City Girl (17 page)

Caroline knew that Devlin was not particularly interested in Vitor, her escort, having her mind full of thoughts of her boss, but Caroline found Paulo, her friend, great fun and excitingly sexy.
He was twenty-five, very tall and well built and quite the opposite to Richard in personality. His dark brown eyes would glitter with laughter as he did his utmost to seduce her. She made Devlin
promise not to leave her alone with him so everything they did was done as a foursome.

The young men took them to small villages off the beaten track where they sampled true Portuguese cooking and experienced the warmth and friendliness of the Portuguese race. On their last night
Devlin was stricken with a dose of Spanish tummy and Paulo begged Caroline to take a walk along the beach with him. Half-excited, half-afraid, she let herself be persuaded.

Throughout the fortnight he had kissed her often, kisses that had left her breathless, warm and excited . . . feelings she had never experienced with Richard. Strange and unfamiliar desires
assailed her and she wished she could free herself from the fetters of her shy inhibited nature to enjoy the sensuality of her body that cried out for passion and warmth and giving and taking. That
night on the beach with Paulo she knew that she certainly was not a frigid woman. As Paulo gently and experiencedly caressed her she felt her sensuality reveal itself as she caressed the tanned
muscular body that lay so intimately against her. She told him that she wanted to stay a virgin for her husband and Paulo, staring down at her with smiling passionate eyes, whispered seductively,
‘There are other ways, my Caroline. Let me show you . . . ’

They spent a wonderful night beneath the glittering stars with the moonlight shimmering radiantly on the sea, the sound of the surging tide adding to their pleasure. Caressing and kissing,
tasting and touching, she experienced for the first time a deeply sensual pleasure. Deep down she knew she would never experience such physical pleasure with Richard, who was not a sensual man, but
she buried the thought in her mind. That was a choice she might have to make in the future but now was not the time to think about it. For that last lovely night Caroline revelled in her sensuality
and her memories of Paulo often saved her sanity in years to come.

Richard’s welcoming kiss, cool and reserved as ever, gave her no pleasure and for the first time in her life she deliberately lied to someone, avoiding his questions about the holidays,
fearful that if he ever found out about Paulo he would finish with her. Now that she was back home all her old panics and inhibitions were as bad as ever and her fear of being left on the shelf
became even more pronounced when the office junior arrived in one morning flourishing a particularly vulgar looking diamond cluster on her left hand.

Lord, she’s only eighteen! Caroline mused miserably as she tried on the ring and made the traditional wish. You were not allowed to wish for a man – it wouldn’t come true if
you did – but wishing for Mrs Yates as her mother-in-law solved that little problem!

Soon after her return from holidays Richard asked her to go to Galway to visit some friends for a long weekend and, happily, she agreed to go. Maybe away from the pressures of his work he might
become a warm and loving person. At least the fact that he had asked her showed that their relationship was taking a more serious turn. Caroline felt a little glow of happiness. Maybe he was afraid
he would lose control and shock her by his demands, she reflected dreamily. She would just gently let him know that she wouldn’t be the slightest bit shocked . . . would in fact welcome his
advances. Bidding Devlin a happy farewell she noticed momentarily that her friend seemed unhappy and tense. Devlin had been in quite bad form lately and Caroline had a feeling that it had something
to do with Colin Cantrell-King.

Richard didn’t really care for Devlin. Caroline had mentioned as they drove towards Galway that Devlin was unhappy about something. ‘Is she?’ he answered coolly. ‘You
know, Caroline, I don’t like the way that girl bosses you around. She’s too sure of herself, if you ask me.’

For the first time in their relationship she answered sharply. ‘Devlin never bosses me around, she’s the best friend a girl could have. Only I know what she’s done for me so
please don’t criticize her to me!’

Her voice had been a little shaky but she stared him down, noting the tightening of his thin mouth.

‘Very well,’ he said tightly and they had driven along in strained silence. Eventually her nerve broke.

