Penny Jordan's Crighton Family Series. PENNY JORDAN

head. ‘If only … David can’t pay back that money. We both know that.’

      ‘David can’t,’ Ruth agreed, pausing before adding calmly, ‘but I can.’

      Jon stared at her. ‘Ruth,’ he explained patiently, ‘it is really generous of you to make such a suggestion, but David took two million pounds from Jemima’s trust fund.’

      ‘Yes, I know,’ she acknowledged coolly.

      Jon stared blankly at her. ‘You haven’t got two million pounds.’

      ‘No, I haven’t,’ she allowed. ‘I think at my last count it was closer to five million.’

      ‘Five million! You’ve got five million pounds!’

      ‘Jon, please don’t take offence, but if I were you, I really wouldn’t let my jaw sag like that. It really isn’t very flattering, not at your age,’ Ruth chided her nephew in a kindly voice. ‘And no, I haven’t gone senile.’ She gave him an amused smile. ‘I really do have the money, though I must admit I find it rather irksome to have to use it to save David’s skin, but then it isn’t just David’s skin that’s at risk here, is it?’ she asked Jon gently. ‘You and Jenny and most especially Joss are very special to me … most especially Joss. At my age one is allowed to have favourites and there is no way I would want to see his life and future marred by David’s weakness and stupidity.

      ‘I was left a quite substantial sum of money by my mother’s sister,’ she revealed with a smile. ‘No, not five million pounds, nowhere near anything like that, but this was many years ago, and I discovered rather to my own surprise that I seemed to have a talent for the stock market. You’ll have to see the bank and the accountants, of course. We can’t leave that to David. You can explain to them about David’s private arrangement with Jemima—’

      ‘They’ll never believe that Jemima agreed to lend David the money.’

      ‘Privately, maybe not,’ Ruth concurred, ‘but I think you probably will find that they’ll be as keen to see the whole affair sorted out as discreetly as we are. It won’t do anything to improve their professional standing if it gets out that David was raiding Jemima’s account right under their noses, will it?’ she asked Jon practically.

      ‘Haven’t you forgotten something?’ Jon asked his aunt quietly after a brief silence.

      ‘What?’ Ruth gave him a quizzical look.

      ‘I owe a duty to my family, Ruth, but I also owe a duty to my own profession. I am honour bound to report David for—’

      ‘No,’ Ruth interrupted firmly. ‘You may be honour bound to report your suspicions but that is all they are, Jon. You do not, after all, have any proof, do you, that David did not have some private arrangement with Jemima?’

      ‘Ruth …’ Jon protested.

      ‘Have you?’ she persisted.

      ‘No,’ he agreed, ‘but we both know—’

      ‘We both know that David borrowed money from Jemima and that is all we know. I do understand, Jon,’ she went on more gently, ‘but while I might applaud the moral strength that makes you sacrifice your own career and life, I can’t say the same about what the prospect of your exposing David will do to the new generation. All of them will be tainted by it.

      ‘And besides, we can’t know what private arrangement David and Jemima may or may not have had,’ she repeated. ‘Jemima is now beyond answering any questions and as for David … Well, I wouldn’t like to say what effect it might have on his health if he were to be subjected to a rigorous questioning.’

      ‘Ruth, don’t do this to me,’ Jon begged her wearily. ‘You know—’

      ‘I know that you’re an honest man, Jon, and that’s all I need to know. I’m going home now to speak to my brokers and I want you to get in touch with the bank and the accountants and explain the position with regard to David’s loans as you feel that your professional code of conduct requires you to do. You will, of course, also tell them that arrangements have been made within the family to repay the loans even though there is no legal recourse or obligation to cover their repayment. I think you will find that both the accountants and the bank will be so relieved at having been spared the necessity of investigating the matter and escaping all the attendant publicity that they will be only too happy to accept your version of events, publicly at least. And as for David … Well, it goes without saying, he can never be allowed to work again either here or anywhere else. I think it would be best if he decided that in view of his heart attack it would be wiser for him to take early retirement.’

      Jon looked at her sombrely. ‘Ruth, I just don’t know what to say….’

      ‘Then don’t say anything. I generally find it is the wisest course,’ Ruth told him with a smile.

      Olivia closed her eyes and gripped the telephone receiver hard. She had rung the number she had for Caspar and asked for him. What would he say when he heard her voice? What would he do? Would he speak to her or simply hang up? Was she now just a part of his past life, one he only wanted to forget?

      She heard a voice at the other end of the line but it wasn’t Caspar’s.

      ‘I’m sorry,’ she was advised, ‘but I’m afraid he isn’t available.’ Olivia’s heart sank.

      ‘Is he …? Could I …? When will he be available?’ she asked desperately.

      ‘I really couldn’t say. He’s away at the moment on private business and I have no idea when he’s going to come back.’

      ‘I … I see…. You don’t … you don’t have a number where I could reach him, I suppose?’ Olivia asked.

      ‘No, I’m afraid I don’t.’

      Quietly she replaced the receiver.

      Well, at least she had tried. Oh, Caspar, where are you? She could feel the hurt building up inside her in a low, slow surge of agony. Whoever had said that time and distance healed all wounds was wrong. They didn’t. They just made it worse.

      ‘Oh, Max … I didn’t think you’d be here. The clerk said something about your being in court this morning.’

      ‘The case was cancelled,’ Max told the senior member of chambers as he stood awkwardly in the doorway of Max’s office looking both irritated and self-conscious. Someone was standing behind him, and when he moved slightly out of the way, Max saw who it was. He frowned. What the hell was Madeleine’s housemate doing here?

      ‘Well, since you are here,’ the senior member began saying fuzzily, ‘I suppose I’d better introduce you. Claudine, this is Max Crighton. Max did his pupillage here and he’s currently waiting to find a vacant tenancy.’

      ‘Yes … so I’ve heard.’

      She was smiling as she extended her hand towards Max. He took it reluctantly. He hadn’t liked her the first time he met her and he still didn’t. He also had a suspicion that she had tried to warn Madeleine about him, which made him like her even less.

      ‘Max—’ the senior member’s voice was just a shade too hearty, his smile just a touch forced ‘—Claudine Chatterton will shortly be joining us as a junior barrister. She’ll be taking over Clive Benson’s place when he retires.’ He turned to smile at her, but she wasn’t looking at him; she was watching Max, her mouth curling into a smile of knowing amusement.

      For once in his life, Max knew that he was in a situation over which he had no control and no power. It hadn’t been Madeleine who was his rival, he recognised in a surge of white-hot fury; it had been this woman, this woman who was standing there smiling mockingly … tauntingly at him. Knowing …

      And Madeleine must have known. The stupid little bitch, why the hell hadn’t she said something? He stood up, ignoring