satisfied. You can play your part by looking as if you've been swept off your feet just a little,' he added cynically.
Lisle looked down at the cold glitter on her hand. 'Naturally.' Her tone was dry. 'No doubt I slipped on the ice.'
He grinned. 'You're getting the idea, beauty,' he said approvingly, and the car moved forward again.
Gerard was coming down the stairs, as Lisle walked into the hall, Jake following closely behind her. She stopped when she saw him, and Jake paused too, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady himself.
Gerard smiled. 'Hello, young lovers,' he remarked. He looked at the ring, and his brows rose. 'Goodness, I didn't know they'd sold off the Koh-i-noor!'
Lisle gave a taut smile. 'Perhaps you'd get Jake a drink. I'll warn Petey that there's one extra for dinner.'
That accomplished, she went up to her room. For a long, long moment she stood in front of the full-length mirror studying herself minutely, then she went into the bathroom and ran herself a swift scented bath. The warm water relaxed her and took the chill from her tense limbs, and she towelled herself briskly until her body glowed. There was a favourite dress hanging in her wardrobe, stark black in a soft fine woollen material, long-sleeved, full-skirted, with a deep scooped neck. Against it, her skin looked like a pearl, and she left her throat deliberately bare, fastening the delicate diamond drops which had been Murray's gift to her on her twenty-first birthday into her ears. Her hair, brushed until it gleamed, she left loose on her shoulders.
The tension in the air was like a physical assault when she entered the drawing room, although on the surface everything looked calm, even amicable.
Gerard's smile looked as if it had been painted on as he greeted her. 'A glass of sherry, my sweet?'
She smiled her thanks and sank down gracefully on to the chesterfield, crossing her legs elegantly as she did so. She hadn't missed the sudden arrested expression on Jake's face as he'd turned to look at her, or the heated flare behind the grey eyes, and she felt an inward glow of satisfaction. He had told her to play her part, and she intended to.
'What have you been talking about?' she enquired lightly as she accepted her drink from Gerard.
Gerard grimaced. 'Harlow Bannerman—and my part in its downfall.' He attempted for equal lightness of tone, but Lisle could hear the note of resentment underlying it. 'This must be my day for hearing home truths,' he went on. 'Odd, my horoscope didn't mention it this morning.'
She saw Jake flash him an impatient glance, and groaned inwardly. Gerard so often picked the damnedest moments to be whimsical.
'How did the squash go?' she intervened hurriedly.
'Paul won easily, I'm afraid. He's become indecently fit since the last time we played, given up smoking entirely, and joined United Joggers or some ghastly thing. I'm to tell you, by the way, that you've broken his heart.'
She said wryly, 'I think it will soon mend.' She'd known Paul all her life, liked him, flirted with him and held him firmly at a distance. He was a born Lothario, with one broken marriage already behind him.
'You've had a telephone call too,' Gerard went on silkily. 'Oliver Grayson, and none too pleased either. But that might have been just because he found he was talking to me.'
Lisle gave him a dry look. 'Probably. Did he leave a message—ask me to call him back?
'Not really.' A little smile played round the corners of Gerard's mouth. 'As I say, he seemed a little upset. He wanted to know if today's announcement was some kind of ghastly hoax, and then he rang off. I almost felt sorry for him,' he added cheerfully.
'Oh dear!' Lisle stared down into the amber depths of the sherry. She had caught a glimpse of Jake's face, the firm mouth set grimly, the grey eyes narrowed. A week ago, the news of her engagement to Jake would not have cost Oliver a single pang, although it would undoubtedly have surprised him. After her performance
Lisle looked down at the cold glitter on her hand. 'Naturally.' Her tone was dry. 'No doubt I slipped on the ice.'
He grinned. 'You're getting the idea, beauty,' he said approvingly, and the car moved forward again.
Gerard was coming down the stairs, as Lisle walked into the hall, Jake following closely behind her. She stopped when she saw him, and Jake paused too, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady himself.
Gerard smiled. 'Hello, young lovers,' he remarked. He looked at the ring, and his brows rose. 'Goodness, I didn't know they'd sold off the Koh-i-noor!'
Lisle gave a taut smile. 'Perhaps you'd get Jake a drink. I'll warn Petey that there's one extra for dinner.'
That accomplished, she went up to her room. For a long, long moment she stood in front of the full-length mirror studying herself minutely, then she went into the bathroom and ran herself a swift scented bath. The warm water relaxed her and took the chill from her tense limbs, and she towelled herself briskly until her body glowed. There was a favourite dress hanging in her wardrobe, stark black in a soft fine woollen material, long-sleeved, full-skirted, with a deep scooped neck. Against it, her skin looked like a pearl, and she left her throat deliberately bare, fastening the delicate diamond drops which had been Murray's gift to her on her twenty-first birthday into her ears. Her hair, brushed until it gleamed, she left loose on her shoulders.
The tension in the air was like a physical assault when she entered the drawing room, although on the surface everything looked calm, even amicable.
Gerard's smile looked as if it had been painted on as he greeted her. 'A glass of sherry, my sweet?'
She smiled her thanks and sank down gracefully on to the chesterfield, crossing her legs elegantly as she did so. She hadn't missed the sudden arrested expression on Jake's face as he'd turned to look at her, or the heated flare behind the grey eyes, and she felt an inward glow of satisfaction. He had told her to play her part, and she intended to.
'What have you been talking about?' she enquired lightly as she accepted her drink from Gerard.
Gerard grimaced. 'Harlow Bannerman—and my part in its downfall.' He attempted for equal lightness of tone, but Lisle could hear the note of resentment underlying it. 'This must be my day for hearing home truths,' he went on. 'Odd, my horoscope didn't mention it this morning.'
She saw Jake flash him an impatient glance, and groaned inwardly. Gerard so often picked the damnedest moments to be whimsical.
'How did the squash go?' she intervened hurriedly.
'Paul won easily, I'm afraid. He's become indecently fit since the last time we played, given up smoking entirely, and joined United Joggers or some ghastly thing. I'm to tell you, by the way, that you've broken his heart.'
She said wryly, 'I think it will soon mend.' She'd known Paul all her life, liked him, flirted with him and held him firmly at a distance. He was a born Lothario, with one broken marriage already behind him.
'You've had a telephone call too,' Gerard went on silkily. 'Oliver Grayson, and none too pleased either. But that might have been just because he found he was talking to me.'
Lisle gave him a dry look. 'Probably. Did he leave a message—ask me to call him back?
'Not really.' A little smile played round the corners of Gerard's mouth. 'As I say, he seemed a little upset. He wanted to know if today's announcement was some kind of ghastly hoax, and then he rang off. I almost felt sorry for him,' he added cheerfully.
'Oh dear!' Lisle stared down into the amber depths of the sherry. She had caught a glimpse of Jake's face, the firm mouth set grimly, the grey eyes narrowed. A week ago, the news of her engagement to Jake would not have cost Oliver a single pang, although it would undoubtedly have surprised him. After her performance
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