Hi everyone. Again, apologies for the lateness of this chapter, life just keeps getting in the way of my writing! And thanks for all of your messages and support.
I reckon there are just two or three chapters left for A Model Mother now; its drawing to a close.
As with chapter 21, I’ve dedicated this one to a WP author who writes stories I really enjoy. This time I’ve dedicated it to Ninyatippett, I’m avidly reading her romance “The Mischievious Mrs Maxfield.” As soon as I started reading it I just couldn't stop. The hero (Brandon) and heroine (Charlotte) are tremendous characters and the romantic tension between them is so well written its just unputdownable – I hope you give it a try.
All the best. Cheamcat
Saturday Evening
The meeting on Sunday was creeping closer and closer and preyed on the minds of both Miles and Rose. He had texted her during the day on Friday.
“Hi; just confirming Sunday; my place at 11? M xx”
Rose responded that she would be there. She had worked like a demon on Friday and Saturday, getting stuff in place for the contract that Serge had given her; she and Maggie had split the tasks between them and then met at lunchtime and the end of the day to confer notes. Rose had pretty much managed to either book or confirm interviews with enough models to not only cover the event but also to have a few back-ups. She had made contact with the PR Company and was working through their requirements.
Working hard had helped her to stop dwelling on that early morning kiss with Miles. It had been hot; the taste, touch and smell of him so comforting too. She remembered coming home to him each evening, waking up every morning with him. And she could choose that life again, he had been clear that the offer was right in front of her, Miles wanted her back, and on her terms too – it was her decision.
Miles too had been working like a donkey, checking that the arrangements he had put in place to cover for Max were working out and following up bits of work that he had been distracted from in the last week. Always at the back of his mind was the looming Sunday meeting with Rose. He was no longer sure how significant the photographs were going to be in her decision as to whether she came back to him but he was still finding it difficult to overcome his nervousness about her seeing them, despite Bill’s reassurances that they were “shockers”.
To comfort himself he relived over and over, their kiss on Friday morning. She had been so sexy, so warm and passionate, he couldn’t believe now that she felt nothing for him; he desperately wanted to envelop her in his arms all night and into the morning; be there when she woke up and take care of Lloyd together; relaxing and sharing a bottle of wine at the end of the day and curling up on the sofa. He wanted her so much it was really hurting badly; he couldn’t bear the thought of a row on Sunday, or worse.
To try and calm his nerves he had started rehearsing in his mind exactly what he was going to say; he wanted her to grasp exactly what had happened and in what order, try to recreate for her his frame of mind and the games that Max had played. But at the same time he had no intention of trying to let himself off the hook; he took full responsibility for behaving like a complete prat.
Late on Saturday evening, Miles did a quick shop, stocking up on the basics plus some ingredients for lunch for the next day although he wasn’t certain if either of them would have an appetite. He did a work out and slogged at the weights and machines until he was truly exhausted, had a hot shower and fell into bed.
Rose too came home exhausted and on tenterhooks; she played with and bathed Lloyd and then had a long soak in the bath while listening to the radio. By 9pm she was asleep.
Sunday morning:
By 9am Miles had been up, had a run, showered, dressed, had breakfast, read the papers, answered his emails and was now reading some reports. His phone pinged to notify him of a text, it was Bill, asking him to call as soon as.
Miles called straight away.
“Hi, everything ok?” he asked Bill tentatively.
“Yeah, I think so; just thought I’d update you about Max. He’s paying off his debts. He’s instructed his accountant to do whatever is takes to pay off all the gambling bills and he asked me to recommend some law practices that would be able to handle the negotiations with his debtors. Frankie thinks that he’s finally starting to get somewhere with the detox and therapy; apparently your Mum visited him yesterday and it seems her visit did him a power of good too.”
“Good news,” said Miles thoughtfully. He would catch up with his mother and find out how she had found him.
Bill agreed. “Is it today you’re showing Rose the photos?”
“Yes, eleven this morning; I’m still nervous.”
