‘Yes,’ she agreed dully. He didn’t want her to have his child! She knew it as surely as if he had uttered the cruel words of rejection. ‘Giles, are you expecting our marriage to last?’ she asked bravely.
His dark head went back proudly. ‘Aren’t you?’
‘I asked first.’
He shrugged. ‘No one can guarantee the success of a marriage.’
‘Your parents weren’t happy together, were they?’
‘No.’
He was very uncommunicative, but that didn’t put her off. ‘Do you think we’ll be happy?’
‘I doubt it,’ he said coldly. ‘You’re very like my mother. She was a social butterfly, one man wasn’t enough for her. My father was a broken man before she left him.’
‘Well, at least you won’t suffer that fate,’ Leonie said bitterly. ‘You don’t love me, so I doubt it will even dent your armour when I leave.’
‘Shouldn’t you at least wait until after the wedding before talking of leaving me?’ Giles derided.
‘Are you sure you really want there to be a wedding? After all, you only really made that announcement because you thought I was going to marry Phil.’
‘You’re marrying me,’ he told her abruptly. ‘And Wanda is going to marry Philip Trent, isn’t she?’
Leonie looked down at her hands. ‘Yes.’
‘So it’s all worked out to your advantage, hasn’t it?’ he probed.
‘If you say so.’
‘You don’t sound too sure.’
She wasn’t sure about anything. The only time she felt close to Giles was when he held her in his arms and made love to her, something he hadn’t felt inclined to do since the night of the dinner party. He never touched her unless he could help it.
‘Leonie!’ he prompted harshly.
‘Sorry,’ she shook herself out of her dream world. ‘Yes, it’s all worked out well. Where are we going, Giles?’ She noticed they were driving into town and not away from it towards Giles’ home.
‘To pick up your ring, where else?’ He miraculously appeared to have found a parking space, and reversed the Rolls into it.
Her eyes widened. ‘You mean there really is a ring?’
‘Of course.’
‘When did you buy it?’ she frowned.
‘I didn’t. It’s a family heirloom. It had to be made smaller so that it would fit you. Your other ring, where is it?’
‘My wedding ring?’
‘Yes!’
‘I—I took it off. It’s in my jewellery box.’
‘That saves me the trouble of taking it off myself,’ he rasped. He turned to look out of the window. ‘Did you love him?’
‘Tom?’
‘If that was your husband’s name, yes,’ he said rigidly.
‘Yes, I loved him. He was—’
‘I don’t want to know!’ he snapped harshly, swinging out of the car. ‘Let’s get this over with. My aunt is waiting to see the Noble ring on your finger.’
It was a beautiful ring, a cluster of diamonds that weighed heavily on her finger. Emily was ecstatic when she saw Leonie was wearing it, her excited chatter making Giles retreat to his study on the excuse of urgent work.
‘When you’re married you’ll have to put a stop to that,’ Emily tutted. ‘He works much too hard.’
‘And you think I could stop him?’ Leonie scorned.
‘Of course you could, dear.’ Emily gave a coy smile. ‘A wife has a way of doing these things, a way no other woman who’s been in a man’s life can.’
‘Why, Emily,’ she teased, ‘did you manage your husband like that?’
‘Frank never needed managing. He was the kindest, most thoughtful—Well, he was a good husband. But Giles is thirty-nine, a little old to be thinking of changing his solitary way of life. Not that I don’t think he’ll make a wonderful husband, I’m sure he will, it just may take a little time, that’s all.’
Leonie smiled. ‘Are you warning me, Emily?’
‘Of course not, Leonora,’ she said indignantly. ‘It’s just that I know Giles can be a—well, a little difficult. He’s had his own way for so long now, I suppose it will take him a little time to adjust to being married. Do you plan to have children? Silly of me to ask,’ she blushed. ‘It’s a bit soon for you to have discussed it.’
‘Actually we have, but only generally.’
‘I’d like it if you had children,’ Emily said dreamily. ‘Frank and I didn’t have any of our own, so any children you and Giles have will be the nearest thing I’ll ever have to grandchildren.’
‘We’ll try to oblige,’ Leonie teased.
‘Giles will make a wonderful father.’
