Roberta Leigh - Not a Marrying Man Read online

  'You're lying,' she whispered, but knew in her heart that it was true. It explained so much that she had always regarded as inexplicable: Madame's intense devotion to her nephew, amounting almost to obsession; the flashes of venom she directed against him—as if there were moments when she hated him for being alive. As indeed she might well have done when she had discovered she was pregnant. And what of Bruno's father, the twenty-year-old nobleman, who must now be fifty- four and possibly with a legal family of his own ?

  'What proof do you have?' she asked.

  'Letters, photographs, a birth certificate—the lot.'

  'How?'

  'Through my father.' Nevil took up a stance in front of the electric fire. 'He was an officer during the Second World War and he and his troops were the first British soldiers to enter Baldoni.'

  'Madame's village?'

  Nevil nodded. 'It will be clearer if you let me tell you the story without interruption. I'm sure you're only interested in verifying that I do have my facts right.' He paused at her nod and then resumed speaking. 'Even today, with all the money and care lavished on her, Madame Rosa isn't renowned for her beauty, so you can well understand that as a young peasant she'd resigned herself to a blank future. Then the war came and an army training camp was set up close to where she lived. I don't know how it happened, but a young soldier of nineteen fell in love with her. Maybe it was her personality that attracted him, or her strength, but whatever it was, he was devoted to her. Eventually he was sent to the front and Madame Rosa discovered she was pregnant. She wrote to Bruno and told him—that was his name—and he wrote back and said he had applied for leave so he could return to Baldoni and marry her. Before he could do so he was killed.'

  'Poor Madame!'

  'Very poor,' Nevil echoed. 'So poor that she was starving. Her pregnancy was a difficult one and she was too ill to work. She wrote to Bruno's parents who lived in Northern Italy and they wrote back and said they didn't want anything to do with her. It was a cruel letter and accused her of seducing their son in order to better herself.'

  'You've seen the letter?' Sara asked, forgetting her promise not to interrupt.

  'I've seen everything I'm telling you about,' Nevil replied. 'Your estimable Madame gave birth to a son whom she called by the father's name. By this time conditions were very bad in Italy and she managed to escape to North Africa and then to England, leaving her baby with her sister and brother-in-law, who had no children of their own.'

  'So that's why Bruno's aunt…'

  'Yes,' Nevil agreed. 'Madame obviously believed she could make a life for herself abroad and hoped to be able to offer her sister and child a better life in a new country. In the meantime Bruno's grandparents decided Bruno was their last remaining link with their son and the Count came to Baldoni to see Rosa. But the village had come under heavy shellfire and Rosa's family were in hiding. The Count enlisted the help of the village priest who promised to contact Rosa through her sister. Things are a bit hazy at this point, but it looks as if the priest saw the sister, and that she gave him the baby's birth certificate and all the letters Rosa had left behind when she had escaped to England.'

  'Why did she do that?'

  'Probably for safe-keeping—in case she was killed. Anyway, the priest put them in a metal box with his own personal things and returned to the village. A few days later it was captured by the British—my father's company—and the priest unfortunately was injured. My father was with him when he was dying and he gave him the box and told him to send the contents of it to the man whose address he would find inside it. My father promised he would, but in the heat of the battle he must have forgotten all about it. He even forgot he had the box. It was shoved in with a lot of other mementoes he'd picked up on the way and when he came home Mother dumped them all in the attic. As you know, my father died last year and it wasn't until a few months ago that my mother moved out of the house. I went down to help her clear things out and I found the box. It had never been opened since my father had it.'

  'And you had to open it,' Sara said bitterly.

  'I thought it held war mementoes.'

  'Instead of which it held a weapon for blackmail.'

  'No,' he replied with great deliberation, 'I wouldn't say that. I know you think the worst of me, but at least give me credit for not immediately jumping to the conclusion that I could use the evidence I had found to set myself up in Easy Street.'

