The Deserving Mistress

by Carole Mortimer

  May smiled at what she was sure was an accurate observation where Jude Marshall was concerned. ‘No, I’m sure that he hasn’t,’ she agreed. ‘But in this case, he is,’ she insisted firmly.

  David gave her a puzzled glance. ‘Who is he, exactly?’

  She knew what he was—exactly! Jude Marshall was a sneaky opportunist, a man who had taken advantage of her extreme tiredness the evening before; more importantly—he was trying to buy their farm out from under them.

  ‘No one of any importance,’ she dismissed hardly, remembering all too clearly that Jude had kissed her yesterday evening. Worse—she remembered that she had kissed him back.

  She had been too surprised initially to do anything but stand in shocked immobility in Jude’s arms, but, once the shock had worn off, instead of pushing him away, as she should have done, she had responded. That was something she wasn’t about to forgive him for in a hurry!

  ‘I’m glad to hear it.’ But David still didn’t look totally convinced by her dismissal of Jude.

  Time to change the subject, May decided—in fact, it was past time! ‘Are you staying in the area long?’

  David shrugged. ‘Another couple of days or so, I think. May—’ he sat forward, his gaze suddenly intense ‘—there’s someone I would like you to meet while I’m here.’

  Her eyes widened. ‘There is?’ As far as she was aware, the only people that David knew in the area were her and his sister’s family, and surely he didn’t want to introduce her to them?

  She found him good company, had enjoyed the time they’d spent together when she’d gone to London for her screen test a couple of weeks ago, but this was the first time the two of them had gone out on anything resembling a social basis…

  ‘Yes.’ He was still watching her intently. ‘You see—’

  ‘Well, well, well, so you don’t spend all your time milking cows and feeding hens, after all,’ an all-too-familiar voice drawled mockingly.

  May closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath before answering; Jude Marshall was positively the last person she had wanted to meet this evening. Well…maybe not the last person, she conceded frowningly, but he came pretty close.

  ‘Mr Marshall,’ she greeted wearily, deliberately keeping her expression noncommittal as she looked up at him.

  Which wasn’t easy when he looked so devastatingly attractive!

  She had thought David handsome in his dark suit and blue shirt when they’d met in the foyer of the hotel earlier, but Jude Marshall in a dinner suit was something else; his shoulders were wide, his waist tapered, his legs long and lean, the snowy white of his shirt emphasising the golden tan of his face and hands, those grey eyes appearing almost silver against that tanned skin.

  May straightened determinedly. She was not going to sit here like some gauche schoolgirl overwhelmed by a handsome, sophisticated man. Even if that was how she felt…

  ‘Or wearing wellington boots and woollen hats,’ she returned dismissively, knowing that she at least looked presentable this evening.

  Jude’s gaze swept assessingly over her appearance, grey eyes narrowed as he took in her newly washed hair as it swayed silkily over her shoulders, her dark green dress shimmering against her slender curves to reveal the silky length of her legs.

  His gaze returned deliberately to her face. ‘Obviously not,’ he drawled before turning slowly to look at the man who sat with her. ‘I don’t believe we’ve been introduced…?’ He raised dark brows pointedly.

  Other than behaving as rudely to Jude as he had to him the previous evening, May knew that David had no choice but to stand up and introduce himself.

  ‘David Melton.’ He held out his hand politely.

  ‘Jude Marshall,’ Jude returned as economically, an edge of mockery to his voice as he looked at the other man assessingly. ‘Melton…?’ he repeated slowly. ‘Now where have I—?’

  ‘I believe our table is ready, David,’ May cut in forcefully even as she rose gracefully to her feet, having noticed the waiter hovering around in the background trying to attract their attention. ‘If you’ll excuse us, Jude…’ she added decisively, green gaze challenging on his.

  He returned that gaze steadily for several long seconds, and then his gaze slowly dropped down the slender length of her body. By the time his gaze returned to her face, May could feel the heated wings of colour in her cheeks.

