Revenge by Seduction Page 6

  ‘And how do I do that?’ she’d asked doubtfully.

  ‘Well, the one thing you don’t do is be Catriona McNeil impersonating someone else. That won’t fool anyone. You have to become Trixie Trotter. You have to get under her skin and understand what makes her tick. That’s the only way to convince an audience.’

  ‘How?’ she’d asked again.

  ‘That’s up to you. She’ll be your creation. Just remember that Trixie doesn’t have to be an absolute slut just because she earns her living on the streets. These girls do it out of necessity, not pleasure. Perhaps her husband deserted her, leaving her with two kids and a widowed mother to support. They all live in a run-down council house and the old mother fondly thinks that her daughter has a well-paid job as a cocktail waitress in a West End club. Trixie is saving every penny she earns so that her kids can have a better start in life than she had. Her life on the streets has made her tough and cynical, but she’s still got time to feed any stray cat that comes her way.’

  Remembering that advice now, Catriona rested one hand on her shoulder bag, placed the other on her hip, thrust out her chest and began a sinuous, figure-flaunting saunter between the tables.

  There were immediate gasps and outraged whispers from behind her. Someone coughed and spluttered over a drink and there was a clatter as someone else dropped a knife. A waiter, tray of drinks in hand, gazed at her open-mouthed as she fluttered her eyelashes at him in passing.

  The buzz of conversation was growing louder, and she was only a few feet from the table when Ryan glanced up. Their eyes locked, and as the light played over the classical lines and planes of his face she was again smitten by the full impact of his animal magnetism. But now she could ignore it because she knew what lay beneath.

  Apart from an expression of mild curiosity he seemed perfectly composed and at ease with the world, which was more than could be said for his lady-friend, who somehow managed to look curious and alarmed at the same time as it dawned on her that this apparition was coming to their table.

  There was a pool of expectant silence around the scene as people turned in their seats and craned their necks, waiting with bated breath to see what was going to happen next.

  A part of Catriona was on the edge of panic. Like an actress with first-night nerves she wanted to flee the stage before she made a fool of herself, but she fought it down. She was in the grip of something stronger than fear. Some subconscious imperative which was urging her onwards to complete the task she’d come to do.

  She glided and undulated to a stop at the table, thrust out a shapely hip, then with one hand still on her waist she raised the other and chastened him with a wagging forefinger. ‘Ryan Hind, you are a very, very naughty man.’ Her voice was loud and brassy enough to be heard halfway across the room. ‘You did it again, didn’t you? You left without leaving my usual fee this afternoon, didn’t you? When I woke up after our little nap I found that you’d already dressed and gone. And there was no sign of the usual cheque or envelope to be found anywhere in the flat. I mean…how is a working girl expected to pay the rent?’

  He stared up at her in stony silence, but she imagined she saw a hint of anger in the grey depths of his eyes. It only lasted a second or two, then he turned his head away and took a casual sip at his drink.

  His display of indifference came as an unpleasant surprise, but she was by no means finished with him yet.

  Venting a loud sigh of patience she addressed his companion. ‘He’s always doing that. I’m just giving you a warning, dear. Keep your eye on him. Mind you, it’s not because he’s tight-fisted or hates to part with his money. None of the girls would ever accuse him of that. I mean…’ She made a sweeping gesture with her hand. ‘Have you any idea what they charge for a meal in a place like this? My God! I wish all my gentleman friends were as generous as Ryan here.’ She flashed him a smile of tolerant forgiveness. ‘It’s just that he keeps forgetting little things like paying you. It isn’t his fault. He’s always so busy making all that money, dear. Clients to see…lawyers to consult… As I told him only this afternoon as he was undressing, I often wonder how he gets it all in!’

  The girl stared up at her in dismay and horror, her mouth twitching soundlessly, then she hissed across the table, ‘Ryan! Do you…do you actually know this…this person?’

  Catriona squealed with laughter as if she’d just heard the funniest joke in her life. ‘Does he know me? That’s a good one, that is! I’m Trixie Trotter. Everyone knows me. Ryan and me has been the best of friends for ages—haven’t we, Ryan? You tell her. Why, I was only sixteen at the time, and you was one of my very first clients, weren’t you?’

