Читать книгу From Mistresses To Wives? - Lee Wilkinson, Kay Thorpe - Страница 12

WITH the wedding set for three in the afternoon, it wasn’t deemed necessary to bring breakfast forward from its usual nine o’clock slot. It was supposedly bad luck for the bridegroom to see the bride prior to the ceremony on the day, Jessica recalled, but there wasn’t really much choice when they were both staying in the same place.

The patriarch of the family appeared to be fully recovered from whatever it was that had kept him so quiet last night. He had a self-satisfied air about him, as if he and he alone had brought the occasion about.

Which he had in a way, Jessica conceded. If his condition hadn’t impelled Zac to desperation straits, they’d have probably gone their separate ways.

Isabel Prescott arrived at ten. In her mid fifties and comfortably built, her bobbed dark hair frankly greying, she was far from the image Jessica had formed in her mind’s eye. She liked her instantly.

‘Sorry for the change of plan,’ Isabel apologised. ‘Blue had her puppies the night before last. A whole week early! I had to make sure she was going to be all right before I left them with my brother and his wife. Blue’s my German Shepherd,’ she tagged on for Jessica’s benefit.

‘You’d have done better to have her spayed,’ said Brady.

‘And deny her the chance to be a mother even once?’ came the mild reply.

‘How many?’ Jessica asked impulsively. ‘Puppies, I mean?’

The older woman’s eyes warmed. ‘Four. One of them all white. Can’t imagine how that happened!’

‘Are you quite sure the Samoyed next door didn’t get to her before you took her to the stud dog?’ asked Zac on a humorous note, and received a twinkle in response.

‘Could be possible, I suppose.’

‘You’ll not be able to sell any of them as pure breds if there’s any doubt about it,’ said Brady.

‘I wouldn’t be selling them anyway,’ she answered with a touch of asperity. ‘They’re going to friends who’ll love them whatever their pedigree.’

Good for her! Jessica silently applauded as Brady turned away with a meaningful shrug. Money wasn’t everything to everyone!

She had no opportunity to be alone with Zac throughout the morning. Henry monopolised both grandsons. To Jessica, he appeared to enjoy playing the two of them off against one another—an uncharitable thought she did her best to put aside. Having met Brady, she could better appreciate Zac’s view of him. Given the power, he would sweep all before him.

She ate little at lunch. At two, she went up to shower and put on the sleeveless silk sheath that lightly skimmed her body down to the ankles. The pearl strand and studs Zac had bought her as a wedding present, plus a simple silver bracelet she already owned, were to be her only jewellery.

Missing companionship, she felt her spirits lift when Sarah popped her head round the bedroom door to ask if she would like a little help.

‘You could put my hair up for me,’ she said. ‘It takes ages to do it on my own.’

‘Glad to,’ the younger girl agreed. ‘Have a seat.’

Jessica did so, viewing the other through the mirror as she piled the chestnut thickness into a knot of curls with enviable dexterity.

‘Gorgeous hair,’ Sarah commented. ‘Gorgeous altogether, in fact. Zac’s a lucky man!’

‘I’m the lucky one,’ Jessica answered lightly.

‘Oh, I’ll agree there too. I could fancy him myself!’ She gave a gamine grin. ‘Not that I’d want Brady to hear me say that. You might have gathered they’re not all that close.’

‘They certainly look alike,’ Jessica commented.

The expression that crossed Sarah’s face was come and gone too quickly for analysis. ‘Quite different in character though,’ she said.

Taking up the spray of lilies of the valley, she attached it with a couple of hairpins across the front of the topknot, standing back to view the result with a satisfied nod. ‘Perfect! You’ll knock ‘em all dead!’

A rather unfortunate way of putting it, considering the circumstances, Jessica thought, but if Sarah was aware of any gaffe, she didn’t show it.

‘I’d better get off,’ she declared. ‘Zac and Brady are going ahead, so I’m to drive Aunt Isabel and Grandmama to the church.’ She bent impulsively and pressed a swift kiss to Jessica’s cheek. ‘Glad to have you on board!’

