ruefully.
'You don't have to face him alone,' her mother told her grimly. 'It would give me great pleasure to reduce him to the worm that he is.'
'People like him and Charles bounce back stronger than ever,' Beth sighed, resting back in her car seat with her eyes closed on the drive to the Trents' home.
She had no sooner got in the door to the house, given her jacket to the butler, engaged in polite conversation with Barbara about some trivial matter—although she would guess that her hostess would much rather have questioned her about the divorce and Martin's new engagement —when she saw Marcus across the elegant lounge in conversation with their host!
His devastating good looks in the black dinner suit and snowy white shirt, his air of quiet authority, would have drawn attention to him no matter where he might be, and Beth could see several of the women in the room eye him speculatively, their interest obvious.
But Beth knew she would have seen him instantly anyway, her own attraction towards him undeniable.
'What the hell are you doing here?'
Beth had been so intent on Marcus that she hadn't even noticed Martin's approach until he rasped those angry words in her ear, turning to him with as much control as she could muster given the circumstances. 'Good evening, Martin,' she greeted coolly, looking up at his too-handsome face with the over-charming smile, his body elegantly slender rather than powerful. She couldn't help wondering, after looking so recently at Marqus, how she could have fallen for Martin in the first place!
There were several years' difference in the two men's ages, Martin thirty to Marcus's mid-thirties, and yet it owed nothing to this difference in ages that in comparison with the other man Martin looked weak and affected. Beth knew to her cost that Martin was weak where money was in question.
'I asked what you're doing here?' he bit out forcefully, fury glittering in his blue eyes.
‘I———‘
'Well, hello, Martin.' Katherine joined them, her eyes hard with warning as she looked at him.
Martin never had been quite sure how to behave with Katherine. After all, she was still Charles's wife, even if the older couple had been separated for years. And as usual he obviously felt caught between what he would really like to say to her and what he felt he could in the circumstances. 'Katherine,' he nodded an abrupt greeting.
Green eyes glittered Katherine's contempt for him; she was well aware of his discomfort, and pleased by the situation he found himself in. 'I believe congratulations are in order for you,' she drawled contemptuously. 'And condolences for Brenda, of course,' she added hardly.
'I believe one extends felicitations for the future bride,' Martin ground out tautly.
'Really?' Katherine seemed to consider the suggestion for a few moments, and then she shook her head. 'No, I believe I was right the first time,' she said coldly, giving him a slow scathing look. 'Where is the poor unfortunate girl?'
'Powdering her nose,' he grated. 'But I don't want you—- '
'Don't try your little threatening games with me, Martin,' she warned him in a dangerously soft voice. 'I've been dealing with an expert for years, and you aren't in his league!'
'Yet,' he challenged, in no doubt whom she alluded to.
Katherine looked him over slowly, and Beth could only stand back and admire her mother's control; caught off guard as she had been, after seeing Marcus so unexpectedly, she hadn't been ready for Martin's appearance. Her mother had sensed her disconcertion, although she couldn't guess the reason for it, and had taken over the conversation—very successfully, Beth acknowledged with amusement.
'Ever,' Katherine told him tauntingly. 'Oh, I'll admit you're well on your way to being a first-class bastard like he is, but you simply don't have what it takes to really be able to step into Charles's shoes. Your success depends on too many other people; Charles succeeded in spite of other
'You don't have to face him alone,' her mother told her grimly. 'It would give me great pleasure to reduce him to the worm that he is.'
'People like him and Charles bounce back stronger than ever,' Beth sighed, resting back in her car seat with her eyes closed on the drive to the Trents' home.
She had no sooner got in the door to the house, given her jacket to the butler, engaged in polite conversation with Barbara about some trivial matter—although she would guess that her hostess would much rather have questioned her about the divorce and Martin's new engagement —when she saw Marcus across the elegant lounge in conversation with their host!
His devastating good looks in the black dinner suit and snowy white shirt, his air of quiet authority, would have drawn attention to him no matter where he might be, and Beth could see several of the women in the room eye him speculatively, their interest obvious.
But Beth knew she would have seen him instantly anyway, her own attraction towards him undeniable.
'What the hell are you doing here?'
Beth had been so intent on Marcus that she hadn't even noticed Martin's approach until he rasped those angry words in her ear, turning to him with as much control as she could muster given the circumstances. 'Good evening, Martin,' she greeted coolly, looking up at his too-handsome face with the over-charming smile, his body elegantly slender rather than powerful. She couldn't help wondering, after looking so recently at Marqus, how she could have fallen for Martin in the first place!
There were several years' difference in the two men's ages, Martin thirty to Marcus's mid-thirties, and yet it owed nothing to this difference in ages that in comparison with the other man Martin looked weak and affected. Beth knew to her cost that Martin was weak where money was in question.
'I asked what you're doing here?' he bit out forcefully, fury glittering in his blue eyes.
‘I———‘
'Well, hello, Martin.' Katherine joined them, her eyes hard with warning as she looked at him.
Martin never had been quite sure how to behave with Katherine. After all, she was still Charles's wife, even if the older couple had been separated for years. And as usual he obviously felt caught between what he would really like to say to her and what he felt he could in the circumstances. 'Katherine,' he nodded an abrupt greeting.
Green eyes glittered Katherine's contempt for him; she was well aware of his discomfort, and pleased by the situation he found himself in. 'I believe congratulations are in order for you,' she drawled contemptuously. 'And condolences for Brenda, of course,' she added hardly.
'I believe one extends felicitations for the future bride,' Martin ground out tautly.
'Really?' Katherine seemed to consider the suggestion for a few moments, and then she shook her head. 'No, I believe I was right the first time,' she said coldly, giving him a slow scathing look. 'Where is the poor unfortunate girl?'
'Powdering her nose,' he grated. 'But I don't want you—- '
'Don't try your little threatening games with me, Martin,' she warned him in a dangerously soft voice. 'I've been dealing with an expert for years, and you aren't in his league!'
'Yet,' he challenged, in no doubt whom she alluded to.
Katherine looked him over slowly, and Beth could only stand back and admire her mother's control; caught off guard as she had been, after seeing Marcus so unexpectedly, she hadn't been ready for Martin's appearance. Her mother had sensed her disconcertion, although she couldn't guess the reason for it, and had taken over the conversation—very successfully, Beth acknowledged with amusement.
'Ever,' Katherine told him tauntingly. 'Oh, I'll admit you're well on your way to being a first-class bastard like he is, but you simply don't have what it takes to really be able to step into Charles's shoes. Your success depends on too many other people; Charles succeeded in spite of other
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