Читать книгу Marriage Without Love - Пенни Джордан, PENNY JORDAN - Страница 6

THE others were all gathered in the pub when Briony got there. Doug greeted her cheerfully, throwing his arm round her shoulders and insisting on buying her what she suspected was a highly lethal drink. She sipped it slowly, grimacing a little as the raw spirit hit her throat. The paper’s staff were well known in the small pub and a buffet meal had been organised. Briony left Doug chatting to some colleagues and went to fill her plate, glancing discreetly at her watch. At eight o’clock she would make her excuses and leave. She knew from past experience that a hard core of staff would remain as long as the bar stayed open, but she had told Gina to expect her about nine. She hated missing Nicky’s bedtime. Bathing him and tucking him up in bed was something she looked forward to all day.

Matt materialised at her side while she was standing by the buffet table. His face was pale and he was already a little unsteady on his feet.

‘Got to talk to you,’ he muttered. ‘Let’s go and sit down.’

Briony frowned. Matt had too much to drink, and it showed in his faintly slurred speech and dull eyes. Rather than create a scene she let him lead her to a small table, unobtrusively pushing her plate of food in front of him, guessing that he had had nothing to eat.

Gail was standing in front of them and Briony’s heart sank when she saw Kieron come towards her, hoping that he would not see them sitting behind his companion.

‘It’s Mary,’ Matt confided unsteadily. ‘She wants to come back to me. Her mother rang me this morning. Oh God, Briony, I just can’t believe it!’ His voice broke and Briony was dismayed to see that there were tears in his eyes. It struck her that his wife was far more fortunate than she deserved, and that it might do the marriage good were Matt not to appear too over-eager to take her back.

‘What did you say?’ she asked him cautiously. A tiny voice was warning her that it would be imprudent to embroil herself in Matt’s private life, and that once she did, she would be a prop that he would lean on for ever more.

‘I didn’t say anything,’ he confessed.

‘Then if you take my advice you won’t,’ Briony told him crisply. ‘At least not for a while.’

Matt was staring at her open-mouthed, but it was the open disdain in another pair of eyes, steel-blue with contempt, that made her flush. No one else had witnessed the small exchange. Kieron glanced away almost immediately, and Briony frowned, shrugging aside her momentary reaction, to concentrate on Matt.

‘I’m sure Mary will appreciate you far more if you don’t go running back to her straight away, Matt, but the decision must be yours. Look, I must go and say goodbye to Doug, and then I’m leaving.’

‘Stay a bit longer, and I’ll give you a lift home,’ Matt urged. ‘I’ve got the car.’

‘No, really, I can’t,’ she told him, standing up to look for Doug.

He greeted her with a rueful smile.

‘Don’t tell me you’re running off already?’

‘Got to, I’m afraid,’ she said casually. Gail and Kieron had joined the group round the bar, and she felt herself colour as Gail drawled in cool amusement:

‘A boy-friend? You do surprise me! Who is he? Or can we guess?’

She was looking at Matt as she spoke, her eyes openly deriding, and Briony squashed an impulse to tell her the truth.