Smokescreen

It was only a fifteen-minute drive from St Saviour’s cemetery to the house she had shared with Henry for the past six months. They had not had a honeymoon; it would have been an unbearable irony. And in any case, Henry had already been a sick man. He had known the few months he had left to him, and while Olivia might despise his memory, she could not help but admire the strength of will which had kept this knowledge in the back of his mind. Only his closest associates, like Francis Kennedy, had been aware that ill health had impaired his ability to function as he would have liked. But who would have believed it, after all? He had been a fighter to the last. And only the gauntness of his features in these last few weeks had betrayed the hours of pain he had suffered in silence. He had always looked so strong; a fine figure of a man, with his broad shoulders and tall physique. Indeed, when the pictures of their wedding appeared in the papers, not everyone had envied him his good fortune. Some had envied Olivia too, and not just because Henry Gantry was reputed to be the fifteenth most wealthy man in the world.

The Rolls slowed as they turned into Virginia Drive, and the tall steel gates of the house confronted them. Virginia Drive wasn’t really a road at all, it was a cul-de-sac, with only the high walls of Henry Gantry’s property on either side. The gates, which were set squarely at the end, guarded the entrance to the private estate, and were patrolled day and night by armed guards with dogs. As the Rolls approached, it was identified, and the heavy steel gates swung back with mechanised smoothness. Olivia received a polite salute from the guard on duty as she passed, and although in the beginning she had been embarrassed by this mark of respect, now she raised her hand automatically, without even giving it much thought.

A gravelled sweep curved between tall hydrangeas and rhododendron bushes, before emerging into the wide forecourt before the house. The house itself was casually elegant, a neo-Georgian edifice, with a pillared portico and panelled doors below a fluted fanlight. A series of box hedges gave definition to the terrace, and beyond them a manicured expanse of lawn, inset with a lily pool and flower beds, provided a formal display. Everywhere was immaculate, as immaculate as an army of gardeners could make it, and because Henry Gantry had believed in paying for service, he had never suffered from any shortage of staff.

‘Will you be wanting the car again today, Mrs Gantry?’

Forsyth’s polite enquiry drew Olivia’s attention, and she looked at him almost absently. She had been absorbed with her thoughts, absorbed with the enormity of the task that confronted her, and Forsyth’s simple question required some concentration.

‘No,’ she said at last. ‘No, I don’t think so, thank you, Forsyth. You can take the rest of the day off.’

‘Why, thank you, Mrs Gantry.’ Forsyth was pleasantly surprised. He walked round the car and opened the door for her as she moved to alight. ‘Take it easy, hmm?’ he added, as she accepted his hand, and the sympathy he had shown her in the car was renewed in that warm grasp.

‘Thank you.’ Only briefly, her rare smile showed, and then she released herself and walked towards the house as other cars pulled up behind them.

The hall of the house was high-ceilinged and wide, carpeted in blue and gold, and supporting a huge chandelier. There were other lights, set around the walls, whose discreet positioning highlighted some of the many original paintings Henry Gantry had collected during his business career; and as they were presently lit to allay the gloom of the lowering skies, the hall had a warmth and an intimacy it was sometimes lacking.

The house itself was built on two levels. Where Olivia stood to allow the butler, Hamish Murdoch, to help her to remove her coat was the upper level, and to either side of her, the drawing rooms and the library opened on to this level. The stairs, that gave access to the first floor, also rose along one panelled wall, and the gallery above provided further space for Henry’s collection.

Ahead of her, Olivia could see the sweeping arch that framed the shallow steps that led down to the dining room and sun lounge, and her late husband’s study. This part of the house faced south, and a series of glass doors in each of the rooms gave access to a pool patio, which Henry had used frequently when the weather was good enough. Below the patio, the ground fell away gradually to the river, the Thames at this point being deep enough and wide enough to create a natural barrier to intruders.

A cold buffet had been laid in one of the drawing rooms, at Olivia’s suggestion. She had not wanted a formal gathering in the dining room, and besides, this way no one would notice how little she ate. Francis Kennedy, typically, was the first to arrive, and he surreptitiously took over, organising drinks for those who wanted them, and generally taking the pressure off Olivia. She knew she would feel grateful to him, for easing her position, if only she could stop thinking of the motives behind his conciliatory smile.