  He regarded her in bleak, scornful silence for a moment, then he said in a quiet, menacing voice, ‘I don’t know who you are, Miss Trotter, but you’ve had your fun, so run along now like a good girl and stop annoying us or you may have cause to regret it.’

  She ignored the chilling threat and made a great show of appearing hurt before bursting into laughter. ‘Oh…you’re a real tease Ryan, and no mistake. You really are. Always good for a laugh.’ Giving him a wicked smile, she pulled a pair of gaudy boxer shorts from her bag and held them up. ‘You left these in the flat last week, remember? You’ll forget your trousers one of these days. Anyway, I’ve washed and ironed them for you as usual.’ She held them higher, so that everyone could get a good look. ‘Aren’t they gorgeous?’ she remarked to the girl. ‘Bright red with little yellow teddy bears. And he’s got a pair with dolphins and another pair with little green frogs. I think he’s just a big baby at heart.’

  There was a series of flashes and she dropped the shorts in his lap and pouted her lips. ‘Oh, hell! Someone is taking pictures. I hope my old mum down in Hackney doesn’t see them.’

  His mouth remained grimly closed but she could feel his scalpel-sharp eyes trying to penetrate her disguise. Her own eyes flashed back in triumph and she longed to rip off the ridiculous wig and remove the false eyelashes and make-up. She longed to see the look on his face when he found out who she really was, but that would have made this well-planned scheme a waste of time. Anyway, it was time to make a strategic withdrawal. All the commotion had finally caught the attention of the head waiter across the room, and he was striding over to find out the cause.

  She treated Ryan to one final mocking smile, then saucily made her way through the open-mouthed and astonished diners towards the exit.

  As she left the warmth of the foyer and stepped outside onto the pavement the chill in the air made her shiver. The doorman grinned. ‘Well, miss? How did you fare in there? Did Mr Hind appreciate his birthday surprise?’

  She smiled. ‘To tell the truth he didn’t say very much. He was certainly surprised, and I think he may have been too overcome with emotion to express how he really felt.’

  ‘As long as he was happy, miss. At Cardini’s we pride ourselves on giving our customers an enjoyable evening.’

  ‘I’m sure you do. And I’m sure Mr Hind has had an evening he won’t forget in a hurry. Now, could you please call me a cab?’

  He whistled one up from the nearby rank, opened the rear door for her and tipped his hat as she handed him a pound coin from her bag. Then she told the driver her address, settled back in her seat and smiled to herself in satisfaction. She’d done it! She’d actually carried it off! And she could hardly wait to get back to the flat and tell Madge.

  As the taxi drew away from the kerb she glanced across the road and saw Freddie, still standing nervously in the shop doorway. Men! she thought with contempt. They were all the same. Well, tonight she’d taught two of them a lesson.

  Ryan Hind would know now how it felt to be humiliated. When the pictures that had been taken appeared in the newspaper he’d be the laughing-stock of London society and no girl in her right mind would ever dare be seen in his company again.

  With a feeling of relief she took off the candyfloss wig and allowed her own golden-red hair to tumble down around her face.

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nbsp; CHAPTER FIVE

  THE picture appeared in the following day’s evening paper and Madge eyed it with relish then read out the headline. “‘Definitely not on the menu at Cardini’s.”’ She held the paper closer and read out the small print. “‘Miss Trixie Trotter, self-confessed street girl, washes dirty linen in top London restaurant. Her alleged client, Mr Ryan Hind, had no comment to make when asked about her allegation that he owed her money for ‘services rendered’.”’

  Catriona had already seen it, and she gave a bitter smile across the table. ‘They’re damned right he had no comment to make. Who’d have believed him, anyway? Certainly not the girl he was with. She was turning blue and looked ready to throw a fit when I last saw her. I suppose I feel a bit sorry for causing her embarrassment, but that couldn’t be helped, could it?’ She sipped her coffee, then added, ‘Take my word for it, Madge, it’ll be a long, long time before Mr Casanova Hind ever dares show his face there again.’