  As well as a slight trembling of her limbs, and a shortness of breath, as if she had been running…

  ‘You’re dining at the hotel?’ he prompted sharply.

  May suffered a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. It had never occurred to her, when David had asked her to join him here for dinner, that, being the best hotel in the area, this was probably the hotel Jude Marshall was staying at. But it occurred to her now.

  It also occurred to her, from the way he was dressed, that Jude Marshall was dining here, too. And not alone, if the formality of the dinner suit was anything to go by.

  ‘Obviously.’ She eyed him challengingly. ‘And you?’

  ‘Obviously,’ he returned dryly. ‘I’m just waiting for my dining companion,’ he confirmed lazily. ‘Perhaps the four of us could get together for a drink after we’ve eaten?’ Dark brows rose challengingly over those mocking grey eyes.

  And perhaps they couldn’t! She was here with David, and it was pretty obvious that Jude’s dining companion was going to be a beautiful woman; the last thing she wanted was to sit and have a drink with the pair of them at the end of the evening. It would probably choke her.

  ‘I don’t think so—thank you,’ she added belatedly. ‘Some of us have to get up early in the morning,’ she added pointedly.

  ‘Thanks for the offer, anyway,’ David cut in cheerfully before the other man could come back with the cutting reply that was obviously hovering on those sculptured lips, David taking a firm hold of May’s arm as they turned to follow the waiter into the dining-room.

  And May could feel that icy grey gaze following them every step of the way.

  Her breath left her in a heavy sigh as she sat down at the table, the first indication that she had of having held it in, her legs feeling slightly shaky, too. But Jude Marshall had that effect on her, she acknowledged heavily; she seemed to want to either hit him or kiss him at any given moment—and just now the former had definitely won out.

  ‘I’m really sorry about that.’ She gave David a rueful smile. ‘I’m starting to feel as if that man is haunting me!’ Both waking and asleep.

  Sleep, despite her exhausted state, had been very hard to come by the previous night, thoughts of Jude Marshall, of the way he had kissed her, preventing her from drifting into a relaxed state.

  What on earth had prompted him to kiss her at all? Oh, she knew that he was angry with her, a frustrated anger, at her total indomitableness. But she wouldn’t have thought that was reason enough for him to have kissed her…?

  David shrugged. ‘He is rather—forceful.’

  That was one way of describing him! All that May really knew at this moment was that her evening was completely ruined, the very fact that Jude was eating in the same room as her enough to put her off her food. Or to relax enough to enjoy David’s company.

  She sighed. ‘He’s a nuisance,’ she acknowledged heavily.

  David gave her a searching glance. ‘Would you rather we ate somewhere else?’

  She gave him an incredulous look. ‘We can’t do that!’

  ‘Of course we can,’ he assured her mildly.

  May shook her head dazedly. ‘But—but—we’ve ordered our food, and—and everything!’ Even now she could see the waiter heading towards their table with their first course.

  David shrugged. ‘So we’ll unorder it. The last thing I want, May,’ he continued firmly as she would have protested again, ‘is for you to feel under some sort of strain. The idea of this evening was for us to have a sociable dinner together, to relax and get to know each other a little better. Something we obviously aren’t g
oing to be able to do with Jude Marshall in the room.’ He put his napkin down on the table and stood up to talk quietly to the waiter, the latter looking completely nonplussed as he returned to the kitchen still carrying the plates of food. ‘I’ll be back in two minutes,’ David promised before striding over to the maître d’.

  May watched him dazedly, hardly able to believe that David was willing to go to another restaurant just because he sensed how uncomfortable she was now that she knew Jude Marshall was dining here, too.

  But as she saw Jude enter the dining-room at that moment, the beautiful woman who moved so gracefully at his side, she knew that there was no way she could have remained here now even if David had wanted to do so.

  The woman was tall and slender, her ebony dark hair cut stylishly short, the glowing beauty of her face dominated by luminous green eyes, her mouth a pouting invitation, the low-necked dress she wore revealing a creamy expanse of shoulders and breasts, her legs long and slender.

