The Failed Marriage (Presents Plus)

by Carole Mortimer

  She eyed him nervously as the door closed behind them, suddenly feeling very much alone with him despite the fifty or so other people in the flat.

  He put the suitcase down on the bottom of the bed, then turned to look at her, very dark and virile. The longer hairstyle suited him, making him look more like the man she had first met in Canada. ‘You’re looking well,’ he said softly.

  ‘Thank you.’ She laced her hands together in front of her, mainly to stop their shaking becoming noticeable. ‘So—so are you,’ she understated.

  ‘Thanks.’

  Not the greatest conversation in the world, they would be discussing the weather in a minute! ‘Mrs Barnaby told you about the party?’ Joanna asked brightly.

  ‘No, I haven’t been to the house.’

  ‘Oh,’ she frowned. ‘You came straight here?’

  ‘From the airport,’ he nodded, sitting down on the single bed.

  ‘Tired?’ she prompted concernedly at the almost weary droop to his shoulders.

  ‘A little,’ he acknowledged softly.

  ‘I—You’re alone?’ she queried nervously.

  His mouth twisted. ‘Yes, I’m alone. Your writing has been going well?’

  ‘Yes—thank you.’ God, they had to stop talking as if they were strangers! ‘Thank you for the roses, they were beautiful.’

  ‘The least I could do,’ he shrugged dismissively.

  ‘How did the tour go?’

  ‘Very well.’

  ‘Good.’ Heavens, this was terrible, worse than she had ever imagined! ‘I—er—I went to the house yesterday.’

  His expression became wary, his eyes narrowed. ‘Mrs Barnaby is well?’

  ‘Missing have you there to look after.’ She gave a light laugh to try and ease the tension she still felt. All she wanted to do was launch herself into his arms, tell him how much she loved him, and yet she couldn’t move, couldn’t tell him how she felt, she was too shy with him. ‘I even stopped to dinner when I hadn’t intended to.’

  ‘I’m sure she liked that.’

  ‘Yes. I—er—’ she chewed her bottom lip, ‘I sorted through Lindy’s things while I was there. Mrs Barnaby is going to give most of them to charity.’

  Joshua had stiffened at her mention of their daughter’s name, his expression stony now, his eyes glacial. ‘I see,’ he said tautly.

  ‘Unless there’s something you would like to keep, of course,’ she added hastily. ‘I—I just thought it was time.’

  ‘Yes,’ he agreed abruptly, and stood up, suddenly making the room seem very small. ‘You’ve seen a lot of Cameron while I’ve been away?’ He arched dark brows over narrowed eyes.

  ‘Quite a bit,’ she nodded, feeling on safer ground now, even managing to smile a little. ‘The illustrations he’s done for the books have been wonderful.’

  ‘I’ve seen them.’

  Her eyes widened to surprised blue pools. ‘You have?’

  ‘Of course,’ his mouth twisted. ‘Although it took me some time to realise that the reason I couldn’t locate one of your books was because it was published under the name of J. Proctor.’

  ‘I—’ Joanna moistened her dry lips, wishing she could summon some of that cool sophistication that had been second nature to her a year ago. ‘I thought it best,’ she finally managed to say, loving this man so much she ached with it, longing to touch him, to reach out to him. But she couldn’t, not when he showed no sign of wanting her to do any of those things.

  ‘Why?’

  She swallowed hard. ‘I had no idea what your reaction would be to my using your name—’

  ‘Your name too,’ he put in abruptly. ‘Unless you’ve done anything to change that while I’ve been in the States?’ His eyes narrowed even more.

  Joanna paled. ‘I—No,’ she shook her head. ‘I thought we’d agreed to wait until you returned before making any decisions,’ she watched him anxiously.

  ‘Yes.’ He ran a hand round the back of his neck. ‘I had no idea I would be walking in on a party tonight, otherwise I—’

  ‘Oh, but—’

  ‘Jo!’ a gentle knock sounded on the door, and Dan’s voice was discernible to them through its thickness.

