why are you so interested in seeing me involved with another one when you know I feel the same way about them?’ she mocked.
‘I've learnt a few golden rules along the way, Beth,’ she was assured.
‘Hmm?’ she prompted suspiciously.
‘The best way to get over one disastrous affair is to become involved in a new one,’ her mother explained knowingly. ‘Never mind that this other man is probably just as much a mistake as the first one; he'll take your mind off the first disappointment, by which time your eyes are usually open. Or if they aren't, they certainly should be!'
‘Mummy!'
‘I know, I'm the original cynic,’ she sighed, and Beth could imagine the beautiful face creased into a perplexed frown. ‘No, actually, I'm not the original one.’ She sobered abruptly. ‘He was the reason I rang you earlier.'
Beth instantly tensed in expectation of the emotional blow to come, knowing exactly who her mother was talking about, her nails digging into her palms as she grasped the telephone receiver.
‘Oh, yes?’ Her voice sounded hollow and completely unlike her usual self, not really wanting to hear what her mother had to say, but knowing she had little choice in the matter. Her mother wouldn't have rung her at all if she hadn't thought it important she do so; Beth realised that now.
‘Charles and Martin are up to something,’ Katherine announced harshly.
The piercing of Beth's nails into her palm was accompanied by her sharply indrawn breath, although she didn't feel the pain of the self-inflicted injury until much later, just the mention of the two men being enough to cause her distress. ‘Do you have any idea what it is?’ she prompted through stiff lips.
‘Not yet,’ she was told grimly. ‘But I intend to find out.'
And her mother would do exactly that, of that Beth had no doubts. Her mother had been her only ally the last year, and Beth knew without doubt that she wouldn't let her down now. It was too late to tell herself she should have had this trust in her mother three years ago. Far too late.
But in the meantime she had this further worry; what could there possibly be left that the two men could do to her?
‘I didn't want to worry you with this at all, darling,’ Katherine continued concernedly. ‘But I didn't want them to just drop something else on you without warning.'
After what had already been done to her Beth knew this concern was merited; together Martin and Charles could be absolutely ruthless.
‘I'm glad of the warning,’ she reassured her mother. ‘Although I don't think it's enough to bring me back to England just yet.’ She didn't feel up to returning to England to face yet more of the two men's cruelty.
‘Of course not.’ Her mother sounded scandalised that she should even have considered doing such a thing. ‘You can rely on me to look after your interests here.'
Beth knew that she could, that her mother bore no grudge for that time three years ago when Beth had completely ignored her advice, when her mother had tried to help her see a truth she hadn't wanted to see. Her mother wasn't the type to say ‘I told you so’ and just leave her alone in her misery.
She had cursed herself a million times for not listening to her mother all that time ago when she had tried to warn her about Martin, had tried to help her see the true man behind the charm he had showed her. A truth she had chosen not to believe because she was blinded by love for the man.
That blindness had cost her dearly over the last year.
Would probably continue to do so
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