Romance of a Lifetime by Carole Mortimer Read Free Book Online Page A

company!
    She turned to him outside her room. 'Thank you for dinner.'
    'You're welcome,' he returned softly. 'Tomorrow. Let me show you Venice.'
    'I——' She broke off gratefully as the telephone could be heard ringing inside her room. 'I have to go,' she told him with some relief.
    'Yes,' he acknowledged impatiently, the annoyance in his eyes showing his irritation with the interruption. 'Ten o'clock tomorrow morning. Downstairs in Reception.'
    'What?' Half her attention was on the telephone that still rang in her room, seeming to become more insistent with each ring.
    'I'll meet you there,' he added quickly.
    'But——'
    'You really should go and answer that telephone; whoever it is doesn't seem about to give up.' He took her key out of her hand and unlocked the door for her, pressing the key back into her hand. 'Goodnight, Beth.' He bent and slowly brushed his lips against hers, his eyes dark as he turned her gently and pushed her inside her room, closing the door softly behind her.
    Beth stood dazedly just inside the room, one hand slowly moving up to touch her lips where they still tingled from the caress of Marcus Craven's. It had been the briefest of touches, and yet it had been as if an electric shock had coursed through her body. It had been—-
    Oh, damn, the phone!
    She glared at it resentfully as it continued its insistent ringing. Marcus was right—whoever it was seemed very determined.
    Her mother…
    Oh, God, what had her mother found out that was important enough to ring her this time of night?

CHAPTER FOUR
    'well, say something!' Katherine demanded impatiently at her continued silence, Beth sighed, having sat down on the side of the bed. 'What is there to say?'
    'What is there…? What…?' her mother spluttered. 'Didn't you hear what I said—Charles is going to name Martin as his heir instead of you!'
    She had heard her mother the first time. It didn't seem unexpected to her, in fact it was an obvious move on her father's part if she sat and thought about it logically. As far as her father was concerned she had let him down as a daughter, and now he had no further use for her. She certainly hadn't thought he would want to name her as his heir, had been left in no doubt how he felt about her.
    'It's only to be expected, Mu—- '
    'Not by me, it isn't,' her mother cut in furiously. 'I almost hit Charles when he told me of his plan earlier. I probably would have done if I hadn't known the satisfaction it would have given him!' Beth could imagine her mother's eyes flashing hi anger.
    'As it is, I told him exactly what I thought of the idea.'
    'And?' Beth prompted drily.
    'He told me that it wasn't an "idea" at all, that it will very soon be fact!'
    Of course it would. Her father would hardly have told her mother of his plans if he had thought for a moment she could in any way thwart them.
    'Then that seems to be that, doesn't it?' Beth dismissed without rancour. In fact, she was relieved about the whole thing. She wanted as little to do with her father as he obviously wanted to do with her.
    'It most certainly is not,' her mother snapped.
    'You don't think I'm just meekly going to accept
    that, do you? Because I can assure you I'm not!
    I think you should come home—- '
    'Mummy—- '

    'On the first plane available and… What?' her mother barked impatiently as she realised Beth was trying to say something.
    She drew in a deep breath, knowing her mother wasn't going to like what she was about to say. 'Mummy, I'm not in the least concerned about being Da—about being his heir.' She still found it difficult to think of him as her father, stumbling over calling him that, finally deciding not to call him anything. 'I'm glad it's all finally over.' And she really felt as if now it could be, knew there would no longer be any tie to her father. And she was so glad.
    'It isn't,' her mother bit out tautly. 'I haven't stayed married to your father all these years to have him calmly disinherit you now.'
    'But I