  Joshua’s mouth tightened before he strode across the room to open the door with forceful movements. ‘Joanna is busy right now,’ he rasped. ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’

  Dan looked up at the older man, obviously weighing up the situation, a mischievous smile lighting up his features. ‘I don’t think so, it was Jo I wanted. Sweetheart, your guests are starting to feel neglected.’ He ignored her start of surprise his endearment caused, looking up at Joshua challengingly. ‘I realise this is your first evening home, old man, but the party must go on and all that,’ he mocked. ‘Perhaps if we’d known of your return we could have—’

  ‘Dan!’ Joanna had finally found her voice, shocked at the misconception he was nurturing.

  ‘Sorry, love.’ Dan strolled into the room, putting his arm about her shoulders. ‘But surely you can say your hellos to Josh later?’

  ‘Joshua,’ she corrected tautly, glaring up at him.

  ‘Joshua,’ he shrugged dismissively. ‘You don’t mind if I take Jo back to the party, do you?’ he prompted the other man. ‘It’s all a bit flat without our beautiful hostess.’

  ‘His beautiful hostess’ could cheerfully have hit him at that moment, and if anything Joshua had become more remote than ever.

  ‘You go ahead, Joanna,’ he told her now. ‘I’ll join you later.’

  She could hardly contain her anger until she and Dan were outside the bedroom, turning on him angrily once they were out in the hallway. ‘What on earth did you think you were doing?’ she snapped, her eyes glittering in her fury. ‘You’ve given Joshua completely the wrong impression about us!’

  Dan looked unrepentant. ‘You started off well, that kiss looked pretty impressive, but I could see things had broken down a little since you were alone together. I could have cut the atmosphere with a knife just now.’

  Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides. ‘And what good do you think your charade has done?’ she demanded furiously.

  ‘A little jealousy never hurt anyone,’ he shrugged.

  ‘Oh, Dan, how could you!’ she groaned, her hands to her face. ‘Joshua’s going to think—well, you know what he’s going to think!’ she choked, the tears falling unbidden.

  Dan took her into his arms. ‘Don’t worry, love, it isn’t that bad. Look, if you’re that worried about it,’ he added as she continued to cry, ‘I’ll tell him the truth.’

  ‘I don’t think he cares,’ she sobbed into his chest, remembering Joshua’s lack of emotion as he said he would join them later.

  ‘Of course he cares,’ Dan scoffed. ‘And don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything. Have I ever let you down yet?’ he attempted to. tease.

  ‘Excuse me,’ rasped a chilling voice. ‘I’d like to get past to the bathroom.’

  Joanna swallowed hard, turning to face her husband. ‘Joshua—’

  ‘This isn’t the way it seems,’ Dan blustered into speech. ‘It’s been a shock for Jo to see you like this, and I—’

  ‘Please don’t feel you have to explain yourself to me,’ Joshua cut in coldly. ‘As you said earlier, perhaps if you’d known of my return… Now I really would like to freshen up, it’s been a long day.’ He brushed past them and into the bathroom.

  ‘God, I’m sorry, love,’ Dan groaned at Joanna’s stricken look. ‘It was just—He wasn’t what I was expecting at all. The way you described him, the things you told me about him,’ he shook his head, ‘I was expecting an aged man with a roving eye, not that handsome devil. No wonder the rest of us never stood a chance with you!’

  A thin watery smile lightened Joanna’s expression. Joshua’s changed appearance had come as shock to her too, although he had never been Dan’s first impression of him either. ‘America obviously agreed with him,’ she said stiltedly, wondering how much
influence Angela Hailey had had on the changes in Joshua.

  ‘Obviously,’ Dan said dryly, leaning back against the wall, giving the impression he had every intention of staying there.

  Joanna turned. ‘Aren’t you coming back to the party?’ she frowned.

  He grimaced. ‘I think I should stay and explain to your husband that I was only kidding just now. Do you think he’ll punch the hell out of me now or just challenge me to pistols at dawn?’

  She laughed outright at his woebegone expression. ‘Neither. But I might do the latter,’ she added warningly.

  ‘I was only trying to help,’ he groaned. ‘I thought maybe he just needed a little prodding in the right direction.’ He pulled a face. ‘He isn’t a man who likes to be prodded, is he?’

  ‘How did you guess?’

