Sinful Nights(39)

Her birthday was six weeks away, and Lissa marvelled at Joel's ability  to remember such a trivial thing, just as she was chilled by his ability  to reason and plan. It made sense of course-she was the last person to  want a lot of speculation and curiosity about why they were marrying.

And Lissa one thing more,' he continued in a quiet voice. Once we are  married I shall expect you to stay faithful to your vows. We live in a  very quiet village and  … '

 …  and a front of respectability must be maintained at all times,' she  finished bitterly for him, remembering that this had been her parents'  attitude. Almost as though he read her mind, Joel put in curtly, You  hurt your parents very deeply with your unconventional behaviour Lissa,  but I won't accept it the way they did.'

Hurt them!' Lissa was incredulous  …  struck dumb by his arrogant charm.  He knew nothing about her relationship with her family, nothing at all  …

Yes.' Joel continued as though she hadn't interrupted. I can vividly  remember your father's shock that night when you deceived him to go to  that party. They were dining with my parents and your father developed a  migraine. I offered to run them back as your mother couldn't drive.  When they got home and found you gone your father was beside himself.  Luckily your mother remembered the telphone number of your friend and it  was from her parents that they learned where you were  …  Your mother  explained to me later the problems they'd had with you  …  how wild and  uncontrollable you were, how you'd got in with a bad set  …  I must say at  first I was disinclined to believe them, but when I walked into that  house with your father and found half the kids in it were put of their  minds on drugs and the other half on drink  … '

Lissa could have told him that the drugs had come from the older brother  of one of the boys there who had brought them home from university, and  as for the drink  …  well most of them had been so young and  inexperienced that a couple of glasses of wine had been more than  sufficient to go to their heads, never mind the weird punch concoction  that had been served.

But of course you were out for another kind of thrill weren't you Lissa   … ? How many others had you been to bed with before him?'

Does it matter?' She felt literally sick, her body shaking with tension  as she saw herself through Joel's eyes. She remembered how the brief  dress had ridden up exposing her thighs, the low neckline revealing the  curves of her breasts and she shuddered deeply. To bolster herself up  she demanded huskily, If you disapprove of me so much Joel, why marry  me? If I've slipped so far beyond the pale, I'm surprised you're even  contemplating it. My morals  … '    

 



 

It isn't your morals that are at issue,' Joel cut in angrily. I don't  give a damn how many men you've slept with Lissa. I'm not hypocritical  enough to expect a woman to remain chaste while a man does not  …  no,  what baffles me is that you should have so little respect for yourself  …   so little self-pride. The gift of your body to another human being is  exactly that-a gift-not something to be thrown away lightly, but  something to be treasured  … '

And to ensure that Emma and Louise treasure theirs, are you going to  keep a ball and chain on them while they're growing up, as my father did  me,' Lissa hit out blindly.

Joel looked at her, his expression hard to define, but somewhere in it  was a pity that lashed at her pride, and made her burn with resentment.  How dare he pity her. How dare he falsely accuse her  …  force her into a  set pattern that was not hers and never had been.

No  …  I shall tell them that whatever they do in life is by their own  choice, and it matters little what it is, or what others think, as long  as they can face themselves and keep their own self-respect intact.  Self-respect is more important than the opinions of others; than  momentary sexual release  … '

And you of course are speaking from experience,' Lissa taunted bitterly.

I've never made love to a woman I don't both like and honour, if that's what you mean,' Joel agreed with devastating candour.

A bitter smile curved Lissa's mouth. Then obviously you're prepared to  make an exception in my case.' She could feel tears pricking the backs  of her eyes, and hated herself for her weakness. Flinging down the cloth  she was holding, she hurried out of the kitchen, conscious of Joel  calling her name, but the strident shrill of the telephone prevented him  from following her.

It was half an hour or so before she felt able to go back downstairs.

The girls were seated at the now cleared kitchen table, busily drawing  on large sheets of paper. Joel was filling the coffee maker and turned  as she walked in.

Let's just put the past behind us Lissa,' he said in a clipped voice,  without looking at her. All I want is your promise that you will adhere  to our marriage vows; that there'll be no sneaking off to meet the  likes of Greaves.'

Was he worried that she might neglect the children? That must be it,  Lissa thought subduing a mild bout of hysteria at the thought of her of  all people sneaking off to meet any man. If only he knew! But he must  not know! Quite why she should feel so strongly that she must keep the  truth from him Lissa wasn't sure. She had sensed a compassion and  gentleness in his attitude towards the girls that she had once believed  alien to his nature and if he knew the truth that compassion might even  be extended to include herself. But she didn't want his compassion, she  told herself angrily. She didn't want to like him  …  she didn't want him  to like her. To stop herself from pursuing this potentially dangerous  line of thought she asked sweetly, And you Joel, do you intend to keep  to your vows?'

Do you want me to?'

He was challenging her, Lissa knew that, but her eyes dropped away from  the golden gleam of his. He laughed softly, and feather light shivers of  alarm coursed over her body as he came towards her. What an enigma you  are Lissa,' he said quietly. What did I say to provoke this.' His  fingers touched her heated face and she blushed harder, hating herself  to doing so. Surely it can't be the thought of me as your lover that  makes you so hot and bothered. After all to you what's one more man?'

Auntie Lissa, come and look at my drawing,' Louise demanded, giving  Lissa an opportune excuse for moving away. Her heart was thumping  jerkily, her body a melting pot of strange and alien sensations, her  nerves stretched like over-fine wire.

I've got to go out,' Joel informed her. I'm interviewing several  applicants for John's job.' A shadow crossed his face, and Lissa felt a  tug of sympathy for him. He had been very close to his brother, she  knew.

Originally Joel had overseen both the estate and the business, but after  their father had retired John had taken over as Managing Director of  the company, and Joel had concentrated on running the estate, bringing  in many new innovative measures, according to Amanda, but he had also  been on hand to help and advise John whenever his help was needed. He  had other business interests too according to Amanda, with money  invested wisely in a variety of enterprises. All in all he was a shrewd  and very astute man; a husband many women would be delighted to have;  physically he was extremely attractive, his manner towards the children  was both gentle and firm. He would make an excellent father, she found  herself thinking, swiftly denying the thought. There would be no  children for them, and if he didn't like it well then  …  he would  …  he  would simply have to divorce her  …  She subdued a bubble of hysterical  laughter forming in her throat. How many potential brides were thinking  about divorce even before the wedding ceremony took place.    

 



 

Later on in the day, when she had settled the girls for a nap, having  previously taken them for a walk, Lissa had time on her hands to think.  She should never have agreed to marry Joel she knew, but having agreed  how could she back out now, without losing the girls? Already this one  day spent with them had been full of so many small pleasures; had moved  her to such love and laughter that she couldn't bear the thought of  being without them. Joel wanted to marry her because she was their aunt,  not because he cared in the slightest for her, she reminded herself,  trying to make herself feel less guilty. That he had also intimated to  her that he desired her physically, she tried to dismiss. How could he  desire her when by his own admission all his previous women had had his  respect and affection; neither of which there was the remotest chance of  her having. She should really go to London and pack up her belongings,  make arrangements for her flat, but Joel had told her that he would  arrange to do all that was necessary. He wanted her to stay with the  girls he had told her.

Sighing faintly Lissa tried not to think about the looming proximity of  the wedding. Instead she turned her mind to working out how best to tell  Joel that she thought he ought to find another housekeeper, one who had  a more relaxed attitude towards children.