He would too. He would be strict, but it would be a case of the iron fist in a velvet glove. You always knew where you stood with Giles, and any child of his would be totally secure in his love.
Phil telephoned her several times over the weekend, but somehow Giles always intercepted the calls before Leonie found out about them. He took great pleasure in telling her about them before he parted from her and Emily on Sunday evening. Emily had tactfully retired to her room soon after they returned to Rose Cottage, and was probably even now envisaging them in each other’s arms. Instead of which they were like cold strangers.
‘If Trent telephones you here,’ Giles told her coldly, ‘I want you to refuse to speak to him.’
‘I can’t do that,’ she protested.
His eyes narrowed dangerously. ‘Do you want me to prove once again that you belong to me?’
Her head went back challengingly. ‘Yes, I think I do. I think I might quite like that.’ He hadn’t kissed her since Wednesday, and she was hungry for him.
His look was contemptuous as he pulled her towards him. ‘You wanton little bitch!’ His mouth ground down on hers.
He was insulting her again, telling her with his mouth the low opinion he had of her. ‘No, Giles!’ She wrenched away from him, her eyes dark blue in her pain. ‘Please, stop it!’
‘What’s the matter?’ he taunted savagely. ‘Isn’t that the way you like to be loved? What do you like, Leonie? Do you like this?’ His hand was probing beneath her blouse, releasing the single fastening to her bra. ‘Do you like this?’ His hand cupped her breast. ‘And this?’ His thumb ran lightly over her nipple.
Leonie swallowed hard, the tears threatening to flood and overflow her eyes. ‘You’re making me look cheap, Giles. You’re deliberately making me look like—like—’
‘Like the wanton you are,’ he accused viciously. ‘Okay, Leonie, if you can’t wait until we’re married we’ll make love now, right here. If you like sex that much then I’d better make sure you get what you want.’ He was unbuttoning his shirt, still managing to hold on to her with the other hand. When his shirt was completely undone he pushed her hands beneath the material against his bare chest. ‘Make love to me like you did last time,’ he invited. ‘Give me the benefit of your vast experience.’
‘Giles, please…’
‘Make love to me, Leonie.’ He pulled her down on to the sofa. ‘Show me how you give a man pleasure.’
She felt so cold, her emotions numb. What Giles had done to her four years ago was nothing to the destruction he was causing now. ‘I think after all that I’d rather wait,’ she said dully.
‘And if I wouldn’t?’ he rasped, breathing heavily.
‘You may not want to, but you will,’ she said with certainty. ‘I can’t believe you would ever use force on a woman.’ She didn’t think that in the past he had ever needed to!
‘I may make you the exception,’ he told her grimly. ‘After all, why should I deny myself any longer? You’re willing—at least, your body is, and I’m more than ready to make love to you.’
‘Your aunt is upstairs,’ she told him coldly. ‘Would you like her to come downstairs and find us—like that?’
‘You know I wouldn’t.’ He moved back to look down at her with contempt. ‘What is it about you that makes me want you?’ He sou
nded disgusted with himself.
‘Revenge?’
‘That’s your province.’ His mouth twisted, and he rebuttoned his shirt. ‘You and Trent really have this situation tied up. Wanda is obviously infatuated with him.’
‘She loves him,’ Leonie corrected. ‘Something you would know nothing about,’ she added bitterly.
‘And I suppose you do?’ He pulled on his jacket.
‘Yes!’ her tone was vehement.
‘Well, in future you can save all the love you’re capable of for me.’
‘You expect me to love you after the way you treat me?’ she gasped.
Giles smiled. ‘You aren’t capable of the sort of love I want, if you were maybe I wouldn’t treat you this way.’
‘And maybe you would,’ she said resignedly.
He shrugged. ‘I doubt it. I’ll leave it to you and Emily to arrange the minor details of the wedding. I’ll deal with the licence and day. In three weeks’ time you’ll be my wife.’
‘If Jeremy had recognised me would you still want to marry me?’ She thought she already knew the answer to that, but she had to be sure.
‘No way,’ he confirmed. ‘I don’t want the whole world to know I’ve been stupid enough to marry a woman who isn’t above blackmail to achieve her ends.’
