Laura Possessed (20 page)

‘And no one ever suspected you were involved with her?'

‘No one. Her “untouchable” reputation certainly stood her in good stead. Also, of course, we'd been quite fanatic about only meeting in out-of-the-way places, and she always insisted on wearing dark glasses.'

‘So what happened?'

‘There were headlines in all the papers, poor old Balfour had to be told, one helluva fuss. I was in a state of total shock. A couple of days later Ed Berry, one of my contacts, called for me to join their party flying to California to hear Kennedy. I was like a zombie, I just did what I was told, so I went with them. But immediately after the shooting, I simply went under. I was in hospital in Los Angeles for weeks, getting psychiatric treatment, shock therapy, the lot. They told me afterwards they didn't think I'd make it. For myself, I'd rather not have done.'

‘And the truth of Noel's death never came out.'

‘No. On that flight to Los Angeles I heard Ed and the others talking about it. There'd been one or two reports in the press that other motorists had thought there were two people in the car, and also that she'd been driving erratically before the accident, but the fire ruled out any possibility of testing for alcohol or anything, so they never discovered the
presence
of the sleeping pills. God only knows what raised old Sandilands' suspicions.' His eyes went intently to her face. ‘Did he say any more about it, that night you had dinner with him?'

‘A little, I think, more or less what you've just said yourself, about people reporting there was someone else in the car. He'd deduced it could have been a lover, but surely he wouldn't have been able to prove anything after so long?'

‘I don't know.'

He watched the change come over her, almost uncaring. Her hands flattened on the table as she levered herself slowly to her feet, while her face seemed to cave in on itself, making nose and chin unnaturally prominent.

‘But,' she whispered at last, ‘you couldn't afford to take the chance. Could you?'

‘As you say.'

‘You killed him! That nice, pleasant little man—'

‘Laura, I'd no choice. If he started ferreting around, the man who took me home that night might suddenly remember finding someone wandering in a dazed condition in that area. And if he also remembered which hotel he took me to, the rest would be easy. God, haven't I paid enough already? What further punishment do I deserve?'

‘So you killed him,' she repeated. She seemed unable to take it in. She seemed far
more
shocked by this revelation than by his admittance of causing Noel's death. Possibly the personal element came into it.

‘I'd intended to do it the previous evening, in case he said anything more to you. Not that you'd have had any reason to connect it with me, of course. However, I didn't get the opportunity then so it had to be the Tuesday. I saw you all drive away—'

‘And it was all for nothing, anyway. Fenella will probably dig it out now, if it's possible to dig anything.'

‘His assistant? Yes, I didn't realize how closely she was involved until that evening I had dinner at Four Winds and then, since she was flying back to the States the next day, it was too late to do anything about it.'

‘Thank God!' Her voice cracked.

His chair jarred on the floor. ‘Don't look at me like that! Noel, are you there? You see, don't you, that it was for your sake too?'

Laura said through paper-white lips, ‘You're mad!'

He came swiftly round the table and seized her arms. ‘Noel! Do you understand?'

She struggled frantically to free her body from his vice-like grip and her mind from the cloudy advent of Noel. ‘Let me go! Lewis, let me go!' And then, as body and mind both succumbed to greater forces, she relaxed in his arms and he heard her say, ‘It's all right, baby. Of course I understand.'

‘Noel—she
might tell someone—'

‘No, sweetheart, I won't let her. It's all right.' She was holding him now, soothing and calm, and gradually his tumultuous breathing quietened. At last Laura moved away from him.

‘Noel?'

‘It's Laura, Lewis. I must go. Edward has to attend a dinner in Sussex tonight, so Toby and Janet are going back with him and he'll spend the night at their house. I promised I'd be back in time to say good-bye.'

Her manner was as calm and normal as if the preceding hour had been wiped from her mind. How much did she remember?

‘You look all in,' she said gently. ‘Go back to bed and try to rest.'

