THE RELUCTANT BRIDE (21 page)

Gabriella
bent over and kissed her. “Can I bring you anything tomorrow
night?”

“
No,
dear, I've everything I need. Really, they look after you so well
here I shall be quite sorry to leave. Of course, that's not true. I'm
longing to come and join you at White Gables.” She gave Rod a
coquettish look. “If you really don't mind having an old
mother-in-law living with you, Rod?”

He
kissed her cheek and smiled. “Don't ever let me hear you say
anything like that again. Firstly, you're far from being old, and
secondly, I can't imagine a mother-in-law I could like more!”

And
Gabriella could have sworn he meant it.

The
next morning he went away and she felt a marked lightening of her
tension. Now she would be able to get on with her work without
constantly having to monitor her behaviour. And there was plenty of
work. The new machines were to be installed at the end of the week,
the new employees were starting on Monday and she had to set up
schedules for retraining of existing staff. Jenny
worked
as hard as ever but by noon it was obvious that even the most urgent
tasks would not be completed that day.

“
And
I haven't even touched the correspondence yet,” Gabriella
sighed. “There are at least six letters and a contract that
must go out today.” She pushed back her hair with a weary hand.
“Why don't you get Amanda up here after lunch, Jenny, and get
her started on those?”

“
Amanda's
at Sue's desk today.”

“
Sue's
desk. Where's Sue?”

Jenny
didn't quite meet her gaze. “I don't know. Perhaps she's caught
a cold or something.”

“
Well
...” Gabriella carefully shuffled the letters she was holding
into a neat stack. “Well, let's take a break now, Jenny. Go and
have some lunch.”

When
the girl had gone she remained standing at her desk. I hate him, I
hate him, she said, over and over inside her head, and she squeezed
her eyes tight against a sudden spasm of pain. She knew exactly where
Sue was. Somewhere along the M4, on her way with Rod to one of those
hotel bedrooms. And Jenny knew too.

On
impulse she left her office and hurried along the corridor. She found
Amanda sitting erect and self important at Sue Langdon's desk.
Gabriella smiled at her, the effort to appear natural costing her
another spasm of headache.

“
I
hear Sue's away. Is she sick?”

“
Oh
no, Miss Stevens, she's on a few days holiday.”

“
Do
you know when she'll be back?”

“
Not
till Monday.”Amanda beamed at Gabriella. “I'm in charge
until then.”

“
Good
for you,” said Gabriella. Another wave of hate for Rod surged
over her and she left the office quickly.

Somehow
she got through the rest of the day, even staying late after most of
the others had gone to finish her work. When at last she reached home
she was drained of all energy and feeling. She had eaten nothing
since breakfast so she poured a bowl of cereal, added milk and forced
herself to eat a few spoonfuls. In ten minutes she would have to
leave for the hospital. Just for once, wanting nothing more than to
crawl into bed and pull the covers up over her head, she wished she
could telephone and make an excuse not to go.

Driving
out through the long shadows of the evening sun to the hospital she
thought of Rod in his hotel room at Slough or Reading or Swindon. And
what he was doing with Sue Langdon.

At
intervals on Friday evening Gabriella tried Rod's home number but
there was no reply. She called again on Saturday morning before she
left for the hospital to bring her mother home and again without
success at lunchtime and in the early evening. They're spending the
weekend together as well, she thought bitterly, and wondered how she
was going to face Sue on Monday morning and pretend she knew nothing.

Mrs
Stevens was delighted to be home and free of pain. Gabriella had
rearranged the furniture to leave pathways free for the Zimmer walker
and Mrs Stevens practised relentlessly.

“
Don't
do too much too soon,” Gabriella warned.

“
But
I feel marvellous, darling. And I'm determined to walk down the aisle
next Saturday.”

Saturday,
Gabriella repeated to herself. Only seven days to her wedding.

On
Sunday evening at eight she at last found Rod at home. “I want
to see you tonight,” she said without preamble. “Are you
alone?”

“
Have
you missed me so much?” he asked and she could sense the
mockery over the telephone. “Yes, I'm alone. Come round as soon
as you like.”