She had known what his answer would be. If Jeremy had told Giles he knew her to be Leonie Gordon then Giles wouldn’t even contemplate making her his wife. She had been hesitating about whether or not she should tell Giles that Jeremy hadn’t been fooled at all. But now she knew she couldn’t do that, not unless she wanted to lose Giles this very minute.
His gaze was insolently appraising. ‘If I’d been as intimate with you as Jeremy has been I doubt I would have had the same lapse of memory.’
‘I suppose you remember every woman you’ve ever slept with,’ she scorned.
‘Vividly,’ he drawled.
‘Including Sonja Johnson?’
His eyes narrowed to steely slits. ‘Sonja and I were together for over a year, of course I remember her.’
‘Were together?’ Leonie echoed. A year! A whole year Sonja Johnson had been in his life. A deep aching jealousy racked her body.
‘Sonja and I are finished,’ he said coldly.
‘Does she know that? Or can I expect to have you sneaking off to be with her after we’re married?’
‘Sonja knows. And I won’t be sneaking off to anyone. And neither will you, not unless you want to be beaten within an inch of your life.’
‘You’d hit me?’ she squeaked.
He nodded. ‘If I had to. My father was a fool, he let my mother get away with treating him like one too. But I’m far from being a fool, Leonie, so there’ll be no other man for you. None. You understand?’
‘Yes.’
Oh God, if he should find out about Jeremy!
CHAPTER EIGHT
BY the time Jeremy telephoned her she was just relieved to hear from him at last. Almost a week had gone by and he hadn’t contacted her, a week when she had waited in dread to hear from him. The relief of his telephone call was welcome, his request that she meet him was not.
‘I can’t, Jeremy. You know I can’t,’ she pleaded with him.
‘You know you’d better,’ he replied smoothly, well aware that he had all the aces.
‘Jeremy—’
‘I mean it, Leonie. Come up to London on Saturday and we can—’
‘Not Saturday,’ she instantly refused, her voice low. The telephone was out in the hallway, and Emily or Dorothy could walk through at any time. The fact that this call wasn’t from Giles was bound to be cause for speculation. They could probably think it was Phil, and if Giles should even suspect she had spoke to him, let alone Jeremy… ‘Giles will be here for the weekend,’ she explained.
‘Ah yes, Giles. I’m longing to know how the two of you met up again. How did that happen?’ he asked with mocking humour.
‘Mind your own damned business!’
‘My, my, now you’ve really aroused my curiosity. Okay, we’ll meet tomorrow as Saturday is out.’
‘Tomorrow?’ she echoed in a squeaky voice. ‘I can’t possibly—’
‘For lunch,’ Jeremy continued as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘We can meet in town and then go on to eat.’
‘Won’t that upset your appointments?’ She sought for an excuse not to see him. ‘After all, you are a famous Harley Street doctor,’ she reminded bitterly.
‘I don’t have any appointments after lunch tomorrow,’ he drawled.
‘And I was led to believe you were much in demand,’ Leonie taunted sarcastically.
‘Oh, I am. I just made sure I kept tomorrow free. I had a feeling Saturday would be out.’
‘Why do we have to meet at all, Jeremy? Surely we—’ she was cut off by his mocking laughter. ‘What’s so funny?’ she asked tautly.
‘You are. You know damn well why we have to meet, we have some unfinished business to sort out.’
‘Unfinished—! If you mean what I think you do then I—’
‘Leonora,’ Emily appeared out of the lounge, a worried frown to her brow. ‘Is there anything wrong?’
‘I was shouting because I’m talking to a rather aged aunt of mine,’ Leonie frantically thought of any excuse that she could. ‘I’m trying to invite her to the wedding, but as she’s a little deaf…’
‘Oh, dear,’ Emily chuckled. ‘Well, good luck.’ She went back into the lounge, already lost in her work by the faraway expression in her eyes.
‘Your “aged aunt” will meet you outside the Ritz tomorrow at twelve-thirty,’ Jeremy told her mockingly. ‘Don’t be late. I would hate to have to find myself another dining companion—Giles, for instance.’
‘Jeremy—’ He had already rung off!
She would have to go now. If he should go and see Giles—!
