‘In essence everything Richard told you is true, Genista,’ she had said later, coming upstairs to where Genista had flung herself down on her bed, trying to come to terms with the truth. ‘But try to understand. Your father and I feel very deeply in love. He tried to do the right thing, to send me away, but I wouldn’t be sent. You see, I knew he needed me,’ she said simply. ‘Anne’s accident didn’t merely rob her of her freedom physically, it also damaged her brain. She was like a child, and your father wouldn’t be the man he is if he’d been able to desert her. I respected his decision to stay with her, but he couldn’t persuade me to go away and make a new life for myself. He was my life. When I knew I was carrying you I was so pleased. You were the living proof of our love, and I felt no shame. We knew Anne didn’t have long to live, and when we were eventually able to marry our happiness was complete, and we’ve enjoyed it all the more for not having taken it at Anne’s expense.’
‘But what about me?’ Genista cried in anguish. ‘I’m illegitimate! Richard’s mother would rather die than see him married to me. All he wanted was an affair—he told me so—he said he thought it would be like mother, like daughter.’
Her mother’s hand stiffened on the counterpane and then her arms went round Genista’s shuddering frame.
‘Oh, my poor little girl,’ she said softly. ‘He’s hurt you so badly. You’re so very young. I know you won’t believe me, but if Richard had really cared about you, nothing his mother might have to say could have prevented him from marrying you. One day you’ll meet a man who’ll love you, Genista, and
he won’t care whether your parents were married or not; all he will care about is you.’
The music signalling the end of the programme brought Genista abruptly back to the present. Her mother had been right about Richard not loving her, and since coming to London she had discovered that parentage was of little importance. The people she worked with accepted her for what she was; and besides, these days illegitimacy meant nothing, but the pain of Richard’s betrayal had gone deep and festered. There had been no serious boy-friends in her life since. For a while she had even felt as though she hated her parents, especially when she heard the news of Richard’s engagement. Four months later Genista’s mother and father were dead. Genista had never ceased to be grateful for the fact that before her parents had left on holiday she had told them that she had come to realise that had Richard genuinely cared for her he would not have been concerned about her birth. She would have hated them to die thinking she blamed them for his defection.
It was high time she put the past behind her, she told herself, but this was easier said than done, especially with men like Luke Ferguson around. A shadow crossed her eyes as she got up to switch the television off. The whole thing had gone beyond a joke. She ought to have made it plain just how wrong his thinking was! Bob’s mistress indeed! She wouldn’t dwell on his other insults about her mercenary nature. If it wasn’t for the fact that it wouldn’t be fair to leave Bob in the lurch when he had so many problems on his hands, her notice would be on Luke Ferguson’s desk tomorrow morning! She had been horrified to learn from Bob that Luke intended to spend several weeks with them satisfying himself that the company was operating at optimum efficiency. All she could hope for now was that Elaine’s doctor would confirm that her tumour was benign, and that she could leave the company without feeling that she was deserting Bob in a time of crisis.
* * *
Her hopes were dashed the following morning when she arrived to find Bob already at his desk, wearing a very haggard expression. He greeted her thankfully, pushing a tired hand through hair which seemed to have gone greyer almost over-night.
‘Elaine?’ Genista asked him sympathetically, eyeing the two empty coffee cups already on his desk. To judge by the amount of paperwork lying there Bob had been in the office for quite some time.
‘Bad news, I’m afraid,’ Bob told her quietly. ‘Our own G.P. came round last night to break the news. I had to take Elaine to the hospital this morning, and they’re operating this afternoon. She was so calm,’ he told her worriedly, ‘too calm, and our doctor agreed with me. It’s as though she refuses to accept what’s happening. I’ve tried to talk to her, but she refuses to listen. I’m desperately afraid of what the truth will do to her.’
‘You can’t shield her from it, Bob,’ Genista told him gently. She was about to ask him what time Elaine was having her operation and suggest that he returned to the hospital leaving her to cope with their work, when she became aware that Luke had walked in, and was very obviously eavesdropping on their conversation. His expression was hard to read.
