fall in love with,” she cut Lucy off.
“ Then I allowed myself to marry him,” Lucy continued, “knowing full well that he didn’t feel the same. And then I deluded myself into believing that we could be happy, that he might come to love me the same way I love him.” She sighed. “I can’t help being angry though, no matter how unjustified and if I tell him anything about what happened that day, I might just end up killing him.”
“So you do still love him?”
Lucy looked at her friend for the first time since this conversation began.
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t care how many mistresses he has.”
“I’m sure there must be an explanation,” May insisted. “I have known my brother since childhood, well, since he was three to be exact, and I know he isn’t like that.”
“ Like what? The type of man who sleeps with many different women? We both know that isn’t true.”
May wanted to scream that he only did that, because he was frustrated that Lucy wouldn’t love him as he loved her.
For two people who had always been as close as Max and Lucy were, they certainly were stupid sometimes.
“You can’t tell Max,” Lucy implored. “He would just try to weasel out of it, and I really don’t want to get blood on my rugs.”
May smiled, amazed at her friend’s resilience and that she could joke after all she had been through.
“ Very well.”
“You swear?”
“I swear,” May answered, making a cross over her heart with her left hand, and keeping the crossed fingers of her right hand, safely hidden behind her back.
They sat in silence for a few moments, watching Sophie as she picked some daisies from the otherwise flawless lawn.
“If you ever find yourselves short of money, I'm sure our garden could use Sophie’s services. He is always bemoaning how quickly the daisies come up.”
May smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“So what happens now?” May asked.
Lucy’s smile faded too. “I will learn to forgive him for not loving me, I always have in the past, then we will carry on as we used to, as friends. He will get his heir one day, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’m not, I'm worried about you. Both of you actually. You look as though you haven’t had a good meal in months, and Max looks as if he hasn’t slept in weeks.”
“I'm sorry if my distance is hurting him but I need it to survive right now , May.”
“I know. ” She smiled. “How about if we continue this walk and try to think of happier topics?”
Lucy nodded and carefully got to her feet, so as not to wake the baby.
“Why don’t you tell me about this little man,” Lucy suggested.
“Oh, I could talk all week about that,” May grinned.
***
May returned to her suite of rooms for an hour, just in case Lucy was keeping an eye on her, then she went in search of Max. She found him in the study, looking out into the gardens. He didn’t turn as she entered, so she marched up to him and cuffed him around the back of the head, none too gently.
“Hey, what was that for?” he turned to her, looking confused. May adored him, and he her, so this was thoroughly out of character for her
“For being the biggest idiot in all of England!” She was steaming mad. “How could you have a mistress, Max? I thought you loved Lucy?”
“What? I don’t have a mistress?”
“Really? Then who was the woman with the bad French accent that Lucy heard you professing love for, the day she lost the baby?”
“The… what?”
“That little conversation is the reason she lost the baby, Max. She was so upset that she tripped and fell down the stairs on her way out. And do you know what the silliest thing is? She blames herself for loving you so much, when she should lay the blame firmly on your stupid, idiotic, adulterous arse!”
The last four words were accompanied by punches to his bicep. Finally she seemed to have run out of words and she watched as the colour drained from his face. Seconds later
“ Then I allowed myself to marry him,” Lucy continued, “knowing full well that he didn’t feel the same. And then I deluded myself into believing that we could be happy, that he might come to love me the same way I love him.” She sighed. “I can’t help being angry though, no matter how unjustified and if I tell him anything about what happened that day, I might just end up killing him.”
“So you do still love him?”
Lucy looked at her friend for the first time since this conversation began.
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t care how many mistresses he has.”
“I’m sure there must be an explanation,” May insisted. “I have known my brother since childhood, well, since he was three to be exact, and I know he isn’t like that.”
“ Like what? The type of man who sleeps with many different women? We both know that isn’t true.”
May wanted to scream that he only did that, because he was frustrated that Lucy wouldn’t love him as he loved her.
For two people who had always been as close as Max and Lucy were, they certainly were stupid sometimes.
“You can’t tell Max,” Lucy implored. “He would just try to weasel out of it, and I really don’t want to get blood on my rugs.”
May smiled, amazed at her friend’s resilience and that she could joke after all she had been through.
“ Very well.”
“You swear?”
“I swear,” May answered, making a cross over her heart with her left hand, and keeping the crossed fingers of her right hand, safely hidden behind her back.
They sat in silence for a few moments, watching Sophie as she picked some daisies from the otherwise flawless lawn.
“If you ever find yourselves short of money, I'm sure our garden could use Sophie’s services. He is always bemoaning how quickly the daisies come up.”
May smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“So what happens now?” May asked.
Lucy’s smile faded too. “I will learn to forgive him for not loving me, I always have in the past, then we will carry on as we used to, as friends. He will get his heir one day, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’m not, I'm worried about you. Both of you actually. You look as though you haven’t had a good meal in months, and Max looks as if he hasn’t slept in weeks.”
“I'm sorry if my distance is hurting him but I need it to survive right now , May.”
“I know. ” She smiled. “How about if we continue this walk and try to think of happier topics?”
Lucy nodded and carefully got to her feet, so as not to wake the baby.
“Why don’t you tell me about this little man,” Lucy suggested.
“Oh, I could talk all week about that,” May grinned.
***
May returned to her suite of rooms for an hour, just in case Lucy was keeping an eye on her, then she went in search of Max. She found him in the study, looking out into the gardens. He didn’t turn as she entered, so she marched up to him and cuffed him around the back of the head, none too gently.
“Hey, what was that for?” he turned to her, looking confused. May adored him, and he her, so this was thoroughly out of character for her
“For being the biggest idiot in all of England!” She was steaming mad. “How could you have a mistress, Max? I thought you loved Lucy?”
“What? I don’t have a mistress?”
“Really? Then who was the woman with the bad French accent that Lucy heard you professing love for, the day she lost the baby?”
“The… what?”
“That little conversation is the reason she lost the baby, Max. She was so upset that she tripped and fell down the stairs on her way out. And do you know what the silliest thing is? She blames herself for loving you so much, when she should lay the blame firmly on your stupid, idiotic, adulterous arse!”
The last four words were accompanied by punches to his bicep. Finally she seemed to have run out of words and she watched as the colour drained from his face. Seconds later