To Mend a Marriage

by Carole Mortimer

  A nerve pulsed in his rigidly clenched jaw. ‘I think you’re a fool. You know that, don’t you?’ he bit out coldly.

  She gave a choked laugh. ‘I think I’m a fool, too, Nick,’ she said self-derisively—she was a fool ever to have thought Nick might one day love her! ‘But sometimes our choices are—limited by other people.’

  And in this case he and Jemima hadn’t given her a choice!

  ‘I’ve already told you that Danny is—living with something else,’ he reminded her tautly.

  She sighed at the way he constantly returned to his brother. ‘My decision isn’t based on anything Danny is or isn’t doing,’ she told Nick flatly. ‘I’m doing this for me.’ And an innocent baby who, in Gemini’s opinion, didn’t deserve either of the parents she had been given!

  He looked at her searchingly for several minutes, and then he sighed heavily. ‘I see,’ he acknowledged flatly. ‘There’s no arguing with that, is there?’

  ‘No,’ she confirmed firmly. No amount of arguing, or anything else for that matter, on Nick’s part, would change her mind now.

  ‘Where will you go?’ He looked at her with narrowed eyes.

  She gave an indulgent laugh. ‘I do have friends of my own, you know, Nick!’

  ‘I know you do,’ he bit out impatiently. ‘I just—I don’t like to think of you—out there, on your own.’

  ‘Out where?’ she scorned. ‘I lived on my own for twenty-eight years, Nick; I’m used to it.’ Although after living her with Nick for over a year she knew she was going to find it much harder to be on her own now…

  ‘I suppose you are,’ he acknowledged with a sigh. ‘I just—I never thought it would actually come to this, Gemini.’ He looked at her regretfully.

  She raised dark brows. ‘I don’t think either of us did, Nick—otherwise there would have been no point in our marrying each other in the first place!’ She reached out her hand to touch him as he sat across the table from her. Instantly she realised what she was doing, and quickly withdrew it again, clasping her hands together beneath the table; she mustn’t do that again. To touch Nick could be her undoing. ‘But sometimes—events change things,’ she added dully. And Jessica’s parentage had certainly changed things for her.

  ‘Gemini, there’s no reason for you to move out until you have somewhere else to go—’

  ‘Oh, I think there is,’ she cut in determinedly. If she didn’t leave now she might weaken in her resolve, and that would only complicate things even more.

  Nick’s mouth twisted. ‘Much as I found last night—enjoyable, I’m not about to force myself on you if you stay, Gemini.’

  ‘I didn’t think you were.’ Heated colour warmed her cheeks at the remembrance of their lovemaking. ‘I just don’t think it’s a good idea.’ Because she might force herself on him!

  Strangely, nothing had had happened in the last twenty-four hours had changed her love for him, and if her rival weren’t her own sister, who had borne him a child, then Gemini knew she might have still tried to fight for her husband. But she knew Nick well enough to realise that if he had become involved with Jemima again, then he must obviously love her. And that was something it was impossible to fight any more.

  ‘He won’t be there for you, you know, Gemini,’ Nick told her grimly. ‘He’s never been there for anyone but himself,’ he added bitterly.

  ‘If we’re talking about Danny again,’ she scorned dismissively, ‘then I already know that!’

  ‘Of course we’re talking about Danny!’ Nick stood up forcefully, moving away from the dining-table to stand in front of the window looking out—although Gemini was sure he saw nothing of their garden outside, his thoughts all inwards. ‘Gemini, there are things about Danny that I think you should know—’

  ‘I’m not interested, Nick,’ she assured him lightly. ‘I’ve already told you that Danny, and what happened in the past, makes no difference to me now. I—I just know I have to follow my heart. And my heart tells me that our marriage is unfair to everyone concerned,’ she added emotionally. ‘I know that neither of us ever meant to hurt the other, Nick.’ She looked across at him with tear-wet eyes as he turned back to face her. ‘But, nevertheless, we’ve done so. It’s time all that hurt and deceit was put to an end,’ she added determinedly.

  His shoulders slumped. ‘Perhaps you’re right. I-I’m going to miss you, Gemini,’ he told her gruffly.

