Beth knew better than anyone that her mother had come by her business knowledge the hard way, and had tremendous respect for her as a person as well as a mother.
Her mother was in the process of branching out by introducing high-quality accessories to go with her clothing, and it was a very important move indeed; Beth had known that and it had helped to soften the blow when she had insisted her mother remain in England rather than accompanying her on this holiday.
Her mother had already sacrificed more than enough for her over the years—Beth had no intention of asking any more from her when she was obviously doing so well for herself.
‘I'm sure you would, Mummy,’ she dismissed lightly. ‘But there really is no need.'
‘I know that, darling, but … oh, never mind,’ she dismissed irritably. ‘What do you think of Verona?’ her mother continued lightly. ‘Delightful, isn't it?'
‘Very,’ Beth agreed drily, most of her time spent there having been marred in one way or another by Marcus Craven.
‘You still sound a little down, Beth.’ The frown could be heard in her mother's voice again.
‘Is that so surprising, with what's happened?’ She wished her voice didn't sound so sharp, but it was difficult for her not to.
‘I had hoped that this trip might—well, lighten your mood a little, take your mind off things,’ her mother sighed.
‘Give it time, Mummy,’ she pleaded softly.
‘Darling, I have given it time, we all have, you know that, but it's all so damned … oh, blast, and I promised myself I wouldn't start nagging you about getting on with your own life as soon as I spoke to you again!’ her mother chided herself impatiently. ‘What have you done with your day, Beth?’ she deliberately changed the subject.
A brief outline of her leisurely stroll before and after her visit to the Capulet house, as well as the house itself, took only a matter of minutes.
‘Is that it?’ Katherine sounded disappointed. ‘Nothing else happened?'
A vague suspicion began to stir in her mind, one she instantly dismissed. Even her mother, in her determination to see her happy again, couldn't have done such a thing—could she? Although Beth was loath to actually broach the subject, because once she had …
‘That's it,’ she dismissed, still frowning to herself. Those meetings with Marcus Craven had been a little too much like coincidence, but even so …
‘Oh.’ Her mother's disappointment sounded even more acute.
Beth drew in a sharp breath. ‘Mummy, you haven't been—being helpful, have you?’ she broached cautiously, the shutter closed on her bedroom window to keep out the brightness of the afternoon sun, the gentle whir of the air-conditioning not intrusive and very necessary in the excessive heat from outside.
‘In what way?’ Her mother sounded puzzled now.
Or did she sound genuinely so? Beth still wasn't sure. ‘Much as I love you,’ she sighed, ‘I want you to realise that I'm perfectly capable of organising my own life.'
‘Well, of course you are, darling.’ Her mother sounded hurt that Beth should even doubt that was how she felt.
‘For myself—–'
‘Oh, Beth, I thought you had finally agreed that this holiday I organised for you was a good idea just now,’ her mother protested.
‘I did.’ But it had been mainly to stop her mother worrying over her so much! ‘But the holiday away from England was all I agreed to. Any other interference—–'
‘Interference?’ Katherine sounded indignant at the implication. Too indignant? ‘What are you talking about?’ she asked impatiently.
If her mother had somehow arranged for her and Marcus Craven to meet—which would more than account for his persistence!—then by mentioning him at all she could be leaving herself open to all sorts of pressurised questioning from her mother. And yet asking Marcus Craven to ‘look up’ her daughter while they were both in Verona, having ascertained exactly when he was going to be there, would be just the sort of thing her mother would do. Despite what she said to the contrary, Beth knew her mother didn't believe she was capable of organising her own life, was convinced she knew what was best for Beth. But even so, she couldn't quite believe her mother would line up a man like Marcus Craven for her!
Although the doubt continued to niggle.
‘It isn't important, Mummy,’ she attempted to dismiss in a casual voice. ‘How are things at the boutique in London?'
‘I'm somehow managing to survive without you,’ her mother said drily. ‘And whatever it was you were talking about just now was important enough for you to mention in the first place,’ she pointed out tartly.
She should have known her mother wouldn't let the subject drop as easily as that!
She gave a deep sigh. ‘It's just that there was this man, and I—–'
‘A man?’ Katherine cut in eagerly. ‘What sort of man? How did you meet him? Oh, Beth, why didn't you mention him earlier? Tell me all about him now!'
Beth gave an inward groan, grimacing at her own reflection in the mirror on the dressing-table across the room. She could tell by her mother's very excitement that she hadn't arranged those meetings with Marcus Craven, but now that Beth had mentioned him she knew her mother wouldn't rest until she had heard every detail of those meetings, down to the last word spoken between them.
Loath to do that, Beth answered offhandedly. ‘He introduced himself to me at the opera.'
‘And?'
‘And he's…interesting,’ she conceded, slightly surprised she should have made such an admission.
She had become interested in Marcus Craven in spite of herself!
Although it had been an interest she had little difficulty resisting. She, quite frankly, didn't want an involvement with anyone.
‘Don't stop there, Beth,’ her mother prompted exasperatedly. ‘You admit that you've met an interesting man at the opera and then tell me nothing more about him!'
‘Because there's nothing else to tell.’ She sighed her impatience. ‘We've spoken briefly. But that's all.'
‘But—–'
‘I go on to Venice tomorrow—remember?’ Beth teased lightly, knowing her mother was fully aware of her travel itinerary; she had organised it, so she should be! ‘That hardly gives us time to begin a meaningful romance.'
‘Does it have to be meaningful?'
She couldn't help smiling at her mother's disgust. Since her separation from Beth's father many years ago, Katherine had made no secret of her opinion of marriage and men. Although Beth knew she had been given little enough reason in those intervening years to change her opinion in the slightest!
‘I always thought so,’ she sighed.
‘And
