To Mend a Marriage

by Carole Mortimer

  Gemini sighed. ‘Then you obviously have no idea of what I went through to make the decision in the first place!’ she returned vehemently. ‘Now, I have been more than fair with you, Nick—’

  ‘Fair!’ he repeated disgustedly. ‘I’m not interested in fair. I’m interested in having my wife back home where she belongs!’ He glared at her.

  ‘Bullying me won’t achieve that, Nick,’ she assured him flatly.

  ‘Neither has reasoning. Or seduction,’ he added reluctantly.

  Her chin rose defensively. ‘And what does that tell you?’ she bit out sharply.

  ‘It tells me you’re too damned stubborn for your own good!’ His eyes glittered dangerously.

  Gemini shook her head, her smile completely lacking in humour. ‘It didn’t even take twenty-four hours, did it? For anger to take over from the friendship we offered each other before we parted last night,’ she explained heavily at his questioning look.

  His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. ‘I want to be your friend, Gemini,’ he told her huskily. ‘I just—I think it might take a while,’ he admitted ruefully.

  She sighed. ‘Take as long as you like, Nick; I don’t intend going anywhere. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I have some work to do. And I’m sure you have some things of your own to do,’ she added pointedly. If he had been at the house this morning, when the flowers arrived, then he obviously hadn’t been to see Jemima yet.

  He gave a grimace of a smile. ‘Unlike you, I haven’t felt in the mood for work today.’ His casual black denims and pale cream shirt were evidence of that. ‘Although you’re probably right; I should check in with Karen and see if there’s anything urgent at the office that needs my attention,’ he added thoughtfully.

  That wasn’t quite what she had meant by ‘things’ he had to do, but if it meant he was leaving now, that would do for a start!

  ‘Hugh should be back soon,’ she managed conversationally as he made no effort to leave.

  Nick gave a grimace of a smile. ‘Don’t worry, Gemini; my bullying tactics are over for today!’

  She felt the heat in her cheeks. ‘I didn’t mean—’

  ‘Yes, you did,’ he derided mockingly. ‘And you’re probably right.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m just not used to losing, Gemini,’ he added self-disgustedly.

  Was that why he had renewed his relationship with Jemima? Because he hadn’t been able to accept, fifteen months ago, that she preferred his younger brother?

  Whatever his reasons for doing that, it was the reason he was going to lose now, with her!

  Her mouth twisted derisively. ‘Then don’t think of it as losing, Nick; just think of it as regaining what you really want!’

  ‘And how do you know what I want?’ he grated, eyes narrowed once again.

  Gemini shrugged. ‘Do any of us really know that, even about ourselves?’

  His mouth tightened. ‘Obviously not,’ he bit out tautly, walking towards the door. ‘I’m sorry about the flowers.’ He looked down at them, the delicate blooms having taken a bit of a battering from his rough handling of them earlier. ‘I hope you manage to salvage them.’

  Gemini didn’t even intend trying to do that; the flowers were beautiful, but they were also from her sister—and she didn’t want any reminders of Jemima around her at the moment, either!

  ‘Don’t worry about it,’ she dismissed. ‘I’m certainly not going to,’ she added hardily.

  Nick nodded, hesitating by the door. ‘You—take care, Gemini.’ He’d obviously thought better of what he had originally been about to say.

  She gave a slight inclination of her head. ‘You too.’

  She managed to hold onto her self-control until the door closed behind him, and then she sank down like a deflated balloon. This was awful. Terrible. And it was nowhere near over yet.

  The truth of that became apparent an hour later—when Jemima herself walked in to the studio!

  Was this nightmare never going to end? Gemini asked herself as she looked across at her sister. Probably not, she inwardly conceded; after all, she was very much awake!

  ‘Jessica!’ Hugh, who had returned from his lunch half an hour ago, got excitedly to his feet to rush over and take the baby from Jemima’s arms.

  Gemini raised her eyes heavenwards. ‘I think everyone has gone mad!’ she muttered as her fifteen-stone male assistant murmured baby talk to the entranced Jessica.

  Jemima laughed huskily as she too watched Hugh’s antics.

  ‘Babies have that effect on people!’

