Mail-order Bridegroom Part 50

her arm, the expression on his face equally angry, but excited, too.

"Oh, really? Well, / think you've always been attracted to me."

"Let go of my arm, Chris," Roslyn snapped."We've got a few things to clear up first.""Then let's clear them up in front of Marsh and Dianne.""So you've got Marsh in the palm of your hand." Chris jeered unpleasantly."It's only a temporary thing. He'll start back up with Kim. They understand one another."

"I said let go" "Shut up. Shut up for a minute," Chris urged. "There's someone coming this way."

In another minute one of the doors leading to the terrace opened and the room

was flooded with light."Hey, you guys!" a teen-aged, bedraggled apparition cried."Are we breakin' up a little tryst?"Chris dropped Roslyn's arm in horror."What in the world are you doing here, Marcy, and in that condition?" To make it worse, the girl was accompanied by Kim Petersen, who looked at Roslynand Chris with open disgust in her eyes."Just can't leave it alone, can you, Ros!" she said with contempt.Marcy giggled, obviously intoxicated."Naughty, naughty, Chris!""Don't be ridiculous!" he said, looking devastated."It don't look good," Marcy crowed.

"Though why in the world anyone would look at you when they had Marsh."

"I think you'd better stop right there, Marcy," Roslyn warned, suddenly producing her most quelling schoolteacher tone, "or repeat what you're saying in front of my fiancee, Dianne and your parents."

It had some effect because Marcy appeared to sober

abruptly."Hang on, hang on. I was only trying to take the heat off me.""Then I a.s.sure you you haven't succeeded. I take great exception to your implication."

"So I apologise. Absolutely," Marcy replied, peering earnestly through herlong, sopping hair."Hey, wait a couple of ticks. Kim insulted you, as well. Make her apologise. Make her apologise, too, for giving me a gla.s.s of champagne and

daring me to jump in the pool."

"I did nothing of the kind!" Kim protested vigorously, giving Marcy a push in the back.

"You did so, too!" Marcy accused her."Ask Craig. He fished me out.I've been drinking orange juice all night. Then one drink and it hit me like a bomb. "

"You're dripping water all over the floor," Roslyn said dispa.s.sionately.

"We're of a size. I can lend you something to put on, then maybe we should

think about getting you home."

"I've never done anything like this before," Marcy suddenly wailed.

"Mum'11 kill me."

Just as another wail went up Justine, who had been informed of the incident,

appeared.

"Gracious, Marcy, what a really foolish thing to do!" Oblivious of her expensive dress she went to the girl and put her arm around her.

"You've always been so sensible, too."

"I only had one drink, Justine," Marcy said almost indignantly.

"Kim gave it to me, but she won't admit it."

"Because it's not trueV Kim said coldly.

"The first thing you should learn, Marcy, is to admit your own mistakes."

"Where's the bathroom," said Marcy.

"I feel sick."

Justine led her away hurriedly and Roslyn decided to speak her mind.

"I knew when you arrived tonight, Kim, you'd planned some little incident to discredit me or spoil the party."

Kim looked unimpressed.

"My dear, you have the problem of explaining to Dianne what you were doing

here in the dark with her husband.""She sent me a message," Chris said, on Kim's side."You're pathetic, Chris!" Roslyn exclaimed."You don't have to explain anything to Kim. She set the whole thing up. I suppose she popped a little extra into that girl's drink. She's unscrupulousenough. The Garden Room has been off limits to our guests. Why bring her inhere? The pool house would have been a better idea. It's well stocked with towels and robes."

"I wanted dry clothes," Kim declared in her superior voice."I knew perfectly well Justine wouldn't mind. I know the house well.""You certainly know where the light switches are. I overheard you talking to your friends earlier in the evening, the unkind things you said about me and my mother."

"Well, you know what they say, darling." Kim sneered.

"Eavesdroppers et cetera."

"You didn't get much for yourself, either."

"So what's going on?" a voice demanded. They all looked around as Dianne made her way towards them, her forehead creased in a frown.

"There's a party out there, doesn't anyone know? Ros, Marsh is looking foryou everywhere. Anyone would think you've been kidnapped!"

"I'll go to him," Roslyn said, anxious to avoid any further embarra.s.sment.

"She's going to run, just like she did the last time," Kim said to Dianne ina harsh, ugly voice.