‘Everything all right, dear?’ Emily looked up from her notepad as Leonie entered the room. ‘Did you get your aunt to understand in the end?’
‘Oh—oh yes, I think so.’ She gave a nervous smile. ‘I—er—I arranged to meet her in town tomorrow so that I could explain it better.’
‘That will be nice, dear. Maybe you’ll have time to visit Giles in the afternoon. You could get a lift back with him, he’s coming up tomorrow evening, isn’t he.’
‘Oh yes, yes, he is. But I—I think I’ll come straight back after lunch, I have some sketches I want to finish before Giles arrives, so that I have the weekend free. Besides, I’ll have my car there.’
By twelve-thirty the next day she was beginning to wish she had come by train. There wasn’t a parking space to be had anywhere, and the later she was the less likely it was that Jeremy would still be waiting for her. She finally found a space, almost running to the Ritz, causing a few raised eyebrows as she exploded into the quietly exclusive atmosphere of this top London hotel and restaurant.
‘Can I help you, madam?’ one of the stiff waiters asked politely.
Leonie gathered her scattered wits together, aware that her smart silky suit, long legs in sheer tights, the same legs shown to advantage by the high heels on her sandals, were in complete variance with her harassed expression. If only Jeremy was still here!
‘Mr Lindsay,’ she said breathlessly. ‘I’m supposed to be meeting him here.’
At once the stiffness left his manner, his smile quite jovial. ‘Of course, madam. Mr Lindsay told me to expect you. If you would like to come this way?’
She was taken into the lounge, thanking the waiter as she saw Jeremy sitting at a corner table.
‘Leonie,’ he rose to his feet as she joined him. ‘I’m so glad you could make it.’
She gave him a resentful glance as they both sat down. ‘You know I had no choice.’
‘You had a choice, Leonie,’ he said confidently.
‘God, I hate you!’ she muttered. He had no right to sit there looking so handsome and assured when he had the power to wreck her fragile happiness with a few cruel words to
Giles.
‘That’s a shame.’ He picked up her left hand, looking at her engagement ring. ‘Pretty. Yes, it’s a pity that you hate me, Leonie. You see, I still find you very desirable.’
She snatched her hand away, rubbing it down her skirt as if the touch of him had contaminated her. ‘What do you want from me?’
‘What do you think I want?’ he rasped, not having missed her gesture. ‘Don’t be silly, Leonie, you aren’t that naïve.’
‘But I—’
‘Let’s go in to lunch first. We can talk after we’ve eaten.’
‘I’d rather talk now,’ she insisted stubbornly.
‘You’ll find I’m much more—amenable when I’ve eaten,’ he drawled. ‘Much more willing to listen.’
They ate in the Grill Room, and Leonie admired the ornate gold ceiling and walls as Jeremy gave their order. He didn’t even need to ask her what she wanted, knowing her preferences from when they had gone out together. After all, they had dated for about six months before she found out about his married status. He ordered them both melon, poached salmon and salad.
‘I trust you still have the same tastes?’ he smiled.
‘Only in food,’ she replied pointedly.
He gave a husky laugh. ‘Not in men, hmm, Leonie?’
‘Definitely not,’ she shuddered.
‘I think you more than proved that. Giles is hardly your usual type.’
‘Do I have a type?’
‘I thought so. What was your husband like?’
‘If one more person asks that—!’ She gave an angry sigh.
‘Giles was curious too, hmm?’
‘Leave Giles out of this!’
‘Oh, I can’t do that, Giles is very much in this. Wednesday was a test, wasn’t it?’ he mused. ‘And you passed with flying colours—with a lot of help from me. You certainly wouldn’t be wearing that ring now if I’d decided to tell all Giles’ friends about you. Giles is a really good friend, very liberated, until it comes to his own women. About six months ago I tried it on with his latest—’
‘Sonja Johnson,’ Leonie said bitterly. It had to be her, Giles had admitted that the other woman had been in his life at least a year.
‘That’s the one,’ Jeremy nodded. ‘Hey,’ he grinned, ‘he didn’t tell you about her? My God, he did!’ he laughed outright now. ‘Thanks,’ he spoke to the waiter who had brought their melon. ‘So Giles has come clean about his past.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Did you do the same?’
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