His voice harsh, he added, ‘The rest you know.’
With a shiver, she said, ‘I’ve never understood why you didn’t fight back.’
‘Because your father was still recovering from a heart attack I didn’t want to make matters worse. I was hoping, if possible, to keep things low-key.’
Remembering his cut lip and the trickle of bright blood that had run down his chin, her voice full of pain, she insisted, ‘You didn’t have to let them beat you up. You could have stopped them.’
‘Only by using my fists.’
Her face contorted, she said, ‘Whereas I could have stopped them by saying just a couple of words.’
‘Had you chosen to.’
‘With that scene in the bedroom still so clear in my mind I didn’t want to have to admit that we were married, admit what a fool I’d been.’
‘I quite understand,’ he said heavily. ‘I’m not blaming you.’
But how many times had she blamed herself?
Unsteadily, she asked, ‘How long were you in hospital?’
‘Five days.’
‘Five days!’
‘The forced inactivity gave me time to think, and the conviction began to grow on me that I’d been deliberately set up. But you refused to see me or listen to me and, in any case, I had no proof. Then you delivered the coup de grâce by telling me you wanted an annulment. In desperation, I went back to Vegas to try and find out the truth.
‘I eventually succeeded. Linda admitted that Judson had offered her five thousand dollars to do exactly as he said. He wanted you to see her in bed with me but, in case that didn’t come off, he hired her boyfriend to take those pictures. When I asked her how they got into the suite, she admitted that one of the chambermaids, who was a friend of hers, had lent her a master key.
‘Now I knew what I needed to know, but by the time I got back to San Jose you’d vanished.
‘Elmer Judson was my only hope but, even when I told him we were married, he refused point-blank to help. He said you were better off without me, and advised me to get the marriage annulled.
‘When, seeing nothing else for it, I told him how Martin had set me up, I could see by his expression that he already knew and approved.
‘That was when I tumbled to the fact that I was fighting a losing battle. He and his son were in it together. The only one of the men who didn’t know the truth was your father.
‘During the days that followed I was sunk in black despair. My company was almost on the rocks, but when I should have been working out some kind of rescue package, all I could think of was finding you.
‘In the end it was my godfather who saved me, and I don’t mean just financially. He said, “I know the future looks bleak right now, but concentrate on getting back in a position of strength. Then, if you still want her, I’m sure you can find her again.”’
He stopped speaking and for the first time she became aware of the music and the voices, the laughter and the popping of champagne corks.
The orchestra came to the end of a medley and a minute or so later it was announced that the cabaret would begin shortly.
‘Do you want to stay for the cabaret?’ Jared asked.
With her heart and her mind so full, and so much that still needed to be said, Perdita shook her head.
A hand at her waist, he escorted her out of the restaurant and up to their suite.
She had hoped that once the door had closed behind them he might take her in his arms. But instead he asked politely, ‘Perhaps you’d care to shower first?’
In silence she found her sponge bag and night things and went to clean her teeth and prepare for bed.
When she emerged, cool and scented and wearing an ivory satin nightdress and negligée, with scarcely a glance, Jared went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
Her heart sinking, she went into the living room and sat down on the couch.
When Jared came out of the bathroom, his hair still damp and wearing a short navy-blue silk robe, he looked surprised to see her still up.
‘Not in bed yet? I thought you’d be tired.’
He looked tired, she thought with concern, drained, as if all the raw emotion of the evening had finally taken its toll, and she longed to tell him how much she loved him, longed to cradle his dark head against her breast.
‘I am tired,’ she admitted, ‘but I’ve got too much going on in my mind to sleep.’
‘In that case it might be as well to say what has to be said.’
He let out his breath in a sigh before going on, ‘I was wrong to try and force you to come back to me, and I can only ask your forgiveness for everything I put you through when I realized how very unwilling you were.
‘If, when you’ve had a chance to think it over, you find you still love Judson, I’ll give you a quick divorce. You may have to postpone your wedding for a while but I’ll make it as speedy as possible.’
He sounded as if he couldn’t wait to get rid of her, she thought unhappily.
Pride made her lift her chin. ‘Very well. Though, even if you no longer want me, there’s no way I’d marry Martin.’
‘You’ve stopped loving him?’
