffen Jared Frazer’s resolve to bend her to his will. He might not be old enough to be Glyn’s father, but he was certainly more experienced, and Rhia wondered for the first time what his wife thought of his evident attachment to his brother’s widow.

‘Tell me,’ he said suddenly, arousing her from her reverie, and Rhia was glad he could not read her thoughts, ‘are you going to marry Simon Travis? Is that why you’re so anxious to appease him?’

‘I—don’t know.’ Rhia answered unwillingly, startled by this unexpected invasion of her personal affairs. ‘I don’t think it’s any concern of yours, Mr Frazer. How I choose to handle my life is not your problem.’

‘Jared,’ he inserted flatly, and then: ‘I guess that means you’re not sure about him. I can’t believe he hasn’t asked you.’

‘Mr Frazer—’

‘Jared. For Glyn’s sake, hmm?’

‘Oh, all right—Jared.’ Rhia coloured anew. ‘I don’t see what my relationship with Simon has to do with you. I haven’t asked you any personal questions. So why should you ask me?’

Jared finished his lager and regarded her with the faintest trace of humour in his eyes now. ‘Fire away,’ he commented laconically. ‘I’ve got nothing to hide.’

‘I’ve got nothing to hide either,’ exclaimed Rhia, stung by his sardonic amusement. ‘I just don’t think it’s relevant.’

‘It might be.’ Jared shrugged. ‘But okay—if you’d rather not talk about yourself, tell me about Travis. What does he do? Is he a government employee? What is it you call them? Civil servants? Yes, I’d guess that was what he was.’

‘Well, you’d be wrong.’ Rhia was vehement. ‘He—he’s a teacher. And you shouldn’t judge people by appearances.’

‘That’s for sure,’ he conceded lazily. ‘With your hair loose like that, I’d say you were the younger sister—if I didn’t know better, of course.’

Rhia put up an involuntary hand to her hair, and then realising what she was doing, let it fall. ‘You’re playing for time, aren’t you, Mr Frazer? So long as I’m sitting here, you know where I am.’

‘That’s a discerning conclusion,’ Jared agreed dryly, and Rhia sighed frustratedly.

‘I’ve got to go.’

‘Not yet.’ Jared’s hand on her arm restrained her. ‘Have another drink. I’ll explain the situation to your fiancé.’

‘He’s not my fiancé,’ declared Rhia impatiently, and then wished she hadn’t sounded so vehement. ‘And what makes you think he’ll take it from you, any better than from me?’

‘Because I can be more persuasive,’ retorted Jared mockingly. ‘What’s his number? Or shall I find it in the book?’

Rhia hesitated, but realising there was no way she could reach Simon’s home in Kensal Green before three o’clock, she knew the call would have to be made. ‘I’ll ring him,’ she said firmly, getting to her feet. ‘I shall tell him I’ll see him this evening. I trust you have no objections to that?’

Jared moved his shoulders in an indifferent gesture, and Rhia left him before he could say anything else to dissuade her. But all the same, she had the unwilling feeling that if Glyn needed her, she would have to comply.

As expected, Simon resented very much the idea that Rhia should be made a scapegoat for her sister’s shortcomings. ‘We were going to the Hohenmeister exhibition this afternoon, in case you’ve forgotten,’ he exclaimed peevishly. ‘What am I supposed to do now? Go on my own?’

Rhia sighed. ‘It was only a tentative arrangement, Simon,’ she protested. ‘As a matter of fact, I ought to be buying some food for the weekend. There’s nothing in the flat, and if Val comes back—’

‘Val!’ Simon’s use of her sister’s name was vituperative. ‘Just wait until I see that young lady. I’d like to give her a jolly good shaking!’

‘Wouldn’t we all?’ murmured a sardonic voice, near Rhia’s ear, and she jerked round in alarm to find Jared Frazer lounging on the wall beside the pay-phone. He gave an apologetic grimace as her expression mirrored her indignation at this invasion of her privacy, but then Simon spoke again, and she had to give him her attention.

‘Anyway,’ he was going on, ‘I don’t like you associating with that man Frazer. The elder, I mean, of course. I think the best thing I can do is come round there and wait with you. At least then I’ll know what’s going on.’