His Wedding-Night Heir(25)

'Yes,' Cally conceded with an odd feeling of numbness, 'I suppose it must be.'

Lying in bed that night, she thought of Adele, her beautiful face crowned by the sheen of her red-gold hair, her voluptuous body set off by the designer wardrobe that managed to make mourning seem a sexual experience. It was whispered locally, with nods and winks, that it was her excessive physical demands which had hurried her late husband into a relatively early grave.

'There's a woman who won't want to find herself in an empty bed,' was a remark Cally had overheard in the village shop.

But perhaps she isn't alone, Cally thought, lying awake, tormented by her imagination.

Looking back now, it seemed ludicrous that she could have been jealous of Adele.

But I was, she thought. And, being on my guard against her, I was diverted from seeing where the real danger lay.

Her unhappy musings were interrupted when she realised that Nick had once again turned off the motorway.

She sat up. 'Is this the right junction?'

'No, but it will do,' he returned briefly. 'I want to stop off in Clayminster first'

He parked in a side street near the cathedral close and turned to her. 'Do you want to come with me?'

Cally examined a non-existent fleck on her nail. 'Thank you, no. I'd prefer to remain here.'#p#分页标题#e#

'Very well.' She watched him remove the keys from the ignition and pocket them. 'I won't be too long.' He paused. 'Please don't do anything stupid, or I might get angry.'

'God forbid,' she bit back at him. 'Why don't you have me electronically tagged?'

His mouth twisted in wry acknowledgement. 'I'll keep it in mind.'

Left alone, Cally examined and reluctantly discarded the idea of running away again. Both the bus and train stations, she knew, were right on the other side of town, and he would catch her before she'd gone half the distance.

Besides, in spite of her bravado, she didn't really want to make Nick angry, she admitted. The coming hours would be quite difficult enough without that. And sex as punishment was a terrifying possibility, which could destroy her, she thought, with a sudden convulsive shiver.

She got out of the car and stretched, then, leaving the door open, went for a restless stroll, up one side of the street and back down the other.

It didn't take long. It was mostly terraced housing, with a few shops, none of which tempted her to linger. A self-styled antiques gallery, offering mostly junk, was probably the star turn, she thought wryly, with a place called Needlewoman selling knitting wool and sewing requisites a close second.

Reaching the car, she leaned back against the doorframe with a sigh. The memories she'd allowed herself had been unsettling, reminding her of things best forgotten or treated as a temporary aberration.

I was just eighteen then, she thought blankly. A child trying not to fall in love with a man. And failing miserably.

In spite of the warmth of the day, she found she was wrapping protective arms round her body. Swallowing back the tears in her throat. Nick had said he would not be long, and she couldn't afford to let him find her crying.

It was another ten minutes before he turned the corner and walked up the street towards her, and by that time she'd managed to get a grip on her control and was sitting in the car again, waiting for him with a semblance of calm.

'I'm sorry,' he said as he joined her. 'It took longer than I’

She didn't look at him. 'It's not important.'

'Ah,' Nick said quietly. 'But I think it is.' He took a jeweller's box from his pocket and opened it. She glanced at the contents and her eyes widened. She'd expected a ring, but the box contained a pair of them, in classic plain gold.

She said, 'Why two? In case I throw the first one away again?'

'No,' he said. "The other one's for me.'

'For you?' She drew an uneven breath. 'That is—rank hypocrisy.'

Nick shook his head. 'It's a statement. Intended to make clear to any interested parties that our marriage is on again— and it's real.' He paused. 'Give me your hand.'

'I can put it on myself—if you insist that I must.'

'No,' he said. 'We'll do it my way.' He reached for her left hand, grasping it firmly. He said softly, 'I, Nicholas James Tempest, take you, Caroline Maria Maitland, for my wife.'

Half of her hoped that he'd got the sizing wrong, but the gold circlet slid easily over her knuckle.

He said, 'Now it's your turn.'

'This is ridiculous...'

'Cally.' His tone was gentle, but there was iron underneath. 'Say the words.'

Biting her lip, she obeyed, her low voice stumbling a little as she pushed the ring on to his finger in turn.

'Satisfied?' she challenged. 'I presume you don't want to add anything about for as long as we both shall live?'#p#分页标题#e#

His smile did not reach his eyes. He said quietly, 'Let's just say for as long as it's necessary, shall we?' He fitted the key into the ignition and started the engine. 'And now, my sweet wife, I'll take you home.'