The Jilted Bridegroom

by Carole Mortimer

  ‘What happened was that Sally overheard Ben talking to me about you—’

  ‘Still giving you a hard time, is he?’ Griff nodded understandingly.

  She hadn’t seen that particular young man yet this morning, and had understood from a bleary-eyed Clarissa as she’d groped her way to the coffee-pot earlier that they hadn’t got in until three o’clock this morning.

  ‘I’ll survive,’ Sarah shrugged dismissively. ‘And now, if you want to work, I had better be going.’ She stood up.

  ‘Er…?’

  She looked down at Griff, her heart skipping its usual beat as she did so. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Sally never did get around to watering the plants,’ he told her with a grimace.

  Sarah looked at him with disbelief for several seconds, and then she burst out laughing. ‘I might have guessed!’ She shook her head. ‘I’ll go and do them now.’

  ‘And I’ll go and get us some lunch—yes?’ he prompted hopefully.

  Sarah frowned down at him. ‘But I thought you had some work to do?’

  ‘I do.’ Griff nodded with a grin. ‘Lunch is top of the list.’

  She shook her head regretfully. ‘If Clarissa and Sally are going out I’ll have to get back. Three helpless males left alone together is disastrous!’ she added drily.

  ‘They obviously weren’t brought up properly,’ he dismissed.

  ‘Obviously not,’ she acknowledged. ‘I really will have to move,’ she said quickly after a glance at her watch; she couldn’t spend all day here bandying teasing remarks with Griff, enjoyable as it might be.

  For all that Griff had made light of the suggestion that he really was here working, there were sheets of writing paper and notebooks all over the dining table. Sarah didn’t presume to look at them, going straight into the kitchen to fill up the watering-can.

  Watering plants and flowers was one of the mundane jobs she had done as a junior nurse. As a senior staff nurse, with promotion to sister in sight, she had thought these days were over.

  It was a step in the right direction that she was beginning to think about the promotion she had so recently lost simply because she had made the mistake of loving the wrong man.

  Simon…

  She had tried so hard the last few days not to even think of him, when really she knew she would have to sort out her feelings for him at some time. How strange she should think of him now, when she was with another man she found so attractive.

  She went out to the courtyard, still deep in thought, climbing the small stepladder to reach the hanging baskets of deeply scented flowers.

  Simon, with the silky blond hair and too-handsome face.

  A consultant at the hospital where Sarah also worked, he had bowled Sarah over from the start. The miracle of it was, or so it had seemed to Sarah at the time, that he’d found her just as attractive.

  Simon had asked her out once, twice, casually at first, and then more seriously. Or, at least, it had seemed more seriously to Sarah…

  But Simon had told her, eventually, without the slightest hint of hesitation, that marriage between them was out of the question. Marriage had never been an essential to her, but some sort of commitment to their relationship had.

  Sarah had known, hard as it was to accept, that she was wasting her life loving a man like Simon.

  Breaking away from him hadn’t been easy, especially as he’d been far from ready for their relationship to end, but—

  ‘I think you could be over-watering that one,’ Griff remarked drily from below her.

  Sarah suddenly realised the hanging basket she was watering had water pouring as quickly out of the bottom of it, where it had soaked up as much as it was able!

  ‘You were miles away.’ Griff smiled up at her, half questioning.

  She wasn’t about to confide to anyone what an abject fool she had been. ‘This sort of weather,’ she looked up pointedly at the clear blue sky and hot, penetrating sun, ‘makes you feel sleepy. I— Oh!’

  Looking up was probably her mistake. Whatever the reason, she momentarily lost her balance, clutching at thin air when she tried to steady herself, toppling over completely, the watering-can flying out of her hand across the courtyard.

  It all seemed to happen in slow motion. One minute she was standing on top of the steps, the next she was falling through the warm air on her way to the tiled courtyard.

  Strong arms caught and held her before she could make that painful landing, and her heart skipped a beat of relief at Griff’s timely intervention, her arms clinging instinctively about his neck.

  And then her heart skipped another beat—for a completely different reason!

