‘But you’d want me to live at your house?’
‘Yes. Please.’
‘Why me?’ Red asked bluntly. ‘You must have loads of friends who’d be happy to help you.’
‘Possibly,’ Felicia admitted. ‘But ii would be too much of a strain for someone my own age—and besides, they would feel they had to entertain me, or be entertained, the whole time, which I’m afraid I’d soon find extremely irksome. I’m used to being on my own, you see.
‘But you’re of a different generation, and I think of a more open outlook. If I told you to go away and leave me on my own, you wouldn’t be offended, you’d just go. Wouldn’t you?’
‘Well, yeah, sure. But—’
‘Don’t say yeah.’ Felicia assumed her tutor’s hat to interrupt.
Red gazed at her, a slight frown between her brows, not sure if she liked this proposition or not. Her nature was basically kind and prompted her to help, but she was happy in the life she already had, and could see it changing. She would very much miss Jenny, for instance. And there was another factor to take into account. Bluntly she said, ‘Have you already suggested this to Linus? Is that what you were arguing about earlier?’
‘You noticed, did you? Yes, I have, and yes, he was against the idea.’
‘I can see why.’
‘Well, as I said, he did think that I ought to have a registered nurse,’ Felicia admitted.
Glancing at her, Red was pretty sure that she was holding something back, that Linus had objected on far more grounds than just that. She shook her head. ‘I don’t know.’
‘I do need you, Red,’ Felicia said earnestly.
Red didn’t altogether believe that. There must have been lots of other, more suitable people whom Felicia could have asked for help, so she must be pretty sure that with Red she could get away with doing exactly as she wanted. Although she might be wrong about that, because Red could be firm if the occasion demanded it, the same as any nurse. But again she shook her head. ‘I have a friend I share my flat with.’
‘A man?’
Red gave a surprised laugh. ‘No, a girlfriend.’
‘Couldn’t you find someone else to take your place for a couple of months? I should be able to look after myself by then.’
‘I don’t know,’ Red repeated.
‘Well... Will you promise me that you’ll think about it?’
Red stood up. ‘OK—I mean, yes, all right. I’ll let you know later today. Is there a phone here? Can I call you?’
‘Yes; this is the number.’ Felicia wrote it down for her. Red went to give her the key of her front door, but Felicia wouldn’t take it. ‘No, you keep it until you make up your mind. I do hope you’ll decide to come and help me, Red. I like you, and I’m sure we’d get on very well together.’
It was said in the most charming way, making Red smile. ‘I can see why you always get your own way,’ she remarked, and lifted a hand in farewell.
The entrance area of the hospital was separate from the casualty department; it had a lobby with a drinks-vending machine and uncomfortable-looking seats for people to use while they waited for whatever reason.
Linus was sitting in one and reading a newspaper, which he folded when he saw her. Getting to his feet, he put a firm hand under Red’s elbow and said, ‘Let’s go and find somewhere to have a decent coffee.’
She supposed that she ought to have realised that he wouldn’t be dismissed so easily. There was a determined set to his jaw, and Red wondered if it wasn’t the other way round: that sometimes Linus allowed Felicia to win.
There was an up-market hotel a couple of hundred yards away, and they went into the lounge, sat in a quiet corner and Linus ordered coffee. Glancing at Red’s slim figure, he added, ‘And a selection of cakes.’
‘Do you think I don’t get enough to eat?’ Red asked in some amusement, thinking of the delicious meals that she and Jenny consumed as part of their wages at the bistro.
He gave a small shrug. ‘I suppose you’re forever slimming; most actresses seem to think of little else but their figure and their diet.’
Linus spoke disparagingly, making Red wonder again what he’d got against actresses. Some bad experience in the past, perhaps? She was both intrigued and a little annoyed at his attitude; she was an individual, and didn’t like being bunched with others under such general disapproval. But she said nothing, instead leaning back in her seat to look round the room.
It was Edwardian in decor, very restrained, very expensive. The weather was better this afternoon and the guests had gone out to explore London, so they had the lounge almost to themselves.
Red expected Linus to start on her straight away, but he waited until the coffee and some absolutely gorgeous cream cakes had been served. And then he only led up to the subject in a roundabout way; English subtlety, Red presumed.
‘Have you been in England long?’ he asked.
‘About eight months.’ Red stirred her coffee then took one of the cakes, her taste buds drooling.
‘And how long are you planning on staying?’
Her green eyes flicked up to glance at him. Deciding that she could play cat and mouse too, she answered offhandedly, ‘As long as it takes.’
‘To do what?’
‘Become rich and famous,’ she replied calmly.
He blinked and said drily, ‘That’s your sole ambition in life, is it?’
‘At the moment. Why, what’s yours?’
A taken-aback look came into his grey eyes for a second, but then Linus changed tactics and said, ‘Did Felicia ask you to go and live with her, look after her?’
‘Yes.’
‘And I suppose you agreed,’ he said on a sneering note.
‘What makes you so sure?’
‘You’re hardly likely to pass up such an opportunity.’ The cynical twist to his mouth deepened. ‘You’ve just openly admitted that you’re very ambitious, and I’m quite sure you think that by ingratiating yourself with Felicia, and therefore with me, that you’ll be going a long way towards furthering those ambitions..’
Red frowned in puzzlement. ‘Felicia did offer me free voice coaching,’ she admitted.
‘And auditions?’
‘She said that I’d be free to go to any that cropped up, yes.’
‘And I suppose you expect me to provide the opportunities.’
‘You?’ Red looked at him blankly, completely mystified.
Linus eyed her searchingly for a moment; then gave a small, thin-lipped smile. ‘Perhaps you’re a better actress than I thought. But there’s really no point in going on pretending, and this sham innocence certainly isn’t doing you any good—the opposite in fact.’
‘Just what are you talking about?’
His tone had a definite edge of anger to it as he said, ‘You know perfectly well who I am.’
Leaning forward, Red placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands as she contemplated him. She was getting rather tired of his disparaging remarks, especially as she had no idea what he was talking about.
‘I feel as if I’m in the wrong conversation. Maybe I missed something somewhere along the line. All I know about you is that you’re Felicia’s