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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 now?'

      ‘Now I think the whole idea of love and romance is vastly overrated,’ she dismissed with a wealth of meaning.

      ‘Men have a lot to answer for,’ her mother said disgustedly.

      ‘Then 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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