The gesture warmed Jessica’s heart, making her feel not quite so alone. In Sarah, she sensed a friend.

Henry had elected, in the absence of her father, to give her away. He was waiting for her when she came downstairs, the others having already left for the church. He nodded approval of her appearance.

‘Very nice, my dear. A credit to the family!’

‘Are you going to be all right?’ Jessica asked anxiously, searching the thin features.

Just for a moment he seemed to hesitate, an odd expression in his eyes, then he shook his head as if in dismissal of some thought. ‘I’ll be perfectly all right. That sounds like the car arriving. Shall we go.’

It took them only ten minutes to the little village church. Jessica was surprised, and somewhat disconcerted, to find many locals occupying the pews. Tall, dark and devastating in a charcoal suit, Zac gave her an encouraging smile as she joined him before the altar.

‘You look wonderful!’ he murmured.

The service went by in a flash. Signing her maiden name in the registry for the last time, Jessica allowed herself no regrets. She was starting a new life. One she intended making the very best she could of.

Sarah came to press another kiss to her cheek as they emerged into sunshine again, her pretty face aglow. ‘All the happiness in the world!’ she said. ‘You too, of course, Zac.’

Her husband echoed the sentiments, if with rather less ebullience. Jessica doubted if there would be many family get-togethers once this was over. She wondered what had drawn a girl of Sarah’s vivacity to a man like Brady, who so seldom let go with a smile, much less a laugh.

It took her mother-in-law to make her feel really at home. ‘I’m glad Zac waited till now,’ was all she said, but it was enough.

Dulcie had prepared a quite superb buffet back at the house. There was Champagne too, although Zac drank no more than sufficed for the toasts. His grandfather showed no such forbearance. Watching him toss back his third glass, Jessica took it that he’d decided to live his life to the full in his final days. All the same, she was surprised that no one made any attempt to stop him.

‘The old man always did like a tipple,’ said Brady, misreading her expression. ‘He can hold it.’

‘I suppose it doesn’t really matter any more,’ Jessica returned wryly.

Dark brows drew together. ‘Meaning what?’

His tone flustered her. ‘Well, it isn’t going to make much difference to the outcome, is it?’ she said uncertainly. ‘If I only had a short time to live, I’d probably do the same.’

‘A short time to live?’ Brady’s frown deepened. ‘What gave you that idea? Apart from a touch of angina, he’s as strong as an ox!’

He hadn’t been told, thought Jessica in dismay. Why on earth hadn’t Esther warned her? She wondered if she and Zac were the only ones who did know—and if so, why?

She looked back to the man in his chair by the window, fighting a creeping suspicion as she studied him. He had never looked like a man all that close to death. Supposing, just supposing, it was all a fabrication: a ruse to force Zac not only into proving that the girl he’d ostensibly fallen for really existed, but to marrying her into the bargain. Zac had said himself that he could be ruthless.

It couldn’t be true! she told herself. Surely no man would consider putting his own flesh and blood through such an ordeal just to get his own way? Surely no wife would consent to go along with it?

Esther was looking her way when she glanced across. The plea in the older eyes was all the verification needed. Jessica found her voice with an effort.

‘I must have misunderstood.’

Brady viewed her with cynicism. ‘So it seems. Is Zac labouring under the same misunderstanding?’

‘I’m…not sure.’

‘Oh, I think you are,’ he said. ‘It explains all this. He thought there was a chance of the old man cutting him off if he didn’t show willing in the marital stakes.’ He smiled sourly. ‘I’ll give him top marks for effort! Pity it was for nothing.’

Jessica’s eyes blazed sudden green fire. ‘This might have happened a bit sooner than it would have done, but it certainly isn’t for nothing!’

‘Not for you, maybe. Although I wouldn’t count on holding his interest for too long. A regular Don Juan, is Zac. He’s had more women than I’ve had hot dinners!’

He was getting a real kick out of this, Jessica realised. A wholly malicious one too. What she wasn’t about to do was give him the satisfaction of seeing her true feelings at this moment.