‘Richard! Please don’t be mad,’ she pleaded. ‘It will ruin the weekend. I mean it’s the first time we’ve been away together.’ She met his gaze shyly.
‘Let’s try to get to know each other a little better.’ They had stopped on a lay-by to take a rest and impulsively she reached over and kissed him on the mouth. She felt him tense
up, felt rebuffed and drew away. Richard stared at her for a moment with a strange, almost sad, look in his eyes.

His hand reached out to caress her face and he said quietly, ‘I don’t deserve you. Do I?’

‘Oh Richard!’ she murmured not knowing what to say. He reached into his breast pocket and drew forth a small package and handed it to her.

‘What is it?’ she asked intrigued.

‘Open it,’ he said smiling. Caroline’s eyes widened as she removed the wrapping paper and opened the box to find a pair of exquisite sapphire earrings reposing in a bed of
black velvet.

‘Oh Richard! For me?’ He nodded and leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. ‘I hope you like them.’

‘I do,’ she assured him, wishing he had kissed her on the mouth.

Several times over the weekend she met Charles Stokes, the man she had first met in Richard’s company that first evening at the theatre. Subsequently she met him several times when they
had been out at functions and it was obvious he was a great and trusted friend of Richard’s. In his early fifties and unmarried he was an eminent barrister and Richard confided that he had
been most helpful in assisting him to set up in business. Richard felt a deep sense of gratitude towards the older man and Caroline thought that in him he was finding the father figure so missing
from his life since his father had died. Charles never had much to say to her, just the usual social chit-chat. When she saw Charles in Galway her heart sank to her boots. She knew there was no way
this was going to be a nice secluded weekend alone with Richard as she had hoped. They might as well have stayed in Dublin. They stayed with friends of Richard’s, a married couple who made
her feel welcome and teased her about how nice it was to see Richard at last looking as though he was starting to settle down.

‘You know, this is the longest Richard has ever dated a girl. All the women in Dublin must be broken-hearted. Every time he went somewhere he had a different girl on his arm. The Playboy
of the Western World has nothing on our Richard!’ Caroline laughed. It never ceased to amaze her that of all the sophisticated beautiful women she knew Richard had dated, she was the one who
seemed to have lasted the longest. If only they could break down the physical barriers that seemed to exist between them. Maybe it was because she was that much younger than him. After all he was
thirty-two, and with years of experience of women, and maybe he felt he would be taking advantage of her innocence. It was so frustrating! She knew seventeen year olds who were no longer virgins.
If only she could get Richard to realize that she would welcome intimacy, but she had her own bedroom in Galway and there was little opportunity for them to be alone together. Frustrated, she went
to bed each night with only memories of her encounters with Paulo sustaining her like old friends.

A few days after her return she arrived home one evening to find Devlin sobbing her heart out. She was horrified to find the so strong and usually so self-reliant Devlin crying and swiftly put
her arms around her friend to comfort her.

When Devlin told her about her pregnancy Caroline was stunned. How could Devlin, who was usually so full of commonsense, have been so foolish? Shocked, she had listened while Devlin told her of
her illegitimacy and adoption and felt such pity and love for the younger girl that she wanted to sit hugging her tightly. For the first time in her life she was needed and the sensation made her
feel strong and decisive. She badly wanted to go to London with Devlin to be with her for the abortion. Her mind shrank from the word but still if Devlin felt it was the right thing to do she
wasn’t going to make her feel even more guilty by voicing her dismay at the idea. If she were in Devlin’s shoes, expecting a baby, even out of wedlock, she’d be secretly thrilled.
Banishing the sinful thought she had made pot after pot of tea. They talked and confided in each other as they had never done before.

Watching Devlin disappear through the departure doors at the airport, Caroline knew with certainty that whatever happened to either of them, their friendship was a bond which would never be
broken. Not even Richard would come between herself and Devlin. When Devlin rang her to tell her that she was going to have the baby, she was so relieved. The thoughts of the abortion had preyed on
her mind. What a despicable bastard Cantrell-King was! She wondered uneasily what Richard would have done in the same position. Not that there was much danger of that, she thought sadly.

