‘Of course. Ask Charlie to be your best man first, then tell them we’ll need some godparents in six months’ time!’
An invitation to the afternoon reception thrown to celebrate the autumn opening of the Stow Street cinema complex was the hottest ticket in town. On the big day, among palms and flower arrangements provided by Cox Flowers, champagne and canapés were served in the foyer to a crowd of guests— some of whom were there in an official capacity, to represent the various ruling factors in the town, and others in a purely social capacity as friends of the Mercers.
‘Give him to me, dear, the moment you’re tired,’ muttered Lilian Mercer, and Avery smiled affectionately.
‘Don’t worry, Grandma, he’s sleepy for the moment. You can have him if he yells.’
‘When he does, let me have him, Lilian,’ urged Hetty. ‘You see more of him than I do.’
‘No squabbling, ladies,’ said Robert Mercer, chuckling. ‘If he yells Charlie and I will take him for a walk.’
John Avery Charles Robert Mercer was behaving remarkably well, oblivious of the attention he was attracting on all sides as he lay cradled in the arms of his mother, who was wearing a slim crimson coat which kindled envy in the hearts of every female present.
Jonas Mercer bent to examine the small, sleeping face. ‘Our son obviously possesses a sense of occasion,’ he murmured. ‘The speeches are likely to go on a bit. Are you bearing up, my darling?’
‘Enjoying every minute,’ Avery assured him with satisfaction. ‘But before I unveil it I really should know what the plaque says.’
‘It’s a surprise. But you’ll like it,’ he assured her.
Eventually the last dignitary had had his say, Jonas made a brief, witty closing speech, and Avery relinquished her son to his grandmother. Her back very erect, she moved to the veiled plaque near the stairs to the auditorium and turned to face the onlookers.
‘On behalf of the Mercom Group, it gives me great pleasure to declare the Stow Street Cinema open.’ She tugged on the cord, the curtain drew back and Avery Mercer gazed in wonder at the inscription on the copper plate.
This building is dedicated to the memory of Ellen Crawford.
‘I would have embraced the head honcho of Mercom with passionate appreciation then and there, but I felt we’d already caused enough excitement for one day,’ said Avery when they got home that night.
‘Pity,’ said Jonas, watching his son make short work of his supper. ‘I would have enjoyed that.’
‘I can’t describe how I felt when I saw those words, Jonas,’ said Avery, as the last drop of milk left the bottle. She detached it from her son’s sucking lips and held him up to pat him.
‘I’ll do that,’ said Jonas, and held the baby against his bare shoulder. ‘You look tired. We should have stayed with Frances and Philip and driven back tomorrow.’
‘It’s so complicated, staying with someone else with all the baby paraphernalia. Anyway, I wanted to get home— and Jay and I both slept like babies on the journey.’
Jonas looked at her over the small downy head of his son. ‘You really think of this house as home, then?’
‘Of course,’ she said, surprised. ‘Because it is our home— yours, mine and his nibs’ here.’
Jonas kissed her, then chuckled at the sound of a great burp and handed his son to his mother. Avery praised her baby extravagantly, and carried him into the adjoining dressing room to put him down in his crib.
After a few minutes, to make sure he was settled, Avery returned to the bedroom and sat down at the dressing table to take down her hair and brush it loose—a nightly ritual her husband watched with his usual appreciation as they talked over the day. At last she turned out the light and slid in beside Jonas. ‘Let’s hope he sleeps for a while.’
‘Are you tired, darling?’
‘No. Much as I love him, I have other reasons for wanting our son to sleep.’ She kissed the cheek she noticed her husband had taken the trouble to shave recently. ‘You did a wonderful thing today, for me and my mother.’
‘It was my personal tribute to two remarkable women,’ said Jonas, returning the kiss.
‘One I’ll never forget.’
‘I’m glad it made you happy.’
‘I can’t tell you how much.’ Avery rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. ‘Jonas.’
‘Yes, my darling?’
‘There’s only one way I can think of to show my appreciation—’
‘By making love to me?’
‘That’s my plan. Unless there’s something else you’d prefer?’
He gave a deep, relishing sigh and held her close. ‘Nothing in the world!’
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5810-9
THEIR SCANDALOUS AFFAIR
First North American Publication 2006.
Copyright © 2004 by Catherine George.
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Their Scandalous Affair Page 18