put a comforting arm round her shoulders.
“Truly?” she gasped.
“Very, very truly,” Dino said, laughing.
“Your future wife,” said the woman in delighted surprise. “Is that a fact, Fenella — er — Maxwell?”
“Jake Lovell’s sister-in-law, you were too polite to say,” said Dino. “She’s with the British team.”
“Well, congratulations,” said the husband, pumping Fen by the hand. “How long have you been engaged?”
Dino looked at his watch and laughed again. “About fifteen seconds,” he said, “perhaps sixteen by now.”
“Oh, wow! This may not be the best way of relaxing before a mega-competition,” said Dino, “but it’s certainly the nicest.”
He eased himself out of her and collapsed onto the flowered sheets. Carol Kennedy’s house was near Suzy Erikson’s. Out of the window they could see the mountains.
“I feel so relaxed I don’t think I’ll ever get up again,” said Fen.
“It sure went through the top of the Richter scale,” said Dino. “Were you scared?”
“Not as much as I thought I was going to be.”
“Nor was I. It didn’t matter if we bombed; we’ve got all our lives to get it right. Shall we have lots of kids? My daddy’s dying to be a grandfather.”
Fen rolled over. “Are you sure you want to get married?”
“Don’t you?” he said, appalled. “Oh, yes, more than anything. I just don’t want you to feel trapped.”
“I want to be trapped. You gotta make an honest man of me.”
He leaned on his elbow, running his hand down her body, stroking the hollow of her stomach.
“I’m going to feed you up.”
“I’m sorry I was so vile in England.”
“Well, I came on pretty hostile too. You were bent out of shape over Billy. I overreacted and backed off too hard so as not to crowd you.”
“But all that stupid business with Enrico,” protested Fen. “Ouch! That’s my boob you’ve dug your nails into.”
“Anyone else, I wouldn’t have minded, but he’s such a bastard. No, that’s not true. I’d have killed you if it had been anyone, I was so jealous.”
“I haven’t been out with a single man since you left.”
“What about married guys?” said Dino. Fen giggled. “Nor them, either. How about you?”
“Um — well I did try to screw my way out of it, but it didn’t do any good. I knew I’d never love anyone else. I worked and worked. I had fantasies about getting the gold and dazzling you into loving me back.”
Fen snuggled up to him. “You didn’t need a gold. God, I feel guilty feeling so ridiculously happy, when everything else is so awful.”
She knew she ought to put a call through to Tory, but couldn’t bring herself to burst the bubble of bliss just yet. She looked at the lean brown length of him, reveling once again in the thick blond hair, the Siamese-cat eyes, the wide, curling mouth. “I never dreamed I’d end up with anyone as stunningly attractive as you,” she said humbly. “In fact, your looks have definitely improved with age. D’you think I ought to ring Malise just in case he thinks his entire team is doing a disappearing act?”
“He knows.” Very gently Dino began to stroke the inside of her thigh. “I wanted to test the water, so I made sure I bumped into him first this morning. He told me where to find you. He also reckoned,” Dino smirked slightly, “you were going into a decline.”
“I was not,” said Fen indignantly. Then, as Dino moved his hand upwards and began to slide two fingers in and out of her, she gasped and said, “Well, perhaps I was.”
“Come here,” said Dino, bending over to kiss her. “I need a fix again.”
In the end it was he who made her ring Tory. She heard the operator saying the call came from L.A.
“Jake. Is that you?” Tory’s voice trembled with hope.
“No, I’m afraid it’s only me, Fen. You okay? No, I’m awfully sorry, there’s really no news of him this end. How are the children taking it?”
“We’re managing very well,” said Tory, in an unnaturally bright voice. “I just hope Jake isn’t too shattered by the press furor to come out of hiding.” She started to cry.
“Oh, please don’t,” said Fen, feeling her eyes fill with tears. “Look, d’you remember Dino, Dino Ferranti? He turned up today. Have a word with him.” She handed the receiver to Dino.
Dino was immensely kind but very practical. Had she got enough food in the house? Was anyone helping her with the kids and the horses? Who was fending off the press?
“Everyone’s being marvelous,” said Tory, “but they’re so embarrassed. They were so proud of Jakey and were planning this huge Welcome Home bonanza. Now they don’t know what to do.”
“Tell them to cheer for Fen. Angel, please don’t cry.” He raised a palm upwards in a particularly Latin gesture of despair, then said, “Listen, I’m going to get a night flight, right?”
“Oh no,” whispered Fen in horror. “You can’t do that. I need you.”
“I’ll be with you sometime tomorrow,” he went on. “Don’t bother to meet me. I’ll call from Heathrow. I’ll sort everything out. Well, he might do still; we’ll just cross our fingers.”
Putting down the telephone, he gathered Fen into his arms.
“I can’t bear it, not so soon after I’ve found you. I need you as much as she does,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry to be so selfish.”
Dino let her cry, stroking her hair, cradling her.
“It’s the most awful thing I’ve ever had to do,” he said, “but if I’m joining your family, right, I have a responsibility towards all of them. Things are simmering along at the moment, but if Jake doesn’t show on Sunday, the shit is really going to hit the fan. He’s already blown the monetary advantages of his silver. The press are gonna assassinate him for letting down his country and you’ve no idea of Rupert’s capacity for vengeance. Every door’ll be shut to him. He’ll probably be suspended for ten years.”
“Oh, poor Jake,” said Fen in horror. “Why
Dino brushed her damp hair and kissed her forehead. “I guess he fell in love. We know how potent that is. Helen was suicidal, frantic to escape from Rupert. Jake momentarily wanted someone glamorous to complement his new star status, probably wanted to deal the coup de grace to Rupert. Nothing like cuckolding your enemy. All the same, I figure Helen’s to blame. However much Rupert hammers Jake for enticement, I guess it was Helen who pulled the plug out. She blew it to Rupert, knowing it would trigger Jake into leaving. But whatever happens, Jake’s on a collision course. Rupert’ll ruin them both.”
He glanced at her watch. “I’d better book that flight.”
As he came off the telephone Fen put her arms round him. “I didn’t believe it was possible, but I love you about a million times more than I did an hour ago; all the same I wouldn’t tell Tory about us yet. Other people’s happiness tends to push you over the top.”
61
It was like the House of Atreus, as disaster after disaster hit the British team. Despite every effort, Desdemona was still not fit, which meant that, unless Jake came back, Fen would have to ride Hardy.
“He’s a misogynist,” grumbled Fen next morning, after he’d had her off for the second time. “I’ll never get him out of the collecting ring in this mood.”
“Well, we’ve got to have someone whose round we can drop,” said Griselda, kicking Mr. Punch on and clearing the combination on a perfect stride.
Bitch, thought Fen. May you be struck down by toads and pestilence.
She spoke too soon. Coming back to the Olympic village that evening she found Griselda staggering out of the
