she? The sadness returned to her golden eyes, the cool haughtier back. She was fond of Harvey, knew that he was equally fond of her, that they would have a good marriage, but they certainly didn’t have the nerve-shattering ecstasy Rena meant. They were comfortable together, shared the same interests, but their lovemaking never gave her such intense pleasure that the rest of the world ceased to exist.
But no, Rena didn’t have to describe those feelings to her. She knew about them, she just didn’t have them with Harvey.
‘Do you have any children?’ she asked now.
‘Not yet,’ Rena grinned. ‘Maybe soon, although we aren’t in any hurry.’
‘Where is Alan now?’
Her friend pulled a face. ‘In England,’ she sighed. ‘He’s a lawyer, a busy one. It gets harder and harder to accept these parts that take me away from him.’
‘Then don’t,’ Clare said simply.
‘It’s this business, it gets into your blood,’ Rena dismissed. ‘One day I’ll know it’s time to stop, but I’m not quite ready yet.’
‘Talking of business,’ Clare looked pointedly at her wrist-watch, ’I’d better go and tidy up for this meeting this afternoon. Jason doesn’t like unpunctuality.’
‘Jason?’ the other girl frowned.
‘Our director, dear,’ she teased.
‘Oh, but he isn’t,’ Rena shook her head. ‘At least, he wasn’t the last I heard.’
Clare frowned her puzzlement. ‘And what did you hear?’
She shrugged. ‘That Faulkner had an accident of some sort, I’m not sure what. They were looking around for another director.’
‘Did they find one?’
‘Well, we’re here, aren’t we?’ Rena grinned.
‘I suppose so,’ Clare agreed slowly.
‘I would have thought they would have told you.’
So would she, which meant she had to talk to Harvey. ‘I’m just going back to my room. I’ll see you later.’
‘Sure.’ Rena stood up, giving a casual wave.
Clare hurried back to Harvey’s room, getting lost a couple of times and having to ask the way, being further delayed as the people she asked recognised her and asked for her autograph.
The feelings of apprehension she had been experiencing since she had accepted the part of Caroline suddenly seemed to loom up black and dangerous. She should never have agreed to come here, should have followed her instinct and stayed far away from Los Angeles.
Harvey took some time to answer the door, and she tapped her shoe impatiently on the floor as she waited. He looked less than his usual immaculate self when he at last opened the door, a robe pulled hastily over his nakedness, his fair hair tousled from sleep.
But Clare cared nothing for this, walking agitatedly into the room and closing the door behind her.
Harvey blinked to clear the sleep from his head. ‘What’s the matter? Shouldn’t you be on your way to the meeting?’
Her mouth twisted. ‘The meeting Jason called—only it wasn’t Jason, was it?’ Her tone was brittle.
‘Oh lord!’ He put a hand to his temple. ‘With the rush of the last few days I forgot to tell you——’
‘Tell me now, Harvey,’ she encouraged sharply.
‘Faulkner had an accident a week or so ago, a fall from a horse, I think. He broke his leg.’
‘So he’s completely out of the picture?’ Clare said with dread.
‘Afraid so,’ her fianc$eA nodded.
‘But I—Who’s replacing him?’ she demanded abruptly.
‘Didn’t I tell you?’ he frowned. ‘No, I don’t suppose I did. Well, it obviously had to be someone who could act as well as direct——’
‘Yes?’ she prompted tensely.
‘They managed to get Rourke Somerville,’ Harvey told her excitedly. ‘A piece of luck really. Normally he wouldn’t have been free, but the film he should have been working on has been delayed several months. I think he …’
Harvey’s voice continued to drone on, but Clare was no longer listening. Rourke … Oh God, Rourke was here, on this very ship, and she was going to be working with him!
‘CLARE!’ Harvey was frowning at her.
She blinked dazedly. ‘Yes?’
‘I was talking to you,’ his tone was petulant, ’and you haven’t heard a word I said.’
‘You were saying how lucky we were to get Rourke Somerville,’ she recalled dully.
‘Yes,’ he acknowledged eagerly. ‘If anything he’s better than Jason Faulkner.’
Clare was regaining her composure now, forcing herself to mentally collect herself together. ‘Do you think so?’ she said in a bored voice, once again the ’Ice Lady’ one perceptive newspaper had nicknamed her. The name had mainly been chosen out of pique by the reporter when she had refused his invitation to dinner, but nevertheless it was a truer description than ’Golden Lady’.
‘Of course.’ Harvey seemed not to have noticed her withdrawn attitude, that momentary slip of composure. Which was perhaps as well, because she had no intention of explaining the reason for it to him! ’If anything Rourke Somerville is a bigger box-office draw then you are.’
Clare gave a mocking smile. ‘Is that a good thing? As my manager aren’t you supposed to get me top billing?’
‘Oh, you’ll get that,’ Harvey took her seriously. ‘Somerville has no objection to your taking top billing over him. After all, his name will be under director too.’
Yes. And Rourke had had a sight longer than she had to become accustomed to the fact that they were to star in this film together, were to act as lovers. God, he must find the situation funny! If Rena hadn’t casually mentioned the change of director to her she would have walked into that meeting this afternoon totally unprepared. As it was she was going to find it difficult, if not impossible, to do.
‘Clare!’ Harvey gave her an impatient frown for her lack of attention. ‘Maybe I should call and tell them you can’t make the meeting,’ he frowned. ‘You seem to be suffering from jet-lag.’
She longed to accept the reprieve offered to her, and yet she couldn’t do it. Rourke was sure to know the real reason, and she wouldn’t give him the
