A High Price to Pay (22 page)

Oh God, what am I going to do now?'

In spite of the pain she was feeling, Alison experienced a pang of

sympathy for her sister. Melanie was so young, so vulnerable to be

passionately involved with someone like Nick. He was in love with

her now, but would it last?

She said quietly, 'It—seemed better if he went. But I'm sure he'll be in

touch with you.'

'In touch?' Melanie echoed incredulously. 'What the hell is the use of

that? I need him here.' She paused, then said awkwardly, 'There's

something he wants to talk to you about—something you may not

like, but—oh, Ally, I'm sure it's for the best in the long run. Things

can't go on as they are, and you look so pale and tired. I know you're

not happy.'

'No.' Alison summoned up a smile from somewhere. 'No, I haven't

been happy, but you won't make my mistakes.'

'Well, I don't think I'd have taken the whole thing on in the first place,'

Melanie said. 'Although at the time, I must say it was a relief. But we

should have known it wouldn't work.'

'No.' Alison swallowed. 'Mel, I'd rather not talk about this now.

I—I've spoken to Nick, of course, and told him that I know what's

been—happening, and that I won't make waves, and I promise you

the same thing—only I'd prefer not to discuss it any further now.'

Melanie grimaced. 'I'm afraid you're going to have to,' she said,

glancing rather distractedly at her watch. 'And if you've talked

everything over with Nick, I'm amazed he didn't tell you about the

driving lessons. Oh, damn Nick! Why the hell did he have to go

haring off back to London, and leave us to face the music? Mother's

bound to make a scene when she finds out, but she wouldn't have

dared if Nick had been here.'

'I won't let her,' promised Alison. 'I won't let her be angry with

you—either of you.'

'Hm.' Melanie pulled another face. 'Don't think you'll get away

unscathed either. She'll probably tell you that you've betrayed

her—that we all have. But honestly. Ally, I know we're doing the

right thing.'

'Please.' Alison was shocked at the sudden violence in her voice. 'I've

told you—I can't talk about it now. Do you think I have no feelings at

all?'

Melanie suddenly looked very young and very vulnerable. 'That's the

last thing I'd ever have thought,' she said in a small voice. 'I know

what Ladymead means to you.' Ladymead?' Alison laughed harshly.

'Do you think that's all I care about? My God, there are times I wish

the place had burned to the ground!'

Melanie's face cleared a little. 'Well, that's what I told Nick. I said I

was sure when it came down to it you'd feel like that. But Nick wasn't

certain and ...'

'Nick—Nick—Nick!' Alison's voice cracked. 'Do you have to keep

saying his name? I've asked you not to discuss this now…'

'Ally!' Melanie had gone white. 'What's the matter? What's wrong

with you? I thought you were in agreement?' She broke off abruptly,

as the front door bell sounded imperatively. 'Oh, hell, that'll be Mrs

Lambert here already. I'll answer it—unless you want to?'

'Mrs Lambert?' Alison said wearily. 'Who on earth is Mrs Lambert?'

'Nick didn't tell you about her either?' Melanie stopped, and put a

repentant hand over her mouth. 'Look, I'd better let her in,' she went

on as the bell sounded again.

Alison followed her out into the hall. The woman waiting on the

doorstep was tall with a calm, humorous face. As she took in

Melanie's obvious tension, and Alison's white strained face, her

brows lifted questioningly.

'Good morning,' she said. 'I'm Freda Lambert, and I understood I was

expected, but it seems I may have arrived at a bad time.'

'Expected?' Alison asked rather dazedly. 'I don't quite understand.'

'You'll be Mrs Bristow, of course.' Alison found her hand taken in a

warm clasp. 'Your husband told me he would explain everything to

you before I came, but perhaps his courage failed him. He wasn't sure

how you would react to the idea of your mother having a paid

companion. Maybe he thought it would be better to present you with a

fait accompli.'

'Perhaps he did.' Alison felt stunned, but rallied. 'Won't you come into

the drawing room, Mrs— er—Lambert, and I'll arrange for some

coffee.'

'Perhaps hot sweet tea might be better,' Mrs Lambert said with a

twinkle. 'Isn't that the sovereign remedy for shocks? I'm sorry my

appearance has proved so traumatic for you. I'm sure Mr Bristow

intended you to find it a pleasant surprise. Isn't he here? He said he

would be.'

'I'm sorry,' Alison said awkwardly. 'He—he's been called away on

business.'

'What a shame,' Mrs Lambert sympathised. 'When the whole point of

my being here is to allow the two of you more freedom, and more

time together.' She paused. 'Would it be better, do you think, if I met

your mother before we have coffee?' She gave Alison a dry smile.

'That might give her time to get over her initial annoyance and

resistance to the idea first.'

'I think that's a marvellous plan,' Melanie put in hurriedly. 'I'll take

you up to her.' To her sister she muttered, 'Sit down, Ally, before you

fall down. You look as if you're going to faint!'

'I feel as if I am,' Alison said helplessly. 'I'd like to know exactly

what's going on, please?'

'It's quite simple.' Mrs Lambert's tone was soothing. 'Your husband

has engaged me, Mrs Bristow, on a month's trial as a companion for

your mother. He feels that since she was widowed, she doesn't quite

realise how many demands she makes on your time and energy, and

that you, as her daughter, find it impossible to tell her so. So— my

first task is to get her to accept me, purely on a temporary basis, then

we'll go on from there.'

'She never will,' said Alison, giving her a straight look.

'Oh,' Mrs Lambert's twinkle deepened, 'stranger things have

happened. Of course, if you don't want us to make the attempt—if

you feel it would be better if I left now, without seeing her, then, quite

naturally, I'll go along with that. But I wish you'd let me try.'