“Hmmm. Well good luck, I hope it goes smoothly. If Rose recognises anyone let me know as soon as you can. Frankie asked if you want to come here this evening for supper.”
“That’s good of you,” Miles smiled. “I’ll let you know later, ok? If there’s any chance I can spend some time with Rose though, I will do.”
“Bring her too,” Bill offered. “Although I don’t know how she’ll feel about meeting me after all the legal wrangling we went through with her solicitors when you split up.”
“Well, let’s see how it goes, ok; maybe an evening with my lawyer and my ex-fiancee won’t exactly be the perfect ending to a less than perfect day! No offence!”
Bill laughed. “None taken.”
“By the way,” Miles suddenly thought of something he’d been meaning to ask.
“Did you follow up on Lily Smith, the cleaner who worked for Rose and I?”
“Ah, thanks for reminding me yes, I did; Lily Smith is a pseudonym, although she has used the name Lily before. Looks like she is some kind of petty thief and fraudster; her whereabouts are unknown at the moment which may mean that she is working incognito. She’s a trained nurse; cleaning is not her usual occupation so it does look feasible that she might have been employed by Max just to do surveillance on you both.”
“Ok, so seems like we’re on the right track but we’re still short of a motive and any witnesses,” Miles mused.
“Well, see what happens today; for all you know Rose may be able to provide a connection. Anyhow, hope it goes as well as it can.”
Miles reluctantly put the ‘phone down; he badly needed company. He wished he’d arranged for Rose to come earlier.
As if reading his mind, another text arrived, from Rose.
“Hi, can come earlier than 11 if convenient? Am ready to go now. “
Miles called her and she answered immediately; he could tell from her voice that she was tense.
“Come as soon as you like,” he reassured her. “I’ve been up since 5am. I’ve been dreading today,” he confided quietly.
“OK, I’ll come straight over,” she decided.
Less than an hour later they were sitting opposite one another, a table between them on which lay a large envelope that contained the photos. Miles had felt the need to maintain direct eye contact with Rose. And he didn’t want her to feel any more uncomfortable than she must do already, so he was determined not to crowd her.
He had rehearsed his speech in his head and methodically he talked her through the sequence of events that had led to him leaving her. He said that he had been too hurt, angry and upset to show the photographs to anyone, which had been a fatal mistake as Bill had almost immediately spotted the scam within 24 hours of seeing them. Miles conceded that if he had just shown them to Rose as soon as he had them, it might have put an end to the scam eighteen months ago.
He then explained about Max’s debts and his theory that Max had intended to ask Miles to pay off his debts once he and Francesca were married; he said that Francesca had reached the same conclusion.
Rose sat huddled on the edge of the easy chair; she watched Miles the whole time he talked and was taking in everything he told her. She was concentrating really hard.
Miles stopped talking and stared back reflectively at her, but not really seeing her; he almost forgot his surroundings as he relived that meeting with Max.
Eighteen Months earlier.
“Max, for god’s sake, what is it about you and Rose? Can you please try to at least make an effort to get on with her? Or is this still about the fact that you just can’t accept that Fran and I have split up?”
“She’s cheating on you Miles. Please, you’ve got to believe me. It’s not easy for me to tell you this. But you’re like my brother, you know that, and I can’t stand back knowing what I know about what she’s up to behind your back; this isn’t easy for me either you know.”
Max looked pained and upset and Miles let out a long sigh. This was the latest in a line of conversations Max had raised with Miles, about Rose. And now that he and Rose were engaged, Max was on a mission. He was fully aware of Max’s failings, but he had to admit that he had rarely known him to get his teeth into something quite as doggedly as he had over Rose.
It had started by Max making short comments to Miles about Rose, like “She isn’t what she seems Miles; I wish you’d listen to me. She’s stringing you along; let me know when you want to talk about it.”
And now, today, he had insisted that he had incontrovertible proof that Rose had been cheating on him.
“Why would she cheat on me?” Miles asked, trying to keep it light; she could have anyone she wants anyway, so why doesn’t she walk right out on me and take up with one of these alleged other men?”
