Bestseller Collection 2010

by Carole Mortimer

  But still, Gemini was surprised at Hugh’s tardiness in telling her of Danny’s call…

  ‘Did he say why he was calling?’ She made her voice deliberately casual.

  Hugh grimaced. ‘Something about going out of town for a few days,’ he recalled derisively. ‘As if that’s of any interest to you—It isn’t, is it, Gemini?’ He looked at her searchingly as the thought suddenly occurred to him. ‘Gem, no!’ In his agitation he completely forgot her dislike of that shortened version of her name. ‘You’re married to Nick now—’

  ‘I’m not sure how much longer that will last,’ she admitted heavily.

  ‘What!’ Hugh looked horrified. ‘But the two of you love each other. You—’

  ‘I love Nick,’ she corrected wearily, too tired to even attempt to hide her own feelings. ‘I’m not sure what Nick feels for me, but it certainly isn’t love.’

  ‘Rubbish!’ Hugh dismissed impatiently. ‘Of course he loves you. He’s always loved you. How could he not love someone as wonderful as you…?’ he added dazedly as she looked unimpressed by the claim.

  ‘I think you could be slightly biased, Hugh,’ she chided, patting his arm affectionately. ‘But thank you, anyway.’ At this moment she needed to know someone loved her!

  Hugh still frowned. ‘You aren’t involved with Danny Drummond again, are you, Gemini?’

  ‘Now you’ve gone and ruined your earlier compliment.’ She laughed softly, shaking her head. ‘Believe me, my opinion of Danny is no higher than yours!’

  ‘Then why—? Damn it, Gemini, this is none of my business—I know it isn’t—and I’m the last person to tell anyone how they should live their life! It’s just that—Nick is worth a hundred Dannys!’ he added grimly.

  A thousand, to Gemini’s way of thinking. At least he had been until this morning, when she had looked into Jessica’s green eyes…

  She drew in a ragged breath. ‘Nick isn’t everything he appears to be,’ she said enigmatically. ‘Now, would you mind, Hugh, if I went home for the day? I—I have a headache.’ She grimaced. It wasn’t a headache exactly, more like a lead weight siting on top of her head. And in her heart! And she very much doubted that she would find Nick at home—despite having ‘cleared his diary’ for the day! He hadn’t given the impression when he’d left here earlier that he was in the mood for the comforts—or otherwise!—of their mutual home!

  ‘You’re the boss,’ Hugh accepted lightly, turning towards the mannequin they had been working on earlier. ‘I think I’ll just carry on with—My God, Gemini, what the hell—?’

  Her laughter cut off his horrified—and totally predictable!—reaction to the state of the lilac silk after her earlier efforts. ‘Just scrap it and start again,’ she advised as she picked up her bag prior to leaving.

  ‘I think it’s probably as well you’ve decided to call it a day…!’ Hugh was still looking aghast at the ruined silk as Gemini let herself out.

  She had, Gemini realised heavily, decided to ‘call it a day’ in several areas of her life. When she had believed she might stand a chance of fighting for Nick she had had some hope, but it looked as if Jessica’s parentage finished all that. And the realisation of that made her feel physically sick.

  Part of her still so much wanted not to have to say goodbye to Nick. But another part of her, the part that acknowledged too much had happened for them to continue, knew she couldn’t carry on now that she was so tangibly aware of Nick’s continued relationship with Jemima

  By the time Gemini reached home her headache was very real, the pain behind her eyes making her feel ill. All she wanted to do was go straight to bed and fall asleep. Hopefully, at the same time, she could forget the last five hours had ever happened!

  There seemed little hope of doing that when she arrived home, to find Jemima comfortably ensconced in the kitchen, a gurgling Jessica curled up in her arms, drinking coffee with Mrs James!

  CHAPTER NINE

  ‘GEMINI!’ Jemima greeted her warmly, standing up to hug the numbed Gemini, who stood in the kitchen doorway. ‘We weren’t expecting you home just yet—Hey, are you okay, sis?’ She looked searchingly at Gemini. ‘You look a little green around the gills!’

  Green…!

