Penny Jordan - Levelling The Score

A row of lock-up garages to the rear of the garden held her small Mini. She drove it with the same care and caution she applied to everything else.

Craig was a lazy cook, and so she stocked up on pizza, and a selection of cold meats and other delicacies from his favourite delicatessen.

If he followed his normal routine, the moment he returned he would head for his darkroom, where he would develop the prints he had taken on location, and he would only emerge once he had finished working, whatever time of the night or day that might be.

There was no sign of him when she got back and, using the key he had given her, she went up to his flat and put away her purchases, pausing to open the windows to let in some fresh air before going back down to her own domain.

The phone was ringing as she walked in, and she picked it up without thinking, half anticipating hearing Craig’s voice announcing that he was at the airport and on his way back.

Instead, Simon’s crisp, authoritative voice assaulted her unprepared ear-drum, her whole body tensing as she gripped the receiver.

‘Jenna, I understand Susie’s staying with you?’

‘Yes … yes, she is …’

‘Could I have a word with her?’

She stared blankly at the cream-painted wall of her sitting-room, and then thankfully remembered Susie’s tape.

‘Yes … Yes, I’ll just go and get her.’

She fumbled with the ‘on’ switch of the tape, and accidentally knocked it to the floor. When she picked it up the tape was running, but no sound was emerging. She stared at it in horror. Something had gone wrong!

She trembled as she picked up the tape machine, the fact that Simon was still waiting to speak to Susie forgotten as, to her horror, she saw that the ‘erase’ button of the tape was depressed.

How had it happened? A fluke of mischance, catching it as it had fallen? Or had Susie—scatty, lovable, Susie—depressed it by mistake?

She would never know; what she did know was that Simon was going to be unable to speak to his sister.

She picked up the receiver and took a deep breath, forcing her voice to sound as light and careless as possible as she said calmly. ‘Simon, I’m sorry. I’ve just been out to the shops … Susie’s in the bath and apparently likely to be there for some time. She says she’ll ring you later …’ She crossed her fingers childishly and added, ‘Are you going out this evening, or …?’

She was taking a chance on the fact that since it was a Saturday evening Simon was sure to be going out somewhere or other with his new lover.

There was a pause, and then when he spoke there was a certain unnerving grimness about Simon’s voice as he responded curtly, ‘Yes … yes, as a matter of fact, I shall be going out.’

He rang off before she could say anything else, leaving her feeling idiotically shaken and extremely unnerved.

What was the matter with her? He was only a man, as she had so often remarked to her friend. She must be getting as soft as Susie to let him get to her like this.

Ah well, it was over now. Simon had quite obviously accepted the fact that Susie was staying with her, and her friend had no doubt made good her escape with the unfortunate Peter, of whom Simon appeared to disapprove so heartily.

She could relax and put the Townsend family firmly out of her mind. She had no plans for the evening; there were friends she could have gone out with, but it had been a hectic week with her boss returning from a week in the South of France, where he had been supervising the final details of a property he had been commissioned to work on. And on his return a dozen or more impatient clients had been waiting to see him.

She was suffering from the pleasurable tiredness that came from having worked hard, both physically and mentally, and she was looking forward to a lazy evening with a tray of tempting nibbles, a pot of strong coffee and the latest Sidney Sheldon to keep her company.

JENNA had just reached the part where the story was starting to develop properly when her doorbell rang. She groaned, putting her book down reluctantly. It would be Craig, too lazy to search for his own key again.

She got up and went to open the door.

‘Hello, Jenna. I trust my sister is now out of the bath?’

As she fought to control her shock, her attention slid past Simon’s tall, laconic figure to the car parked just behind him. Good heavens, if that was Simon’s, no wonder he had objected to Susie’s new love running into the back of it! She blinked slightly as she took in the luxurious splendour of its dark maroon paintwork.

‘It’s an Aston Martin,’ he told her helpfully, following her gaze. ‘The soft top signifies that it’s a convertible.’

The sarcasm underlying his words snapped her back to reality. This was the Simon she knew so well.

‘I can see that for myself.’

‘You can? You surprise me, Jenna!’

What was he implying? She shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, not having the courage to ask. If she did, no doubt she would receive another sardonic insult.

‘Aren’t you going to invite me in?’

She didn’t want to. Had he already guessed the truth, or was he genuinely expecting to find Susie inside her flat?

The sudden screech of a taxi as it came to a halt inches from the Aston Martin’s immaculate bodywork created a welcome diversion.

The door opened and Craig emerged, looking very brown and slightly leaner than Jenna remembered.

He paid off the taxi, and gathered up his belongings.

‘Hi, gorgeous … Missed me?’ he asked, ignoring Simon to plant a warm kiss very firmly against Jenna’s mouth.

His action took her by surprise. An easy camaraderie existed between her and Craig but, while he would often slip his arm round her, or tease her about her non-existent sex life, this was the first time he had actually kissed her.

‘I hope you’ve got something in for supper, I’m starving …’

‘I filled your fridge for you,’ Jenna told him automatically, her attention focused on Simon, and on the extraordinary tension that was emanating from him. What was causing it? The fact that she was keeping him waiting on the doorstep? And yet he hadn’t seemed all that anxious when he’d first asked for Susie.

‘Lend me your key will you, Jen?’ Craig asked. ‘God knows where mine is.’

She stepped back into the hallway automatically in response to his request, both men following her. When she emerged into the light of the sitting-room she saw that the tension had left Simon’s face, and that he was his usual urbane, relaxed self.

‘Know you from somewhere, don’t I?’ Craig asked Simon, while Jenna got her spare key to his flat.

‘Not as far as I’m aware.’

The silky denial irritated Jenna for some reason.

‘You’ve probably seen his picture in the gossip columns,’ she told Craig, eyeing Simon with disfavour.

‘Really?’ Craig looked curious, but not impressed.

‘Are you going to come up and have supper with me later, Jen?’ Craig asked. ‘Or …’

‘Jenna and I have some personal family business to discuss,’ Simon answered smoothly for her. ‘Private family business …’

Craig took the hint, the look he gave Jenna over Simon’s shoulder as he opened the door to leave making her expel a faint shaky sigh of relief.

It was good to know that Craig would be upstairs if she needed him, although quite what Simon could do if he discovered that Susie had deceived him she wasn’t too sure.

‘Er … would you like a cup of coffee, Simon, or …?’

‘What I would like, Jenna, is to know exactly what game my idiotic sister is playing now. And don’t try telling me that she’s staying here with you.’ His eyes swept the neatness of the small room disparagingly. ‘I know my sister … if she were here, there’s no way she wouldn’t already have littered the place with her possessions.’