  Jemima looked more relaxed herself today, Gemini noted. Her sister’s obvious tiredness of yesterday must have been solved by a good night’s sleep. Although Gemini couldn’t help wondering how Jemima had achieved that, with Jessica to look after during the night.

  Or maybe her sister’s happily relaxed demeanour could be attributed to another reason. After all, Nick had left an hour ago…

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  GEMINI drew herself up stiffly. ‘What can I do for you, Jemima?’ she prompted abruptly.

  After all, this was her place of work—and just recently it was turning into nothing more than a meeting place!

  Jemima turned back from watching indulgently as Hugh played with Jessica. ‘I— Oh, you received the lilies!’ she realised happily as she saw the blooms in a vase on the table near the door. ‘I know they’ve always been your favourite flower.’

  They had, but after today that was no longer the case…! And the only reason the flowers hadn’t already been consigned to the bin was because Hugh had been horrified at the thought of throwing them away and had promised to take them home with him.

  ‘Although I thought I sent them to the house,’ Jemima added in a puzzled voice.

  ‘You did,’ Gemini dismissed briskly. ‘Nick brought them over for me earlier.’

  ‘That was nice of him.’ Her sister nodded, sitting down on the edge of Gemini’s work-table. ‘Hugh, I don’t suppose you would like to do me a favour, would you?’ She smiled across the room at him engagingly.

  He looked up from the baby, his mouth twisting derisively as he saw straight through the deliberate charm of that smile. ‘If it involves Jessica, no problem.’ He shrugged. ‘Anything else and the answer is no,’ he told her bluntly; there was no love lost between him and Gemini’s twin sister.

  ‘It involves Jessica,’ Jemima assured him dryly. ‘Would you like to take her for a short walk? Go down to the chemist at the corner and buy some baby lotion for me? Her pushchair is outside,’ she added helpfully.

  Hugh looked across at Gemini with questioning eyes, obviously waiting for an opinion on this move before giving Jemima his answer.

  In truth, Gemini didn’t want him to leave; he was the only person in the room at the moment stopping the conversation between the two sisters deteriorating into verbal abuse. But, quite honestly, loving Nick as she did, Gemini had had it with being the polite victim in all of this. So if Jemima had come here to gloat—

  ‘Please, go ahead, Hugh,’ she told him brightly. ‘And take your time,’ she added encouragingly.

  He nodded slowly, Jessica happily ensconced in his arms. ‘Fine,’ he accepted. ‘Do you have the money for the lotion!’ he prompted Jemima hardily.

  Jemima laughed softly once Hugh had left with Jessica—and the money for the lotion. ‘He really doesn’t like me, does he?’ she said ruefully.

  ‘Not much,’ Gemini confirmed uncaringly. ‘Now, why are you here, Jemima?’

  Her sister laughed again. ‘What is it with everyone today?’ She shook her head in puzzlement. ‘I thought the two of us had resolved our—differences yesterday?’

  Resolved their—! ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Jemima,’ she dismissed. ‘I looked after Jessica for you because you left me with no choice. I think, in the circumstances…’ She swallowed hard as her voice shook emotionally. ‘In the circumstances,’ she repeated determinedly, ‘it was the height of insensitivity on your part!’

  ‘Oh.’ Jemim
a grimaced. ‘You’re still mad at me, then?’

  Still? She only found out about it yesterday, hardly time for her to have recovered from the shock, let alone get over her feelings of betrayal!

  Gemini stood up agitatedly. ‘Of course I’m still mad at you,’ she answered impatiently. ‘I always will be,’ she added vehemently.

  However much she might have found herself illogically pleased to see her twin again yesterday, the breach between them was actually wider now than it had ever been. And nothing would ever change that…

  ‘But—’ Jemima broke off, shaking her head. ‘I came here to tell you my good news.’ She sighed. ‘I had hoped you would be happy for me,’ she added wistfully.

  Nick had seen her sister after he’d left here this morning! Which meant Jemima knew about their separation…

  In that case, it didn’t take too much imagination to realise what her sister’s good news was…!

  Gemini drew in a ragged breath. ‘I hope you’ll be happy together,’ she said stiffly.