Henry’s solicitor was there; Adam Cosgrove had known Henry all his working life, and Olivia supposed it wasn’t unreasonable that he should feel some remorse. Nevertheless, she thought he looked at her with more than a degree of calculation, and she wondered if he was speculating how best to present his suit. It was a little distracting to consider how many people had depended on Henry for their livelihood, and who now depended on her! How would they feel when they learned what she intended to do? She was realistic enough to know that they would not admire her for it.

‘Olivia!’

A woman’s faintly sardonic voice spoke behind her, and she turned to confront Drusilla Stone. The other woman looked cool and elegant, in a dark fur coat over plain grey flannel, her immaculately tinted hair as fair as Olivia’s was dark. She certainly didn’t look her age, Olivia reflected bitterly, and no doubt of all Henry’s retainers, Drusilla would benefit most; but perhaps that was how it should be; she had been his mistress for years, and had remained so up until his marriage.

‘Hello, Drusilla,’ Olivia responded now, without expression. ‘So good of you to come. I knew you would.’

Drusilla’s lips twisted. ‘It was the least I could do, don’t you think? For Henry’s memory? Of all the hangers-on here, including yourself, I have the most right to expect an acknowledgement.’

Olivia did not take offence. She knew Drusilla had never forgiven Henry for marrying someone else, particularly someone so much younger than herself.

‘I don’t suppose you’ll be disappointed, Drusilla,’ she remarked now, offering her a canapé from the tray held by a passing waitress. And when the older woman refused: ‘Surely we can overlook our differences now. We have so much in common.

‘I have nothing in common with a money-grubbing little gold-digger like you!’ Drusilla hissed venomously. ‘And if Henry hadn’t been so all-fired keen to deprive that selfish son of his from getting his hands on his money, he’d never have been taken in by an over-sexed little——’

‘That’s enough, don’t you think?’ Francis Kennedy’s smooth interruption successfully circumvented Drusilla’s attack. ‘Dear Drusilla! You never could distinguish between good taste and bad, could you? And don’t you think H.R. knew that? Or else you’d be standing where Olivia’s standing now.’

Drusilla’s carefully painted face contorted. ‘Keep out of this, Kennedy! Don’t think I can’t see your game! With Henry dead, you’ve got to revise your strategy, haven’t you? And paying court to his rich widow must have its attractions.’

Kennedy’s expression hardly changed, but his eyes narrowed angrily and Olivia sighed as she put a hand on his arm. ‘Please, Francis,’ she said, ‘it’s kind of you to defend me, but honestly, I can look after myself.’

‘Yes, she can look after herself, Francis!’ Drusilla mocked maliciously. ‘You’d better believe it. She’s Mrs Gantry, and you and I aren’t even poor relations!’

‘Shut up, Drusilla——’

‘Oh, please! Can’t we leave it?’ Olivia’s fingers tightened round the stem on her glass. ‘This is my husband’s funeral, Francis. I’d appreciate it if you’d remember that. Perhaps you’d make sure everyone has what they need. You know them all so much better than I do.

‘Certainly, Mrs Gantry.’

Francis resumed his role smoothly, and ignoring Drusilla’s malevolent gaze, he quickly circulated among the guests. Olivia, for her part, was relieved when several other members of the gathering joined them, and Drusilla eventually drifted away, no doubt to brood over past injustices.

Olivia managed to handle the conversation adroitly. Even in so short a time she had learned to dissemble, and it was easier to accept these people at their face value than try to evaluate their individual intentions. She knew they were wary of her. She knew they were suspicious of her plans now that Henry was dead. It could not be easy, having a stranger thrust so unexpectedly into their midst, a stranger moreover who had been given the power to direct the future course of their lives.

‘Well, Olivia——’ It was Adam Cosgrove at her side, his lined face grave and thoughtful. ‘I suggest we get the formalities over with, don’t you? I realise you may not be feeling up to it right now, but these matters have to be attended to, I’m afraid. If you’d like to join me in the library, I think we can suitably dispose of H.R.’s last wishes.’

Olivia’s features stiffened. ‘You’ve read the will?’

‘As I helped to draw it up, of course.’

‘Of course.’ Olivia felt foolish. ‘When—when was this?’

