When the Devil Drives

The envelope was lying on the carpet, just inside her bedroom door.She snatched it up, and tore it open with a feeling of foreboding.'Dear Jo,' it said in Simon's undistinguished scrawl, 'I've found a wayto get Blackstone off our backs once and for all. It isn't what I'd havechosen, but there's no other option, and I'm desperate. As Nannyalways says—needs must when the devil drives. Trust me, and don'tsay anything to anyone. Simon.'Joanna read it through twice, with growing dismay. It all sounded toohectic—too secretive. If he was prepared to tell her this much, whycouldn't he have confided in her completely—set her mind at rest?Maybe he knows that I won't want to hear what he's got to say, shethought unhappily, stuffing the letter into her bag. Oh, Simon, whatare you doing? Please—please don't let it be anything illegal!She changed hastily out of her dress into a pair of close-fitting creamjeans and a loose violet top, and sped down to the car.Philip was in Simon's office when she arrived at the Craft Company,and he greeted her with obvious relief.'Hello, stranger. Any idea where our wandering boy has got to?'Joanna shook her head, guiltily aware of the letter in her bag. 'Not theslightest. I wish I had.' She paused. 'Have you spoken to hissecretary?'Philip pulled a face. 'Jean's on holiday, and there's a temp in. All sheknows is that the phone was going crazy yesterday, and this morningold Simon came in practically at dawn and pushed off with hisbriefcase bulging, and a carrier-bag as well.' He looked at heruneasily. 'Jo—everything is quite all right, isn't it? I mean, I'm just thesalesman, and Si's the one who does the hard sums, but if there wereserious problems he'd have told me, surely?'