  ‘Intuition, I suppose. A little late, but I catch on eventually,’ he grimaced. ‘Don’t. worry, love, I’ll straighten everything out.’

  ‘No,’ she shook her head. ‘Just leave it for now, Dan. This is a party, I can talk to Joshua when everyone has gone home.’

  ‘Sure?’ he frowned.

  ‘Very,’ she nodded, throwing an anxious look in the direction of the bathroom door. ‘Yes, very sure.’

  It would be better if she explained everything to Joshua herself, and maybe later tonight she could tell him that she loved him, that she didn’t want their separation to continue but wanted to stay married to him.

  ‘Go and talk to Carmella,’ she encouraged Dan once they got back to the lounge. ‘She looks neglected.’ The tall willowy redhead was listening to one of Joshua’s colleagues with a polite but bored smile on her face.

  ‘Isn’t she beautiful?’ Dan followed her line of vision, a smile of anticipation on his lips.

  ‘Very,’ Joanna agreed dryly, wondering if this one would have brains as well as a beautiful face and body; Dan’s women rarely had both intelligence and beauty. ‘When are you going to find the right woman and settle down?’

  ‘Never, I hope,’ he grinned. ‘Wish me luck, Jo. Carmella doesn’t allow sex on the first date; today is our second one,’ he added pointedly.

  Her smile was indulgent. ‘When are you ever going to grow up, Dan?’

  ‘I am grown up,’ he gave a suggestive leer. ‘As Miss Carmella Nero is about to find out!’

  Joanna watched as the willowy model entwined herself about Dan, the wink he gave Joanna one of triumph. If Joshua could see Dan and Carmella now there wouldn’t be any confusion as to the direction Dan’s interest took!

  But Joshua was still in the bedroom changing, and Dan and Carmella left before he could come out and join the party, a smile of satisfaction on Dan’s face.

  ‘How wonderful that Joshua should arrive back tonight!’ Her mother appeared at her side. ‘Perhaps now you’ll drop these unsuitable bohemian friends of yours and behave like a sensible wife.’

  As Dan was the nearest to a bohemian she knew, at least being an artist, Joanna could only assume he was the friend her mother considered unsuitable. Unfortunately—for her mother—she didn’t agree with her. ‘I doubt it, Mother,’ she drawled. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go and see what’s keeping Joshua.’ It had been at least half an hour since he had gone to the bathroom to shower.

  She knocked lightly on the bedroom door, feeling a little stupid when he was her husband, but knowing she couldn’t just walk in on him, not after all this time apart. When she received no answer to her second knock she softly opened the door, her eyes widening as she saw Joshua stretched out on the bed fast asleep, his only covering the chocolate brown sheet over his thighs.

  She moved quietly into the room, closing the door behind her to stand beside the bed looking down at the man she loved. He looked younger in sleep, the lines of strain erased from his face, his hair still damp from his shower, his bare chest deeply bronzed, the hair there soft and silky.

  Joanna drank her fill of him, loving every lithe muscular inch of him. She wouldn’t give him up! Maybe tonight had been a bit of a disaster, but she wasn’t going to meekly hand him over to Angela Hailey. The other woman had had him for the last year, and now she was taking over. She knew she hadn’t imagined his physical response to her when he had held her in his arms earlier, and that was something to cling on to.

  She touched his cheek with gentle fingertips, quickly removing her hand as he stirred in his sleep. But he only turned on to his side, taking the sheet with him, his long muscular legs bared too now. Joanna moved softly about the bed pulling the covers over him. After all, her flat might be warm, but it was the beginning of February.

  She was smiling to herself as she left the bedroom, confident that tonight at least, Joshua would be staying at her flat.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  JOSHUA was sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen the next morning when Joanna entered the room, forcing a casual smile to her lips as she moved to pour herself some coffee from the pot he had made. She looked slender and attractive in close-fitting cords and a blue silk blouse, having found the combination of the casual and smart an attractive one.

  Joshua was watching her as she turned round, and she gave him a bright smile. ‘Like some more coffee?’ she indicated his empty mug.

  ‘Thanks.’ He stood up, his denims clinging revealingly to his muscular thighs and legs, the black turtle-necked sweater emphasising the width of his shoulders. He moved past her to pour his coffee, black and sweet, the way he liked it. ‘Will Mr Cameron be joining us?’ he turned to drawl, leaning back against the pine kitchen unit.

