‘Bores the hell out of me.’ Marjory rolled her eyes. ‘But just look at Jeremy—it’s exactly what he needs: a bit of intelligent conversation. I admit I’m as guilty as anyone. The second he sits in that damned wheelchair I find myself speaking to him louder and even answering for him.’
Tabitha smiled sympathetically at her honesty. ‘I’m sure you’ll all get used to it.’
‘Let’s hope we have time to.’
‘How are you feeling, Dad?’ Aiden’s awkward attempt at conversation brought nothing more than a frown and a sharp retort from his father, and Tabitha reflected how austere and formal Jeremy sounded when he addressed his younger son, how sad that it had come to this.
‘So, how are the wedding preparations going?’ Aiden forced a smile and walked over to the more receptive audience of his old friend.
‘I’ve no idea,’ Tabitha admitted honestly.
‘Don’t tell me—’ Aiden grinned ‘—everything’s being taken care of.’
Tabitha laughed at his perception. ‘Apparently all I have to do is turn up.’
‘Nervous?’
She nodded, relieved at finally being able to be honest with someone.
‘What does your grandmother say about it all?’
‘She’s as stunned as everyone else.’
‘Is everything sorted there?’
She went to take a sip of her drink but realised that her glass was empty; instead Tabitha picked up the lemon slice, sucking on it, she gave a small nod. ‘For the time being.’#p#分页标题#e#
Aiden lowered his voice. ‘She needs help—you know that. You mightn’t have done her a favour, getting her out of trouble again.’
Tabitha was down to the pith now, but that was more preferable than talking about her grandmother’s problem.
‘Gambling’s an illness,’ Aiden continued relentlessly. ‘It doesn’t just go away. The debt might be cleared but it will just mean the bar’s raised higher next time.’
‘There won’t be a next time,’ Tabitha replied indignantly.
‘But that’s exactly what you said before,’ Aiden reminded her. ‘And the time before that, if I remember rightly. How can you be so sure that this time things will be different?’
‘Because next time the bailiffs come knocking there mightn’t be a multimillionaire prepared to bail me out.’
‘It’s those little things you say that make me love you more.’ Zavier slipped an arm around her waist, but there was nothing tender about the kiss he placed on her cheek.
She had meant her words for Aiden only, in defence of her grandmother, her brutality a cover-up for the genuine fear she felt for her only real family, and knowing Zavier had heard made her stomach sink. Sure, they both knew it was a financial arrangement, but the gentle acceptance, the truce she had demanded, was undoubtedly over.
‘And for your information, sweetheart—’ his lip curled around the word ‘—it happens to be a billionaire bailing you out. But then what’s a few more zeroes to a dizzy thing like you? What’s a few million here or there when you’re prepared to blow your last cent on the poker machines?’
‘What are you lot looking so serious about?’ Marjory was all smiles, wagging a finger as she joined them.
‘We were just discussing my fiancée’s little problem.’ He arched one perfect eyebrow as Tabitha stood there mortified. He wasn’t going to mention it? He couldn’t—not here!
‘What problem, Zavier? Do tell.’ Marjory giggled, moving closer. ‘Anything that needs a woman’s viewpoint? I’d be only too happy to help.’
‘You wouldn’t know where to start,’ Zavier said ominously to his mother, and Tabitha held her breath. ‘Unless that is, you’ve taken a crash course in domesticity all of a sudden. Tabitha’s glass has been empty for the past five minutes and no one’s bothered to fill it. You really need to have a word with the staff.’
The ringing of the bell summoning them for dinner was the only thing that made Tabitha remember to breathe again.
Dinner was awful.
Oh, the food was perfect, the wine delicious, the conversation scintillating, but dinner really was awful.
Zavier studiously avoided her eyes, and the hand that briefly brushed hers was icy cold. Any headway that had tentatively been made was now seemingly dashed by one inappropriate comment.
The conversation inevitably turned to the wedding, and Tabitha struggled to concentrate, to laugh at the right moments, to inject some enthusiasm into her voice when she listened to what Marjory had in store for them.