Just Rewards

Tragically, he had been cheated. It had fallen into the hands of Paula O’Neill, who now thought of it as her own, when in reality it was his by rights.

In the mid-1980s he had almost wrested the flagship Knightsbridge emporium and the provincial Harte stores away from her, when she had made a series of mistakes in a deal related to the stores. So flawed was her judgement that she had played right into his waiting hands.

Unfortunately, just as he reached out, had the stores almost in his grasp, he had been betrayed. As a consequence of this unwarranted and unexpected betrayal, Paula O’Neill had managed to outwit him.

She had been his nemesis for years, but it was from this precise moment that he had become her sworn enemy, had vowed to wreak his revenge on her. And soon he would do that; he would finally triumph over her.

Abruptly, the man stepped forward, moving out of the doorway, his attention on two young women who had hurried out of the store and were studying the windows fronting onto Knightsbridge.

One of them was a redhead, and he knew her at once. She was Linnet O’Neill, Paula’s daughter; however, she was now a Kallinski, after marrying the Kallinski heir last month. His thoughts settled on the little church in Pennistone village where they had been married. How easily it would have burned to the ground, killing everyone in it, and his problems with the Hartes would have been solved for ever more.

He cursed Mark Longden under his breath for losing his nerve. What a weak-kneed hypocrite he had turned out to be; he had been exiled to Australia by Paula O’Neill, and good riddance to bad rubbish.

For a moment the man was baffled, unable to pinpoint the other woman’s identity. She was bundled up in a loden cape and long scarf, and her face was obscured. But then she turned and he instantly recognized the distinctive chiselled profile.

His chest tightened, and a virulent anger surged through him as he gazed at Evan Hughes. She was his new nemesis, the American woman who had insinuated herself into the family and was about to become a Harte. He muttered an expletive … she was already a Harte, thanks in no small measure to his father’s long-ago lust. And now she threatened everybody by her very existence, especially himself. She, too, was now a target along with Paula and her redheaded brat.

A smile slid onto his handsome face; he stared hard at the two women for a very long moment before setting out in the direction of the hotel for breakfast.

That self-satisfied smile remained intact as he turned up the collar of his expensive and impeccably-tailored vicuna coat and increased his pace.

As he walked, he considered a plan he had recently formulated … one so devilishly clever it might have been devised by Prince Machiavelli himself. How ingenious it was and it would surely help to bring about the fall of the house of Harte. He was convinced of this outcome.

Jonathan Ainsley laughed out loud. They were going to get their just rewards. He would see to that.

PART ONE (#ulink_6b10304f-6b4f-5b0f-beab-e80761b9d429)

Quartet (#ulink_6b10304f-6b4f-5b0f-beab-e80761b9d429)

Envy slays itself by its own arrows.

Medieval saying: Anonymous

CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_ede7ee5d-dc5d-5d9f-8d0e-0052f78d0714)

Flurries of silvery snowflakes were blowing in the wind, sticking to the plate-glass windows of Harte’s and on the faces of the two pretty young women gazing so intently into those windows.

Evan Hughes brought a gloved hand to her cheek and wiped the dampness away. Then she drew closer to Linnet O’Neill, shivering and hunching into her dark-green loden cape, feeling the sharp bite of the intense cold.

Instantly, Linnet glanced at Evan, and exclaimed, ‘I’m so thoughtless, dragging you outside to look at our windows on a day like this! You’re freezing. Come on, let’s go inside. We’ve seen enough.’

Linnet took hold of Evan’s arm and hurried her towards one of the double doors leading into Harte’s.

‘I’m all right, honestly,’ Evan protested as she was propelled across the floor of the cosmetics department, adding irately, ‘I’m not a cream puff, you know, I’m not going to melt away.’

‘You’ve got guts of steel, I’m very well aware of that!’ Linnet shot back. ‘It just became frightfully cold all of a sudden, and if you catch a cold, or get sick, Gideon will have my guts for garters.’

Evan burst out laughing, as usual amused by Linnet’s penchant for quaint, rather odd sayings; she was frequently startled by the other girl’s bluntness, as well as her pithiness, which could be quite stringent at times. Evan considered her recently-discovered cousin to be unique. She had never met anyone quite like her, and in this past year of working together they had become close, the very best of friends.