  He was going to miss her? She felt as if her heart were being physically wrenched from her chest! But through all the pain she kept seeing Jessica’s trusting face, and she knew that no matter how it hurt to walk away from Nick she was doing the right thing.

  She gave a strained smile. ‘You’ll soon get used to it, Nick. Within a few weeks it will be as if I was never here.’ Especially if Jemima moved in here with the baby!

  His mouth tightened. ‘I doubt that very much,’ he bit out sharply.

  Maybe the memory of last night might be a little difficult to forget, for both of them—there was no denying it had been beautiful—but the rest of their marriage would quickly fade. Until last night there had been nothing momentous to remember!

  Gemini stood up, walking gracefully across the room until she stood only feet away from Nick. ‘I hope we can part as friends, Nick?’ She looked across at him searchingly. Not even to have his friendship would just be too much for her to bear!

  He reached out to clasp the tops of her arms, pulling her close to him, resting her head against his shoulder as his arms moved about her and held her protectively close. ‘I’ll always be here for you, Gemini,’ he assured her huskily. ‘No matter what happens.’

  For a while, maybe he would, but the time had come for him to choose between the two sisters—and Gemini was taking herself out of the picture. But as long as she knew Nick didn’t hate her, maybe she would be able to cope with never seeing him again.

  Maybe…

  For the moment she just revelled in being held in his arms, the beat of his heart sounding as loudly as her own. God, how she wished—

  She pulled firmly away from him, forcing another strained smile to her lips before reaching up to kiss him on one side of his rigidly clenched jaw. ‘We’re being extremely civilised, Nick,’ she teased lightly.

  ‘Civilised!’ he repeated disgustedly, his hands painful on her arms as he grasped her painfully this time. ‘I would like to break someone’s neck!’

  She arched dark brows. ‘Mine?’ she offered helpfully.

  ‘No,’ he snapped impatiently, although he shook her slightly. ‘I never intended to let you go, Gemini,’ he muttered grimly. ‘When you mentioned divorce to me the other night, I—I determined I would never let it happen. But I realise now there’s nothing I can do to stop it, is there?’ he asked heavily.

  ‘No,’ she acknowledged softly.

  ‘No,’ he acknowledged harshly. ‘But I can kiss you once more. Don’t stop me, Gemini,’ he warned as she stiffened guardedly. ‘At this moment you’re still my wife, and I— I—’ He didn’t finish his sentence; instead his mouth came crashing down on hers.

  Gemini became fluid in his arms, her own arms up about his neck as she returned the kiss. His savagery quickly turned to searing passion, his hands moving restlessly up and down her spine as he curved her into him.

  For Gemini it was heaven. Nothing else mattered in that moment except to be in Nick’s arms, being kissed by him as if he never wanted to stop.

  But several moments later that was exactly what he did, wrenching his mouth from hers to look down at her with dark eyes. ‘Remember, Gemini,’ he bit out gratingly. ‘I’m always here.’

  ‘Always is a long time, Nick,’ she returned gruffly.

  He nodded abruptly. ‘A lifetime.’

  She gave a rueful smile, shaking her head as she moved away from him, suddenly bereft at the loss of his warmth, but knowing she didn’t dare stay close to him any longer. If she did, she would break down completely, promise him anything if she could be the one he loved. But it wa
sn’t just her dignity she wanted to keep; she had to keep her pride too. Most of all, she knew Nick wouldn’t thank her for putting him in such a position.

  ‘Apologise to Mrs James for me, will you? I don’t think I could manage to eat any more dinner,’ she told Nick self-derisively. ‘I’ll just go upstairs and pack a few things to take with me—’

  ‘You’re going now?’ Nick rasped disbelievingly. ‘Right this minute?’

  She nodded abruptly. ‘I think it best, don’t you?’ she dismissed. ‘Then if you don’t mind, I’ll come back and collect the rest of my things one day this week while you’re at work?’

  He stepped back, thrusting his hands into his trouser pockets. ‘If that’s what you want to do,’ he accepted harshly.

  She nodded again. ‘You’ll warn Mrs James about my visit later in the week?’

  Nick looked as if he were about to make a blistering reply to this comment, and then thought better of it. ‘As I have no intention of telling Mrs James you’ve left me, I suggest you tell her,’ he bit out tautly. ‘Or just use your key,’ he added impatiently.

