A Man Without Mercy by Margery Hilton

Author:Margery Hilton [Hilton, Margery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Large Type Books, Love Stories, General
ISBN: 9780745182766
Publisher: Chivers
Published: 1974-03-14T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

RACHEL and Leon returned a little while later, loaded with parcels,

from their trip into Eastbourne.

Leon’s greeting to Gerda was friendly enough, but Rachel’s was little

short of surly and she made no effort to conceal her resentment of

Gerda’s presence. A vivid little figure in a rainbow-patterned tunic

over jade green trousers, she monopolised the conversation at dinner

as though Gerda was not present. However, Stuart had regained a

brighter mood, so Gerda fought down her natural reaction to take

refuge in frigid silence and tried not to show her hurt when they

gathered in Stuart’s apartment after dinner to play the batch of new

records Rachel had bought.

Leon turned out some of the lights and with the start of the music

Rachel’s artificial gaiety left her. For a long time she stayed silent,

lying flat on a divan with her hands pillowed under her head and

staring unwinkingly at the ceiling. When the record ended she

refused to be drawn into a discussion of it, but when Leon put on the

theme music from a currently popular film she suddenly came to life.

With slow, studied movements she carried the scarlet footstool over

to Stuart and set it down close to his side, where she sat down and

began quite blatantly to caress him, almost as though she defied

onlookers to watch.

Stuart himself neither encouraged nor repulsed her, his slight smile

inscrutable and his shadowed eyes holding a faraway expression,

almost as though he was unaware of the slender arm curved about his

neck and the small hand that explored his face with slow, sensuous

caresses. Finally she curled her feet up under her and laid her head in

his lap, her long hair tumbling like black silk over his knees. He did

look down at her then and began to stroke her hair, running his

fingers through it and shaping it into thick, ordered spirals where it

lay.

Leon seemed unmoved by the careless intimacy, but Gerda found it

disturbing. She had never been able to demonstrate affection under

strangers’ eyes, and to Rachel she must be a stranger. She tried to

concentrate on the music and keep her gaze averted, then she heard a

stifled gasp and saw Leon laughing.

Stuart was edging his chair back, infinitely slowly, while Rachel

hung on to his knees until it was inevitable that she should fall. The

stool tipped, and abruptly she tried to save herself. She scrambled up

and her face was scarlet with rage.

“Beast! Beast !” she screamed. “I hate you! I hate you all!”

Openly weeping now, she fled out of the room.

The two men met Gerda’s shocked gaze. Leon shrugged,, and Stuart

grinned heartlessly. “She’ll get over it. She’s a creature of moods, our

Rachel.”

“But…” Gerda stood up. “Shouldn’t somebody… ?” She gestured

towards the door.

“Good heavens, no. She wouldn’t thank you.” Stuart reached over the

side of his chair and set the footstool to rights. “Actually, she

thoroughly enjoys it. Aren’t you going to take over the soothing of

my fevered brow?” He patted the stool invitingly.

“No, I’m not.” Suddenly Gerda felt she couldn’t take any more. She

had been thankful when she had learned that Jordan would not be

back that day, but now she would have welcomed his presence.

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