  There was no doubting that, despite being in her forties, the woman was absolutely stunning, and as she and Jude walked to their table every pair of eyes in the room followed their progress.

  Except May’s.

  After that first glance she had got hastily to her feet, not waiting for David to return but rushing quickly from the room, not stopping until she reached the relative sanctuary of the foyer, her breath coming in short gasps, her pulse racing so fast she could feel the blood pulsing through her veins.

  What on earth was she doing here?

  ‘Coward!’ Jude murmured huskily.

  May’s shoulders had stiffened as she forked fresh hay into the lambing pens, so he knew she was aware of his presence behind her, but she made no effort to turn and answer his accusation.

  Because accusation it most certainly was.

  Jude hadn’t been able to believe it when, having seen April seated opposite him at the dining table the previous evening, he had turned to glance around the restaurant in search of May and her own dining companion.

  Only to find that she hadn’t been there!

  His mouth tightened. ‘May, I said—’

  ‘I heard what you said.’ She turned sharply to face him, her features set in cool challenge as she looked at him questioningly.

  He raised mocking dark brows. ‘Well?’

  ‘Well what?’ she returned scathingly.

  ‘Don’t let’s start that again!’ He gave a disgusted shake of his head. ‘Why did you leave the hotel so suddenly yesterday evening?’

  ‘Did I?’ she returned dismissively, obviously completely ignoring his frustration with the way she answered his questions with one of her own. Deliberately so? Probably, he acknowledged heavily.

  Jude scowled. ‘You know damn well you did.’

  ‘We left the restaurant, Jude,’ she corrected dryly. ‘That doesn’t mean we left the hotel,’ she added pointedly.

  Jude’s scowl deepened as he easily understood her implication, his narrowed gaze searching on her almost defiant expression. If May were to be believed, then instead of eating she and David Melton had gone upstairs together to one of the hotel bedrooms…

  ‘Besides,’ she continued hardly, ‘I’m surprised you even noticed our departure considering the identity of your own dining companion.’ The last was added scornfully.

  It wasn’t easy, but Jude forced visions of May in David Melton’s arms from his mind—for the present! He would get back to that subject in a moment.

  His smile was mocking now. ‘Ah, you recognised her,’ he murmured with satisfaction.

  May gave a derisive laugh. ‘Along with everyone else in the room! But then, how could anyone not recognise the beautiful actress, April Robine?’

  Jude wasn’t sure he liked that scornful edge to May’s voice when she spoke of April. He had known the beautiful actress for several months now, had never found her to be anything other than warm and charming, her patience infinite with the fans who so often intruded upon her privacy. Even yesterday evening as they had been eating their meal, several people had come over to their table to ask for her autograph, and none of them had gone away disappointed, in April or the acquired autograph.

  ‘Your friend David certainly found her charming when he came over to our table to say hello,’ he bit out caustically.

  May was too startled by the statement to be able to hide the emotion, her cheeks paling slightly, her eyes a deeper green than usual. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’ She shook her head dismissively.

  ‘I mean that April and your friend David apparently know each other,’ he bit out abruptly, having been surprised himself when David Melton had come over to their table to be greeted so effusively by April. ‘In fact, from the warmth with which they kissed each other yesterday evening, you might say they know each other very well!’

  Jude frowned as May seemed to pale even more. Two days ago May had assured him that she wasn’t interested in David Melton; in fact she had insisted, despite the other man’s obvious entreaties, that David Melton meant nothing to her. And yet her reaction now to the other man’s acquaintance with the beautiful April seemed to imply otherwise…

  May moistened dry lips before visibly swallowing hard. ‘What does that have to do with me?’

  He looked at her consideringly. ‘Everything, I would have thought—if your implication that you and David spent the night together at the hotel is the correct one!’ he rasped.

  She drew in a sharp breath. ‘For your information, I slept in my own bed last night!’

  ‘Meaning that you and Melton only spent the evening in bed together at the hotel?’ Jude scorned.

  ‘Meaning that it’s none of your damned business where I spent yesterday evening!’ she returned forcefully.