‘I’ve stopped liking him, which is even more important. I never did love him. I was fond of him, grateful for what he’d done for me…
‘Grateful!’ Her voice broke. ‘He was quite prepared to wreck both our futures and to risk Dad’s life to try and ensure his own happiness. And even when he knew we were married he never showed the slightest sign of remorse.’
‘What made you so sure he knew?’
‘I remembered that one day when he’d been talking to Elmer, he came off the phone looking badly shaken. Later, when we were alone, he said, “Even if you’d been foolish enough to marry Dangerfield, it would be easy to go to a lawyer and get an annulment”.
‘Though I didn’t say anything, he must have seen how very unhappy I was, how hurt and bitterly disillusioned, but he didn’t care a jot…’
Hearing the quiver in her voice, Jared said quietly, ‘It’s all over and done with. Time to bury the past and concentrate on the future.
‘Tomorrow you can ring your father. Tell him that everything’s settled. Salingers have agreed to buy fifty per cent of the shares and as soon as they have his formal acceptance they’ll put into place the promised rescue package.
‘You can add that you should be back in England some time next week. You needn’t mention my name.’
She shook her head. ‘I’m going to tell Dad the whole story.’
Looking startled, Jared said, ‘You really intend to tell him everything?’
‘Yes. It’s time he knew exactly what Martin and Elmer are capable of.’
‘Are you sure that’s wise?’
‘I’m sure it’s necessary. It wouldn’t be fair to you if I didn’t.’
‘As Judson’s living in your father’s house, it might make things difficult for you.’
‘I have every intention of moving out. I’m going to cut free, find another job and a flat of my own. I’m sure Sally will look after Dad…’
It had been a long stressful day and, tiredness suddenly washing over her, she rubbed a hand across her eyes.
‘You look ready for bed,’ Jared remarked.
Rising to her feet, she agreed, ‘I am now.’
When he made no move to accompany her, she asked, ‘What about you?’
‘I’ll be sleeping on the couch.’
Her heart lurched drunkenly. ‘Why?’
‘I’m only human. If I sleep in the same bed I may not be able to keep my hands off you.’
‘What if I said I don’t want you to?’
‘That’s very tempting, but when love dies it’s time to let go.’
In a small voice, she began, ‘I know you don’t love me, but I…’
‘How do you know?’
‘You’ve just said, “when love dies”…’
‘I didn’t mean my love.’
&nbs
p; ‘But days ago you told me you no longer loved me. You said all that was left was lust.’
‘I wish that was the truth; it would be easier to cope with.’
Hope suddenly filling her heart, she demanded, ‘If it isn’t, why did you say it?’
‘It’s hard to admit you still love someone who no longer loves you.’
‘But I do! Love you, I mean. I’ve never stopped loving you.’
‘I would like to believe that, but I can’t. I think you’re just trying to put right what you now see as an injustice.’
Without a word, she went into the bedroom and, fishing in her jewellery box, took out the gold locket that held her rings.
When she returned to the other room, Jared was sitting quite still, his head in his hands. When he dropped his hands and looked up, she held out the locket. ‘If you don’t believe I still love you, explain why I’ve kept these.’
Like a man in a dream he took it and, having used his thumbnail to open it, tipped the two rings into his palm.
For what seemed an age he stared at them in silence. Then he lifted his head and, a smile lighting his face, reached for her hand and slipped them onto her fourth finger.
‘Jared, I want to tell you—’
He rose to his feet and kissed her lips, stopping the words. ‘We’ve talked enough. In the morning there’ll be time to say everything else we need to say, to talk about a church wedding with all the trimmings and a honeymoon in Portofino. But for now I just want to make love to you…’
Sweeping her into his arms, he carried her through to the bedroom and, laying her on the bed, sat down on the edge.
When he’d undressed her, taking pleasure in every bare inch of flesh, he stripped off his own clothes and stretched out beside her.
She touched his cheek. ‘Won’t you let me tell you how very much I love you?’
‘I hope you’ll tell me every day for the rest of our lives. But just at the moment I’d prefer you to show me.’
They made love, and she answered his passion with a passionate tenderness that sent him up in flames and told him everything he needed to know.
When they floated back to earth, their bodies still vibrating with pleasure, he lifted his head from her breast and, having kissed her, said with satisfaction, ‘That much, huh.’
ISBN: 978-1-4268-4991-6
CLAIMING HIS WEDDING NIGHT
First North American Publication 2010.
Copyright © 2010 by Lee Wilkinson.
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