there,' she added coldly. 'Why didn't you come straight home from school, if choir practice was cancelled, as you're supposed to do?'
'My God, will you listen to yourself?' Jenny rolled her eyes to heaven, temporarily diverted. 'I'm not a small child. I can go into town, if I want.' She shook her head. 'I can't believe you, Chessie. How could you do this? It's obscene.'
'How dare you say that?' Chessie said furiously.
'Because it's the truth. How can you marry anyone when you're in love with Alastair? It's crazy—horrible. And es¬pecially when it's The Ogre.' She shuddered. 'Then it be¬comes revolting.'
'Stop that right now.' There was a note in Chessie's voice that shocked them both. 'You will never talk like that about Miles again, understand? I won't allow it' 'Chessie!'
'I mean it. Your attitude to him has been a disgrace from the start.' The words were tumbling over each other. 'He's kind and generous, and he wants to take care of us both, so, from now on, you start being civil at least.'
'But Alastair's back,' Jenny wailed. 'Why didn't you wait for him?'
'Because he didn't ask me to,' Chessie said steadily, steeling herself against the pang of remembered pain.
'But you can't be in love with Miles Hunter. You just can't.'
'I didn't say that.' Chessie dipped her toe into deep wa¬ters. 'But we have—an understanding, and our relationship will be based on that—not on some silly romantic dream.'
'I can't believe you've just said that.' Jenny sounded genuinely horrified. 'You must have let him brainwash you.'
'No,' Chessie returned. 'I'm just facing up to reality.'
`Then Linnet was right. She said you just wanted his money, and he was looking for a nurse. Oh, Chess, how can you?' She ended on a little wail of distress.
'Come and sit down.' Chessie led her firmly into the kitchen, and placed her at the table. 'Miles and I are en¬gaged, but not for any of the reasons you think.' She took a deep breath. 'We're going to try and build a relationship together, that's all. See if we can make it work.'
'And if it doesn't?' Jenny's eyes were fixed on her pain¬fully.
Chessie shrugged. "Then we part friends,' she returned with an insouciance she was far from feeling.
'Friends,' Jenny said bitterly. 'When was he ever our friend? He'd never get anyone to work as hard as you do for the money, and he wants to tie you down so that you don't leave and make a life for yourself. You're just going to moulder here with him. And he's an ice man. He has no feelings.'
For one burning, tingling moment, Chessie remembered the feel—the taste—of Miles' mouth on hers. The hunger in his lean body that had ignited her own crazy response. No feelings?
She swallowed. 'Well—we're not married yet. And I'm certainly old enough to make my own decisions. And while I'm doing so, you will behave,' she added sternly. 'So— no more of this secret pub crawls of yours.'
Jenny's flushed face wore an expression of mingled guilt and anger. 'I suppose he told you. He's always hanging round the garden at all hours being spooky.'
'Well, it's his garden,' Chessie reminded her levelly. 'And it wasn't Miles, anyway. Jim Fewston tipped me off.' She hesitated. 'He also told me you were seeing someone. Why didn't you tell me, Jen? You know I'm always glad to meet your friends.'
'For tea on Sunday, I suppose,' Jenny returned rudely. 'Do me a favour. Anyway, it's not a big thing, so don't fuss.'
'Has he at least got a name?'
'Zak,' Jenny conceded reluctantly. 'Zak Woods. He works in the garage on the bypass.'
'Oh.' Chessie tried to conceal her dismay. She'd as¬sumed he would be a sixth former at the local boys' school. 'How did you meet him?' she asked carefully.
Jenny looked down at the table. 'It was at that disco,' she said. 'The one I went to with Linda.'
But that was weeks ago, Chessie realised with alarm. And Jenny presumably had been seeing this Zak secretly all this time.
She steeled herself. 'Jenny, darling,' she said
'My God, will you listen to yourself?' Jenny rolled her eyes to heaven, temporarily diverted. 'I'm not a small child. I can go into town, if I want.' She shook her head. 'I can't believe you, Chessie. How could you do this? It's obscene.'
'How dare you say that?' Chessie said furiously.
'Because it's the truth. How can you marry anyone when you're in love with Alastair? It's crazy—horrible. And es¬pecially when it's The Ogre.' She shuddered. 'Then it be¬comes revolting.'
'Stop that right now.' There was a note in Chessie's voice that shocked them both. 'You will never talk like that about Miles again, understand? I won't allow it' 'Chessie!'
'I mean it. Your attitude to him has been a disgrace from the start.' The words were tumbling over each other. 'He's kind and generous, and he wants to take care of us both, so, from now on, you start being civil at least.'
'But Alastair's back,' Jenny wailed. 'Why didn't you wait for him?'
'Because he didn't ask me to,' Chessie said steadily, steeling herself against the pang of remembered pain.
'But you can't be in love with Miles Hunter. You just can't.'
'I didn't say that.' Chessie dipped her toe into deep wa¬ters. 'But we have—an understanding, and our relationship will be based on that—not on some silly romantic dream.'
'I can't believe you've just said that.' Jenny sounded genuinely horrified. 'You must have let him brainwash you.'
'No,' Chessie returned. 'I'm just facing up to reality.'
`Then Linnet was right. She said you just wanted his money, and he was looking for a nurse. Oh, Chess, how can you?' She ended on a little wail of distress.
'Come and sit down.' Chessie led her firmly into the kitchen, and placed her at the table. 'Miles and I are en¬gaged, but not for any of the reasons you think.' She took a deep breath. 'We're going to try and build a relationship together, that's all. See if we can make it work.'
'And if it doesn't?' Jenny's eyes were fixed on her pain¬fully.
Chessie shrugged. "Then we part friends,' she returned with an insouciance she was far from feeling.
'Friends,' Jenny said bitterly. 'When was he ever our friend? He'd never get anyone to work as hard as you do for the money, and he wants to tie you down so that you don't leave and make a life for yourself. You're just going to moulder here with him. And he's an ice man. He has no feelings.'
For one burning, tingling moment, Chessie remembered the feel—the taste—of Miles' mouth on hers. The hunger in his lean body that had ignited her own crazy response. No feelings?
She swallowed. 'Well—we're not married yet. And I'm certainly old enough to make my own decisions. And while I'm doing so, you will behave,' she added sternly. 'So— no more of this secret pub crawls of yours.'
Jenny's flushed face wore an expression of mingled guilt and anger. 'I suppose he told you. He's always hanging round the garden at all hours being spooky.'
'Well, it's his garden,' Chessie reminded her levelly. 'And it wasn't Miles, anyway. Jim Fewston tipped me off.' She hesitated. 'He also told me you were seeing someone. Why didn't you tell me, Jen? You know I'm always glad to meet your friends.'
'For tea on Sunday, I suppose,' Jenny returned rudely. 'Do me a favour. Anyway, it's not a big thing, so don't fuss.'
'Has he at least got a name?'
'Zak,' Jenny conceded reluctantly. 'Zak Woods. He works in the garage on the bypass.'
'Oh.' Chessie tried to conceal her dismay. She'd as¬sumed he would be a sixth former at the local boys' school. 'How did you meet him?' she asked carefully.
Jenny looked down at the table. 'It was at that disco,' she said. 'The one I went to with Linda.'
But that was weeks ago, Chessie realised with alarm. And Jenny presumably had been seeing this Zak secretly all this time.
She steeled herself. 'Jenny, darling,' she said
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