  Her sister pulled a face. ‘You don’t sound very sincere,’ she derided.

  Gemini clenched her hands together in front of her. ‘That’s probably because at this moment I don’t feel very sincere! How could you, Jemima?’ she choked. ‘How could either of you?’ Tears glistened in the deep blue of her eyes.

  ‘But, Gemini, it’s been over a year now—’ her sister protested frowningly.

  ‘I know exactly how long it’s been,’ she cut in shakily. ‘Just don’t invite me to the wedding!’ she added vehemently; knowing her sister as she did, that was exactly what she would do next!

  Jemima shook her head dazedly. ‘I don’t understand this. I know the two of you were married rather quickly after you met, but you seemed happy enough with Nick when I saw you together yesterday…?’

  ‘I was,’ she confirmed tautly. ‘I have been.’

  Her sister shrugged. ‘Then where’s the problem?’ She grimaced. ‘Danny and I had both hoped—’

  ‘What does Danny Drummond have to do with this?’ Gemini cut in sharply.

  Her sister’s cheeks flushed prettily. ‘He’s asked me to marry him—and I’ve said yes,’ she announced awkwardly.

  Gemini stared at Jemima, totally dumbstruck. So Danny’s effort to track her sister down over the weekend had paid off, and now Jemima was going to marry him?

  Poor Nick, came her next thought. How on earth was he going to take the news that his brother had literally pipped him at the post a second time?

  Jemima sighed. ‘We’ve been going through a rough time of it lately. There’s been faults on both sides,’ she conceded heavily. ‘But the truth of the mater is, no matter what problems we may had had in the past, I do love him and want to be with him very much,’ she admitted clearly.

  Gemini felt as if she were as immovable as a statue. She could barely think, let alone attempt to move. ‘And what about Jessica?’ she managed to get out through stiff lips.

  Jemima smiled at the mention of her daughter. ‘She and Danny adore each other.’ She laughed softly.

  Gemini didn’t doubt it for a moment; she knew herself just how charming Danny could be. But where did all this leave Nick, Jessica’s father…

  ‘We had hoped that you and Nick would be our two witnesses at the wedding next month,’ her sister explained ruefully.

  No! The refusal screamed in her brain. It was bad enough that her sister had once again separated her from the man she loved; it would be impossible for her to go to the wedding and witness Nick’s pain in losing Jemima a second time.

  Gemini shook her head. ‘I’m going on an extensive buying trip next month,’ she answered stiffly.

  Now it was Jemima’s turn to look tearful. ‘Gemini, I know we haven’t been close for a while—and I know I behaved badly in the past—but can’t you see that everything turned out for the best in the end?’ she added beseechingly. ‘You and Nick were always much more suited to each other than he and I were, and—Gemini, can’t you just be happy for me?’

  ‘You’re always so irresponsible, Jemima,’ she told her sister heavily. ‘Do you ever stop to think how you’re affecting other people’s lives with your actions?’

  ‘I’m starting to,’ Jemima admitted huskily. ‘This last week brought it all home to me. I was so mad at Danny, you see, for just taking off on his work without a thought for how I was going to manage with my own work if he didn’t get back in time to look after Jessica. Which he obviously didn’t do.’ She grimaced. ‘So I left the baby with Janey, with instructions for her to bring the baby to you if Danny wasn’t back by the weekend. I was so angry with him! But once I got to the States I realised what a mistake I had made. By which time I had involved you and Nick, and it was too late to do anything about it.’

  Gemini stared at her sister uncomprehendingly. None of this made sense. What—?

  Nick had told her that Danny had a woman living at his apartment with him. Could that woman possibly be Jemima? Was this one of the things about Danny that Nick had thought she should know?

  And if Jemima had been living with Danny all the time—!

  ‘Jemima,’ she began slowly, moistening suddenly dry lips, ‘Who is Jessica’s father?’

  Her sister looked stunned by the question. ‘Why, Danny is, of course. You don’t think I would have tried to palm someone else’s child off on him, do you?’ she added indignantly. ‘I know you don’t have a very high opinion of me, Gemini, but I think that’s going a bit far!’

