Reluctant Wife(45)

He rolled off the bed and stood up, interrupting her curious thoughts; ‘Don’t be long,’ he said, and rumpled her already rumpled hair with casual affection.



‘No.’



The door closed on his tall figure, but she stared at it for moments with an odd kind of concentration and found herself thinking—whether she’s a gorgeous geisha or whoever she is, one day I’ll give you back as good as I got, Adam Milroy … oh God, what am I thinking?



She lay back and tried to laugh at her curious obsession with geisha girls, because it was much more likely—yes, that’s it, she told herself. I’ve got this horrible feeling, it wasn’t just something temporary for him. I’ve got this feeling he’s fallen in love with someone, although he didn’t believe it could happen to him. As I fell in love with him and didn’t believe it could happen to me. But it doesn’t make sense … Unless she’s not suitable to marry—perhaps she’s already married? Or, he is as man of his word … Did they discuss it, perhaps, and did he say to her—Roz has so many problems as it is, I can’t desert her, but anyway, I gave her my word?



She closed her eyes on hot tears of despair, then took a breath and whispered. ‘Stop it, Roz! You’re letting your imagination run wild, and all because, he can do without sleeping with you for the time being, which you really only have yourself to blame for. Nor can you blame him for not understanding that your feelings have quite suddenly … gone into reverse! But all the same, if it has happened, who could it be? I wonder … no, surely not … Louise? But then at the back of my mind I’ve always wondered about that, haven’t I? If he convinced himself, when she left him, that he didn’t love her, but it just wasn’t true. Maybe they’ve met again …?



She was lost in thought when there came the sound of another car in the driveway, but this time a glance out of the window revealed her elegant sister-in-laws Lucia Whatney climbing out of her silver Alfa-Romeo with an unusually militant expression even for her on her face.



Roz grimaced and reflected that if Lucia hadn’t known before, and hadn’t spoken to Nicky on the phone yesterday, she certainly knew now. She turned away to get dressed hurriedly, into a cream and yellow sundress. this time with matching, yellow sandals, and as she put her hair up, she came to a decision.



She would do exactly as Adam wanted from now on. She would try to relax, be a friend rather than a wife, and try to banish all the hurtful speculation whirling around in her mind. After all, she thought suddenly, I may have had some mistaken ideas about this marriage and about myself, but I can still remember the pain Mrs Howard was experiencing, although she tried so hard to cover it up, and she was so … good about her husband being attracted to me. Yet here I am putting myself through something similar.



‘Anyway, I’m not achieving anything,’ she whispered, ‘beyond getting myself in an awful tangle.’ She stood poised to leave the room and join the fray. And she stared at the bed and wondered bleakly if she’d missed the whole point.





The den was quiet and empty, but Roz soon realised why—it was too small to accommodate all the combatants. For Margaret had a brought both Richard and Amy with her and Lucia must have had Flavia and Angelo with her in the car. Anyway, they were all in the lounge with Adam and Milly, and for the moment no one noticed Roz enter quietly, so she was able to take stock.



Flavia was crying into a very small white handkerchief that was mostly, lace, Richard was as white as sheet and Margaret was almost as pale, but her eyes were angry instead of stunned; Lucia was in full spate and reminded Roz of Boadicea out to conquer the Romans as she raised one arm as she spoke, and Amy was starting to look tearful, while Angelo was obviously amused. Adam had his back to Roz and Milly was staring out expressionlessly over the garden.



Then Lucia paused for breath, Angelo realised Roz was there and called a greeting, whereupon everyone said Hello, Roz, with varying degrees of interest and it was on again.



‘As I was saying,’ Lucia said forcefully, ‘I would have expected more from you, Richard …’



‘What exactly have you got against Richard?’ Margaret interrupted. ‘don’t you just come out and say that he’s not good enough for Nicky, Lucia?’



‘No, no, Lucia does not mean that, Margaret,’ Flavia cried ‘It is not a question of that at all …’



But Margaret continued. relentlessly as if Flavia had not spoken, ‘I happen to hold a different view, Lucia. It so happens I don’t think Nicky’s good enough for Richard. ‘I mean this, what she’s done, demonstrates that perfectly. She’s an immature, spoilt child …’