To Make a Marriage(8)

'I come in peace!' Andie cried even as she held her hands up defensively.

Audrey gave a shaky sigh before placing the vase of freesias back on the  dressing-table. 'I thought it might have been someone else,' she  admitted.

Rome …  Despite Audrey's having had the vase of flowers raised as another  weapon to launch at him, Andie could see that Audrey was actually  disappointed it wasn't him!

Andie closed the bedroom door behind her, taking in the open suitcase on  the bed, the clothes thrown haphazardly inside. Audrey really was  packing to leave!

She moved to sit on the edge of the bed, realising as she looked around  just how much this room had become Audrey's over the years. The décor  was blue and cream, family photographs adorned the table by the window,  Audrey's own as well as ones of Harrie, Danie, and Andie as they were  growing up; the pastels on the walls were to Audrey's taste too. Audrey  wasn't just leaving a job; this was her home!

'Audrey.' Andie spoke firmly as the other woman continued to throw her  clothes into the suitcase. 'I asked you earlier today why you were  leaving, and you mumbled something about it being time to move on-'

'I believe I spoke quite clearly,' Audrey rebuked-although she didn't meet Andie's questioning gaze.                       
       
           



       

'Maybe,' Andie acknowledged. 'But now I would like you to tell me the  real reason-and please, don't insult my intelligence again with that  mumbo-jumbo,' she continued as Audrey would have spoken. 'I'm pregnant,  Audrey, not mentally deficient!'

Audrey paused in her trips backwards and forwards between the wardrobe  and the suitcase. 'I never for one moment thought that you were.'

'Well?' Andie prompted.

The other woman seemed to crumple in front of her eyes, tears filling  those deep blue eyes. Audrey completely lost the tight control she had  had over her emotions as she began to cry in earnest.

Andie rushed over to gather the older woman in her arms, moved beyond  words at this complete breakdown of defences. She loved Audrey, they all  did, and to see her hurting in this way was unacceptable.

'Audrey, you have to tell me.' Andie moved back slightly to look at her.  'I promise you I won't tell a single soul,' she promised chokingly,  close to tears herself now.

Audrey gave a tearful smile. 'Surely it's obvious, Andie; I'm in love  with your father! I always have been. And I always will be!'

Andie blinked. She didn't know what explanation she had been expecting;  an affair with a married man possibly, perhaps even-wildly!-a past tale  of manslaughter that Audrey could no longer live with, but it certainly  hadn't been this …

'Oh, Andie … !' Audrey laughed mirthlessly at Andie's stunned expression  as she moved away to reach for a tissue from the dressing-table, mopping  up all trace of tears from her cheeks. 'You don't see any problem with  that, do you?' she asked hesitantly.

Considering Andie knew she had loved Adam as hopelessly most of her own life … no!

But, as she also knew only too well, it hurt to love someone so  helplessly, to spend hours in the company of him and know that love  would never be returned.

Although after the way her father had been behaving since Audrey had  given him her resignation, Andie wasn't sure that was completely true in  this case …

Had Adam known all the time of Audrey's love for Rome? Was that the reason he was so angry with them all?



'Doesn't this prove what I said to you earlier, Rome?' Adam demanded harshly.

'That Audrey is in love with me?' Rome repeated, moving to the  side-dresser to pour himself a glass of brandy from the decanter there.  'Hardly!' He looked down pointedly at the damp stickiness of his  clothing before taking a large swallow of the fiery liquid.

Adam gave the older man a pitying glance. He loved Rome like the father  he had never known, or perhaps-more acceptably to Rome!-like an older  brother. But, at this moment, he could cheerfully have physically shaken  the other man to help try and make him see sense. In his business life  Rome knew no rivals, became master of every venture he went into, and  yet on a personal level he couldn't see the love right in front of his  nose!

'I don't remember Barbara ever throwing wine over me in an effort to  show her love for me,' Rome commented at Adam's continued silence.

'Barbara obviously had more subtle-ways, of showing you what an idiot you can be!' Adam replied.