‘Bob, can you spare me Genista for the day?’ he asked crisply. ‘I want to take over the Mellington account myself. They seem to be experiencing problems, and I see that you and Genista both went to see them when they originally requested our services.’
‘Mellington?’
Poor Bob, Genista thought sympathetically. He was obviously far too concerned about Elaine to place the name, but she remembered it—a small firm in Cumbria who specialised in beautiful reproduction furniture. She was not surprised they were having problems. The firm was run by two generations of the family who had founded it, and father and son did not entirely see eye to eye. It had been the son who had wanted to use their services while his father had stubbornly wanted to cling to the old-fashioned methods he had used all his life.
‘You remember,’ Genista told him, ‘that firm up in the Lake District. We went up to see them and spent the weekend there.’
She made the comment in all innocence, forgetting what construction Luke was likely to place upon it. Elaine had gone with them, and Genista had spent most of the weekend alone, exploring the beautiful countryside, leaving Elaine and Bob to enjoy themselves together.
‘Oh, good heavens—of course I remember now,’ Bob agreed, harassment giving way to pleasure. ‘We stayed in that old coaching inn. Our bedroom had a huge fourposter.’
‘There isn’t time to get there and back in a day,’ Genista told Luke, hoping he would change his mind about visiting the factory, but instead a cool gleam entered his eyes, his expression distinctly mocking as he said softly, ‘Well, then, we’ll just have to stay over, won’t we? I shall need one of you with me as you set up the original package, and with Brian still in Amsterdam, I don’t think it would be a good idea to take Bob away from the office as well.’
It was on the tip of Genista’s tongue to refuse, to tell him that there was no way she was going anywhere with him, but then she looked at Bob, and remembered Elaine. If she refused, Bob would either have to go himself or brief someone to take her place; he had enough on his plate without having to worry about that.
‘When were you thinking of going?’ she asked Luke, her chin lifting defiantly.
‘Today. I’ll give you an hour to collect whatever you need, and then I’ll pick you up and we can be on our way. Give Jilly the name of the hotel where you stayed, and she can fix us up with rooms.’
‘I can drive myself there.’ Genista said stiffly. ‘There’s no need…’
Luke’s eyebrows rose quellingly.
‘And use two separate cars, charging both lots of petrol to expenses? No way. We’re travelling together.’ He glanced at his watch, flicking back the cuff of an immaculately tailored dark blue suit to reveal the gold wristband strapped to one sinewy wrist. ‘Ten minutes of your hour have already gone, and I want to be up there before it gets dark. Our meeting is fixed for tomorrow morning.’
The thought of spending a night under the same roof as Luke Ferguson sent shivers of fear down her spine, but there was no way she could get out of going without adding to Bob’s problems, so she swallowed the hot words of refusal clamouring for utterance and went across to Bob, touching him lightly on the shoulder. She knew that Luke was watching them, and she deliberately turned her back to him so that he wouldn’t see what she was saying.
‘I hope everything goes all right with the op.’
‘It’s afterwards that I’m worried about,’ Bob confided. ‘Elaine’s always been very insecure, and with this bee she’s got in her bonnet just recently about not being attractive any longer. I just don’t know how I’m going to reassure her. Still, that’s not your problem. Are you sure you don’t mind going with Luke, Genista?’ he asked awkwardly. ‘I know it’s none of my business, but I’m very fond of you, and Luke has something of a reputation.’
Genista had to stifle hysterical laughter. Bob warning her about Luke! If only he knew!
She was so determined not to give Luke the opportunity of coming up to her apartment that she packed in record time, pulling clothes haphazardly out of her wardrobe and pushing them into her case, one ear alert for the sound of the intercom warning her that he had arrived. She wouldn’t need very much, after all. Clean under-wear; an outfit suitable for a business meeting; her jeans just in case she managed to get any free time, and something comfortable to travel in.