  Griff’s flesh felt warm and electrifying beneath her touch, muscles rippling against her softness, her breath suddenly catching in her throat as she looked up and their gazes clashed.

  Griff’s eyes deepened in colour to gold, a nerve pulsing in his cheek, an expression on his face unlike any Sarah had ever seen there before. He was neither cynical nor amused, but completely serious, and yet not harshly so. He just looked—

  Sarah didn’t have any more time to decide how he looked, gasping slightly as his lips came down gently on hers, softly exploring, Sarah instantly responding to the warm caress.

  Griff finally raised his head, their breaths mingling as their faces were only inches apart still.

  ‘I think—’ She broke off in embarrassment at how shaky and gruff her voice sounded, swallowing hard. ‘I think perhaps you should put me down now.’ She looked pointedly to where Griff still held her tightly in his arms.

  He broke her gaze with effort. ‘Yes. Of course.’ He lowered her slowly to the ground, but he didn’t release her. ‘Sarah…?’

  What was the point in questioning it… what was the point in questioning any of it—when she still wanted so much for him to kiss her again?

  And when he did she melted against him, responding instinctively.

  Passion flared, flamed, consumed, would have completely engulfed if they hadn’t been interrupted.

  Sarah caressed the heat of Griff’s back and shoulders, feeling the force of his passion against her as they strained towards each other for a closer contact they knew they could attain, if only—

  The huge bee that buzzed too close to them to be ignored put an end to ‘if only’, Sarah moving away from Griff with a startled cry; she had never seen bees as big as the ones here in France, huge black things, almost like hornets, and so attracted to the honeysuckle that grew up one wall of the courtyard.

  It flew off to the honeysuckle now, leaving Sarah and Griff simply staring at each other, Sarah pale as she realised the enormity of what had just happened between them.

  Griff met her gaze warmly. ‘I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I first saw you.’

  She swallowed hard, knowing she had been wanting it too, still quivering from the reality of it. ‘I—Sandra…?’ she reminded weakly.

  He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, his hands clenched at his sides. ‘Sarah, I—Things aren’t—always what they seem.’ He looked at her regretfully.

  All she knew was that until five days ago Griff had been going to marry another woman, would be married to her now if Sandra Preston hadn’t decided not to turn up for the wedding.

  Sarah turned away abruptly. ‘I have to go—’

  ‘Sarah!’ He grasped her arm, turning her to face him. ‘Sarah, I—’

  ‘I really do have to go,’ she insisted brusquely. ‘They will be wondering where I’ve got to.’ She broke away.

  ‘Sarah!’ Griff called after her pleadingly.

  ‘I—have—to—go!’ She ran from the villa, too frightened to look back this time, crunching the car into gear before driving away, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  She had loved Simon, and yet she had never responded in that wanton way with him.

  Had loved Simon?

  Oh, dear God, what was happening to her?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ‘HOW could
you try and keep that absolutely delicious man to yourself?’

  Sarah looked up at Clarissa from the pool, where she was playing a game of catch with Stephen.

  She didn’t need to ask who the ‘absolutely delicious man’ was; Sally had obviously told her mother about Griff while they were out.

  ‘I didn’t try to keep him to myself, Clarissa,’ she answered calmly, her panic of this morning under control now, if not forgotten. ‘I simply respected the man’s privacy.’

  Clarissa looked buoyant from her afternoon’s shopping—and from the prospect of having a handsome single man in the neighbouring villa, Sarah didn’t doubt.

  ‘What he needs is company, not to shut himself away like that,’ Clarissa stated determinedly. ‘I’m going to telephone him right now and invite him over for dinner.’

  And no doubt Griff would be ‘persuaded’ into accepting, no matter what his true feelings about the invitation might be.

  Sarah knew, better than anyone, how persuasively charming the other woman could be when she set out to be—she was here in France with the family, wasn’t she, when from the outset it had been the last thing she’d wanted to do?

  Clarissa smiled in anticipation. ‘Yes, I think it would be rather—’

  ‘Mummy,’ Stephen protested impatiently, ‘we were playing!’

