A Perfect Obsession by Caro Fraser Read Free Book Online

trouble yourself. I’ll see if Derek can give me a lift.’ She gave him an arch look and added in a lower voice, ‘You’re always my first choice, though.’ She flicked the end of one of her long scarves over her shoulder and moved away.
    ‘Appalling woman,’ murmured Leo, as he and Anthony stepped out into the night air. ‘Have you seen any of her recent interview series on Channel 4? Quite abysmal. She should have stuck to the arts-magazine format. At least she could handle it.’
    ‘You know modern art isn’t my cup of tea. But I did read a review of her interview with Anthony Caro. Bit of a stinker. What have you got against her personally?’
    ‘A few months ago I made the mistake of going out for a few drinks with her. We finished up at her place.’ Leo sighed. ‘I’d rather not go into it. Let’s just say that I don’t particularly want to give her any kind of encouragement.’
    Anthony stopped at the brewery gates and stared at Leo. ‘Not her as well?’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘Christ, Leo, it’s what I was talking about earlier! I mean, don’t you know when to stop? Isn’t there anyone you won’t sleep with?’
    Leo was nonplussed by the volatility of Anthony’s reaction. In fact, it seemed to him like an overreaction.What was this new, sensitive area they had touched upon of late? ‘I’d hardly put it that way. Nothing happened, and anyway—’
    ‘Oh, forget it, Leo. I don’t want a lift.’ Anthony turned angrily on his heel and walked off down the cobbled street. Leo gazed after him, bemused, tossing his car keys thoughtfully in his hand. Whatever was eating Anthony, he’d have to work it out by himself. Clearly, there wasn’t much Leo could do. He heard voices behind him, and turned to see Melissa and Derek Harvey leaving the building. He moved off hastily in the direction of his car.

    Twenty minutes later, Derek’s car slowed in a queue of traffic at some lights in Bayswater. Turning to glance out of the window, Melissa saw an Aston Martin two cars ahead in the adjoining lane, waiting to turn right. The lights turned to green, and as they passed the Aston Martin still sitting in the filter lane, Melissa saw Leo’s profile, the unmistakable glint of his silver hair. She looked away abruptly. Leo had lied. He hadn’t wanted to give her a lift, hadn’t wanted her company. An insignificant slight, perhaps, but to Melissa, such things could never be insignificant.

CHAPTER THREE
    February the fourteenth. Felicity contemplated the large envelope which had arrived, addressed to her, with the rest of chambers’ post. She didn’t recognise the handwriting as Vince’s. She didn’t recognise it as anybody’s. Maybe he had got someone else in the remand centre to write it for him. Somehow she couldn’t picture Vince doing anything that soft. You’d probably get beaten up, asking someone to do something like that. A valentine. Where would Vince get a valentine while on remand? And the postmark. The postmark was WC2. Not even Vince could manage that, not where he was. Besides, when had Vince ever sent her a valentine? She turned it over thoughtfully, then began to open it.
    Henry watched from a discreet distance.
    The card was very pretty, in a naff sort of way, very traditional, with lots of flowers, no jokey message. It just said ‘with love’ in gold letters on the front. She opened it.Inside someone had written: ‘
From a distance. Always.
’ Ah – that was lovely. And a bit sad, sort of enigmatic. Not Vince’s style at all. Mind you, considering the mess Vince was in, from a distance was about right. She pondered it, wondering who her remote admirer might be.
    ‘Ooh, somebody loves you. Just the one? I got three,’ remarked Robert, who was the post boy and trainee clerk.
    Felicity clipped his head with the card, then slid it back into the envelope, smiling to herself as she did so. Henry saw the smile, and his heart turned over. In a way, it was an anti-climax. It was