Читать книгу An Unwilling Desire - Кэрол Мортимер, Carole Mortimer - Страница 6

‘YOU were listening?’

He gave her an arrogant inclination of his head. ‘Perhaps instead of looking so outraged you should think yourself lucky that I was the one who decided to take a walk in the garden.’

Holly paled a little. ‘Maxine …?’

‘She is his wife—–’

‘If you think I encouraged that scene you witnessed with James then you're mistaken,’ Holly snapped. ‘You have no right to accuse me of—–’

‘I haven't accused you of anything,’ Zack reasoned smoothly. ‘I just want to know what you're going to do about this situation.’

She flushed. ‘I'm not sure there is a situation—–’

‘Don't be ridiculous, Holly,’ the usually lazily mocking man lost his temper with her. ‘Of course there's a situation!’ He glanced impatiently at his wrist-watch. ‘I just don't have the time to argue with you about it now, you have to get back to James and I have to drive Maxine into town. But we'll talk when I get back,’ he warned, opening the door. ‘I may not have accused you of anything yet, but I will if you can't think of a way to sort out this mess so that no one gets hurt.’

‘Mr Benedict—–’

‘Give it some thought, Holly,’ he advised softly, all laughter missing from a man she had thought found humour in everything. ‘Because this certainly can't go on.’

The room was curiously silent and empty after he had gone, and Holly knew that although she had done nothing personally to merit his anger he had a perfect right to feel it. The whole situation was turning into a farce, and she was going to be the innocent victim if she wasn't careful. Once again! She had been blamed for something that wasn't her fault once before, she couldn't let it happen again.

Fortunately James seemed to have forgotten all about the conversation she found so embarrassing by the time she returned with her notes, and with Maxine and Zack out of the house they were able to work steadily through the morning, James only calling a halt to it when he heard the other couple returning for lunch.

‘I suppose we'll have to join them.’ He didn't looked very pleased at the prospect.

‘I'll just go and freshen up,’ she nodded, no more eager to see Zack again than James seemed to be about his wife. And only yesterday morning she had thought how happy she was here; that idea was fast disintegrating.