‘Did he say that?’ Gavin looked, and sounded, astounded, his boyish face disbelieving.

  Leigh grimaced. ‘Not exactly. But then he didn’t need to, one look at his face was enough. I think his “friend” Marlene agreed with him too.’

  ‘Oh, Marlene,’ Gavin dismissed her. ‘She’s what’s known as a first class bitch—Dad’s words, not mine. And she isn’t and never has been, Dad’s “friend”. Oh, she’d like to be, but Dad isn’t having any. You remember him saying when we arrived that Marlene had been having a tantrum? Well, that probably meant that she was making yet another play for him and when he rebuffed her then she had the tantrum. She’s well known for them. And I’m sure she went to great pains to give you the impression she and Dad are pretty close.’

  ‘She did. But why? I don’t understand.’

  ‘Elementary, my dear Watson. Darling Marlene doesn’t like competition.’

  ‘But I’m not—’

  ‘Competition? You are, you know. Dad wasn’t exactly ignoring your beautiful presence, was he? Everyone noticed that he spent rather a lot of time with you. And when you disappeared into the bedroom—!’

  Leigh looked up quickly. ‘You saw that? But—are you annoyed?’

  ‘Should I be?’

  ‘By that I suppose you mean did anything happen between your father and myself,’ she said resignedly. After all, she had to expect questions like this. ‘Not in the way you mean,’ she answered honestly. ‘I’ll tell you what happened—Marlene Shaw happened.’

  ‘Oh God!’ he exclaimed with disgust. ‘You mean she had the nerve to follow you there? That woman has no pride, no pride whatsoever. Why, you could have—you could have been—’ He hesitated over saying the actual words.

  Leigh blushed as she realised how close to the actual truth Gavin was. If Marlene Shaw hadn’t interrupted them, what Gavin was implying might easily have happened. ‘But we weren’t,’ she said firmly. ‘But from the look on her face we might just as well have been. Honestly, Gavin, I felt so degraded!’

  ‘And what was Dad’s reaction? On second thoughts don’t bother to answer that,’ he chuckled wryly. ‘I can well imagine. And I should think right now Marlene is regretting her hasty action. Dad can’t stand interfering females like her and any hopes she might have had in his direction have just been effectively killed in one blow—her own blow, I might add.’

  ‘Gavin, don’t you mind that your father—well, that he—’

  ‘Has mistresses?’ he finished calmly, shaking his head in reply. ‘No, I don’t mind. Why should I? He’s a fully grown male with all the normal urges of a man. Of course I wish he would find someone he could love and marry, but I respect the fact that he likes women—enjoys them if you like—and if none of these women are the one he wants to spend his life with who am I to argue?’

  ‘You like your father very much, don’t you?’ Leigh suddenly realised this was true. The relationship between Gavin and Piers might appear casual, but really they were just as close as her father was to Dale and Christopher, only in a different way, their way.

  Gavin grinned. ‘Of course I like him. We get on very well together, as long as he doesn’t interfere in my life and I don’t interfere in his.’

  This was more or less what Piers had said, and although it wasn’t Leigh’s way she realised that for them it worked very well. She looked down at her slim wrist watch, grinning wryly. ‘Happy New Year, Gavin, and I really mean that.’

  Gavin stood up, pulling her to her feet before gently kissing her on the cheek. ‘Purely a friendly salute,’ he explained teasingly. ‘And now I think I’d better go and let you get some sleep. Come out with me some time?’

  Leigh shook her head. ‘I don’t think—’

  ‘No, don’t think,’ he insisted. ‘We could have fun together, Leigh. Now that we know—I know how we stand everything will be fine. Oh, I know I made some stupid moves concerning you, but if you’ll just let me try I know we could become good friends. Please,’ he said beguilingly.

  Still she wavered, her thoughts undecided. If she carried on seeing Gavin she would never be able to forget Piers; Gavin’s likeness to him was too great to allow that. But would she ever forget him anyway? She doubted it, and Gavin could be good company when he wasn’t trying to impress, and he would hardly be doing that when he knew how she felt about his father. She nodded her head. ‘Very well, Gavin. If you’re sure? It won’t change how I feel about your father.’