‘Understandable,’ she said. ‘He’s every woman’s dream of a man!’

The point went home, bringing a nasty glint to the grey eyes. ‘Only till they wake up.’

Isabel appeared at Jessica’s elbow as she opened her mouth to deliver another broadside. Her mother-in-law looked from her to Brady with some speculation.

‘Your wife went to lie down,’ she said. ‘I think she’s just tired, but perhaps you should go and make sure. Her time can’t be all that far off.’

‘It’s another eight weeks yet,’ Brady responded, making no move.

Isabel held her gaze. ‘All the same…’

He took the hint, albeit with reluctance. Isabel turned her attention to Jessica with a smile. ‘Men can be so dense at times, don’t you find?’

Jessica found a smile of her own, if a strained one. ‘Not up to now.’

‘Oh, I’m not talking about Zac. He’s always been quick on the uptake.’

Not this time, Jessica reflected hollowly. If he’d realised what his grandparents were up to, she wouldn’t be standing here now.

‘Are you all right?’ asked Isabel on a concerned note. ‘You’ve lost colour.’

Jessica shook herself mentally. ‘Too much Champagne, I expect. It never did suit me very much.’

‘Me neither. I never could see what all the fuss was about. Personally, I’d as soon have a glass of apple juice.’ She paused, her expression softening as she surveyed the striking face beneath the crown of lilies. ‘Zac’s a very lucky man to have found you, Jessica. I have to confess, I was a bit concerned about the short time you’ve known one another, but I can see there’s nothing to worry about. I’ve asked him to bring you up to Scotland as soon as possible to meet my family. You will come, won’t you?’

There was only one answer Jessica could make. ‘Of course. I’ll look forward to it.’ She felt her lips go stiff again as she caught Zac’s signal from across the room. ‘I’d better go and change,’ she added.

‘Oh, yes, you’re going down the coast for a few days. I’d have thought Zac might find the time to take you somewhere a little more romantic, but I don’t suppose it really matters where you spend your honeymoon.’

From the sound of it, Jessica could only conclude that Zac hadn’t seen fit to pass on the news of his grandfather’s alleged condition to his mother either. But then, he’d hardly want her to see the marriage as nothing more than a means to an end? Which was all it really was, of course. To do him credit, he’d never tried to make out that love played any real part in the relationship.

Upstairs in the bedroom, she took off the silk dress and sat down at the dressing mirror in her filmy underwear to renew her make-up. The face gazing back at her looked normal enough, green eyes surprisingly steady. Zac had to know the truth, of course. The realisation that he’d been tricked into this hasty marriage was hardly scheduled to enhance the honeymoon, but she could hardly keep it from him.

She was still sitting there when the door opened to admit the tall, grey-clad figure. Zac came over to slide both hands over her bare shoulders, pressing a kiss to her nape.

‘You look so utterly delicious!’ he said softly. ‘Good enough to eat!’

Jessica steeled herself as he moved his hands down to the clip of her bra. ‘Not here,’ she protested.

He laughed and desisted. ‘You’re right. We’ve the whole night ahead of us. I’ll go and get into something a bit less formal. The place we’re staying is very casual. No dressing for dinner. No dressing at all, if we don’t feel like it,’ he tagged on with the wicked sparkle she had always found such a turn on.

Tell him now, Jessica urged herself as he moved back to the door, but the words wouldn’t come. There was every possibility that he would storm downstairs to demand a reckoning. Better to leave it until later when they were alone.

Wearing a lightweight suit in pale green, she went downstairs to find Zac ready and waiting with their bags. Isabel took leave of her with a kiss.

‘Hope to see you again soon,’ she said.

Looking tired still, Sarah gave her a hug, laughing over the barrier caused by her ‘bump’. They must get together, the four of them, she declared. Meeting her husband’s eyes over her shoulder, Jessica read a very definite dissension. She doubted, anyway, that Zac would want it.

She was quiet in the car. Zac turned a quizzical glance after a few miles.

‘Lost your voice, have you?’

