Point Of No Return

‘Why, you—–’

‘I’m only telling you this for your own good,’ he interrupted her angry outburst. ‘It’s up to you whether or not you take my advice.’ He walked past her, turning when he reached what she assumed to be his study, or office, door. ‘And, Miss Finch,’ he paused when he had her attention, ‘I think I can take having a date turned down without the girl having to resort to her mother’s illness as an excuse. You had only to say you had something going with Roddy. Unless of course you were trying to decide whether the richer brother might be a better bet.’ He went into the room and closed the door firmly behind him.

Megan didn’t give herself time to think, marching angrily across the marble tiled hallway and bursting into what turned out to be a study. ‘Now you just listen to me, Mr Towers!’ she stormed at the man standing just inside the room. Almost as if he had expected her … ‘I—–’

Her words were cut off in mid-flow as she was pulled against the rigidness of a male body, her mouth captured and parted as Jerome Towers bent his head and kissed her.

‘Oh!’ she gasped as he released her, still held in the firm grip of his hands.

He looked down at her. ‘I knew that would get you in here.’

Her eyes were wide. ‘Is that why you …?’

‘Mm,’ he nodded, his warm gaze on her parted lips.

Megan pushed hard against him, struggling to be free. ‘You obnoxious, overbearing—–’

He let her go, moving to sit in the leather chair behind the desk. ‘I could hardly kiss you out there in the hallway. Anyone could have come along and seen us.’

‘You didn’t have to kiss me at all!’ she snapped, still breathless from the touch of those firm lips on hers.

‘But I did,’ he said calmly. ‘Now, what is your relationship to Roddy?’

‘I’m not telling you!’ her eyes flamed with feeling. ‘And just in case you haven’t heard about it, the Squire no longer gets the first night of love with the local maidens!’

He raised dark eyebrows. ‘Are you a maiden?’

‘Mind your own damned business!’ She slammed out of the room, the sound of his mocking laughter following her.

Freda was busy preparing lunch when Megan entered the kitchen a few minutes later, so she took over the peeling of the potatoes.

‘Are you all right?’ the cook asked. ‘You’re looking a bit flushed,’ she explained her query.

‘I’m fine,’ Megan mumbled.

‘Young Roddy hasn’t been making passes at you, has he?’ Freda tutted. ‘He is a lad!’ She shook her head, a smile on her lips.

‘Is he in the habit of making passes?’ Megan couldn’t help her curiosity.

‘Well, he made a couple of advances towards Patsy when he stayed here last. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that isn’t the reason she’s off sick today—you know how her Donald can be. Roddy wouldn’t leave the poor girl alone, that’s why I wondered if he’d—–’

‘Nothing I can’t handle,’ Megan cut in briskly, wondering what Freda would say if she knew she was in more danger from Jerome Towers than from his young brother.

‘That’s all right, then.’ Freda was obviously relieved. ‘Would you get some mint in from the herb garden out the back?’ she asked, the makings of pastry in her mixing bowl. ‘I do like my potatoes to have a bit of mint in them.’

‘But I thought Mr Towers didn’t eat potatoes.’ Megan blushed at Freda’s questioning look. ‘Just someting Mum said,’ she mumbled.

Freda nodded understanding. ‘Mr Towers doesn’t bother with much food at all. I’m always telling him he doesn’t eat enough, but he says he doesn’t see the point of over-indulging.’

Megan wondered if he had the same attitude to all life’s appetites. From the way he had kissed her, twice, she didn’t think he did. His mouth against hers had been frankly sensual, pointing to an experience that hadn’t been gained by abstinence.

But he had no right to kiss her whenever he felt like it, as if it were his due or something. If he ever tried to kiss her again she would—she would—She sighed; she would kiss him right back, she knew she would. Much as she tried to keep up her prejudiced dislike of him, the truth of the matter was that on acquaintance she found him all too disturbing for comfort.

‘Maybe he’s afraid of middle-aged spread,’ she made the same bitchy comment to Freda that she had made to her mother only that morning, although now she knew it to be untrue. Jerome Towers wasn’t thin, not unpleasantly so, his shoulders wide and powerful, tapering down to a slim waist and forceful thighs, his stomach flat and firmly muscled. No, he was a man at the peak of physical fitness, and the closeness of his lithe body against hers had had an arousing effect.

‘At thirty-two?’ Freda scoffed. ‘Go on with you!’