  He was going to shake her in a minute. Or kiss her again. Neither of which was a good idea.

  He had learnt that only too well two days ago, could still feel the softness of her lips as they responded to his, the warmth of her curves as her body moulded against his. The very thought of David Melton enjoying those lips and her desirable softness was enough to make him forget everything else. And he didn’t want to feel that way. Not over this woman. Or any other woman.

  He drew in a deeply controlling breath. ‘May, I actually came here to ask you to have dinner with me this evening.’

  She straightened, eyeing him mockingly. ‘Really?’

  ‘Really,’ he confirmed dryly.

  May gave a shake of her head. ‘Then you have a very strange way of going about it.’

  Because he had been sidetracked by talk of her friendship with David Melton.

  But it was time to forget about Melton, and April, and concentrate on what he really wanted from this woman.

  ‘Okay,’ he sighed frustratedly. ‘Let’s start again, shall we? May, will you have dinner with me this evening?’

  ‘No,’ she answered without hesitation, her gaze mocking. ‘And just why is it that everyone seems to think I need to have dinner bought for me at the moment?’ she added frowningly.

  ‘Probably because you look as if a few good meals inside you wouldn’t come amiss!’ Jude’s gaze moved deliberately down her obvious slenderness.

  ‘Thanks,’ she snapped. ‘But the answer is still no!’

  He scowled at her stubbornness. ‘David Melton has booked you for this evening, too, hmm?’

  ‘No—that’s lunch,’ she told him derisively, obviously enjoying his frustration.

  Jude eyed her scathingly. ‘So who’s the lucky man tonight?’

  ‘Do you mean to be insulting, Jude?’ She quirked dark brows. ‘Or does it just come naturally to you?’

  His mouth twisted humourlessly. ‘A little of both, I think.’

  To his surprise she laughed softly, her eyes glowing deeply green, slight dimples beside the soft curve of her lips. God, she was beautiful, he acknowledged frowningly. Wearing no make-up that he could detect, her hair scraped back in an elastic band, wearing those awful clothes she worked in, a
nd she was still beautiful. Too beautiful!

  ‘Perhaps you wouldn’t mind answering my question?’ he rasped caustically.

  She gave a slight shake of her head. ‘I thought I already had. You asked me to have dinner with you, and I said no. Although I’m curious as to why you think you would ever have received any other sort of answer?’ She looked at him searchingly.

  ‘Because your mother brought you up to be polite?’ he returned dryly—realising, too late, that her mother hadn’t brought her up at all, that she had died while the three sisters were still babies.

  May’s eyes were now as hard as the jewels they resembled, her mouth unsmiling. ‘Any manners I have certainly weren’t taught me by my mother,’ she snapped coldly. ‘Although, again, I’m curious as to why you should think I would feel the need to be in the least polite to you?’ she added with hard derision.

  ‘Because I bought you dinner the other evening?’ Jude shrugged, starting to find it decidedly warm in here in the thick Aran sweater and faded blue denims that he was wearing.

  May gave him a quizzical look. ‘In that case, shouldn’t I be the one asking you out to dinner? To return the favour?’

  ‘Not the most gracious invitation I’ve ever received—but I accept,’ Jude told her, eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

  She looked stunned by the deliberate trap he had set—and that she had unwittingly walked into. ‘Now just a minute—’

  ‘Too late, May,’ he told her lightly. ‘You asked, I accepted.’

  ‘I did not—’

  ‘You most certainly did,’ he assured her mockingly, enjoying being the one to have completely disconcerted her this time.

  ‘But I have an Amateur Dramatics meeting to go to this evening!’ she protested frustratedly.

  ‘Then I suggest you cancel it,’ he dismissed unconcernedly. ‘I’ll leave you to book the restaurant, shall I? I prefer French cuisine if possible, but if not—’

  ‘If you really expect me to give you dinner then you’ll get May cuisine, you’ll get it here—and like it!’ she interrupted impatiently. ‘Although—’

  ‘Sounds great,’ Jude accepted. ‘About seven-thirty suit you?’