  He squeezed her hands tightly between his own, a broad grin on his boyish face. ‘I’m sure. I respect your feelings for Dad. And I promise you we will have fun.’

  And they did. Leigh was surprised at how much she enjoyed Gavin’s company. They went to the cinema together, ice-skating, bowling, the ballet, the theatre, and just all types of entertainment they could think of. When the two of them were together Leigh didn’t have time to be unhappy, but Piers was never far from her thoughts. The nights were the worst time, when she had no way of denying the desolation and loneliness she felt. This was the time she cried silently to herself, trying hard not to wake the sleeping Karen, although at times she knew she must have done so. but Karen never said anything. Without Leigh having to say anything Karen knew that the name Piers Sinclair was taboo, even more so since the New Year’s Eve party she had attended with Gavin.

  Once or twice Leigh had caught sight of Piers at the theatre or ballet, but as he hadn’t acknowledged her presence she saw no reason why she should bother to acknowledge his. They had nothing to say to each other, and he was always accompanied by some glamorous companion or another and so she was sure he hadn’t noticed her anyway. Why should he? When compared with the beautiful perfectly groomed women she had seen him with she realised she had little to offer. Except her love! And he certainly didn’t want that.

  ‘Gavin calling round tonight?’ Karen asked as they washed up after their snack meal.

  ‘Mmm. He’s taking me to a party.’ Leigh grimaced. ‘His father’s party.’

  ‘Piers’ party? You mean Piers Sinclair’s party?’ Karen couldn’t help her surprise at such a revelation. Leigh hadn’t mentioned Piers Sinclair and although she knew Leigh was now going out regularly with Gavin she hadn’t liked to mention him either.

  ‘Yes. And I’m not looking forward to it.’ Leigh placed the last of the clean dishes back into the cupboard and followed Karen into the lounge. ‘But Gavin insisted I go, and he’s been so good to me the last month I could hardly refuse. Oh God, Karen! I don’t want to see Piers again.’

  Karen squeezed her arm reassuringly. ‘He can’t eat you.’

  ‘Maybe not, but he could do something worse than that, he could look right through me. You don’t realise how devastating that could be, even worse than his cutting tongue.’

  Karen smiled slightly. ‘I do realise. I’ve received a few of those looks he likes to throw around myself, and let me tell you I know just how you feel. All I ever felt like doing was running away, and I usually did too.’

  Later that evening Leigh donned the purple dress she had worn on Christmas Eve, the only time Piers had ever taken her out. She knew it suited her, and she wanted to look her best this evening. She had a feeling she was going to need all her confidence, as well as the armour plating she had built up around the part of her heart that belonged to Piers, which seemed to be most of it.

  The atmosphere was the same, and the people were pretty much the same crowd as had been at Piers’ last party, and Leigh found herself being recognised by quite a few of the people, especially the men. Several of the good-looking men she had only met fleetingly before made a beeline for her and she soon lost sight of Gavin, dancing with first one elegant partner and then another.

  Some of the men were rather nice, but a lot of them had more than their fair share of conceit, and Leigh soon tired of their continual self-praise. What a lot of bores they were! She had also found that some of them weren’t averse to trying to take liberties in the relative darkness of the room, and she had just finished fighting off one pair of very persistent hands when her host appeared before her. Confrontation was inevitable and Leigh began wishing she hadn’t become separated from Gavin. He had disappeared to greet his father after she had refused to accompany him, and that was the last she had seen of him. Leigh sipped her tomato juice, staring fixedly at the ruffled neckline of Piers’ shirt.

  ‘Good evening,’ he greeted her smoothly. ‘I see you are enjoying yourself.’

  ‘Really?’ she asked sweetly. ‘And what makes you think that?’

  He shrugged his shoulders. ‘My guests—my male guests, that is—seem to be full of the new beauty in our midst. You must have done something to warrant their attention. On looking at you I can see what it is.’

  ‘And what is that?’

  ‘The dress, what there is of it,’ he said harshly.

  Leigh kept her temper with difficulty, aware that Piers was trying to be insulting. And he was succeeding! ‘You didn’t say that the last time I wore it,’ she said evenly. ‘In fact you rather liked it.’