' "What are you talking about, Kim?" Marsh, who had combed the house,finally found them in the Garden Room. He spoke forcefully, his handsomeface stirred to anger.

"She's going to ruin everything for you," Kim cried. "Do you think I'd bespeaking out only the old ties run deep? Roslyn is the catalyst amongst us.She forces change."

"The complications of love!" Dianne cried.

"I wish I knew what you're on about now, Kim. This whole business has affected you."

"Then let me explain." Kim's eyes flashed around, her face flushed withdrink and recklessness.

"It's the old story. Conquest. She's done it before at your engagementparty. Some weird trait in her character" -- "As I recall, you were the oneto bring it to Mother's attention,"

Dianne interrupted as though she had suddenly thought of somethingsignificant.

"I had to. Then as now. Roslyn is the sort of woman who won't let go.

She needs all this admiration. She's missed out on so much. She doesn't care you and Chris are happily married. You're pregnant. She arranged tomeet Chris here. Alone. "

"Incredible!" Marsh made a sound of utter disbelief. "Is that the best youcan do? And I imagine you've been working on it for weeks.

Rosa stole away to meet Chris7 You'd better lay off the booze. "

"It's the way it happened," Kim said in a furious voice."I have a witness. Marcy Hallett. We surprised them."To Roslyn's utter horror Dianne began to weep."Di, please, this is nonsense. Chris and I haven't the slightest thing to feel guilty about. We were both told Justine wanted to see us here. She

didn't.It was a pathetic scheme Kim thought up. I'd say she even brought alongsomething to lace my drink, only I wasn't having any. Anything to discreditme. "

"Chris believes me," Kim said."Perhaps he knows Roslyn better than any of us.""You rattlesnake!" Roslyn went white.It was the last straw for Marsh."You might like to leave, Kim," he said in a hard-edged voice."There's no way I'm going to allow you to ruin our night. I'd like to make it perfectly plain I believe that was your intention."

His words and the way he said them filled Roslyn with all the confidence she

needed. Our night. Their shared happiness. The certainty she was veryspecial. Everything about him spoke of love and commitment!Yet Kim persisted, locked in to the delusions she had long nourished."Hate me. Go on, hate me. It can't be helped. I'm your friend, Marsh.Di and Justine have been like my own sisters. There's a lot of feeling in our relations.h.i.+p. I'm vitally interested in the Faulkner good name. RoslynEarnshaw is a wild card. I admit she looksss and acts the part, but she'safakeF' "Fakes get exposed. Rosa is the real thing."

"She's taken every opportunity to drive a wedge between the family."

Two hectic spots of colour burned in Kim's face.

"I loved you, Marsh. So badly. We were] going to spend our lives together.

You promised me, you

know you did. After we made love we used to lie so gently, so quietly, making plans for the future."

"You don't want to sell your story to the newspapers, do you?" Marsh asked in a caustic voice.

"They print pure fiction."

" Kim put a hand to her heart, a gesture that could have been poignant only for the touch of theatre.

"I know, too, I'm not lying!"

"Ah, G.o.d, Kim," Dianne said, and her voice broke. "Why don't you just shut

up? There's always been a dark side to you.""Forgive me, pet." Kim reached over and touched Dianne's tawny hair."It's as bad a thing as I've ever done upsetting you.""Excuse me before I throw up," Roslyn said abruptly, turning to leave."Not on your life!" Marsh caught her around the waist, holding her to him."This is our party. The others can leave."Kim threw up her head, lifting her body to its full height."I'm sorrier than I can say it's turned out like this. Marsh. I only thought to warn you as a lifelong friend.""OutV Marsh said in no uncertain tone."You love me, darling, don't you?" Chris asked as he led his wife away."I don't know. I honestly don't know.""It hurts me to see you so upset, Di," Kim cried, hurrying after them."I can imagine!" Dianne's voice floated back, the tone as dry as ashes."My poor, sweet Rosa," Marsh groaned, dropping a kiss on the top of Roslyn's head.

"But don't say I didn't warn you."

"It's just obscene the things she says."

"Blame it on her childhood," Marsh said laconically.

"And you. It all goes back to you."

Marsh smiled, his mouth curving ironically."Not a fight, Rosa. Not now. I couldn't stand it. It's been a perfectevening. You've been wonderful. I'm so proud of you."