someone was already beginning to clear their vehicle preparatory to beginning the day.
As she watched, a family saloon came down the street,very slowly, before disappearing round the far corner and leaving deep indentations in the snow.
Thank goodness she hadn’t got to rely on a car or public transport to get to work. It was going to be chaotic on the roads this morning. She felt a brief glow of pleasure at her autonomy before she shivered convulsively and set to work restoring the bed back into a sofa. Soon the gas fire was blazing away, she had a steaming cup of coffee at her elbow, and she was snuggled on the sofa with her duvet wrapped around her as she sipped at the drink.
Would Zeke be awake yet? Suddenly all the brief magic was gone. He had been angry last night, furiously angry, and when he had seen her home, after they had taken her father to pick up his car from the apartment car park where he’d left it, the atmosphere had been tense and electric.
She had thought, once they were alone, that he would allude to her comment about becoming a student, but he hadn’t, and when she had tried to broach the matter he had been curt and hostile in his refusal to discuss it.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have pushed it at that point? she asked herself as she placed the empty coffee cup on the floor before pulling the duvet’s thick folds more securely round her. The evening had been one of highly charged emotion as it was, and he’d obviously clicked on to the fact that she wasn’t going to fall into his arms and go home with him, in spite of what had come to light regarding Liliana.
But when they had reached the bedsit and she’d become aware he intended to drive away without another word something had snapped. She’d screamed at him, she reflected miserably, positively screamed. ‘How can you say goodnight like that and just leave?’ she’d shouted. ‘What’s the matter with you anyway?’
‘Me?’ There had been savagery in his eyes as he’dswung round to face her in the car. ‘I said goodnight because it is perfectly obvious you don’t want to be in my company a second more than is necessary, that’s all.’
‘That is not all.’
‘Oh, yes, it is, Marianne. You heard Liliana and Claude, you know there’s nothing between Liliana and I, but you don’t want to come home. End of story.’
‘End of story?’ She hadn’t been shouting then; her voice had been scarcely a whisper. ‘We haven’t talked anything out, Zeke,’ she’d said brokenly, ‘so how can it be end of story? This is our marriage you’re talking about. Our marriage. ’
‘You think I don’t know that?’ he’d said in cold, clipped tones.
‘I’ve no idea what you know or don’t know,’ she’d said grimly. ‘How could I have? You never talk to me, not really, and you never listen either. Everything, everything , is on your terms, always. I’m expected to sit at home twiddling my thumbs all day and wait for you to return from the world of million-dollar deals and fast living, and then just be the sweet, docile wife with the dinner ready and the bedclothes laid back.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he’d said harshly. ‘It’s not like that.’
‘It’s exactly like that.’ She glanced at him, but he’d been staring ahead, his features rigid. ‘I know I shouldn’t have believed you were having an affair, but everything pointed to it, don’t you see? Liliana is in your world, and she’s vibrant and alive and interesting. And you needed her, needed her expertise and flair. Certainly more than you needed me,’ she’d added bitterly.
‘What?’ His eyes had flashed to her for a moment. ‘You can’t believe that.’
‘Well, I do.’ She’d taken a deep breath. ‘I’ve becomesomeone else since I married you and I don’t like it; I don’t like her , the person I see in the mirror every morning. You wouldn’t talk about my getting a job or doing voluntary work. You didn’t like it if I saw Pat or any of
As she watched, a family saloon came down the street,very slowly, before disappearing round the far corner and leaving deep indentations in the snow.
Thank goodness she hadn’t got to rely on a car or public transport to get to work. It was going to be chaotic on the roads this morning. She felt a brief glow of pleasure at her autonomy before she shivered convulsively and set to work restoring the bed back into a sofa. Soon the gas fire was blazing away, she had a steaming cup of coffee at her elbow, and she was snuggled on the sofa with her duvet wrapped around her as she sipped at the drink.
Would Zeke be awake yet? Suddenly all the brief magic was gone. He had been angry last night, furiously angry, and when he had seen her home, after they had taken her father to pick up his car from the apartment car park where he’d left it, the atmosphere had been tense and electric.
She had thought, once they were alone, that he would allude to her comment about becoming a student, but he hadn’t, and when she had tried to broach the matter he had been curt and hostile in his refusal to discuss it.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have pushed it at that point? she asked herself as she placed the empty coffee cup on the floor before pulling the duvet’s thick folds more securely round her. The evening had been one of highly charged emotion as it was, and he’d obviously clicked on to the fact that she wasn’t going to fall into his arms and go home with him, in spite of what had come to light regarding Liliana.
But when they had reached the bedsit and she’d become aware he intended to drive away without another word something had snapped. She’d screamed at him, she reflected miserably, positively screamed. ‘How can you say goodnight like that and just leave?’ she’d shouted. ‘What’s the matter with you anyway?’
‘Me?’ There had been savagery in his eyes as he’dswung round to face her in the car. ‘I said goodnight because it is perfectly obvious you don’t want to be in my company a second more than is necessary, that’s all.’
‘That is not all.’
‘Oh, yes, it is, Marianne. You heard Liliana and Claude, you know there’s nothing between Liliana and I, but you don’t want to come home. End of story.’
‘End of story?’ She hadn’t been shouting then; her voice had been scarcely a whisper. ‘We haven’t talked anything out, Zeke,’ she’d said brokenly, ‘so how can it be end of story? This is our marriage you’re talking about. Our marriage. ’
‘You think I don’t know that?’ he’d said in cold, clipped tones.
‘I’ve no idea what you know or don’t know,’ she’d said grimly. ‘How could I have? You never talk to me, not really, and you never listen either. Everything, everything , is on your terms, always. I’m expected to sit at home twiddling my thumbs all day and wait for you to return from the world of million-dollar deals and fast living, and then just be the sweet, docile wife with the dinner ready and the bedclothes laid back.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he’d said harshly. ‘It’s not like that.’
‘It’s exactly like that.’ She glanced at him, but he’d been staring ahead, his features rigid. ‘I know I shouldn’t have believed you were having an affair, but everything pointed to it, don’t you see? Liliana is in your world, and she’s vibrant and alive and interesting. And you needed her, needed her expertise and flair. Certainly more than you needed me,’ she’d added bitterly.
‘What?’ His eyes had flashed to her for a moment. ‘You can’t believe that.’
‘Well, I do.’ She’d taken a deep breath. ‘I’ve becomesomeone else since I married you and I don’t like it; I don’t like her , the person I see in the mirror every morning. You wouldn’t talk about my getting a job or doing voluntary work. You didn’t like it if I saw Pat or any of
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