Sarah Morgan - Summer With Love - The Spanish Consultant

‘I mean, look at him now! Why isn’t he trying to drag you into the bushes for a grope?’ Libby studied him curiously, her head on one side. ‘He’s too busy networking to even notice that you’re here. You could be naked and covered in whipped cream and he’d still be mingling with the movers and shakers.’

Everything her sister said was true and Katy wondered why she didn’t mind more. She chewed her lip. The truth was that she didn’t mind because she didn’t want Freddie to take her into the bushes for a grope. She was quite happy for him to be talking to his business colleagues, leaving her alone to make her own amusement.

Freddie was safe.

At that moment their mother glanced towards them and a horrified expression crossed her face. Visibly agitated, she cast a terrified look towards her husband who was still deep in conversation and hadn’t yet noticed his daughters.

Libby sucked in a breath and grinned. ‘We have lift-off. Ten, nine, eight …’

The girls waited as their mother hurried towards them, Katy tense and on edge, Libby amused and defiant.

Katy glanced at her sister with a mixture of exasperation and envy. How could she be so completely unafraid of their father?

Instead of avoiding confrontation, she relished it.

As if to prove a point, Libby tugged her dress down to expose a little more of her already exposed cleavage.

‘Elizabeth.’ Lady Caroline Westerling stopped in front of her daughters and her eyes darted nervously towards her husband. Fortunately he still had his back to them. ‘Your hair is a disgrace, and what do you think you’re wearing?’

‘A party dress.’ Libby smiled happily at her mother. ‘For my birthday party. ’

Katy winced at her less than subtle reminder that this annual event had originated as a celebration of their birthday. Her mother seemed oblivious to the dig.

‘It’s indecent and common.’ She ran her eyes over Libby’s long bare legs and winced. ‘Your father will … He’ll throw a fit.’

Libby’s eyes gleamed. ‘Oh, I do hope so,’ she said softly, and their mother gave her a helpless look.

‘Why, Elizabeth? Why do you have to do this?’ Her eyes flickered around the lawn. ‘There are any number of suitable men that you might have been introduced to this evening, but not dressed like that.’

Libby’s smile widened. ‘I’m only interested in unsuitable men.’

Her mother’s eyes closed and sweat broke out on her brow. ‘You look like a prostitute. Go upstairs and ask Sally to find you something more conservative before he sees you.’

‘I like this dress and I don’t care what he thinks. And neither should you.’ Libby’s eyes gleamed. ‘You shouldn’t let him bully you, Mum.’

Katy let out a breath. ‘Not here, Lib, please .’

Libby was staring at their mother. ‘You should stand up to him.’

Caroline Westerling ignored her comment and looked away, her breathing suddenly rapid. ‘Your father has some very important guests here today.’ She turned to Katy and gave a bright smile that fooled no one. ‘Freddie is doing so well. He has something to say to everyone. Your father thinks he’s heading straight for the top.’

‘Hopefully he’ll bang his head when he gets there,’ Libby drawled, and Katy hid a smile.

What would she do without her sister? She loved her irrepressible nature and the fact that no one scared her.

No one made Libby do anything she didn’t want to do.

Not even their father.

Katy watched Freddie weave his way through the crowd, exchanging smiles and handshakes.

Her mother gave a sigh. ‘ Such a suitable man. You’ve made a wonderful match, Katherine. All we need to do now is to sort your job out. I hope that once you’re married you’ll give up all this doctor nonsense.’

Katy stiffened. ‘I won’t be giving it up.’

What did it take to convince her parents that this was the career she wanted?

‘What about me?’ Libby’s tone was airy. ‘I’m a nurse—does that count? And Alex is a doctor. Doesn’t Dad want us to give up, too?’

Their mother bit her lip. ‘You and Alex are different.’

‘He can’t bully us, you mean,’ Libby said softly, and Caroline’s eyes darted nervously around the lawn.

‘Keep your voice down, Elizabeth.’ Her mother looked pained and turned back to Katy. ‘You’ve qualified now. You’ve shown everyone that you can do it. You don’t need to carry on working any more. Freddie is extraordinarily wealthy in his own right and with your trust fund there’s absolutely no need for you to work. When you’re married Freddie will need you at home for entertaining clients. You won’t have time for a job.’

Katy felt stifled again. ‘I love being a doctor, it’s what I do. There’s no way I’m giving it up.’

Sometimes she felt that her job was the only thing that kept her sane.

Her mother rubbed her hands together nervously. ‘You can’t carry on doing nights and all those horrible hours once you’re married.’

Katy liked the horrible hours. Horrible hours gave her a perfect excuse not to have a social life.

‘I’ve got a new job starting in two weeks,’ Katy reminded her. ‘I’m a casualty officer in the accident and emergency department.’

And she couldn’t wait.

‘Oh, Katherine, what is the matter with you?’ Her mother screwed up her face in horror. ‘All those drunks and rough people—Saturday nights after the rugby. Why would you want to do that when you don’t have to?’

Because she loved medicine. And it was a million miles away from the ruthless world of banking that had been her entire life.

The garden was closing in on her.

‘It’s just such a waste,’ her mother was saying. ‘I still tell everyone that you were a successful model when you were seventeen. You were on so many magazine covers and if you hadn’t thrown it all in to become a doctor you’d be one of those supermodels now.’

‘No, she wouldn’t,’ Libby interrupted cheerfully. ‘Katy’s grown hips and boobs since then and you’re not allowed to have those if you’re a supermodel. Just bones.’

Their mother’s mouth tightened. ‘Just promise me you’ll give up this emergency department rubbish. I know Freddie’s parents are worried about it, too. It’s just not suitable, Katherine.’

Suitable. There was that word again.

Katy felt as though her head was exploding.

What was happening to her?

Normally she’d do anything to keep the peace for her mother’s sake, but today she just wanted to run screaming into the distance.

‘Start the job if you must,’ her mother carried on, ‘but you’ll be marrying Freddie in three months and you’ll have to give it up then. Oh, look, there’s Freddie’s mother. I must talk to her about the arrangements.’ She glared at Libby. ‘Elizabeth, go and change into something that hides your underwear before your father sees you. Please. ’

She turned and walked with studied elegance across the lawn, beaming at her guests and reaching for another glass of champagne.

Libby gave an exaggerated sigh. ‘It’s a good job we’re triplets. At least they managed to get the physical contact over in one go.’

‘Libby!’ Katy turned to her, her blue eyes wide with reproach, and Libby shrugged.

‘Well, it’s true. Look at them.’ She tilted her head to one side. ‘They don’t show each other any affection. Their marriage is a business arrangement. It’s no wonder you, Alex and I are so dysfunctional. Look at our role models.’

Katy licked dry lips. ‘We’re not dysfunctional.’

‘Yes, we are. You’ve spent so much of your life trying to please Dad and avoid his wrath that you don’t even know who you are any more. I’m so determined to be the opposite of everything they want me to be that I’ve forgotten who I am, too. And as for Alex …’ Libby turned and scanned the garden, looking for their brother. ‘Alex is so disillusioned about marriage that he sets a three-month rule. After three months with a woman he ends the relationship just to be sure that they don’t start hearing the word “serious”. He’s the original commitment-phobe.’