  Gemini swallowed hard at his unmistakable bitterness. Separations, even when there was no love involved—at least, not on one side!—were always hard, it seemed. ‘I’ll be leaving my house key behind when I go this evening. Be sensible, Nick,’ she continued determinedly as he would have protested. ‘It’s hardly the thing to do to let your ex-wife keep a key to the house; I could just walk in at any time unannounced!’

  The green of his eyes was as hard and cold as the stone they resembled. ‘I doubt you’ll ever walk in here on anything you shouldn’t,’ he returned disparagingly.

  That depended on how one looked at it, Gemini decided. To come here and find Nick and Jemima, along with Jessica, playing at happy families, would be totally unacceptable to her, even if it couldn’t be classed that way by Nick!

  ‘And you aren’t my ex-wife,’ Nick added hardily.

  ‘Yet,’ she accepted ruefully.

  He shrugged. ‘You pick you own time, your own reasons. I want no part of it.’

  There was plenty of time to talk of divorce. The fact that she wasn’t married to Jessica’s father didn’t seem to have bothered Jemima so far, so it probably wouldn’t now, either. Better to wait until all emotions were settled before talking of it again. If they ever were settled!

  ‘I—I’ll go and pack some of my things, then, and be on my way.’ Gemini hesitated at the dining-room door, knowing that once she stepped out of this room, ended this conversation, everything was over between Nick and herself.

  ‘Do what you like,’ Nick rasped. ‘I’m sure you’re going to anyway!’ he added as he turned away to stare out of the window once again.

  Gemini took in everything about him in that last lingering glance; the dark thickness of his hair as it rested on his shirt collar, the muscled width of his shoulders, hunched slightly now as he kept his hands buried in his pockets, leanly tapered waist, powerful thighs and long, muscular legs.

  She loved everything about him. Didn’t doubt for a moment that she was going to love him for as long as she lived!

  “‘Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” said Baby Bear,’ Hugh muttered irritably from behind her.

  Gemini glanced up from the design she had been working on, her face paling slightly as she saw the photograph of Nick and herself on their wedding day that Hugh held in one of his large hands—a photograph that had stood on the small table beside her bed in the adjoining apartment until a few minutes ago!

  ‘I went next door to collect some material from the store,’ he explained dismissively. ‘Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on?’ he prompted impatiently as she made no response.

  She swallowed hard, affecting a shrug. ‘Surely it’s obvious?’ she returned lightly.

  ‘It’s obvious you slept in the apartment last night,’ Hugh accepted. ‘What’s not obvious—at least, not to me!—is why?’

  Gemini shrugged. ‘I’ve left Nick,’ she stated bluntly.

  ‘Left Nick…’ Hugh repeated softly. ‘Left him as in—’

  ‘As in left him, Hugh,’ she cut in sharply. After a night spent silently weeping as she lay in the bed in the adjoining apartment, her mood was not at its best! ‘We’re going to be divorced,’ she added, so that there should be no lingering doubt in Hugh’s mind as to exactly what she meant.

  Hugh sank slowly down onto the chair opposite her own at the table they worked on. ‘I don’t believe it,’ he muttered incredulously.

  Gemini shrugged. ‘You said it yourself earlier this week. I’m not happy. And neither is Nick,’ she added firmly as he would have protested. ‘In the circumstances, the best thing for us to do is part. And, in the fullness of time, we’ll be divorced.’ If she kept saying it, maybe one day she would be able to accept that that was the fate of her marriage to Nick!

  Hugh shook his head. ‘And what does Nick think of all this?’

  She gave a shaky laugh at the question. ‘He’s in agreement with it, of course,’ she dismissed.

  ‘I don’t see any “of course” about it.’ Hugh shook his head grimly.

  ‘He’s agreed to it, okay?’ Gemini told him impatiently. Talking about this did not make it any easier to bear!

  ‘But it isn’t his idea, is it?’ Hugh guessed triumphantly. ‘Gemini, what—?’

  ‘Hugh, I appreciate your concern, and I love you very much, but I really think this is between Nick and myself,’ she told him firmly, blue eyes looking across at him in challenge.