  That's what you're doing now!'

  'On the contrary. If Bruno Lyn hadn't called in Brummells, if you hadn't led me to believe they would find out I'd received a large sum of money from Lucille's, I might well have given Madame Rosa the contents of the box and forgotten the whole thing.'

  'I don't believe you,' Sara said scornfully: 'If that was your intention you'd have given it to her as soon as you knew you had it. But it's been in your possession "for months—while you were wondering how you could use it to your advantage—the way you're doing now.'

  'You can't blame me for what I'm doing now,' he said sharply. 'It's my good name or Bruno Lyn's. And mine concerns me more.'

  'What are you going to do?'

  'I'm not going to do anything,' he said softly. 'You will do it for me.'

  'If you think I'll blackmail Madame Rosa———— '

  'You're going to see her and tell her what I've told you. Tell her also that if she stops Brummells from continuing with their investigations, her secret will be safe.'

  'For how long?'

  'I don't enjoy making threats,' he said angrily, 'but I have no choice. If Madame does as I say she'll have nothing to fear from me.'

  'Do you think Bruno will agree to let the matter drop? A formula was stolen and he'll want to find out who did it.'

  'Madame will have to curb his enthusiasm.'

  'And then what will happen ? Do you think you'll be able to continue looking after Rosalyn advertising?'

  'I'm going to be Advertising Manager for Lucille's. It was part of my deal with them.'

  'That should give Bruno all the proof he needs that you're the guilty one!'

  'I don't see why. People switch from one account to the other even if both of them happen to be in the same field. Anyway, even if he did suspect me he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.'

  Knowing this to be true, Sara could not hide the bitterness she felt. 'You've worked out everything, haven't you?'

  'I've tried to cover all avenues,' Nevil said modestly. 'The only slip I made was in being paid over here.' His eyes narrowed. 'As I said before, I thought it would help me to marry you. I do love you, Sara. I don't suppose you'd care to———'

  'No,' she interrupted, 'I don't.' She stood up and went to the door.

  'You are going to Madame Rosa?' he asked.

  She nodded, unable to speak, and he crossed to the desk by the window and from a drawer took out a slim package and handed it to her. 'Please assure Madame Rosa that no one will ever hear the story from me providing she does as I've asked.'

  'And what about the future?' Sara demanded, forcing herself to stare into his face as if she could read the truthful answer there. 'What will happen if you need more money? I assume you have photo-copies of these letters?'

  'Naturally. But I don't envisage using them. Lucille's are being exceptionally generous.'

  'Then give me the copies too.'

  'I may have more than one set.'

  There was nothing Sara could say to this and, turning on her heel, she ran from the flat as though she were leaving the very devil behind. As indeed she felt she was.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Without giving herself time to think—because too much thought would have petrified her as to what might happen—Sara went straight to Madame's penthouse. Her employer was already in bed, but showed no surprise at seeing her, assuming she had been tied up with Brummells until now.

  'How tired you look, child!' she exclaimed, and glanced at her maid who was sitting sewing in a chair beside her. 'Tell Cook to prepare supp
er for Miss Vale.'

  'I don't want anything to eat,' Sara said hastily. 'I would like to talk to you, Madame.'

  'You must eat first.'

  'No, please—I can't.' The tone more than the words convinced Madame Rosa something was wrong and she signalled the maid to leave them alone.

  'Now then,' she said peremptorily, 'tell me what it is.'

  As unemotionally as she could, Sara disclosed Nevil's guilt and the evidence he had accumulated to protect himself should his guilt be discovered.

  'He is clever, that one,' Madame Rosa said heavily. 'I will willingly let him go free in order to protect Bruno from the truth.'

  'But why?' Sara pleaded. 'Why can't he know you're his mother?'

  'Because I cannot give him a father! Do you think I wish my son to know he is a bastard?'

  'He wouldn't blame you for it. You have letters to prove the Count's son was planning to come back and marry you—that he loved you.'