‘A few days after your marriage.’ Adam was prosaic. ‘But you knew. Surely H.R. told you what he planned to do?’

‘Oh, yes.’ Olivia’s tongue appeared to moisten her lips. ‘Yes, he told me. I only wondered——’

‘——whether he’d kept his word?’ suggested Adam sagely. ‘Well, that rather depends on what limitations you expected, I suppose. You’re a very rich young woman, but I’m sure you know that. As for the rest——’

‘The rest? You mean Henry’s estate?’

‘I mean his estate, of course. His shares in the corporation; his interests in banking and mining; his involvement in the development of North Sea oil; his houses, here, and in New York and the South of France; his collection; his racehorses——’

‘Oh, don’t go on.’ Olivia pressed the palm of one hand to her cheek, the delicate shade of her nail varnish so much warmer then the pallor of her skin. She felt chilled, inside and out, and even swallowing the last of her brandy could not remove the sense of apprehension that was gripping her now the moment had come.

‘Very well.’ Adam bowed his head in silent acceptance of her plea. ‘I suggest we continue this conversation in more private circumstances. Will you lead the way? I want to speak to Kennedy.’

The library was empty, but Mrs Winters had had a fire laid in the wide hearth and its flames were welcoming. The library was the only room in the house that possessed a chimney, and Olivia had spent many hours here, examining the books that lined two walls. The curtains had been drawn against the darkness that was now complete, and their plummy velvet folds provided a fitting backcloth to the heavy desk that stood squarely in front of them.

Olivia paced about the room anxiously as she waited, her fingers playing with the double rope of pearls that circled her slender throat. They were real pearls, just as the diamonds in her ears were real diamonds, and the simple jersey dress she wore had cost a fortune in a Paris fashion house. Henry Gantry was nothing if not thorough, and he had made Olivia his wife in every possible way. She had to look like his wife, as well as act like it, and money was no object to a man of his means.

It seemed hours before Adam joined her, but a glance at the exquisitely designed watch on her wrist confirmed that it was scarcely five minutes. The watch was accurate to two seconds in five years, or some such ridiculous claim, but in this instance it was enough to know that it was her tenseness that had made time drag.

She had expected he would have brought Francis with him, and perhaps Drusilla, too, but he had not. Adam was alone as he closed the door behind him, and its heavy soundproofed panels ensured their conversation the utmost privacy.

‘Won’t you sit down?’ Adam placed his briefcase on the desk, and surveyed her slim figure with mild impatience. ‘My dear, there’s absolutely no need to look so apprehensive.’ His lips curled a little wryly. ‘You are H.R.’s heir, in spite of my pleas on Alex’s behalf. Relax. There’s not a court in England that could overthrow it.’

Olivia sank down into a dark green leather armchair. It was strange, hearing Alex Gantry’s name spoken for the first time in this house. Henry had never used it. If he had ever mentioned his offspring, it was always as ‘that ungrateful whelp’ or ‘Elise’s brat’, and just occasionally as ‘that bastard son of mind’. Olivia had never troubled to work out what it was that Alex had done to deserve his father’s undying hatred. But if Henry had disowned him, it must have been something pretty bad. It was no concern of hers, she thought, moving her shoulders in a dismissing gesture. She had not been responsible for Henry’s decision to cut his son out of his will. She had been merely the unwilling instrument of that decision, and she should not feel remorse now when her revenge was within her grasp. Henry Gantry had been an unscrupulous man, it was right and fitting that he, in his turn, should have been taken in by an unscrupulous woman; though whether she was as strong in her convictions as he had been, remained to be seen.

‘You seem—distracted, Olivia.’ Adam was speaking again, and she looked up at him almost blankly, aware that for several minutes she had been absorbed with her thoughts. ‘Is something wrong?’ he persisted. ‘You’re not—afraid of the responsibilities that are now yours? You needn’t be, you know. You have some of the best business brains in the world to help you.’

Olivia shook her head. If he only knew, she thought with irony. ‘I was thinking,’ she excused herself quickly. ‘I’m sorry, Mr Cosgrove. What were you saying?’

Adam hesitated. ‘You haven’t—that is—there’s been no word from Alex, I suppose?’

‘Alex?’ Olivia blinked. ‘No. Should there have been?’