'Well, it's not Daisy's fault,' shouted back Ricky, getting a bottle out of the cupboard, splashing whisky into four gla.s.ses and giving one to Daisy.

'I don't want a drink,' said Rupert.

'All the more for me,' said Dommie, tipping Rupert's share into his gla.s.s. 'Are these for Wayne and Kinta?' He picked the whole carrots out of the frying pan.

'I said it's not Daisy's fault,' repeated Ricky icily. 'b.l.o.o.d.y is,' said Rupert. 'f.u.c.king hippie bringing up her f.u.c.king children by Dr Spock rules, letting them run wild, and everything hang out. If she hadn't spoilt Perdita rotten, none of this would have happened.'

'b.a.l.l.s,' yelled Ricky. 'Perdita just happens to have inherited your sodding awful nature.'

'Who tried to bail you out of prison, and appealed against your conviction?' demanded Rupert in outrage.

'Below the belt,' said Seb.

'So was Rupert's d.i.c.k,' giggled Dommie. 'You shouldn't go round s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g girls when they're stoned.'

'This isn't getting anyone anywhere,' said Ricky. 'Are you going to admit paternity or not?'

'Like h.e.l.l I am. I'd rather father a mamba.'

'With Red geeing her up, she may easily take you to court,' said Seb.

'Let her,' said Rupert flatly. 'After what she's done to my children and Taggie twice, I'll bury her.'

Rupert's children were not the only ones affected. Violet was devastated, particularly when her boyfriend's parents suddenly withdrew a long-standing invitation to spend a weekend at their house. At Eddie's prep school the rest of his form trooped down to the kitchen and read the cook's copy of The Scorpion. The Scorpion.

'Common Entrance, Common Entrance,' chanted Blair-Harrison, the most evil boy in the cla.s.s. 'Your mother seems to have a communal entrance.'

And Eddie had hit Blair-Harrison across the cla.s.sroom breaking two of his flawless front teeth. One of Dancer's minders had brought Eddie back to Robinsgrove where he had fished and shot clays and apparently happily watched television. But after midnight, long after Daisy had been knocked out by one of Ricky's pills, Ricky found Eddie sobbing his heart out.

'How could Mum let all those blokes stick it in her?' 'It wasn't her fault,' said Ricky. 'Someone got her drunk and drugged her.'

Eddie clenched his fists. 'I'm going to kill Perdita.' 'You're not the only one,' said Ricky grimly.

He wanted nothing more than to concentrate on his polo. His house had been besieged by press for forty-eight hours, and when he went to the Rutshire to play practice chukkas the following day they were ten deep round the clubhouse waiting for him.

For once the expletives were worse off the field than on. The twins, losing their tempers, had started hitting b.a.l.l.s at the reporters' ankles, and the police had been called. Miss Lodsworth had for once been on Apocalypse's side and had driven The Times The Times cameraman off with her shooting stick. Decorum, the bull terrier, had bitten both cameraman off with her shooting stick. Decorum, the bull terrier, had bitten both The Scorpion The Scorpion and the and the Guardian. Guardian.

Ironically Ricky had become the hero of the press. The cameraman with Beattie Johnson had taken a photograph of Ricky throwing Beattie out of the window and sold it to the Sun Sun who'd put it on their front page. who'd put it on their front page.

Over in Palm Beach Perdita was on the rack. Electric gates and Rottweilers kept out the press, but not the feelings of utter horror at what she'd unearthed. Talk about Pandora's boxing ring.

Still smarting with rejection that Rupert had turned her down so summarily on finding her in his bed, she had been plagued since then by embarra.s.singly erotic dreams about him. But now the scalding hot lava of humiliation was pouring over her as she realized she'd tried to bed her own father.

Red the unpredictable, however, was absolutely delighted. Any novelty and strangeness excited him. 'What a good thing you didn't get him into bed in Florida,' he said gleefully. 'He'd probably have negated the pill and impregnated you.'

'Don't be disgusting,' screamed Perdita. 'If it hadn't been for you, I'd never have tried to pull him that night. If you hadn't been getting off with that girl from Vanity Vanity Fair, Fair, I'd never have got p.i.s.sed and spilled the beans to Simpson Hastings.' I'd never have got p.i.s.sed and spilled the beans to Simpson Hastings.'