“She sees you as a challenge,” Max responded quickly; “you’re known as a rich and successful businessman who also has integrity and that’s attractive to some women. Rose has a less desirable reputation and if she marries you it will give her back some respectability.”
“What on earth are you talking about,” demanded Miles, exasperated. “Rose is a businesswoman in her own right; she is well respected, I’ve met her friends, her clients, her family, she has a great reputation.”
Max smiled cynically, “Well they’re hardly likely to tell you what she’s been up to to your face are they?”
“Believe me Miles, Rose is not what she seems and if you marry her you will be making the worst mistake of your life.”
“Please”, Max looked Miles straight in the eye, “I experienced at first hand exactly what an unhappy marriage can do to a man and a woman and to their kids. I don’t want that for you, ok?”
Miles sat back in his chair. Max almost never referred to his parents and their explosive marriage, so for whatever reason, Max was clearly felling very strongly about his relationship with Rose.
Max continued. “Why would I split you and Rose up? What’s in it for me anyway?” Miles had wondered this himself; he had pondered whether Max was in love with her himself.
“Come on Miles, remember Sue Ferrars? Believe me, Rose is no different, just older and wilier.”
“That was completely different,” Miles growled. Max was referring to Mile’s first love; she had claimed she was pregnant and demanded that Miles marry her; Helen had smelt a rat and in her own charming but firm way had visited the family and persuaded them that as Miles and Sue were both so young and might have made a mistake, that a doctor should formally confirm that Sue was pregnant and by how many months. Sue had broken down and confessed she had been lying. Miles had been terribly shocked at the time; he could still remember the intensity of the betrayal he had felt.
Max took a deep breath. “Look, I’ve been told by a friend of Rose, in confidence, that she intends to marry you, get pregnant, have the kid and that when she is secure of receiving a lifetime’s maintenance she will do what she wants with who she wants.”
Miles went pale with fury, “Who told you that? Who told you?” he demanded.
“Come on Max, enough poison and innuendo; if you have evidence then show it to me, otherwise get out of my house and never mention this to me again, do you understand.”
Max had at that point, quietly handed over an envelope to Miles.
“OK, look at these. I knew you would want proof so I had her followed.”
Miles spluttered in disbelief. “Are you mad? What the hell did you do that for?”
“To try and get you to understand exactly what kind of woman you have got yourself hooked up with,” Max shouted back.
Shocked at Max’s persistence and strength of feeling, Miles opened the envelope and shook out the contents.
“Miles?” Rose had never seen him like this before. So upset and clearly totally lost in his own thoughts.
“Miles?” she tried again louder. He looked up.
“I’m sorry; it’s really painful remembering this. Max showed them to me in two stages. When I saw the first ones I was in shock. But it was nothing to how I felt when I saw the second set – of you and him.”
Rose stared at him. “Him and me what?”
Miles stayed silent.
Rose couldn’t believe her ears, “Max told you I’d slept with him?”
“He did more than that, he’d had someone film him kissing and making love to ….to whoever it is who’s pretending to be you. It’s all in there.” Miles nodded towards the envelope.
“Bastard!” Rose said with feeling and Miles looked at her, pained.
“As if I’d go within six inches of that sleaze bucket,” she spluttered.
Miles continued, “He said that you’d come onto him a few times and that he decided to set you up to prove to me exactly what type of woman you were.”
“OK, enough,” Rose fumed, “Show me these damned pictures; I’ve heard too much about them and waited too long. I want to see what you saw.”
Silently Miles handed her the envelope and nervously, with one last look at Miles, she took them out and spread them out before her on the coffee table.
She stared at them, shocked. Unconsciously she covered her mouth with her hand. Whoever was posing as her could have been her twin; the resemblance was more than uncanny; it was a good few minutes before she could move her eyes from the first couple of snaps in front of her. Her mind raced ahead, trying to work out who this person was. Fleetingly she felt thankful and somewhat amazed that Bill had spotted the fraud. If these got out into the public domain she would never be able to defend herself. Good God, no wonder Miles had been taken in.