  Joanna stiffened, frowning deeply. ‘Dan? But he—’

  ‘I hope I haven’t inhibited your relationship with him,’ Joshua mused. ‘I was so tired last night that I fell asleep without meaning to.’

  ‘Dan doesn’t stay here,’ she snapped, angry with him for thinking she would sleep with another man when her husband was in the same flat. She had got up with such a light heart this morning at the thought of Joshua being here that she had almost floated through her shower and getting dressed, and now he had dared to throw out an accusation like this!

  His brows were raised over light grey eyes. ‘He doesn’t?’

  ‘No!’

  Joshua shrugged. ‘Can I get you anything to eat? I hope you don’t mind, I helped myself to some eggs and bacon from the fridge.’

  ‘Be my guest!’ Joanna was still angry with him for his wrong assumption about Dan and herself. And how could he go from talking about her supposed lover to offering to cook her breakfast! Did he really not care for her? She was beginning to think so.

  ‘I am,’ he smiled comfortably. ‘I like your flat, Joanna, it’s—relaxing.’

  She felt her tension ease a little. ‘I find it so,’ she nodded.

  ‘I have to go out today, so would you mind if I left my things here?’

  She frowned, wondering when they were going to get round to the talk they were supposed to be having, although she understood that after a year away from London Joshua must have a lot of things to do. ‘Of course,’ she agreed to his request. ‘I—Would you like to stay to dinner too?’

  He drank the last of his coffee, putting the mug down on the worktop. ‘That would be nice, thank you, Joanna.’ He touched her cheek gently. ‘I’ll bring some wine back with me.’

  She felt ridiculous standing in her kitchen with a silly smile on her face, her hand raised to the cheek Joshua had touched before he left, and yet she couldn’t move for several minutes after he had gone. Finally it was the ringing of the telephone that broke her out of her reverie, and she moved to answer it.

  ‘And how is the most beautiful child bride in the world this morning?’ enquired a painfully cheerful voice.

  ‘Dan!’ she gasped in recognition of the only man mad enough to talk to her this way. ‘Joshua could have answered the telephone,’ she complained impatiently.

  ‘He could? I mean, he could?’ Dan repeated speculatively.

  She sighed at his wrong assumption. ‘He slept
in the spare room last night. From your good humour I gather that the second date worked out as you planned?’ she snapped.

  ‘Now, now, naughty, naughty,’ he mocked. ‘Don’t take out your own frustration on poor Carmella and me!’

  ‘Sorry.’ She realised how bitchy she was being.

  ‘Hah, so you are frustrated!’ Dan pounced.

  ‘No, I—’

  ‘You mean Joshua spent the whole night in the spare room?’ he continued as if she hadn’t spoken.

  ‘Yes,’ she admitted miserably.

  ‘Where is he now?’

  ‘Out.’

  ‘So it’s safe to come round as usual?’

  ‘It was safe for you to have spent the night here—in my room, if you’d wanted to.’

  ‘It would have been a little crowded—Oh, I see, me and you in your bed,’ he realised.

  ‘You’re so quick, Dan,’ she derided.

  ‘We are in a snappy mood today, aren’t we?’ he taunted. ‘I’ll be round in about an hour.’

  ‘Won’t Carmella mind?’ she mocked.

  He gave an exaggerated yawn. ‘She had to leave early for a photographic session. It’s a terrible life for us working people.’

  ‘I know,’ Joanna returned dryly. ‘I’ll expect you in an hour.’

  ‘Joanna—!’ Dan stopped her before she could ring off. ‘Joshua isn’t going to walk in and jump to conclusions, is he?’

  ‘After what I just told you? He’ll probably shake your hand and thank you for taking me off his hands,’ she said bitterly.

  Was it true? she wondered as she waited for Dan to arrive. Joshua hadn’t seemed overly concerned at the idea of Dan having spent the night in her bed. If he cared that little about the thought of her with another man she could just be wasting her time even considering putting up a fight for him. Wasting her time or not, she was going to do it! Joshua was hers, and he was going to stay that way.