An Immoral Code by Caro Fraser Read Free Book Online

company as that of Godfrey Ellwood and Anthony Cross, she gave her a little wave.
    On the other side of the room, the blonde girl returned her wave unenthusiastically. She was alone, still waiting for her friends, and she did not particularly wish to be accosted by Camilla, who was looking pink and rather pleased with herself. They hadn’t met for some months, but she recalled that on the several occasions when she had been in Camilla’s company she had found herself distinctly bored. There was something desperately nice about her, and she tended to be too keen on talking about law. But Camilla had turned away now, so sheassumed she was safe. The girl, who was dressed in tight jeans and boots and a white polo-neck sweater beneath a denim jacket, in contrast to Camilla’s dusty black suit and high-necked white blouse, took a sip of her drink and ran her eye curiously over the people Camilla was sitting with. Typical crowd of barristers. Then she saw Anthony, and her gaze halted. She had never seen him in here before, of that she was certain. She would have remembered. At that moment, Anthony rose from his seat and came over to the bar with some empty glasses. He set them down on the bar not far from the blonde girl and fished in his wallet for a ten-pound note, and she gave him a long, discreet glance, enough to take in his tall, elegant figure, the handsome face, the rather girlish brown eyes. He glanced across and caught her eye, and they looked at one another for a significant fraction of a second. Then the barman said something to Anthony and he looked away again. She watched as he took the drinks back over to the table, sitting down next to Camilla and saying something to her which made Camilla smile with pleasure.
    Perhaps Camilla wasn’t so boring after all, thought the blonde girl. The company she kept certainly wasn’t. Smoothing back her hair, the girl moved over towards Camilla, setting her face in a surprised smile.
    ‘Camilla!’ She bent and kissed the air next to Camilla’s warm cheek. ‘How amazing to see you! Do you mind if I join you for a moment until my friends come? It’s a bit busy at the bar.’
    She drew up a chair and sat down with Camilla and Anthony, and the others at the table edged their chairs round to make room for her. She glanced around, her eyes not meeting Anthony’s, but aware that he was looking at her.
    Camilla was momentarily flustered, then said, ‘Oh, everyone, this is Sarah – Sarah Colman, a friend of mine.’
    There was a general murmur of ‘how do you do?’, and then the conversation resumed. Camilla, who had been pleased enough to wave to Sarah at a distance, was less sure that she wanted her attractive friend muscling in on this exclusive little circle. Still, there she was, lovely as ever, with that knowing smile. She’d often wondered why it was that Sarah, who was a year younger than she was, always managed somehow to appear older. But at least on this occasion Camilla could steal a march on her, since Sarah was still only at Bar School, a mere novice, and could not boast of such sophisticated experiences as appearing in the House of Lords with Godfrey Ellwood, QC. Camilla quickly let it be known what was being celebrated, and Sarah smiled with only the mildest condescension. ‘Aren’t you clever? But now tell me, who did the real work while you were taking notes?’ And her cool glance fell on Anthony, whose face at that moment turned in her direction.
    ‘Sorry?’ said Anthony, uncertain whether he’d been addressed or not.
    ‘I was just asking Camilla whether you’d been involved in the case she’s been telling me about – I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.’
    ‘Oh!’ exclaimed Camilla in mild embarrassment, ‘Sarah, this is Anthony Cross. I’m sort of working for him while my pupilmaster’s away.’
    Anthony stretched out his hand and Sarah took it. Camilla saw him smile at Sarah in a way that he had never smiled at her, and felt her heart