  ‘Sorry, darling.’ She gave him one of her dazzling smiles that said her thoughts were really elsewhere. ‘Do we have anything nice in for dinner, Sarah?’

  As if it really had anything to do with her! ‘I was going to cook kebabs,’ she muttered.

  ‘That will do fine.’ The other woman nodded distractedly. ‘I’ll throw together one of my fruit salads for dessert. I’m sure Griff Morgan will appreciate a home-cooked meal,’ she added with satisfaction. ‘I’ll just go and telephone him.’ She wandered off, already plotting and planning in her head, if her expression was anything to go by.

  ‘And we can get back to our game.’ Stephen glared after his mother.

  Sarah carried on playing with him in a half-hearted way, glancing at the villa from time to time, intensely curious as to what had been the outcome of Clarissa’s telephone call to Griff. She didn’t doubt, for all Clarissa’s powers of persuasion, that if Griff really didn’t want to come here for dinner then he wouldn’t. After this morning, she wondered if he would want to see her again so soon.

  She didn’t even want to think how she felt about the idea of seeing him again!

  One glance at the formally laid dining table when she came up from the pool a little later and she knew Griff was going to be arriving here very soon.

  But laying the table in the way that she wanted it, and ‘throwing together one of her fruit salads’ was the only contribution Clarissa made towards dinner, disappearing an hour before she said Griff was due to arrive so that she could shower and get ready for their guest.

  Preparing kebabs for seven people, putting all that meat and assorted vegetables on to skewers, wasn’t as easy as it should have been, and was time-consuming, to say the least.

  ‘Like some help?’

  She looked over at Ben warily as he stood in the doorway. She hadn’t seen him since their exchange the night before, had no reason to suppose he felt any more friendly towards her than he had then.

  Ben saw that look, grimacing slightly. ‘I realise I behaved like an idiot yesterday. Could we just forget it?’

  Sarah straightened. ‘You do realise who is coming to dinner this evening?’ She arched mocking brows.

  ‘I realise,’ he nodded. ‘And I also know exactly who our neighbour is now, the disappointment he had on Saturday, and how badly I misjudged the situation between the two of you yesterday.’

  He might not have felt so confident of that if he had walked in on Griff and herself today!

  ‘As long as you do realise that.’ She remained cool. ‘I would appreciate some help.’

  They worked together in companionable silence, Sarah at last having ten minutes, once everything was prepared, to go and get changed herself.

  She would rather not have had to be present at this dinner at all this evening, but it would only draw attention to that fact if she attempted to get out of it.

  Besides, part of her did very much want to see Griff again. The part of her that had also enjoyed his kisses…

  Roger was choosing the wine when she got back to the kitchen, looking across at her with a rueful smile. ‘Only the best tonight for our distinguished guest.’ He made a face, taking the cork out of a bottle of red wine to let it breathe, as Sarah’s father had used to say.

  Strange; she hadn’t indulged in thoughts of her father for some time now, occasionally taking out little memories of him to be enjoyed when she was alone. She missed him very much, had first wanted to become a nurse because she wanted to help prevent other people’s fathers dying so young the way that hers had. She wasn’t sure that she did that, but she did at least try.

  She made a show of checking on the food. ‘Has Mr Morgan arrived yet?’ she asked as casually as she could. ‘I’ll need to know so that I can start cooking the kebabs,’ she attempted to explain her interest.

  Roger didn’t look surprised. ‘Clarissa has taken him down to the pool.’ He grimaced. ‘As if he hasn’t seen a pool before, even a kidney-shaped one like ours!’

  Sarah was glad of the breathing-space now that she actually knew Griff was here, whatever Clarissa’s motives might be.

  But the awkward moment couldn’t be put off forever, and all too soon she served the kebabs and accompanying rice and Ben went off in search of everyone so that they could sit down and eat.