It was a further source of irritation that no-one believed she hadn't taken a ma.s.sive pay-off from The Scorpion. The Scorpion. Red caught the short back ends of her hair, yanking her head back, his eyes blazing with desire. Red caught the short back ends of her hair, yanking her head back, his eyes blazing with desire.

'Rupert's mega-bucks, just think what we can screw him for.'

'We can't prove he's my father.'

'Haven't you ever heard of genetic engineering? I wonder if my mother will feel differently now she knows you've got some good blood.'

Letting go of her hair, he began to stroke the back of her neck. It was hopeless. He just had to touch her to make her dripping.

'Be nice to me, Red. I need you so badly. Don't leave me.'

Red pushed her back on to the press clippings which littered his dark blue triple bed, and with one practised hand undid the top b.u.t.ton of her jeans.

'I'm not quitting, baby. You're just getting interesting.'

Afterwards, having plugged her between the legs with a handful of scrumpled press clippings, Red fell asleep. Feeling hopelessly twitchy and in need of comfort, Perdita rang Luke at the hospital only to learn that he had discharged himself that afternoon. So deep was her self-preoccupation that she didn't even question the utter insanity of such an action, and promptly telephoned him at his barn. 'Oh, Luke, I've done such a terrible thing.'

'I guess you have,' said Luke and hung up. Then, turning back to Margie: 'That was Perdita. I can't handle her at the moment.'

Fantasma and Leroy, delirious to have him home, had followed him into the tack room. After the first ecstatic welcome, both seemed to sense how excruciatingly painful his hand was and just wanted to be near him as quietly as possible. Leroy sat on his feet to stop him ever going away again. Fantasma rested her pink nose on his good shoulder, blowing adoringly down his neck. On the tack-room wall was a photograph of her racing round the paddock without saddle or bridle as white and as swift and as beautiful as summer lightning.

Luke took a slug of the quadruple brandy Margie had just given him. 'I gotta sell her,' he said.

He had learnt that afternoon that Hal Peters had been voted off his own board and gone spectacularly belly-up. Not only had he not paid Luke's salary since January or for the last half-dozen horses Luke had bought for him, but far, far worse, he had let Luke's medical insurance lapse, so there would be ma.s.sive hospital bills to be paid. That was why - despite doctors and sobbing nurses practically restraining him with a strait-jacket - Luke had walked out of hospital that afternoon.

'You've got to sue,' implored Margie. 'I'll defend you for free.'

Luke shook his head. 'He hasn't got any money to pay me.'

'Then go to your father.'

'He's in enough s.h.i.t as it is,' said Luke wearily.

'You b.l.o.o.d.y stubborn Taurean,' stormed Margie, 'lend him Fantasma. Lend him all your ponies. If he's that anxious to smash Ricky this summer, he'll pay anything.'

'There's no way I could ever pay my medical bills and pay him back.'

His hand was agonizingly painful and he was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he might never play polo again. The only honourable way he could pay his debts and see the grooms right was to sell the ponies.

61.

At the end of April eighty-five suitcases, fifty-five polo ponies, sixteen grooms, a mountain of tack and polo sticks and a fleet of maids and secretaries were flown in a special Alderton Jumbo over to England. A week later, when everything had been unpacked and made ready for them in Bart's ravishing Suss.e.x house, Chessie, Bart, Red, Perdita and Angel flew over in Bart's new private jet - the Alderton Quicksilver. Specially designed to dispel rumours that Alderton Airways were going belly-up, it crossed the Atlantic in three hours and was as gleamingly silver as its name. Bart was hoping to raise the money in Europe to market it next year.

Inside the Quicksilver the atmosphere was as highly charged as usual. Red, failing to hide his dislike of his stepmother, had taken Perdita into one of the back bedrooms. Chessie drank a whole bottle of champagne, because Grace only drank water on flights and because she was still furious with Ricky for giving such public sanctuary to Perdita's frumpy mother. Bart put aside the balance sheets he ought to be digesting before his meeting with European Electronics tomorrow and read a computer print-out on his ponies.

