Greg slapped her. Not hard, his hand was still sore. But Julia stared at him for one frozen horrified second, then burst into tears.
Greg raised his eyes heavenwards, cursing his own blundering stupidity. He saw the gardeners walking past the Duo, their wellingtons squelching through the puddles on the lawn. They glanced over at the car, its hot muffled voices, grey-misted windows, seeing a figure hunched up in the front seat, face in hands, rocking back and forth. One turned to the other and barked a remark, there was a burst of lusty laughter, and they walked on. The shallow imprints left by their footprints slowly filled with muddy water behind them.
"Greg? I didn't mean it."
"I know. I'm sorry I slapped you."
"Didn't hurt."
Her cheeks were smeared with silver snail's trails of tears, nature's aphrodisiac. She looked terribly fragile and appealing. The ivory tower princess fallen to earth with a bump, lost and frightened in the world she'd only ever glimpsed from afar. Greg wanted to put his arms round her and give her a big comforting hug. Resistance came hard.
A big teardrop formed on the bottom of her chin. "Greg, he doesn't want me," she said in a tiny voice.
"Julia—"
"No really." Red-rimmed eyes blinked in anguish. "He's already had me."
She was suddenly in his arms, pressed against him, shivering uncontrollably. He hugged her, stroking her spine to give what reassurance he could. Praying he'd misheard, knowing he hadn't.
"I was fifteen," she said.
"Shush. It's over."
"No, I want to say it."
He studied her face, seeing the need; his espersense slid behind the hot skin and damp eyes. She really was terrified of Kendric. Funny, he'd never noticed that before, but she'd always toughed out any mention of his name. "Then tell me."
"It was my fifteenth birthday party. I'd never been happier, the PSP had just fallen, Grandpa's illness hadn't developed, and me and all my friends were dressed up in such wonderful dresses. Kendric came with a present for me, perfume, all gift-wrapped. Uncle Kendric. He and Grandpa hadn't fallen out then, you see. He gave me the perfume, and said that was only half of the present. He told me his nieces and nephews were all going to go cruising on the Mirriam for a fortnight, a di Girolamo family outing, and would I like to come. I pleaded with Grandpa to let me go. Grandpa never can say no to me. And then when I went on board there was only Kendric, no relatives, no family cruise. He was waiting for me. My present. I was too young, too stupidly blind with romance to realise. He was so handsome, the older man, rich, and cultured, and charming. God was he charming. You can't know what a man like that is capable of doing to the mind of a silly fifteen-year-old. The whole thing was like a channel drama made by the best director in the world, alone together on a yacht, surrounded by sea, shorelines, and golden sunsets. I loved every second of it. Believed every word he said. He hadn't married Hermione then. I thought I was the one. I was going to marry him. I was going to have his babies for him. I didn't believe God could create a monster like Kendric. Not on this world, the Good Earth."
She finished with a limp twitch of her lips. Greg carefully brushed some tangled wisps of hair from her face.
"God," she choked. "You must think I'm bloody worthless."
"I think you're quite beautiful, actually."
Punished eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes," he said. "I never got in touch after you sent all that gear to the chalet, I didn't trust myself."
"With me?"
He gave a slight nod.
"Oh." She wiped the back of her hand across her face, spreading her tears around. Greg smiled, and pulled a paper hanky from the glove compartment.
They drew apart a little. But the spark of intimacy remained. It would always be there, he knew, carried to the grave.
He cleared his throat, resentful that some analytical part of his brain never switched off, not even through this. "Julia, did you tell Kendric about the giga-conductor?"
She wiped the last tear away and crumpled the hanky. "No. All this happened a year before Grandpa told me about Ranasfari and the giga-conductor research project; Ranasfari wasn't even close to a cryogenic giga-conductor then. Kendric didn't have any ulterior motive for seducing me. I was just fun, a notch on his bedpost. He enjoys it, the game he plays in his mind, me and all the other dumb little girls are no different to his business deals. The lies and clever words corrupt us, then we belong to him, worship him. He gets as much satisfaction from our beguilement as he does from the sex. He's a power junkie."
He looked away, trying to lose the terrible image of Julia, a younger, smaller, more delicate Julia, lying below Kendric.
"You will get the proof, won't you, Greg?" she asked urgently. "I'm so scared of him. I've not told anybody that before, but he frightens me."
"I'll provide the proof Morgan Walshaw insists on, no messing." He kneaded his temple with thumb and forefinger. "There's a couple of things I want you to do for me."
She regarded him with comic seriousness. "Anything."
"Firstly, go back into the house and have a word with Walshaw. I want your personal protection stepped up. You're not the only one Kendric frightens; before yesterday I hadn't realised exactly how warped that man is. He is quite capable of having you killed. Especially now he realises that his games are over. It's gloves-off time, I'm afraid, Julia."
"Right."
"Secondly: Katerina. I'm going to put a stop to that."
"I don't understand."
"Snatch her from the Mirriam, and then shove her through detoxification treatment. But that's going to cost."
"Money doesn't bother me."
"Right. I suppose it'll have to be in America or the Caribbean. I haven't looked into it, hell, I don't even know if you can detoxify a phyltre user. If not, then it'll be a good research project for Event Horizon to undertake."
Julia nodded in relief. "I promise, Greg. Whatever it takes. Event Horizon has a clinic in Austria, they can do anything there."
Greg didn't share her glibness about that, but at least she was genuinely intent on making amends. "Fine. I'll snatch her back tonight."
"Tonight?"
"Yes. I don't want to leave her on the Mirriam a minute longer than necessary, I'd develop nightmares. I'll bring her to Event Horizon's finance division offices. Your people can take her from there."
"I'll come."
"No, Julia."
"Yes. The finance division is just as secure as Wilholm. And I want to see her. After all, I'm the one who put her there, and I've had a taste of what she's been through."
He nearly started to say no again, but there wasn't a logical argument against her going. Besides, he could see Julia wasn't going to be moved. Philip Evans wasn't the only one she could wrap around her little finger. "All right, but you get Walshaw to make the travel arrangements, and turn up around midnight prepared for a long wait."
"Do you want the company security hardliners to help you?"
"No. I'm not familiar with their capabilities. I do know all about the people I'm going to be using."
"What people? Tekmercs?" she asked with frank curiosity.
"Tell you sometime."
She gave him a timid smile. "That's a date."
Greg turned the jammer off, and Julia opened her door. "Julia."
She froze with her legs out of the car.
"Don't try so hard, girl. You're not exactly a frump, you know."
Her smile widened, becoming coquettish. "And Adrian isn't just a lump of muscle, either. He's very bright, and kind. And I like him a lot."
"Then I'm happy for you. See you later."
He didn't rate a wave this time; she simply stood watching him drive off, looking small and sad. He folded the rear-view mirror's image up and tucked it away in a corner of his mind. The last thing he needed now was any more guilt rattling round inside his skull.