‘It’s been a long day,’ she said.

‘It isn’t over yet,’ he returned. ‘I missed you last night, Jess. This morning too.’

Jessica felt her heart lurch. Would it really hurt, she asked herself, to leave the telling until after the honeymoon? These coming few days with no outside distractions could make all the difference to their relationship. By the time she did tell him, it might not even matter any more.

‘Same here,’ she said.

His smile held a promise. ‘We’ve plenty of time to make up for it.’

They began doing just that within fifteen minutes of reaching the small but exclusive hotel where Zac had booked the one and only suite. Anticipating an explosive reunion, Jessica was infinitely stirred by the unaccustomed tenderness in his love-making. It gave her hope of a deepening emotion on his part: deep enough, if she worked at it, for the news of his grandfather’s plot to have lost its impact by the time he learned of it.

They certainly seemed to grow closer during the following days. The hotel was set in five acres of grounds, with miles of countryside beyond that to wander in. The sea was only a half a mile away. Zac went for a swim one morning, scorning Jessica’s view that it was far too chilly at this time of year for more than a paddle.

‘It’s bracing,’ he declared. ‘Invigorating!’

‘I don’t need invigorating,’ Jessica replied blandly, bringing a glint to the grey eyes.

She jumped back as he dropped the towel he was using to rub himself down and reached for her, but she was too late. The beads of cold water still adorning his body soaked through her shirt as he pulled her close, his mouth an irresistible force.

‘I’m soaked!’ she complained when he let her go.

‘Teach you not to underestimate me,’ he said.

Laughter bubbled on her lips. ‘As if I’d ever do that.’

There was an answering smile on his lips as he surveyed her. ‘Good thing you brought a jacket.’

Glancing down at herself, Jessica could see what he meant. With no bra beneath the clinging T-shirt, there was little left to the imagination.

‘I feel like a Page Three exhibit!’ she claimed ruefully.

‘There’s a hell of a sight more erotica about the way you look right now than in any bare boob display,’ Zac declared.

It was certainly having a visible effect on him, she noted as he turned away to continue drying himself. Stirring him physically was no problem. She only wished she could be as sure of his inner emotions.

He hadn’t mentioned his grandfather all week. Nor had he called the house to ask how he was doing. Jessica had begun to wonder if he might have guessed the truth himself. If he had, it obviously didn’t bother him too much, which gave her added hope.

That particular bubble burst on the Friday evening at dinner, when he expressed relief over the lack of communication.

‘Grandmother has the number here,’ he said. ‘She’d have called if anything had happened. We’ll go back and spend the weekend with them, anyway. It could be the last time we see him.’

Jessica swallowed on the dryness in her throat. Having kept it to herself the whole week made it no easier.

‘There’s something you should know,’ she said huskily. ‘Your grandfather isn’t dying. Not in the near future, at any rate.’

The candlelight was reflected in the eyes boring into hers across the width of the table. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘It was all a pretence. A ruse to force you into proving yourself.’

Zac viewed her for several moments in silence, face blanked of expression. ‘How do you know?’ he asked at length.

‘I mentioned it to Brady.’

‘Brady!’ The word was explosive.

‘He said apart from a touch of angina, your grandfather is strong as an ox,’ she carried on. ‘Something of an overstatement, perhaps, but you have to admit he doesn’t really give the impression of a man on the brink of death.’

The grey eyes narrowed. ‘You’re saying you suspected he was lying from the first?’

Jessica shook her head. ‘I just thought he was being very courageous about it. I know you said he could be ruthless, but it didn’t occur to me that anyone could be that ruthless.’

‘So why wait till now to tell me?’

It was the question she’d been dreading. She lifted her shoulders, fiddling with the stem of her wine glass. ‘I wasn’t sure how to tell you.’

‘So you let me go on thinking there could be a phone call anytime.’

She forced herself to look at him, heart sinking as she met the chilly gaze. ‘I’m sorry. It just seemed…’ She broke off, spreading her hands in a helpless little gesture. ‘It was too late anyway. The wedding was over.’