He ran a hand wearily through his hair. ‘I might. What about this evening? Since your brother and his family will have gone—'

‘I suppose it will be all right. Caroline's playing bridge this afternoon, but she'll be back about six. Come and have dinner with us like you did before.'

He looked at her blankly, remembering from a great distance last night's renewed desire for Caroline. Had it really only been last night? How they entangled him, the three of them—Caroline exciting his body, Noel clinging to his mind, Laura seemingly in possession of both mind and body. Which of them would claim him in the end?

She
had taken hold of his arm and an anxious frown. ‘Lewis—are you all right? Will you come for dinner this evening?'

‘Yes,' he mumbled, ‘I'll come.' After she had gone, he barely remembered stumbling upstairs and falling across the bed. It was more like a drugged coma than normal sleep, and it lasted until well into the afternoon. He awoke to find the full force of the sun pouring down on him and his shirt plastered against his chest.

He sat up slowly and looked at his watch. Half-past three. He must have slept for over four hours. He went back downstairs, stopping short as he saw his own and Laura's mugs still on the table, half full of cold coffee. God, he'd hoped that was all some weird kind of dream. Had it been to Laura he had confessed Sandilands' murder, or to Noel? Surely it was Laura who had stood staring at him with such horror. But Noel had promised to see to it and certainly Laura's attitude when she left him had been devoid of any hint of accusation. All he could do was trust to Noel and hope for the best.

As it happened, Caroline was approaching Four Winds from the direction of Ledbrook as he turned into the gateway himself. He got out of the car and went over to her as she drew to a halt in the driveway. She had a wide white band across her gold hair and her smooth brown arms jingled with gold bracelets. After
weeks
of attention riveted on Laura's pale, colourless little form, Caroline was vividly beautiful and his colour-starved eyes feasted on her in sensuous delight.

‘If you keep staring at me like that, you'll make me blush!' she commented, looking up at him with, he felt, deliberate provocation.

‘I was just thinking you look good enough to eat!'

‘I think crab salad would be more nourishing. That's all you'll be offered, anyway!'

‘And for dessert?' He opened the door of the car and helped her out. Her bare arm was silky-smooth under his fingers. For an instant her deep blue eyes stared tantalizingly back at him. His hand tightened, drew her fractionally towards him.

‘Strawberries and cream!' she replied, and laughed.

His breathing quickened. ‘No choice?'

‘Positively none. You made your choice some time ago.'

‘Caroline, I was out of my mind! You can't—'

‘Sh!' She glanced over his shoulder and he felt her stiffen. Turning, he saw that Laura was standing watching them from the doorway.

Part
4

Noel

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

All through dinner she watched them playing their little game, Caroline careless and provocative, Lewis intent on her every word and movement, and the hurt bewildered anger spread through her like a creeping fire. After all this, after all these years of searching, when they had finally come together again, this woman had only to toss her lovely head and glance at him invitingly under her long eyelids for him to give up all pretence and devote his entire attention to her. They were lovers, she was sure of it now, and the throbbing shafts of jealousy thrust down inside her until she almost cried out.

Caroline said, ‘Laura, you're not eating a thing. Aren't you hungry?'

She looked back at her with choking hatred and resentment. ‘No.' Why, why had she agreed to Lewis coming here this evening, when Edward was away?

‘Don't you feel well?'

The words triggered off a warning inside her head. The next step would be to suggest she went to lie down, leaving them alone.

‘I'm all right,' she said sullenly.

Lewis smiled at her with absent-minded kindness. ‘It's probably the heat. It is very oppressive.'

The
leaden weight settled somewhere in her stomach. It was understandable, of course. Much as he still loved her, he could not completely accept the manifestations of her presence, and she knew despairingly that the more she made that presence felt, the more she was in danger of driving him into Caroline's arms. A spirit without a body was not enough after all. If Laura were as attractive as Caroline, she might have more chance of sustaining his interest, for Lewis had always been susceptible to a woman's beauty. But it was Laura's very insignificance that had made the take-over so easy; Caroline's was stronger in every way.