Megan laughingly let herself out into the herb garden, finding the mint with no trouble. She might have lived the first nine years of her life in a town, but she had soon picked up the country ways and knowledge. She and Brian had been much happier here, having room to play, clean air to breathe. It was for the clean air they had come here if they had but known it, their father’s illness being irritated by the town smog.

As she stood up she saw Roddy Meyers looking out at her from one of the upstairs windows, turning angrily away as he dared to grin at her. She would wipe that smile off his face when she met him this afternoon!

Her mother was looking slightly better when she got home at lunchtime, although Megan insisted she stay in bed.

‘How did you get on, love?’ her mother asked worriedly.

‘Just fine. They’re a bit short-staffed today, so I offered to stay on, but Mrs Reece said they would be able to manage.’ Much to her chagrin. If she could have worked this afternoon she would have had a good excuse not to meet Roddy.

‘That was nice of you, dear,’ she smiled. ‘How did you get on with Freda and Mrs Reece?’

Megan shrugged. ‘Freda’s nice, but I hardly saw Mrs Reece, she was busy organising the cleaning of the house.’

‘It’s lovely now, isn’t it? Now that everywhere has been cleaned up and redecorated.’

‘It’s all right,’ Megan agreed grudgingly, aware that Jerome Towers had been responsible for the improvements. ‘Although old Squire Towers always made it seem homely.’

‘It’s homely now, Megan. And it will be even more so when they get a couple of children running around.’

This conjured up pictures of two small children, tall for their age, a boy and a girl, with their father’s dark hair and eyes. They would be lovely children, they would have to be if they looked anything like Jerome Towers.

‘Is Mr Towers thinking of getting married?’ she asked casually. Being away at the hospital she had missed out on a lot of the local gossip this last year, most of it history by the time she came home for a couple of days, and so not related to her.

‘Well, he does have a girl-friend in London. She’s been to The Towers for a couple of weekends—a beautiful little thing, very friendly, with red hair.’

‘Little thing’ rankled. Being five feet eight in her stockinged feet Megan often found herself towering over other women. She would certainly never be the sort of girl men felt protective towards. ‘Did Brian borrow the tractor from The Towers?’ she changed the subject.

‘I think so, dear,’ her mother said vaguely. ‘I passed the message on anyway. He’s called Taylor out from the garage to look at it.’

‘Right,’ Megan stood up. ‘I’ll get you some lunch. I—er—I have to go out later. I shouldn’t be long,’ she added hastily. Just long enough to tell Roddy Meyers that she wouldn’t agree to his blackmail a second time.

‘Are you going out with one of your friends?’ her mother asked interestedly.

‘Er—yes.’ Although she would hardly call Roddy Meyers a friend—a few other choice names, but certainly not friend.

‘That’s good, dear.’ Mrs Finch closed her eyes. ‘I was feeling rather guilty about lying here and leaving you so much on your own.’

‘I’m not here to be entertained, Mum,’ Megan chided. ‘I’m here to work now.’

‘You’re sure there’s no chance of them taking you back at the hospital?’

‘Not unless that boy tells them the truth. And as he’s already left the hospital I don’t think there’s any likelihood of that.’ Besides, Roddy’s attitude this morning to her dismissal had pointed to him not giving a damn.

‘It’s such a shame,’ her mother frowned. ‘You’ve wanted to be a nurse ever since you were a little girl.’

‘Yes,’ Megan agreed grimly. ‘Still,’ she added brightly, ‘we can’t have everything we want in life. And maybe now that I’m home I can be of some help to Brian.’

‘Field work isn’t for a girl, Megan. What we need is another man.’

‘Well, you’ll just have to take what you can get,’ Megan told her lightly, ‘and that’s me!’

‘You haven’t thought any more about selling to Mr Towers?’

Her mouth tightened. ‘I don’t need to think about it. I wouldn’t sell to him if I were destitute.’

‘We aren’t far off that,’ sighed her mother.

‘Don’t be silly,’ Megan said briskly. ‘All it needs is hard work and—–’

‘And don’t you think Brian has been working hard?’ her usually even-tempered mother became angry. ‘Do you think we both haven’t? But it isn’t enough. We can’t manage any more.’

‘But if I—–’

‘It isn’t enough, Megan,’ her mother repeated firmly. ‘Your father left the farm and land between the three of us, but I don’t think he intended for it to be a millstone around our necks. He knew I’d always have a home with your Aunt Rose, as soon as I’d got you two children off my hands, of course, and—–’

‘Thanks!’ Megan said dryly.

‘Well, I expect you’ll get married one day.’

‘I expect.’

Her mother gave her an impatient look. ‘Well, you will, you’re a beautiful girl—even if I do say so myself.’

