Carole Mortimer - Forgotten Lover

Velvet stumbled from the room, almost running to the lift. That Jerard Daniels intended getting drunk she had no doubt. She only wished she could drown her own pain in the same way.

But alcohol wasn’t the answer for her, she needed a clear head to work out this puzzle. But it wasn’t such a puzzle, it was more of a blank, a blank that she would possibly never fill.

She had wanted to explain to Jerard Daniels, to tell him why she didn’t remember him, but she had a feeling that the truth would be even harder for him to understand and believe.

She reached her room without seeing anyone, knowing that if she had they might wonder what had so upset her that she was as white as a sheet.

The doctors at the hospital had told her that it had been the shock, the shock of losing Anthony and the birth of little Tony. She had woken up in a hospital bed with the last eleven months missing out of her life, knowing only that she had lost the husband that she loved, and that she had given birth to his child.

She and Anthony had been going out together for eighteen months, had been engaged for six months of that time, and she knew that she loved him. But all their married life together was a blank to her, the trauma of his death had erased their marriage from her memory.

And now Jerard Daniels claimed to have met her during that blank eleven months, claimed they had been lovers, that he had been her first lover. She knew that she and Anthony hadn’t made love before the blank in her life, and had loved Anthony all the more for respecting her wish that they marry first.

Anthony had been older than her, was a friend of her brother’s to start with. She had been nineteen when they first met, had liked his blond good looks and serious manner. He had belonged to the same law firm as Simon, but was new to town, so Simon had taken him under his wing and brought him home to dinner. Velvet had been living with Simon at the time, their parents having recently emigrated to Australia to be close to their other son Nigel, and his wife Jennifer. Velvet was supposed to have joined them, but once she had met Anthony she had refused to go, continuing to live with Simon and Janice until she married Anthony.

So where did Jerard Daniels fit into the nice tidy pattern of her life, where did he fit into that blank eleven months? Only he could tell her the answer to that question, and after the way they had parted this evening she doubted he would be in any mood to tell her anything.

This had never happened before. No one else had come forward and claimed to have met her during that time. In fact she had come to accept the blank, to accept her life as it now was, certain that her marriage to Anthony had been as successful as the rest of their relationship. Simon had assured her it was—Simon! Perhaps he would know something about Jerard Daniels? Perhaps she would call him tomorrow and find out.

She wasn’t able to sleep, disturbed and upset by this strange turn of events. How could she have taken a lover when she was engaged to Anthony? How could she have taken a lover at all! She didn’t believe it, couldn’t believe it. Especially a man like Jerard Daniels! Anthony had been ten years her senior, but Jerard Daniels must be even older than that, and she just couldn’t believe she was ever involved with such a man. If only he weren’t so adamant!

She had been up and dressed for hours when Carly knocked on her door, and had been expecting the barrage of questions that came her way from the other girl.

‘What time did you leave Jerard’s apartment last night?’ Carly asked eagerly.

‘Just after you,’ Velvet answered rigidly.

‘Really?’ Carly looked disappointed.

‘Yes, really,’ she sighed.

‘What did he want to talk to you about, then?’

‘Just work,’ she shrugged.

Carly gave her a scornful glance. ‘I’ll bet!’

‘Carly——’

‘Look, Velvet,’ Carly grinned, ‘it was obvious the man fancies you like hell.’

‘He——’

‘He wants to sleep with you,’ Carly insisted.

‘Maybe,’ Velvet admitted grudgingly, knowing that last night that had been true.

‘No maybe about it,’ Carly scoffed. ‘Paul and I could feel the air sizzle every time he looked at you. It was a relief to get away from the heat!’ she grinned.

Velvet blushed. ‘I—He——’

‘He asked for you especially, you know.’

She gave the other girl a startled glance. ‘What do you mean?’

Carly sat down on the bed, and Velvet faced her across the room from the chair in front of the dressing-table. She shrugged. ‘Paul thought he’d asked for you because he’d seen some of your other work and liked the look of you. But after last night, after finding that you two had met before, we realised that had been the reason he requested you on this job.’

Velvet frowned. ‘You’re saying that Jerard Daniels asked Paul to bring me here?’

‘Exactly,’ Carly nodded.

Velvet didn’t like that, just as she didn’t like the fact that Jerard Daniels seemed to know so much about her life. It was like an invasion of privacy, leaving her naked and defenceless.

She stood up briskly. ‘Are we working today?’

Carly looked disappointed. ‘Does that mean the subject of Jerard Daniels is closed?’

‘Very much so,’ Velvet nodded.

‘Will it always be?’

‘I’m not sure, but I think so.’

‘Shame,’ Carly sighed. ‘You meet some creeps in this line of work, but he’s such an interesting individual. Interesting!’ she dismissed in disgust. ‘He’s gorgeous. Tall, dark, and mysterious.’

Velvet smiled. ‘And Paul?’

‘Oh, heavens—Paul! We’re supposed to be meeting him in reception. He wants us all to have an early breakfast and then get to work before it gets too hot.’

‘Good idea. The heat finished me off yesterday.’

‘Me too,’ Carly grimaced. ‘And if we don’t go down now Paul will probably complete the job.’

Velvet laughed. ‘Then let’s go.’

Paul was scowling when they stepped out of the lift. ‘I thought I told you not to stop and ask questions,’ he told Carly impatiently, marching them both into the dining-room.

Carly poked her tongue out at him across the table. ‘Only because you wanted to know the answers yourself. And they say women are nosey!’

He gave the waitress three orders of coffee and toast, scowling heavily at his girl-friend. ‘Velvet’s relationship with Mr Daniels is none of our business,’ he hissed.

‘Who says so?’ she scorned.

‘He does,’ Paul sighed.

Velvet frowned. ‘When did he tell you that?’

‘Just now, on his way to the airport.’

He had gone; Jerard Daniels had left! Velvet felt the tension draining out of her. ‘He had no need to do that,’ she said lightly, feeling suddenly free now that she knew he wasn’t going to suddenly appear. ‘We really didn’t have a relationship.’ Not one she remembered anyway. ‘And I didn’t want toast for my breakfast, Paul,’ she effectively changed the subject, ‘just coffee.’

‘You’ll eat the toast,’ he growled. ‘You hardly ate any dinner last night.’

She smiled. ‘I won’t kid myself that you’re concerned for my health.’

His mouth twitched and then he too smiled. ‘Sorry, Velvet. I think the heat is getting to me too.’

‘I should treasure that apology, Velvet,’ Carly put in cheekily. ‘It’s almost unheard-of.’

Both girls burst out laughing at Paul’s outraged expression, and soon he joined in.

The subject of Jerard Daniels seemed to be forgotten by the other couple, so Velvet decided to do the same. She wouldn’t bother to call Simon about the other man, not now that he had left the hotel. If it was still bothering her when she got home she could ask her brother about it then.