Perdita, having stuffed her face with caviar, was now lying post-multi-o.r.g.a.s.mic in Red's arms and thinking this really was the life. She and Red had just returned from four magic days in Hawaii where his s.e.xual inventiveness had overwhelmed her. On the Rupert front things had gone unnaturally quiet, with the press switching their attention to a Royal scandal and the lawyers locked behind closed doors. Was Rupert going to sue? Was Perdita going to push for recognition and a ma.s.sive settlement? It was a war of nerves. She was apprehensive about her reception in England. Sooner or later she'd have to b.u.mp into Ricky, her mother, and probably Rupert. But she felt insulated by Red's love. If she was going to be the new Mrs Alderton, what did it matter if she was nee Campbell-Black?

Angel sat by himself gazing bleakly out of the window at a dazzling dream-topping of cloud. Three hours was too short a time to adjust to entering loathsome British territory. Awaiting him would be a posse of apoplectic colonels and brigadiers utterly incensed that Bart had pulled a fast one and circ.u.mnavigated the ban. Angel had also suffered a lot of flak from the other Argentine players, particularly Alejandro, Juan and Miguel, who spoke enviously of the lack of pressure in England, the hospitality, the beautiful, available girls, the freezing-cold swimming-pools they'd been chucked into by fire-breathing fathers, and the utterly revolting food.

'You 'aven't died until you 'ave Eenglish cabbage,' said Alejandro. 'We'll send you a food parcel every week.' 'And a suitcase full of condoms,' sighed Juan.

'How can I pull girls,' Angel had grumbled, 'when my father-in-law wants me in bed by ten every night? And if Grace comes over I might as well be gelded.'

But all this was irrelevant when Angel's sole reason for going to England was revenge. His temper was not improved by the latest edition of International Polo, International Polo, where, among the glamorous photographs of ma.s.sive silver cups, grooved muscular arms, flashing teeth beneath ebony moustaches and ponies with glued-down ears and rolling eyes, was a four-page feature on Drew Benedict. The text was printed in four languages, so Angel was able to read in French, Italian, Spanish and English that Drew, hero of the Falklands, was the rock on which both the Kaputnik Tigers and the British team were built. There were photographs of him outside his beautiful house, flanked by a horsey-looking wife, and two expressionless, well-behaved children, and in his library with a Jack Russell on his knee. Shivering with hatred, Angel examined the handsome, belligerent, unsmiling face, a boxer crossed with a Labrador. Even the comparative shortness of Drew's legs didn't comfort him. Angel's grandmother, who lived in the Plaza, had always claimed that men with short legs were brilliant in bed. where, among the glamorous photographs of ma.s.sive silver cups, grooved muscular arms, flashing teeth beneath ebony moustaches and ponies with glued-down ears and rolling eyes, was a four-page feature on Drew Benedict. The text was printed in four languages, so Angel was able to read in French, Italian, Spanish and English that Drew, hero of the Falklands, was the rock on which both the Kaputnik Tigers and the British team were built. There were photographs of him outside his beautiful house, flanked by a horsey-looking wife, and two expressionless, well-behaved children, and in his library with a Jack Russell on his knee. Shivering with hatred, Angel examined the handsome, belligerent, unsmiling face, a boxer crossed with a Labrador. Even the comparative shortness of Drew's legs didn't comfort him. Angel's grandmother, who lived in the Plaza, had always claimed that men with short legs were brilliant in bed.

Getting out a Pentel, Angel drew in a moustache and some Shirley Temple curls. But the blue eyes were still cool and appraising, so Angel made one of them squint, then cursed himself for his childishness.

Anyway, how could he concentrate on his mission of vengeance when his marriage was in injury time? The publicity hand-out was that Bibi was staying in America to mind the shop while Bart took virtually three months off, and that she would fly over on the Quicksilver at weekends. In fact, Angel was doubtful if she'd turn up at all. The row had started innocently enough. Left on his own so much, Angel had run up more gambling debts. Aware that their anniversary was coming up, strapped for cash, he had taken a modelling job so he could buy her a present with his own money. Bibi, growing increasingly suspicious, had followed him, seen him arrive at a house, kiss a beautiful model who had arrived at the same time and go insidewith her. Instead of following him, where she would have found cameras, lights and silver umbrellas, Bibi had gone home in floods. Confronted, Angel had blurted out the truth. After a blazing row, refusing to believe him, Bibi had stormed round to the agency, who confirmed Angel's story. Mortified, Bibi had flown home early from the office in an Alderton helicopter which was an anniversary present for him. As she walked into the house with her arms full of flowers, however, Angel had walked out of the bedroom with a towel wrapped round his waist. A second later he was followed by Innocenta in Bibi's silk dressing gown.