‘It’s never too late,’ came the brusque response. ‘If you want out—’

‘I don’t!’ It was a cry from the heart. ‘Can’t,’ she amended swiftly, afraid of having given too much away. ‘If we break up, there’s a good chance your grandfather will cut you from his will. We were neither of us under any illusion about this marriage to start with, so nothing’s really changed?’

There was a lengthy pause before Zac responded. It was impossible to tell what thoughts were going through his mind. When he did speak it was with control.

‘You’re willing to carry on the way things are?’

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘We can make it work, Zac.’

His lips slanted. ‘In one department, at least. Could be a lot worse, I suppose.’

Jessica kept her voice steady with an effort. ‘A whole lot worse. I realise you’ll probably want to confront your grandfather at some point, but there’s no reason for him to know there’s anything contrived about our relationship.’

‘You seem to have it all worked out,’ Zac commented. ‘Not that I’m complaining. Whatever it takes to keep the old devil sweet!’ He took the wine bottle and refilled her glass, lifting his own in ironic salute. ‘To a long and happy future!’

Jessica echoed the sentiment with heavy heart. Sex apart, the only thing keeping this marriage afloat was his fear of losing those damned shares! While ever his grandfather lived, he was stuck with the situation.

They made love as usual that night, but there was something definitely missing. Jessica lay sleepless for a long time afterwards, regretting ever having met Zac. He wasn’t going to fall in love with her. Eventually, he would even stop wanting her. When that happened, she was out of it regardless.

They drove back to Whitegates the following morning. Esther’s greeting was subdued.

‘I’m really sorry for deceiving you,’ she said to Zac, obviously taking it for granted that he’d been told the truth. ‘You seemed so reluctant to bring Jessica to meet us, he began to doubt she existed. You know your grandfather. Once he gets an idea in his head there’s no letting go.’

‘And he bullied you into going along with it.’ Zac smiled and shook his head as she opened her mouth to protest, bending to kiss her cheek. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

His grandmother might feel a lot less guilty if she knew how right her husband had been, Jessica reflected, but Zac obviously had no intention of telling her. Henry Prescott didn’t hold the monopoly on ruthlessness in this family—in the male line, at any rate.

They confronted the old man in the small sitting room, where he was ostensibly perusing a newspaper. There was no hint of contrition in the eyes he raised to the pair of them.

‘So Brady let the cat out of the bag.’

Zac’s jaw tautened. ‘You mean he was in on it too?’

‘Not until he asked me what was going on after Jessica here informed him I was dying.’ The last with a faint smile. ‘Not a total lie. We’re all of us heading for death from the moment we’re born.’

‘Supposing Zac had mentioned it to Brady when he first heard?’ asked Jessica.

‘There was little chance of that. You must have realised for yourself that my grandsons converse only where absolutely necessary.’ His gaze sharpened a fraction. ‘Would it have made any difference if you’d known the truth?’

‘Only in the time element,’ Zac cut in before she could answer. ‘We’d probably have waited a few more weeks, that’s all.’

‘No great harm done then. To the good, in fact. You’ve some catching up to do.’

Jessica took his meaning immediately. She opened her mouth to refute the suggestion, closing it again as she caught Zac’s glance.

‘What will be will be,’ he said mildly. To his grandmother, hovering in the background, he added, ‘Which room will we be using?’

‘The one Brady and Sarah usually have,’ she said, both sounding and looking relieved to have it over with. ‘I’m so glad you’re staying the night again.’

‘Might be the last chance we get for a while,’ Zac returned.

Esther’s face lit up. ‘I thought we’d have a barbecue this afternoon. Jimmy’s cleaning up the grid and laying the charcoal now. Our odd-job man,’ she added for Jessica’s benefit. ‘He can turn his hand to anything. Don’t know how we’d manage without him!’

‘We’d find somebody else,’ said her husband complacently. ‘Lunch in half an hour, you two, so don’t go getting involved in anything up there.’

Jessica gave a weak smile. The way she felt at the moment, it was most unlikely.