Alison sank down on the sofa. 'Very well,' she said at last.

She sat alone, staring into space, trying to make sense of what was

happening and failing, until Melanie returned, and she was able to

round on her. 'Do you mind telling me what's going on? Or are you

simply—clearing the decks, because you're not prepared to look after

Mother, as I've done?'

Melanie stared at her. 'What difference can it possibly make to me?'

she asked, as if she was reasoning with a lunatic. 'I'm not here ninety

per cent of the time, anyway. No, the problem is yours—and Nick's,

of course. But I thought you'd had all this out with him?'

'No.' Alison moistened dry lips with the tip of her tongue.

'I—misunderstood you. We—were discussing something rather

different. Surely you must realise that?'

Melanie shrugged, 'If you say so. But it seems odd when I know Nick

intended to get the whole thing straight with you this weekend.' She

paused, as if a thought had struck her. 'Ally, when Nick told you what

he wanted, what he's going to do— you didn't quarrel, did you?'

Alison's hands were clenched tightly in her lap. 'You—could say

that,' she admitted tonelessly.

'So that's why he's gone off like this!' Melanie looked horrified. 'Ally,

you shouldn't have been angry with him. He's only thinking of you,

after all. And himself, of course,' she added as a cautious amendment.

'After all, it can't be much fun for him having Mother living in the

same house, always there whenever he comes down here, and always

making her presence felt—because she does, Ally, and if you're

honest, you can't deny it. She likes to be the centre of attention, and

it's only natural for Nick to want you to himself, especially when

you've only been married for about five minutes. And she will like

Mrs Lambert, when she gets used to the idea—I know she will. It was

the house that Nick was concerned about. It meant so much to you, he

said, held so many memories that you might not want to give up. But

he feels stifled here. You can't blame him for wanting to find

somewhere with no past associations for either of you. And Mummy

needs to be independent too. That's really what Mrs Lambert is

for—to coax her back into the real world again, as Nick says.'

Alison lifted her hands to her head. 'I don't understand any of this.

There's nothing to stop Nick leaving. I—I never thought he'd stay

here— with you.'

'With me?' Melanie asked in a peculiar tone. 'Where do I come into all

this?'

'Don't let's play any more games,' Alison begged unhappily. 'I know

you've been—seeing Nick. I don't blame you, Mel, honestly. I always

knew you had a thing about him from the very first, and in all sorts of

ways, you're far more suited.' She swallowed. 'But, darling, you're so

young. Are you sure you know your own mind— that you aren't just

infatuated?'It was Melanie's turn to sit down abruptly. The faint

sprinkling of freckles across her face stood out against her sudden

pallor.

'You know?' she said slowly. 'And you thought that I—that Nick . ..?

Oh, Ally, how could you have been such a fool! Yes, I've been seeing

him. He's been so desperately unhappy, and he needed someone to

talk to—someone to consult about what he could do to put things

right between you. Eventually he brought his mother in on it too, and

we hammered out a plan between us. The driving lessons were part of

it, and Mrs Lambert, of course. And—and selling Ladymead. A

whole new start for you both. He was going to talk to you this

weekend, try and persuade you to agree.' She paused. 'Surely you

didn't tell him what you suspected?'

Alison's lips felt numb. 'Yes.'

'Strewth!' Melanie was silent for a few minutes. 'And when he told

you the truth, you argued with him?'

'He didn't deny anything,' Alison said in a low voice. 'I—I said I

wanted a divorce, and he—he agreed to give me one.'

Melanie looked as if she was going to burst into tears. 'Oh God, that's

awful! It must have killed him. Yes, of course I adore him—who

wouldn't? But apart from the fact that he belongs to you, he's too old

for me.' She gave a wobbly smile. 'And if I had been in love with him,

I'd have got terribly fed up, because all he ever wanted to talk about

was you. He's crazy about you. Surely you know that?'

'No,' Alison said steadily, 'I didn't know. I've got everything

hopelessly wrong, and somehow I'm going to have to put it right. If I

can. If it's not too late.' She paused. 'Can you cope here—you and Mrs

Lambert?'

'Of course,' Melanie said instantly. 'But what are you going to do?'

Alison got to her feet. 'I'm going to find him.'

As she went to the door, a desperate, soundless prayer welled up

inside her, 'Dear God, please don't let it be too late ...'

She was close to panic when the taxi dropped her at the door of the

elegant mews house. She stood there, staring at the pristine gleam of

fresh paintwork and brass, wondering what welcome, if any, awaited

her. Wondering, too, if she should have phoned in advance to warn

Nick that she was on her way. To find out, if she was honest, whether

there was any point in her journey, or whether all that awaited them in

the future was the bitter finality of separation and divorce.

Leaving Ladymead had not been easy. Her mother's protests had been

voluble and tearful.

'But you never go to London!' Grievance rang from her voice and

stared from her eyes. 'You hate the place. Alison—I've heard you say

it a dozen times.'

'But Nick is there,' Alison said gently. 'I'm going to be with my

husband.'

Mrs Mortimer sniffed pettishly. 'I fail to see why Nicholas can't come

here instead. He seems very restless—and extremely keen to cause as

much uproar in other people's lives as he can,' she added angrily. 'I

shall find it very hard to forgive him for this day's work. Foisting

some—stranger on to me in this extraordinary way! Well, she can go.

I want nothing to do with her. And I shall have a number of things to

say to your husband if he ever deigns to show his face here again!'

'You must do as you please, of course,' Alison said levelly. 'But

perhaps it might be better not to part with Mrs Lambert too quickly. I

don't know when I shall be coming back, and you'll need someone to

run your errands for you, and keep you company. And she seems

extremely competent and pleasant.'