Moving through the eye-catching, glamorous displays of cosmetics and perfumes, Evan felt her icy limbs beginning to thaw in the warmth of the store, and she loosened her scarf, opened her cape. Smoothing her hand over her huge, bulging stomach, she confided, ‘I feel like an enormous beached whale, Linny. I can’t wait to give birth.’

Linnet’s expression was sympathetic. ‘I know. But just imagine, Evan, you’re about to have twins. TWINS! You’ve certainly given Tessa, India and me pause for thought. We forgot that twins run in this family, that they’re quite the norm. Grandy had twins, and so did Mummy the first time around, when she was married to Jim Fairley. It’s only just struck us that we also might be candidates, have the same fate as you.’ Linnet smiled engagingly. ‘What do you think?’

‘We share a lot of the same genes, I guess, so you’re probably right.’

‘Julian’s hoping so, and actually so am I. It makes life easier, having twins. Two children born together … an instant family and less time off work!’

‘Very well put,’ Evan responded softly, laughter filling her eyes. She couldn’t help thinking that Linnet’s inborn pragmatism inevitably came to the fore, but she admired her for being so down to earth.

By now the two women had arrived at a bank of elevators, and they stepped into one as soon as its doors slid open. Falling silent, they rode up to the management offices and hurried down the long corridor.

When they reached the alcove in the centre, where the famous portrait of Emma Harte hung, the two of them automatically came to a standstill, looked at each other, smiled, and then briskly saluted their great-grandmother and moved on. It had become something of a ritual with them of late, whether they were together or alone. It signified their pride in being her progeny and of working in the renowned store she had founded.

A few minutes later, settled comfortably in Evan’s office, Linnet said, ‘So, give me your opinion about the windows.’

‘I have to agree with you, they are a bit outdated. Oh, they’re beautiful, Linnet, of course. So well dressed. And they do evoke the kind of image we want for Harte’s, but they could be a bit … fresher.’

‘Not enough pizazz, perhaps?’ Linnet suggested.

‘Not pizazz, that’s not quite right for Harte’s, is it?’

‘I suppose not,’ Linnet agreed, sitting back in the chair, her eyes on Evan, whose opinion she valued.

Evan bit her lip, then shook her head. ‘I think the word I’m looking for is … glamorous. I’m talking about the fashion windows per se, Linnet, and they ought to be just a tad more eye-catching and inviting. Listen, they should say something to the customer … they should say come in, try me on, buy me.’

Linnet nodded, her face lighting up. ‘That’s true. You’ve put your finger on it.’

Evan said, ‘You’ve only recently come back from New York, and you’ve seen the store windows there. I believe you’re now finding our windows somewhat flat.’ Evan’s grey eyes rested on Linnet thoughtfully. When Linnet made no response, she asked, ‘Am I not correct?’

‘I think you are … but I’m not sure Mummy would agree.’

‘Have you discussed the windows with Paula?’ Evan probed, sounding anxious.

‘No, I haven’t had a chance, and she and Dad are staying in Yorkshire this week, recovering from Christmas, the New Year and all of their entertaining. Anyway, they’re taking a week off from work, and they just want to stay put, potter around at Pennistone Royal. They enjoy being at home with each other, doing what they’ve always done since they were kids growing up together.’ Linnet shook her head. ‘Anyway, I’m not going to say a word until she’s back here at work. Actually, Evan, there are some other things I want to discuss with her, certain changes I believe we should make at the store.’

Evan sat up straighter but said nothing, merely raised a brow quizzically, her eyes full of questions.

‘You look surprised,’ Linnet exclaimed, eyeing her carefully.

‘I am. What kind of changes do you have in mind?’

‘I’ll get to those in a minute, just let me say this first. As you well know, the fashion retrospective was a big success last summer. We gained lots of new customers, and we did terrifically well, but eventually sales dipped. What we need to do is keep our customers coming in, and we need to garner those important new ones as well. I truly believe we’re in a new age of retailing. We have to make shopping a unique experience, and offer other services.’

‘Obviously you’ve studied this carefully, and come up with some fresh ideas,’ Evan ventured cautiously, wondering if Paula would permit any changes at the Knightsbridge store.

‘I have,’ Linnet asserted. ‘For example, Harte’s ought to have a day spa, a really beautiful spa offering every kind of treatment.’

‘That would be great!’ Evan was swift to agree, and then thought to ask, ‘But where would you put it?’