'What's that scrubber got to offer that I haven't?' Bibi screamed later.

'She's got time,' said Angel with chilling accuracy.

In the cold war that ensued, Angel and Bibi had lain as far apart as possible on the cliff edges of their double bed, longing for the other to weaken and stretch out a hand; and a stony-faced monosyllabic Bibi had come home from the office each night and ostentatiously cooked Angel's dinner.

'Bibi only say seven word to me this week,' Angel had grumbled to Red as they boarded the plane, 'dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner.'

'Why doesn't she dispense with all the chitchat,' said Red, grinning, 'and buy a gong?'

As he flipped sullenly through International Polo, International Polo, Angel noticed that all the girls were far more beautiful than Bibi. Why the h.e.l.l did he feel so miserable? Angel noticed that all the girls were far more beautiful than Bibi. Why the h.e.l.l did he feel so miserable?

Three weeks later Daisy Macleod, travelling up to Paddington by train, took the same photograph of Drew out of her bag. Because of the press hanging around, she hadn't seen him since The Scorpion The Scorpion revelations, and now they were meeting at Sukey's house off Kensington Church Street. Daisy was incredibly twitchy because Violet was also in London on a school trip visiting the Impressionists at the Tate, and because Eddie had rung up from school that morning. 'First the bad news, Mum, I failed Common Entrance. But now the good news, every single other boy in the school pa.s.sed.' Daisy was overwhelmed with love for his philosophical stoicism, but she knew he was desperately low and felt even worse because she was sure he'd only ploughed the exam because of revelations, and now they were meeting at Sukey's house off Kensington Church Street. Daisy was incredibly twitchy because Violet was also in London on a school trip visiting the Impressionists at the Tate, and because Eddie had rung up from school that morning. 'First the bad news, Mum, I failed Common Entrance. But now the good news, every single other boy in the school pa.s.sed.' Daisy was overwhelmed with love for his philosophical stoicism, but she knew he was desperately low and felt even worse because she was sure he'd only ploughed the exam because of The Scorpion. The Scorpion.

As the train got in at eleven-thirty, and she wasn't meeting Drew until twelve forty-five, she had time to kill. She'd cleaned her teeth on the train, carefully not swallowing the non-drinking water, and then again in the Ladies at Paddington, and again in Harrods, where she'd also covered herself in Je Reviens from the scent counter.

Still with time to kill, she hung around a second-hand book shop near Drew's house and bought him a book called The Art of Lunging, The Art of Lunging, then went to an off-licence and bought him a bottle of Moet in return for all the bottles he'd given her. then went to an off-licence and bought him a bottle of Moet in return for all the bottles he'd given her.

The man behind the counter, almost asphyxiated by wafts of Je Reviens and Colgate, asked with a leer if Daisy'd like it ready-chilled.

'How lovely,' Daisy blushed. 'I didn't know you could buy it like that.'

'We sell a lot,' said the man, admiring Daisy's bosom in her apple-green T-shirt. 'People like to take a bottle in the park.'

It was still only twelve-forty. Sweating with nerves, Daisy went into a supermarket and checked her face by the dog-food counter. Glancing up, she saw herself on the monitor. She supposed it was one way of getting on television and bought a box of Bonios for Ethel.

Turning into Drew's street, grateful for the shade of the plane trees, Daisy walked down the road until she came to Number Fifteen. Drew's blue BMW wasn't outside. Across the road a pretty girl, holding an estate agent's hand-out, stared at Daisy intently. Perhaps she was Sukey's sister. Walking to the end of the road, Daisy turned round and walked back. Steeling herself, ignoring the girl still waiting opposite, Daisy marched up the path, pausing to powder her nose. But before she could ring the door bell, the door had opened and a voice said, 'You look fine,' and Drew had pulled her in to the hall.