‘Dad always said I got my beauty from you,’ Megan smiled mischievously.

Her mother blushed. ‘So he did,’ she agreed in a choked voice. ‘Anyway, I’m sure your father intended for us to sell the farm back to Mr Towers, in fact he said as much before he died. He wanted us to use the money as we wanted. Oh, I know Brian wanted to give it a year’s trial, see how he managed.’ She sighed. ‘I think it’s pretty obvious that he can’t manage at all.’

‘So you want to sell?’ Megan asked dully.

‘I do,’ her mother nodded. ‘And I think Brian would too if he could find himself a job in this area. Joyce wouldn’t want to move too far away from her parents.’

Joyce was Brian’s girl-friend of two years, and they were planning to marry soon. As far as Megan knew it could be the financial state of the farm that was holding up those plans.

‘I think you should talk this over with Brian, Megan,’ her mother advised.

‘Maybe I will, Mum. Later, perhaps.’ If Brian really wanted to sell she would have no choice but to agree. But to sell out to Rome—Jerome Towers, that she wouldn’t like.

She was still thoughtful when she met Roddy Meyers later that afternoon, although his triumphant smile made her burn with anger and her eyes glow a deep sparkling green. ‘You needn’t look so pleased with yourself,’ she snapped as he handed her into the low dark green sports car. ‘I’m not here through choice,’ she added moodily, resisting the impulse to turn and look at The Towers, telling herself she didn’t really want to catch a glimpse of Jerome Towers.

Roddy turned to grin at her. ‘But you are here.’

‘Yes!’ Megan snapped.

He accelerated the car out on to the narrow, winding road. ‘Where shall we go?’

‘Here is far enough, I think,’ she told him rigidly. ‘I only agreed to meet you so that I can tell you I won’t be forced into meeting you again.’

‘Forced, Megan?’ He raised one blond eyebrow.

‘Yes, forced! You knew I wouldn’t want your brother to hear about the trouble I had at the hospital, that I wouldn’t want anyone to know,’ she added hastily as she saw the speculative look in his eyes.

‘But you specifically mentioned Rome,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Why him especially?’

‘I only mentioned him because he happened to be the witness to your blackmail,’ she said awkwardly. ‘I like your brother even less than I like you—and we both know my feelings towards you.’

They were still driving, the high hedges making it impossible for them to see anything but the road in front of them. It gave them an intimacy Megan found irksome.

‘You looked like another of the fatalities to Rome’s charm to me,’ Roddy scorned. ‘You hated him seeing you in my arms.’

‘I hated being in your arms,’ she corrected forcefully. ‘Your brother’s presence there was irrelevant.’

‘You’re a liar, Megan Finch,’ Roddy told her harshly. ‘I don’t know what it is about Rome, but the women go down like ninepins whenever he’s around.’

‘My mother tells me he has a girl-friend in London.’ In which case he had no right to have asked her out—even if he had changed his mind.

‘She must mean Stella,’ Roddy said knowingly. ‘She’s been Rome’s woman for over a year now.’

‘His woman!’ Megan spluttered. ‘My God, what a charming description,’ she said disgustedly.

‘But a true one. Stella wouldn’t mind, she likes being his woman. She would probably like to be his wife too, but Rome doesn’t go in for permanent relationships.’

‘A year sounds pretty permanent to me.’

‘And me,’ Roddy grinned. ‘But one day Stella will wake up and find Rome has just eliminated her from his life. She’ll keep calling him, crying all over the place, pleading for him to come back to her, and he’ll just ignore her as if he never knew her. I’ve seen it all before, many times. I’ve even got myself a couple of girl-friends that way.’

‘He sounds a right swine,’ and she was well out of the situation! thought Megan.

‘I’m his one weak spot,’ Roddy told her with satisfaction. ‘Rome can see no wrong in his little brother.’

‘Meaning?’ her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

‘Meaning that even if you told him the truth about what had happened at the hospital he wouldn’t believe you. Rome’s opinion of women isn’t too hot.’

‘You mean he’s never caught you in a compromising situation, never caught you trying to force some other poor girl into bed with you?’ Megan scorned him, angry with both men. ‘Not even Patsy?’ she asked softly.

Hot colour stained his cheeks. ‘What do you know about her?’

‘I know that she’s newly married, that she’s frightened to work at the house while you’re there. What did you do to the poor girl?’

‘Nothing,’ he said moodily. ‘And I don’t see that it’s any of your business anyway.’

Megan shook her head. ‘Why don’t you choose a woman who’s attracted to you in return?’