  Madge was still studying the picture closely. Finally she nodded in satisfaction and tossed the paper aside. ‘Well, you seem to have done the business on him, all right. And you’re absolutely sure that he had no idea who you were?’

  ‘None whatsoever. How could he, beneath that disguise? You said yourself that my own mother wouldn’t have known me.’

  ‘And you’re sure that you didn’t say anything…let anything slip…or give the least little hint—anything which might have helped him to make the connection?’

  Catriona laid down her cup and frowned. Why all the questions? she wondered. And why did Madge suddenly sound so worried? Anyway, it was over and done with now. ‘What’s wrong?’ she demanded. ‘Look, I don’t give a penny toss if he does discover that it was me. He can’t do anything worse to me than he’s already done, can he?’

  Madge picked up her coffee, then said briskly, ‘You’ve had a trying time lately, my dear. When we first discussed this idea I warned you that you might have to leave London until the dust had settled down, and now I think you really should.’

  ‘What dust?’ she asked suspiciously.

  Madge smiled and said evasively, ‘Be sensible. You’ve earned yourself a holiday. Take a few weeks off and go and visit your parents in Scotland. I’m sure they’ve been missing you.’

  ‘What dust?’ she asked again, her blue eyes challenging the older woman. Madge lit a cigarette. She’d just put one out a minute ago and that was a sure sign that she had something on her mind. At last she said, ‘You’ve really let the air out of Ryan Hind’s tyres, and you can bet your life that he’ll pull out all the stops to find out who Trixie really was and if he does—’

  ‘To hell with him!’ Catriona snapped. ‘I told you…I don’t care if he does.’

  ‘Even if he tries to drag you into court?’ Madge asked quietly.

  Catriona blinked, then took a deep breath and looked at her evenly. ‘How could he do that? I didn’t do anything illegal, did I? If you remember, I asked you right at the start if…’

  ‘Well…not in the usual sense. You wouldn’t really call it illegal,’ Madge hedged uncomfortably. ‘But Ryan Hind might well be the vindictive type. He could feel he has the right to bring a civil action against you for slander.’

  She stared at Madge in silence, then gave a snort of contempt. ‘A lot of good that would do him. If he took me to court I’d tell them exactly why I did it. He’d be exposed for the kind of rotten scoundrel he really is. An unscrupulous, lying, deceitful seducer of innocent women.’

  ‘Seduction, unfortunately, isn’t a civil offence—whereas slandering a man’s reputation is,’ Madge said wearily. ‘And let’s not forget that he’s rich enough to afford the best lawyer money can buy. I know it isn’t fair, but that’s the kind of world we have to live in.’

  Catriona’s shoulders slumped. This wasn’t the best of news but there was no use blaming Madge. She should have been able to foresee the consequences for herself. Undaunted, she sat up straight and said stoutly, ‘I still don’t give a damn. Let him do his worst.’

  Madge looked at her thoughtfully. ‘If it ever did get to court it might reach the national newspapers. Your parents read them, I suppose?’

  Damn it! She’d never thought of that!

  ‘Now look,’ Madge said soothingly, ‘none of this is likely to happen. It’s a worst case scenario. But my point is this…why take chances? You’ve had your revenge on him so get back into the trench and keep your head down. Anyway, a break from here and a change of scenery will do you a world of good.’ She gave an encouraging smile. ‘Just think of all that lovely fresh air up in Scotland. Take a month off. I’ll take on another part-timer until all this blows over and then you can come back.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘It’s only seven-thirty. You’ve plenty of time to pack a case and catch the night train from King’s Cross.’

  Catriona sighed. ‘Well…if you really think I should. But don’t think that I’m running away from him. He doesn’t frighten me. I’m only doing this to please you.’

  A smile of relief passed over Madge’s face. ‘Good. Now, you’ve plenty of nice new clothes to show off to the folks back home, so I’ll give you a hand to get packed, then we’ll order a taxi.’

  Instead of taking the train all the way to Inverness, which would have meant her having to stay there for two days waiting for the twice-weekly bus to Kindarroch, she changed at Glasgow and caught the train to Oban, a busy fishing port on the west coast.