Devlin’s departure left Caroline extremely lonely. And with Maggie gone to Saudi to live with her new husband, she found herself without her two best friends. And so she turned to Richard
more and more. Their relationship left her feeling vaguely dissatisfied, yet she was not strong enough to end it or, more importantly, to talk about it with him. Richard seemed happy enough the way
things were between them. She guessed that he was glad that Devlin had gone from the scene. He welcomed her growing emotional dependence on him and after a while Caroline had almost persuaded
herself that she was truly in love with him.

When he proposed marriage one evening just before Christmas, she accepted, but to her intense dismay, instead of feeling that she was exquisitely happy, as she should have been on reaching her
life’s ambition, Caroline could only feel a strange deadness like champagne that’s been left too long and has gone flat. But the feel of the elegant solitaire on the third finger of her
left hand brought her a sense of comfort and solace that almost made up for her lack of excitement and watching it glinting under the lights of the Christmas tree near which she sat with
Richard’s arm protectively around her, she thought how strange it was that now, when she had what she had always wanted, it wasn’t quite enough. Was that always the way with life? Well
it was what she had chosen and it was up to her to make Richard a good and loving wife.

Later they went for drinks in O’Dwyers but the frenetic gaiety of the Christmas season seemed only to depress her. For some reason she felt lonely despite the crowds surrounding them,
offering their congratulations. She excused herself to go to the ladies, and had just closed the cubicle door when she heard two voices outside. Unaware of her presence, one woman said to the
other, ‘What do you think of Richard getting hitched, the bastard? I dated him a couple of times and I was crazy about him, but he just kept on seeing other women. What has little Miss Prim
and Proper got that we haven’t got?’

The other voice said drily: ‘Probably a Swiss bank account. You know, I gave that swine so much business through recommending clients to him, thousands of pounds worth. When I got his firm
to handle my purchase of DESIGNER, the shit charged me down to the last penny. If you ask me he overcharged! I wish her joy of him, the penny-pinching skinflint! Anyway, he always loved having
young girls fall for him. He wouldn’t be able to handle a mature relationship with a woman of his own age. That’s why it’s not you or I that’s flashing the diamond tonight,
Elaine!’

Caroline’s eyes were on stalks at this display of bitchiness, as she remained hidden in her cubicle. She remembered Richard telling her that the well-known business woman Joyce Jordan was
buying a fabulous new boutique and that his firm was handling the sale, but imagine him not giving her a discount! She knew that Richard was careful with his money but still, if she had given him
so much business he could have been a little bit generous! And who was this Elaine who had dated her husband-to-be? Oh well, he had dated many women, yet the remark about ‘mature
relationships’ stung. She wondered if Richard had slept with Elaine? What a pity she hadn’t the nerve to walk out and mortify them.

Caroline waited until they had finished their business and gone, before leaving and walking back to her seat. Richard was up at the bar and she met Charles Stokes’s inscrutable gaze.
Thinking that perhaps he might feel that marriage might put constraints on Richard’s socializing with him she leaned over and said shyly, ‘You’ll always be welcome to visit when
we are married.’

‘Thank you,’ he said, but didn’t meet her eyes. Caroline sighed. If he wanted to sulk that was his business. She wasn’t going to whisk Richard off and never let him meet
his friends, for God’s sake! Honestly this should be the happiest day of her entire life. To hell with Elaine and Joyce and Charles Stokes! Surreptitiously her thumb caressed her engagement
ring. She should be thanking God that she was not condemned to a life of spinsterhood. She was on the edge of that special magic circle. Soon she’d be one of them, a fully fledged married
woman at last! Caroline took a long satisfying drink of her Guinness and blackcurrant. Tomorrow the engagement would be announced in
The Irish Times
for all the world and Ruth Saunders to
see.

‘For business purposes,’ Richard said when Caroline told him that she thought such announcements the height of pretentiousness, but she didn’t quite believe him. Still if it
made him happy. Maybe she would get pregnant straightaway. Richard wanted a son, he had told her, and the thought of having a baby thrilled her, especially as Devlin and Maggie were now
pregnant.

Smiling at the thought she sat among the throngs, her mind full of happy anticipatory thoughts. ‘Mrs Caroline Yates’ – how perfect it sounded! She took another sip of her drink
and began to feel more relaxed. Everything would be fine, she told herself. And she was truly the luckiest girl in the world.