  Gemini didn’t even want to think about that particular colour! And, no, she wasn’t okay; she hadn’t seen her twin for over a year, in the last few hours it had become apparent that her own marriage to the man she loved was going to end, and yet as she looked at Jemima all she could think was that it felt good to see her sister once again…!

  Illogical. Totally illogical. But it had always been this way between Jemima and herself, their bondship as identical twins so much deeper than that of ordinary siblings. And, strangely, their year of estrangement hadn’t changed that…

  ‘No, I’m not okay, as it happens,’ Gemini answered faintly, putting up a hand to her thumping temple. ‘I came home early because I have a migraine.’

  ‘That’s new, isn’t it?’ Jemima stood back consideringly, every inch her normal buoyant, boisterous self. Pregnancy and motherhood hadn’t added any extra weight to the leanness of her frame, although the darkness of her hair was a little longer, adding a softness to the usual angles of her face.

  Yes, it was new—but then so were a lot of things in her life recently! ‘When did you get back?’ Gemini put her bag down, moving further into the kitchen—and away from Jemima and the beautiful but painful reminder of Jessica!

  ‘I—’

  ‘I picked her up from the airport a couple of hours ago,’ Nick announced abruptly as he strode forcefully into the room. He’d changed out of the suit he had been wearing earlier, and was now wearing a dark green shirt with black trousers.

  Gemini’s breath caught in her throat and she felt herself go even paler as she looked at her husband, in every sense of the word, once again shaken by the very maleness of him. But until this moment she hadn’t realised Nick was in the house too…

  And he had collected Jemima from the airport…? In all the times Gemini had been away on business he’d never done as much for her!

  ‘Wasn’t it kind of him?’ Jemima said appreciatively, smiling warmly at Nick.

  He shot her an irritated glance. ‘Kindness had nothing to do with it,’ he snapped. ‘Jessica is your daughter; you should be the one looking after her.’

  Jemima looked unabashed. ‘At this stage in her life Jessica doesn’t have a clue who is looking after her, just as long as someone feeds her,’ she dismissed. ‘And in the circumstances—’

  ‘Damn the circumstances,’ Nick bit out gratingly, looking sharply across at Gemini, his gaze narrowing as he took in her paleness. ‘I called the salon just now, to let you know Jemima was here, and Hugh said you had already left because you aren’t feeling well.’ His dark gaze was probing now.

  ‘Mrs Drummond has a migraine,’ Mrs James put in helpfully, giving Gemini an encouraging smile.

  Well, at least someone was on her side! And Gemini badly needed for someone to be at this moment. Nick might have tried to telephone her to let her know Jemima was here, but Jemima had just openly mentioned those ‘circumstances’ that had made her feel she had the right to leave Jessica here in the first place…!

  Nick strode impatiently across the room to lift Gemini’s chin and look down at her with searching intensity. ‘You should be in bed,’ he finally told her huskily.

  It was where she most wanted to be, with the covers firmly pulled over her head, until Jemima, and the trouble she always brought with her, went away!

  At the same time Gemini knew that hiding herself away in her bedroom wouldn’t change anything, that the three of them were in a triangle, and only she, it seemed, was uncomfortable in its confines. But with Mrs James present, Gemini didn’t see how she could say all that!

  She moved pointedly away from Nick’s restraining hand, ignoring the anger that flared briefly in his eyes as she did so. He was angry? He hadn’t seen anything yet!

  ‘That’s exact
ly where I intend going,’ she told them all dismissively, picking up her bag once again, deliberately not looking directly at any of them. ‘I take it you’ll be gone when I come down later?’ she added sharply to Jemima as she reached the door; her sister had better be gone—long gone!

  Jemima glanced at Nick. ‘Nick has offered to drive me home,’ she acknowledged huskily.

  ‘With all of Jessica’s things, and your own luggage too, it’s impractical for you to do anything else,’ he bit out impatiently.

  Nick was driving Jemima home… Well, what else had she expected? The two of them probably had a lot to talk about. Obviously, with Jemima now having openly talked of those ‘circumstances’ concerning her leaving Jessica here in the first place, if Nick hadn’t known of the baby’s parentage before he certainly did now!