  For all that she hadn’t had much time to spend on her appearance earlier, Sarah had chosen her dress with care, in the knowledge of Clarissa’s beautiful clothes, wearing a simple black dress that finished just above her knee, her legs bare and tanned, the heels on her shoes of medium height, enough to make her appear taller but not so high that she couldn’t walk in them, her make-up kept to a minimum with the tan she had acquired, her lip-gloss pale pink, her hair plaited neatly down her spine from the top of her crown. Her image in the bedroom mirror before she’d left her room had shown that she looked cool and composed.

  She only wished she felt that way too!

  Griff, when he at last strolled into the lounge, was dressed more formally than she had previously seen him, wearing a cream shirt but no tie, the shirt unbuttoned at his throat, beige trousers fitting him loosely, as was fashionable, his hands thrust into his trouser pockets. His hair was brushed back from his face, his expression deliberately bland, although his gaze sharpened as he saw Sarah across the room.

  She looked away quickly. ‘Dinner is ready in the other room,’ she announced to the room in general.

  The whole family was there, even Stephen allowed to stay up and meet their distinguished guest, although he was to go to bed straight after dessert.

  Clarissa and Sally sat either side of Griff at the oval table, Sarah sandwiched between Ben and Stephen, knowing, even though it was Clarissa’s treat that he should stay up and join them, that she was expected to supervise Stephen during the meal. Not that Sarah particularly minded being relegated to the role of nanny for the evening; it meant she didn’t have to join in the conversation.

  It was bad enough that Clarissa and Sally were vying for Griff’s attention!

  Or did she feel that way because she was jealous? No, she couldn’t be—she barely knew the man.

  ‘You’re very quiet, Sarah.’

  She looked up, startled at suddenly being drawn into the conversation. But she should have known Griff wouldn’t let her just sit back unnoticed.

  She gave him an over-bright smile, aware that Clarissa was giving her a slightly indignant look, that Sally’s gaze was openly resentful. When she would much rather have been left out of the conversation herself, it was ludicrous that the other two women should react so antagonistically.

  ‘It’s been a full day,’ she excused her quietne
ss.

  ‘How nice.’ Sally looked at her interestedly. ‘What did you and Daddy do this afternoon?’

  Sarah gave a puzzled frown. ‘I spent the afternoon in the pool with Stephen; I’m not sure what your father was doing…’

  ‘Sleeping, actually,’ Roger put in drily, with a meaningful look at his wife.

  ‘And Ben?’ Sally continued in that light conversational tone. ‘Did he spend the afternoon at the pool with you—and Stephen?’

  Why was Sally behaving so oddly? What did she mean by the conversation? She surely wasn’t implying—No, she couldn’t be!

  ‘Coffee, anyone?’ Clarissa suggested, standing up, drawing the attention back to herself, looking beautiful in a fitted red dress that somehow made her hair look deeply auburn. ‘Stephen, it’s time you went to bed,’ she told him lightly. ‘No arguments, darling,’ she added firmly as he would have protested. ‘You know what the deal was.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘I’ll take him through,’ Roger offered, standing up to talk softly to Stephen as he protested loudly all the way to his bedroom.

  ‘Coffee, Griff?’ Clarissa’s voice had lowered huskily.

  ‘Thanks.’ He nodded easy acceptance, standing up to come around the table and pull back Sarah’s chair for her. ‘I enjoyed the meal very much, thank you,’ he told her warmly.

  Sarah shot an uncomfortable glance around the table, relieved to see that Clarissa had already gone through to the kitchen to make the coffee, that Roger had returned to the room and was in conversation with Ben. Only Sally watched them with narrowed eyes.

  Sarah hastily led the way through to the sitting area. ‘This isn’t wise,’ she muttered for Griff alone.

  ‘I want to talk to you,’ he told her softly. ‘Why else do you think I came to dinner at all?’

  ‘Because you were asked,’ she snapped.

  ‘Because I wanted to see you,’ he corrected in a low voice.

  Sarah turned to him sharply, shaking her head at the warmth of his gaze. ‘Griff, I—’

  ‘Do you realise that’s the first time you’ve called me by my name?’ he cut in gruffly.