  ‘Oh, I like it now,’ he agreed. ‘But not with everyone else ogling you.’ He wrenched the glass out of her hand, pulling her roughly into the midst of the dancing couples. ‘Dance!’ he ordered gruffly.

  Leigh held herself stiffly in his arms even while her body wanted to sway languidly to the seductive music. ‘But I don’t want to dance—at least, not with you.’

  He ignored her struggles, holding her tightly against him so that she could feel the firm outline of his body through his clothing. ‘You would prefer to dance with Robert, no doubt. I noticed you were enjoying his—company.’

  ‘If you’re referring to the man I just danced with then you aren’t very perceptive—his hands were everywhere,’ she said with disgust.

  ‘I noticed. I also noticed you were repulsing his advances. Otherwise he would be flat on his back by now,’ Piers said violently. ‘I would have put him mere.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Why!’ Piers pulled her closer against him. ‘Because I can’t bear the thought of anyone else touching you.’

  Leigh shook her head dazedly. ‘I’m afraid I don’t understand you, Mr Sinclair. Your behaviour is beyond my comprehension.’

  ‘Of course it damn well is! You’re a child! Just tell me why you choose to go out with Gavin?’ he demanded viciously. ‘The last time we spoke you weren’t that interested in my son.’

  Leigh winced at his words. ‘I’ve tried over the last few months to forget the unpalatable fact that Gavin is your son. Besides that, he’s a nice boy. We understand each other’s needs perfectly,’ she added provocatively.

  ‘The hell you do!’ he snapped. ‘And what of my needs? I suppose they don’t count.’

  ‘I would have thought one of your lady friends could take care of them for you. I’m a child, remember?’

  ‘Oh yes, you’re a child! But why are you doing this to me?’ he swore savagely. ‘For the past four weeks I’ve heard of nothing but you from Gavin. Every damn night I hear you’ve been somewhere or other with my son. My son!’ he groaned. ‘Good God, Leigh, why couldn’t you have chosen anyone but Gavin! Don’t you realise what you’re doing to me? Or don’t you care?’

  ‘Why should I be doing anything to you, Mr Sinclair?’ Leigh asked sweetly, doing her best to hold on to her control and not make an exhibition of herself. ‘Or does it bother you that you didn’t actually get me into bed with you? Perhaps you just didn’t try hard enough.’

  ‘Don’t talk like that! You know as well as I do that I could have made you go to bed with me, but I chose not to,’ he laughed harshly. ‘I thought you were too young, but it appears I was wrong, and rather than let any of my so-called friends take advantage of your innocence I’m willing to accept your invitation myself.’

  ‘So you’re willing, are you!’ Leigh’s eyes glittered angrily, all thought of control completely forgotten. ‘Invitation!’ she repeated in disgust. ‘When I issue that type of invitation you can be sure you’ll be the last on my list of possibles. You don’t interest me any more, Mr Sinclair. I’ve found that your stakes are too high. You demand too much.’

  ‘Is wanting you close to me demanding too much?’ he whispered huskily.

  ‘From me it is, yes. You demand full submission from other people and give nothing of yourself. That sort of relationship may be fine by some of your girl-friends, but not for me.’

  ‘I suppose you mean Gavin is more your type?’

  ‘Perhaps, perhaps not. But he’s good company, and I like him.’

  ‘Which is more than you can say for me.’ He forced her chin up, his eyes intently searching the purple depths of her own. ‘But I want you, Leigh! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?’

  ‘Did the fact that I once wanted you mean anything?’

  ‘Once! Are you trying to tell me you no longer feel that way?’ Piers laughed huskily, holding her closer against the long lean length of him, making her wholly aware of his need of her. She trembled against him. ‘Your body doesn’t respond the way it should if you mean what you say. Admit you still want me, Leigh. Go on, admit it!’

  Leigh saw Gavin out of the corner of her eye and signalled to him. Luckily he understood her sign, walking towards Piers and herself with purposeful strides. He tapped his father on the shoulder. ‘Come on, Dad, Leigh’s my girl. I think you and your friends have monopolised her long enough for one evening,’ he grinned at Piers, unperturbed by the black looks he was receiving in return.

  ‘I haven’t finished talking to Leigh yet,’ Piers said harshly.