  At Oban she went straight down to the harbour and hitched a lift north on one of the fishing boats, which dropped her off at Kindarroch late the following evening.

  Her parents, of course, were surprised and delighted to see her and she spent the rest of the night answering their questions and telling them about the wonderful job she had…about Madge…about the luxurious flat she was staying in… But, naturally enough, not a word about Ryan Hind or her recent escapade. They’d have been shocked and scandalised, and would probably have nailed her feet to the floor so that she couldn’t go back.

  She spent the following day looking up her friends, but she made a point of steering clear of old Morag. From now on her life was going to be in her own hands, and not influenced by well-meaning old fortune-tellers.

  On the second morning the sun was blazing down from a cloudless blue sky. The idle fishermen down by the harbour wall looked to the horizon and sniffed the air and all agreed that they were in for a long spell of hot weather.

  That was all the encouragement she needed to spend the day swimming at her favourite spot. She filled a Thermos, packed a few sandwiches along with her swimming costume, and headed for the little sandy cove three miles up the coast.

  The day passed pleasantly, with dips in the invigorating surf followed by long periods just lying on the silver-coloured sand basking in the sun. Memories of Ryan Hind were slowly beginning to fade. Madge had been right with her advice and about the method of getting him out of her system. By the time she returned to London he’d be just an unpleasant memory, like the time she’d caught mumps as a child.

  At five in the evening she took one last dip, then stripped off her swim suit and gave herself a brisk rub-down with the towel before dressing and setting off home.

  In Kindarroch, where the locals drove around in beaten up old pick-up trucks or rusty vans, the sight of a gleaming expensive-looking sports car caused more than a passing interest—and more so to her, when she saw it drawn up outside her house.

  Wondering who on earth could be paying them a visit, she walked into the living room. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief and her blood froze in her veins. It couldn’t be! It wasn’t possible!

  ‘Catriona!’ said her mother, beaming a smile at her. ‘Isn’t this a surprise? A friend of yours from London has driven all that way just to see you.’

  The grey eyes held a sardonic gleam as Ryan Hind got to his feet with a smile. ‘Hello, Catriona. You’ve no idea how pleased I am to see you again.’

  Too dumbstruck to answer, she could
only stand and stare at him until her mother bade her sit down at the table to join them. Then, as if from a distance, she heard her father say, ‘Ryan here has been telling us all about the wonderful evening you both spent at that grand restaurant in the West End.’

  ‘Cardini’s,’ Ryan drawled. He smiled innocently at her across the table. ‘I’m sure you remember that first evening, Catriona. In fact we met there a second time, didn’t we?’

  She was over her initial shock now, and she began to get her wits together. She clenched her fists beneath the table and eyed him bleakly. ‘Did we?’

  He laughed in amusement. ‘Of course we did. How could you forget it? You’d been at a fancy dress ball and you were wearing a blonde wig and a rather beguiling outfit in open lacework. You must remember.’

  Well, that settled one question at least. He’d found out who Trixie Trotter had been. God alone knew how, but that could wait for later. The main question was, how had he known to find her here? Madge would never have told him in a hundred years. Had she told him herself? She had a vague memory of him asking where she came from and she had answered… But surely he would never have remembered…

  ‘Ryan tells us he’s in the property development business,’ her father said conversationally. He laughed at the very idea. ‘I’ve told him that there’s no property worth developing in Kindarroch. This is the place time forgot.’

  ‘Well, you’d be surprised,’ answered Ryan with an air of confidence. ‘I’ll be staying at the hotel for a few days.’ He smiled at her blandly. ‘What I really need is someone to show me around the whole area. I’m sure that since we’re such good friends you wouldn’t mind doing that, would you, Catriona?’

  Her mother spoke up for her. ‘Why, of course she wouldn’t, Ryan. She’d love nothing better. Isn’t that right, Catriona?’

  You could see she was impatient and wondering why her daughter was acting so stand-offish. Here was this handsome young man, well off, by the looks of the car he was driving, well-mannered and so obviously keen on her and she hadn’t even smiled at him once since she’d come in!