  'Love!' Madame's wrinkled face creased into a painful smile. 'I don't think my poor Bruno knew the meaning of that word as you and I understand it. He was so young, Sara. Nineteen when I first met him and shy as a fawn. He always said that the first thing he noticed about me was my laughter. Fat and happy Rosa without a lira to her name who would sit and listen to his dreams for the future without calling him a fool.' The thick voice trembled. 'That was why he loved me. Because I listened to him.'

  'You also loved him.' Sara was close to tears, for love was in the old, tired voice and mirrored in the fine dark eyes. 'You did love him, Madame, and it isn't fair that Bruno shouldn't know he's your son. More important still, he should know who his real father is.'

  'Do you think he'd care that his father would have been a Count had he lived?' Madame demanded. That he would rather have had a title and a palace than a loving mother and father? That's what my sister and her husband were to him; a family of his own to love.'

  'I still think you owe it to yourself to tell him the truth,' Sara said huskily.

  'Even if you are right it is too late for me to tell him now. The past cannot be undone and I don't wish to run the risk of altering the future I have planned for him. Let him go on believing I'm his aunt. It makes no difference to my love for him, or to what he feels for me.'

  'It would help him to understand why you were so possessive of him when he was young and why you wanted to take over his life when your sister died. If you had been able to tell him you were his mother, I don't think he would have resented the demands you made on him.'

  Crepy lids covered the dark eyes and for a long moment there was silence. At last the lids lifted and Madame began to speak. 'For one who is still so young, you have much wisdom. I hope you will use it to be wiser with your life than I was with mine. But I do not wish to tell Bruno the truth; even though it means Mr Maine will go free.'

  Then you will dismiss Brummells? What excuse will you make to Bruno?'

  'I will tell him it is bad for us to have this kind of publicity. Besides, even if we found out the truth we couldn't prevent Lucille's from producing the lipstick.'

  'You could sue them,' Sara protested. 'And I'm sure you'd get substantial damages.'

  'And damage my son in the process? No, Sara, I won't have our private lives spread across every scandal sheet in Europe and America.'

  Sara knew there was nothing more she could say to change the situation. In an odd way she appreciated Madame's decision; might even have acted in the same way had she been in a similar position. Yet where was she left now? The answer stared her unhappily in the face.

  'It will be impossible for me to remain with the company, Madame,' she said.

  'Why? We will forget tonight. We will never talk of it again.'

  That won't make any difference. I know everything that goes on here. I know what your new products are going to be and what your plans are for the next few years. If I continue working for the company Nevil is certain to try and blackmail me into giving him the information he wants.'

  'He could just as easily go on blackmailing me,' Madame replied.

  'He'd be more wary of doing that. But as long as I'm here he'd feel he could put the pressure on me. And it would give him a direct line to the company.'

  Madame raised herself up on one elbow and peered across the room. "You mean I am to lose you after all these years?'

  'Losing me to keep your secret,' Sara said with a sad smile, and wondered what excuse she would give to Bruno for going. She waited for Madame to ask her this and was surprised when the question did not come. But then Madame did not know what had happened between herself and Bruno in New York and still assumed their relationship to be one of antagonism.

  'I didn't think you would leave me like this,' Madame said throatily. 'I do not like to think I will never see you again.'

  Sara longed to say she would continue to visit Madame but knew this would be unwise. Bruno would see her going as a turning away from him and would obviously not want to have her underfoot when he came to see his aunt. His aunt. Sara bit back a sigh and forced herself to accept the realisation that he would never know the truth.

  'Goodbye, Madame,' she said, and leaned down quickly to kiss the rouged cheek.

  The only good thing to come out of this,' the woman said, 'is that you won't be marrying Mr Maine. At one time I was afraid you would.'

  'I'd rather die an old maid.'

  'You'll never do that,' Madame grunted.