He was wearing a red and white striped shirt which brought out the red of his complexion. He looked less glamorous than his photograph and, as he kissed her, he tasted of fish. Just for a second Daisy wondered why she'd wasted so many sleepless nights on him.

Following him into the kitchen, she saw the remains of a smoked salmon sandwich and a half-drunk gla.s.s of champagne. I'm always far too excited to eat anything before he arrives, she thought, as she handed him a carrier bag.

'Bonios. That's very kind,' said Drew, looking inside.

'Oh, help, I've given you the wrong bag,' said Daisy, shoving the bookshop and off-licence bags at him.

'That's sweet, thank you,' said Drew, filling a gla.s.s for her from the bottle already opened and taking another bite of his sandwich.

'Do you want anything to eat?'

Daisy shook her head.

'Poor baby, I'm sorry you've had such a b.l.o.o.d.y time, but you look great. You must have lost ten pounds, but not off your t.i.ts, thank G.o.d.'

Daisy went to the window and gazed at Sukey's back garden, which was a rather uncharacteristic riot of roses, honeysuckle and jasmine. 'How lovely,' she sighed. 'Sukey is clever.'

'At some things,' said Drew, running a hand up her backbone and unhooking her bra. As his hands gathered up her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and she collapsed against him, she could hear the sound of typing next door and a faint hum of traffic.

'Let's go to bed,' said Drew.

'It was lovely you won yesterday,' said Daisy, 'and scored most of the goals.'

As he followed her upstairs, Drew's hands slid slowly up her legs and between her thighs. 'These are the only goal posts I want to get between.'

On the chest of drawers in his dressing room were an engagement photograph of a mistily glamorous Sukey in pearls and a strapless dress, silver-backed brushes, Penhaligon's English Fern and a panama with a Household Division ribbon. Thrown over an armchair were a dinner jacket, a crumpled evening shirt, a black tie and a pile of Kaputnik Tiger shirts - all the detritus of Drew's other life.

Pulling off her T-shirt, bra and pants, but leaving her trailing, turquoise skirt, he pushed her back on the narrow, single bed and, burying his face in her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, murmured, 'You are so comfortable, Mrs Macleod, I'm sure someone comes along and plumps up your body like Sukey's cushions every half-hour.'

Soon his tongue was wandering lazily through the heather of her pubic hair to find the cairn of her c.l.i.toris.

'Come inside me, please,' said Daisy, worried that she was too tense to come and that he might be bored.

'Don't be silly,' mumbled Drew. 'I've waited five weeks for this. You can wait five minutes longer.'

'Oh, that tongue,' Daisy squirmed in ecstasy. At last the waves were slowly lapping against the sh.o.r.e, then they were inside her, seeping and sweeping over her. She was a mini-Pacific. She gave a gasp, moaned and floated away on a lilo of pleasure. 'Oh, thank you, thank you, I love you, I love you, I can't help it.'

'Now it's my turn,' said Drew. 'I won't be able to last long.'

'That was bliss,' he said as he rolled off her, 'but next time cut your fingernails.'

'I'm sorry,' said Daisy humbly.

'I'm not. It's always magic with you, my love. I've got you a present. I bought it for Easter, but your b.l.o.o.d.y daughter and The Scorpion The Scorpion got in the way.' Daisy opened the red leather box and gave a gasp. On the white satin lay a brooch with a topaz centre, ringed by diamond petals. got in the way.' Daisy opened the red leather box and gave a gasp. On the white satin lay a brooch with a topaz centre, ringed by diamond petals.

'It's a daisy,' cried Daisy ecstatically. 'It's the loveliest thing I've ever seen. Where did you find it?'

'I had it made,' Drew kissed her shoulder, 'as an expression of my great fondness and regard for you. You will notice there are nine petals, so if you ever play "Loves me, loves me not" with it, it'll always come out loves me.'

'But you shouldn't,' gabbled Daisy. 'I mean it's too much, it isn't?'

'Real?' said Drew. 'Of course it is, I don't like fake jewels or fake o.r.g.a.s.ms. We are going to get ourselves organized and I'm going to see a lot more of you in the future.'

Daisy had first bath and watched him having the second one.