'Perhaps the defiance was always there,' she said. 'But you didn't notice.'
'I noticed a hell of a lot,' he said quietly. 'And I was prepared to make allowances. Only you never gave me that chance. You preferred to bolt as if I was some kind of mad axe murderer.'
'No,' she said. 'Nothing so dramatic. Simply because I wasn't going to live my life on your terms.'
His brows lifted. 'Did I impose any conditions? I can't recall them.'
'You made me become your wife,' she said, her throat tightening. 'That involves—obligations.'
'Ah,' he said softly. 'In plain words, you didn't want to sleep with me.' He gave her a meditative look. 'Admitted! We didn't have a conventional courtship, but you never gave the impression at the time that you found me particularly repulsive.'
Cally bil her lip. 'Well, you know now.'
'In fact,' Nick went on, as if she hadn't spoken, 'mere were moments when the indications seemed distinctly favorable. Or did I imagine that?'
No, thought Cally, a tide of unwilling colour rising in her face. You didn't imagine it—damn you.
She said stiffly, 'You'd naturally prefer to think so, of course. You wouldn't want a dent in that irresistible image of yours.'
'If I'd ever been conceited enough to entertain such a notion,' he returned icily, 'you'd have shattered it for ever when you ran away.'
'But I'm sure you've had consolation,' she flung at him, and could have bitten out her tongue. She had not meant o say that.
'Why, darling—' Nick's tone changed to mockery '— did you really expect me to soothe my wounded feelings by staying celibate?'
'And do you really expect me to care—one way or the other?'
As long as I'm not there to see it...
The thought flashed, unbidden, and was instantly suppressed. Even to admit as much damaged the mental and emotional barriers she'd so carefully constructed against him, and she couldn't afford that.
In fact, she couldn't afford any of this...
She took a deep breath. 'Nick-let's slop here and now, or we shall only say things we'll regret. Why don't we just — draw a line, let our respective lawyers deal with the rest of it?'#p#分页标题#e#
'Because you're assuming,' he said, 'that I share your wish for a divorce.'
She said, slowly and unsteadily, 'You can't mean that. You can't wish to stay married lo someone who— who won't—live with you.'
'Of course not.' He sounded almost brisk. 'Naturally I want a wife who'll share my home and my bed.' He smiled at her, his eyes touching her—stripping her, she realised, as her heart began to flutter in panic.
'In fact, I want you, my sweet,' he added softly. 'Come back to me, and in return for your charming—and willing company, I'll tell Matthew Hendrick to save your precious terrace and include it in the development. Turn me down, how ever, and the demolition crew move in next week. And that's my final word.'
He paused. 'So the future of Gunners Terrace rests entirely with you, darling.'
'You can't do this,' Cally protested, her voice hoarse with incredulity. 'You're making me responsible for other people's lives—other people's happiness. It—it's emotional blackmail.'
'Now, my viewpoint is slightly different,' he said. 'Because you stood beside me in church and made certain vows. I remember it perfectly. You were wearing a while dress with a lot of little buttons down the front of it. Frankly, I was fantasising about undoing them all—with my teeth,' he added, with a kind of sensuous reminiscence that made her shiver. 'Now, at last, I want those vows fulfilled, and I really think, my sweet, that I've waited long enough. Even you must agree that our wedding night is long overdue.'
She said numbly, 'You mean you'd—you'd actually force me to—to...'
'I've no intention of using force,' he told her coolly. 'It's high time that delightful body of yours discovered what it was made for. And, if memory serves, the last time you were in my arms you thought so too.'
Her head went back sharply, as if he had struck her. 'What you're suggesting is obscene. Unthinkable. You can't think for one moment that I'd agree.'
Nick shrugged. 'You came here tonight, Cally, of your own free will, wanting a favour. Quite a sizeable one at that. I'm now telling you the price ticket it carries. Whether you pay it, of course, is your choice alone. It depends on ho w strongly
you feel about the survival of Gunners Terrace—these people you claim to care about so deeply.'
'You think I'll save them at the expense of my own life?'
'Not The whole of it,' he said. 'Just the year you stole from me when you ran away. You see, I still have use for you u, and that should be enough time for you to repay some of the debt you owe me—and give me what I want.'
She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. 'I don't understand. You're saying now that you want me to com e back to you, but only for a limited period?'