‘Surprised?’ Georgie asked.
‘Of course not!’ Pierre lied smoothly. ‘Why should I be? Most women of your age have probably had more than one man spend the night in their bed. Who was he? Anyone I know?’ His voice was light, mildly interested but no more than mildly. He would never have admitted that his curiosity had been piqued.
‘I didn’t think you kept in touch with anyone from this part of the world, Pierre. I thought you had jettisoned the lot the minute you left for the bright city lights.’
‘Why do you always imply that ambition is somehow a bad thing?’ He lay flat, head resting on his folded arms, and stared up at the ceiling while Georgie propped herself on one elbow and stared at him. On a subconscious level there was something dangerous and exhilarating about this whispered conversation, but she refused to be alarmed because really that was all it was. A conversation. Useful conversation, in fact, considering the game they were playing.
‘Is that what I do?’
‘You know it is, Georgie. And I wonder why that would be. Is it because you’ve always been so scared of leaving this place that your only defence is to criticise the people who do? I mean, your parents died when you were too young to really be able to look after yourself and mine have always been the substitute. Is that why you’ve always felt the need to stay here? Because this is the place where all your security is wrapped up?’#p#分页标题#e##p#分页标题#e#
‘I thought you didn’t care for psychobabble, Pierre,’ she said coldly. She lay back, like him, and stared sightlessly at the ceiling. ‘I don’t criticise people who choose to leave here. I’m not a fool! I know people want to do the best for themselves and sometimes that means leaving for a city!’
‘But in my case…’
‘I want to go to sleep now.’
Pierre pictured her lying next to him and squeezing shut her eyes so that she could block out the conversation. ‘You won’t be able to.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean we’re both fully awake now.’
‘Which means that you should be thinking of doing a spot of work, doesn’t it?’
Normally, yes, Pierre thought, but for once he felt inclined to break with tradition. ‘Not sure I can brave the deep cold to get to my computer. There are only so many things I’m prepared to do in the name of work and frostbite isn’t one of them.’
Georgie felt a small, reluctant smile threaten her defences. Damn man!
And while she was battling with a desire to relent, he swept in. ‘So…? Was this man someone you were involved with for a long time? Was it a serious relationship?’
Georgie didn’t see any point in being coy or secretive. Didi would find it very odd if Pierre knew nothing of her past when they were so in love that presumably every nook and cranny of their pasts had been explored in loving depth. Hilarious when you considered that this man was a commitment-phobe who made sure he never shared his bed with any woman just in case she took it as a sign that their next trip out would include buying matching wedding rings!
‘Quite serious,’ she admitted awkwardly.
Pierre was intrigued. He turned to look at her profile. For someone who seemed as transparent as a glass of water, she was certainly turning out to be far more complex than he had ever imagined.
‘Really?’ he coaxed.
‘We even considered marriage at one point,’ Georgie confessed.
‘What happened?’
‘Life happened.’ She shrugged. It had taken time for the hurt to go away but eventually it had gone and she could look back now at Stan as something charming that had been just right at the time but would never have lasted in the long run. ‘We met at university and fell in love and had two great years, but it didn’t work out.’
‘And that’s all there is?’ Pierre prodded.
‘I don’t give you the third degree over your girlfriends,’ Georgie told him irritably. ‘Yes, that’s all there is to it!’
‘Where is he now?’
‘Married with a child and living on the other side of the world, I gather.’
‘Ah.’
Georgie waited for him to expand on that knowing exhalation but he didn’t.
‘What does that mean?’ she demanded finally. She turned on her side to find him right in front of her.
‘Means that you must have been emotionally devastated,’ he said, shamelessly prying for more details. ‘Young, vulnerable, trusting and in love and, not only does it all collapse, but the man of your dreams heads off to the distant blue yonder and finds himself another woman and, to cap it all, has a baby with her. Is that why you’re on your own? Too hurt to trust another man?’