  She gave Jemima a scathing glance. ‘I suppose we should just be grateful that someone is still able to talk some sense into you.’ She gave an impatient sigh as Jemima just looked puzzled by the statement. ‘Nick told you to come home, and, lo and behold, here you are!’ she scorned.

  ‘I wish I could take the credit for that,’ Nick said dryly, his mouth twisting as he looked irritably across at Jemima. ‘Apparently her story broke last night, and she had to come home anyway,’ he explained to Gemini disgustedly.

  She should have known! Motherhood hadn’t changed Jemima at all. And it was Jessica that Gemini was concerned about. She had become very fond of the baby these last few days, more than fond, and the thought of her going back to Jemima’s haphazard idea of parenthood did not fill her with confidence for Jessica’s well-being.

  Although the baby looked contented enough in her mother’s arms. Having been fed and changed, Jessica had now fallen asleep. The sleep of the innocent…

  Gemini’s mouth tightened angrily. ‘Then Nick had better drive you home, hadn’t he?’ she told her sister with sharp dismissal. ‘No need to hurry back, either, Nick,’ she added hardily. ‘I shall be asleep when you come home.’

  His mouth thinned into a narrow line at her obvious message: not only would she be asleep, but she didn’t want to be disturbed, either. For any reason!

  ‘I’ll come up with you and see you settled before I leave,’ he said calmly, quiet challenge in his face as she turned to look at him.

  ‘I think I can manage, Nick; I’ve been putting myself to bed since I was eight years old!’ Gemini scorned harshly.

  She didn’t want him to come upstairs to her bedroom with her; she had nothing to say to him. Not at this moment, anyway. No doubt there would be plenty for them both to say later…

  ‘Don’t be silly, Gemini.’ Jemima was the one to rebuke her teasingly. ‘You obviously aren’t well, and I’m in no hurry to leave. And, from the look of her—’ she glanced down affectionately at the baby asleep in her arms ‘—neither is Jessica!’

  She was sure her sister wasn’t in a hurry to leave; Jemima probably wished now she hadn’t been so stupid fifteen months ago, that this was her own home instead of Gemini’s—and that Nick was hers too! Well, perhaps in time he still would be…

  ‘It’s because Gemini has been caring for Jessica that she has ended up in this state in the first place,’ Nick began angrily. ‘You really are—’

  ‘Look, I’m back now,’ Jemima cut in wearily—obviously having heard all of this, or something very like it, from Nick earlier today. Probably on their drive from the airport… ‘I’m sorry if Jessica has been a nuisance—’

  ‘The baby isn’t the one at fault here, Gemini, and you know it,’ Nick rasped furiously. ‘You—’

  ‘Could I suggest you continue to argue this out between the two of you once I’ve gone to bed?’ Gemini felt sick now, as well as having this painful throbbing in her head.

  Nick moved forward to grasp her arm. ‘I’m coming with you,’ he told her grimly. ‘Jemima.’ He turned to her briefly. ‘Get your things together while I’m gone. I don’t want to be away from home for any longer than I need to be when Gemini is feeling like this.’

  Gemini was sure this last had to have been added for the benefit of Mrs James—because Nick wasn’t fooling any of the rest of them with his concern. And as for how long he was away from home—it was totally irrelevant; the damage had been done now.

  Jemima moved forward, kissing Gemini warmly on the cheek. ‘I hope you feel better soon.’ She smiled encouragingly. ‘And, despite what Nick says—’ she shot him an impatient glance ‘—I really am grateful to you for looking after Jessica for me.’

  ‘She’s a beautiful baby,’ Gemini returned noncommittally before turning to leave.

  Nick continued to keep that firm hold on her arm as the two of them walked up the wide staircase together, and although Gemini was aware of his searching gaze on her she didn’t acknowledge it by so much as a glance in his direction.

  She felt like the casualty of some war, bruised inside as well as out. All she wanted was the peace of her bedroom. She wanted the numbness of sleep too, but she had a feeling that was going to be denied her…

  ‘Hugh seems to feel there’s more wrong with you than just a headache.’ Nick was finally the one to softly break the awkward silence between them.

  A sick heart didn’t count as a genuine illness! ‘Hugh fusses,’ she dismissed impatiently. But she would have to have a few words with her assistant when next she saw him; she did not want him discussing her with Nick, no matter how much he might like and respect the older man.