Gabriella's
heart began to hammer as she neared Rod's apartment. Her hands
trembled so much that she dropped her keys twice while locking her
car door. Calm down, she ordered herself, and
took
several deep breaths. She had to keep herself under control tonight
and state her terms firmly and clearly. If she let Rod get the upper
hand again their life together would be impossible.

He
answered the door in a short belted terry robe. His dark hair fell in
a damp tangle across his forehead. “Sorry, I was in the shower.
Come in.” He led the way into the sitting room and flung
himself into a chair by the fire, beckoning her to the couch
opposite.

She
looked at the long brown legs and bare feet that protruded from the
robe. “Are you going to dress?”

His
mouth twitched in amusement. “I hadn't planned to. Why, does it
bother you?”

“
Not
at all,”she lied.

“
Well
now, Gabriella, I'd like to say I'm pleased to see you, but actually
I'm damned tired and I was looking forward to an early night. So
let's keep it brief, shall we? What exactly do you want?”

“
I
want to know what you've been doing this week.”

“
Well,
let's see now. I did pretty well in Slouth, got three good orders,
one worth fifty grand. Not much in Swindon, but worth a visit for
future business. Reading was a waste of time -”

“
I'm
not talking about orders, I'm talking about Sue.”

“
Sue?
What about Sue?”

“
You
took her with you. After all I've said, you still had the gall to
take her away with you. And – and everyone knows about it!”

“
Who
exactly knows? Everyone at Englands?”

“
Yes
– no Well, Jenny knows!”

“
Jenny
told you Sue was on a trip with me?”

“
Not
exactly, but she was very evasive when I asked where Sue was. It was
obvious she knew a lot more than she was telling – and if Jenny
knows, probably lots of others know too.”

“
All
that's obvious is that you've been putting two and two together again
and making -”

“
I
don't need to be a brilliant mathematician to work out the score,
Rod. Not when I've already seen you wrapped around each other in your
office – and when Sue just happens to be away for exactly the
same period of time as you. My God, you even had to stay away for the
weekend! You really made a meal of it, didn't you?”

Rod
lunged forward and she found her two wrists grabbed painfully in one
of his large hands. The other hand caught her head by a clump of hair
and pulled her face to within an inch of his.

“
You
can believe what you like about me, Gabriella, I don't give a damn,
but I will do what I like and if that includes bedding Sue Langdon –
before
and
after
our marriage, there's not a damn thing you can do about it!”

“
If
you don't stop seeing her, then I won't marry you!”

“
Really?”
he sneered. “But you gave your word, didn't you? 'Whatever
happens,' you said. Anyway, you won't back out now. You've too much
at stake yourself, and you don't want to lose it.”

She
opened her mouth to argue. But he was right, she couldn't stop the
marriage now. He had won again.

For
a moment longer he held her, then with a low exclamation of contempt
he pushed her away from him.

CHAPTER
NINE

The
dress, ivory satin as her mother had suggested, inset with panels of
lace studded with tiny pearls, gave her a fragile other-worldly air
and her pallor did nothing to contradict the impression.

She
rummaged amongst the cosmetics Rachel and Jenny had left on the
dressing table and found a pot of blusher. That was better. Just a
touch to her cheeks and the point of her chin. Too much. She looked
like a clown. Pagliacci, masking his grief to amuse his audience. She
wiped off a little of the colour and smiled at her reflection.

Oh,
you'll have to do better than that, Gabriella. Brides are supposed to
look radiant.

Downstairs
Uncle Richard, her mother's elder brother, coaxed from early
retirement in the North of Scotland to give her away, waited
patiently. The others had already gone, her mother a bubbling mixture
of tears and happiness, resplendent in pale mint green with a
matching ribbon bow tied jauntily to the walking stick which had
replaced the Zimmer, and the bridesmaids, Jenny and Rachel, gliding
with a new dignity in their long full-skirted dresses.

The
house was quiet now. Through the open window of her bedroom she could
hear two neighbours chatting as they waited to see her depart for the
church. She crossed to the window and looked down into the narrow
street. With its neat little hedges and the laburnums in bloom it was
bright and cheerful in the sunshine. They had sold the house. By the
time she and Rod returned from their honeymoon her mother, with the
help of Mrs Priddy, would be installed at White Gables. At least she
had that to look forward to, Gabriella told herself. White Gables.