  With Madame Rosa's decision about Nevil made, Sara's own decision only needed implementation and, because she was anxious to leave the company before Bruno returned, she went to the office first thing in the morning to clear out her desk and dictate as detailed a memorandum as possible on company policy and the publicity she had planned for the coming year. She gave this to her second-in-command with firm instructions to be called if there was ever any emergency.

  'Where are you going. Miss Vale?' her assistant asked.

  'I don't know.'

  'You can't just be leaving to do nothing.'

  'I'll do something eventually.'

  'But why are you leaving so suddenly?'

  'Put it down to age,' Sara said dryly. 'Now please, Laura, I don't want to talk about it. I'm going and that's final.'

  But there was one more unexpected hurdle to be faced, and this came with a telephone call from Mr Brian of Brummells.

  'Tell me how you managed it,' he said without beating round the bush.

  'I don't know what you mean.'

  'Come, come. Miss Vale. We've been pulled off the case and you are resigning. Two such actions don't occur without being closely related.'

  Staggered by the assumption, she took a moment to recover. 'You're talking nonsense!' she exclaimed.

  'Then why are you going?'

  'Because I've found a better job. As for your being called off the case, the reason is that Madame Rosa doesn't want the publicity.'

  'A good try. Miss Vale, but I still think you're lying. We were dismissed because we would have discovered who the thief was, and my bet is that the truth would have been embarrassing to the company.'

  'You are entitled to your opinion, Mr Brian. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot to do before I leave.' Sara put the receiver down sharply, not caring if he thought her rude.

  Yet this call had made her realise that Bruno too might see her reason for going as one of guilt; and when he heard that Nevil had gone to work for Lucille's, this belief would be a certainty. He would also assume that the two of them had been working together.

  But there was nothing she could do to make Bruno realise the truth. Only Madame Rosa could do that. Yet perhaps Bruno would not believe the worst of her. Perhaps the short time they had spent together in New York would give him sufficient understanding to guess there might be another reason behind her departure; possibly even to accept it without question and not let it sour their continuing friendship. Friendship. The very word itself was a lie, for she knew there could never be friendship between hers
elf and Bruno. There could either be love and complete fulfilment or nothing.

  Two days after her break with the company, Bruno came to see her at her apartment, and one look at his scowling face told her it would be nothing.

  'You weren't very subtle about your departure, were you?' He spat out the words as if he wanted to hit her with each one. That's about the only facet of your behaviour that surprised me; that you were so obvious.'

  'If you've come to quarrel with me,' she said wearily, 'I would just as soon you left.'

  'Not until I've said my piece. I've met some two-faced women in my time, but you take the gold and silver medals for deception!'

  'All I did was leave Rosalyn. Why should that make me guilty?' She had to make some effort to defend herself even though she knew it was only a poor one.

  'You left because you and your boy-friend were in cahoots. You took the formula and he sold it. I suppose you'll be joining him at Lucille's?'

  'How do you know he's going there?' She stopped as she saw the look on Bruno's face, realising too late that until she had told him, it had only been an inspired guess.

  'I had to call the advertising agency this morning and they said he had left the company last week.' Bruno's voice was deep with fury. 'When I think of the way you pulled the wool over my eyes, I could strangle you!'

  'We aren't serving any purpose by talking like this.'

  She turned away from him, afraid that if she went on looking at him she would break down.

  'I hadn't realised you were so susceptible to finer feelings,' he taunted, and pulled her round to face him. 'When Aunt Rosa called me and said she was dismissing Brummells, I flew straight back to see her. But talking to her face to face makes even less sense. She's obviously protecting someone—and it has to be you!'

  'Is that why you came to see me?' Sara demanded. To find out if you were right to think me a thief?'

  'I came here because I don't want to condemn you without a hearing.'

  'How big of you!'

  'Yes, it is,' he grated, and shook her roughly. 'I'm trying to get at the truth. Didn't New York mean anything to you, or was it just a pleasant way of spending an evening?'