Miles watched Rose closely as she looked at the photos; he didn’t imagine it, she went white and her eyes widened in shock; he saw her hand go to her mouth and almost immediately he felt some tension leave him and relief swept over him. OK, so it seemed the photographs had caught her on the raw too.
“She must have had plastic surgery,” Rose said faintly.
“I’m sorry?” Miles said surprised.
Rose repeated what she had said. “Whoever this is, she must have had plastic surgery; the resemblance can’t be a coincidence.”
Miles hadn’t thought of this and he mulled it over. It made sense; it also added yet another layer of calculation to this whole scam.
“Why would someone go to that much trouble?” Miles thought out loud.
“I don’t know,” Rose replied; but it’s giving me the shivers. “It’s difficult to differentiate between what might be this woman’s original features and what she has had done to look like me, but in one of the shots, there is something about the way she is posing that reminds me of someone but I just can’t remember who.”
Miles perked up immediately. “Are you sure? It’s really important if you do know her.”
“I’m certain I do. It will come to me; I’m trawling my memory for who might have held a grudge against me when I was modelling; it’s a cut throat world and there were plenty of people who would have loved me to lose the make-up contract when I was a teenager – it was worth millions and meant instant success and probable life-long recognition; I was shocked at the time by the bitchiness and hatred targeted at me by some other models.”
Miles winced internally. His behaviour of Rose had of course been a gift to people like that too. He was determined that he would make it up to her; he felt a complete shit all over again. He wanted to take her in his arms right now. She looked so pale, and had shadows under her eyes; the incidents with Serge and then having to work long hours to get the event ready for Serge hadn’t helped. Now he had to subject her to this.
Rose continued to look through the photos. Now she understood exactly what Miles had been telling her; there were the snaps taken of her and Max when she had bumped into him in Vegas, except of course that it had been no coincidence; Max must actually have been lying in wait for her; in effect he had been stalking her and must also have had this woman in tow. But the point was, taken as a whole, the actual photos of her, mingled in with the ones where the woman had stood in for her, made the whole thing more plausible.
Finally she came to the ones where Max had been snapped making love to the Rose look alike. They made her want to physically heave; what had possessed the man? He had actually had himself filmed making love to a woman who was her double in order to convince Miles that she was cheating on him behind his back. What kind of sick mind would do that? As Rose absorbed the extent to which her personal privacy had been invaded she felt more and more uncomfortable. In one photo she realised that the woman was wearing an exact replica of her engagement ring and Rose gasped.
“What is it?” Miles demanded.
Rose turned the photo so that he could see it. “She’s wearing an exact copy of my engagement ring. How on earth would someone be able to make such an exact copy? I swear that from the moment you bought that ring for me, it was either on my finger or on just one or two occasions was locked in my safe.”
They stared at each other, both mentally calculating how it must have been done.
“Only I know the combination to that safe,” Rose said, “I set it as soon as I moved into the flat. I’ve never written it down or stored it anywhere or told it to anyone.Except, she paused, that my solicitor has a sealed copy of it with my will.”
“Maybe,” mused Miles, “if they had been photographing you, they could have just blown up a photo of the ring and had one made that was identical. Or maybe it was someone who knew you had bought it from Garrards and ordered an identical one.”
“Why?” Rose cried. “Why would someone spend that amount of money just to try to prove to you that I was screwing around? What is this all about? Why did Max want to do this to me? I treated him like a brother, what did I do to him that would make him want to do this to me?”
Miles stared back at her. He knew the answer must lie with Max, but what chance was there that he would own up, or even if his hand was forced, that he would reveal the truth?
Miles’s ‘phone went off and he pulled it from his pocket. It was Bill again. Miles frowned, Bill knew he was with Rose, why was he calling?
“Hi, what’s up?” Miles got straight to the point.
“It’s Max. Oaklands just called Francesca. He’s taken an overdose. They’re not sure he’s going to make it.”