She pushed her chair back. ‘Let's go in the garden, Lewis. At least there might be a bit of a breeze there.'

He hesitated, his eyes still on Caroline. ‘Do you feel up to working?'

‘Of course.'

Caroline said carelessly, ‘Off you go then, and Mrs. Baines can clear the table. Don't worry about me. I have some letters to write.' She turned dismissively away to replace the stopper in the wine decanter.

They went together out through the open French windows and across to the pear tree.

‘Lewis!' There was frustrated despair in the cry and he turned to her in surprise. ‘What do I have to do to make you notice me? This?' She caught hold of his face between her hands
and
dragged it down to her lips. For a moment he was stiff and unyielding, then, as she asserted herself, his arms came tightly round her. This, then, was the answer—a body of her own for him to hold again.

After a while, Laura opened heavy eyelids to find him scanning her face.

‘When we were talking this morning—' he began anxiously.

‘About Mr. Sandilands?'

‘So you do remember. I shouldn't have told you, I realize that now. It's too much of a burden. You might feel—'

She laid a finger on his lips. ‘I promised, didn't I?'

His mouth twisted. ‘One of you did!'

‘For both of us. It's finished, Lewis. Telling anyone wouldn't bring him back.'

‘Hardly the reaction of a responsible member of society, my love!'

‘But I'm not, am I? Responsible, I mean. Not for anyone, even myself.' She moved away from him and sat down in one of the deckchairs. After a moment he did the same.

He said quietly, ‘Do you really think you can accept it, Laura? I dare say I could count on a certain amount of loyalty from Noel, but I've no right to expect it from you.'

She gave a little shiver. ‘I gather Noel has every intention of imposing her own set of values on me too, whether I like it or not. Lewis, I can't keep control any more. Several
times
lately she's been too strong for me.'

He looked at her curiously. ‘Have you any warning when she's coming?'

‘Very little; it all happens so quickly. There's a strange, tingling sensation that seems to run right through my body, and almost as soon as I'm aware of it, she's there.'

‘Do you think Edward has noticed anything?'

‘I doubt it. She always lets me keep the upper hand when he's there.' She hesitated, flashing him a look under her lashes. ‘I'm not so sure about Caroline, though.'

He looked away from her. ‘As a matter of fact I think I said something to Caroline at one time, before I realized quite what was happening.'

‘Have you ever discussed it with anyone else?'

‘I did mention it pretty generally to a chap I know who's interested in ESP. No names, of course, but even so, I've regretted it since. The fewer people who know about it, the better. Didn't you say you mentioned something about it to Paul Denver?'

‘Yes.'

‘Have you seen him lately?'

‘I saw him on Sunday, as I told you, when he asked me to keep away from you. Actually, he was trying to make me agree to see a psychiatrist.'

He stiffened. ‘You didn't, did you?'

‘No,
but even if I did, there's little he could do. After all, I'm perfectly rational in myself and so is she. There's nothing wrong with either of our minds separately, it's just the merging which is so frightening Lewis—'

‘Yes?'

She flushed. ‘I don't know how to say this, but—please keep away from Caroline.'

He stared at her, nonplussed. ‘For Edward's sake, or Noel's?'

‘Both, but mainly for her own. I honestly think Noel might—try to harm her in some way.'

‘Surely that wouldn't be possible?'

‘It would if she used me.'

Annoyance and disbelief struggled for expression on his face. ‘Are you really trying to tell me—?'

‘Yes, I am. All through dinner she was getting more and more upset. She—I—desperately wanted to hurt Caroline, to lash out, remove her somehow.'

After a moment he said stiffly, ‘Well, if it's any consolation to either of you, Caroline was not open to my advances, such as they were.'

‘That wasn't the impression that came over.'

‘Nevertheless I assure you it's true.'

‘Thank God.'