Sue for Mercy - Veronica Heley Page 0,18

had nightmares once before, when he’d fallen backwards out of a tree in childhood. He still had a crescent-shaped scar on his left buttock to prove it.

After the first couple of days, he spent most of his time at Whitestones, dealing with correspondence. Once J.B. learned that Charles had not gone away, there had been a stream of cables to deal with, and Charles said he’d sooner be doing something than nothing. I found out that that was an understatement; Charles never sat down unless he’d finished doing everything he could do on his feet, and even when he did sit down, he had to have his hands occupied — with a newspaper, letters, a book. He read rapidly, extensively and comprehensively, and remembered what he’d read.

Once I came across him puzzling over a hand-drawn diagram, and was stupid enough to ask what it was all about. He said it was something his brother David had thought up, which he wanted Charles to attend to for him. He also said he’d introduce me to David when he came over on leave. He had a genius for prevarication, had Charles, but strangely enough, I always knew when he wasn’t telling me the whole truth. He hadn’t told me the whole truth about that diagram, for instance.

His car was ready at the end of the week, and he took me out for a meal in it into the country. The new radio was a beauty. I admired it, and was invited to try it out. I nearly blew us out of the car by turning the volume up too high. Charles said he’d really rather have had another overcoat than a radio for the car, by way of compensation, but his “friends” had been set on the idea of a radio.

I said he ought to have more than one overcoat, anyway, and he replied that he’d sold most of his clothes and all his superfluous belongings when he left London. I didn’t ask why, but I filed the reply for future reference.

Was he being blackmailed? If so, then he must have been involved in the fraud case, and was as guilty as his father. And if that was so... I couldn’t help remembering that John Brenner was a very rich man.

I watched to see if he’d bring whisky into the flat, but he didn’t. One night his friend Mr. Bessiter came round and we all went out for a drink together. Charles drank beer, and not much of that, either. I enjoyed that evening. I didn’t enjoy the speed with which the end of the week approached, though. I woke crying one night, and this time it was his turn to comfort me.

“Trust me, Sue. It’s not so long now, and when it’s over...”

“No promises,” I said, blowing my nose. “I’m sorry I cried. I didn’t mean to wake you. I told myself I was going to behave perfectly and not worry you with questions, but you know I’ve as much willpower as a piece of damp cotton-wool where you’re concerned.”

“Define self-confidence,” he suggested.

“Something I haven’t got much of?” I asked, dubiously. I felt, rather than heard him laugh against me.

“Not long now. One piece of bad luck, one piece of good. They didn’t mean to give me time to think, but that’s what they’ve done, and the Financial Times makes good reading nowadays. We’ll soon be able to act.”

Was he considering something criminal? I didn’t have any illusions about Charles. He was quite ruthless enough to think that the end justified the means.

“Whose side are you on?” I asked. “The Baddies, or the Goodies?”

“My side,” he said, in a fierce whisper. “I’ll beat them yet.”

He pulled me to him. I couldn’t struggle, without hurting him, and anyway, I didn’t really want to get away. He’d been to the hospital that day to have most of his strapping removed, but he would bear the scars on his left hand until the day he died.

Three

It had been arranged that Charles should drive down to London and then fly out to join his boss first thing on Saturday morning, so Friday was to be our last night together. He’d asked if I’d like to be taken out for the evening, but I said I’d prefer to cook him one last meal. He didn’t argue; he liked my cooking so much that he said he’d recommend me for a position as a chef any time I felt like giving up my present job. I planned