The room they were to share was spacious, with a four-poster bed that would normally have delighted her. Her wedding dress was hung on the wardrobe front in mute reminder.

‘You could at least have given him a piece of your mind for putting you through what he did!’ she said with force. ‘There’s no wonder he thinks he’s a law unto himself when you all kowtow to him the way you do!’

Zac shrugged. ‘What point would there be? The deed’s done. As we agreed last night, things could be a whole lot worse.’

As if to prove it, he drew her to him and kissed her, rousing her the way he always did.

‘You heard what your grandfather said,’ she murmured unsteadily against his lips. ‘Lunch in half an hour. Twenty minutes now, in fact.’

‘Time enough for some,’ came the reply, ‘but I was never into quickies.’ He put her from him again, his smile cursory. ‘It will save. Just unpack what you’ll need for tonight. We’ll be leaving right after breakfast.’

Jessica did so, wishing they could be on their way right now. The more she saw of Henry Prescott, the harder it was going to be to stop herself from telling him just what she thought of his underhand tactics. It was high time somebody did!

She went through the day with tongue held firmly in check—as much for Esther’s sake as Zac’s. Her marriage had taken place in an era when the man was still regarded as totalitarian head of the house. She’d probably never gone against him, and would no doubt find it upsetting if some other woman did.

The barbecue was some relief. Jessica and Zac shared the cooking, helped along by glasses of wine, while the older couple reclined on loungers on the wide patio.

Sheltered from the wind, it was wonderfully warm, the views superb. If things had been different, Jessica could have enjoyed spending further weekends down here. As it was, if they did come again it would be purely for show.

They left after lunch on the Sunday. Relieved though she was to be free of the constant temptation to tell Henry Prescott what she thought of his tactics, Jessica viewed their return to the mews cottage without enthusiasm. Zac would be going in to the office tomorrow, leaving her to do…what? She could get rid of Barbara and tackle the housework herself, but that was hardly going to tax her resources. She wasn’t cut out to be a stay-at-home wife.

‘I’m going to start looking for a job,’ she stated after several miles had gone by. ‘I’d go crazy cooped up in the house all day!’

‘It’s hardly a prison,’ Zac returned drily. ‘You’ve the whole city on the doorstep! An open cheque-book too, if that’s what’s bothering you.’

‘I don’t want your money!’ Her tone was abrupt. ‘I’d rather earn my own.’

‘You know Grandfather’s views on working wives,’ he said after a moment.

Jessica gave him a stinging sideways glance. ‘I realise you’d do just about anything to stay in his good books, but there’s a limit to how far I’m prepared to go. If you’re worried about his reaction, he doesn’t have to know.’

‘You mean lie about it.’

‘Only by omission.’

‘That’s splitting hairs.’

‘It’s maintaining the illusion,’ she retaliated. ‘The one you created to keep him sweet.’

A muscle jerked suddenly along the firm jawline. ‘I didn’t notice you putting up all that much resistance to the idea.’

She kept a cool tone with difficulty. ‘I don’t suppose I’m the first to allow principle to be overcome by lust. You’re a hard man to resist, Zac.’

‘Sure.’ His mouth had twisted. ‘Lucky we still have that much to keep us going. Assuming you weren’t putting on an act last night, that is?’

Jessica rode the hurt. ‘You know I wasn’t.’

‘I don’t know anything,’ he said. ‘Women have a distinct advantage when it comes to sex. They don’t have to prove arousal physically.’

‘Why on earth would I bother pretending to enjoy it if I didn’t?’ she demanded. ‘Like you said, it’s the one thing we have. As long as it lasts, at any rate.’

Zac kept his gaze on the road ahead, his expression impassive. ‘You see an end in sight?’

Swallowing on the lump in her throat, Jessica gave a brief shrug. ‘Not yet, but you know what they say about the first flush.’

‘Then we’d better make the most of it,’ he said.

There was no further mention of the job business, but Jessica had no intention of giving up on it. Obviously, Zac wasn’t going to find her anything, so she would fend for herself.