AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Or an ex-husband.
‘I’m just hot and tired, that’s all.’ Lucy could barely think straight, never mind speak, because of her own panic and fear. Nick knew Andrew Walker. Nick had told Andrew Walker about her and Prêt a Party. Nick and Andrew Walker were responsible for those photographs, that video. Andrew Walker had wanted to stop Marcus marrying her because he wanted Prêt a Party.
She hadn’t said a word about seeing Blayne. Had he told her that he was free again? Was she wishing that she were too? Had they made arrangements to meet up somewhere—in London, for instance? They had certainly had time.
‘That’s our flight they’ve just called,’ Marcus announced.
‘Marcus…’ Lucy desperately wanted to tell him what had happened, to appeal to him for help.
‘Yes.’
She bit her lip. ‘Nothing.’ How could she involve him? How could she tell him what a fool she had been? How could she tell him about the seedy and immoral nature of what she had so nearly become involved in? And what if, because of her foolishness, those dark forces and everything that went with them should seep into their own lives? Into Marcus’s business life? Marcus was a man of honour and probity—Marcus was the total opposite of the Andrew Walkers of this world.
She felt sick and shaky, and so very, very afraid.
‘Lucy. What a naughty girl you’ve been, not returning my calls.’
Lucy tried to stand up, but Andrew Walker had placed a hard hand on her shoulder, pushing her back into her chair. How had he got into the office? She had locked the door. She always locked the door when she had to be here now.
He waved a key under her nose, as though he had guessed what she was thinking.
‘How fortunate that Nick remembered he had a spare key to the office here. He’s back in London, by the way. Has he been in touch with you yet?’
Lucy didn’t speak. She didn’t trust herself to do so.
‘Nick very much wants to see you,’ he continued. ‘In fact he has told me in confidence how much he regrets the break-up of your marriage. I must say that it is a pity he is no longer involved in Prêt a Party.’
He released her shoulder and pulled up a chair, straddling it to sit in front of her, blocking her pathway to the door—which she suspected he had probably locked anyway.
‘Now, about Prêt a Party, Lucy.’
‘I’m closing Prêt a Party down,’ Lucy told him immediately. All she had been able to think about since their return from honeymoon had been how to solve the problem she had unwittingly brought on herself. In the end she had decided that the best way was simply to make sure that Prêt a Party no longer existed. ‘You’ll have to look for something else.’
‘Oh, no. I’m afraid we can’t allow you to do that. You see, Prêt a Party is just so perfect for our needs. It really was very foolish of Nick to give up his involvement in it, and of course he knows that himself now. Indeed, it strikes me that he may very well have a claim on re-establishing his role in Prêt a Party—after all, there was never any formal cessation of the contract between you, was there?’
‘Nick left me.’
‘A mistake he now regrets,’ Andrew Walker told her smoothly.
‘I won’t be dragged into what you’re doing, and I shall—’
He was shaking his head.
‘Lucy, I don’t think you properly understand. We want Prêt a Party, and we want you as well. After all, without you it isn’t very much use to us, you know. It’s your name that makes it what it is.’
‘No. I won’t agree—and you can’t make me.’
‘Oh, dear. I’m afraid I am going to have to disillusion you there. We very much can make you. How do you feel about your husband, Lucy? Do you love him? You wouldn’t want to see him hurt, would you? And he could be hurt—very badly hurt, too—if you don’t do what we want.’
‘You’re just saying that,’ Lucy protested. ‘You’re just trying to frighten me and threaten me—’
‘Where is Marcus at the moment, Lucy? Do you know?’
Stubbornly she refused to answer him. Andrew Walker sighed gently.
‘He’s in Leeds, isn’t he? Why don’t you telephone him? You know his mobile number, don’t you?’
‘He’s gone to see a client,’ Lucy told him stiffly. ‘I don’t want to disturb him.’
‘He may have gone to Leeds to see a client, but unfortunately he didn’t make the appointment. He’s had a small…accident, you see.’
He saw her expression and laughed.
‘I’m going to be very generous to you, Lucy. I’m going now, and I’m going to give you twenty-four hours to think things over. You’re a sensible woman, and I’m sure you’re going to realise very quickly that it’s in your own interests to accept what we’re offering you. See you tomorrow—same place, same time.’
Andrew Walker had gone, leaving only the smell of his aftershave behind to mingle with the scent of her own fear.
CHAPTER TEN
LUCY felt sick. She was struggling to breathe properly. Her fingers trembled so much as she reached for the telephone to ring Marcus that it took her several attempts to do so.
When the call rang out unanswered she panicked, and then tried to reassure herself that he had simply put his calls on divert. But then, shockingly, she heard a strange male voice demanding, ‘Who is it?’
Automatically she checked the number she had dialled, just in case it was wrong. It wasn’t.
‘I want to speak to Marcus—my husband.’
‘Ai want to speak to Marcus—mai ‘usband.’ The man mimicked her cruelly. ‘Well, there ain’t no Marcus ’ere.’
‘But you’ve got his mobile! How—? Where—?’
To her dismay the line went dead—and remained dead even though she tried over and over again to get her call answered.
Marcus’s mobile had obviously been stolen—but that didn’t mean anything had happened to Marcus himself, she tried to reassure herself. Mobile phones went missing all the time.
Even so…Frantically she rang the bank and asked to be put through to Marcus’s PA, demanding to know who exactly Marcus had been going to see and how she could get in touch with her husband.
‘Have you tried his mobile?’ Jerome asked her.
‘Yes, but…but a stranger answered. Jerome, I think it may have been stolen, and I’m worried about Marcus.’
‘Calm down.’ He immediately soothed her. ‘I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation. I’ll get in touch with the client and then I’ll ring you back.’
Five minutes crawled by, agonisingly slowly, and then another five. And then Lucy couldn’t bear to wait any more.
This time she dialled Jerome’s number direct, only to find that his line was busy. Because he was trying to get in touch with her? Immediately Lucy hung up, and curled herself into a small tight ball of anguished fear. If anything had happened to Marcus then it was her fault. Because of her and Prêt a Party…because of her marriage to Nick…
Her telephone started to ring. She stared at it for several seconds, almost too afraid to answer it, then frantically reached for the receiver, clutching it when she heard Jerome’s voice saying sharply, ‘Lucy?’
‘Yes, it’s me. Have you spoken to Marcus?’
‘Yes…’
There was a note in his voice that immediately set alarm bells ringing in her head.
‘What is it? Where is he?’ she demanded fiercely.
‘There’s been a bit of an incident, but he’s all right, Lucy—’
‘What do you mean? What kind of incident? Jerome, where is he?’
‘Leeds General Hospital.’
‘What? Why? What’s happened to him? I’m going to see him. I—’
‘Lucy, calm down. Marcus is fine. He told me to tell you that he’ll be home tomorrow, as planned.’
‘I want to speak to him! I want to see him…’
She could hear Jerome exhaling.
‘I’m afraid that you can’t, Lucy. Not righ
t now. Marcus is in Casualty—no, it’s all right, there’s nothing seriously wrong with him—just a few bruises and scratches. Although from the sound of it, it could have been much worse if the crew of a cruising police car hadn’t spotted what was happening and scared off the young thugs who had set about him. However, the medics want to check him over—just to be on the safe side.’
‘Jerome, please…I want to know now exactly what happened,’ Lucy demanded, as she fought back the fear his words had caused her and tried to think and speak coherently.