  ‘He cares, Gemini,’ Nick corrected pointedly.

  She didn’t care what Hugh did, as long as he hadn’t mentioned Danny’s telephone call to the salon yesterday lunchtime!

  Nick looked at her intently. ‘You aren’t feeling this way because of last night, are you? I didn’t hurt you, did I?’

  She was glad they had reached her bedroom as he asked these probing questions; she felt slightly weak at the knees again as she too easily recalled the passion between them.

  She sat down heavily on the stool in front of her dressing table. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Nick; I’m not made of porcelain,’ she snapped irritably. ‘But I would really rather not discuss last night,’ she added weakly.

  His mouth twisted derisively as he looked down at her. ‘So I gathered earlier today,’ he acknowledged dryly. ‘But it’s my experience that it isn’t always possible to dismiss a moment of madness as easily as that!’

  Was that what last night had been for them? A moment of madness…?

  Or was he talking about something else, possibly referring to the existence of Jessica. Because if he was, he was going to have to give her a darn sight better explanation than that for having renewed his relationship with Jemima!

  ‘You could be pregnant, Gemini,’ Nick pointed out harshly as she made no response to his earlier remark. ‘Unless you were using some sort of contraception—because I certainly wasn’t!’

  Pregnant…!

  Over the weekend, while looking after Jessica, she had half dreamed of having Nick’s child, of caring for their own child in the way she was for Jessica. But after today, after realising that Jessica was Nick’s daughter, having his child herself was the last thing she wanted!

  And what did he mean, unless she was using some sort of contraception? Most forms of contraception on her part he would surely have been aware of, and for her to have been on an oral contraception would have required premeditation on her part. Or another reason—another man!—she was taking oral contraception for!

  God, they weren’t back to Danny again—were they…?

  ‘Oh, no, you don’t, Nick.’ She stood up shakily, facing him angrily. ‘You aren’t turning last night around on me. As I remember it, it was a mutual thing. And I’m not pregnant!’ she assured him, with more force than certainty.

  His expression became stony, and he stepped back. ‘In that case this conversation is unnecessary,’ he told her woodenly.

  ‘Totally,’ she agreed vehemently.

  ‘Fine,’ he acknowledged tautly.r />
  But he made no move to leave…

  ‘Wasn’t it lucky for Jemima that you were at home earlier when she called from the airport to say she was back?’ Gemini added challengingly.

  ‘Very.’ He nodded abruptly. ‘If you recall, I wanted to be out to lunch with you,’ he reminded her quietly.

  So he had. So Nick being able to collect Jemima from the airport had just been coincidence, after all…

  But that still didn’t change anything. Not Jessica’s parentage. Not Nick’s involvement with Jemima. It certainly didn’t make what had happened between the two of them last night any easier to come to terms with.

  Gemini sighed tiredly. ‘Jemima is waiting for you to take her home,’ she reminded him flatly.

  ‘She can damn well—’ Nick broke off his forceful explosion, breathing deeply to calm his anger, shaking his head as he looked across at Gemini. ‘Jemima’s wants and needs aren’t of particular importance to me at this moment.’

  Because he was angry with her for just going off and leaving Jessica in that way. But it was an anger he would get over. As he had obviously got over being angry with Jemima for her affair with Danny last year…

  ‘Forget about Jemima for the moment.’ Much as she had realised earlier how much she still loved her twin, at this moment Gemini wished she could forget about Jemima for ever! ‘Jessica is the innocent in all of this—mess,’ she bit out distastefully. ‘In my opinion, she is the one everyone ought to be thinking about.’ And to her way of thinking Jessica would benefit from the presence in her life of both her parents!

  Nick shook his head. ‘Do you think I haven’t talked to Jemima about that? But you know what she’s like,’ he added grimly before Gemini could formulate an answer. ‘If she has to, she says she’ll manage on her own.’

  Gemini swallowed hard, her throat feeling very dry, her lips hardly moving as she spoke. ‘And does she have to?’ She held her breath as she waited for his answer.

  He sighed heavily. ‘I don’t think that’s up to me—do you?’ He looked at her intently.