  ‘Oh, come on, Dad,’ Gavin returned lightly. ‘Give a boy a chance! I brought Leigh here this evening hoping to be able to hold her in my arms, not let my own father have that privilege.’

  Leigh knew Gavin’s words had been deliberately provocative, and could tell by the tightening of Piers’ lips that the remark had struck home. Gavin had effectively placed his father in a different age-group from the two of them and Piers had little choice but to give in gracefully.

  ‘I take it you did want reassuring,’ Gavin said once they had been left alone.

  ‘You take it right.’ She held on to him gratefully, relaxing with him as she had been unable to with Piers. ‘I didn’t realise you’d told Piers about all our other outings.’

  ‘Why not? A bit of good old-fashioned jealousy might do him some good.’

  ‘Jealousy!’ spluttered Leigh, unable to contain her laughter. ‘Your father jealous! You should know him better than that, Gavin.’

  ‘I don’t think I know him at all lately. He’s been acting strangely, and he clams up whenever I mention your name.’

  ‘That’s probably because he’s sick and tired of hearing it. According to him you talk of little else.’

  Gavin’s smile could only be called mischievous. ‘You see! It’s working already. A few more weeks of this and he’ll be crawling to you on his knees,’ he saw her look of disbelief. ‘All right, maybe not on his knees, but he will come round, I’m sure of it. I just wish I knew what your argument was about in the first place, that might make things easier.’

  ‘There was no argument, Gavin. I refused to—’ she hesitated. After all, this was Piers’ son she was talking to. ‘I refused to sleep with your father. And as far as he was concerned that was the end of it.’

  ‘So that’s it! No wonder Dad can’t get you out of his system,’ he grinned at her. ‘And I’m sure that what Dad suggested to you had very little to do with sleeping.’

  ‘Gavin!’ Leigh was shocked, but she couldn’t help smiling at Gavin’s teasing look. ‘You know it was just a figure of speech.’

  ‘Mmm, I know, so stop blushing. How are you enjoying yourself, omitting the last few minutes spent with my father?’

  Leigh shrugged her bare shoulders, her skin gleaming creamy smooth. ‘It’s all right, Gavin, but I don’t be long—’ she stopped speaking as she realised this was what Piers had said to her. ‘I don’t belong here,’ she said more firmly. ‘They’re such a lot of egoists, aren’t they? Although once you get past that veneer some of them can be very nice.’

  ‘Some of them,’ agreed Gavin. ‘So you see what Dad meant when he made that remark. I’m sure he wasn’t being rude as you thought he was. He just didn’t want an innocent like you mixing with this crowd.’

  ‘But I’m with you.’

  ‘I’m not much protection now, am I? I couldn’t even protect you from Dad.’

  ‘Your father seems very much at home with these people,’ she pointed out.

  ‘Of course he does, but Dad is a hell of a lot older than you are and he knows how to handle these people. They belong to his world, and they’re not a bad crowd once you get to know them. But Dad knows that if one of these charmers decided to make a pass at you I wouldn’t be much protection. And that’s why he doesn’t want you here. He’s trying to protect you in the only way he knows how, whether from yourself or from him I’m not quite sure.’

  ‘He said something along the same lines himself,’ she admitted.

  ‘You see,’ he chuckled to himself. ‘Poor Dad! He must have really fallen hard for you. What a situation!’

  ‘Don’t be silly, Gavin.’ Leigh shifted uncomfortably. ‘Now have you quite finished this little experiment or do we have to stay any longer?’

  Gavin laughed out loud at her true assessment of this evening, shaking his head. ‘No, we don’t have to stay any longer. I know all I need to,’ he said with some satisfaction. ‘Now I’ll just sit back and await results,’ he added enigmatically.

  * * *

  Leigh had enjoyed her weekend at home, making full use of this time with her family. It wasn’t long now before she actually began her nursing training, and then she wouldn’t have free weekends as she had now. Luckily enough her family made little mention of Piers, accepting her transfer of attention to his son without comment.

  As usual her car was difficult to start and it was fully ten minutes before the engine roared into life. Well, perhaps it didn’t exactly roar, more a gentle miaow really. The engine seemed to be even more unreliable this evening, and remembering what had happened the last time her car broke down on this journey Leigh could only pray it would get her all the way back to the flat.