‘Who says she isn’t?’ he asked sneeringly.

‘I do. Patsy’s only been married six months, I doubt she’s interested in extra-marital affairs just yet.’

Roddy gave an unpleasant smile. ‘Every woman is interested in an affair, married or not.’

‘The trouble with you, Roddy,’ Megan taunted, ‘is that you think every girl is playing hard to get. Well, I wasn’t, and I’m still not interested. Now I won’t tell your brother anything about you, Roddy, if you don’t tell him anything about me. I think it’s a case of mutual silence.’

‘Maybe,’ he agreed consideringly. ‘Does that mean you aren’t going to go out with me?’

‘It means,’ she controlled her anger with difficulty, ‘that I want you to stay away from me. You’ve already ruined my career, I don’t want you to do any more damage to my life. No one knows, not my family or anyone, that you’re the man involved in my dismissal. I’d like it to stay that way. Will it?’

‘I suppose so,’ he gave a grudging nod.

Megan heaved an inward sigh of relief; one of her problems was solved at least. ‘Right, well you can take me back now.’

Roddy gave her a sulky look. ‘You could at least go out with me now you’re here.’

‘I’ve said what I want to say—No, perhaps I haven’t said it all. If you dare to tell anyone about those incidents at the hospital I’ll make sure your brother knows the truth—about myself and Patsy. We can’t both be lying.’

‘God, you’re a hard little bitch!’

‘You get that way when your reputation is in shreds, when even your own family isn’t quite sure you’re telling the truth,’ she recalled bitterly. It had taken some time to convince Brian, although her mother had instantly believed her.

‘For God’s sake,’ Roddy snapped, ‘I’ve said I’m sorry!’

‘No, you haven’t,’ she contradicted. ‘But even if you had it wouldn’t make things any different, only telling the hospital authorities could do that.’

‘Which I’m certainly not going to do,’ Roddy scorned. ‘Rome would be sure to find out, and he would stop my allowance—among other things,’ he grimaced.

‘At your age you should be out at work earning your own money, not sponging on your brother.’

‘God, what a nag you are!’

‘Aren’t you glad I refused to go out with you?’ she taunted. ‘You can take me back to The Towers. I have to see Mrs Reece. The housekeeper,’ she added.

‘I know who she is,’ he said moodily.

The drive back was completed in silence. After droppping Megan off outside the house Roddy accelerated the car back out of the driveway at such speed that some of the small stones flew high into the air.

Megan found Mrs Reece in the kitchen taking her afternoon tea. And if this afternoon had been as hectic as this morning had been then the poor woman was much in need of it. Megan had promised the housekeeper she would pop in to see whether or not Patsy would be in tomorrow. She had offered to come in all day herself if the other girl was to be absent again.

‘She isn’t coming back at all,’ Mrs Reece told her with a sigh. ‘Apparently her Donald has decided he doesn’t want her to work any more.’

Roddy had done a good job of frightening the other girl away. Donald Jones was a possessive boy, and the slightest sign of interest in Patsy from another man would be enough for him to stop her coming here any more.

‘Well, I could come in for a few days full-time,’ Megan offered. ‘Just until you get someone else.’

‘Could you?’ Mrs Reece accepted gratefully. She was a middle-aged woman of perhaps fifty, her hair already snow-white, her figure neat and trim, her energy boundless.

‘Just for a while,’ Megan nodded. ‘I—–’

The door leading to the main part of the house was suddenly thrown open, and the new owner stood looking at them. Megan jumped almost guiltily to her feet, although Mrs Reece and Freda seemed unconcerned.

Velvety brown eyes passed insolently over Megan’s denim-clad figure, over the way the green sweater hugged her breasts and the flatness of her stomach. Megan felt as if he were mentally undressing her—and liking what he saw! She looked sharply at the other two women in the room, but they seemed unaware of her boss’s appraisal.

‘Roddy told me I would find you in here,’ Jerome Towers spoke to her.

So he was back already! ‘I called in to see Mrs Reece,’ she answered resentfully.

‘He told me that too,’ he drawled. ‘I just wanted you to pass on a message to your brother. Tell him I’ll call in this evening. I have some things I want to discuss with him.’

Megan bristled angrily at his autocratic tone. ‘If it’s anything to do with the farm you can discuss it with me.’

His gaze ran over her coldly, contemptuously. ‘Women have their uses,’ he told her insultingly. ‘And being in business isn’t one of them. Tell Brian I’ll be there about eight-thirty.’ He left as abruptly as he had entered.

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