reached for her hand, and some impulse made her enfold his in both of hers, squeezing comfortingly.
‘Charm isn’t always a virtue,’ she said. ‘A man can have too much of it.’
‘Well, nobody’s ever accused me of that.’
‘Good. Just honesty—’
‘I hope so.’
‘And upright virtue.’
‘Nobody’s ever accused me of that either,’ he said with an air of alarm that made her chuckle. ‘You teasing little shrew. What are you trying to do to me?’
‘Cheer you up,’ she said. ‘You really need it.’
‘Yes, I do. And I might have guessed you’d be the one to see it. Come on. Let’s face them together.’
On the way down in the elevator he said, ‘Mary’s here. I saw her this afternoon.’
‘And the children?’
‘Briefly. None of us knew what to say, but that was because he was there.’
‘He?’
‘Ken, the guy who thinks he’s going to replace me as their father. They’re all in the same suite, a “family”, Mary says.’
‘How do they get on with Ken?’
‘They seem to like him,’ Darius sighed. ‘Good.’
For a moment he scowled, but then sighed and said, ‘All right, say it.’
‘If they get on with their stepfather they’ll be happier. And I know you won’t spoil that because you love them too much.’
A faint ironic smile touched his lips. ‘All right, teacher. I’ve taken the lesson on board.’
‘Just make sure that you pay attention,’ she commanded him severely.
His eyes swept over her glamorous appearance. ‘I am paying attention,’ he assured her. ‘But that wasn’t what you meant, was it?’
‘No, it wasn’t. Bad boy. Go to the back of the class.’
‘Fine, I’ll get an even better view of you from there.’
‘Behave!’
‘Aren’t I allowed to say that you’re beautiful and gorgeous and—?’
‘No, you are not allowed to say it.’
‘All right. I’ll just think it.’
She’d done what she’d set out to do, put him in a cheerful mood for the evening. And nothing else mattered. She had to remember that!
As they emerged from the elevator downstairs they could see people already streaming towards the great room where the reception was to be held.
As soon as they entered Harriet saw their hosts on a slightly raised dais at the far end. There was Mary, smiling, greeting her guests. Beside her stood Ken, the man she was about to marry, and on the other side were the children, dressed up in formal clothes and looking uncomfortable.
Harriet was alive with curiosity to meet the woman Darius had loved and married, who had borne him two children, then preferred another man. An incredible decision, whispered the voice that she tried vainly to silence.
‘Ready?’ Darius murmured in her ear.
‘Ready for anything.’
‘Then forward into battle,’
She was aware of heads turned in curiosity as Mary’s ex-husband advanced with another woman on his arm, and now she was glad he’d arrayed her in fine clothes so that she could do him proud.
Mary was a tall, elegant woman, with a beauty Harriet could only envy. But she also had a down-to-earth manner and an air of kindness that Harriet hadn’t expected from the woman who’d spoken to her sharply on the phone.
‘Mary, this is Harriet,’ Darius said. ‘Harriet, this is Mary, who was my wife until she decided she couldn’t stand me any longer.’
There was real warmth in Mary’s embrace, and her declaration, ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’ But the way she then stood back and regarded Harriet was disconcerting. It was the look of someone who’d heard a lot and was intensely curious. It might have been Harriet’s imagination that Mary then gave a little nod.
Ken, her fiancé, was quiet, conventional, pleasant-looking but unremarkable. He greeted Harriet in friendly fashion, acknowledged Darius and escaped as soon as possible.
‘We’ve spoken on the telephone,’ Mary said to Harriet. ‘I recognise your voice.’
‘Yes, Harriet was part of the lifeboat crew that saved
‘Charm isn’t always a virtue,’ she said. ‘A man can have too much of it.’
‘Well, nobody’s ever accused me of that.’
‘Good. Just honesty—’
‘I hope so.’
‘And upright virtue.’
‘Nobody’s ever accused me of that either,’ he said with an air of alarm that made her chuckle. ‘You teasing little shrew. What are you trying to do to me?’
‘Cheer you up,’ she said. ‘You really need it.’
‘Yes, I do. And I might have guessed you’d be the one to see it. Come on. Let’s face them together.’
On the way down in the elevator he said, ‘Mary’s here. I saw her this afternoon.’
‘And the children?’
‘Briefly. None of us knew what to say, but that was because he was there.’
‘He?’
‘Ken, the guy who thinks he’s going to replace me as their father. They’re all in the same suite, a “family”, Mary says.’
‘How do they get on with Ken?’
‘They seem to like him,’ Darius sighed. ‘Good.’
For a moment he scowled, but then sighed and said, ‘All right, say it.’
‘If they get on with their stepfather they’ll be happier. And I know you won’t spoil that because you love them too much.’
A faint ironic smile touched his lips. ‘All right, teacher. I’ve taken the lesson on board.’
‘Just make sure that you pay attention,’ she commanded him severely.
His eyes swept over her glamorous appearance. ‘I am paying attention,’ he assured her. ‘But that wasn’t what you meant, was it?’
‘No, it wasn’t. Bad boy. Go to the back of the class.’
‘Fine, I’ll get an even better view of you from there.’
‘Behave!’
‘Aren’t I allowed to say that you’re beautiful and gorgeous and—?’
‘No, you are not allowed to say it.’
‘All right. I’ll just think it.’
She’d done what she’d set out to do, put him in a cheerful mood for the evening. And nothing else mattered. She had to remember that!
As they emerged from the elevator downstairs they could see people already streaming towards the great room where the reception was to be held.
As soon as they entered Harriet saw their hosts on a slightly raised dais at the far end. There was Mary, smiling, greeting her guests. Beside her stood Ken, the man she was about to marry, and on the other side were the children, dressed up in formal clothes and looking uncomfortable.
Harriet was alive with curiosity to meet the woman Darius had loved and married, who had borne him two children, then preferred another man. An incredible decision, whispered the voice that she tried vainly to silence.
‘Ready?’ Darius murmured in her ear.
‘Ready for anything.’
‘Then forward into battle,’
She was aware of heads turned in curiosity as Mary’s ex-husband advanced with another woman on his arm, and now she was glad he’d arrayed her in fine clothes so that she could do him proud.
Mary was a tall, elegant woman, with a beauty Harriet could only envy. But she also had a down-to-earth manner and an air of kindness that Harriet hadn’t expected from the woman who’d spoken to her sharply on the phone.
‘Mary, this is Harriet,’ Darius said. ‘Harriet, this is Mary, who was my wife until she decided she couldn’t stand me any longer.’
There was real warmth in Mary’s embrace, and her declaration, ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’ But the way she then stood back and regarded Harriet was disconcerting. It was the look of someone who’d heard a lot and was intensely curious. It might have been Harriet’s imagination that Mary then gave a little nod.
Ken, her fiancé, was quiet, conventional, pleasant-looking but unremarkable. He greeted Harriet in friendly fashion, acknowledged Darius and escaped as soon as possible.
‘We’ve spoken on the telephone,’ Mary said to Harriet. ‘I recognise your voice.’
‘Yes, Harriet was part of the lifeboat crew that saved
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