  ‘Okay, I accept that,’ Hugh nodded grimly. ‘But I care about you both, and—’ He broke off as the salon door opened with a crash, having swung forcefully back on its hinges and hit the wall behind. ‘Nick…?’ he greeted him questioningly.

  The reason for Hugh’s uncertainty about the identity of their visitor soon became obvious to Gemini as she turned towards the door; most of the person who had entered so noisily was obscured by the biggest bouquet of flowers she had ever seen!

  Her heart sank at the fact that it probably was Nick behind those fragrant blooms. She hadn’t expected to see him again so soon—if at all! And certainly not carrying flowers…

  She stood up slowly, the colour leaving her cheeks as she found herself looking at a furious Nick as he swung the bouquet away from his face, green eyes glittering coldly.

  ‘Er—I think I’ll take an early lunch.’ Hugh excused himself, having taken one look at their faces before making the decision to make himself scarce. ‘Catch up with you later, Nick,’ he told the other man as he grabbed his jacket and left.

  Gemini stared at Nick as he made no effort to move away from the doorway, the flowers still tightly gripped in his hands.

  She shook her head. ‘It’s too late for flowers, Nick—’

  ‘These aren’t from me, damn it!’ he assured her contemptuously, throwing the bouquet down disgustedly on a table beside him. ‘But I would appreciate your telling Danny I do not want him sending my wife flowers to our home ever again!’ he added caustically, his gaze scathing as it raked over her. ‘Obviously you haven’t managed to contact him yet to tell him that you’ve left me!’ He strode forward to move restlessly around the room.

  Gemini moved too, a puzzled frown marring her brow as she pulled the envelope off the top of the bouquet, opening it up to take the card out from inside and read the message written there.

  ‘Do you have any idea how I felt when those were delivered to the house this morning?’ Nick turned to attack her, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. ‘It’s one thing knowing about the two of you. Quite another to have your relationship thrust down my throat by having Danny send you flowers—’

  ‘They’re from Jemima, Nick,’ she cut in quietly, holding out the card to him so that he could read it. ‘To thank me for looking after Jessica.’ And in the circumstances, the flowers—even though they were beautiful lilies—were most unwelcome!

  He frowned down at the card, closing his eyes brie
fly before turning away. ‘How the hell was I supposed to know that?’ he muttered angrily. ‘After what happened yesterday, it was only natural to assume the flowers had to be from Danny.’

  He felt foolish now, Gemini realised, and understandably so, but… ‘I’ve already told you that my decision to leave has nothing to do with Danny—’

  ‘And I’m really supposed to believe that?’ Nick scorned. ‘After his telephone call over the weekend?’

  ‘I’ve explained all that,’ she sighed. ‘I’ve also tried to explain that there is absolutely no reason why Danny should send me flowers—ever!’ she added vehemently.

  Nick looked at her with narrowed eyes. ‘Where did you stay last night, Gemini?’ he prompted hardily.

  She shrugged; it certainly wasn’t any secret, not if Hugh knew about it! ‘Here.’ She watched as Nick looked about them disbelievingly. ‘The apartment next door,’ she explained dryly.

  Nick became very still, glaring across at her. ‘And I spent most of last night trying very hard to make sense of why you left, Gemini,’ he bit out abruptly, shaking his head. ‘I realise the fact that we have been to bed together changes things slightly. But you weren’t even willing to sit and talk about it.’

  ‘I told you, there’s nothing left to say,’ she said woodenly, still not willing to discuss the night they had spent together; it was just too painful.

  ‘And if I disagree?’ he challenged.

  She shrugged. ‘I’m not answerable for what you think or feel, Nick—’

  ‘Yes, you are, damn you!’ His face twisted angrily. ‘Monday night I actually began to think—to hope. Hell, you made sure you left me with none of that hope when you left last night!’

  Because his responsibilities lay elsewhere! Why didn’t he stop this? Why make things more difficult than they needed to be?

  She shook her head. ‘Because if I had thought there was room for any of that hope then I wouldn’t have left in the first place,’ she told him. ‘Can’t you see how difficult you’re making this, Nick? For both of us?’

  ‘I would like to make it so difficult for you that you can’t go through with it!’ he snapped harshly.