  Gemini swallowed hard, unmoved by her sister’s indignation; this was too important for her to care about Jemima’s feelings at this moment! ‘But to my knowledge you and Danny broke up over a year ago,’ she reminded her probingly.

  ‘That’s true,’ her sister acknowledged abruptly. ‘We’ve fallen out half a dozen times more since then, too, but we still go back to each other. Danny and I have been living together since I found out about the baby eight months ago,’ she added dismissively.

  Danny was Jessica’s father…

  And Jessica had the green eyes of her uncle! Despite having brown eyes himself, Danny must carry the green-eyed gene!

  And Danny and Jemima had been living together for eight months. Hence Danny’s telephone calls over the weekend, when he’d returned home and tried to locate Jemima and his baby daughter. But he hadn’t asked after Jessica, only Jemima, which was why Gemini hadn’t mentioned her, either.

  Oh, God, what had she done?

  She sat down abruptly in one of the chairs, her face buried in her hands. She had thought—believed—

  Nick’s impatience with Jemima over the weekend, and again yesterday, when she’d finally come home, suddenly came back to Gemini. It hadn’t been the impatience of an indulgent if irritated lover; he had genuinely been angry with Jemima for just leaving Jessica in the way that she had. And, if that were the case, then his concern for Gemini over the weekend had been genuine too…

  As had his tenderness and passion when they’d made love two nights ago…

  What had she done?

  More to the point, what could she do about it now that she had done it?

  From what her sister had just told her, Nick obviously hadn’t been having an affair with Jemima at all, and certainly wasn’t Jessica’s father—but how could Gemini possibly go to him and tell him she now knew that? Especially when he couldn’t possibly realise she had ever thought that in the first place! She couldn’t. That was the answer.

  ‘Gemini…?’ Her sister was looking across at her anxiously.

  Gemini looked back at her blankly, lost in her own misery. Those conversations she had had with Nick over the last few days… He’d believed she was the one who was being unfaithful in their marriage. With Danny. And he had tried, in his own way, to shield her from being hurt all over again by Danny’s continued relationship with Jemima.

  Which must mean that Nick cared for her.

  But did he care enough to take her back?

  One thing sh
e did know: she could never tell her sister of the mistaken assumptions she had made over the weekend. She could never tell anyone! Although she might have no choice, if she wanted to retrieve her marriage, but to explain his mistake to Nick…

  The realisation made her face pale even more.

  ‘Let me know when you have a specific date for the wedding,’ she told her sister distractedly. ‘I’ll try to be there.’

  Jemima stood up. ‘But you won’t be one of our witnesses?’ she pressured.

  If she hadn’t sorted things out with Nick by then, it might be her only opportunity to see him again! If he should decide to go to the wedding…

  ‘Ask me closer to the time,’ she replied. ‘And congratulations,’ she added belatedly. ‘Perhaps marriage will help the two of you feel more settled and secure with each other. I certainly think you’re doing the right thing for Jessica,’ she added warmly as she thought of her adorable niece.

  Jemima nodded, looking towards the door as Hugh could be heard returning with the baby. ‘Will you—could you mention it to Nick, do you think?’ she requested awkwardly. ‘He didn’t seem terribly pleased with me yesterday. And he and Danny haven’t spoken for months.’

  Which begged the question why ask Nick and herself to be their witnesses at all? But Gemini already knew the answer to that; she and Nick were Jemima and Danny’s only relatives.

  ‘I’ll try,’ she answered non-committally; after all, she wasn’t sure when she would be talking to Nick again. Or how.

  ‘Good enough.’ Jemima squeezed her hand gratefully. ‘It means a lot to Danny and myself,’ she added, seconds before Hugh came in holding a sleeping Jessica.

  Gemini wasn’t sure whether to cry or laugh once her sister had left with the baby. Cry because she had left Nick for absolutely no reason. Laugh because now that the danger of Jemima had passed she felt slightly ridiculous in her assumptions. Jemima, for one, had been horrified that Gemini could possibly have thought Jessica was anyone else’s daughter but Danny’s. Thank goodness her sister hadn’t realised she had thought Jessica was Nick’s!