'Thanks for nothing!' The older man scowled.

He looked so much like a disgruntled little boy in that moment that for  some reason Adam began to see the funny side of this situation, his  mouth twitching as he made an effort to hold back his humour-at the  other man's expense. Rome definitely looked less than his usually suave  self with the sticky wine all down his shirt-front, and as for the  indignant expression on his face … !

Rome's gaze sharpened suspiciously as he looked at Adam through narrowed  lids. 'You wouldn't happen to be laughing at me, would you?' he accused  with slow deliberation.

The grin Adam had been trying to suppress suddenly refused to be held  back any longer. In fact, it came out as more of a choked chuckle!

'Damn it, you are laughing at me!' Rome grated indignantly, slamming  down his now empty glass. 'Would it be too much to ask,' he continued  between gritted teeth as Adam began to chuckle in earnest now, 'that you  share the reason for this-this childish humour?'

Adam couldn't help it; Rome's angry indignation, on top of everything  else, was simply too much-and he burst into a loud shout of laughter.  Rome was priceless. Absolutely priceless. The man was as much in love  with Audrey as she was with him-and was fighting capitulation every inch  of the way!

Why else had he been in such a foul mood ever since Audrey had handed in  her notice? Why else had he been so insulting to the poor woman that  she had resorted to throwing wine over him? Why else had Rome brought  Barbara into their conversation just now, if not as a defence against  the love he felt for Audrey … ?                       
       
           



       

The man was as head over heels in love with Audrey as she was with  him-he was just terrified of admitting it. To the extent he was willing  to let Audrey walk out of his life?

Adam sobered slightly. 'I was just thinking it's a pity it wasn't red  wine Audrey threw at you-it would have had a much more dramatic effect  visually. Very much like blood, in fact,' he added with relish.

Rome didn't return the humorous smile that accompanied that last  statement as he looked at Adam thoughtfully. 'You have a warped sense of  humour, Mr Munroe,' he said.

'And you, Mr Summer, have no sense of humour at all at the moment,' Adam came back uncaringly.

Rome looked down at his shirt-front, pulling the damp material away from his chest. 'This shirt is silk,' he complained.

Again Adam had to hold back his humour at the other man's expense. 'Just  tell the dry cleaners you had the shakes and missed your mouth!'

'Very funny,' Rome rasped-but there was at last a responding vestige of a  smile on his lips. 'I've a good mind to ask Audrey to pay for it to be  cleaned!'

Adam grinned. 'And risk having the bottle thrown at you next time?'

Rome looked crestfallen. 'You know, I've known Audrey for twelve years now-and I had no idea she had such a violent temper!'

Adam looked surprised. 'All that suppressed passion has to be released somehow.'

Rome was nonplussed. 'And exactly what would you know about Audrey's suppressed passion?'

Adam moved to the drinks tray to pour them both a brandy, handing one of  the glasses to the other man before making his reply. 'From the mood  you've been in the last few weeks-about as much as you obviously do!'

Rome gave a heavy sigh as he sat down in one of the chairs set about the  dining-table-not the one he had been sitting in earlier, because that  was as damp as his shirt! 'Women!' he muttered with feeling.

'Not only a different species but from another planet as well,' Adam  agreed as he joined the other man and sat back down at the table.

'Obviously one of far superior intellect!' Andie snapped as she swept  into the room, looking like an enraged tigress as she came to stand at  the other end of the table, green eyes flashing angrily as she glared at  each man in turn.

Adam gave an inward groan; his remark had been meant to mock Rome, not  be taken as an insult by a member of that different species from another  planet! But it didn't need anyone of superior intellect to know that  Andie definitely felt insulted!

Andie continued to look at the two men with disgust. 'While the two of  you have been down here discussing women like a couple of immature boys  after their first date, I have been upstairs trying to persuade Audrey  that whatever you said to her-' she looked straight at her father '-you  didn't mean. Not only that, I assured her that you will most certainly  apologise to her for making the remark.'